Our Feathered Kenyan Friends:
Kenya's Natural Beauty, Part III
While the large animals certainly hold great appeal, we found that the winged friends, with their stunning plumage and vociferous chatter, kept us just as entertained. Who knew that we would come to recognize four different types of vultures? We even chased a bustard (a pheasant-like bird) around in our bush car as Sam, our Maasai guide, became excited at the rare sighting of this shy bird. Luckily for us, the winter landscape of dry bush and barren trees in some places enabled us to spot the colorful birds quite easily. Our zoom lenses and binoculars came in especially handy at these moments. When we returned home, however, we discovered that none of us had recorded the names of the many birds we had seen. In another stroke of good fortune, we had picked up A Photographic Guide to Birds of East Africa (Richards, D. Ralph Curtis Publishing, 2001) in Nairobi, which helped greatly.
To continue the pleasure, we discovered a lovely novel, A Guide to the Birds of East Africa by Nicholas Drayson (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008). With a sanguine writing voice similar in style to Alexander McCall Smith of #1 Ladies Detective Agency series fame, Drayson gives us Mr. Malik, a gentle bird-loving soul and member of the East African Ornithological Society, who is infatuated with the equally lovely Rose Mbikwe. If you can't travel to Nairobi via plane, traveling in your armchair with a book, a Kindle or a Nook turns out to be very satisfying, in this case.
Laurel
Photos:
"Little Bee-eater," Maasai Mara, Claudia Daggett
"Flock of Vultures," Maasai Mara, Claudia Daggett
"Going for a Stroll," Bustard, Maasai Mara, Claudia Daggett
"Northern Red-billed Hornbill," Ngurunit, Claudia Daggett
"Stork," Maasai Mara, Claudia Daggett
"Taita Superb Starlings," Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, Claudia Daggett
"Secretary Bird with Plumage Extended," Maasai Mara, Laurel Seid
"Ostrich," Maasai Mara, Claudia Daggett
"Red Beaks," Ngurunit, Claudia Daggett
"Yellow-necked Spurfowl," Maasai Mara, Laurel Seid
Kenya's Natural Beauty, Part III
While the large animals certainly hold great appeal, we found that the winged friends, with their stunning plumage and vociferous chatter, kept us just as entertained. Who knew that we would come to recognize four different types of vultures? We even chased a bustard (a pheasant-like bird) around in our bush car as Sam, our Maasai guide, became excited at the rare sighting of this shy bird. Luckily for us, the winter landscape of dry bush and barren trees in some places enabled us to spot the colorful birds quite easily. Our zoom lenses and binoculars came in especially handy at these moments. When we returned home, however, we discovered that none of us had recorded the names of the many birds we had seen. In another stroke of good fortune, we had picked up A Photographic Guide to Birds of East Africa (Richards, D. Ralph Curtis Publishing, 2001) in Nairobi, which helped greatly.
To continue the pleasure, we discovered a lovely novel, A Guide to the Birds of East Africa by Nicholas Drayson (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008). With a sanguine writing voice similar in style to Alexander McCall Smith of #1 Ladies Detective Agency series fame, Drayson gives us Mr. Malik, a gentle bird-loving soul and member of the East African Ornithological Society, who is infatuated with the equally lovely Rose Mbikwe. If you can't travel to Nairobi via plane, traveling in your armchair with a book, a Kindle or a Nook turns out to be very satisfying, in this case.
Laurel
Photos:
"Little Bee-eater," Maasai Mara, Claudia Daggett
"Flock of Vultures," Maasai Mara, Claudia Daggett
"Going for a Stroll," Bustard, Maasai Mara, Claudia Daggett
"Northern Red-billed Hornbill," Ngurunit, Claudia Daggett
"Stork," Maasai Mara, Claudia Daggett
"Taita Superb Starlings," Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, Claudia Daggett
"Secretary Bird with Plumage Extended," Maasai Mara, Laurel Seid
"Ostrich," Maasai Mara, Claudia Daggett
"Red Beaks," Ngurunit, Claudia Daggett
"Yellow-necked Spurfowl," Maasai Mara, Laurel Seid
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