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‘Birds stun our senses with the beauty of their perfection, whether soaring on the

wing or seen in the hand, when every detail can be marvelled at, and it is this that

the paintings in this book strive to capture. But there is something more: each bird

has its own character, every species its own characteristics. The achievement of this

book is that the words and paintings combine powerfully to bring this to the fore.’

Jonathan Scott

John Dawson

A native of Liverpool, England, and a

graduate of Oxford University, JD taught in

Oxford, Cairo and Nairobi before settling

in Kenya as a freelance writer and editor.

In addition to preparing documents for

the United Nations and other international

organizations, he has written numerous

articles for magazines, principally on

environmental themes. He is a member of

Nature Kenya and is an avid birdwatcher.

His two published books, Quiz Setting

Made Easy and East Africa Alive, reflect

his interest in mind puzzles and wildlife.

Email: [email protected]

A Gallery of East African Birds

It has been said that, to capture the true

essence of a bird, it is better to pick up your

paintbrush than your camera. This collection

of paintings by some of the best bird artists

in East Africa delves into the personalities of

over 120 species, all exquisitely portrayed in

their natural settings. The accompanying text

fills in the details about the birds’ behaviour,

and reveals some fascinating facts about their

mythical and historical background.

www.camerapixpublishers.com

a gallery of EA birds cover.indd 1 9/16/09 8:23:10 PM

120

White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher Melaenornis fischeri

Not many birds have a comprehensive description of their

appearance and behaviour encapsulated in their name, but

the White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher certainly qualifies. This largish,

plump flycatcher is a common and tame resident of gardens in

the highlands of East Africa, and is particularly active at dusk. It

hawks insects, including butterflies, from a perch, but will often

fly down and pick them off the ground.

As with other flycatchers, the flattened, triangular bill of the

White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher is well designed for capturing its

prey, and it has prominent rictal bristles at the corner of the

mouth. These bristles are present in many birds that catch

insects in flight, including swifts, swallows and nightjars, and

their function has long been debated.

It has in the past been assumed that they function as some

kind of aid in funnelling prey into the mouth, but this is very

unlikely, as flycatchers generally seize insects with the tip of the

bill. It may be that they protect the eyes from the flailing legs of

the insects they capture, or dislodged particles – wing scales

of butterflies, or beetle chitin. Or possibly they have a sensory

function, helping the birds detect the movements of prey held

in the bill, or to relocate prey that was narrowly missed.

The artist: ‘I h ave seen this bird in both garden and forest settings, perc hing on d ista l branc hes where it can easily spot bugs on the ground below - swooping down, retrieving the insect and quickly returning to its perc h. ’

A G a l l e r y o f E a s t A f r i c a n B i r d s

121

The Constant GardenerPeter Blackwell

T a m e d L a n d s c a p e s

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Weavers and Purple-banded SunbirdDaphne Butler


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African Golden Weaver Ploceus subaureusGolden Palm Weaver Ploceus bojeriPurple-banded Sunbird Cinnyris bifasciatus

The African Golden Weaver and the Golden Palm Weaver are

members of the group of strikingly yellow weavers, adding

vibrant colour to the coastal scenery. They are easily confused,

given the similarities in their plumage and behaviour, both

nesting in noisy, babbling breeding colonies, often over water,

in nests of similar construction with the entrance at the bottom.

But look for the orange-pink eye of the African Golden Weaver.

These two weavers sometimes nest side by side, most notably at

Hunter’s Lodge, that haven of rest for the dusty traveller on the

road from Nairobi to Mombasa, where the two can be studied

closely with the aid of a pair of binoculars and a cold drink.

The Purple-banded Sunbird is another familiar bird of East

African coastal gardens and hotel grounds. Its basic colour

scheme is similar to that of many sunbirds – a chest band in the

red to purple zone of the spectrum, iridescent green on head

and back, and darker on the belly. It is a busy and active bird,

constantly chattering to itself as it flits from flower to flower, or

snapping at insects in flight. It is particularly attracted to acacias,

and will appear as if from nowhere when they come into flower.

The artist: ‘It was a c h a llenge to capture the bright pure yellows o f the two varieties o f weavers - the yellows are slightly d ifferent for eac h bird. I thought the perfect backdrop would be the aqua greens and turquoise o f the sea, framed by deep dark sh adows o f the sh ade under the trees, and heightening the glare o f the sun on the birds. ’


124

Barn Owl Tyto alba

The Barn Owl is among the palest and ghostliest of owls, and

is probably the owl most often seen by humans, given its

worldwide distribution and its propensity for nesting in buildings

(most famously church towers). These features, together with

its eerie, blood-curdling, shrieking call, help account for the

particular fear and apprehension this owl can engender, as

shown by some of the popular names it has been given – Ghost

Owl, Death Owl, Demon Owl.

