A distinctive, tall, long-legged, crane-like raptor with unique quill-like plumes on its head and bright-red facial skin. In flight, the dark edge to the hind wing, diamond-shaped tail, and long spatulate tail feathers make it unmistakable. It prefers open rangeland and savanna, where it strides about hunting for reptiles, small mammals, and insects, which it bludgeons with its powerful legs. [Ebird]
This is one of those birds that always managed to avoid our group — even some of our best birding friends missed it. But after three trips to Africa, we finally had an amazing moment with this special species. It came close and walked slowly right in front of us!
A remarkable bird that resembles a crane or stork with long legs but has more of a raptor-like appearance. It’s one of my main targets—I’ve had a few sightings but haven’t captured great photos yet. However, I’m sure I’ll dedicate more time to this bird on my future trips to Africa.
A large-bodied, small-headed, black gamebird perfectly lined with rows of hundreds of bluish-white spots. It has a ridiculous-looking plumed “toupee” above the naked face, which features an ivory-colored bill and a blood-red eye. The facial skin color varies geographically, and can be mostly blue-gray with small patches of red and white, or predominantly blue-gray with a large white patch on the back of the neck. A broad band around the base of the neck is unspotted black. It prefers forest and thickets, where it forages on the ground for berries, seeds, and other plant matter. The similar Helmeted Guineafowl differs by its lack of feathered crest and its having a bone-like casque on top of the head instead. The alarm call is a series of rattling, agitated notes that speed up and slow down; similar to the call of Helmeted Guineafowl, but with a tinnier quality. [Ebird]
Another bird that is very common in Samburu—we see it almost every day. Look a bit closer, and it actually looks a little scary too, especially with that bald head.
I never expected to see this adorable creature in South Africa—I thought I’d only encounter it in Madagascar on my next visit. But what a lucky sight! This tiny chameleon was crossing the road so slowly that everyone had to wait for it to make its way before we could continue our journey. define top 5 sight of 2025
The plains zebra occurs in six regional races, each with its own stripe pattern. All are distinct from the two other zebra species: the larger Grevy’s zebra (Equus grevyi) of northern Kenya, and smaller mountain zebra (Equus equus) of southwest Africa.
Plains zebras are highly sociable: dominant stallions preside over harems of females and young, which may coalesce into much larger herds. especially during migration, and often associate with wildebeest and other grazers. Zebra crop grass using flexible lips and powerful incisors, and open up grassland habitat for other species.
Their pattern has long puzzled scientists: it may function as camouflage, as an insect deterrent or to dazzle pursuing predators such as lions; perhaps all three. [https://www.expertafrica.com/wildlife/zebra/africa]
update 202501
It’s common, but such an adorable creature—I never get tired of seeing it over and over again.
Giraffes are divided into numerous subspecies, although the most well-known are the Maasai, reticulated and Rothschild’s giraffes. In Southern Africa, however, all giraffe are “southern giraffe.” Subspecies differ only in their blotch pattern, color and distribution; all other characteristics are the same.
1. South African giraffe, 南非长颈鹿, 南非長頸鹿, Giraffa camelopardalis
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1. South African giraffe, 南非长颈鹿, 南非長頸鹿, Giraffa camelopardalis
update 202501
It’s such an adorable creature! Seeing it in the wild made us pause for a while to capture some photos of this charming animal—even though we were here primarily for the birds. Absolutely delightful!
The overall green coloration, accompanied by a low crest and blue body, is a key target for our group. In the first few days, it seemed fairly common, as its calls and presence could be heard and seen by everyone. However, capturing a photograph proved to be quite challenging—much like our Malkoha, it kept moving between the trees and bushes. Fortunately, just before the heavy rain, we were lucky enough to find one that stayed still for a while, allowing us to capture it.
A bulky, iridescent bird clad in deep purple, blue, green, and olive washed with pink. It clambers acrobatically through riverine woodland and savanna thickets. In flight it explodes from the canopy with distinctive deep red panels in the wings. It produces a distinctive croaking “khoh-khoh-khoh-khoh….” that gets progressively louder before suddenly stopping. The similar Ross’s Turaco differs from Purple-crested Turaco by being darker overall and having a red crest and yellow face. [Ebird]
This is our first Turaco sighting, but it stayed hidden in the bushes for a while. After some waiting, the bird suddenly took flight. Luckily, I had the R1 ready—capturing the moment almost instantly as it happened in a split second.
It’s a stunning bird, and each of the three species we encountered on our tour instantly caught our attention. Even during lunch and shopping, the moment someone shouted “Turaco,” everyone scrambled to grab their cameras again. However, it’s not an easy bird to photograph—it moves through the bushes much like our Malkoha. Among the three species we captured, this one is the most common and, in my opinion, the most beautiful.
My trip to South Africa ended months ago, but I’m still enjoying the birding experience in Africa—especially meeting this fascinating family. Everyone seemed so excited! At first glance, this species might seem dull (just grey!), but its name makes it impossible to ignore. Every time we spotted one, we couldn’t help but call out, “Go-away bird!”—and honestly, it’s quite a handsome bird!
