Galana's Seventh. Lucky numbers.

[PeterHG]

Spectacular Crowned Eagle shot. You must have been close.

[Galana]

2 hours ago, PeterHG said:

You must have been close.

Thanks Peter. I liked them too. It is hard to say how close it was. We had two aspects of it near the top of a hardwood tree in Arusha. How high are they, 100 feet, 30 metres? We saw it from the rear and took some shots then it allowed us to walk 'underneath' and try for frontal views and was best described as 'disdainful' of our presence. We were never close enough to disturb it or for it to disturb us.

The hard bit was getting a shot clear of all the leaves and twigs.

[TonyQ]

Excellent new additions, and the Lovebird is lovely......

[michael-ibk]

Great additions Fred, several would be lifers for me. Fantastic Crowned Eagle and Lovebird. Belated congrats on your #300, certainly many 100s more to come. 

[Galana]

Thanks @TonyQand @michael-ibk.  I think I got three lifers in all. One gone and two more to come.

 

A delay today whilst I got involved in other matters.

Here we go.

 

381. Rufous tailed Weaver. Naabi Hill. NCA/Serengeti.

 

382. Secretarybird. NCA/Serengeti.

 

383. Cape Rook. Somewhere in Serengeti.

 

384. Acacia Pied Barbet.  Serengeti.

 

385. Silverbird. Serengeti. Ikoma.

 

386. African Paradise Flycatcher. Ikoma Tented Camp. Ikoma Wildlife Management Area.

 

387. Speke's Weaver. Ikoma and Arusha. ID came late when filing.

 

388. Spotted Morning Thrush. Ikoma Camp.

 

389. Red-fronted Barbet. Ikoma Tented Camp.

 

390. Grey-capped Social Weaver. Ikoma Wildlife Management Area.

 

More to come.

[Galana]

Now what my friend Willy Doowit has been asking for a while.

 

391. Usumbiro Barbet. Ikoma Tented Camp.

 

392. African Grey Flycatcher. Ikoma WMA.

 

393. Brimstone Canary. Ikoma WMA.

 

394. Blue-capped Cordon bleu. That completes the trio of Cordon Bleus..

 

395. Chestnut Sparrow. Ikoma  WMA. Interesting to note that these five Species were all more or less in the same foraging flock.

 

396. Fawn coloured Lark. Ikoma WMA.

 

 

397.  Grey-headed Woodpecker.  Ikoma WMA.

 

398. Kori Bustard.  Ikoma WMA.

 

399. Temminck's Courser. Ikoma WMA.

 

and. 

 

400. White-browed Scrub Robin. Ikoma Tented Camp. I do 'em as seen so luck of the draw.

 

A word about Ikoma WMA. This is the area just north of Ikoma Gate to the Serengeti as some sort of 'Buffer Zone'. No fences so the wildlife including the Migration do pass through in season. Our Eponymous Tented camp lies within it and indeed we had Buffalo in camp after dark so had to be escorted to/from dinner by a guard armed with a Bow and Arrow (never saw the arrow come to think of it.) and a torch.

On arrival we were asked for US$29 pppn WMA fee just for sleeping there so why not get our monies worth by game driving the area instead of US$180 for the Serengeti just over the non fence?

So we did. Another incentive was that Emmy had a hunch that this might yield his much sought target bird of Karamoja Apalis.

That would put a feather in his cap.

[BRACQUENE]

Some interesting birds Fred we saw both like that Barbet I should now definitely consider as a new species 😉

[michael-ibk]

That was fast.

 

Congrats on #400 Fred!

[TonyQ]

Congratulations on reaching 400 - it looks like a very big year for you!

I really like the Courser in your last batch

[Galana]

14 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

That was fast.

Too fast it seems. I am reviewing my photos for my gallery and found problems last night.

I thought I had a good system for sniffing out duplications but it has not been perfect with human interventions. Depends how the human treats the name. Is it written  "Social Weaver , Grey capped" or 'Weaver  Social Grey-capped' which was counted at 086 in March and again as 390 this trip.

So my 400 is 'premature' and I can see at least another ahead at 041 and further on at 4xx so that just won't appear now to hide my embarrassment.

@BRACQUENEUsumbiro has always been separate on my trips so feel free. I only saw Usumbiro in Maasai Mara last month.

@TonyQNice to get  a Courser to stand still long enough to let the Auto focus work.

 

More to come.

[Galana]

Let me move on.

Today we are in Ikoma WMA before driving to Lake Victoria via Grumeti WMA.

 

Finishing in Ikoma WMA on a 'high' by a Whistling Thorn bush.

 

Just the environment for a certain Apalis. See it yet?

 

401. Karamoja Apalis. Ikoma WMA. Just where Emmy said it would be. A lifer.

 

402. Brown-headed Tchagra. Ikoma. I am basing this on lighter belly colouring.

 

403. Rattling Cisticola. Ikoma WMA.

 

404. Grey-backed Cameroptera. Ikoma Tented Camp..

 

405. Dark chanting Goshawk. Ikoma.

 

406. Sooty Chat. Grumeti WMA.

 

407. Steppe Eagle.  Grumeti WMA. T17 road goes through it..

 

408. African Mourning Dove. Grumeti or further west.

 

We now arrive at Speke Bay Lodge. Full of birds including table begging...

