It is the perfect season for migrants, and nomads are in significant numbers in Tsavo East National Park. In the background, you should hear Harlequin Quails and, if very keen, flocks, which were Red-billed Queleas and Wattled Starlings, very likely in millions.
In this video is the Golden Pipit - Tmetothylacus tenellus, also in plenty and many well-plumed for breeding. This lovely male ensures a great look on the streets, if not a date.
#MigrantBirds #TsavoEastNationalPark #BirdingSafari #GoldenPipit #KenyaBirding #AvianSafaris
Venturing into the Arabuko-Sokoke forest's Cynometra-Manilkara habitat is always an exhilarating experience, especially when seeking out the elusive Sokoke Scops Owl - Otus ireneae, listed globally Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Like their Otus relatives, I have gathered that these owls are strictly nocturnal, with peak activity occurring just after dusk and before dawn. They exhibit a fascinating behaviour of ranging further from their roost sites during nights with less lunar illumination; a strategy likely evolved to maximize their foraging success.
Our knowledgeable site guide led us to the day roosts amidst the dense understory vines encircling the Cynometra trees, providing a glimpse into the secretive world of these remarkable creatures.
#ArabukoSokoke #BirdingAdventure #SokokeScopsOwl #NocturnalWonders #ConservationEfforts #NatureExploration #KenyaBirdingTour #AvianSafaris #Birds
Exploring the Untamed Beauty of Northern Kenya: A Birding Adventure 🌿🦅
Our recent expedition into this bottomless expanse yielded many unforgettable sights, including a rare sighting of more than seven individuals of the elusive Heuglin's Bustard.
But the magic didn't stop there. Amidst the rugged terrain, we were graced by a majestic Egyptian Vulture - Neophron percnopterus percnopterus, a valid symbol of grace and resilience. This video captures the beauty of the N.p.percnopterus subspecies, showcasing its elegant and remarkable adaptability.
Witnessing this subadult vulture take refuge under the cooling shade of an Acacia tree in the heat of the day was a sign of the resilience of these magnificent birds.
In the background, one can hear much of what happens around us during our sightings.
#NorthernKenyaBirding #BirdingAdventure #HeuglinsBustard #EgyptianVulture #AvianEncounters #NatureExploration #BirdingExpedition #WildlifePhotography #BirdingTours #AvianSafaris #BirdingTours #AvianWonder #KenyaBirds
Observing Africa's Iconic Avian Wonder: The Shoebill - Balaeniceps rex 🦢✨
During another unforgettable birding expedition, we lost ourselves in the world of Uganda's Mabamba wetlands, home to the legendary Shoebill.
We had the privilege of witnessing a captivating moment: the Shoebill engaging in a unique behaviour of regurgitation, likely as a method to clear its throat. This extraordinary sighting gave us a rare insight into the fascinating lives of these majestic birds.
#AvianSafaris #BirdingExpedition #ShoebillSighting #MabambaWetlands #BirdingAdventure #UgandaBirding #NatureDiscovery #BirdingTours #AvianWonder #Birds
In the second week of December 2023, our birding expedition led us through Marsabit, Mount Kulal, and the environs of Lake Turkana in Northern Kenya. As avid birding enthusiasts, we immersed ourselves in the quintessential open-country birding experience, stunned by avian species that occur comfortably in drier environs. Among our sightings were some of the most captivating birds, including those whose southernmost range extends precisely to these locales.
In this latest video is the Crested Lark - Galerida cristata somaliensis, a widely distributed species boasting an impressive 34 subspecies, each uniquely adapted to its micro-range within the Afro-Eurasian region. Our encounter focused on the G.c.somaliensis, known to inhabit the Southern parts of Ethiopia, Northern Somalia, and Northern Kenya.
Additionally, we were keen to observe Thekla's Lark - Galerida theklae huriensis, adding to the numbers of our LBJ birding experience: this subspecies, one of thirteen, shares physical and vocal characteristics with its counterparts. Distinguishing between the two remains a challenge, with literature often needing more definitive field features for differentiation.
