I'm by no stretch a birder or bird photographer. However, I did manage to capture photos of a few birds on the Africa trip. Below are my three favorites. In retrospect, the timing of these photos being captured is interesting. The first one was shot during the first hour of the first game drive, before any significant animal sightings. The last photo was captured on our last game drive, after spending a week experiencing amazing animal sightings. Needless to say, my focus was not birds during that intervening period.
These are the last of my initial Africa postings. Going through the remaining photos and creating a book lies ahead.
Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill
Saw this guy on our first game drive...and many more throughout subsequent drives.
Sony A7IV @ f6.3 | 1/250 | 273mm | ISO 1000
Tamron E 50-400mm F4.5-6.3 A067
Photographed 9/14/24
Gray Go-Away Bird
Another common bird which we saw and heard often. The unique characteristic of this bird is their call which sounded like they were saying "go away"; hence the name.
Sony A7IV @ f6.3 | 1/1000 | 400mm | ISO 250
Tamron E 50-400mm F4.5-6.3 A067
Photographed 9/14/24
Lilac-Breasted Roller
ID'd by our guide as a Lilac-breasted Roller, probably the most photographed bird in South Africa. Not being a birder, this is the only one I saw and was fortunate to capture this photo on our last game drive.
Sony A7IV @ f7.1 | 1/640 | 400mm | ISO 250
Tamron E 50-400mm F4.5-6.3 A067
Photographed 9/19/24
