289 : Grey-headed Bush Shrike

Grey-headed Bush-Shrike - Malaconotus blanchoti

This does feel like cheating. Another bird that on  closer inspection turns out to be something that I didn't think it was. The bulky head, massive bill and yellow eye show this to be a Grey-headed and not a Suphur-breasted Bush-Shrike.

I seem to be in a bit of a birding wilderness at the moment - I am not actually birding. I haven't been out with my camera in a number of weeks - I have even travelled without it packed or if I have - not with the long lens. I have a trip to the UK in two weeks with a couple of days at a weekend first of all - in theory I could get a bit of birding done. There are numerous easy species that I should be able to pick up even just on  bird feeder. 2013 has not been a good year in retrospect given that 2011 was only part of a year it is my worst year of the 3 calendar periods I have spent on this site. If I conclude  100 birds in a year we are of course looking at 100 years to finish the task. The chances of me living to 150 are minimal so even 2 and half years in I am failing miserably. I wonder if I could take a sabbatical and just bird for 3 months !! That would be something.

I have been busy at work, and with rugby, time seems to be in short supply (but I still find time to lie around doing little at times). Its not a general malaise - I just need to invest in  morning or an afternoon with my camera and a patch of scrub and take it from there. Then I will feel guilty that  haven't hung a picture or done something "useful". It does just all seem to be work, the rugby club and flights to here and there and packing and unpacking at the moment. No time for birds - which feels like no time for myself. Thats not true though - its what you choose to spend time on. My parents are over at the moment so free time is spent with them.

Perhaps I will try to just get a couple of hours to myself at some time in the next week or so and go from there.

Grey-headed Bush-Shrike, Malaconotus blanchoti
Ruaha National Park, Tanzania
July 2015