To fellow birding enthusiasts well-versed in the nuances of these two Larks, I extend an invitation for insights and tips on effectively identifying them. Your expertise and guidance are invaluable.
#BirdingExpedition #NorthernKenyaBirding #AvianDiversity #BirdingAdventure #CrestedLark #TheklasLark #BirdingTips #BirdIdentification #Birds #BirdingPhotography #AvianSafaris
On a Picture-perfect morning at Buffalo Springs National Reserve, we started with an exhilarating birding and nature drive. About an hour down the drive, we had the pleasure of encountering five stunning individuals of the Red-bellied Parrot - Poicephalus rufiventris rufiventris, right in the heart of the reserve.
This video captures the sexual dimorphism of these medium-sized African parrots. As three parrots gracefully stretched and preened, this devoted pair tended to a nesting hole. This is an impressive sighting, especially considering that this nesting cavity may have been abandoned by a Red-fronted Barbet.
Barbets carve nesting holes in less hard-wooded trees than their cousins, the woodpeckers. These cavities provide sanctuary for the Barbets and create vital habitats for a diverse array of wildlife.
#BirdingParadise #BuffaloSpringsBirding #AvianAdventures #BirdWatching #NatureGuides #WildlifeConservation #BirdingTours #AvianSafaris #CrammyWanyama
Lake Baringo is one of Kenya's critical birding areas, where nature reveals its secrets in a vibrant palette of colours and melodies. We delved into the world of classic African waterfowl and arid country birds, creating memories that will linger.
Among the remarkable species, Baringo graced us with, this charming Red-fronted Tinkerbird - Pogoniulus pusillus affinis, a petite member of the Barbet family. It is captivating as it approaches, sharing its enchanting call with the humble listeners we were. 🐦🌿🌍🦜
Every step is a new revelation, and every bird is a melody waiting to be heard on the Kenya Birding Tour. 📸✨
#LakeBaringoBirding #BirdingAdventure #KenyanWildlife #NatureDiscovery #AfricanBirds #WildlifePhotography #AvianWonder #AvianSafaris
A Serene Encounter with the African Bush Elephant, Loxodonta africana 🐘✨
Step into a world where nature reigns supreme, and the magnificent African Bush Elephant takes center stage. In the heart of Maasai Mara National Reserve, we've crafted unforgettable moments surrounded by breathtaking beauty.
A calm beautiful evening sun, Maasai Mara's lush landscapes come alive, painting a vibrant canvas of green as far as the eye can see. This kind of green is not just a sight an everyday sun; it is rejuvenating and refreshing even to the soul.
In the company of Avian Safaris, witness the brilliance of these gentle giants, as they grace us with their presence against the backdrop of Maasai Mara's picturesque scenery. 🌿🌞
#MaasaiMaraMagic #AfricanElephants #WildlifeWonders #NatureIsCalling #SafariAdventures #ExploreTheWild
Our extraordinaire Avian Safaris this time got us to the furthest and remote Northern Kenya lush Marsabit and Mount Kulal, and the extreme deserts of Dida Galgalu and Loiyangalani for their unique and localised feathered friends of ours—outstanding scenery and inhabited by highly adaptive tribes with rich exotic cultures and practices.
Getting through forest undergrowth to reach the small and nicely coloured Forest Robin (Stiphrornis erythrothorax xanthogaster). At Mabira Forest in central Uganda, for every 100-metre walk, there will be a singing individual from the lowest small branches or on the ground. Recent studies have described eight subspecies of Stiphrornis erythrothorax, and I believe they are still ongoing. The Mabira population has vocal variations from the western populations, which connect well to the prominent Congo forest residents.
African Harrier Hawk or Gymnogene (Polyboroides typus typus) deploys its Perch hunting strategy to catch Blue-headed Tree Agama and Skinks in Queen Elizabeth National Park - Uganda.
We enjoyed observing the African Leopard - Panthera pardus pardus in Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park. This was after a very productive boat ride on the Kazinga Channel.
