ZAMBIA 2007

 

“There were a number of highlights of our second Sunbird tour to Zambia but once again Angola Pitta was the undoubted winner of the Bird of the trip accolade, with Chaplins Barbet, Bohms Bee-eater, African Broadbill, Baillons Crake, Pennant-winged Nightjar, Allen’s Gallinule, and Southern Carmine Bee-eater close behind.

 

The tour began with the drive to our lodge near Ndola. As we drove north through the mixed farmland and woodland we soon picked up our first birds, starting with some of the commoner swallows and including a couple of species of which we did not see in great numbers on the rest of the tour, such as Rufous-naped Lark.  Reaching the Lodge, a walk around the ponds and lakes nearby turned up several water birds including African Spoonbill.

 

We then headed east to Hillwood farm for a two night stay. Birding en route was a great success, particularly at our stopover at Lumwana Lodge. Here we found the most mature undisturbed Miombo you could hope to find with all the attendant species you would expect in such good woodland, including Bar-winged Weaver, Spotted Creeper, Mashona and Yellow-bellied Hyliotas, Bohm’s Flycatcher, Souza’s Shrike, Miombo Grey-tit, Pale-billed Hornbill, Miombo Barbet, and a flock of Sharp-tailed Starlings.

 

Hillwood and the surrounding countryside was also gave us some great birds and we turned up the majority of the specials including Forbe’s Plover, Angola Lark, Cloud-scraping Cisticola, Laura’s Warbler, Afep Pigeon, Denham’s Bustard, Rufous Flycatcher-Thrush, Locust Finch, Fulleborn’s, Grimwood’s and Rosy- breasted Longclaws, and Grey-winged Akalat.  Heading south the two nights at Kafue gave us more good birds with Rufous- bellied Heron, Saddle-billed stork, African Wood Owl, Miombo-bearded Scrub-robin, Green-capped Eremomela, Magaret’s Batis, Grey Waxbill, and Red-throated Twinspot being amongst the goodies. Onwards to Protea Safari lodge, stopping for a picnic lunch at our stakeout for Bohm’s Bee-eater, where as well as this little gem, we turned up a few other specials including a number of Lesser Jacanas, Grey-headed Kingfisher, and Pale Wren Warbler.

 

The next stop was the home of Zambia’s only endemic, Chaplin’s Barbet, and the birding here was fantastic, as was the company in this very special lodge. A night drive produced Fiery-necked Nightjar and a family group of Heuglin’s Coursers while the birding in the morning added Amur Falcon, Raquet-tailed Roller, Sooty Chat, Red-necked and Natal Francolins, Common Quail, Magpie and Lesser Grey Shrike, as well of course as the sought-after barbet.

 

Onwards from here to Livingstone and the mighty Victoria Falls!  An interesting drive that once again added a few more species to the growing list with Marabou, Lappet-faced Vulture and Black-chested Snake Eagle. Birding the Zambezi River close to the falls and upstream was very productive and gave us several birds often associated with the Okavango Delta in Botswana including Coppery-tailed and White-browed Coucals, Long-toed and White-headed Lapwings, African Skimmer, Burchell’s Glossy Starling, African Finfoot, Rock Pratincole, and Greater Swamp Warbler.

 

Our final leg of the tour took us to Siavonga on the banks the huge Lake Kariba. It is here in the Zambezi valley that we look for the enigmatic African Pitta in the riparian woodland along the non-perennial streams. Our very early morning start found us in the dry riverbed just as it was getting light. With some effort and patience we eventually heard the sound of a Pitta displaying and tracked it slowly through the dense undergrowth.  By 07.00 all had had excellent views of the Pitta and although everything else was a bit of an anticlimax we did manage to add a few birds to the tour list including Livingstone’s Flycatcher, Eastern Nicator, Augur buzzard, Peregrine, and Red-capped Robin-Chat. Later at dusk we manged to catch up with Pennant- winged Nightjar which had eluded us earlier.

 

Our final day took us back to the Pitta site where we were rewarded with an African Baza, Narina’s Trogon, Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, and Eastern-bearded Scrub-robin to mention a few.  Our trip to back to Lusaka was uneventful with everyone in good spirits - even more when Lorna found a pair of Southern White-faced Owls roosting in the car park at the lodge and the evenings’ birding round the lodge added Retz’s Helmet Shrike. And I have not even mentioned the mammals, which included Elephant, Hippopotamus, Sable, and Eland.”  Rod Cassidy

 

 

Bird List:

 

Column 1  = number of days recorded

Column 2  = greatest daily count

H               = heard only

(H)             = some seen but mostly heard

 

 

Little Grebe

2

6

 

Tachybaptus ruficollis

African Darter

3

2

 

Anhinga rufa

Cormorant

5

6

 

Phalacrocorax carbo

Reed Cormorant

10

100

 

Phalacrocorax africanus

Grey Heron

6

10

 

Ardea cinerea

Black-headed Heron

4

6

 

Ardea melanocephalus

Purple Heron

2

1

 

Ardea purpurea

Cattle Egret

12

100

 

