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Birds > Sandgrouse > Black-faced Sandgrouse Pterocles decoratus

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There are many reasons to be satisfied after my returning from Tanzania. One of them are new galleries of sandgrouses. I remember how hard it was to photograph my first sandgrouses in Fuerteventura or Pallas's Sandgrouse in Mongolia, then taking photos of those birds in Tanzania was a piece of cake. Well, maybe not just like that, because you have to find them, but when driving all day, watching closely it is possible as you can see. It did not happen too often, but only when the birds were found  they made an easy object for us to photograph at least for a moment. Sometimes, when we saw sandgrouses we stopped for a longer time and waited for the birds, that calmly feeding took a good position for photos. Sometimes quite funny situations took place. People from another car passing nearby saw us waiting with lenses pointed to something. On safari, nobody would want to overlook anything, especially since sometimes impatience grows after the ineffective searching for lions. The car came up, our guide spoke the words "Nege nege" often repeated in situations like that - a smile appeared on their faces and they left. "Nege nege" simply means "BIRDS" in Swahili. I guess an ornithological trip to Tanzania is still a rarity. Most of the participants of expeditions to Africa are going there to see elephants, giraffes, rhinos, zebras, in other words, all these well-known animals. Well, how it was with my sandgrouses. It was amazing in Africa all that abundance of animals. When driving among lush greenery, every now and then some animals appear around. But we decide to drive up a bit higher, up the hill near the lake. Beautiful view, but a bit further after a quarter of an hour a completely different vegetation can be seen. Stony ground, not many grasses or shrubs and among them a number of sandgrouses. Really great shooting, which in the case of these species is possible to perform probably only in winter (25-30 degrees the daytime temperature), due to  wintering. All in all three species of sandgrouses (chestnut-bellied, black-faced and yellow- throated) were photographed. This text is common to these three start galleries.

TANZANIA- j.angielski

TANZANIA XII/17’- introductory text- Kori Bustard.
NEW GALLERIES:
BIRDS:

1. Kori Bustard (T). 2. Secretary-bird (T). 3. Rüppell's Vulture (T). 4. Red-billed Firefinch (V). 5. Yellow-necked Spurfowl (T). 6. White-bellied Bustard (V). 7. Blue-capped Cordonbleu. 8. Von der Decken's Hornbill (V). 9. Eastern Double-collared Sunbird (T,V) 10. Yellow-collared Lovebird (T,V). 11.Lappet-faced Vulture (T). 12. Superb Starling. 13. Pallid Harrier (T). 14.Silvery-cheeked Hornbill. 15.Crowned Lapwing (V). 16.White-necked Raven (T). 17.Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse (T).18.Double-banded Courser. 19.Gray-headed Silverbill. 20.Cape Teal. 21.Augur Buzzard. 22.Marabou Stork (T). 23.Red-and-yellow Barbet. 24.Red-necked Francolin (T). 25.Cape Robin-Chat (T,V ). 26.Yellow-billed Oxpecker. 27.Greater Flamingo (T). 28.Lesser Flamingo(T,V ) 29.Tawny Eagle. 30.Southern Ground-Hornbill. 31.Yellow-bellied Waxbill (V). 32.White-headed Buffalo-Weaver(V). 33.Hildebrandt's Starling (V). 34.Nubian Woodpecker. 35.Capped Wheatear. 36.African Spoonbill. 37.White-browed Sparrow-Weaver (V). 38.African Silverbill. 39.Verreaux's Eagle-Owl. 40.Rufous-crowned Roller. 41.Fischer's Sparrow-Lark. 42.Gray-breasted Francolin (T,V). 43.Hildebrandt's Francolin (T). 44.Yellow-throated Sandgrouse (T). 45.Golden-winged Sunbird (T,V). 46.Northern Red-billed Hornbill (V). 47.Black-breasted Snake-Eagle. 48.African Gray Hornbill. 49. Pied Crow (V). 50.Kenya Rufous Sparrow. 51.Collared Pratincole. 52.Purple Grenadier. 53.Senegal Lapwing. 54.Usambiro Barbet (V). 55. Bronze Sunbird. 56.Coqui Francolin (T). 57.White-browed Robin-Chat (V). 58.Three-banded Courser. 59. Gray-headed Social-Weaver. 60.Hooded Vulture (T). 61. Rufous-tailed Weaver (V). 62.Pygmy Falcon. 63.White-browed Coucal. 64.White-throated Bee-eater. 65.Handsome Francolin (T). 66.Long-toed Lapwing. 67. Fischer's Lovebird  (T,V) 68.Speckle-fronted Weaver. 69.Slender-tailed Nightjar (T). 70.Rosy-throated Longclaw. 71.Buff-crested Bustard. 72.Grey-headed Kingfisher. 73.Brown-backed Woodpecker(T). 74.Black-faced Sandgrouse (T). 75.Spotted Morning-Thrush. 76. Green-winged Pytilia. 77.Common Waxbill. 78.Heuglin's white-eye (T). 79.Red-fronted Barbet. 80.Red-cheeked Cordonbleu. 81. Namaqua Dove. 82. Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater. 83.Montagu's Harrier (T). 84.Schalow's Turaco (V). 85.White-rumped Shrike. 86.Garden Bulbul (V). 87.Streaky Seedeater (T). 88. Dark Chanting-Goshawk. 89. Ashy Starling. 90.Thick-billed Seedeater. 91.Gray-backed Fiscal (V). 92. Magpie Shrike (V). 93.Rueppell's Starling. 94. Gull-billed Tern. 95. Mourning Collared-Dove. 96.African Pipit. 97.White-bellied Go-away-bird (V). 98.Mariqua Sunbird. 99. Short-tailed Lark. 100.Black-bellied Bustard (V). 101. Cinnamon Bracken-Warbler (T,V).102. Dusky Turtle-Dove. 103.Beautiful Sunbird. 104. Abyssinian Scimitar-bill. 105. Blue-naped Mousebird. 106.Martial Eagle (T). 107.Black Crake. 108. Pink-backed Pelican. 109. Red-capped Lark. 110. Lesser Masked-Weaver. 111.Baglafecht Weaver. 112.Knob-billed Duck. 113.Gabar Goshawk. 114.Rufous-naped lark (V). 115.Winding Cisticola (V). 116. Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver. 117.Ethiopian Boubou (T). 118.White-breasted Cormorant. 119.Little Sparrowhawk.120.Red-collared Widowbird. 121.Grey-hooded Gull. 122.Great Spotted Cuckaoo. 123.Silverbird. 124.Gray Kestrel. 125.Hottentot Teal. 126.Black-lored Babbler. 127.Vitelline Masked-Weaver. 128. Black-necked Weaver. 129.Chestnut Sparrow.130.Schalow's Wheatear. 131.Mountain Thrush (T). 132.Eastern Chanting-Goshawk (V). 133.East African Citril. 134.Mountain-Greenbul (T). 135.Ashy Flycatcher. 136.White-eyed Slaty-Flycatcher. 137.Abdim's Stork. 138.Long-tailed Fiscal. 139.African Dusky Flycatcher.  140.Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbill. 141.Lilac-breasted Roller.142.Arrow-marked Babbler. 143.Teita Fiscal. 144.Grasshopper Buzzar. 145.Slate-colored Boubou. 146.White-bellied Canary 147.Northern Anteater-Chat. 148.Sooty Chat. 149.Red-chested Cuckoo.
MAMMALS:
1. African savanna elephant (T). 2.Leopard (T). 3.Lion (T). 4.Yellow baboon (V). 5.Black-backed jackal. 6.Cheetah(T). 7.Spotted hyena(V). 8.Grant's zebra (V). 9.Kirk's dik-dik10. Hartebeest. 11.Common hippopotamus (V).12.Common eland. 13.Blue wildebeest. 14. Blue monkey. 15.Bush hyrax. 16.Bat-eared fox. 17.Grant's gazelle. 18.Bohor reedbuck. 19.Sassaby.  20.African golden wolf. 21.Common dwarf mongoose. 22.Slender-tailed Mongoose. 23.Thomson's gazelle. 24.Klipspringer. 25.Egyptian mongoose.26.Masai giraffe.
REPTILES:
1. Nile monitor. 2. Mwanza flat-headed rock.  3. Southern Long Tailed Lizard.  
CHANGES in GALLERIES:
BIRDS:

