Wild Dog chase... independent Zambia (Aug - Sept 2024) (1 Viewer)

[dwatsonbirder]

Introduction

Zambia appears to be something of an anomaly when it comes to independent birding trips in Africa; overlooked in favour of Tanzania to the north east, and by Botswana and Namibia to the south and west. It is the country's geographic location - not quite Southern nor East Africa - that should make it an interesting prospect to birders, reflected in the various biomes present across the country. Although Zambia can only lay claim to two endemics - Chaplin’s Barbet and Black-cheeked lovebird - a country list in excess of 737 species suggests excellent birding opportunities, with the chance of some pioneering effort in the northern aspect of the country.

Sadly, we were once again constrained by time, which meant that we had considerably less lofty aspirations, and could only really do justice to a couple of select areas, concentrating our efforts on two national parks; Lower Zambezi (and the adjacent Chiawa Game Management Area) and South Luangwa. These areas were selected on account of the best chance of catching up with our primary target for the trip - African Wild Dog. We hoped to encounter various other mammals, with African Leopard being high on my target list. Though the primary emphasis for the trip was biased towards mammals, it appeared likely that I would catch up with a good number of new species given the geographic “gap” in my African birding between Uganda to the north and Namibia to the south-west. A quick comparison with ebird data for the time frame and sites we planned to visit suggested that there were up-to 90 new birds for me, although half that figure seemed a more realistic target.

I opted to take a more relaxed approach on this trip, enjoying whatever species we encountered, as well as the chance to get reacquainted with species I’d seen on previous trips to Africa. That said, as someone with a soft-spot for Barbets of all origins, Chaplin’s Barbet was top of my target species list, though with only a brief stop-over in suitable habitat when travelling between the two national parks, success seemed unlikely. Other species I was keen to see included Grey-headed and Sulphur-breasted Bushshrikes, Klaas’s Cuckoo (all widespread species I should really have caught up with in either Uganda or Ethiopia), Pel’s fish owl, Miombio Scrub Robin, Southern Ground hornbill, Rufous-bellied Heron, African Skimmer, Southern Carmine Bee-eater, Crested Barbet, Arnott’s Chat as well as a host of other widespread eastern/southern species.

Logistics and useful information

Accommodation and car hire

In order to increase flexibility and partially to keep costs down, we opted once again for the self-drive and camping strategy. Zambia is a relatively inexpensive country to stay, with most campsites costing between $15 - $30 US per person per night. Full details of accommodation will be available on the full report on CloudBirders.

Hiring a 4x4 wasn’t too complicated, though it should be noted that more companies appear to operate out of Victoria Falls than Lusaka. We opted for “rent and ride” who gave us a Mitsubishi Pajero with excellent camping kit and unlimited mileage for $1750 (plus refundable deposit of $500 and $1200 for the camping kit) for 14 days. Highly recommended.
Fuel prices are set across the country, and at the time of our visit a litre of diesel was 31.11K - approximately 94p per litre - roughly ⅔ price of that in the UK. This did allow for us to fairly accurately calculate fuel expenditure for the trip, with an estimate of $375 in comparison to an actual spend of $550 - the difference largely as a result of increased distances covered and a lower than anticipated MPG.

Driving

Many reports have mentioned issues when driving, specifically police fines for speeding, poor road conditions and the dangers of driving at night.
In our experience the police were friendly and curious, and provided you have your driving licence and copy of your next hotel booking to hand let you on your way with limited fuss. A tip we picked up on was to drive up to police checkpoints directly behind a lorry or overloaded car/van/motorbike (of which there were many), as these are invariably checked and you are waved through. Our hire company provided us with a sat-nav, which we kept running throughout to show the varying speed limits. The “DriveZam” facebook page provided excellent up to date information on road conditions and locations of police patrols/checkpoints. A handy rule of thumb was 100kmph in rural areas, and 40kmph in urban areas, but always obey any signs!
Road conditions varied, with the T4 from Lusaka to the Luanga bridge generally ok, then excellent continuing eastwards towards Chipata. Chipata to SLNP was a gravel road, but generally fair to good. The T2 immediately south of Lusaka was busy and of incredibly poor quality in places, becoming better once you passed the Livingstone junction. The road towards LZNP becomes increasingly more rugged as you drive east, and is challenging in places within the park - some basic understanding of 4x4 driving is recommended.

