An early start before the long drive to Podor via St. Louis and Richard Toll before driving to Podor and the Nightjar site. We checked into the La Cour de Fleuve hotel at around 8.30 for 9.00 pm dinner.
We were up around 6.30 for 7.00 breakfast which was bread rolls, butter and jam plus fruit juice and tea or coffee. It was still getting light but we could see Kites beginning to fly around and as we waited for the luggage to be loaded on the roof we began to learn the identity of the regular, small birds that we would be seeing everywhere. There was a small flock of African Firefinch in the dust, a Pied Crow flew to the roof and the first of many Laughing Doves flew into the palms.
We then started the long drive north with several roadside stops. In the roadside bushes we saw Abyssinian Roller, Red-billed Hornbill, Striped Kingfisher and Senegal Coucal, we also stopped for Lappet-faced and White-backed vultures and picked up Grey-headed Sparrows, Red-cheeked Cordon-blue, Sudan Golden Sparrow and a Grey Woodpecker plus Brubru and Speckled-fronted Weaver. Namaqualand Doves were everywhere. An orange-tipped butterfly flew by but was too quick to get a good identification.
On further stops we saw Striped Ground Squirrel, more White-backed and Ruppels Vultures plus several of the lovely Namaqua Doves.
As we approached St Louis we drove across a causeway with water on either side. This was full of birds but time was short and we would be returning this way so we carried on. We did mange to identify Greater Flamingo, Grey-headed and Black-headed Gulls, Whimbrel, Intermediate Egret and Western Reef Herons, Great White Pelican, Whiskered Tern and Blacksmith Lapwings.
We stopped at Richard Toll for fish and rice with a sauce lunch at a lovely place by the river. There were Plantain Eaters in the garden plus Melodious Warbler, and views up and down the river and our first sighting of a pirogue.
We drove on, taking the loop around the airport where we saw lots of Stone Curlew sheltering in any bit of shade they could find, Wheatear, Mourning Collared Doves, Scrub Robin and a Sennar Penduline Tit which we found very quickly, before heading to the track for nightjars. We had great views of Long-tailed Nightjar but no luck with Golden. We headed to the hotel for 8.30 pm with dinner at 9.00. There was a salad starter with chicken and chips followed by pancake with Nutella.
The bathroom had a resident cockroach which was around for both days but had died by the second morning.
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