16th July 2008 : Guineafowl Alley
Wednesday, July 16, 2008 at 09:55PM
There is a stretch of road on our way home through the bush where we inevitably see flocks of guineafowl. I think they like the open grassy stretches on either side of the road, a welcome relief from the thick surrounding bush. Here, we are almost guaranteed a sighting of the more common Helmeted Guineafowl, but also - happily - we often see large flocks of the stunning yet less often seen Vulturine Guineafowl, with their long dragging tails, bright red eyes and electric blue-striped feathers. They are a wonder to behold, foraging through the bushland, picking up grass-seeds from the ground as they go.
Yesterday, I saw a huge flock of these Vulturine Guineas on my way out to Mtito Andei (our closest town, an hour's drive away - well, it's hardly a town, but it's all we've got!). On the way home I came across two flocks (the second being the same as the one I had seen on my outward bound journey, I'm sure). I immediately cut the engine upon seeing them, and within minutes, they were all around the car. It was a shame because the light was dull - it's been so overcast and grey recently - but nonetheless their blue colour dazzled (above). It's interesting to see how the youngsters seem to develop their iconic blue colouring before they get their badge of adulthood, the red eye.
When you look closer, these guineafowl are extraordinary birds - and by that I mean really strange...ugly and beautiful in equal measure, depending on what pose you capture them in - their faces so expressive and comical, often apparently disapproving and always a little arrogant. They seem to think themselves the beauty queens of the bird world, but it has to be said, from some angles there's no guessing why they gained the name "vulturine"! Here they are then, presented poster-style, from every which way...
PS. We had a Hare on our lawn last night, munching away at the green grass...there's no need for an electric mower in these parts!
Reader Comments (2)
Hi Tanya, a bit late but congratulations on your birthday !
I love the pictures of the fowls ! Reading your stories about the birds you can see nature is just being nature. Sometimes happy times and sometimes sad. Just like our lives !!
Well,just like the tropics, it's also grey in the Netherlands !! Saturday we're going to Austria and are hoping for a bit of summerweather.
Bye for now !
Audrey
Thanks Audrey - I had a lovely birthday (Ian and I went to Malindi, which was great, except Ian had flu the whole time!)
I hope you have a nice time in Austria and that you find the summer sun!
I seem to be spending so much time away from home at the moment, so I'm not able to update this journal regularly. I just wrote an entry this evening, but there seems to be a bug in the system so I cannot upload any photos which is a pain...it means an even longer wait before my next entry is posted!
I hope you and Bart are well...
Take care,
Tanya