Martial Eagle, Liwonde, Malawi

I think that this is one of those archetypal birding safari shots - a Martial Eagle glaring down at the camera from its perch. What is difficult to appreciate from the shot is the scale of the bird in question. In life it appeared about the same size as an elephant - in the photo it appears about the same size as a Common Buzzard. The reality is somewhere between the two. If you are struggling to get the scale, just check out those talons...

While this was a very close encounter, and exciting too, especially for those in the party who had never seen such a big bird so close, I can't help but re-post another shot of a hunting Martial Eagle that I took in KwaZulu Natal a few years ago. I love the way it looks bigger than the rhino!

African anthus armchair tick?

With the flock of 3 Richard's Pipits at Aberlady I managed some good looks at this species for the first time (although, predictably enough, my shots are nowhere near as good as some of those on Birding Lothian). As I mused that I have managed to catch up with very few large pipits over the years I remembered this unidentifed Anthus that I photographed in Hluhluwe, South Africa in April 2007.

On that trip I had been overwhelmed by amazing mammals and jaw-dropping birdlife - larks and pipits had been firmly relegated to their little brown job status and this photograph has remained unidentified ever since. It would definitely be a tick for me, but the challenge is can the species be determined from this single image? The contenders, in descending order of likelihood could be African Pipit, Long-billed Pipit, Buffy Pipit and Plain-backed Pipit. Any ideas?

Whether it is identifiable or not, its presence was eclipsed by a pair of Martial Eagles mating nearby and a close fly-past by a squadron of White-backed and White-headed Vultures. No offence to the pipit, but watching amazing raptors to a backdrop of white rhino is birding KwaZulu Natal style!