Birds (This week's Photo Hunt theme)

Years ago now, in what can seem a different lifetime, I lived and worked in Tanzania -- mainly in the urban areas of Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar Stone Town. However, I felt I couldn't leave that East African country with going on safari to -- and in -- some of its national parks at least once. And, so, towards the end of my stay there, I went with an Irish aid worker friend (with the very Irish first name of Fionnuala) on a tour of Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Tarangire National Parks (and, for good measure, also spent time in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area's Ngorongoro Crater and visited Olduvai Gorge).

As we toured the national parks, Fionnuala and I thrilled over the wild landscape and, of course, the spottings of animals such as giraffes, elephants, lions, cheetahs, zebras, hippopotamouses and wildebeests going about their life. Our Tanzanian safari guide-driver, however, only ever seemed excited whenever he spotted some rare -- i.e., not flamingos, of which there were hundreds at Lake Manyara and thousands at Ngorongoro Crater! -- birds! (To the extent where he would literally bring the four-wheel drive vehicle we were in to a skidding halt and shout out its name whenever he spotted some unusual feathered creature that caught his eye!!!)

While I don't think I ever achieve his level of excitement at spotting any avian animal, I nonetheless have to admit to being pretty happy at the photos of birds that I managed to take on my Korean visit last month. In particular, I like the ones that this Photo Hunt entry allows me to show off because: the photo at the top is of a sight that many fellow visitors to the Jongmyo Shrine that day passed but didn't notice as it was above eye-level for most; and the second is of the Korean magpie that I have subsequently learnt is seen as a symbol of Korean identity (even though it is found in other parts of Asia -- and sometimes also is called the Chinese magpie!). :)