Bush-crow diaries: Settling in with the Borana

As time goes on and as I had expected might be the case, the Bush-crows continue to surprise and perplex me both in their character and peculiarity. This is hardly surprising, however, considering the historic and still very current confusions surrounding the species. Catching birds has proven to be very successful and the sample of individually marked birds is growing nicely, although in the hand they again pose more questions than answers. Theories and ideas are being dropped or disproven as fast as conceived, but such is the beauty of work of this nature.
I am beginning to enter the next phase of my work, which is heavily observation based, aiming to provide baseline data on the time budgeting and habitat usage of the species in relation to the climatic limits that describe their bizarre range restriction. The bush-crows are ground foragers, they walk, or more strut, going about their business with a sense of purpose and diligence quite unlike any other bird I have seen before. Their group habits also make for very entertaining watching as they loaf in the shade of the Acacias almost parrot like, ever curious, and preening other members of the family party. It seems fitting that a bird with such character should exist in this corner of Ethiopia, where it matches the independence of the culture.