Not the best-looking bird, but definitely a weird and attractive subject to photograph, with its impressive high crest. Hard to miss thanks to its large size and the way it moves in groups. We watched it feeding on the ground and flying all around us.
– very small wren-babbler no tail that move very fast
– split to different family Pnoepygidae, may make another sharing
– 被分鹩鹛属
update 202409
– one of my favorite birds of Malaysia, it is small, cute, active and lovely bird. It always moving with wing span open. But it almost invisible by naked eye.
– with the new canon Pre-continuous Shooting function, simple when see the bird stay still, half-press shutter .. and when see the wing open or move press the shutter .. than anything happen in before .5s will be record as raw into camera .. make this kind of picture simple
Adorable tiny bird that loosely resembles a minute tailless wren. Warm dark brown above with rufous overtones, and scaled below; pale-morph birds have white edgings to black “scales,” while dark-morph birds have edgings that are coffee-stain tan. Smaller Pygmy Cupwing lacks the tan spots speckling the crown and neck of Scaly-breasted. Scaly-breasted inhabits dark, damp areas in dense forest, often around boulders, streams, and ravines. Song is a jumbled series of high-pitched melodic warbles, notably more complex than the song of Pygmy Cupwing. [Ebird]
On our last day in Baihualing, we spotted two distinctly different tiny, tailless birds. At a distance of about 10-15 meters, I initially assumed they were the same Pygmy Cupwing. However, upon reviewing the captured photos, it was clear they were different species.
Knowing their behavior of spreading their wings when moving, I enabled Continuous Pre-record mode and pressed the shutter the moment the bird moved. Got it!
another new collection from Lombok, Indonesia 202412
1. White-tailed Tropicbird, 白尾鹲, 白尾熱帶鳥, Phaethon lepturus, シラオネッタイチョウ, Buntut-sate putih
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1. White-tailed Tropicbird, 白尾鹲, 白尾熱帶鳥, Phaethon lepturus, シラオネッタイチョウ, Buntut-sate putih
A medium-sized white seabird with black marks on the wings and a yellow beak. The long white tail streamers are visible from a great distance. Nests on coastal and inland cliffs on the main islands. Often seen flying over canyons and along cliffs. At sea usually flies high above the water. Calls are loud clucks and squawks. Smaller and more graceful in flight than Red-tailed Tropicbird [Ebird]
I just can’t help but share more of this lovely bird… under the hot sun, it’s such a beautiful sight to watch them soaring through the sky.
我忍不住再分享更多这只这么美的鸟… 在炽热的阳光下，看到它们在天空中翱翔真是太美了。
202412, Lombok, Indonesia
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One of the target birds can be found here, making it an incredibly beautiful location to observe this species. The view is breathtaking, and I hope to return again. While waiting for a better sighting of the bird, I was fortunate to also spot a Dugong, Green Turtle, and Spinner Dolphins. Watching this bird gracefully soar through the air is truly mesmerizing.
A typical pitta: plump, short-tailed, long-legged, and primarily terrestrial (sometimes perches up to call). Bright green above with electric blue shoulder patch and rump and black head with conspicuous pale brow. Underside golden-buff with black and bright red on the belly. Juvenile duller, with little blue in wing, an orange-tipped bill, and a pinkish belly. Resident in woodland, forest, scrub, and plantations in the lowlands and hills of the Lesser Sundas, from Lombok east to Alor. Formerly regarded as a subspecies of Elegant Pitta, to which it is very similar; Ornate averages more extensively black on the throat and lower belly, and has a fairly evenly divided rufous-and-white “eyebrow.” Also note Ornate’s whistled two-note call [Ebird]
After successfully getting all our target birds, we took it easy and birded along the main forest road. Suddenly, 3–4 of these Pittas started calling nearby, and one of them came as close as 10 feet from me!
This individual even stood out in the open for 2–3 minutes, giving us a fantastic natural encounter—not at a feeding station, but in the wild. A very different kind of excitement.
Hope everyone enjoyed this Lombok bird photography trip. And Imran—see you next time!
Finally had the chance to revisit this spot again. As usual, the Pitta was quite tame but didn’t make it easy for everyone to get a good shot. Still, I was lucky enough to get a satisfying photo.
Despite the light drizzle, we managed to photograph two of our main targets during this one evening session.
A special arrangement was made with Ramesh for a relaxing birding trip focused on collecting a few endemic species. As usual, pittas, owls, and woodpeckers were our primary targets. Upon arriving at the airport, we had a ~1.5-hour drive followed by a short walk to the feeding spot. After less than 15 minutes of waiting, the bird showed up beautifully, allowing for this “pre-poo” moment to be captured perfectly.
A small brown owl with feathered ear tufts and yellow eyes, restricted to Lombok. Mostly brown with scattered white and pale markings on wings, sparsely streaked underparts, and a clear “double” facial disk with both blackish and white borders. Found in various forests and plantations in the lowlands and foothills. Distinctive: the only small owl on Lombok, and the only owl there with ear tufts. Gives a single note song, “woot,” ascending slightly at the end [Ebird]
This is one of our main targets for visiting Lombok Island. It didn’t take long to spot the bird, but we had to wait patiently for a better photo opportunity.
