Anyway, leaving that random thought aside, today Lesley, Laura, Martin and me went with my driver and skilled bird finder Bosco across the Juba bridge and down to the White Nile opposite Oasis and Afex camps. We made slow progress along the last stretch of road to the river as there were many different birds. Almost the first one was a new species for me in South Sudan: a Black Coucal. I proclaimed that this was a really rare species here (it is so described in the literature) and we promptly saw about six more. They were occupying lush expanses of grasses and scrub among scattered cultivation of maize and other species.
Black Coucal
Malachite and African Pygmy Kingfisher
Malachite Kingfisher
Later we had close views of Grey-headed Kingfishers.
Grey-headed Kingfisher
There were several Pin-tailed Whydahs, the breeding plumage males with their implausibly long tails. The male does a wonderful fluttering display in front of the female, though we did not see this today.
Pin-tailed Whydah male in breeding plumage
At last we reached the river and walked under the mango trees, hearing many more birds than we saw, but finding several African Thrushes. On rocks in the river there was a pair of Senegal Thicknees. I started to explain that when the water was lower, there would be Rock Pratincoles, when we noticed a pair of these birds on a rock that barely protruded above the fasting moving Nile water.
Rock Pratincoles
It was a good day for seeing that odd member of the crow family, the Piapiac. We found several flocks and some were remarkably confiding. I make no excuse for the plastic water bottle in the background of the second picture as these are sadly scattered all over Juba.
Piapiacs
The next surprise was a flock of Superb Starlings. This species is unusual as far west as Juba and I have previously only seen it in the dry season.
Superb Starling
Together with the Superb Starlings there were some glossy starlings, a group that I still struggle to identify. The reddish eye is supposed to be diagnostic of Bronze-tailed Starling, but I am being very cautious with this confusing genus. The bird below is in advanced moult from juvenile to adult plumage. [Since the original post, I have concluded that the birds were Bronze-tailed Starlings: the reddish eye, slender bill, shortish tail and uppertail pattern all point to this species].
Bronze-tailed Starling
As we walked and drove towards Rejaf we found one of Juba's most beautiful birds, a Red-throated Bee-eater.
Red-throated Bee-eater
Then we saw (they were too far away to photograph), a Serengeti-like scene of White-headed and Hooded Vultures descending on some carrion. Soon after, there were Rufous-chested and Red-rumped Swallows, only my second record of the latter species. And finally we had views of a fledged Silverbird being fed by an adult. This is a flighty species, always hard to get good photos of, and I did not do very well today. But an attractive bird. It's a type of flycatcher.
Juvenile Silverbird
Adult Silverbird
A supporting cast included displaying and nest-building male Northern Masked Weavers; lots of Village Weavers; Grey-capped Social Weavers; White-browed Sparrow-Weavers; Red-billed Firefinches; Bronze Mannikins; Black-headed Gonoleks; the usual cast of cisticolas (lots of Rattling and Winding); Dark Chanting Goshawks; Long-crested Eagles; Bateleur; Black, Black-winged and Northern Red Bishops; Red-headed Queleas, Open-billed Storks (roosting on trees in central Juba); Mourning Doves..and much, much more.
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