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

WPC – Look Up To The Skies

A submission to this week’s photo challenge :Look Up – looking up to see the birdlife around us in Tanzania and across Africa.

Grey-headed Kingfisher

Palm Nut Vulture

Yellow-billed Black Kite in the sun

Swamp Flycatcher

Yellow-billed Black Kite

Hamerkop in flight

Roller Turn

African Paradise Flycatcher

Bronze Mannikin

Red-billed Firefinch

Black headed Gonolek

Black and White Casqued Hornbill

Red Kite

Roller Close Up

Little Bee-eater

Spotted Morning Thrush

Roller Landing

Klaas’s Cuckoo

White Throated Bee-eater

Common Bul Bul

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

African Paradise Flycatcher

Laughing Dove

Dimorphic Egret

Lilac Breasted Roller

Pied Kingfisher

Little Egret

Green-winged Pytillia

Mourning Doves

Hadada Ibes

Speckled Mousebird

White Throated Bee-eater

Purple Grenadier

Marabou Stork

Grey-backed Camaroptera

White Browed Robin Chat (Orange)

Grey-capped Warbler

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater

African Thrush

Spectacled Weaver

Red-chested Sunbird

Speckled Pigeon

House Sparrows

Yellow-billed Black Kite

Scarlet-chested Sunbird

Spotted Morning Thrush

Red Bishop

Swamp Flycatcher

Pied Crow

Black-headed Gonolek

Bronze Mannikin

Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu

Redbilled Firefinch

Variable Sunbird

Klaas’s Cuckoo

Eastern-grey Plantain Eater

Grey-headed Kingfisher

 

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

A Bird A Day (The ones that got away) – Day 32 : Speckled Pigeon

Day 32 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 a recent visitor to our garden but is found widely locally

Speckled Pigeon

Speckled Pigeon

 

African Green Pigeon 

This one is not local but found in along the Indian Ocean coast.

 

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

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

Red-billed Firefinch

Redbilled Firefinch

Female Red-billed Firefinch

Red Billed Firefinch

Firefinch (Red)

Red-billed Firefinch

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

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 Close Up

Roller Landing

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

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