Wednesday, April 09, 2014

Abyssinian Roller

Abyssinian Roller Coracias abyssinicus
Awash Falls National Park, Ethiopia
23 January 2014

        Rollers as a group are nothing short of spectacular, but I am inclined to think that the Abyssinian Roller is perhaps the most stunning of all. Whenever I saw one with the sun glistening off its plumage it simply took my breath away. In this area they were reasonably common so we had lots of opportunities to revel in their beauty. 
      Their usual habitat is dry woodland with well spaced trees, but they take readily to human settlements and are not particularly shy. They will nest on buildings and tolerate pets, humans and vehicles.


David M. Gascoigne,
David M. Gascoigne,

I'm a life long birder. My interests are birds, nature, reading, books, outdoors, travel, food and wine.

10 comments:

  1. Fantastic bird.. So beautiful.. :-)))

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful bird!
    In our country occurs Coracias garrulus, but it is a very rare bird.
    Greetings

    ReplyDelete
  3. Magnifique les Rolliers!
    Dans le sud de la france nous avons quelques spots ou l'on trouve des Rolliers d'Europe. (Coracias garrulus - European Roller)
    Très belle photo!

    ReplyDelete
  4. A beauty, your picture too.
    Greetings Tinie

    ReplyDelete
  5. Beautiful bird!
    Greetings Irma

    ReplyDelete
  6. A superb Roller, David! Not seen a roller of any sort in years - the last one was in northern Greece, I reckon. Hows the weather doing over there?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Abyssinian Roller. Now did I see that in The Gambia or Kenya? Wherever, it was certainly one of the most beautiful and stunning birds I have been fortunate to see.

    More stunning than a Black & White Warbler or a Cerulean Warbler in the hand or watching a magnificent Magnificent Frigate Bird chasing Laughing Gulls along a Cancun beach.

    Maybe it’s White-bellied Sea Eagle effortlessly snatching a Little Egret in Malaysia? We could go on, but I’m rather with you on the roller.

    I’m so pleased that your Spring birds are arriving and I remember the sequence of hirundines and sparrows, waders and finally in May your superbly coloured warblers - so exciting.

    Things are rather slow here in a cold and windy spell, but as usual I wish my life away to see and photograph them before they are ready to arrive. Take me to task if I complain.

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a beautiful and so original bird !!
    Greetings

    ReplyDelete
  9. Fantastic, David!
    I agree fully when you say Rollers are magnificent; my favorite though is the Lilac breasted we could see in the african bush.
    I would add Bee eaters too!
    It reminds me I have some European roller pics I should post, the draft has been ready for weeks! LOL!
    Enjoy your sunday!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ohhhhhh ....... what a nice and beautiful colored bird is this.
    Great to see

    ReplyDelete

Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge that the land on which we are situated are the lands traditionally used by the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, and Neutral People. We also acknowledge the enduring presence and deep traditional knowledge, laws, and philosophies of the Indigenous Peoples with whom we share this land today. We are all treaty people with a responsibility to honour all our relations.

Followers