Help me identify this squirrel!

We have squirrels running on our fence wall every day but they are so fast that I was never able to come close enough to have a clear view or picture of them, despite previous attempts here.

What I thought was a Striped ground squirrel / Xerus erythropus / Écureuil fouisseur (rat palmiste) gave me a perfect photo opportunity this morning and with it came doubts. I simply don't believe my identification was right anymore, but I couldn't find what it is. If any reader can help me out, they'll will have my eternal gratitude! (or as close to it as my failing memory will allow.) Thank you!

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Did I say no more?

I know. I said I wouldn't post pictures of Village weavers / Ploceus cucullatus / Tisserins gendarmes. But after the rain and the free-for-all winged termite buffet in my yard, birds of all feathers flocked and were too busy gorging themselves on the insects to fly away when I tried to take pictures. Never before was I able to get that close to so many birds. So, please bear with me, and join me to admire this fine (albeit a bit angry looking, if you ask me) specimen.

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A very lucky morning

After the rain and the swarms of winged termites attracted by light around the house last night, we were lucky to see a lot of birds flocking to our compound to feast on them this morning. 

The first unusual one was this small bird of prey:

As usual with the first pictures of the day, these ones are not perfectly neat since they are taken from inside the house, through the fixed mosquito net. I find the subjects interesting enough to consider it worth the drawback, and I'll keep taking pictures and posting them despite the relatively poor quality shots.

Although I don't remember having seen this bird before, it was relatively easy to identify thanks to its striped "pants" and the one white stripe on the tail. This is a Lizard buzzard / Kaupifalco monogrammicus / Autour unibande (Buse unibande).

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Swarming

We've had a lot of rain most of the weekend and with it came throngs of winged termites, which is rather unpleasant because they congregate by thousands (millions, it seems!) around light sources. Being one of the few houses with electricity around, we get more than our fair share of the insects.

The upside of this is that they are apparently a delicacy (or maybe just ready food considering their rather big size and astonishing numbers) for all sorts of birds. More about this in the next few posts!

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An elusive visitor

We see them every day and yet I've been unable to take a decent picture of them so far. After about 30 minutes waiting for a good photo opportunity, that's what I was able to do. They don't come close, and run very, very fast.

I haven't been able to fully ascertain which type of squirrel it is so far but I tend to believe it could be a Striped ground squirrel / Xerus erythropus / Écureuil fouisseur (rat palmiste), although I haven't seen the stripe very clearly. As always, do feel free to correct me and make more relevant suggestions!

A friendly reminder: please contact me if you intend using any of the materials on this blog anywhere, anyhow. It's nice, and it's the law. Thank you!