As many of you know, we are now in Africa! Currently we are in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, after doing a 12 day safari in Botswana with our guide Kabelo. As we are in Africa, I have seen over a hundred new species of birds and taken many photos of them (and a couple of the more interesting mammals). Because of this, today’s post may be a bit long. However, I think you will enjoy it! (Due to the large number of photos I would like to post I will be posting four installments, each with 21 photos. Because of this, the photos in this post are from August 3rd to the 5th, our first two days of the Botswana safari).
This is a Familiar Chat, seen on the drive to the town of Otse in Botswana, south of Gabarone. The chat was very familiar, and did not fly away, allowing me to get this, and some other, photos.
This is a Cape Griffon, or Cape Vulture, which is very rare and declining, a victim of poisoning. Its current global status is Endangered, and in the whole of Botswana there are only two colonies. This picture is from the colony at Otse, the reason we went to that village.
The Gray Go-away-bird, one of the most common birds in the region, is very endearing and comes close to you, allowing good photos. This one flew into our camp at Khama Rhino Sanctuary and perched on a tree with its crest raised, providing a perfect photo.
Along with the go-away-bird, Southern Yellow-billed Hornbills are also very common in central Botswana. I saw this one just after we had started a game drive at the rhino sanctuary and the sunrise light on it provided an amazing view.
Helmeted Guineafowl are some of the more common game birds in southern Africa, and congregate in huge flocks; we saw some reaching an estimated 50 birds!
Springbok were the first large mammals we saw, easily distinguished from impala by the different shape of the horns and the dark brown stripe on the side.
Although similar in appearance to sandpipers, Crowned Lapwings are not closely tied to water; we saw many out on the open pans, with no water nearby.
Impala were the second large mammal we saw, after Springbok. They turned out to be more common, and soon became like mule deer in Colorado.
Our first mammalian predator to be seen was the Black-backed Jackal, one of the most doglike creatures you can find. We particularly enjoyed how they run, described by many as “trucking“.
At one particular water hole we saw jackals, impala, Martial Eagle, White Stork, warthog, and Red Hartebeest coexisting together (which makes sense, because a jackal couldn’t eat any of those).
This Burchell’s Sandgrouse was the second sandgrouse species we saw. Sandgrouse are well-known for their habit of flying varying distances to watering holes to drink at various times of the day.
Crested Francolins turned out to be surprisingly common, much more common than any game bird in the U.S. We quickly began seeing large flocks moving about everywhere.
The Dwarf Mongoose is southern Africa’s (south of the Cunene and Zambezi Rivers) smallest carnivore. We saw several of these tiny mammals, at first thinking they were baby Banded Mongooses due to their size: full-grown ones are just 20 cm long!
Red-billed Oxpeckers frequent all types of large mammals; we saw them foraging for insects on kudu, impala, zebra, donkeys, and cows!
On a hike up the Goo-Moremi Gorge (not to be confused with Moremi Game Reserve) we saw an unexpected Verreaux’s Eagle, a very large raptor that we have only seen that one time.
On our second evening at Khama Rhino Sanctuary we witnissed a spectacular sunset over a watering hole filled with impala. This was one of the most iconic African scenes we have observed.
At that same time we noticed a herd of giraffe walking towards the watering hole, and I realized that this was a moment I could not miss. (Actually, I pulled out my camera to find out that I had used up my memory card space, so hastily deleting a video and some photos got me the ability to capture this photo).
This is a Natal Francolin, the second francolin to be seen by us. I noticed it just after I got up at the campsite at Khama Rhino Sanctuary.
I have compared the brilliant color of the Crimson-breasted Gonolek’s underparts to those of a Vermillion Flycatcher, one of our Southwestern birds in the U.S., some of the most admired birds for their color.
Fork-tailed Drongos are some of the commonest birds in this region, and are easily seen sallying to catch insects in flight.
Although their appearance is similar to cows, Blue Wildebeest are actually large antelope, and we saw many of them, sometimes in large herds, but never as many as in the documentaries where somebody with David Attenborough’s voice is grandly describing the “great migration” that occurs in Kenya.