Although it’s a common owl on Lombok, getting a clean shot still required some effort—but it was worth it!
这是我们前往龙目岛的主要目标鸟种之一。虽然很快就观测到它，但我们花了不少时间等待更好的拍摄机会。
尽管这只猫头鹰在龙目岛相对常见，但想要拍到干净漂亮的照片依然不容易——不过一切都是值得的！
202512, Lombok island, Indonesia
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update 202412
This special, quick, and relaxed trip to Lombok, Indonesia, focused on our second main target. We spotted a few birds, but only one came reasonably close and perched low. It resembled other scops-owls, offering another great sighting enhanced by modern technology.
3. White-tailed Tropicbird, 白尾鹲, 白尾熱帶鳥, Phaethon lepturus, シラオネッタイチョウ, Buntut-sate putih
A medium-sized white seabird with black marks on the wings and a yellow beak. The long white tail streamers are visible from a great distance. Nests on coastal and inland cliffs on the main islands. Often seen flying over canyons and along cliffs. At sea usually flies high above the water. Calls are loud clucks and squawks. Smaller and more graceful in flight than Red-tailed Tropicbird [Ebird]
I just can’t help but share more of this lovely bird… under the hot sun, it’s such a beautiful sight to watch them soaring through the sky.
我忍不住再分享更多这只这么美的鸟… 在炽热的阳光下，看到它们在天空中翱翔真是太美了。
202412, Lombok, Indonesia
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One of the target birds can be found here, making it an incredibly beautiful location to observe this species. The view is breathtaking, and I hope to return again. While waiting for a better sighting of the bird, I was fortunate to also spot a Dugong, Green Turtle, and Spinner Dolphins. Watching this bird gracefully soar through the air is truly mesmerizing.
A small finch with a striking white head and dark body. Rich chestnut brown above, with reddish tail and pale peach-washed underside. Juveniles much duller and browner, but usually show a paler head. Gregarious, found in terrestrial flocks, often with other finches, in open country such as marshes, croplands, grasslands and scrub, in the lowlands. Juvenile has a paler head and a noticeably smaller bill than juvenile Five-colored Munia. Gives weak, high-pitched “weee” and stronger, metallic “wit-wit-wit” notes [Ebird]
This munia is very common in the open areas of Lombok Island and can be spotted almost everywhere. It resembles the White-headed Munia but features a darker back and front.
It is a fairly common species found in Bali, Sumba, and Lombok, but this beautiful fantail is truly captivating. We were searching for the Five-colored Munia, but this bird appeared just before we could get a good look at the munia.
6. Golden-headed Cisticola, 金头扇尾莺, 黃頭扇尾鶯, Cisticola exilis, タイワンセッカ, Cici Merah
Tiny, sandy-colored bird with short tail and dark-streaked back. Breeding adult males have orange-gold crown. Song a thin, high-pitched, drawn-out buzzing. Inhabits grasslands of northern and eastern Australia, where perches prominently. In similar grassland habitats, Tawny Grassbird has much longer tail. Very similar Zitting Cisticola always has a streaked crown and a very different “tick-tick-tick” song but otherwise almost identical. [Ebird]
A small bird with a distinctive sequence of calls, often perched high to observe human activity, seemingly curious about us when we arrive at a new location.
This forest Kingfisher is probably one of the shyest I’ve ever encountered.
I tried photographing it during my last trip here but failed after several attempts. This time, we finally had a clear and prolonged view. Still, the bird remained very shy, making it challenging for everyone to get good shots.
A bit of a shame that some angles didn’t give a clear view, but still a rewarding sighting!
It’s not a lifer for most of us, as we’ve already seen it on Sumba Island. But this time in Lombok, we were just taking it easy when the ranger mentioned the bird was nearby.
We thought, “Why not?”—and that led to the toughest hike of the trip!
Thankfully, it paid off with a wonderful view of this beautiful Kingfisher.
10. Eastern Red-rumped Swallow, 金腰燕, 赤腰燕, Cecropis daurica, コシアカツバメ, LAYANG-LAYANG API BIASA, Burung Layang-Layang Api
update 202512
This is a common bird in Lombok, but it used to be quite a challenge to capture with DSLR back in the day. Now, with improved gear, it’s almost as easy as 1-2-3!
Distinct features: streaked throat and chest, plus a bright orange rump—such a striking little bird!
A very common bird in Lombok, but not always easy to photograph. This time, we were lucky—three individuals appeared to be sharing nesting territory, allowing us to capture some great close-range photos and videos.
Was this the final bird of our Lombok Bird Photography Tour? Possibly — and what a challenge it was! Extremely shy and not easy to capture on camera.
Still, it remains one of Indonesia’s remarkable country endemics — a true highlight despite the effort!
It was a fortunate moment while waiting for our target bird—we spotted a Dugong, a group of Dolphins putting on a show, and a few Green Turtles. Although they were at a bit of a distance, it was a joy to witness their display.
