Galana's fourth effort. "Never mind the quality feel the width".

[Galana]

To the Flats for Cats! (or "Once more unto the breach dear friends! Once more!")

Before Dawn broke and the first sparrow had broken wind we were on our way to Kasenyi under full beams. The usual Dikkops and Nightjars again took avoiding action as did Bunny but there was no sign this morning of yesterdays  African Crake. Perhaps the poor thing was in therapy.

And so we entered the flats full of eager anticipation.

Starting with #180 again.

180. Not the best shots but it was darned hard to get them to sit still.

 

A shadow in the grass but not a cat.

181. Black-bellied Bustard.

 

I got this one during a tea break.

182. Fan-tailed Widow-bird.

 

183. Little Stint.

 

184. Croaking Cisticola. I knew just how it felt.

 

185. Copper Sunbird.

 

186. Black-chested Snake Eagle. The first in QENP (on the Euphorbia) and the second in Lake Mbuto NP where there are more Eagle friendly trees.

 

Often confused with this larger species....

187. Martial Eagle. On ubiquitous Euphorbia.

 

188.  Jameson's Firefinch.

 

Drive over and back at the lodge....

 

189. Green-headed Sunbird. My tent.

 

190. Spot-flanked Barbet. My tent. Birding from my balcony. Much more sensible.

 

Finally. As part of my effort to maintain the high ground in the EBC stakes here is one for your consideration.

Yesterday morning in the early apart of our drive we came upon a small flock of these birds. the rapidly flew off but I did get a shot through the long grass and with the help of the first streaks of dawn. I know the back seat managed better due to their higher stance so am tempted to include mine.

190A. Caspian Plovers. I can see at least two. Both half way up one well to the left but the other "better" one just right of centre.

Tomorrow we will hit 200 and co-incidentally the subject fell just right in the sequence without the need for juggling.

 

 

[Soukous]

23 minutes ago, Galana said:

I can see at least two

 

Hmm. If you hadn't seen them in real life and I showed you that photo would you honestly be able to identify 2 (or more) Caspian Plovers? 

[kittykat23uk]

I don't recall the caspian plovers at all. I certainly didn't take any shots of them. Are you sure there are birds in that picture 😂? 

 

Also you have not labelled number 180...

[Galana]

1 hour ago, Soukous said:

would you honestly be able to identify 2 (or more) Caspian Plovers? 

I can certainly see two plover like birds the right hand one has a breast band.

 

1 hour ago, kittykat23uk said:

I don't recall the caspian plovers at all

Probably napping as after all you had been up very early.

Here is one from standing on the rear seat. What a difference being that much higher makes.

1 hour ago, kittykat23uk said:

Also you have not labelled number 180... Well spotted.

 

[xelas]

1 hour ago, kittykat23uk said:

Also you have not labelled number 180...

 

That is because of me. So I am going to try it again #180 = Whinchat .

[kittykat23uk]

Ok fair enough, that second picture proves there are birds, but how do we know this is from the same sighting? 

[xelas]

7 minutes ago, kittykat23uk said:

but how do we know this is from the same sighting? 

 

Timestamp. And we do believe what a fellow BY poster is claiming .

[kittykat23uk]

Just now, xelas said:

 

Timestamp. And we do believe what a fellow BY poster is claiming .

 

There is no exif data for the time stamp as far as I can see....  And does it count if it's someone else's photo? Not that I have any skin in this game.. 

[xelas]

Oh, that other photo is ours. And when asking about the bird, Fred has checked his photos using the exif data. They were both taken at first lioness sighting. You might have them also on your photos (if not deleted).

[kittykat23uk]

1 minute ago, xelas said:

Oh, that other photo is ours. And when asking about the bird, Fred has checked his photos using the exif data. They were both taken at first lioness sighting. You might have them also on your photos (if not deleted).

 

I assumed as much , no I don't think I have them, probably too focused on the lioness. 

[Soukous]

1 hour ago, Galana said:

Here is one from standing on the rear seat. What a difference being that much higher makes.

 

Much better, thank you.

[Galana]

2 hours ago, kittykat23uk said:

but how do we know this is from the same sighting? 

Alex has explained. This was an emailed photo he sent me which from the time stamp permitted me to trawl my own efforts to come up with my more humble effort. But getting it from an Email attachment  to post on here we lost the 'exif' as these compooter thingies are not as good as some folks like to think they are.

 

Surely you are not doubting the word of an Officer and Gentleman?

I am not counting it per se but simply offering it as evidence of my integrity and to assuage your doubts as to the actual sighting. You were obviously either asleep or sitting on the left hand side.

Not really at the lioness non sighting but around that time. I don't know exactly cos I did not waste pixels on a termite mound.

[kittykat23uk]

At least we can confidently identify the lioness 😉:

 

 

[TonyQ]

Some great additions, and a potential prize winning EBC.

This trip is giving us everything a,

[Galana]

10 hours ago, xelas said:

That is because of me. So I am going to try it again #180 = Whinchat .

