TonyQ's Big Year: Number 4

[TonyQ]

415.K72. Grassland Pipit  Anthus cinnamomeus lacuum      

Amboseli National Park           06.09.2019

I am always a bit nervous when posting Pipits - but the location helps here as there are very few to choose from in this region

(One of the advantages of Iceland was that they only have one Pipit!)

[TonyQ]

416.K73.Great Sparrowhawk  Accipiter melanoleucus melanoleucus           

Nairobi National Park  04.09.2019

Nairobi National Park  04.09.2019

Thanks to @Galana for this one as I originally mis-identified it

[TonyQ]

K74. Great White Pelican  Pelecanus onocrotalus    

Already seen in India

Amboseli National Park           06.09.2019

[TonyQ]

417.K75. Greater Blue-Eared Starling  Lamprotornis chalybaeus     

Mara North Conservancy        09.09.2019

Mara North Conservancy        09.09.2019

[TonyQ]

K76. Greater Flamingo  Phoenicopterus (ruber) roseus        

Already seen in India

Amboseli National Park           06.09.2019

Amboseli National Park           06.09.2019

Amboseli National Park           06.09.2019

[TonyQ]

418.K77. Greater Kestrel  Falco rupicoloides arthuri 

Amboseli National Park           06.09.2019

When you get to Amboseli NP there is an office where you have to check in. This bird was sitting at the top of a tree just at the side of the office.

[TonyQ]

419.K78. Green Wood-Hoopoe  Phoeniculus purpureus       

Mara Naboisho Conservancy  15.09.2019

Mara Naboisho Conservancy  15.09.2019

[TonyQ]

420.K79. Green-Winged Pytilia  Pytilia melba           

Porini Amboseli camp  05.09.2019

[michael-ibk]

33 minutes ago, TonyQ said:

One of the advantages of Iceland was that they only have one Pipit!

 

Same in Gabon - easy there! :-)

 

Great shot of the Pytilia, a tricky bird to get a good photo of.

[Galana]

Now that's what I call a Green Woodhoopoe.

More please.

[TonyQ]

@Galana thank you

@michael-ibk thank you. The Pytilia never seem to sit still, jumping around in grass and the base of bushes. There are many rejected photos of them  out of focus, behind grass, partly out of frame etc!

 

421.K80. Grey Crowned Crane  Balearica regulorum gibbericeps    

male neck ruffled as part of display - I have not seen this before - Amboseli National Park           06.09.2019

Mara North Conservancy        09.09.2019

Mara North Conservancy        09.09.2019

Edited October 17, 2019 by TonyQ

[TonyQ]

K81. Grey Heron  Ardea cinerea cinerea       

Already seen in UK and India

Amboseli National Park           06.09.2019     

[TonyQ]

422.K82. Grey Woodpecker  Dendropicos goertae rhodeogaster     

feeding on the ground, Mara Naboisho Conservancy  14.09.2019

Mara Naboisho Conservancy  16.09.2019

[TonyQ]

423.K83. Grey Wren-warbler  Calamonastes simplex           

Selenkay Conservancy           05.09.2019

[TonyQ]

424.K84. Grey-backed Fiscal  Lanius excubitoroides

Mara North Conservancy        08.09.2019

[TonyQ]

425.K85. Grey-Capped Social Weaver  Pseudonigrita arnaudi         

Mara Naboisho Conservancy  13.09.2019

[TonyQ]

426.K86. Grey-capped Warbler  Eminia lepida          

Nairobi National Park  04.09.2019

[TonyQ]

427.K87. Grey-Headed Bush-Shrike  Malaconotus blanchoti approximans  

Porini Amboseli camp   07.09.2019

It amazes me that with all of the bright colourful features of this bird that the powers-that-be decided to focus on the fact that it is "Grey -headed"!

[TonyQ]

428.K88. Grey-Headed Kingfisher  Halcyon leucocephala leucocephala      

Mara Naboisho Conservancy  13.09.2019

Mara Naboisho Conservancy  15.09.2019

For this one the Grey-headedness was so important they used "leucocephala" twice in the sub-species name.   

 

[TonyQ]

429.K89. Hamerkop  Scopus umbretta umbretta       

Mara North Conservancy        11.09.2019

[TonyQ]

430.K90. Hartlaub's Bustard  Lissotis (Eupodotis) hartlaubii

Nairobi National Park  04.09.2019     

I originally had this down as a "Black-bellied Bustard", but the white markings on the face look more like the Hartlaub's to me. Both species are found in Nairobi National Park. I only have one so it will not have an impact on the total!

[PeterHG]

Having arrived at the letter 'G', you presented us with a lot of grey- (headed, capped, backed), but fortunately there is a lot of compensation in the rest of the colours. That beautiful Kingfisher is one of the most striking examples!

[Galana]

Pardon the pun but as @PeterHG points out this was  bit of a grey collection. Very enjoyable and nice to see the total edging ever upwards. Hard to judge if this alphabetical arrangement by 'first' name is showing any sign of revealing how far you have come and how far you have still to go. The species list is about 50/50 A-M and N-Z. It should be fun finding out.

As for Grey-headed Bush Shrike. It would be hard to find a better description with all the yellow-breasts about. (And you would have had to delay posting the picture til almost the end and it's too nice for that.)

The grey rear neck and white thumb print of the Hartlaub's Bustard confirms your call.

[Galana]

Sorry. Curiosity got the better of me.

Using my own species list for Kenya of 1124 re-jigged into A-Z by Mr Gates I find A-M goes from Abbott's Starling to Moustached Tinkerbird at 648. So the second half N-Z is shorter at 476.

Hartlaub's Bustard comes in at 495. Such trivia makes the world go around..

[TonyQ]

@Galana My percentages are "fairly similar" to those that you have worked out