Part of the reason that I chose bird photography this month was to get out and enjoy the nice weather, as well as get familiar with a new lens I have purchased. So at first glance it may not make any sense that today I’m posting images from my last trip. I have gotten out a bit over the past couple of days and taken some bird images, and I have been really impressed with the lens so far. But I’m already half way through Sunday and I haven’t had a chance to start editing, so rather than miss posting altogether or rushing my editing process, I decided to go for some bird images from my catalogue that I haven’t posted before.
I hope you enjoy my selections for this week, and next week I will be sharing some of our local birds.
Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead.
We came across a very large sociable weavers nest while on a game drive through Etosha National Park. There was a lot of activity in and out of the large communal nest, here one of the birds pauses in a more open spot where it is easier to see them.Up against the nest, the weaver is very camouflaged.The nest itself was so large it brought down one of the large branches of the acacia tree.This crimson breasted shrike played hard to get for a photo; this was the best that I could do while driving through the Makgadikgadi Pans.A beautiful glossy starling in early morning light.My personal favourite, the lilac breasted roller.
The WordPress photo challenge topic for the week are things that are distracting, and I need look no further than birds. Just yesterday, while taking my dog for an afternoon walk, a flash of yellow caught my eye in the bush, and I ended up rather mesmerized at the side of the road trying to photograph the birds flitting passed, mostly so I could try and identify them later. Those photos aren’t worth sharing, but I’m no different whilst on holiday either. Birds are definitely one of the things that stop me in my tracks so I can gaze at them in wonder.
I hope you enjoy my selection of photos.
A black korhaan, also known as the helicopter bird, spotted while out on a game drive in Etosha National Park. Namibia, April 2017.A flock of red billed quilea taking to the air. Okavango Delta, Botswana. May 2017.A southern ground hornbill spotted on an afternoon game drive in the Okavango Delta. We were very fortunate to see these endangered birds on several game drives in the delta. Botswana, May 2017.A grey go-away bird running along the edge of the Boteti River in Botswana. Granted it isn’t the best bird shot, but I loved the gesture of it too much not to include it. He looks like he’s doing a jig! Botswana, May 2017.A pale chanting goshawk perched next to the Boteti Rover in the early morning, likely looking for some breakfast amongst the frogs and other small creatures at the waters edge.I think I need to bring a magnetic bumper sticker the next time I go on safari that says “We brake for rollers”. I’ve never seen a lilac-breasted roller I didn’t want to snap a photo of. They are such beautiful birds, with such a gorgeous array of colours. Botswana, May 2017.
I was going through my folder of edited photos and realized I have a large number of random bird photos ready to go. Which is good, because I’ve not managed to get out and capture any of the local wildlife lately!
Even splitting the group of photos I found into two, I’ve still got a fair number of bird photos to post in the future!
I hope you enjoy, and have a great day!
A magpie shrike perched in an acacia tree.A lilac breasted roller perching beautifully for a photo.A pair of kori bustards in the Kalahari Desert.A green backed heron hunting along the edge of a dam.A brown hooded kingfisher.A sacred ibis flies over on of the swamps of the Okavango Delta.An African wood hoopoe.
I missed last week’s photo challenge, but when I saw it, I couldn’t resist posting a photo of one of my favourite birds, the lovely lilac breasted roller.
Lilac Breasted Roller Okavango Delta, Botswana, April 2015 1/1000 sec, f5.6, ISO 320
While organizing photos, I came across a few lilac-breasted roller shots that frankly, I forgot I had. They are from my trip this past October / November to Zimanga. While there, I didn’t have a lot of success capturing the roller, as most of the time we were driving when I noticed it, and it was gone by the time we stopped, if we were able to stop at all. If there is a more beautiful bird though, I’ve not seen it yet. When the sunlight strikes its feather, the colours are just amazing.
Enjoy the photos and have a lovely day.
A cheeky glance over the shoulder. 1/500 sec, f5.6, ISO 100If the light would have been on my side, this obviously would have been much better. I included it as I really like the composition. 1/400 sec, f5.6, ISO 100Perched in the thorn tree, I snapped this just moments before the roller took off. 1/1000 sec, f5.6, ISO 400Up and away. Not the sharpest in flight shot, but a lovely display of the colourful feathers nonetheless. 1/1250 sec, f5.6, ISO 400
The lilac breasted roller is one of my favourite South African birds – it has such a wide variety of colours in its feathers. While I saw quite a few on my trip, usually it was while we were driving and they were flying away – not the best opportunity for capturing a photo. Here though, I lucked out. A bright sunny day really brings out the feather colours, but the flat white sky also serves as a good backdrop.
This little bird captivated me from my first sighting, but proved to be a difficult photography subject for the first couple of days. Obviously there was the usual scenario – that birds don’t necessarily sit still long enough for photographs. Then I had overcast weather or flat out rain that did not do the colours justice, or fading evening light. But in the end, I managed several lovely shots, one of which is now framed so I can see it every day.
From Wikipedia:
“The Lilac-breasted Roller (Coracias caudatus) is a member of the roller family of birds. It is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula, preferring open woodland and savanna; it is largely absent from treeless places. Usually found alone or in pairs, it perches conspicuously at the tops of trees, poles or other high vantage points from where it can spot insects, lizards, scorpions, snails, small birds and rodents moving about at ground level.[2]
Nesting takes place in a natural hole in a tree where a clutch of 2–4 eggs is laid, and incubated by both parents, who are extremely aggressive in defence of their nest, taking on raptors and other birds. During the breeding season the male will rise to great heights, descending in swoops and dives, while uttering harsh, discordant cries.
The sexes are alike in coloration. Juveniles do not have the long tail feathers that adults do.
This species is the national bird of Botswana and Kenya.”
