Kingfisher Collection

Kingfishers are rare in the UK – I only saw my first Kingfisher back in the UK last summer.

Here in Tanzania they are much more common. Last week I saw a Woodland Kingfisher – thus completing the set of all those which can be seen in this part of Tanzania. All of these have been seen in our garden, apart from the Giant Kingfisher (seen in Kigoma) but resident here. However, not all of the photos were taken in the garden.

So here is the collection…..

Woodland Kingfisher

Grey-headed Kingfisher

Pygmy Kingfisher

Malachite Kingfisher

Pied Kingfisher

Giant Kingfisher

Beautiful Bougainvillea

The rains are imminent – in fact three storms have come and gone – nothing on the scale that is to come, but a sign things are changing.

Even so the ground remains parched and yellow, dusty and dry – the exception being the Bougainvillea which is in bloom at this time and throughout the dryest time of the year and provides a welcome splash of colour to the garden.

 

I’ll Miss…. The Birdlife

Term’s over, school’s out and soon we’ll be out of Africa.

Not for ever ….. but for a couple months whilst we return to the UK. Here is a short series on some of the things I’ll miss whilst we’re gone.

It may not be a surprise to those who follow this blog regularly that the birdlife has been a major part of the experience here. You can find out more by clicking on the link below and working forward. A Bird a Day in June

White Throated Bee-eater

Klaas’s Cuckoo

Mourning Doves

Variable Sunbird

Scarlet-chested Sunbird

Grey-backed Camaroptera

African Thrush

Speckled Pigeon

Black-headed Gonolek

White Browed Robin Chat (Orange)

Hadada Ibes

Laughing Dove

House Sparrows

Pied Kingfisher

Eastern-grey Plantain Eater

Grey-headed Kingfisher

Spectacled Weaver

African Paradise Flycatcher

Dimorphic Egret

Bronze Mannikin

Lilac Breasted Roller

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater

Red Bishop

Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu

Pied Crow

Redbilled Firefinch

Grey-capped Warbler

Spotted Morning Thrush

Marabou Stork

Yellow-billed Black Kite

Little Egret

Speckled Mousebird

Green-winged Pytillia

Purple Grenadier

Red-chested Sunbird

Swamp Flycatcher

 

A Bird A Day (The ones that got away) – Day 35 : House Sparrow

Day 35 of a series illustrating some of the fantastic birds we see here on Lake Victoria and across Tanzania. Sadly there weren’t enough days in June – so here are some of the birds which got away. This is an apt one to finish with – a regular visitor we never expected to see here in Tanzania.

House Sparrow

House Sparrows

Other Sparrows

I’ll Miss…. The Weather

Term’s over, school’s out and soon we’ll be out of Africa.

Not for ever ….. but for a couple months whilst we return to the UK. Here is a short series on some of the things I’ll miss whilst we’re gone.

It rarely falls below 20°C here in Mwanza – and generally day-time temperatures hover between 25°C and 30°C – so I’m not looking forward to the ‘cold’ of the British Summer – let alone the rain.

I’m hoping for a heat wave back in Britain – otherwise it’s lots of sweaters and long sleeved tops – something I have hardly ever had to wear here.

We are now firmly in the Dry Season so not looking forward to the wet either.

 

A Bird A Day (The ones that got away) – Day 33 : Pied Crow

Day 33 of a series illustrating some of the fantastic birds we see here on Lake Victoria and across Tanzania. Sadly there weren’t enough days in June – so here are some of the birds which got away.

Pied Crow

Pied Crow

I’ll Miss…. The Sounds of Morning

Term’s over, school’s out and soon we’ll be out of Africa.

Not for ever ….. but for a couple months whilst we return to the UK. Here is a short series on some of the things I’ll miss whilst we’re gone.

I love the mornings here – particularly at the weekends – it’s light at 7 or so and the dawn chorus is the first thing to wake us.

Sitting on the verandah, coffee in hand on a warm sunny Saturday hearing the sounds of the garden and the neighbourhood -my favorite time of day.

The Sounds of the Morning

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 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 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

Firefinch

Redbilled Firefinch

Red-billed Firefinch

Firefinch (Red)

Red Billed Firefinch

Red-billed Firefinch

Female Red-billed Firefinch

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 Dove and White Bellied Canary

Mourning Doves

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

Close Up 2 Roller

Lilac Breated Roller

Roller Landing

Lilac Breasted Roller

Roller Close Up

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

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

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

A Bird a Day in June: Day 16 – Pied Kingfisher

Day 16 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.

Pied Kingfisher