Black Stork


Day 2, Friday, December 2 - Masvingo to Bvumba


We did some early morning birding around our lodging and started ticking off some of the specials like Miombo Rock-Thrush and  Miombo Double-collared Sunbird. We also had great views of Stierling´s Wren-Warbler before we returned to the lodge for breakfast. After breakfast, we took a slow gravel road for a while before we hit the main road again to Mutare. The birding was quite slow, but we picked up our first (of very many) Broad-billed Roller on the gravel road. The first stop we did just before Mutare at a sewage place where Grahame had seen Green Sandpiper the year before. Besides Ravens and Wholly-necked Storks, the sewage works did not held many birds. However, soaring in the sky we saw a couple of Mottled Swifts. This was the first lifer of the trip for me. I got off a few shots and stood besides the car trying to review if I got anything at all, when one of the other participants managed to get entangled in my camera carrying strap with the effect that my camera was dragged out of my hands and crashed to the ground where the camera body and lens were separated at an unnatural joint :-(. This was only the second day into the trip and without a camera I felt I could just fly back home. Fortunately, we were picking up some more people in Beira on Day 3 and I managed to get Grahame´s wife to buy a new Camera body for me and ship up with the guys to Beira. I sort of managed to get the camera together and with some tweaking I managed to get it working for the next day.


We continued to the White Horse Inn in Bvumba Valley and managed to do some late afternoon birding. The garden was almost empty of birds, but we managed to see Silvery-cheeked Hornbills and Red-throated Twinspots.







Miombo Rock-Thrush

Miombo Double-collared Sunbird

Stierling´s Wren-Warbler

Mottled Swift

Silvery-cheeked Hornbill


Day 3, Saturday, December 3 - Bvumba to Beira


We had an early start for Cecil Kop in the morning. Cecil Kop was very quiet. Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird, Lazy Cisticola, Augur Buzzard, Garden Warbler and Yellow-bellied Waxbill´s were seen. In other words, quite disappointing.


We crossed the border and were soon on a nightmare of a road to Beira. We got away with one banged up rim and a flat tyre. In Beira, we stopped at a local neighborhood and found a Bat Hawk in a Baobab Tree. We arrived in our lodging in the middle of a hot day. Grahame went to the airport to pick up the 4 other guys and I was quite relieved when they brought a new camera body for me. Whilst relaxing in the pool we were surprised to find House Crows in the area. In the afternoon we went to a river estuary, not many waders around, but we managed to find a couple of Greater Sand Plovers.







Lazy Cisticola

Augur Buzzard

Greater Sand Plover

Bat Hawk


Day 4, Sunday, December 4 - Rio Savane


We headed for Rio Savane early in the morning. It was very dry and we did not encounter many birds in the early hours. Once we came to the ferry crossing we saw quite a few waders on the banks including Greater Sand Plover and Terek Sandpiper. Soon we added Red-backed Mannikin and Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters to our list + a fleeting glimpse of a Mangrove Kingfisher.


We headed for an inland pan and had a very confiding Black-bellied Bustard giving plenty of photo opportunities. The only nice birds at the pans were Rufous-bellied Heron and African Snipe.  We spent the next hours scouring the grasslands for Locustfinch. After long walks and on the way home, when we more or less had given up, we managed to flush a pair several times. This was my second lifer on the trip and I sort of managed to get a picture as well. Other birds in the area was a pair of Temminck´s Coursers and a single Collared Pratincole.


We soon headed for the Prawn Factory and very quickly connected with another lifer: Red-headed Quelea. We also thought for a while that we had pictures of a Cardinal Quelea. Although the picture looked exactly like the one in the books, it turned out to be a Red-headed Quelea. In the same area, we found Bronze Sunbird, Orange-breasted Waxbills, African Quailfinch and  a single Magpie Mannikin.


At the prawn pans, we came across Pink-backed Pelicans in breeding plumage and also a Saddle-billed Stork. On the way back to Beira we discovered and African Barred Owlet in a tree close to the road.








