Wow, I am amazed at the knowledge of some of the members here and always impressed with their generosity in sharing it.
hawkman wrote:I just googled Tanzania birds also and found some of yours pictured there.Just wondering wouldn't it be more satisfying to you to try and Id them yourself?With a little bit of web searching you could do it quite easily.Also why id them maybe just be happy that you got to see some beautiful birds.I plan on going to Costa Rica some day and and taking tons of bird pics and have no bird guide book and just enjoy my trip without trying to Id them.Post them in a web site and just say enjoy and please I don't need them id'd.I not a lister.I think this effort of trying so hard to id things is a bit over rated.Just my 2 cents worth.
Hawkman, I've discovered ID ing the bird you have found is half the fun. When I started photographing birds, just thought they were pretty or powerful or added interest to a landscape.
But going home, searching through some books or the internet and finding "your bird" (even though millions of people have done it before you) is rewarding. You learn a bit about them in the process, where they live, what they eat, different variations; then the next time you see that same bird you do recognize it and think "aren't I smart", then you realize you are seeing that same bird all over the place and that you probably saw it many times before you took the time to ID it (oops, not so smart after all). Never the less the more you learn about them the easier it is to recognize when you are seeing something different and that is exciting!
I don't think I would qualify as a "birder" at all, like you not a lister but after about a year of taking bird photos I find myself starting to make notes of the birds I am finding and when and where I was. Occasionally counting up the number of species I've encountered in one journey. I'm finding the more I learn the more I want to learn about the birds I come across and ID ing them is the first step.