Birds

Okay, I know I said I wasn't going to overwhelm you with pictures, but this is kind of an overwhelming post. I can't help it there are so many birds in Kenya!

These might be yellow-wattled plovers...or something totally different. There were too many birds to keep track of which one was which!


This large bird is apparently called a Bustard. (The way our guide said it, were were all completely sure he said "bastard," must have been the accent. =)


Just a cute little bird that came by the dozens to our picnic spot - for handouts.


These were at Lake Nakuru - tons of birds here: pelicans, cormorants, storks, and who knows what else.


This might be a lilac-breasted roller.... or a superb starling... or just some blue bird. I can't remember!


These are black crested crane. Beautiful birds! And somewhat wet. =)


(That's a topi in the background)






Tons of flamingos at Lake Naivasha








These are the boats we were on while looking for flamingos (and hippos!)

This is a Hammerkop - a pretty cool looking bird.





A little orange bird at our lunch spot.


Ostriches! Wet ostriches.




This is an owl we saw around Lake Nakuru. Our guide didn't know what kind it was. It occasionally made high pitched screams, kind of like a hawk.


Sparfle!! That is what our guide called these cute guys: Sparfles. But I haven't found any evidence that this type of animal exists, that is, that there is any animal named Sparfle. So who knows what they really are. But what a great name, right?




A stork I believe, and some other bird, on Lake Nakuru (left...)


(right...)


Maybe these are the starlings? Or swallows? Or?? I need a bird expert!


A very large vulture. Just after taking this pic he took off and glided across the field to join some buddies scavenging something. HUGE wingspan. These guys are big.


Here is a tree full of vultures, waiting. There is a big kill nearby and the vultures are waiting for the lions to finish up so they can swoop in and get to work.




We just called these weaver birds, and I wouldn't be surprised if that was part of their name, but of course I don't know what they're actually called. We saw these guys all over the place, with dozens and dozens of nests in each tree. They use grass or some dried up thing to weave these complicated nests, all with the entry hole in the bottom.






That's all the birds I got pictures of anyway. There were many more that were too far away or got away too quick. I haven't found an exact list, but there are probably more than 600 different species of birds in Kenya. And, as with all the other wildlife there, many seem much more spectacular than our bird species at home.

Sometimes driving through the parks I felt like I just might be in the land that time forgot, and surely a dinosaur would come lumbering around the corner or stick its head out of the trees any moment. Sadly, none did.