Sharon's 4th Year

[Tdgraves]

Well done on the 200

[Galana]

Congratulations on your double century. I agree with @michael-ibkon the Rock Thrush. (Please tell me they have not renamed that as well!!)

[PeterHG]

Congratulations on the double century. Many great photos, like the Tawny Eagles and the Kingfishers!

[TonyQ]

What an excellent collection from Kenya 

Congratulations on passing 200

Edited April 10, 2023 by TonyQ

[Peter Connan]

Congratulations.

Beautiful birds, stunning photography! The grey-headed Kingfisher is the winner for sure but I love the Starling and Zebra shot.

[Zim Girl]

Congratulations on the 200.  Lovely collection from Kenya, particularly like the Tawny eagles.

[BRACQUENE]

Congratulations on your 200 !!

[Kitsafari]

wow you're speeding through! congrats on the second century. More to come from Kenya,surely?

[pedro maia]

It took me some time but I finally caught up here, congrats on the first and secon centuries and also on the quality of the photos!

[shazdwn]

 

Thanks everyone for your congratulations and for following along - I'm pretty behind on checking out everyone else's big years at the moment but hope to catch up soon.

 

@michael-ibkand @Galana thanks for letting me know about the 'not a silverbird'.  I know we definitely saw silverbird as when we first arrived at Mara Camp our driver pointed a couple out but for a good 24 hours I thought he was saying 'it's a bird'.  I was thinking, well yes but what kind of bird, until finally the penny dropped.  I confessed to our driver and he thought it was hilarious .  I have replaced the photo with one that I think is an actual silverbird (I hope). 

[shazdwn]

So I just noticed I had 2 duplicates in the list.  I can't be bothered going back and changing all the numbers so I just changed the last one and will follow on from there.

[shazdwn]

Time to get back to a much neglected Big Year.

 

On 4/14/2023 at 11:22 PM, Kitsafari said:

wow you're speeding through! congrats on the second century. More to come from Kenya,surely?

Actually not many at all, we certainly saw more but I wasn't quick enough on the trigger for some.

 

Our last night in Kenya we indulged in some out and out luxury with a night at Giraffe Manor.  The focus was mostly on the giraffe (oh ok and the cocktails) but I got two new ticks as a couple of birds decided to join us for afternoon tea.

 

205 - Abyssinian Thrush - Nairobi, Kenya - 15 January 2023

 

 

Edited July 2, 2023 by shazdwn

[shazdwn]

206 - Baglafecht Weaver - Nairobi, Kenya - 15/1/2023

 

 

[shazdwn]

Opps one I missed from the Mara

 

207 - Speckled Mousebird - Maasai Mara, Kenya - 14/2/2023

[shazdwn]

And that was it for Africa in 2023 - but before I move on I hope you will indulge me as I put up some birds seen in Chobe, Botswana in the last couple of days of 2022 so that I can have all of my African species in one place (not counted though of course) 

 

African Darter

 

Broad-billed Roller

 

Mourning Collared-dove

 

Knob-billed Duck

 

Water Thick-knee

 

Black-backed Puffback

 

White-browed Sparrow-Weaver

 

Fork-tailed Drongo

 

Burnt-neck Eremomela

 

Lesser Striped Swallow

 

Trumpeter Hornbill

 

Yellow-bellied Greenbul

 

Whiskered Tern

 

Blacksmith Lapwing

 

White-headed Lapwing

 

African Openbill Stork

 

Red-billed Spurfowl

 

African Harrier-Hawk

 

Southern Carmine Bee-eater

 

African Snipe

 

Coppery-tailed Coucal

 

Pied Crow

 

Zitting Cisticola

 

Grey Go-away-bird

 

 

 

[shazdwn]

And finally a mystery bird to challenge you all on - taken along the Chobe River in December

 

And so the sun set on our time in Africa with a total of 231 species photographed, and more missed.  Can't wait to return one day.  

 

[shazdwn]

On our way home from Africa we had a stop-over in Dubai.  To be honest, not really my kind of place but a few more ticks to be had

 

208 - Great Cormorant - Dubai, UAE - 17/1/2023

 

Not sure if I can also count the swans or if they are domesticated?  Merlin doesn't show them in Dubai and it usually included introduces species.

[shazdwn]

209 - Red-wattled Lapwing - Dubai, UAE 17/1/2023

[shazdwn]

210 - House sparrow - Dubai, UAE 17/1/2023

 

[shazdwn]

211 - Eurasian Collared-Dove - Dubai, UAE 17/1/2023

 

 

 

[shazdwn]

212 - Mallard - Dubai, UAE 17/1/2023 (this one is in Merlin)

[shazdwn]

213 - House Crow - Dubai, UAE 17/1/2023

[shazdwn]

214 - Rock Pigeon - Dubai, UAE 17/1/2023

[Galana]

Multi locations covering a lot of ground.

 

I think your 'mystery bird ' is an immature moulting White-winged Widowbird but I would like to see more of the bill as it might be just  a scruffy Stonechat.

Abyssinian Thrush. Oh, goody. Another bird to add to my check lists when in East Africa. Will have to mark my map with location to be sure I get the right one and hope it has stuck to the right area.  Otherwise I would have settled for plain Olive.

[shazdwn]

50 minutes ago, Galana said:

Multi locations covering a lot of ground.

 

I think your 'mystery bird ' is an immature moulting White-winged Widowbird but I would like to see more of the bill as it might be just  a scruffy Stonechat.

Abyssinian Thrush. Oh, goody. Another bird to add to my check lists when in East Africa. Will have to mark my map with location to be sure I get the right one and hope it has stuck to the right area.  Otherwise I would have settled for plain Olive.

Oops I will bow to your much greater wisdom with these matters. I did think it sounded a touch too exotic 😂

Edited July 2, 2023 by shazdwn