River Trip

We were collected at 9.00 in the morning and spent 3 hours on the river seeing hundreds of egrets and herons.

We had made a request for the use of a boat but were not entirely sure what we were going to get. In the event we had a boat to ourselves for eight hours which gave us a four hour trip downriver in the morning, a break for lunch during the heat of the day and a further trip up river in the afternoon. It proved to be yet another superb day.

We shared breakfast with White-browed Robin-chats and Yellow-bellied Greenbuls and then boarded the boat. The morning produced fantastic views of hundreds of herons including well in excess of 100 Black Egrets and Squacoo Herons, a few Little Bitterns, about 40 Openbill Storks, two Lappet-faced Vultures, Water Dikkop, plenty of Chirping Cisticola and a few Luapula Cisticolas (from call and habitat), A few crocodiles were seen and a Cape Clawless Otter appeared close to the boat but was very active and quickly disappeared.

Fish Eagles, Malachite and Pied Kingfishers and White-fronted and Little Bee-eaters and Swamp Boubou were almost constant companions throughout the day.

The lunch break produced Brown-throated Weaver and a very confiding Giant Kingfisher at the restaurant and Bearded Woodpecker, a party of five Retz’s Helmet-shrike, Terrestrial Bulbuls, Arrow-marked and Hartlaub’s Babblers, two Lesser Masked Weavers, four Brown Firefinches and four Collared Sunbirds around Lawdons Camp.

The afternoon trip produced our main target bird with good views of two Pel’s Fishing Owls but we failed to find White-backed Night Heron. Other highlights included two Rufous-bellied Herons, 20 Yellow-billed Storks, 30 White-faced Whistling Ducks, three Comb Ducks, a Rock Pratincole, a few Long-toed Lapwing and a Kittltiz’s Plover, about 40 African Skimmers and ten Collared Pratincoles, Several Crocodiles and a Monitor Lizard were seen at close range and we had great views of several small herds of Hippopotamus, about 30 animals in total.

After dinner a pair of African Wood Owls gave great views just outside our cabin.