Aperture: f5.6

Shutter speed: 1/500

Focal length: 400

Camera: Canon EOS 60D

Dates Visited – 20 Feb 2012

Captive Birds – Amazon_Yellow-Shouldered, Avocet_Pied, Bee Eater_Carmine*, Cassawary, Chicken*, Conure_Golden*, Conure_Wagler’s, Crane_Crowned, Crane_Demoiselle, Crane_Stanley, Currassow_Northern Helmeted, Dove_Emerald, Dove_Turtle, Finch_Desert, Flamingo_Chilean, Flamingo_Greater, Hammerkop*, Heron_Grey, Hornbill_Southern Ground, Hornbill_Tarictic, Hornbill_Trumpeter, Ibis_Puna, Ibis_Waldrapp, Jay_White-Tailed*, Kookaburra_Blue-Winged, Kookaburra_Laughing, Lapwing_Southern, Lorikeet-Green-Naped*, Macaw-Military*, Macaw_Red-Fronted*, Macaw_Scarlet, Magpie_Azure-Winged, Magpie_Red-Billed Blue, Mynah_Bali*, Owl_Burrowing, Owl_Eagle, Owl_Spectacled, Owl_Northern White-Faced, Parrot_African Grey, Partridge_Roul Roul, Pelican_Pink-Backed*, Penguin_Humboldt, Penguin_King*, Pheasant_Grey Peacock, Pheasant_Palawan Peacock, Pheasant_Siamese Fireback*, Pigeon_Bronzewing, Pigeon_Imperial Green, Pigeon_Imperial Pied, Plover_Crowned*, Plover_Egyptian*, Plover_Masked, Roller_Lilac-Breasted*, Spoonbill_African, Starling_Red-Billed*, Stilt_Black-Winged, Stork_Marabou, Stork_White, Swan_Black, Swan_Whooper, Thrush_Black-Throated Laughing, Thrush_White-Throated Laughing, Toucan_White-Fronted, Touraco_Red-Crested*, Touraco_Violaceous, Tragopan_Temminck’s

Wild Birds – Jackdaw, Pigeon_Feral, Rook

Captive Fish – Trout_Rainbow

Final Approach…..

During a shoot in July 2009 on the Chobe River in Botswana while capturing Hippo shots, I noticed this Hammerkop using the sleeping Hipo as a perching spot on the water. The Hippo did not approve of this and got rather annoyed with the Hammerkop. I managed to capture the process of the Hammerkop landing and being unceremoniously shaken off by the angry Hippo. 

Click on the image below to enlarge.

Click on the image to enlarge.

An hour later I drove by on of our waterholes and what was wading through the water: A Hamerkop.

That teaches me never to make definite statements – I will use the word usually a lot in the future

We also got photo opportunities with a Grey Heron (in flight) and a Namaqua Dove (I love the purple color on the wings).

Even without seeing any of the big five everyone enjoyed themselves very much.

Vermilion flycatcher: Unlike many flycatchers that look alike, there is no mistaking this species. -- Photo by Pat Bean

Bird Talk

I’ve always wanted to know the names of things, but I wasn’t exactly pathetic about the need until I took up birding back in 1999.

I came late to this addictive passion, suddenly being amazed at all the birds around me. Where once these flying creatures were invisible, as if existing in a parallel world with a curtain drawn between them and me, suddenly I was seeing them everywhere.

My fascination with birds can be annoying to non-birders. A shadow flicks across the landscape and I lose my place in a conversation as my eyes turn upward searching for the source.

I constantly scan the tops of utility poles looking for familiar profiles. The sight of a red-tailed hawk sitting atop one causes me to yell “stop” to the car driver. A rustle or movement of leaves and I am distracted from a task. No roadside pond goes unscanned. Well, you get the idea.

The unique profile of a hammerkop makes it a hard bird to misidentify. But you'll have to go to the African continent if you want to see one. -- Photo by Pat bean

But seeing a bird is not enough. I must know what bird it is.

Is that a crow or a raven was one of my first identification problems. The raven is larger but size, without a comparison, is not much help. So I learned that a crow’s tail is razor straight at the end, while a raven’s tail is wedge-shaped. Ravens also are the ones who suffer bad-hair days.