Fees and other costs

The fees within the national parks are relatively cheap compared to neighbouring countries, with fees for both parks costing $85 per day (2x adults + self-drive vehicle).
In South Luangwa NP, it was possible to arrange either half day ($40 PP) or full day ($120 PP) game drives via Croc Valley, though NP fees were not included ($25 PP).
Staying outside of Lower Zambezi NP within the GMA meant that we did not have to pay NP fees unless we entered the NP itself. Again, excursions via our lodge (Mvuu) were possible, and fairly reasonable; game drive ($100 half day/ $160 day), night drive ($120), canoe trip ($190 day).
In addition to the above we budgeted $200 - $300 for all food for the trip, stocking up on supplies to enable us to cook whilst camping, whilst also enjoying the odd meal or beer at the lodges.
Flights were with Rwandair via booking.com, and were ~£600 each return - Heathrow to Lusaka via Kigali. Due to an annoying change to the flight itinerary which would result in a longer layover and an effective loss of two days, we paid an additional £100 each to change our outbound flight to a day earlier. As usual with our trips to Africa, this was another “budget” trip where we would camp and eat locally, but even on a relatively strict budget the costs soon add up.
A full breakdown of costs will be available on the full report on CloudBirders.

Resources

Once again the combination of ebird and trip reports on cloudbirders came into their own, with the following reports of some value:
Zambia Trip Report 2021
https://www.cloudbirders.com/be4/download?filename=LEHMBERG_Zambia_Zimbabwe_11_12_2021.pdf
https://www.cloudbirders.com/be4/download?filename=DIAS_Zambia_1112_2019.pdf
Although the above are really great detailed reports, they were of limited value due to the differing itineraries. Trip reports from Naturetrek, Birdquest etc proved a little more interesting given time spent at the locations we visited, and although no details for specific species were provided, such reports gave a good overview of what could be reasonably expected.

A good resource was “BirdWatch Zambia Forum” on facebook which is a very active and friendly community, with responses to requests for Chaplin’s Barbet gen within hours of posting!

Other considerations

A well stocked first aid kit is recommended due to the remote location and long distances between sites - this came into its own during the second half of the trip when I contracted bacterial tonsillitis and suffered badly from fevers, coughing fits and generally being lethargic. Biting insects are numerous; in South Luangwa NP Tsetse flies are abundant and very persistent. Mosquitos are also an issue, and a decent net is recommended when camping. Around the camps, baboons (and to a lesser degree vervet monkeys) can be opportunistic thieves, but with some vigilance aren’t too much of an issue. A strong torch is essential at night, when large mammals enter campsites - however this was only an issue at Mvuu, ironically during the middle of the day.​

 

[foresttwitcher]

Looking forward to this Dan.

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Thanks Pete, may be a bit slower than usual - the illness I acquired in the last week of the trip has left me pretty drained, but I've just about caught up with my notes now. I just need to start typing!

 

[foresttwitcher]

Hope your recovery continues well.

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Day 1: Arrival in Lusaka

After an uneventful flight to Kigali (Rwanda) we had a three hour layover before continuing onto Zambia. The only birding opportunities came when taxi-ing on the runway and making the short walk from the plane to the terminal, with a loose flock of twenty-odd Yellow-billed Kite and a scattering of Pied Crow the first birds of the trip. A Kestrel sp. flew directly overhead and alighted on a floodlight, but avoided identification, as did a small group of doves and a single swallow sp. A few Rock Martin flew around the external structure of the airport. Once inside we were ushered to a “lounge” where the windows had been completely covered in advertising stickers, negating any risk of being able to see the outside world or add any further species to my Rwandan list.
We arrived in Lusaka around lunchtime, this time greeted by several Black-headed Heron and Hammerkop feeding around the runway. A Common Bulbul was singing as we left arrivals, with African Palm Swift scything overhead and several Cattle Egret poking around some bits of greenery in the airport car-park. Our first (half) day was mostly to be spent in preparation for the first leg of the trip in South Luangwa NP, with a trip to a shopping mall for supplies and receiving our hire car the main tasks.
Our hotel was located just off the T4, but in a surprisingly green and quiet suburb of Lusaka, and there were some opportunities for incidental birding throughout the day; Village Weaver, Red-eyed Dove, African Hoopoe, Collared Sunbird, Red-faced Mousebird, Southern Cordon-Bleu and Yellow-fronted Canary were all obvious, whilst some nice additions in the more mature vegetation in the compound included Shikra, Variable Sunbird, Southern Yellow White-eye, White-breasted Cuckooshrike and Black-collared Barbet. An early lifer in the form of Brown-necked Parrot was a bit of a surprise, with a couple of flyover Meyer’s Parrot offering a nice opportunity to compare the two larger parrot species directly.
A few hours of relaxing and enjoying a bit of R&R in the pool meant that we had almost forgotten the arrival of our hire car, and after a check over it was off into the dusk for a “vehicle and road familiarisation” with Rent and Ride - a very nice and helpful opportunity to get used to the vehicle and roads, but after a long flight and a lunchtime beer my senses weren’t as sharp as perhaps required, but all parties satisfied, we signed the paperwork and were all set to begin our adventure the following day.

