A gorgeous Three-Banded Plover and a Lilac-Breasted Roller
We’re in a four-wheel-drive vehicle. I think it’s an indestructible Toyota Land Cruiser. Gladys is our local Kenyan guide for four of us, as the eight in our party on this two-day safari are split over two vehicles. I’ve got my camera at the ready as we travel from the tiny landing strip (I hesitate to call a field an airport) to our camp. If this landing strip was in Orkney I would be referring to it as an international airport.
As soon as we set off there’s a distant Yellow-Throated Longclaw, Macronyx croceus. What a beautiful bird. I spot a large bird of prey cruising in the air in front of us. It’s a Batleur Eagle, Terathopius ecaudatus. Both are too distant to photograph, but are exciting birds I’ve never seen before.
We have to cross a ford and we’re putting my core strength to the test as the vehicle wobbles disconcertingly over the boulders in the river. Gladys stops and shows us a Three-Banded Plover, Charadrius tricollaris. She’s incredibly skilled at manoeuvring the vehicle closer to the bird in the middle of the stream. What a stunner.
It reminds me of the Common Ringed Plover we have in the UK. The Common Ringed Plover, Charadrius hiaticula, has a yellow beak-base and a yellow eye ring. It also has bright yellow leg as an adult.
This Three-Banded Plover doesn’t have bright red legs to match.
It does, however, make up for it by having a cute over-the-shoulder look.
I’m thrilled to see it so close and so clearly in beautiful light. It’s not too warm in Kenya at the moment and I’ve worn the right clothes after a first-shopping-trip-for-a-man-to-buy-some-clothes-for-ages. Strangely I’m also glad that my large hat is slightly too small for my extra-large head. It means it hasn’t blown off my head. Yet.
There’s what looks like a Collared Dove on the rocky bank of the river we’re fording. It’s a different species, a Ring-Necked Dove, Streptopelia capicola somalica. What a beautiful shade of delicate pink that breast is.
Here’s the Collared Dove, Streptopelia decaocto, which I see in the UK:
It has beautiful red irises.
Then we see a bird I’ve been dreaming of. It’s the National Bird of Kenya. I’ve already seen one at a school in which we were volunteering, but I was working and couldn’t leave the classroom to get a closer view. It’s a Lilac-Breasted Roller, Coracias caudatus.
The light is behind it and all its feather-finery is in shadow. I’m hoping I’ll get glorious views of it while I’m here. How beautiful is it? It appears to have far too many colours for any single bird. It’s a spilled-painting-palette of a bird.
I’ve seen the beautiful iridescent-turquoise European Roller and photographed it before.
All I need to do over the next few days is get close to a Yellow-Throated Longclaw and a Batleur Eagle. And see a Lilac-Breasted Roller in good light. And keep hold of my hat. And remember to put suncream on.
Wish me luck!