DAY 1 – They should be called Stupid Little Brown Things (SLBJ's)

LBJ’s (little brown jobs) is a great name for all those small brown birds that look exactly the same, yet are many different species. In case that didn’t make the job of identifying them difficult they also like to hide in dense bushes and shout away, letting you know that they are there. So instead of having to page through a bird book for hours comparing all the different LBJ’s, now you also have to also listen to all their calls and attempt to distinguish between a “krak-krak-krak” and a “tsee-tsee-tsee”, when really they all sound the same. It is amazing how after a few transects you just don’t hear them anymore and suddenly only hear the ones that you can identify. In addition, birds like the “tsee tsee tsee” start appearing on the species list…Needless to say the bird book has been thoroughly studied and dissected so that tomorrow does not prove as difficult…time will tell and so will the LBJ’s.

An Arrow-marked Babbler - love their bright orange eyes, so striking!