We’ve become bird watchers!

An unexpected hobby that Mark and I have developed over the past two years here in Zambia has been bird watching. Yup! You read that correctly We have apparently joined the club with no warning. It just kind of happened.

There’s a place close by where visitors stay called Masuku Lodge. We have not had the privilege of staying there yet (it’s a bit pricy so figured that we would wait to enjoy it when visitors come) but they take you on a bird watching tour on their farm. I remember thinking “well I probably won’t be doing that!” because who would spend money to look at birds? Give me the “big five” or any other wild animals seen on game drives. Well here we are! If you had told me that this would have become an interest of mine I would have laughed. But, now we love admiring all the birds around us and the different types of birds depending on the time of year. God is an amazing creator!

Mark bought me a “Birds of Zambia” book for my birthday last year and now we put in the dates when we’ve seen a given bird. “So incredibly nerdy I know.” But, as there aren’t many pastimes here in Zambia this is one that we have developed and enjoy. So, I’ll share some of our sightings.

These guys love to fly around our yard when there is water to be found.

This one uses its long beak to forage and pluck beetles out of the ground. In this picture its crest is open (L) but most of the time it is closed (R).

Starlings look different depending on the light. The contrast of the bright orange eye to the dark body is striking.

This is one of my favorites.

So many yellow birds flying around. They are beautiful!

The African Fish Eagle is the national bird of Zambia. You can find its picture on the money.

Not always sure of the type of bird as they can often be camouflaged.

The male weaver bird constructs the nest busily and has to receive approval from the female. If she doesn’t approve he has to start all over again.

Not the best picture but quite the interesting bird.

I now recognize this flock of hoopoes when they visit our yard by the noises they make. It doesn’t get much nerdier than that!

This year is the first time that we’ve seen these birds around. Fascinating to watch. I don’t know if he was going for the beetle of not but…

We spotted this guy, right above our house one evening, where he stayed until dark. We saw him again the next day before church in another tree. The lizards around better beware.

We saw this guy right along the Zambezi River. He was too far away to identify at the time. He was captured on Mark’s camera and imagine his surprise when he zoomed into the picture and saw the snake hanging from the tree !!!

Well I could go on all day and show you SO MANY other pictures of fabulous birds but I wouldn’t want to bore you. So, that’s all for now. If we have mislabeled any of the birds please don’t hesitate to set us strait. We are just learning. Happy bird watching!