As some of you know, I am doing a Big Year: a competition or personal challenge to see the most species of birds within a certain region in one year. It is customary to start on January 1st, but since that would not encompass all of our trip I started July 8th. In this case my region is the world. I am aiming to see 1,000 species of birds and to do that I need to maintain an average of 2.7 additional species per day. Currently my average is 5.46 and I have seen 71 species of birds in 12 days, 2 of them being my first ever. Here are some photos of some of those 71 species.
This is a Green-tailed Towhee, one of several birds that I suspect may be seen only once during the course of my Big Year.
Western Tanagers, on the other hand, are not as uncommon as the towhees; we saw an estimated 6 in a period of 2 hours.
This Calliope Hummingbird is one of the two new species for me that have been seen during the Big Year period. It is the smallest bird in North America.
This is an adult male Hairy Woodpecker, due to the red patch on the back of the head. We have seen adults feeding a juvenile so we presume they have nested here recently.
Pygmy Nuthatches are very hard to get a photo of, as they move extremely quickly, are very small, and do not visit the feeder for prolonged amounts of time.
This Bald Eagle was seen at Lagerman Reservoir in Longmont. It calmly perched on a telephone pole while we looked on from our car parked adjacent.
This is not special sunset light on this adult male Baltimore Oriole; it looks like it is about to burst into flame perpetually.
This sighting of a Dusky Grouse was my first view of the species, and as it was a species I had been trying to see for literal years (my “nemesis bird) I was elated to get a good view and get good photos on my first sighting of it.
I found this Yellow Warbler nest in Buena Vista. It was before I had started my Big Year, so it didn’t count towards the total, but it was an photographic opportunity I could not miss.
Somehow, I have managed to find the highlights of the last 10-12 days in only six photos. These range from Bushy-tailed Woodrats to phenomenal sunsets, snow-coated trees to Wild Geraniums. These do not encompass all of our experiences of the past few days, just until the 28th. I will be posting the rest soon!
The sunset on the 29th was spectacular. There was an abundance of clouds that caught the light, forming a wall of gold over the western horizon.
This Wild Geranium was one of many flowers I photographed at Twin Lakes on the 28th.
Woody posed well for me, and did not seemed to mind being the subject of our attentions.
For the first time on the 27th I managed to get photos of Woody, the resident Bushy-tailed Woodrat in the woodshed.
From across the valley it looked like a thin mist had settled on the trees, from their snow-covered appearance.
On the 23rd we had a magnificent snowstorm, which coated the trees and every surface, providing wonderful photography.
Several days ago we noticed a female mule deer just next to the driveway! I got out, and using the car as a blind, was able to get several photos. Also, on a hike to Lily Lake yesterday I found a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and on the lake several Ring-necked Ducks. We have also had several additional sightings of Townsend’s Solitaires, and found more bear tracks coming back from Lily Lake. Additionally, on the return trip from the lake, we found a wild parsley that I took close-ups of. Here they are!
These are photos of the bear’s front paws. You can compare the size of the front paws with that of the hind paws previously posted, with my hand in both pictures.
Here you can see two of the forepaws together.
This is either a plant from the Lomatium genus or a Whiskbroom Parsley. Both have a very distinctive flower structure.
This is only the second Ruby-crowned Kinglet that I have found in Leadville, despite them calling often.
This is a male Ring-necked Duck, one of the few species of ducks to be seen at high altitudes.
Despite their name, it is very hard to see the bronze ring on the ducks’ neck.
The mule deer was very cooperative and did not react very much to my presence.
Although we did not see anything the deer frequently looked in one direction, for reasons we did not understand.
This Townsend’s Solitaire was seen on the Mineral Belt Trail, and was one of two seen in as many days.
We have had a suite of wildlife sightings recently, including a Yellow-bellied Marmot, a Pine Marten, and the Snowshoe Hare affectionately named “Dirty Harry”. We also had a wonderful sunset two nights ago. It was absolutely stunning. I have managed to get pictures of all of the wildlife and the sunset, providing a number of photos to post. We saw the marmot on a road near Camp Hale, the Snowshoe Hare at the cabin, and the Pine Marten at the cabin.
