Home»All Albums & Groups»Kenya — January, 2015»Samburu — Upupa epops

~ At last! Ever since childhood I've been fascinated by the binomial nomenclature for the Eurasian Hoopoe. Upupa epops triggered giggles in me as a gawky teenager interested in birds. In later life the drollery subsided but the name remained in memory. When this hoopoe landed on the dusty Samburu track we were following, I had to restrain the urge to shout, as it was the first time to be so near. The hoopoe surprised us by remaining still in place, facilitating a number of images. It's a species like no other. I'm very glad to have finally observed it in the field, rather than solely on the glossy pages of a field guide.