Three-banded Plover and Three-banded Courser

Several months ago, while we were out birding on the mine, Grant stopped so that I could photograph a couple of waterbirds foraging in a pool of water. Although I was focusing on a bird to the front of the water, my camera also picked up another beautiful bird in the background.

Three-banded Plover

The Three-banded Plover is a small, dark, long-tailed plover with a distinctive double black breast band, grey cheeks and a conspicuous red eye-ring and bill base.

 The Three-banded Plover prefers fresh-water wetland fringes as shown above

 I love this image with the bird reflected in the water

Recently, on one of our night drives on the mine, we stopped to photograph a Thick-knee. Just afterwards and a few meters ahead, we stopped again where I photographed another Thick-knee. Only to find when I downloaded the photos of the second bird, that it was not a Thick-knee at all. I sent the photo off to my sister-in-law, Shelley. She replied with the identification. 

Three-banded (Heuglin's) Courser

Although not at all the same bird as the Three-banded Plover, I just loved that they both have distinctive bands on their necks. The Three-banded Courser is a dry-country wader with rufous, black and white bands on breast and neck. A white eye-stripe forks behind the eye and extends into the hindcollar. It inhabits arid and semi-arid savanna and is largely nocturnal.

I hope you're all having a wonderful week so far.