The Barn Owl exhibits the typical features of the Tytonidae

family (as opposed to the ‘typical owls’ of the Strigidae family) –

longish bill, slender feathered legs, and small dark eyes set in a

heart-shaped facial disk. It is widely distributed in East Africa,

nesting in caves, disused wells and old Hamerkop nests, or

in human habitations, where the smell of its penthouse suite

can somewhat offset the benefits derived from the inroads it

makes into the populations of unwelcome rodents. It frequently

hunts at dusk, alternately flapping and gliding as it quarters the

ground for prey.

The artist: ‘This pa inting is o f a h and-ra ised owl named Pythagoras. He lived primarily in the wild, but came to visit our family from time to time. ’


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Barn Owl Peter Bruce


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From before she was born, circumstances conspired to make Daphne’s

life open to a rich, interesting mix of experiences. Her father comes from

Norway and her mother from Cyprus. Daphne, however, was born in

Tanzania and from her childhood home she was exposed to the beauty

of the wild around her. Finishing school, she studied art at the University

of Cape Town. After this she moved to Kenya where she worked

as a freelance illustrator for many years. Later she began painting

commissions and finally became a full-time artist, painting the subjects

dear to her, people and wildlife.

P.O. Box 76661, 00508 Nairobi, Kenya


Daphne Butler

An environmentalist and biologist, Dino is currently a PhD student in entomology

in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University. A

respected researcher and writer, he has published numerous articles in scientific,

natural history and environmental magazines. His text is often accompanied

by his own artwork. He has illustrated pocket guides, magazines, calendars

and posters, and recently completed illustrations for postage stamps for the

100th anniversary of Nature Kenya, the East Africa Natural History Society. His

paintings have been included in the National Audubon Society’s annual raffle and

fundraiser for conservation of the rainforest habitat of migrant songbirds.

PO Box 44486, 00100 Nairobi, Kenya


Dino Martins

The Artists


127

Karen is a self-taught artist who has lived in Africa all her life. Her

passion for the flora and fauna of this beautiful continent dominates

her painting and she has held many successful exhibitions in Kenya,

England and the United States. She has been published in various

wildlife art magazines and in an art and poetry book. She is an extremely

versatile artist and switches easily from watercolour to oil on canvas

and can paint in a variety of styles, giving her a broad base of appeal

amongst her collectors.


Websites: www.brushworks.co.ke,

www.natureartists.com/laurence-rowe.htm

Karen Laurence-Rowe

Nicky was born in Nairobi in 1954 and spent the early part of her

childhood on a coffee farm on the outer slopes of the Ngorongoro Crater

in Tanzania, moving later with her family to Arusha and then to Nanyuki

in Kenya. She did most of her schooling in England and read Zoology

at Bristol University before returning to Africa to carry out work on the

status of the different elephant populations in the continent. She then

started painting wildlife, selling her work through the Mount Kenya

Safari Club. She returned to England in 1981, and continues to paint for

exhibitions and commissions.


Nicky Beaumont

T h e A r t i s t s

128

Raised on a remote farm in northern Kenya, Peter has been intrigued

by Africa’s environments and exceptional diversity all his life. Having

obtained a degree in Graphic Design in England, he returned to his

roots in Kenya to focus on wildlife painting, and has received acclaim

for his accurate, vivid and knowledgeable depictions of animals and

birds in both watercolour and oils. He spends many weeks of the

year in the bush, studying his subjects and obtaining the reference

material necessary to create his works. Peter has now been painting

professionally for over two decades, and has completed countless

commissions and held more than 20 successful one-man shows since

1987 in Nairobi and London.

Tel: +254 (0)722 870650


Website: www.natureartists.com/peter_blackwell.asp

Peter Blackwell

Peter, a prolific wildlife artist, moved from Scotland to Kenya’s Rift

Valley at the age of six, becoming a keen observer and ardent lover of

African wildlife. He has maintained close contact with the animals and

birds that feature in his art, managing a large Namibian game reserve,

running a cheetah breeding programme, and breeding and hand-

rearing many bird species. He has held exhibitions in Britain, the United

States, Germany, South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania, and has regularly

exhibited at Christie’s wildlife auctions in London, in addition to being

commissioned to create calendars for the South African Wildlife Society.

He is noted for his proficiency in oils, pastels and gouache.

Website: http://www.peterbruceart.com

Peter Bruce


129

Born in Uganda of Greek parents, Theo started painting as a young

child, inspired by 18 years of residence in the Bwindi Impenetrable

Forest. Following a short stint at art college she developed her own

vibrant, versatile style using a variety of media, including ceramics,

cloth, canvas and tile murals, and she has created many commissioned

works for corporations and hotels. Theo now lives outside Nairobi

in the bushland of Kitengela, where the Maasai culture and natural

environment have heavily influenced her work. Her art, which has been

exhibited on numerous occasions in Kenya, reflects her passion for

plants, birds, underwater creatures and insects, and the primary theme

is conservation.

Tel: +254 (0)722 527838


Website: http://theocraft.com/

Theo Stone

T h e A r t i s t s

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