1.White-backed Vulture (V). 2.Long-crested Eagle (V). 3. Black-headed Heron. 4.Red-billed Oxpecker (T). 5.Helmeted Guineafowl (T,V). 6. Little Bee-eater. 7.Blacksmith Lapwing. 8. African Jacana.  9.African Paradise-Flycatcher (V). 10.Yellow-billed Kite (T). 11.Palm-nut Vulture. 12.Spur-winged Goose. 13.Bateleur.14. Little Egret (V). 15.Brown Snake-Eagle. 16.Glossy Ibis (T). 17.Brown-crowned Tchagra. 18.Chinspot Batis. 19.African Hoopoe (T,V) 20.Spotted Thick-knee. 21.Sacred Ibis. 22.Black-winged Lapwing. 23.Water Thick-knee. 24.Gray Crowned-Crane. 25. Red-billed Quelea.26. Fork-tailed Drongo.27. Speckled Pigeon. 28.Wahlberg's Eagle.  29.Three-banded Plover. 30.Kittlitz's plover. 31.Wattled Lapwing. 32.Steppe Eagle. 33.Grosbeak Weaver. 34.Yellow-fronted Canary. 35.Squacco Heron. 36.Goliath Heron. 37.European Roller. 38. Cattle Egret. 39.Yellow-billed Stork. 40.Woodland Kingfisher. 41.Lesser Striped-Swallow.42.Great White Pelican. 43.Speckled Mousebird. 44.Red-winged Starling (V). 45.Red-rumped Swallow (V).46. Pied Avocet. 47.African Stonechat. 48.Ring-necked Dove. 49.Hamerkop (V). 50.White Stork (T). 51.African Openbill. 52.Black-winged Stilt. 53. Striped Kingfisher. 54.Pin-tailed Whydah. 55. Southern Fiscal. 56.Black-crowned Night Heron. 57.Black-winged Kite. 58.African Firefinch. 59.Marsh Sandpiper. 60.Laughing Dove. 61.Red-billed Teal. 62.Crested Francolin (T) 63.White-browed Scrub Robin. 64.Striated Heron. 65.White-faced Whistling Duck.  66. Spur-winged lapwing (T,V). 67.Eastern imperial eagle. 68.Common Ostrich.69.Lesser Spotted Eagle. 70.Lesser Kestrel. 71.Northear Wheatear.
MAMMALS: 1. African buffalo. 2. Common warthog. 3.Impala. 4. Waterbuck.5.Banded mongoose.
REPTILES:1. Nile crocodile. 2. Flap-necked chameleon. 3. Leopard tortoise.
Go to the gallery : TANZANIA- FAUNA    MASAI PEOPLE(T)     TAZNANIA-LANDSCAPE   TAZNANIA FLORA

Tanzania - slideshow

Pterocles decoratus
Pterocles decoratus
Pterocles decoratus
Pterocles decoratus
Pterocles decoratus
Pterocles decoratus
Pterocles decoratus
Pterocles decoratus
Pterocles decoratus
Pterocles decoratus
Pterocles decoratus
Pterocles decoratus