Zambezi Valley (2 day trip)
2 Day Birding Trip, Zambezi Valley 25-26 March 2018
This tour began with a morning pick-up in central Lusaka, followed by a leisurely drive South to the Zambezi Valley. It was eleven thirty by the time we took a left turn off the tarred road and trundled down a dirt track leading towards the great River. Very soon, things started to happen. Retz’s Helmetshrikes, in their handsome black and white livery were the first to put on a show, but they rather paled into insignificance compared with our next sighting: a pair of Racket-tailed Rollers. The very characteristic yap of these birds had me slamming on the brakes immediately and we leapt out and were rewarded with excellent views of a rather tame individual perched near the road in a mopane tree. Further calls emanated from the canopy and soon our bird was joined by its mate. They both allowed a close approach. Racket-tailed Rollers would have been an entirely sufficient appetiser for lunch but before we could relax another drama played out near the road, heralded by frantic alarm calling from a clump of termitaria thicket. We went in to investigate and found a pair of Paradise Flycatchers in a tussle with a juvenile Boomslang (tree snake), which was intent on visiting their nest and eating their new-born chicks. Few snakes of that size can ignore a determined bombardment of flycatchers and this may well have been the youngster’s first experience of it. Shell-shocked, it fell from the branches and fled. After this we found a shady spot for lunch and then continued to our camping spot. Not long after our arrival, frantic chirpings from the birds told us that more snake action was afoot. A Mozambique Spitting Cobra was spotted about three metres up a winter-thorn tree, behaving in a rather peculiar fashion. An angry crowd of birds was baying for its blood and we had great fun identifying all the species that had converged: Bearded Woodpecker, African Golden Oriole, Crested barbet and Tropical Boubou among them. This large, dangerous snake was indifferent to them, however, and even to us as it prowled all around the lower branches, then climbed down and slithered among the tree’s roots. After about thirty minutes of this we finally saw the reason – a dead rodent which the cobra found in the grass and began to swallow. It would seem the snake, following its envenomed prey, had become confused by the loss of a scent trail after the mouse fell to the ground, forcing it to search the whole area in the open.
It was now time for our boat ride. We embarked and started off up the beautiful Zambezi. Egyptian Geese, White-crowned Lapwings, a Common Ringed Plover and hippos entertained us on the broad river and its banks. A right turn took us suddenly out of the open and into the spectacular Kariba Gorge. With the sunlit cliffs rearing high above us and reflected in the still water, the scenery alone would have justified the trip. But we had our eyes peeled for something really special – the Pel’s Fishing Owl – and eventually we found it: a subadult bird perched high in the canopy of a thick, leafy tree. As the sun sank lower and photos became nearly impossible, we reluctantly left the magnificent bird and returned to camp.
Our big target for day two was the beautiful Purple-crested Turaco. I have a favourite spot for this extravagant creature: a very pleasant stretch of dry riverbed with tall overhanging trees and deep thicket. The birds did not disappoint, but they subjected us to a bit of teasing before one of the pair eventually decided to catch some morning sun. It sat out in the open and preened itself for several minutes, giving us superb views and pictures. After this we carried on towards home, stopping for a number of other birds and becoming entranced by a variety of beautiful butterflies, most notably the strikingly handsome White-cloaked Skipper.