Genuine oversight.

Good to see you got there in the end. Now. About that bird on the wire at AGH?

 

6 hours ago, kittykat23uk said:

At least we can confidently identify the lioness 😉:

Well she probably has her name on her collar! Do captive cats count?

Edited March 16, 2020 by Galana
Corrected text.

[Galana]

So we continue. A late start to the afternoon drive and we went along several new tracks adjacent to the Channel as this is where one can encounter ellies and even Giant Forest Hogs.

But it was rather quiet and despite Emmy's sterling efforts at luring birds out not much was found.

We did see lots of Euporbia candelabra though.

191. Nubian Woodpecker.

 

192. Oops. A very good focus on the acacia thorns but my only record of Grey-capped Warbler which proved a bit of a nemesis this trip.

 

193. Helmeted Guineafowl were not much easier for some reason.

 

194. Cardinal Woodpecker.

 

195. African Grey Hornbill.

 

196. Lesser Masked Weaver. One outside my tent and the other later in the reeds.

 

197. The bird on the Euphorbia as we left Mweya on our last morning puzzled us a lot with several suggestions but eventually it was 'just' a Brown Snake Eagle.  but I got a more useful shot later in the trip so show it here also.

 

198. Green-winged Pytilia also proved shy and elusive.

 

We diverted up to Chyambura Gorge for lunch before taking the track to our next stop at Jacana Lodge.

There is  a nice picnic platform with a good view. UWA do NOT permit entrance to the gorge unless you are chimp tracking.

 

199. White-headed Barbet. I knew Chyambura was a good site for these and so it proved.

 

We left and headed for Jacana Lodge via Maramagambo Forest where I knew we could find one or two special birds.

Hardly entered when one was seen perched very conveniently at almost head height in full view.

200. Black BeeEater. One of the specials and so nice to get one to cooperate instead of the usual neck cricking canopy views.. Such a lovely bird it is worth a couple more later views.

 

That's it. We are about half way through the trip and the same distance through the birds.

 

 

Edited March 17, 2020 by Galana
Additional photo.

[pedro maia]

That’s a beautiful bird to celebrate the second ton of your BY,  looking forward for what’s to come.

[Peter Connan]

I think I have a new favorite Bee-eater!

 

Congratulations.

[Soukous]

4 minutes ago, Peter Connan said:

I think I have a new favorite Bee-eater!

 

Me too, now I just need to see one live

[Peter Connan]

Jip, bucket list just keeps getting longer @Soukous...

[xelas]

Congratulations on #200, and what a beauty this bee-eater is!

[Galana]

1 hour ago, Peter Connan said:

I think I have a new favorite Bee-eater!

 

Congratulations.

Thanks.

But it is very hard to have a firm favorite with so many species in the genera.

However this is one to look out for when in Uganda.

 

Thanks also to @pedro maia, @Soukous and everyone for the encouragement.

I hope to deliver more as the trip progresses.

With the Virus affliction at least we can draw on our memories for a while until we can travel again.

[PeterHG]

I have to agree with the others: what a superb bee-eater! Keep them coming

[michael-ibk]

Great new additions, sorry to be boring, but I also love the Black Bee-Eater, a great sighting. Congrats on #200!

[Galana]

So after the joy of the Black BeeEater we continued on to Jacana Lodge with hope of the other special birds here, Blue-breasted Kingfisher and African Finfoot both of which I have seen in the lodge grounds or swimming past. Sadly it was not to be although a Black-headed Batis obliged briefly.  After being shown to our chalets we met down by the pool and it was decided/were persuaded to take a cruise on "The Captains Table" around the lake and after the usual african time departure we duly did.

We saw both Giant, Malachite, Pied and Shining Blue Kingfishers plus the usual lakeside suspects but no Finfoot.    "Finfeet?"

And after about 30 minutes a real storm blew in which killed both visibility and our enthusiasm so we headed back to the jetty.

Getting wet inside and out!

No more birding that night apart from single Pink Backed Pelican.

So here we go...

 

201. Black-headed Batis.

 

202. Pink-backed Pelican.

 

Now next morning as we left early in the dim light a brown-red bird was in the car park before being flushed to a perch. a bit of an EBC but  a worthy tick.

 

203. Fraser's Rufous Flycatcher Thrush.

 

Shortly thereafter we found

204. Tambourine Dove. We must keep that windscreen cleaner.

 

As we left the Maramagambo forest for Savannah we got a good look at

205. Red-chested Cuckoo who actually sang for us.

As the light improved as the sun rose and stops for AFB's diminished our captures increased.

 

206. Stout Cisticola.

 

207. Black-shouldered Kite.

 

208. Trilling Cisticola.

 

209.  Red-billed Quelea.

 

210. African Moustached Warbler. Despite the herbage I managed to get a reasonable image of this skulker.

 

Our journey south continues with a fruitless search for arboreal lions in the Ishasha sector but we did find more birds.

Edited March 18, 2020 by Galana
correction.