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ShotsByShema | Through A Birder's Lens

ShotsByShema | Through A Birder's Lens

A blog about birds, wildlife, and the natural world; through the lens of an East African birder
 
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NDEGE WETU: A Tribute to the Birds of Kenya (Part 2 – I Am NOT A Bad Omen) Why The Nairobi National Park Bird List Is One Of The Longest In Africa NDEGE WETU: A Tribute to the Birds of Kenya (Part 4 – A Name that Says A Lot) Birding From Home – The Eccentric African Harrier-Hawk Birding From Home – Global Big Day, May 2020 Bird Mapping Expedition to the Masai Mara, Trans Mara and Lake Victoria Basin! NDEGE WETU: A Tribute to the Birds of Kenya (Part 12 – Unconventional Parents) Peacocks and Picathartes: Reflections on Africa’s birdlife – Book Review

NDEGE WETU: A Tribute to the Birds of Kenya (Part 2 – I Am NOT A Bad Omen)

Several of Kenya’s birds have myths and legends associated with them. Some good, some bad. Of all birds that have superstitious beliefs linked to them in Kenya, owls are probably the most famous (or rather the most infamous) group. This is because they are regarded as bad omens or signs...
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Why The Nairobi National Park Bird List Is One Of The Longest In Africa

In my previous blog post, I described a day of birding in Nairobi National Park in which a few friends and I jointly recorded 213 bird species in the park. I also mentioned that, despite it being a great number, it is fairly average by the park’s standards. This is...
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NDEGE WETU: A Tribute to the Birds of Kenya (Part 4 – A Name that Says A Lot)

There are many birds in Kenya with interesting names. A name might describe a bird’s appearance, behavior, call/song, habitat or location where it is found. Of all the birds found in Kenya, one stands out to me as having the most legendary name of all. It’s a bird with a...
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Birding From Home – The Eccentric African Harrier-Hawk

The Birding From Home series will keep you entertained as you stay at home. Here are some interesting facts about the rather unusual African Harrier Hawk!
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Birding From Home – Global Big Day, May 2020

Yesterday, 09 May 2020, was eBird’s Global Big Day. A day when birders from around the world do their best to see as many species as possible in 24 hours. The total number of bird species seen in each country is then tallied to see which country got the most...
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Bird Mapping Expedition to the Masai Mara, Trans Mara and Lake Victoria Basin!

I recently led an incredible 11-day bird mapping expedition for the Kenya Bird Map project in south-western Kenya, where we recorded over 300 bird species. Have a look at the photographic report I’ve put together, where I share the highlights of the trip: Trip Report. To be notified of future...
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NDEGE WETU: A Tribute to the Birds of Kenya (Part 12 – Unconventional Parents)

When you think of birds raising their young, you probably think of something like this: parents build a nest, they lay their eggs, the eggs hatch, chicks are fed until they grow up and they finally leave their parents to make their own way in the world. That’s true for...
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Peacocks and Picathartes: Reflections on Africa’s birdlife – Book Review

This book by Rupert Watson has been nothing but a joy to read. Watson explains in the preface that it is a book about the birds that are “quintessentially African”, and that the aim is to expand the interest of the reader in Africa’s birdlife by both informing and entertaining....
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Wild Dogs, Eagle Owls and Bushshrikes: Bird Atlassing in Tsavo West

Sidney Shema 3rd December 2020 3rd December 2020Bird Atlassing, Birding 2

On Sunday 22nd November, after two successful weeks of bird ringing at Ngulia Safari Lodge in Tsavo West National Park (as part of the Ngulia Bird Migration Project, run by the Ringing Scheme of East Africa), the whole team was heading back to whichever corner of Kenya they call home.…

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Peacocks and Picathartes: Reflections on Africa’s birdlife – Book Review

Sidney Shema 14th October 2020 15th October 2020Book Reviews 2

This book by Rupert Watson has been nothing but a joy to read. Watson explains in the preface that it is a book about the birds that are “quintessentially African”, and that the aim is to expand the interest of the reader in Africa’s birdlife by both informing and entertaining.…

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The Avifauna of Kenya (Video)

Sidney Shema 18th September 2020 14th October 2020Ndege Wetu 0

Kenya is one of the top birding destinations worldwide. And for good reason. With 10% of the world’s bird species having made it onto Kenya’s bird list, and many of them being residents or regular migrants to the country, it has one of the richest avifauna in the world. To…

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A Couple Of Hours Bird Atlassing At The Museum (Birding From Home #7)

Sidney Shema 21st June 2020 14th October 2020Bird Atlassing, Birding From Home 0

Yesterday (20th June) I found myself with a free Saturday morning after my original plan for the day backfired. So I decided to go to the Nairobi Museum for two hours of solo bird atlassing (bird mapping) to see what was around. It was rather quiet, which is expected at…

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Why The Nairobi National Park Bird List Is One Of The Longest In Africa

Sidney Shema 14th June 2020 14th October 2020Biodiversity 0

In my previous blog post, I described a day of birding in Nairobi National Park in which a few friends and I jointly recorded 213 bird species in the park. I also mentioned that, despite it being a great number, it is fairly average by the park’s standards. This is…

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Birding Nairobi National Park During The Lockdown (Birding From Home #6)

Sidney Shema 7th June 2020 14th June 2020Birding From Home, Through My Lens 8

The coronavirus may have put a stop to many things but birding is not one of them. I spent this past Thursday (June 4th) birding Nairobi National Park with two fellow birders (and a few others met with briefly inside the park). Birds were not super abundant but it was…

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