Many flycatchers, meanwhile, still puzzle me. Quite a few look almost exactly alike. A long look through a good scope, and knowing preferred ranges and habitats of each species, is necessary for identifying these birds.

You won't find this bird in any field guide. It's a mallard hybrid. -- Photo by Pat Bean

Knowing that you’re looking at a flycatcher is easy, however. One usually sees them sitting up straight on a branch. They fly out to catch an insect and then most return to the same branch to repeat the process. If I have long enough to watch, and a good field guide, sometimes I can even figure out whether it’s a dusky or a willow, or one of several other flycatchers showing off for me.

When I was first learning to bird, there was this one particular duck that completely stumped me. While I had a really good look at the creature, I couldn’t find it in my field guide. I finally gave up and asked one of my birding mentors, who immediately broke into laughter.

The duck in question was a mallard hybrid. Since then I’ve seen a lot of these unique, but sterile offspring. Mallards, it seems, are sluts.

It was peaceful watching this mom and young charges splashing in the water until ... -- Photo by Pat Bean

 ” We live in a world full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open. ” – Irving Wallace

"Hey guy's! There's a hammerkop over there with the zebra." -- Photo by Pat Bean

African Safari: Holding Our Breaths

Our afternoon game drive with Bilal took place in Tarangire National Park, which is known for its elephants. The park , except during its rainy season, is mostly hot and dry. We missed the rainy season, and our August visit during Africa’s winter was made before the heat and dryness claimed the land.

The elephants, as almost all of the park’s wildlife did, made their way daily to the park’s only water source, the Tarangire River for which the park is named. Bilal knew exactly where to go and where to park for spectacular views of wildlife visiting the river.

One of the places was in the shade of a tree right next to a bank. On the far side of the river, we watched zebra and waterbuck peacefully drinking together. While we were watching a couple of giraffe joined them. It was fun to watch how they splayed their legs apart so as to be able to get low enough to drink.

Kim got this photo of a really big elephant that didn't scare us a bit. Perhaps because it was shot with her zoom lens. -- Photo by Kim Perrin

As I watched in awe, my eye was drawn to a bird at the feet of the zebras. It was a hammerkop, a strange looking bird with an elongated head. It was yet another lifer, which I excitedly pointed out to Kim and Bilal, both of whom failed to see birds when larger, more exotic, wildlife was in view.

On our side of the river were three elephants, a mom and two young ones. They were splashing in the water near were Bilal had parked the Land Rover. They looked like they were having so much fun that even I forgot to look at birds for awhile.

As we watched, the three began to climb out of the river beside our vehicle. As the young ones made their way up the bank, the mom got in front of our vehicle and engaged us in a stare off. She was close enough that she could have easily touched the hood of the vehicle with her trunk.

We could hear her snuffling as she glared intently into each of our eyes.

We can't say we weren't warned. -- Photo by kim Perrin

Kim and I, who were both standing up in the vehicle, stopped breathing we were so still. Bilal had his hand on the keys in the ignition but he didn’t move a muscle either. While this wasn’t the largest elephant we had seen, we all knew how fierce the protective mom could turn in an instant if she thought we were a danger to the young ones she had in tow.

After what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was only about two or three minutes she turned and led her charges off. All three of us took a big breath.

Bilal said he had been afraid if he started the vehicle to get us away, it would have caused her to charge.

Kim and I had wanted to have an adventure when we came to Africa, and this day certainly provided one. But we were both irked that neither of us had taken a photo of the face off. I would remember that later during another close-up wildlife encounter

After the walk, I get home to see scaffolding going up at the block across the street again.  I think this block is in its 3rd year of fix-up now.  Wonder if it will ever be finished.  I don’t know if it sold and someone new is now working on it or if the original owners finally got their act together and got things started up again.

3 Mallards and a Wood Duck

I think these are Mallards

I have to see the mom with them when they are young, to know for sure, but I know both the Wood  Duck and the Mallard have similar sized babies now.

Wood Ducks

Mallard

Crow

Mystery Bird

Have to have a mystery bird in the bunch.  I don’t know if s(he) is a Kestrel, Falcon or Hawk of some kind.  I also don’t know if this is a good enough picture to be able to tell for sure.  This bird is the reason for my little detour.  After I took this picture, I walked to the end of the block and then walked back down the lane in the hopes of getting a picture of the front of the bird – but by the time I got back to this house, there was no sign of it.  I did see it flying a few minutes later, but it was very quick and no chance of getting a picture.

