A couple of days ago we had a considerably higher volume of avian migrants passing over than is usual (yesterday, by comparison, the flow was down to nearly zero, as far as I could tell). There were a lot of European bee-eaters (Merops apiaster), some barn swallows (Hirundo rustica), and European swifts (Apus apus), among others.
But the feature attraction, for me, was the varied collection of birds of prey that came through. There had been some thunderstorms in the area, and there were also flights of breeding termites ascending, so conditions were especially conducive for any migrants in the neighborhood to steer a course through our neck of the woods.
* A number of common (steppe) buzzards (Buteo buteo)
* Several shikras (little banded goshawk -- Accipiter badius) -- not migrants, but out chasing the winged termites
* Several falcons, including a few European hobbies (F. subbuteo) and some possible lesser kestrels (F. naumanni)
* Two light-colored harriers that looked more like male Montagu's harriers (Circus pygargus) than anything else; they were certainly either Montagu's or pallid harriers (Circus macrourus)
We also had plenty of African black kites (Milvus migrans) around, as well as lizard buzzards (Kaupifalco monogrammicus) and a hooded vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) or two.
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My fascination with things feathered goes back to growing-up years in Malawi. It's been a pleasure over 13 years to get acquainted with East African bird life while living in Uganda, and to continue now that I'm back in Texas. This blog chronicles some of the birds I meet along the way, whether around our house or somewhere farther afield.
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