A few of the many spectacular birds in the vast open sky above us

(With apologies to Nici -- and a promise that I WILL NOT turn into a bird person! -- But in my defense I have to say: we are all noticing the amazing birds around us. How these birds survive without water is a mystery - especially in the areas where there are only sand dunes and dust and no water -- not even wells, for vast distances -- but we are seeing trees with leaves now and some green grass -- and I also have to keep on reminding myself that during the rainy season this world does undergo a metamorphosis. I spoke to Esther -- a young Dutch woman who is working on her PhD here in Mali -- she is researching the artisanal gold mining in Mali and spending a year here in Bamako and staying with host families in the areas where the gold mines are. I commented on how difficult it must be to survive where there is no water and she reminded me that there is a rainy season -- albeit maximum two months and when often no more than 500mm of rain falls per annum, but how, during that time, everything turns green and becomes unrecognisable. I have seen the Namaqualand in the North-Western Cape (South Africa) desert turn into a garden of flowers - literally overnight, but having driven through this arid scenery for two weeks, it really is very hard to picture it all covered in green!

Anyway -- I am digressing -- (probably in fear of being labelled a freaky birder or dipsy twitcher or some such) -- we have been delightfully surprised by some very exquisite and colourful birds on the way. One particular companion has been the flashes of bright indigo blue of the Purple Glossy-Starling and the Bronze- Long-tailed Glossy-Starling. The blue colour seems to be quite common -- there are also the beautiful Camaroon Indigobirds -- their blu outlined on the wings and tail with black, the Long-tailed Paradise-Whydah -- a blue brother of the usual black whydah, and then the many Woodland kingfishers we have seen as well as this region's particular brand of Roller. One has to wonder whether perhaps the spirits of the Blue Men become the birds of the Sahel skies. It definitely does appear to be the case.

And then -- whenever you look high up in the blue, blue sky, you will also see the many raptors of the Sahel -- Bateleurs, Tawny Eagles, the quite common Brown Snake Eagle, and then the smaller beautiful falcons and kestrels. There seems to be a lot of crows and ravens around and I felt right at home when I saw my first hornbills -- both red and brown! These all have given us a most regal and generous welcome to their territory!