Barry from Africam has ID’d this bird as a Kestrel or Sparrow Hawk.  Thanks Barry.

So far today on Africam, we have seen Kudu, Warthog, Waterbuck, Elephants, Nyala and more, and since this is about birds today, I’ll list some of the birds too – Egyptian Geese, Hammerkop, Black Eagle (the chick is getting big) and Osprey.  Click here to see today’s pictures.

Although I heard quite a few birds on our walk today, I did not see anything at all – so all we have are my Mock Orange and Lily flowers to see today.

Mock Orange July 5

Lilies July 5

Lilies July 5

On Africam today, we have seen Giraffe,  Bushbuck, Baboons, Impalas, Hadeda Ibis, Hammerkop, Terrapin and more.  Click here to see today’s pictures.

Hammerkop

While the zebras are striking, it was the hammerkop at my feet that got my attention. - Photo by Pat Bean, Tanzania, 2007

The trio of zebras drinking from the Tarangire River in Tanzania tickled my senses with their black and white carnival appearance. But it took the strange wading bird at their feet to elicit an outcry of “Look!” to my friend, Kim, who at the time was focused on a trio of elephants on our side of the river.

 It was early enough on in our shared African safari that she hadn’t yet muttered her angst against my constant bird watching. That would come later. Actually it was more my jumping around in the Land Rover for a better look, which jiggled her camera, that disturbed her most – especially when it was three generations of elephants, a tree-climbing lion or a rare leopard that had claimed her attention.

Now that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy watching these large mammals, or that she didn’t enjoy birds. We’d enjoyed many pleasant bird outings together back in the states. It was just that faced with choices, her deeper passion went one way and mine the other.

Kim gave the hammerkop I had pointed out a quick look and went back to her elephants while I studied the bird, one that had been high on my wish list of things to see while in Africa. Its elongated head reminded me of a hammerhead shark. In fact, hammerkop is the Dutch word for hammerhead.

This brown bird with the quirky profile is a member of the stork family. Killing one, according to superstition, is supposed to bring bad luck. I wondered if just seeing one would bring good luck.

I guess it did. Kim and I survived our different passions and are still the best of friends.

At the Y, we now have our computers set up behind the new desk and the printers and fax are working again.  Most of the employees still need training on the new phone system, which still has to have a few minor modifications to be working the way we need it to work, but most of the lines and the mailboxes have been initiated.  One great improvement also is that some of the staff will have their own direct line, which will really help us out by having the calls go directly to them instead of us having to answer the phone when we are busy, only to send it on.  I am off today and tomorrow, so I can spend more time on Africam and Wildearth.  

Africam just did a major upgrade to the forum system and the admins there have done a tremendous job in working with everyone to sort out the problems that some of the people are having.  With all the different browers and versions of these browers and connections speeds of all the computers, you have to expect a ton of problems, but they have been working on them and solving them extremely quickly.

They also just initiated a new twitter group to send out a tweet whenever an animal appears at the waterholes.  We are just sorting out who is going to tweet and when, but we should have a good system set up by the looks of the volunteers.

You can subscribe to Africam’s tweets at Africam Twitter.
Wild Earth also sends out twitter alerts that you can subscribe to at Wild Earth Twitter.

On Africam, we fondly call the arrival of animals in the morning, the morning parade.  Some morning, the parade simply doesn’t happen – at least while I am around, but some mornings – like this morning – have a great parade.  Here are some of the highlights.

Hammerkop

Zebra

Newest Baby Wildebeest

Hammerkop with frog foam nests

Elephant, with just one tusk

To continue with the Africam pictures, this morning (well – my morning and Africa’s late afternoon and evening), there were more sightings.

baby Wildebeest

The newest baby again.  Too bad he had his back to us.

Elephants

These elephants arrived while I was trying to get this blog done. 

Wild Earth also had a couple of good days, so here are pictures from them.

hippo

Sandy Patch Lion

Sandy Patch Lion

They apparently got more pictures of this lion and her cubs while I was out walking the dogs this morning.

Hyena

A couple of times this hyena turned around, but I just couldn’t get the picture to take at the right instant to get a face view until after dark.

Hyena

Then we were treated to an African sunset.

African Sunset

Just beautiful.