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Day 2: Lusaka to Chipata

The second day was to be dominated by the first long drive of our trip, a 560km drive east as far as Chipata to put us within striking distance of SLNP. Once again, birding was to be incidental, with occasional rest-stops or pauses to switch driving. The first Maribou were noted just outside of Lusaka, whilst several obvious and vibrant species were seen whilst driving including colonies of Village Weaver, and male Black-winged and Yellow Bishop. A stop in some rocky and gently sloping country near to Talabuku produced a few interesting species in a small gully, with Chinspot Batis, Yellow-throated Bush-Sparrow, Swainson’s Spurfowl and Scarlet-chested Sunbird. Further along the road we encountered Mosque Swallow, Fork-tailed Drongo and the first Tropical Boubou.

We reached the Luangwa River near the border with Mozambique around lunchtime, and decided to stop for refreshments at Bridge Camp. This proved to be a very rewarding stop, with wonderful views over the river and into Mozambique, as well as some decent mature woodland and scrub. Our first mammal of the trip quickly became obvious, with numerous Yellow Baboon lurking around the compound, whilst a large Nile Crocodile was the first record, providing a rather sobering presence as the owner told us that a local fisherman had disappeared the previous day but not yet been recovered, a likely victim of an ambush by these prehistoric predators.
I decided to have a wander around whilst Kathi chatted to the owner, taking the opportunity for more incidental birding. The mixture of species included some of the better birds already observed such as Black-collared Barbet, Chinspot Batis, Tropical Boubou and the two common Sunbird species, but there were plenty of additions too; African Fish Eagle, Hadada, Red-headed and Holub’s Golden Weaver, Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird, Little Bee-eater, Crowned Hornbill, Yellow-bellied Greenbul and Common Fiscal were all obvious around the compound, whilst a scan of the river resulted in Kitlitz’s Plover and White-crowned Lapwing joining the more familiar Common and Wood Sandpiper pottering around the water's edge.

We reached Chipata quite late in the afternoon, and after 11 hours on the road, the primary concern related to the availability of cold beer and hot food. The compound of our next hotel contained a good variety of semi-mature trees, and was home to a large Village Weaver colony which kept us entertained whilst having a few beers and playing cards. As night fell the strange whistling call of Fiery-necked Nightjar started up, to be joined a while later by a brief African Wood Owl. We had covered a good portion of the journey towards our first destination, but needed a decent night's sleep ahead of what was likely to be at least 3 hours of bone-shaking dirt road to reach SLNP.

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Day 3: Chipata to South Luangwa NP