After a failed attempt to photograph the marmot while biking, we saw it exposed on this rock in the car and I managed to get some photos.
Marmots commonly emit a high-pitched hard chirp, which first alerted us to its presence.
On reviewing my photos, I noticed that you are actually able to see the marmot’s buck-teeth, most visible in this photo.
In this photo you can clearly see the Snowshoe Hare’s “snowshoes”: huge back feet that allow it to almost float on snow.
The hare was exceedingly calm around the house, even when we opened the window to allow me a clear photograph.
We saw the hare wash itself, and it frequently bent around to lick its fur, yet kept its front legs in place rather stiffly.
After seeing the hare several times we truly believe that the hair on the ears is getting browner, and losing its winter white.
This is the only photo of the Pine Marten that I spotted from the kitchen; it ran away soon after, and even though we sprinted down the road to look for it we were unsuccessful.
Even though no sun was visible, the clouds clearly put on an incredible display of color, with dark purple, pink, and orange.
Viewed through the trees, the sunset becomes even more incredible.
The soft purpley-red light was a perfect background to the branches of the trees.
In other areas of the trees, the light was brighter orange, and created another background for me to photograph.
In the past few days I took many photos, due to the fact that I have discovered that in a meadow near the house there are many opportunities for close-up photos of the plants, rocks, stumps, and more, so I have spent a lot of time lying on my stomach taking pictures of the dirt. Also, yesterday at breakfast looking out the window just a few feet away we found a snowshoe hare making the change from white to brown. It had white ears and white feet, but a brown body. Additionally on the deck a male hummingbird visited the feeder, and on looking back at my photos, it could have been a Ruby-throated Hummingbird: a eastern bird that is rare in Colorado. Therefore, I have many photos to share!
An old tree stump can still provide excellent photography, no matter how decrepit it is.
This plant is potentially the arnica plant, providing oil that helps sore muscles.
This lichen may be dead, but it still is an excellent photography subject.
This plant is called Sedum, and is a common plant here.
We did not have the best weather yesterday, and the clouds wreathed most of the peaks in mist, but provided brief views of Homestake Peak.
Due to the black mask above the red gorget, this bird may be a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, a rare sighting in Colorado.
However, since both of the photos are of the head in the same position, it is hard to tell whether it is an actual black mask or just a trick of the iridescent throat feathers.
In this photo of the Snowshoe Hare you can see how its ears are still white, yet the body is gray-brown.
The hare was quite calm, and allowed me to go out on the deck to obtain these photos.
In this photo you can see the white feet along with the ears that are the remnant of the hare’s winter plumage.
This is the plant Cinquefoil, which means “five leaves”, and you can see the five leaves on the plant.
We found this beautiful block of rose quartz at a lake in Camp Hale, and the rock surprisingly did not move as I took this photo.
This is False Solomon’s Seal, a beautiful white flower that we found at Camp Hale.
Also at Camp Hale I was able to get my best Wilson’s Warbler photo ever, as they commonly hide in willows and move around fast, so I was lucky to get this.
These strange towers on the lichen are in fact the fruiting bodies of the lichen, providing very interesting natural phenomenon.
On one day we had a large rainstorm, giving these pine trees this dew-laden look, and with the light shining through it the trees glow.
The dew also landed on these Chiming Bells, and when viewed close up the individual droplets magnified the beauty of this particular specimen tenfold.
The late evening light shining through the trees created a wonderful look, and provided this beautiful photo.
Due to the fact that we were in Louisville for the past few days, I got behind on adding photos to the blog. I decided to do it all in one burst, and I am now posting 18 photos; my largest post ever. It includes several encounters with Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Red-winged Blackbirds and hummingbirds in Frisco, amazing sunsets over the mountains, our first Townsend’s Solitaires in Leadville, chickadees and hummingbirds on the deck, and a Cordilleran Flycatcher outside the driveway.
