Spotted in Kumba: Kingfisher

This part of the country used to be quite densely forested, but due to the growth of our urban settlement in and around Kumba, it's not exactly easy to spot wild animals anymore. I'm guessing that the bird population has probably dwindled immensely as a lot of forested land has been cleared to make way for urban living. I'm guessing because I can not really tell from the ruckus when the chirping sing song of birds, hooting owls and the crowing of neighborhood cockerels begins promptly at 3 am every morning!

The only wild animals one is bound to spot on any given day around these parts are birds. There are still a large variety in and around Kumba despite the deforestation. I don't know a great deal about birds but I do enjoy watching them when there is nothing more exciting to do. I have spotted several different types of birds with beautiful plumage. Interestingly I always see the most beautiful birds when I'm walking around the yard without my camera.

Fortunately, I managed to get a few shots of a beautiful blue bird with an orange beak. When I spotted it, I had just walked through the yard headed for a quiet stroll to nowhere really! It had just stopped raining.  I ran all the way home, through wet grass and muddy puddles, to grab my camera. I raced back, fingers crossed, hoping the bird would still be within sight. It was sitting in an orange tree in the yard. It's bright colouring made it easy to spot a-midst dark green foliage. 

Photographing birds really challenges my ability to take pictures of objects at great distances, without a tripod. That challenge makes bird-watching a whole lot more exciting than it sounds! Though I have hardly any knowledge of how to group them, I can easily recognize certain birds on sight, such as this Kingfisher. There are twelve varieties found in Cameroon. After searching the description of this bird, I found that it closely matches the Blue-breasted Kingfishers, which are supposed to be quite common in the area.

Blue-breasted kingfisher