Bubulcus ibis

Great Egret

7

60

 

Casmerodius albus

Yellow-billed Egret

1

1

 

Egretta intermedia

Little Egret

5

2

 

Egretta garzetta

Rufous-Bellied Heron

1

2

 

Ardeola rufiventris

Squacco Heron

5

10

 

Ardeola ralloides

Striated Heron

8

12

 

Butorides striatus

Night-Heron

4

15

 

Nycticorax nycticorax

Hamerkop

6

6

 

Scopus umbretta

Yellow-billed Stork

3

9

 

Mycteria ibis

African Openbill

1

6

 

Anastomus lamelligerus

Abdim's Stork

2

150

 

Ciconia abdimii

Black Stork

1

1

 

Ciconia nigra

Saddle-billed Stork

1

2

 

Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis

Marabou

1

1

 

Leptoptilos crumeniferus

Sacred Ibis

3

50

 

Threskiornis aethiopicus

Hadada Ibis

2

2

 

Bostrychia hagedasha

Glossy Ibis

3

2

 

Plegadis falcinellus

African Spoonbill

1

1

 

Platalea alba

White-faced Whistling-Duck

5

100

 

Dendrocygna vidua

White-backed Duck

1

2

 

Thalassornis leuconotus

Egyptian Goose

1

20

 

Alopochen aegyptiacus

Spur-winged Goose

2

6

 

Plectropterus gambensis

Comb Duck

5

4

 

Sarkidiornis melanotis

Yellow-billed Duck

2

20

 

Anas undulata

Red-billed Duck

2

2

 

Anas erythrorhynchus

Southern Pochard

1

1

 

Netta erythrophthalma

Osprey

2

1

 

Pandion haliaetus

African Baza

1

1

 

Aviceda cuculoides

Honey-Buzzard

1

1

 

Pernis apivorus

Black-shouldered Kite

7

6

 

Elanus caeruleus

Yellow-billed Kite

12

20

 

Milvus aegyptius

African Fish-Eagle

7

2

 

Haliaeetus vocifer

Lappet-faced Vulture

1

1

 

Torgos tracheliotus

African White-backed Vulture

3

19

 

Gyps africanus

Black-chested Snake-Eagle

1

1

 

Circaetus pectoralis

Brown Snake-Eagle

4

2

 

Circaetus cinereus

Bateleur

2

1

 

Terathopius ecaudatus

Dark Chanting-Goshawk

1

1

 

Melierax metabates

Gabar Goshawk

1

1

 

Melierax gabar

Lizard Buzzard

5

2

 

Kaupifalco monogramicus

African Marsh Harrier

1

1

 

Circus ranivorus

African Goshawk

3

1

 

Accipiter tachiro

Shikra

1

1

 

Accipiter badius

African Little Sparrowhawk

1

1

 

Accipiter minullus

Buzzard

7

3

 

Buteo buteo

Augur Buzzard

1

1

 

Buteo augur

Tawny Eagle

2

12

 

Aquila rapax

Wahlberg's Eagle

6

3

 

Aquila wahlbergi

African Hawk-Eagle

1

1

 

Hieraaetus spilogastur

Long-crested Eagle

2

1

 

Lophaetus occipitalis

Dickinson's Kestrel

1

1

 

Falco dickinsoni

Amur Falcon

1

1

 

Falco amurensis

Hobby

4

5

 

Falco subbuteo

African Hobby

1

1

 

Falco cuvierii

Lanner

1

1

 

Falco biarmicus

Peregrine

1

1

 

Falco peregrinus

Red-necked Francolin

1

20

 

Francolinus afer

Swainson's Francolin

3

20

 

Francolinus swainsonii

Natal Francolin

1

1

 

Francolinus natalensis

Crested Francolin

1

3

 

Francolinus sephaena

Shelley's Francolin

2

2

 

Francolinus shelleyi

Coqui Francolin

 

 

H

Francolinus coqui

Common Quail

1

1

 

Coturnix coturnix

Harlequin Quail

1

1

 

Coturnix delegorguei

Helmeted Guineafowl

8

20

 

Numida meleagris

Crested Guineafowl

1

1

H

Guttera pucherani

Baillons crake

1

2

 

Porzana pusilla

African Black Crake

5

12

 

Amaurornis flavirostrus

Moorhen

3

10

 

Gallinula chloropus

Allen's Gallinule

1

5

 

Porphyrio alleni

Purple Swamphen

1

2

 

Porphyrio porphyrio

African Finfoot

1

3

 

Podica senegalensis

Denham's Bustard

3

1

 

Neotis denhami

Black-bellied Bustard

 1

 1

H

Lissotis melanogaster

Lesser African Jacana

2

20

 

Microparra capensis

African Jacana

8

30

 

Actophilornis africanus

Greater Painted-Snipe

1

4

 

Rostratula benghalensis

Black-winged Stilt

2

6

 

Himantopus himantopus

Water Thick-knee

1

10

 

Burhinus vermiculatus

Temminck's Courser

1

2

 

Cursorius temmincki

Heuglin's Courser

1

3