After a decent night's sleep I was up fairly early and keen to try to grab an hour's birding before another stint in the car. It was a relatively breezy and cool morning which meant that activity levels were quite low, but all the same there were still new birds to be seen. I added the first Emerald-spotted Wood Dove of the trip, the beautiful eponymous green greater coverts occasionally glistening in the sun. The ubiquitous song of Common Bulbul and the raucous calls of Village Weaver were joined by the soft crooning of Palm Dove, the piercing calls and song of Collared and Amethyst Sunbird, and the hoarse cawing of Pied Crow. More interesting species were present but unobtrusive, with Long-billed Crombec and Black-crowned Tchagra amongst the new additions.
After breakfast and a stop at several banks to obtain some Kwacha, we were soon on the road again, this time driving due north-west, and our first destination just a few short hours and 130km away.
As a result of the short distance remaining and with the end in sight, it was enjoyable to break the journey with a few stops to take in a few birds en-route, with a early stop for our first Southern Carmine Bee-eater perched on overhead wires, adding the equally colourful Lilac-breasted Roller to the trip list at the same time. Further stops added White-breasted Sunbird, Brown Snake-eagle and Sacred Ibis, with further views of White-breasted Cuckooshrike, Common Fiscal and Crowned Hornbill. A quick stop for a soaring trio of raptors gaining height on a morning thermal produced two Bateleur and a fine adult Black-chested Snake-eagle, whilst our second mammal of the trip was a brief Slender Mongoose which zipped across the road in front of us, its outrageously long black-tipped tail held aloft.
Eventually we reached our base for the next 7 nights - Croc Valley Camp on the south bank of the Luangwa river, and a stone's throw from the NP gate. Our request for a riverside pitch had been accepted, and we spent half an hour or so taking in the wonderful view from our pitch - complete with Hippopotumus, Thornicroft’s Giraffe, Cape Bushbuck, Impala, Warthog, Yellow Baboon and Vervet. The light was superb, and after such a long journey it was a pleasure to just sit and take it all in with a much needed coffee!
It wasn’t too long before I began to notice several birds milling about, with the first Yellow-billed Stork and African Spoonbill very obvious on the sandbar in front of our pitch, Pied Kingfisher hovering over the water and the familiar Egyptian Goose, Greenshank, Wood and Common Sandpiper joining the more exotic African Pied Wagtail, Three-banded Plover and White-crowned Lapwing along the shoreline. The familiar calls of Grey Go-away-bird and Helmeted Guineafowl came from nearby bushes, whilst White-faced, Blue-breasted and Little Bee-eater joined Lesser Striped and White-breasted Swallow hawking for insects.
I resigned to making camp and erecting our tent whilst Kathi prepped some lunch, occasionally having to intervene whenever a Vervet decided that we could spare a tomato/biscuit/roll/slice of cheese.
Later in the afternoon we took a drive, first stopping at the small wetland (Pelican Lagoon) immediately south of Croc Valley which held huge numbers of waterbirds; in addition to those already mentioned African Jacana, Grey Heron, Great, Intermediate and Little Egret, White-faced Whistling Duck, Hadada, Hammerkop, Black-winged Stilt, Blacksmith Lapwing and African Openbill were all in attendance, with the occasional African Fish Eagle swooping down into the water, and in the bushes Southern Cordon-Bleu, African and Jameson’s Firefinch and several Green-winged Pytilia. Our first Waterbuck were also feeding at the back, complete with Red-billed Oxpecker in attendance.
We drove a little around the game management area, eventually reaching the small watering hole on the Kafunta Road where we enjoyed our first Savannah Elephant of the trip, with a group of seven individuals (including a very recently born calf) coming for a drink in the evening. This area was quite birdy, but held much the same suite of species I’d been enjoying all afternoon, and would likely warrant a visit earlier in the day.
With the sun beginning to set we returned to camp for an early dinner and cold beer, finally able to completely relax after what had been a not insignificant effort to reach this beautiful corner of the world. Our first night at SLNP was punctuated by the calls of Spotted Hyena and chortling Hippo, with Square-tailed Nightjar providing the avian component of the nocturnal chorus.

 

[Farnboro John]

Is your "Slender Weasel" actually Mongoose?

John

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Is your "Slender Weasel" actually Mongoose?

John

Ah yes, well spotted, thanks John, will amend in the report.

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Day 4: South Luangwa

A 5am start allowed for us to enjoy watching the crossover between the day and night shift on the river, as well as witness a spectacular african sunrise. Mammal activity was high at this early hour, with Hippo very active, including an individual returning to the river via our campsite. Many Cape Bushbuck were also active, with a particularly inquisitive male joining us during breakfast, enjoying what looked to be a very dry diet of “elephant nuts” - the crescent shaped seed pods from Faidherbia albida. We were due to undertake our first organised game drive at half six, so opportunities for birding around the camp were limited, with just a handful of species noted during breakfast including Tropical Boubou, Grey-rumped Swallow, Black-headed Oriole and Red-eyed Dove, whilst along the shore below our tent, yesterdays African Spoonbill and Yellow-billed Stork had been joined by Great Egret, Sacred Ibis, Hammerkop and African Jacana.

Soon enough we were climbing aboard an open topped Land Cruiser ready for a half day introduction to South Luangwa NP, and hopefully some excellent game viewing. A flash of something pale across the road, followed by a bit of squeaking brought better views of Slender Mongoose. Our first port of call was just inside the park gates where a rather unfortunate Hippo had succumbed to apparent anthrax poisoning, with the slightly bloated carcass attracting Spotted Hyena. We spent a while with this rather grisly spectacle, enjoying the bickering of the Hyena clan followed by the rallying efforts in light of an increasingly tense situation with a particularly large Nile Crocodile which was attempting to lay claim to the corpse. Although it was early, a small number of vultures were present, though careful checking confirmed that only White-backed were present at this early hour - one to watch perhaps. The surround swamp and scrub held a lot of birds, but the mammals attracted most of the attention for the masses, whilst I enjoyed my first views of Meve’s Starling, Grey-headed Bushshrike, Goliath Heron, Lillian’s Lovebird, Green Woodhoopoe and more regular species including White-faced Whistling Duck, Spur-winged Goose, White-browed Sparrow-weaver, Southern Grey-headed Sparrow and Tropical Boubou.

