Finding a few more

Northern carmine bee-eater bathing in Lake Bature before heading off to roost for the night

The first three weeks of birding here is really exciting, a new bird for me lands in almost every tree. Sounds are over whelming with the question what is that often coming to mind. But after a while one starts to see what is common and the excitement dies down. However a new bird pops up every now and then to keep the enthusiasm going and even though it may not be a new bird, seeing some of the birds again and sometime a better sighting makes up for the loss of excitement and overwhelming thoughts of all the new birds around.

Scarlet-chested sunbird investigating a Shae butter tree flower

I have been starting to familiarize myself with some of the calls. The bird species that occur in Southern Africa of which I am familiar with sound similar yet it does seem to have slight differences. The African paradise flycatcher call does not seem so short pitched as back home, even the Scarlet-chested sunbird call is slightly different, however no differences in its colouration. The similar sounding Grey hornbill is ever present and its call is diagnostic to that in the south, although seemingly longer whistles when it calls. Similar species like the West african thrush and Snowy-crowned robin-chat can be distinguished by their similarities yet very different calls to thier relatives down on the Southern part of the continent. While the Common bulbul although different in appearance sounds similar to the Dark-capped bulbul in the south.

Northern carmine bee-eater
bathing

Overall the birding has been great; At Serarou around Lake Bature there is always a bird to see. Whistling ducks, African jacanas and Reed cormorants can be seem regularly. The European Marsh-harriers are still over wintering and feed along the marsh areas of the dam. A Grasshopper buzzard, Shikra (Little banded goshawk) and Dark chanting goshawk is seen regularly hunting around the dam area, while the Northern Carmine bee-eaters make use of the water late afternoons to bath themselves before roosting for the night.

The forest walk is a spectacle for birding and produces some great forest specials to add to my list. The Violet turaco, Guinea turaco and white morph African paradise flycatcher is a great sighting and adds great colour to the forest. The African blue flycatcher, Brown-throated wattle-eye and Black capped babblers fill the forest with life and every odd day the Blue malkoha can be seem in the mid canopy.

African golden oriole

Then away from the river and dam, the more open savannah species are just as abundant, African golden oriole are a common sight and can be friendly enough to photograph. Although they are common it was a high-light to photograph one up close and confirm it as African golden oriole as opposed to the European oriole. The European oriole has made an appearance in just the same habits as they are in South Africa during their over winter stay on the continent with a fly in and fly out approach. The Bearded barbets are also often found in the open savannah, along with the Western plantain-eater, Yellow-billed shrike, Abyssinian roller, Brown babbler and Piapiac.




Birding is still an excitement now trying to take photos of particular birds being the next challenge, I think one or two days of sitting quietly in the forest should prove successful in this regard.

Abyssinian Roller, seen often around open savanna areas