Having cleaned up a lot of the easier species the previous afternoon, we now had some more difficult or local birds to attend to, starting with one of the key birds not just for this site, but for our whole trip; the Pels Fish Owl. Due to it being wet season and the water levels throughout the park being quite high, we had a much lower chance of finding this spectacular bird due to it being more spread out, but Justin, our ranger for our stay here told us he would try to help us locate one.
So we took off in the boat to the other side of the river,
and spent the morning exploring this area in the hope of encountering a
roosting owl. The walk started slowly with just a few bits and pieces of
interest, such as a smart Allens Gallinule and elusive White-backed Night Heron, but species picked up as we continued
birding. Next, we found a Dwarf Bittern perched out in the open atop a small tree,
a nice surprise after dipping the long-staying bird on Fuerteventura a couple
of years back. Then had a nice pair of Brown-breasted Barbets, another key target
for birders in the park before we finally got the one we wanted.
Justin initially found the bird, but it flushed before we
got to him. It helpfully flushed and perched atop a palm tree, right out in the
open, but frustratingly stayed for a matter of seconds before it took off
again. After this we never refound it. In total, I managed two photos of the
bird looking at me with its stunning black eyes, but they were more than
enough.
In the afternoon we took a car out into the bush again, this
time to look for some mammals, specifically the Sable Antelope, which is a
magnificent animal that I really wanted to see. We had to head deep into the
park before we encountered it, and then our views were brief, with just three
males seen and none sticking around particularly well. We also had good views
of Elephant and Hartebeest on this drive, so was very productive for mammals.
On the birding front, this drive added Arnot’s Chat to our target list, as well as more commoner savannah species such as Bateleur, Red-necked Spurfowl and Helmeted Guineafowl. A short drive once the sun had set also provided nice views of Square-tailed Nightjar perched on the ground.
Liwonde National Park: White-faced Whistling Duck, Egyptian Goose, Spur-winged Goose, Helmeted Guineafowl, Red-necked Spurfowl, Red-eyed Dove, Ring-necked Dove, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Purple-crested Turaco, Burchell's Coucal, African Emerald Cuckoo, African Cuckoo, Square-tailed Nightjar, African Palm Swift, Allen's Gallinule, Black Crake, Water Thick-knee, African Wattled Lapwing, African Jacana, Common Sandpiper, Grey-headed Gull, Gull-billed Tern, African Openbill, African Darter, Reed Cormorant, White-breasted Cormorant, Hamerkop, Dwarf Bittern, Great Egret, Western Cattle Egret, Striated Heron, White-backed Night Heron, Hadada Ibis, Osprey, African Harrier-Hawk, Palm-nut Vulture, White-backed Vulture, Bateleur, Brown Snake Eagle, African Fish Eagle, Pel's Fishing Owl, African Barred Owlet, African Hoopoe, Green Wood Hoopoe, Crowned Hornbill, African Grey Hornbill, Southern Red-billed Hornbill, Malachite Kingfisher, Woodland Kingfisher, Giant Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Little Bee-eater, Böhm's Bee-eater, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, European Bee-eater, Lilac-breasted Roller, Broad-billed Roller, Brown-breasted Barbet, Cardinal Woodpecker, Speckle-throated Woodpecker, Lilian's Lovebird, Brown-necked Parrot, African Golden Oriole, Black-throated Wattle-eye, Chinspot Batis, Black-backed Puffback, Tropical Boubou, Fork-tailed Drongo, Green-backed Camaroptera, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Sedge Warbler, Wire-tailed Swallow, Yellow-bellied Greenbul, Terrestrial Brownbul, Dark-capped Bulbul, Willow Warbler, Livingstone's Flycatcher, Red-billed Oxpecker, Violet-backed Starling, Meves's Starling, Spotted Flycatcher, Collared Palm Thrush, Arnot's Chat, Collared Sunbird, White-browed Sparrow-Weaver, Red-headed Weaver, Spectacled Weaver, Southern Brown-throated Weaver, Common Waxbill, Blue Waxbill, Green-winged Pytilia, Southern Grey-headed Sparrow, African Pied Wagtail, African Pipit, Yellow-fronted Canary,
No comments:
Post a Comment