After we had our visual fill at the carcass, we headed west then north into the park, enjoying our first Kudu and some excellent views of Savannah Elephant. We checked a large open plain close to the river for any predators, drawing a blank, though Swainson’s Spurfowl and Southern Black Flycatcher were fair compensation for the ornithologically inclined.

A stop by the river itself brought excellent views of Hippo and Nile Crocodile - both here in reportedly the highest concentrations in southern Africa. The main star of our riparian recce was a large colony of Southern Carmine Bee-eater, which even in the slightly flat, dull cloudy morning light positively radiated. It had long been an ambition of mine to visit a colony of these beautiful birds, and it was every bit as spectacular as I’d hoped. A brief (albeit half-hearted) pass by an adult African Harrier-hawk caused some excitement, with birds exploding into alarm calls and chasing the raptor away just a few metres overhead. There were other birds here too, with Water Thick-knee and both Blue-breasted and White-faced Bee-eaters milling around the colony, whilst the first Retz’s Helmetshrike and Wattled Starling moved around in some low bushes. A calling Double-banded sandgrouse passed overhead, and hopefully wasn’t to be my only encounter with this species on the trip.

Our next stop was a rather quick dash to follow a line of vehicles headed in the same direction - this is usually a good omen for something a bit more unusual during a game drive, and so it proved to be, with a beautiful female Leopard relaxing in full view some 4m up in a large fig tree. This was a new mammal for me, and a major target, so it was fantastic to catch up with this beautiful felid so soon on our trip.

We continued on our drive, with the next game viewing opportunity an impressive 50-strong herd of Cape Buffalo, their wake of dust as they moved across the savannah visible from several kilometres away. Whilst watching the buffalo, I picked up three dark figures wandering about in the background - Southern Ground Hornbill. Continuing on our loop around the southern sector didn’t result in any further carnivore additions, with the news that the Lions were still some way to the north, and the Wild Dog pack hadn’t been seen the previous day, so we enjoyed more views of Elephant and the various ungulates, before making a final stop at the hippo carcass, where the assembled scavengers had been joined by several Maribou and an immature Hooded Vulture. After spending more time at this location, we headed back to camp for a late breakfast and a few hours of downtime before we ventured into the park again.

I decided to have a wander around the camp, as by this time I’d still not had much focused birding time, and it felt like there were a fair number of common species I’d not yet encountered. After aimlessly wandering about not seeing a great deal, I decided to sit in a likely looking spot and simply wait for the birds to come to me. This proved to be a good tactic, with a lot of activity in a concentrated area of grassland and mature trees quickly revealing a number of common (and several quite desirable!) species in short succession. The grassland attracted a lot of seed-eaters, with large numbers of Red-billed Quelea the most obvious component to a large flock present, though careful scanning revealed Black and White mannikin, Pin-tailed Whydah, Red-headed Quelea, African and Red-billed Firefinch, Southern Cordon-bleu, both Northern and Southern Grey-headed Sparrow, and best of all, a pair of Red-throated Twinspot. There was no less activity up in the trees, with Fork-tailed Drongo, Black-backed Puffback and Brown-hooded Kingfisher, whilst a subtle creeping bird eventually revealed itself to be a superb Eastern Nicator, a new species for me, and the only one of the trip. I moved onto another stand of trees where yet more birds were feeding, with Spectacled and Southern Masked Weaver joined by Green-backed Camaroptera, and perhaps best of all, an absolutely stunning Orange-breasted Bushshrike, yet another new bird!

We headed back into the park around 3pm, retracing the route we had taken earlier in the day with the guide. At the hippo carcass, the hyena troop had retreated to the shade of some trees, and what was possibly the large Nile Crocodile had taken control of the corpse, at least for the time being. Both Hooded and White-backed Vulture were still present and correct. There didn’t appear to be much change in the game distribution from earlier in the day, though we did add Crawshay’s Zebra, which was a mammal tick for us both. There were quite a lot of birds around to keep me occupied however, with Common and Wood Sandpiper joined by Greenshank, Black-winged Stilt and Little Stint on the river, Southern Red-billed Hornbill in the trees, and Bateluer and a Black-chested Snake-eagle overhead.

