I recently posted about leading safaris in Africa and showed some of the big cat photos from my trips (lions, leopards, cheetah). The big cats are always at the top of everyone's list when they come on safari, but it is often the bird life that surprises them the most. The diversity of colors, sizes, and species is mind blowing. There are over 1,100 species in Kenya alone!
So I would like to present a few of my favorite bird photos here for my first post in this community. Feedback is always appreciated and I hope you enjoy!
I've taken a lot of photos of lilac breasted rollers over my safaris, but this one always brings me back. Photographing birds in flight is always a daunting task, but to capture the true stunning colors of this bird it is worth the extra effort.
My first kingfisher in this portfolio but not the last. This pied kingfisher was perched above a watering hole for only a couple of moments before taking flight.
I often like to overexpose my bird photos to bring out the color and detail in their feathers. Lilac breasted roller seemingly curious about me and my camera.
Brown Kite. This powerful bird of prey is common in the Africa savannas. I took this picture overexposed in order to bring out the detail in the dark feathers of the kite and isolate it from the background, almost like being in a studio.
Lilac Breasted Roller at rest. They are perhaps Africa's most beautiful bird... especially if you catch on in flight!
The Martial Eagle. Birding in Africa is just ridiculous. You could wind up seeing 5 species of eagles in one afternoon game drive. Martial Eagles are the largest of all the eagles in Africa and incredibly powerful. It will eat whatever is available, up to the size of a small antelope!
The bee eaters are one of my favorite families of bird here in Africa. They have a wide range of beautiful colors. This is the little bee eater. Check out the cerulean blue stripe above the eye.
I don't often see the yellow-throated longclaw but when I do I immediately know what I am looking at.
Kingfishers are often found near water sources. There are many different species of kingfishers to find in Africa. This is the grey-headed kingfisher showing off some beautiful blue.
Who is ready to go on safari now!
-Dai Mar Tamarack