 

409. Swamp Flycatchers.  Speke Bay Lodge. Lake Victoria.

 

and

 

410. Slender billed Weavers. Speke Bay Lodge.

 

I will have more to say about this wonderful Lodge in the Trip report. Superb.

 

But for now that's it. I have been called away for an anniversary G&T by the wonderful lady in my life.

 

 

[michael-ibk]

Congrats on your lifer! Your Rattler is surely a Pipit, isn´t it?

[Galana]

4 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Your Rattler is surely a Pipit, isn´t it?

Looking at it you are correct. A mix up.

Here is the Rattler taken 15 mins earlier.

 

Good to see somebody out there to keep me right.

Thanks.

No offence to the Grassland Pipit but it should stick to the Grassland and not go flying up into Acacias to confuse honest tourists.

[michael-ibk]

Don't worry Fred, good to see for us mere mortals that even you can get it wrong once in a while. 

Edited September 15, 2023 by michael-ibk

[PeterHG]

Congrats on 400 and beyond! 

[Galana]

Today's top ten.

 

We are now in the copious grounds of the lovely Speke Bay Lodge on the shore of Lake Victoria.

In addition to the copious numbers of Swamp Flycatchers and Slender-billed Weavers there was plenty more to catch our eye.

 

411. Northern Brown-throated Weaver.  Speke Bay. TZ.

 

and despite it being broad daylight a familiar low Hooting soon had the next birds lined up..

 

412. Verreaux's Eagle Owl. Speke Bay. Saw them every day, could hardly not as scanning the trees they were quite self evident even if they had remained silent.

 

The next species was harder to track down and even harder to persuade to pose.

413. Buff-bellied Warbler. Speke Bay.

 

Not so the next one ..

414. Black-headed Gonalek . Speke Bay.

 

Slightly off piste but welcome never the less.

 

415. Grey-breasted Spurfowl. A TZ endemic.

 

416. Heuglin's Courser.  A very welcome addition to my Big Year.

 

417. African Thrush. Speke Bay.

 

418. Black Crake. Speke Bay, literally.

 

419. Malachite Kingfisher. Speke Bay.

 

420. Slender-tailed Nightjar. Speke Bay. 

[BRACQUENE]

Congratulations on your fourth century ! I love that Black-headed Gonalek

[Peter Connan]

Wow, really moving here Fred!

Some rral beauties too!

[TonyQ]

Some great birds at Speke Bay. Heuglin’s Courser is really beautiful and the Gonolek is stunning

[Galana]

Another day in Paradise (Speke Bay Lodge)and the total continues and includes another 'Lifer'.

 

421. Square-tailed Nightjar.

 

422. Jameson's Firefinch.

 

423. Red-chested Sunbird.

 

424 Angolan Swallow.

 

425. Yellow-fronted Canary.

 

426. Wattled Lapwing.

 

427. Marsh Sandpiper.

 

Lifer warning..

428. Zebra Waxbill. Pick the race. It should not be here but I am not complaining.  A Lifer.

 

429. White-bellied Cormorant.

 

430. Yellow-rumped Canary.

 

 

 

Edited September 16, 2023 by Galana

[michael-ibk]

Congrats on your next lifer, have only seen this one in the Usumbura Mountains, and not such a splendid male like this one.

 

Are you sure about your Sandpiper? Looks like perfect Wood to me.

[PeterHG]

A beautiful lifer!

[Galana]

On 9/16/2023 at 2:36 PM, michael-ibk said:

Are you sure about your Sandpiper? Looks like perfect Wood to me.

So kind of you to put it in low case to hide my embarassment. Just read it on the reprint. You are of course correct. I think I was fooled by the bill angle and a strong dose of wishful thinking. I will do the adjustment x 2 at the end to keep the numbers in the assembled order or I risk even more confusion.

Same goes for 437 in this batch which I also find at 041 in February.

 

Missed a list yesterday due to guests keeping me occupied.

 

Here goes as we tear ourselves away from Speke Bay and head for Kenya and the Masai Mara.

 

431.Grey-capped Warbler. Speke Bay. Normally an easier bird to get but this trip it was darned elusive.

 

432. Great White Pelican. Ndabakka Gate,Serengeti. Grabbed from outside to avoid paying US$180.

 

433. Plain-backed Pipit.  Quite common in Kenya. Prob Maasai Mara as we spent our transfer drive covered in dust and replacing our eyeballs in their sockets when our visual stabilisers failed.

 

434. Black-lored Babbler. Maasai Mara.

 

435. Purple Grenadier. Tayari 'Luxury' camp. Sekenani,

 

436. Red-winged Lark. Masai Mara.

 

437/041) Yellow-throated Longclaw. Masai Mara (and Mikumi TZ) I took it so you might as well see it. Count to be adjusted.

 

438. Coqui Francolin.Masai Mara.

 

439. Yellow-billed Oxpeckers. Masai Mara.

 

440. Wattled Starling. Masai Mara.

 

More to come.

[pedro maia]

Congrats on the fourth ton Fred, some very cool species and also some nice pictures, although one of my favourites so far is the Hartlaub's Turaco, I can’t resist a goog EBC.

[Galana]

1 hour ago, pedro maia said:

I can’t resist a goog EBC.

Stick with me Pedro. My speciality.