Weekly Photo Challenge: Floral Partners

A submission to this week’s photo challenge – from a different time and place (UK 2014) – before we came out here to Tanzania – our old English Garden had a floral partners which in May produced the most stunning display of blue and white.

A Bird a Day in June: Day 30 – Bronze Mannikin

Day 30 of a series illustrating some of the fantastic birds we see here on Lake Victoria and across Tanzania. Many of these are seen in our garden including this one.

Bronze Mannikin

A Bird a Day in June: Day 29 – Southern Red Bishop

Day 29 of a series illustrating some of the fantastic birds we see here on Lake Victoria and across Tanzania. Many of these are seen in our garden – but this one is not but from close by.

Southern Red Bishop

Red Bishop

A Bird a Day in June: Day 28 – Black-backed Puffback

Day 28 of a series illustrating some of the fantastic birds we see here on Lake Victoria and across Tanzania. Many of these are seen in our garden including this one.

Black-backed Puffback

A Bird a Day in June: Day 27 -Northern Carmine Bee-eater

Day 27 of a series illustrating some of the fantastic birds we see here on Lake Victoria and across Tanzania. Many of these are seen in our garden – but this is the another one from elsewhere in Tanzania and further afield.

Northern Carmine Bee-eater

Other Bee-eaters

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater

White Throated Bee-eater

Rising Waters

One thing which has been apparent over the almost two years we have been in Mwanza, that is the fact that the Lake is rising!

Lake Victoria’s waters are flooding over the low lying land along the shoreline, like here at Charcoal Ribs, Jembe Beach south of Mwanza.

The above photo was taken a month after the end of the rainy season (we have had very little rain this past month) but the waters are not receding. This photo was taken south of Mwanza on Jembe Beach, but the pattern is repeated along the length of the lake where we have encountered it at Igombe, Papa’s, Talapia, Tunza and Malaika

Researchers in Uganda have measured water level rises of almost 6m in two years. Lake Victoria is a shallow lake and has only one outlet, the River Nile at Jinja. This accounts for 15% of the outflow. The water comes in via streams and the Kagera River, but again this does not account for much.

The water levels are mainly affected by rainfall and evaporation. Climate change appears to be having a big effect on Lake Victoria.

Information taken from

http://allafrica.com/stories/201601060324.html

http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/mobile/article/2000181998/lake-victoria-water-to-rise-in-next-10-years

Weekly Photo Challenge: (Feathered) Partners

A submission to this week’s photo challenge: Partners this one focus on the birds seen in our garden – part of my bird a day in June series

Mourning Doves

A Bird a Day in June: Day 26 – Red-billed Firefinch

Day 26 of a series illustrating some of the fantastic birds we see here on Lake Victoria and across Tanzania. Many of these are seen in our garden – this in one of them

Red-billed Firefinch

Red Billed Firefinch

Redbilled Firefinch

Female Red-billed Firefinch

Red-billed Firefinch

Firefinch

Red-billed Firefinch

Firefinch (Red)

A Bird a Day in June: Day 25 – Swamp Flycatcher

Day 25 of a series illustrating some of the fantastic birds we see here on Lake Victoria and across Tanzania. Many of these are seen in our garden – but this one is not but from close by.

Swamp Flycatcher

Weekly Photo Challenge: (European) Partners

This week’s photo challenge is on the theme of Partners – on this sad day for Europe I share this montage of European Cities I’ve visited in the various countries of the EU. All partners  Austria, Czech Republic ,Denmark, Estonia, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy and Spain.

2006 Prague – Astronomical Clock

Copenhagen – Little Mermaid

Malia (Crete)

Tallinn

Colosseum at Night

Budapest

Seville – Torre Del Oro

Vienna

Then there’s Britain – who after today no longer wants to be a partner. 😥

 

 

A Bird a Day in June: Day 24 – African Mourning Dove

Day 24 of a series illustrating some of the fantastic birds we see here on Lake Victoria and across Tanzania. Many of these are seen in our garden.

African Mourning Dove

Mourning Doves

Mourning Dove and White Bellied Canary

Other Doves – Laughing Dove / Red-eyed Dove / Ring Necked Dove

A Bird a Day in June: Day 23 – Lilac Breasted Roller

Day 23 of a series illustrating some of the fantastic birds we see here on Lake Victoria and across Tanzania. Many of these are seen in our garden – but this is the first one from elsewhere in Tanzania.

Lilac Breasted Roller

Lilac Breasted Roller

Roller Landing

Roller Close Up

Close Up 2 Roller

Lilac Breated Roller

A Bird a Day in June: Day 22 – Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo

Day 22

of a series illustrating some of the fantastic birds we see here on Lake Victoria and across Tanzania. Many of these are seen in our garden – this was a very rare visitor indeed.

Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo

Other Cuckoos- Klaas Cuckoo

Klaas’s Cuckoo

 

A Bird a Day in June: Day 21 – African Thrush

Day 21 of a series illustrating some of the fantastic birds we see here on Lake Victoria and across Tanzania. Many of these are seen in our garden.

African Thrush

African Thrush

African Thrush

A Bird a Day in June: Day 20 – Nubian Woodpecker

Day 20 of a series illustrating some of the fantastic birds we see here on Lake Victoria and across Tanzania. Many of these are seen in our garden – this was a one time visitor.

Nubian Woodpecker

Dad @ Papa’s on Father’s Day

Today is Father’s Day – my last with my two children at home. So a strange one in many ways. My son will leave Tanzania in a couple of weeks to go to University in the UK. We will leave as four and return as three.So today we are celebrating as a family at Papa’s a restaurant on the Lake to the East of Mwanza. It’s remote with some great wildlife, good food and fabulous scenery.

Pied Kingfisher

A nice place to spend Father’s Day.

A Bird a Day in June: Day 19 – Grey-backed Camaroptera

Day 19 of a series illustrating some of the fantastic birds we see here on Lake Victoria and across Tanzania. Many of these are seen in our garden including this one. This is quite elusive – so difficult to photograph.

Grey-backed Camaroptera

Grey-backed Camaroptera

A Bird a Day in June: Day 18 – Speckled Mousebird

Day 18 of a series illustrating some of the fantastic birds we see here on Lake Victoria and across Tanzania. Many of these are seen in our garden including this one.

Speckled Mousebird

Speckled Mousebird

Weekly Photo Challenge: Theme Park Curves

A submission to the Weekly Photo Challenge : Curve

The curves at a theme park are what make the rides thrilling.

Taken at Alton Towers in the UK in July 2014.

 

A Bird a Day in June: Day 17 – Yellow Vented (Common) Bulbul

Day 17 of a series illustrating some of the fantastic birds we see here on Lake Victoria and across Tanzania. Many of these are seen in our garden including this one.

Yellow Vented (Common) Bulbul

Common Bulbuls