The Flickr Afrikansk Image Generatr

Oukaimeden

A beautiful speckled pigeon (Columba guinea), also called African rock pigeon, on a church roof in a little Maasai village in Kenya - fitting for Good Friday.

This pigeon is a common and widespread species in much of Africa south of the Sahara. It is frequently seen around human habitation and cultivation.

(Spragledue in Norwegian)

My album of photos from Africa here.

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A male secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius), in Kenya six months ago.

Now I am on my way to a new bird photography trip, to the top of Norway- Varangerhalvøya in Finnmark, with a totally different climate and very different bird species than on my last long trip. Exciting!

(Sekretærfugl-hann, in Norwegian)

My album of photos from Africa here.

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A red-eyed dove (Streptopelia semitorquata) - one of many dove species I've seen in Kenya.

It is the largest of the “ringneck” species of doves, and is widespread and common in Sub-Saharan Africa.

(Rødøyedue in Norwegian)

Today a friend and I spotted some doves that one only see now and then where we live- two stock doves (skogduer in Norwegian), in some trees with other doves. I had only seen one before, from a long distance last year. A nice find, and another new species for the year.

My album of photos from Africa here.

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Today it is six months since I met this adorable family for the first time.

Two lionesses and two cubs kept together close to our camp in Masai Mara, and we photographed them many times.

The first time was during dawn the first evening after just arriving the national park.

Today I will spend the day both together with my parents and my sister's family, to watch my niece's first dance show. And then have an Easter concert together with my choir family ♡

My album of photos from Africa here.

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This lovely northern fiscal (Lanius humeralis) stayed right outside our camp in Masai Mara six months ago, and posed for us many times.

It is a member of the shrike family and is found through most of Sub-Saharan Africa.

The northern fiscal is usually solitary and hunts insects and small rodents from an exposed perch or the tops of shrubs.

(Bekryggvarsler in Norwegian)

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Normally you see the yellow-billed oxpeckers (Buphagus africanus) sitting on the bigger animals of Africa, feeding on bugs. I have only seen them like this and in a tree twice on my two trips to Kenya.

They are one of two oxpecker species, together with the red-billed oxpeckers.

(Gulnebboksehakker in Norwegian)

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A pride of six lions (two males, two lionesses and two young ones), that just had killed a Maasai cow not that far from our camp in Masai Mara five months ago.

We watched as the Maasais came to pick up their valuable cow to use the meat.

And we were told that the Masaais had scared and yelled at the lions, who now hid disapponted, hungry and ashamed in the forest.

Check out more photos of them in the links below the line!

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A hadada ibis (Bostrychia hagedash) by a waterhole in Masai Mara.

The species is native to Sub-Saharan Africa. It is named for its loud three to four note calls uttered in flight. Although not as dependent on water as some ibises, they are found near wetlands and often live in close proximity to humans, foraging in cultivated land and gardens.

(Hadadaibis in Norwegian)

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One of three beautiful male lions that relaxed together in the heat in Masai Mara this past autumn.

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I met the African pied wagtail (Motacilla aguimp) on both of my trips to Masai Mara, but didn't get them that close out in the green.

But on a stop in the last town before the savanna four months ago, this one came very close on our stretch outside the car. A lovely encounter!

Our own white wagtails (linerle in Norwegian) will return to our neighbourhood any time now, as one of the early lovely signs of spring.

(Afrikaerle n Norwegian)

My album of birds here.

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A speckle-fronted weaver (Sporopipes frontalis) in Masai Mara.

It is found in central Africa, from Mauritania and Gambia in the west to Ethiopia and Tanzania in the east. Its natural habitat is dry savanna, and it feeds on seeds on the ground.

(Rustnakkevever in Norwegian)

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A spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) one evening in Masai Mara this past autumn.

(Flekkhyene in Norwegian)

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One nice thing about going to Kenya last October, as opposed to June the year before, was that I met several of the migratory birds that we have at home during spring, summer and early autumn.

It's fun to think that some of the birds we get back here during spring, may have walked on hippos during autumn and winter ツ

Here is a common sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) on the hippos in Mara river. There were also many wood sandpipers (grønnstilker in Norwegian) walking among water lilies and hippos in a swamp, and barn swallows (låvesvaler) in the air. I also met a northern wheatear (steinskvett) close to our camp, that we have around our house at home all summer. It was so nice seeing it, and the rest of them, again.

(Strandsnipe på flodhest, in Norwegian)

Check out more photos of it in the links below the line!

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One of the many white-faced whistling ducks (Dendrocygna viduata) I have met on my trips to Masai Mara.

The species is widespread in both South America and sub-Saharan Africa, including Madagascar and the Comoros.

It eats grass, seeds and rice, as well as molluscs, crustaceans and insects. The birds are social and occur in flocks, which can sometimes consist of several thousand individuals.

(Maskeplystreand in Norwegian)

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The spur-winged lapwing (Vanellus spinosus) is one of five lapwing species I have met in Kenya.

The species has a predominately African distribution, however its breeding range extends into the east Mediterranean.

In Norway we only have one lapwing species, which will soon return in our neighbourhood for the spring and summer.

(Sporevipe in Norwegian)

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A young and an adult white-fronted bee-eater (Merops bullockoides).

Normally the adults have a red throat, so I wondered for some time what this one with a yellow throat was. Everything else was similar with the white-fronted bee-eaters, and I didn't find other species that were more similar.

But in an ID group, I learned that those with a yellow throat are a rare variety of the white-fronted bee-eaters.

(En ung og en voksen hvitpannebieter, der den voksne er en sjelden variant med gul hals mot normalt rød, in Norwegian)

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From my first time seeing giraffes lying down.
Quite cuteッ

There are 9 giraffe subspecies, and this is the Masai giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi). It is native to East Africa, and is the largest and darkest of the subspecies. Their spots are jagged and irregular.

(Masai-giraff in Norwegian)

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A warming photo of a few of the hippopotamuses in the Mara river 3.5 months ago.

In the back, you can spot a common sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos). It was fun to meet many of the species that breed in Norway during summer, on their winter vacation in Africa 😉

(Vanlig flodhest, med strandsnipe oppå bakerst, in Norwegian)

I just came inside from the cold wind, photographing the big waves that we can watch from our house today- remains after the storm coming from Great Britain.

The sea has been really high last night and has thrown large rocks around the boathouses.

My album of photos from Africa here.

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Not my best photo, but the only I have to show of the cool Temminck's courser (Cursorius temminckii).

I have seen them on both my trips to Kenya, but I only had the chance to capture this one, close to our camp on the first trip.

It is a wader which lives in sub-Saharan Africa, and it is known for laying its dark ash-black eggs in burnt bushes and grass of the African savannah.

There are at least 9 courser species in the world.

(Savanneløper in Norwegian)

My album of photos from Africa here.

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