Let me share some of the lovely birds that we have here with you today.
First up are two shots of an Olive Woodpecker (Dendropicos fuscescens).
Can you believe that more bird species breed here than in the USA and Canada combined? Southern Africa is defined as the area south of the Kunene, Okavango, and Zambezi rivers, encompassing Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Southern and Central Mozambique, as well as the oceanic waters within 200 nautical miles of the coast. The region's bird list currently stands at 989 species, of which 96 are endemic (occurring only in the region) and 78 species are near endemic (having ranges that extend only slightly outside the region).
Source: Book. Birds of Southern Africa. ISBN 978-1-77584-668-0
This is how our bird book describes the range of birds that we have here, and I can guarantee you that if you have a camera and you walk down one of the roads that you will get photos of several species.
It was a female Olive Woodpecker, as the male, in addition to the red stripe on the back, has a red cap on its head.
Then two shots of an African Hoopoe (Upupa africana).
Now here are two shots of one of my favorite singers. The Southern-double collared sunbird (Cinnyris chalybeus).
And finally, two shots of a Red-faced Mousebird (Urocolius indicus).
I love the red mask and the pink beak base.
I have now been taking photos of birds for a very long time and let me tell you that I will never tire of it, especially when I get one of the special species that I never thought that I would get. I still have a list of some species that I do not have yet, but one can never know what the future holds. It is mind blowing to read that there are so many species here and they are saying that now with this global warming weather thing going, even more species will come to the south, especially to breed in our summers. All that I can say about it is, come birdies come, to make my camera happy.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the story.
Photos by Zac Smith. All-Rights-Reserved.
Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.
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