Don't know where this fits, so lets try here.


When I arrive at camp for the first time on a hunt, the sound of the Emerald-spotted Wood doves calling just puts me away. I stand transfixed and feel my soul being soothed. Trying to explain it to someone is difficult if you cannot have them hear the sound of the birds calling.

Found a great site "Africam". Do a Google search for "sounds of Africam". It will give you a listing of common African birds and an audio recording of their calls.

Start with the Cape Turtle dove and the African Hoopoe. Enjoy

Amen, brother.

When I get depressed about missing Africa, I go to that website and just listen to the doves. The cape ringnecks are my favorite. Emerald spoted, tambourine and senegal doves are soul medicine as well.
I scoured North America for those cape ringnecks and found 9 birds in California that were over 8 years old and no longer breeding. They guy wouldn't sell them to me. I finally found some senegals and raised them in my backyard for 3 years.
Only a person with Africatitus can understand our affection for these birds.

That's a great site, thank you for the post. The go-away bird is so distinctive and conjures up great memories.

I love the go away bird, that is truly the sound of Africa.

And who can forget the francolin and guineas scolding the early morning sun!

Thanks. Brings back many memories

The sounds of the Bird life on Safari is forever in my memories!
I will hear the doves and go away birds on Tracks across Africa,and it always takes me back.
I will check out that website...Thanks

quote:

Originally posted by Head Trauma:
Don't know where this fits, so lets try here.


When I arrive at camp for the first time on a hunt, the sound of the Emerald-spotted Wood doves calling just puts me away. I stand transfixed and feel my soul being soothed. Trying to explain it to someone is difficult if you cannot have them hear the sound of the birds calling.

Found a great site "Aficam". Do a Google search for "sounds of Africam". It will give you a listing of common African birds and an audio recording of their calls.

Start with the Cape Turtle dove and the African Hoopoe. Enjoy

Thanks for the tip. I too love the sounds of Africa, the Doves especially. I sometimes put the youtube clip Joyce recorded on the computer with the sound turned up just to have the sounds as "background music".

Youtube

Early morning the Crested Francolin wakes everyone up (with the Baboons barking and Impala rutting in the distance) - the Senegals Coucal sounds his song from the reeds in the early morning mist as it hangs in the river bed - the arrow marked babblers chatter noisily from the thickets - the chorus of the turtle doves eco across the valleys and through all the thick mopane scrub - long billed Hornbills and the Emerald spotted wood Doves welcome the midday heat - long tailed Starlings and the Grey Louries chatter noisily into the afternoon from the thick riverine trees - the African Fish eagle calls a most beautiful call as dusk approaches when a Swainsons Francolin announces bed time from the top of a large termite mound - the Scops Owl chirps to let everyone know the Leopard just left his bed for the evening hunt - the fiery cheeked nightjar and barred owls call into the night to bring pure tranquility to ones soul!!!!

Sounds good? That's just a normal day in my life.....

I am purely addicted to the African Bush! I just love it!

(Many bird names have recently changed and I have not learnt the new names)

For me it's the Quelea; not for the song, but for the sound. In Zimbabwe we had seen a cloud of them earlier in the morning, after spooking a small herd of sable we were hunting near a small lake. We came back late in the afternoon and cut limbs to create a hide beside the lake. In building the hide we had noticed lion tracks in the mud and took a few photos.

I settled-down in the hide, waiting for the sable....or maybe the lion. Hours later the cloud of quelea came in from behind me, swooped low over the hide, rattling the leaves, hovered just at the surface of the lake in front of me, making the surface of the lake quiver simply due to the beating of their wings. The sound was really something.

The whole experience gave me goose-bumps. First because with the initial sound I thought the lion had returned. Then as they swooped over the top of me and stayed over the water, it was just jaw-dropping. I don't know how many thousand there were. I don't see how they kept from having midair collisions as they swarmed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-billed_Quelea

My cell phone ringtone is a Cape dove call. My text alert sound is a go away bird call..

quote:

Originally posted by Scottyboy:
My cell phone ringtone is a Cape dove call. My text alert sound is a go away bird call..

Gotta love that!

Only 53 days to wait and i will be hearing all the amazing sounds of the African bush. I love the early alarm call by the Francolin telling me it is time to get up.

The Emerald Spotted Dove's call was related as a phrase to me as a kid, of which I have never forgotten.

"Some birds lay one egg a day, but I lay two two...two....two...two...two.

12 days and I'll be hearing them in person, again!!! Yahoo!!!

While I love the doves, my favorite has to be the tropical boubou. The mated pairs call each other such that it sounds like one bird. I wish we had them here.

I love most bird sounds, but my favourite is the Heuglins(sp)Robin, which is one of the first you hear in the morning. The name might have changed too? My least favourite is the Giant Eagle Owl, as it can go on and on while you try and sleep.

For those who have never heard it ...

It's the smell of an ex girlfriends perfume. In an instant, it brings back a flood of memories, and for a moment, you are there ...

I love the bird songs and really enjoy the guineas in the morning but the doves kind of drive me loopy. If I was in solitary and the doves cooing was pumped into my cell 24/7 I'd be a blithering idiot in a very short time.

The qualia swarm as Kensco said is one of the most amazing wildlife displays I've ever seen. I had seen them before but once in Botswana we watched two dense streams of qualia in the sky that had no end. We sat for 20 minutes watching but there was never a break. Our guess was that there must have been millions.

Mark