Black-bellied Bustard

Locustfinch

Collared Pratincole

Red-headed Quelea

Pink-backed Pelikan

African Barred Owlet


Day 5, Monday, December 5 - Beira To Catapu


We had an early morning start to the sandbanks we visited on the first afternoon in Beira. On the way we saw a female Pallid Harrier. The sandbanks themselves did not hold anything in particular.


We soon headed for Catapu on a very bad road. The temperature was very high and we did not see much on the way.

We saw our first Eastern Saw-wings and also a huge number of Broad-billed Rollers. Other birds of interest on the way included Miombo Blue-eared Starling, African and Eurasian Golden Orioles and Pale Batis. We arrived late in the afternoon at Ant White´s place.







Broad-billed Roller


Day 6, Tuesday, December 6 - Catapu


This morning we went in to the Coutadas to hunt for the African Pitta. We did not find the Pitta at first, but did have beutiful views of the elusive White-chested Alethe (a new lifer, but no pictures).  Then while following a likely looking Cuckoo, we had Grey-headed Parrots flying over us, next a Green-backed Woodpecker came to the party. We encountered Tiny Greenbul, Yellow-streaked Greenbul and also a very confiding East Coast Akalat. Both African Crowned and Southern Banded Snake Eagles were seen, but no sign of the Pitta. On the way back to camp, we stopped for a Black-and-white Flycatcher.







Green-backed Woodpecker

Yellow-streaked Greenbul

African Crowned Eagle

East Coast Akalat


Day 7, Wednesday, December 7 - Catapu


In to the Coutadas again. We had just parked the car when we heard the unmistakable sound of the African Pitta. After a couple of hours in the bush, we all had very nice views of the Pitta. Unfortunately, my camera view was always blocked either by twigs or another birder, so despite multiple viewings of several birds, I only managed to get blurry images of the bird :-(.  We were 9 birders and 2 guides trashing around in the bush and that is far too much noise and movement for me to concentrate on getting proper pictures.


We returned to camp and I set up my camera close to the bird bath to see if anything of interest would fly in. Red-backed Mannikins, Black-bellied Starlings, a Tambourine Dove and Yellow-bellied Greenbuls entertained us for a while at the birdbath.


A trip up to the Zambezi river later in the day, did not yield anything of interest.







Black-and-white Flycatcher

Red-backed Mannikin


Day 8, Thursday, December 8 - Catapu


In to the Coutadas again. This time we saw a pair of African Pittas from the car on the ground close to the road. We spent most of the day in the car, stopping at intervals when we saw some birds. Along the way, we had nice views of Red-winged Warblers. We had Plain-backed Sunbirds high in a tree, a confiding Black-headed Oriole, Narina Trogon, finally a decent view of a Black-headed Apalis, Chestnut-fronted Helmet-Shrikes,  a single European Honey-Buzzard. Green-backed Woodpecker and a African Cuckoo-hawk on the nest. On the way back, we had a Black Kite in the air.







Red-winged Warbler

Black-headed Oriole

Narina Trogon

Black-headed Apalis


Day 9, Friday, December 9 - Catapu to Gorongosa


We did a brief morning into the Coutadas before we headed onwards towards Gorongosa. The morning did not yield all that much. We stopped at a bridge roughly 25 km´s north of Catapu and had good views of Black-winged Bishops in breeding plumage, Southern Brown-throated Weavers, The Northern race of Village Weavers, Red-faced Cisticolas and a Collared Palm-Thrush.


The long drive did not yield too much, but at the entrance road to Gorongosa National Park,  we had great views of a Grey-headed Kingfisher and I finally managed to get a picture of an Eurasian Golden Oriole. We saw many of these Orioles on our trip, but they proved very hard to get close to for a decent photograph :-(.


After Dark, we decided to go looking for Nightjars. we found Fiery-necked and a new lifer for me European Nightjar.







Black-winged Bishop

Southern Brown-throated Weaver

Village Weaver (Northern Race)

Eurasian Golden Oriole

Grey-headed Kingfisher

European Nightjar


Day 10, Saturday, December 10 - Gorongosa Mountain


An early start took us to the Gorongosa Mountain start point. Upon arrival we had a slight drizzle in the air. However, the birds were still active. On the way up to the forest, we encountered the following species of interest: Moustached Grass-Warbler, Anchieta´s Tchagra, Singing Cisticola and Dark-capped Yellow-Warbler.


