Posts in Category: Africa
Vieillot’s Weaver
Vieillot’s Weaver (or Vieillot’s Black Weaver): Kyenjojo District, Uganda, August 2022 — Along with the Village Weavers at the lodge where we stopped for a rest break between Hoima and Fort Portal, there were Vieillot’s Weavers…still sometimes (and by some authorities) called Viellots’s Black Weaver. There are two forms with separate ranges. West African birds have a chestnut back and are sometimes (and again by some) called Chestnut-backed Weavers. Some consider the Chestnut-backed to be a different species and give it a different scientific name, but the IOC and eBird list both birds as the one species: Ploceus nigerrimus. Being Uganda, this is clearly the East African form with the black back. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 400 @ f4 @ 1/500th. I would have liked to get a slightly better photo of this bird, but we were trying to get to Fort Portal for lunch, and some of were hungry!
Village Weaver
Village Weaver: Kyenjojo District, Uganda, August 2022 — There is a little road-side stop on the highway from Hoima to Fort Portal, when leaving Murchison Falls National Park for the long drive to Kibale National Park…I think it is actually a lodge, but I have only seen the restaurant which is right beside the road. Safari vehicles stop for a toilet break and a coffee. It has mature trees overhanging the buildings and they are full of birds…mostly weavers (and a few sunbirds). There seems to be some confusion about the name of this bird…or at least I am confused. Birds of East Africa calls it the Black-headed Weaver, but Merlin and eBird call it the Village Weaver. It is Ploceus cucullatus in both, and Merlin and eBird have another bird called the Black-headed Weaver (Ploceus melanocephalus), which I am pretty sure we actually saw in Murchison Falls NP. Birds of East Africa calls Ploceus melanocephalus the Yellow-backed Weaver. I am not sure at this point what the “correct” English names of these birds are. ??? Anyone who knows for sure is welcome to chime in. 🙂 Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 100, 160, and 250 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Silverbird
Silverbird: Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — The Silverbird, named for its silverish back, is one of the three paradise flycatchers possible in Uganda. It is locally common in scrub lands. When it is seen it is seen well, since it likes to sit up in brush at eye-level hunting for insects on the ground. We found it beside the track in early morning light on our last morning in Murchison Falls National Park. Sony Rx10iv at 591mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f4.5 @ 1/1000th. Assembled in FrameMagic.
Elephant edition: One last early encounter
One last shot from our early morning encounter with this lone bull elephant at Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda. The close up as he emerged from the brush. Sony Rx10iv still only at 424mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 2000 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu
Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu: Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — The aptly named Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu is a common small finch, closely related to the Blue-waxbill. It is almost everywhere, generally feeding on the ground, except in interior forest, through most of West and East Africa in a wide band across the continent south of the Sahara. The Ugandan birds are the nominate race (out of 4 races which vary by the amount of red on the face of the females), and the same race as the West African birds. One shot here is from the grounds of Pakuba Lodge and the other is from beside the track in the open savannah. They feed pretty exclusively on grass seeds. These are both males. Sony Rx10iv at or about 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. One shot was just about after sunset, and the other was just after sunrise, so both in subdued light. ISO 1250 (grass) and 1000 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Elephant edition: early encounter 3
African Elephant: Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — I have already shared two images of this solitary bull elephant that we encountered early on our final morning in Murchison Falls National Park. After about 5 minutes of our sitting in the Land Cruiser watching him eat, he got tired of our attention, and turned to move us on. Not quite a mock charge, but he was definitely headed our way, so, of course, our guide let out the clutch and we were off. Sony Rx10iv at 97mm equivalent (we were close!). Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 200 @ f3.5 @ 1/200th.
Grey-headed Kingfisher
Grey-headed Kingfisher: Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — Sometimes it just all comes together. Great bird, great place, great light. This Grey-headed Kingfisher was perched up right beside the road on our way out of Murchison Falls National Park, still with early morning light on it. It just does not get any better! The Grey-headed Kingfisher is one of the few Kingfishers which does not fish…though it still dependent on riverbanks for its nest sites (sandy banks where it digs it tunnel nests), is not an aquatic bird. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 200 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Elephant Edition: Early encounter 2
African Elephant: Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — Another shot from our early morning elephant encounter, on our last morning in Murchison Falls National Park. A well grown male posing for us as it plucked leaves from an acacia tree. Uganda’s elephants do not tend to have the huge tusks you see in Kenya (for instance), but the herds are still recovering from the days of Idi Amin when his soldiers slaughtered many thousands for their tusks. After Amin’s overthrow, even more elephants were killed by both sides for food and profit. It has been a hard road back for Ugandan elephants. Sony Rx10iv at 91mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 640 @ f3.5 @ 1/200th.
Immature Bateleur
Immature Bateleur: Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — We must have seen a dozen immature Bateleurs. The adult Bateleur is a very distinctive African Hawk-Eagle, mostly black with bright orange-red bill and cere, and deep rust between the wings on the back. Both male and female have grey wing coverts on the shoulder and the female as a grey panel across the flight feathers. Along with the short tailed, big headed look, it is a very striking and unmistakable bird. The immatures share the shape, but are plain brown with a pale bluish bill and cere. Not nearly as exciting :). Still we were always happy to see them…especially since each sighting fueled our hope of seeing an adult in the area…but we never did. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 250 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Elephant Edition: early encounter
African Elephant: Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — We were on our way early on the day we moved from Murchison Falls National Park to Kibale, since it would be our longest day on the road. Still we had the safari top up. We did not want to miss our last views of Murchison and its unique habitat and wildlife. We were not yet far from the lodge when we encounter this lone bull elephant feeding at its full reach from the lower branches of a big acacia tree. Lone bulls are likely to be older bulls ejected from the herd by younger rivals, but this one, from the size of the tusks, might be a young bull speaking greener pastures between herds. It was a great encounter and I have more photos to share. Sony Rx10iv at 32mm equivalent. (Gotta love the Sony’s 24-600mm zoom which makes a range of views available with a twist. In this situation I would have hated to be “stuck” with long wildlife lens on a conventional camera.) Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 200 @ f2.8 @ 1/500th.