Monthly Archives: November 2022

Three-banded Plover

Three-banded Plover: Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — This is just a grab shot of one of a small group of plovers which were running across the road behind our vehicle on one of the game-drives in the northern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. I am not sure what we called it at the time, but it is a Three-banded Plover, one of the more common and widespread plovers in Uganda and all of East Africa. It is oddly named in that it does not actually have three bands in the usual sense…unless you are counting the white background as three white bands??? This bird is also odd in that it was not nearer the water…but there were quite a few other “shore” birds right along that stretch of road. Sony Rx10iv at 526mm equivalent (cropped and enlarged considerably). Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/1000th.

Rufous-naped Lark

Rufous-naped Lark: Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — Another singer from the bush tops, the Rufous-naped Lark added to the pleasure of our morning in the northern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 125 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

White-browed Coucal

White-browed Coucal: Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — I did not make our driver/guide stop for every Coucal we saw, but I made him stop for more then he wanted too. I really like photographing Coucals. They generally sit up nice for their photo and and they are such handsome birds…full of character! 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.

Long-crested Eagle

Long-crested Eagle: Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — The Long-crested Eagle is listed in the field guides with the Hawk-Eagles, but it is currently placed alone in its own genus…and may be closely related to the Spotted-eagles. Both of these birds were distant, one just before lunch in the northern sector of the park, and one late the next afternoon in the southern, Ishasha sector, so heat haze was an issue, especially in the second shot. Long-crested Eagles like to hunt from a perch and rarely soar, so both of these shots are typical of the species. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/800th and 1/640th. The shot against the sky was plus 1.3EV.

Zitting Cisticola

Zitting Cisticola: Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — We saw lots of Zitting Cisticolas, both at Queen Elizabeth and at Murchison Falls. Not always in such good light or posing so nicely 🙂 They do like to get up on the top of acacia bush and zit. Sony Rx10iv at 573mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 250 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Plus .3EV.

Black-bellied Bustard

Black-bellied Bustard: Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — Probably the most common Bustard in Uganda and in East Africa, and certainly the most widely distributed, this Black-bellied Bustard was along the road before we entered the park and the game drives. It was had to catch through the tall dry grasses, but I managed at least this one good shot. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 125 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Papyrus Gonolek

Papyrus Gonolek: Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — Two mediocre shots of a great bird! We stopped at the Kazinga Channel on our way to the morning game drive at Queen Elizabeth National Park to see if we could scare up a Papyrus Gonolek…the field guide says “locally common but shy and difficult to observe” and this was already our third try, in likely stands of papyrus along our way, for this elusive bird. The light was terrible and the bird, though we saw it moving through the reeds for 10 minutes or more…only gave us glimpses. Best I could do! Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 1600 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Senegal Lapwing

Senegal Lapwing: Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — This is a bird that I would not be able to identify from the illustrations in the Field Guide to East African Birds. The paintings there only remotely resemble the bird in the photo. Fortunately there are quite a few photos on-line that do look like this bird…including a remarkably similar photo on the eBird page. So I am confident that this is, in fact, a Senegal Lapwing. It is common in dry grasslands along the west coast of Africa, in East Africa, and south down to the very north east corner of South Africa. But not, according to the eBird range map, in Senegal???? Strange. Sony Rx10iv at 526mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 320 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Queen Elizabeth Doves

Ring-neck and Laughing Doves: Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — The subtle colors of most doves have an attraction all their own. We saw these two species within a short distance along one of the game drives in the northern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Both are common in almost any habitat below 6000 feet, and occasional up to 9000. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm and 500mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 125 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Flappet Lark

Flappet Lark: Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — The Flappet Lark gets its name from the clapping, or flapping sound the male makes with its wings during its energetic display flight in breeding season. Out of breeding season it spends most of its time on the ground foraging…only occasionally getting up higher to sing, and presumably to have a good look around. We caught this one on the cactus bush along one of the game drives in the northern section of Queen Elizabeth National Park. There are 15 recognized sub-species of this little bird, and two of them occur in Uganda, split between a northern sub-species, Abyssinian, and a western sub-species, Rwenzori. Sony Rx10iv at 567mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/800th.