A stop at the Hippo Lagoon found large numbers of the eponymous mammal, as well as several large crocodiles, whilst Squacco and Striated Heron stalked the shallows. Here we were also treated to two large female Savannah Elephant with a young calf each crossing the track ahead of us, before carefully (and very gently) encouraging their young down a small slope the other side to access some marginally more lush vegetation - a lovely end to our first day in South Luangwa.

Back at camp, dinner passed without any primate related incidents (we ate at the restaurant, our fish and pizza being served with rubber snake to keep the monkeys away!), and with a riverside view I enjoyed Marsh Sandpiper, Woodland Kingfisher and Great White Pelican with a cold beer. It had been a long and productive day, and we fell asleep just as the first Square-tailed Nightjar began to sing, ready for another day in this beautiful corner of Zambia.​

 

[Farnboro John]

I like the rubber snake trick!

John

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Day 5: South Luangwa NP and Nsefu Sector

Another pre-dawn start meant that we were first in line to go through the gate this morning, with our to head straight to the Hippo carcass to check for carnivores. Crossing the Mfuwe bridge I noticed a colony of Little Swift were starting to breed on the underside of the structure. Arriving at the carcass, both Spotted Hyena and Nile Crocodile were still in attendance, along with White-backed Vulture and Maribou. Sadly there was no sign of any other carnivores present, so after a quick look at some Terrestrial Brownbul, we headed towards the plain and the river to try our luck.

A loop around the plain brought us much the same compliment of mammals as the previous day, though we did stop to photograph and enjoy a party of Crawshay’s Zebra in the beautiful early morning light, with a couple of bonus birds in the form of both Yellow-billed and Red-billed Oxpecker, Black-crowned Tchagra and Southern Black Flycatcher. Continuing our route to the river, we stopped to look at the large number of Hippo present, but 45 minutes of scanning here did not result in any predators coming in to drink. There were some birds here, with the usual wader assemblage (Little Stint, Common and Wood Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt, Three-banded Plover and White-crowned Lapwing) as well as a male Giant Kingfisher which posed wonderfully and for sufficient time for me to try my hand at obtaining some phone-scoped images. Best of all were some 17 African Skimmer, not only a new bird for me, but an entirely new genus for me. Activity levels were quite low, but eventually one bird did take off and allowed me to observe the unique feeding technique of these birds.

Continuing our loop, we attempted to relocate yesterday’s female Leopard without success, and decided to extend our search north as far as the airstrip. There was game in this area, but in terms of overall biomass, the local Tsetse fly population was unsurpassed! We quickly regretted our choice to leave the windows down whilst driving through the scrub, resulting in a lot of bites, several dripping wounds, and a lot of swearing every time a swatted fly simply flew out from underneath our makeshift fly-swat.

The northern area was quiet for birds too, with a pair of African Hawk-Eagle, Brown Snake-eagle and a single Square-tailed Drongo the only birds of any significant note.

We returned to camp, and were treated to the sight of a trio of rather nervy Thornicroft’s Giraffe coming to drink on the opposite bank from our tent.
After brunch, we decided to try our luck in the Nsefu sector, which was on our side of the river, and had apparently been reliable for Wild Dog. The journey was quite a bit longer and more adventurous than anticipated, with no less than two river crossings, and several lengths of deep sand.

We spent around 4 hours driving around, with several stops at likely looking locations to scan for either Lion or Wild Dog, but without success. The same suite of mammals were in attendance, however everything here seemed a lot more wary, which was confirmed when we learned that poaching was sadly still regular in this section of the valley. Once again I managed to eke out a few birds, with my first good views of Grey-headed Bushshrike - as positively bonkers and colourful as I’d hoped it would be. Other species included Brown-crowned Tchagra, Wire-tailed Swallow and Plain Martin, Red-necked Spurfowl, Red-billed Hornbill, Brown-hooded Kingfisher and a very obliging Pearl-spotted Owlet which posed beautifully for photos in the low sun. It was now getting late, and we decided that it would be a good idea to try to get the bulk of the 1.5 hour return journey completed before total darkness to avoid any unfortunate encounters with any large mammal on the road. Leaving the park and driving through an area of ebony forest I noted three pigeon-like birds tottering around on the road ahead, and was very surprised to see a trio of Double-banded Sandgrouse when I checked with my binoculars - it was the first time I’d seen any sandgrouse in a woodland environment, and quite bizarre.

The journey home passed without incident, however I struggled to get the full beam lights to work, resulting in some RSI as I drove with my little finger hooking the stick in place to ensure that I could see the road ahead. We were very surprised at the huge number of local people using the road at dusk, often encountering groups of children several km from the nearest house - a particularly sobering sight after passing several signs warning of the increased danger of human - wildlife conflict in this area - though to be fair it seemed that we posed the greatest risk to the masses of torch-less wanderers and unlit cyclists also using the road!

