Birders' paradise

Warning, you will never see them all

A Broad-billed Roller, one of several stunning migratory species that return to Pafuri in the summer

People who are interested in birds come in many degrees of seriousness. There are birders (note, not “bird-watchers”!) who keep lists of all the species they have ever seen, can recognize birds by sight or sound, know what a lore is and the difference between primary, secondary and tertiary coverts, and report sightings to citizen science sites like eBird. A few will travel great distances at the drop of a dime (or more) to see a rare bird that may have been reported on one of many social media groups, websites or apps. At the other end of the spectrum, casual birders can recognize common species and simply appreciate birds when they happen to see them wherever they are.

Spectacled Weavers

The latest list of birds seen in the Makuleke concession where the Return Africa Pafuri Camp is located has 463 birds on it, and that doesn’t even include one recently spotted one (the Olive Bee-eater) that had never been recorded in South Africa before. If you are out on a game drive hoping to find a leopard or hyena and are not lucky that day, you can take solace in the fact that you will never fail to see many different bird species, wether common or not (and try not to be disappointed or blasé about the uncommon ones - see: how we judge animals parts one and two).

Red-headed Weaver in a fruiting baobab tree

During my 68-day stay here, without really trying too hard (with a couple exceptions), I recorded over 160 species, getting at least a “documentation picture” photo of most of them. The challenge as a photographer is to move away from simply technically good images (properly exposed, in focus, and unobscured) to those that convey some added meaning or story; most often the former is a pre-requisite for the latter. The added context can fall into at least two categories: a back-story that needs to be explained and usually is most meaningful only to the photographer or others present at the time of the sighting, or something more self-evident in the photo such as a chick in a nest, the bird catching or eating prey, a direct look at the camera, an impactful context, or behaviors like socializing, mating, fighting, and so on. Sometimes a technically good photo of a rare bird will also convey extra meaning, but only to viewers who know it’s rare. Layered on top of that is each photographer’s style, consisting of their use of composition (including linear elements and cropping), lighting, depth of field and bokeh, etc.). For me, some of these things are unconscious but become obvious when I look back at my bird photos retrospectively. But I think I still have work to do to bring in that extra context.

Anyway here are some of my favorite bird shots from my trip; see each caption for a little more explanation. Do you see any common themes? Enjoy!

Yellow-breasted Apalis: we found this one on my last game drive, illustrating how it is possible to still see “new” birds here after more than two months. I also like the bokeh and how the branch lines frame the subject here.

Giant Kingfisher. Another co-operative bird, like others that perch in the open while searching for prey. More bokeh and lines.

A Marico Sunbird. I’m attached to this one because it took a long time and many failed attempts to get a clear shot as this bird is constantly moving around in the bushes.

The elusive Racket-tailed Roller. I went specifically looking for this one with several groups of birders on about 5 occasions and never saw it. Then when passing by the area where they are known to inhabit, on our way somewhere else, we saw six of them in the space of about an hour.

A breeding pair of Green-winged Pytilias; always adds something when two or more individuals are interacting.

This Brown-hooded Kingfisher appears to be looking directly at me.

A pair of Little Bee-eaters perching - their behavior is predictable, allowing the photographer to be ready for the perfect shot.

A nesting pair of Three-banded Coursers. This is one of many species birders come to Pafuri to search for. The female in the back is sitting on an egg or chick; unfortunately they were gone the next day, suggesting a predator took advantage.

Not a great shot from a technical point of view, but the Orange-breasted Bush-shrike doesn’t show itself very often, in spite of its call being commonly heard.

The Crested Guineafowl’s nickname is the “Bob Marley Bird” - for obvious reasons.

I liked the blurred yellow background for this shot of a Blue Waxbill.

The Pel’s Fishing Owl is another “Pafuri Special”, I was lucky to see it four or five times during my stay.

Silhouette shot of a Verreaux’s Eagle Owl in the early morning.