This photo was taken on the 10th, one of the few recent times when “Goldie” put in an appearance.
Goldie appeared to be sunbathing, and seemed to be unnaturally flat.
We found this Red-winged Blackbird in Frisco. It was my first RWB of the trip.
Also in Frisco I found this perched male Broad-tailed Hummingbird. You can tell it is a male by the red throat, which you cannot see well in this light.
On the 11th we got a truly spectacular sunset over the mountains.
The sunset combined orange, white, purple, and pink, for a veritable firework show above the peaks.
This is probably the most spectacular sunset we have seen here, but may not be the last.
This is a Townsend’s Solitaire, the first one we have seen at the cabin. It is a member of the thrush family and a close relative of the robin.
The Mountain Chickadees are continuing to appear at the cavity on the deck.
The Mountain Chickadees also like to perch on the sundial on the deck near the cavity.
We are still commonly seeing hummingbirds, and they have allowed me to get quite close.
The hummingbirds are very active and commonly fight over the nectar.
The hummingbirds also commonly perch in the aspen tree near the deck.
For a long period of time, Goldie strangely posed like this.
We have absolutely no idea why Goldie hunched over like this.
One theory of why Goldie hunched over like this was that it was digesting, but we cannot be sure.
Yesterday we saw this Cordilleran Flycatcher perched near the driveway.
A Cordilleran Flycatcher is in the Empidonax genus, one of the hardest to identify groups of birds in the world.
Yesterday we realized that the Mountain Chickadees have almost definitely taken up residence in the house on the deck. They may not yet have chicks, but we have observed them frequently flying into the hole, staying there for a minute, and exiting. They do this quite commonly even when we are having lunch on the deck, only several feet away! The hummingbirds have also put in many appearances at the feeder, and also visit while we are sitting there. With such close proximity, I have been able to get several good photos of both chickadees and hummingbirds. While watching the chickadees and hummingbirds, a small chipmunk made an appearance on a log below the deck. We also went on a short walk where we found several flowering Chiming Bells. I was able to get some close-ups of these, which was easy as they don’t fly away immediately. Here they are!
The chickadees commonly flew up to the nest hole, although we did not see them carrying anything.
Before entering the hole, the chickadees would often look around several times, as if making sure that no one knew about their nest.
After these procedures were accomplished, the chickadee would then enter the nest and stay inside for around 30 seconds.
Only very rarely did the chickadees pause before leaving; they would normally exit on the wing without pausing.
Several times, the chickadees and the hummingbirds would both be visiting their respective places at the same time, and the chickadee would chase off the hummingbird and attack it, presumably defending its nest.
The hummingbird would often perch to feed, yet it would sometimes hover, and would quickly transition between the two.
The chipmunk stayed in one place for a while, allowing me to get good photos. It was eating something, but we could not identify the food.
The Chiming Bells are some of the first wildflowers to be seen up here, and are quite beautiful.
Some clumps of Chiming Bells are bigger than others; this was an especially large bloom.
Yesterday we got our first consistent hummingbird visitors to the feeder, and despite the fact that they were females (female hummingbirds are often unidentifiable) I was able to determine that they were Broad-tailed Hummingbirds through the use of photography. Later in the day, we were also presented with the most wonderful sunset color over the mountains. This light gold background provided many opportunities for photography. Here are some of the best photos.
This is the first photo of the female Broad-tailed Hummingbird. The feeder wire got in the way a bit, but you can still see the bird.
In this photo you can see the small white eye-ring, which separates the female Broad-tailed from the female Rufous Hummingbird.
The sunset was incredible, with the light touch of gold shining on the snow of the mountains.
The mountains are in a period that is perfect for photography, where there is still plenty of snow yet rocks are exposed, giving the mountains craggy, unforbidding looks.
The clouds lit up too, and in this photo you can imagine a giant cosmic Leonardo Da Vinci painting the background for this event.
The trees also provide nice photos, looking through the tangled branches on to soft gold light.