Another early night beckoned following a long day behind the wheel, though a pair of dueting African Wood Owl in the trees above our tent provided some distraction. Answering the call of nature in the night, we checked the campsite for any potential dangers, and were pleased to find a Bushy-tailed Mongoose feeding behind the toilet block with some Bushbuck, whilst we heard both Lion and Spotted Hyena calling from the other side of the river - perhaps an omen for a more successful day to come?​

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Day 6: South Luangwa

Another day, and another pre-dawn start. Today was to be a relatively lazy day, with a few hours in the NP early doors followed by an extended afternoon break (mostly to try and rest and catch up on sleep!) before we headed out late afternoon on our first night drive.

Once again, the first port of call was the Hippo carcass, and again Spotted Hyena were in attendance (higher numbers today with nine individuals in total), but the ownership of the carcass had changed, with an enormous Nile Crocodile clearly laying (quite literally!) claim to the carcass. Once again the same mixture of mammals were present and correct on our meanderings, with some unforgettable Savannah Elephant encounters - largely as a result of a massive bull feeding in the road and showing little interest in moving out the way. We watched this giant for a while until he moved away into the bushes and we could continue on our way, or so we thought… As we rounded the bend into an area of particularly thick scrub, it quickly became apparent that we had found ourselves in the middle of a herd of elephants, with one or other individual popping up either side of the vehicle every few metres or so, much to our terror/amusement. The next 1km or so was reminiscent of a video game where you must escape something appearing either side of you without getting attacked, with Kathi skillfully gunning the 4x4 when needed to escape. We eventually made it out of the dense scrub and away from the elephants where we burst into hysterical laughter, physically shaking after numerous close calls!

We took the rest of the drive at a more leisurely pace, allowing me to add to my growing bird list. The localised Lillian’s Lovebird showed well, occasionally erupting out of trees in a noisy group and flying rapidly away as the vernal parrots are prone to do. We had excellent views of a Tawny Eagle which posed well in the morning sun, whilst a flock of Eastern Paradise Whydah included several Cinnamon Bunting along with the more expected Jameson’s and Red-billed Firefinch, Southern Cordonbleu and Green-winged Pytilia. The first Namaqua Dove of the trip seemed very overdue, whilst both Orange-breasted and Grey-headed Bushshrike showed a little better than previously. A quick stop at the Hippo pool brought Squacco and Striated Heron, whilst at the other end of the piscivore scale Brown-hooded and Malachite Kingfisher were also present. A fine Brown Snake-eagle also posed very well for photos as we headed back to camp.
The rest of the afternoon was largely spent around or in the pool at the lodge, with a large Nile Monitor causing a low level commotion when it decided to join some of the other guests for a dip in the pool.

After a leisurely afternoon, it was soon time to grab our kit and once again climb aboard the open topped Landcruiser. Our night drive started around an hour before sunset, continuing for a couple of hours after dark, allowing for the crossover between the day and night shift, as well as a chance of species which were more active during the cooler crepuscular period. As had been the case with pretty much every visit, our first port of call was the Hippo carcass, still with attendant Spotted Hyena and massive Nile Crocodile in attendance, but a crackle over the radio saw our truck start up and depart the area with previously unknown speed. We raced off, retracing our earlier elephant gauntlet route in the direction of the plain, and with 4 other cars already in attendance around some low bushes it was apparent that we were onto something good.

I tried to make out a shape on the floor, and between the bumps and the low sun, could just about make out a pair of giant Mickey Mouse ears atop a slightly elongated head - perhaps a bit too big and round for Hyena, and besides, it wouldn’t really make sense to leave one group of the scavengers for another - would it?

The answer became clear as we came to an abrupt stop and the dust from a vehicle trailing behind cleared, as three African Wild Dog were doing a great impression of our own greyhounds back home in the UK (i.e. laying around and not doing much). This was what we had travelled all this distance to see, and a massive smile cracked over Kathi and my own face as well soaked in the intricate brown, grey, black and white patchwork of their coat. It was only our third full day in South Luangwa, and already the area had delivered enough experiences that we could have left to fly back to the UK without regret.
We spent about 40 minutes watching the dogs, in which time not a great deal happened, but the light resulting from the setting sun and clear blue skies seemed to give these rare predators an ethereal appearance. We headed in the direction of the airstrip where we hoped that more Wild Dog could be hanging out (the airstrips in the two NP being some of the best areas to find predators apparently), however we could only muster brief views of a Ross’s Turaco.

