Reader John Crisp sent some lovely photos from Ethiopia. His notes:
All these photos were taken between 6 am and 8.30 am this morning [Saturday] on Lake Tana, Western Ethiopia, where I have lived for the last four years. I’m sure there are too many [JAC: I’ll post them in installments], but the Egyptian geese ones are particularly fascinating [JAC: to come!]. They are usually fairly placid, but I guess it’s mating season…
African jacana (Actophilornis africanus):
Black kite (Milvus migrans):
Carmine bee eaters (Merops nubicoides):
What gorgeous birds!
Gray crowned crane (Balearica regulorum) in flight:
Crowned crane in grass:
Crowned cranes, perched:
Eastern plantain eater (Crinifer zonurus):
Pelicans and fisherman:
And, closer to home, at least mine, a lazy gray squirrel from reader Andrea McCormick:
Reblogged this on perfectlyfadeddelusions.
Beautiful photos, John!
The Gray crowned crane in flight is my favorite. It looks like a woman I knew, who ran a tight ship in the Chem lab.
Wonderful pictures! Aren’t African birds amazing?
Really great photos and seems to be from another world.
Thanks for the comments and thank you for posting PCC. I have a particular love for the carmine bee eaters. They tend to occupy a tree, and from a distance you just assume they are flowers. Until suddenly they simultaneously take to the air, circle a few times, and then return to their perches. In flight, they look like darts, with very triangular wings… But almost impossible to photograph!
I’ve spent much of the last year watching world-wide bird webcams–so nice to see a few of the species that I have noisy screen shots of in such super sharp pictures. And other species I’d sure liketo see!
The fisherman/pelican shot made me laugh! 😀
Lovely pictures! I see the jacana has co-evolved with lily pads. Look at those long toes!
Yes, not an arm’s race, but a toe’s race!
Great pics John. I especially like the bee eaters too.
Fantastic pictures! Thanks for sharing.
Very cool lighting on that squirrel, Andrea!