A male Northern Red Bishop (Euplectes franciscanus franciscanus) is well-dressed for the breeding season. Females and non-breeding males have a brown and white feather pattern, typical of the family Ploceidae. When the breeding season ends, this brightly striking plumage moults to a plumage close to that of the females
D'Arnaud's Barbet (Trachyphonus darnaudii boehmi) Display. The video says it all.
Fantastic observations of Africa's largest Owl; the Verreaux's Eagle-Owl (Ketupa lacteus) during our birding excursion in Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park. Not a a very tough Owl to find during day because of the size and the fact that they are not the most skitish.
The curiosity of the adult, the pink eyelids and the tallons in this video are quite something.
The Grey-headed Oliveback (Delacourella capistrata) is one of Africa's most attractive Waxbills (Estrildidae finches). For the last eight years, we have made significant progress in finding spots to find this species and White-collared Oliveback (Nesocharis ansorgei). The latter can be more challenging at times because one site or two are known in a year or two, and this is not too good for only a pair of finches.
We recently found a trio in Gulu while heading to Kidepo Valley National Park, which is in the furthest most North-eastern part of Uganda and famous for the Somali-Masai biome specials. This is far too west of their range than I have always known.
While birding Ruhija of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwestern Uganda, we attempted to find the Red-chested Owlet - Glaucidium tephronotum medje at a spot where I hold records, which worked out positively. G. t. medje is the eastern subspecies of the three; the other two, G. t. tephronotum and G. t. pycrafti, occur in West Africa.
This species hardly gets a peaceful day roost once its potential prey species notice its presence; in this video, a Collared Sunbird comes in to mob it amongst other vocalising small birds that include other Sunbirds and apalises...
A female Petit's Cuckooshrike - Campephaga petiti enjoys a Katydid at Buhoma in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
#AvianSafaris #UgandaBirding #TravelToUganda #UgandaTourism #LuxuryUgandaTours #UgandaBirds #Birds #UgandaBirding #Uganda #Viral #BirdingTour #UgandaBirders #AfricanBirds #BirdPhotos #Katydid #ugandabirdingtours #ugandabirdingguides #GreatBlueTuraco #Corythaeolacristata
#Petit'sCuckooshrike #Campephagapetiti #Petit
Zygodactylaous and semi-zygodactylous have their unique kind of attractive beauty. It is entirely understandable for the Musophagids, which are semi-zygodactylous. Turacos are very variable in colours and remarkable for their peculiar pigments that give them bright green and red feathers. This Great Blue Turaco - Corythaeola cristata is the largest of them all, and often, on my tours, birders most favour it. A very vocal species whose sounds penetrate hundreds of meters through forest, woodland and cultivation habitats. This individual was seen feeding in a fully fruiting fig tree at Entebbe Botanical Gardens.
#UgandaBirding #UgandaBirds #Birds #UgandaBirding #Uganda #Viral #BirdingTour #UgandaBirders #AfricanBirds #BirdPhotos #ugandabirdingtours #ugandabirdingguides #GreatBlueTuraco #corythaeolacristata
A very beautiful Bar-tailed Trogon - Apaloderma vittatum. One of the only three Trogon species that occur in Africa. These are sometimes easier to hear than see and do not mean they are the most challenging to find, although they can be. They have mastered blending in their moist, montane forest habitats. They know that if they turn their beautiful greenbacks towards a potential threat (humans in this case), Trogons blend very well with the green vortex that they inhabit. Even when facing you, if your eyes miss the beautiful red, Trogons know so well to stay still and softly turn around so you do not notice their presence. If you watch this video of a fascinating male, you will see how he calmly turns around the head in a manner that does not attract immediate attention—brilliant and beautiful birds.
#UgandaBirding #UgandaBirds #Birds #UgandaBirding #Uganda #Viral #BirdingTour #UgandaBirders #AfricanBirds #BirdPhotos #ugandabirdingtours #ugandabirdingguides #Bar-tailed Trogon #Apaloderma vittatum