Next up was a large Cape Buffalo herd which crossed directly in front of us and eventually encircled us in a circle of horn and muscle. It was really impressive to see these massive bovines at close quarters, but after the earlier elephant encounter, the threat level didn’t seem quite so high.
Heading to a waterhole near the giant Baobab in the northern part of the park, we enjoyed good views of Crawsay’s Zebra coming to drink, and I noticed the first White-browed Robin-chat of the trip hopping around under a bush to grab a few morsels before going off to roost. In the gathering gloaming, I just about picked out a bird hawking insects over the waterhole, eventually pitching down and with the help of a spotlight, confirming it as a Square-tailed Nightjar.

With the night completely enveloping us, we slowly chugged off into the bush. An early highlight came in the form of an African Civet - a new mammal for us both. A brief Banded Mongoose followed, whilst a few Savannah Elephants appeared in the beam out of the darkness, seemingly much more at ease during the night, with some lovely views of feeding adults and the occasional very young calf. A few Hippopotamus were active too, and after seeing them wallowing for much of the time, it was interesting to see their odd tip-toed running gait. A couple of brief views of Double-banded Sandgrouse were also possible as we drove through some of the more open areas, but they generally flushed at quite a range. Despite the best efforts of our driver and spotter, we drew a blank on the plains looking for the big predators, and even the Wild Dog we had left just a couple of hours prior had moved on when we revisited the area.

Back at camp, I tried a bit of playback for Pel’s Fishing Owl but without success, whilst the vocal African Wood Owl pair showed briefly in the large fig next to our tent. A quick look behind the toilet block revealed very brief views once again of Bushy-tailed Mongoose, which deftly avoided capture on our trailcam.

It had been a memorable day in the bush again, and we slept soundly and without disturbance - I like to think that it was as a result of catching up with our main target, but the more rational part of me thinks it was likely to do with the relative lack of sleep followed by a small bottle of local gin - powerful (and rather distasteful) stuff!​

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Apologies for the delay to any interested parties, here is the completed trip report.
Enjoy!

 

[foresttwitcher]

Thanks for the link Dan, great to read the rest of the trip report.

Shame about the illness but it seems as though you had a great time never the less and had plenty of good birds.

Very scary elephant encounter. On a trip to Namibia & Botswana, at one of the lodges I stayed on in a hide just within sight of the main building when everyone else left and was marooned by a herd of elephants that positioned themselves on the path between the hide and lodge. Just before it got dark they moved a little to one side and a member of the staff came across and escorted me back. Nothing like your experience though!!

 

[Scridifer]

A very enjoyable read many thansk for taking the time to write it up Dan! So pleased you got all the major targets but such a shame about your illness, still it sounds like an amazing (and eventful!) trip!

Chris

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Thanks Pete - probably my closest call yet, but I was more concerned about the mystery illness tbh, going through a thermal camera in Kigali airport was pretty stressful! Being surrounded by a herd of elephants sounds potentially more frightening, were there calves present too?

 

[dwatsonbirder]

A very enjoyable read many thansk for taking the time to write it up Dan! So pleased you got all the major targets but such a shame about your illness, still it sounds like an amazing (and eventful!) trip!

Chris

Thanks for the kind words Chris, it was a great trip on the whole, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in doing something a bit different to Kenya/Botswana/Tanzania/Namibia.

 

[Steve Babbs]

Thanks for the kind words Chris, it was a great trip on the whole, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in doing something a bit different to Kenya/Botswana/Tanzania/Namibia.

Definitely tempting.

A friend of mine ended up in jail for a couple of nights when he was there. I was always through police road checks in Tanzania and Uganda even if initially waved over. I think the police were under instructions to not hassle tourists.

 

[foresttwitcher]

Thanks Pete - probably my closest call yet, but I was more concerned about the mystery illness tbh, going through a thermal camera in Kigali airport was pretty stressful! Being surrounded by a herd of elephants sounds potentially more frightening, were there calves present too?

Yes, a family group of about 20 of all ages - the hide was large, robust and two storey so I was safe inside but was no way going to try to walk back alone. I was more worried about approaching darkness and missing dinner!

I know what you mean about the illness - I came back from East Africa with suspected Rickettsialpox and remember little about the last couple of days of the trip or the journey back home. I do remember having a row of seats all to myself on the plane and suspect, given my appearance, it wasn't too difficult for the flight attendants to get the other passengers to giver me space!