In the forest, we connected quickly with the Green-headed Oriole. We also saw Stripe-cheeked Greenbul and I finally got a picture (very bad) of a Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon.


Again, I felt that the forest was too crowded, so Wilna and I decided to start towards the car before the others. We probably missed out of a good shot at the Oriole, but standing in a forest in a babbling crowd, is not my type of birding. On the way down, we had nice views of the same species as on the way up in addition also one of only a few Variable Sunbirds we saw on the trip. We flushed several pairs of Lesser Seedcrackers although I never managed to get a picture :-(.


In the car down, we had nice views of Broad-tailed Warbler and Livingstone´s Turaco and we also flushed a Blue-spotted Wood-Dove.


In the evening we did another trip for Nightjars, found the 2 from the day before, but could not locate our target: The Pennant-winged.







Moustached Grass-Warbler

Singing Cisticola

Anchieta´s Tchagra

Dark-capped Yellow-Warbler

Variable Sunbird

Livingstone´s Turaco


Day 11, Sunday, December 11 - Gorongosa


We spent the morning looking for the Speckle-throated Woodpecker.  We had brief glimpses of the bird and also encountered Miombo Blue-eared Starling and Greater Honeyguide. Wilna and I decided to go for a walk after breakfast without much to show for. In the afternoon, the other wanted to go back for the Woodpecker, but Wilna and I decided to  go to the quarry and look for other species. We had fantastic views of Racket-tailed Rollers rocking and rolling. Also a family of Arnot´s Chats entertained us for a while.


In the evening, we again tried for the Pennant-winged Nightjar without any luck.







Racket-tailed Roller

Arnot´s Chat


Day 12, Monday, December 12 - Gorongosa - Bvumba


Grahame wanted to take of very early for Bvumba, but we managed to talk him in to do some early morning birding. We had a nice bird party early on: Pale Batis, Black Cuckoshrike, a Lesser Honeyguide stalking a Black-collared Barbet nest etc. After breakfast, Wilna and I walked towards the main road and picked up a pair of Orange-winged Pyttilias, Long-crested Eagle and a noisy pair of Red-winged Warblers.


The others soon caught up with us and we settled for the long drive to Bvumba in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe.


As we past the border, we were greeted by an Augur Buzzard flying over us. We setlled in at Seldomseen (no electricity) and did not see too much of interest except a Stripe Cheeked Greenbul.







Pale Batis

Stripe-cheeked Greenbul


Day 13, Tuesday, December 13 - Bvumba


The others went to Cecil Kop in the morning whilst Wilna and I stayed behind at Seldomseen. We had a relaxing stroll through the forest and picked up White-tailed Crested Flycatcher, Robert´s Warbler, very good view of a White-starred Robin, a very confiding African Emerald Cuckoo, a confiding Stripe-cheeked Greenbul and a posing Collared Sunbird.


Once the other arrived, we went looking for Swynnerton´s Robin and finally, I managed to get a picture of this skulking bird. I had more or less given up after several attempts before. Then we found the Bronze Sunbird at it´s usual spot together with Barrat´s Warbler and more Robert´s Warblers. As the sun was setting we found us watching the rock above the Leopard Rock Hotel.  A few Mottled Swifts came in, but I did not manage to improve on my pictures







White-tailed Crested Flycatcher

White-starred Robin

Swynnerton´s Robin

Bronze Sunbird


Day 14, Wednesday, December 14 - Bvumba to Bubi River


We did some early morning around camp before we took of for Bubi River. We were shown a Buff-spotted Flufftail on the nest.


We stopped a few times on the way picking up some Raptors: African Hawk-Eagle, Booted Eagle and African Harrier Hawk.


We arrived in our lodging mid afternoon, checked in and did some garden birding. A Red-headed Weaver was nesting  close by my cottage.  Arrow-marked Babblers, Tropical Boubou, Village Weavers, Lesser Masked Weaver and Meve´s Starlings were also found on the grounds. Nothing very exiting, but we managed to get some pictures.







Red-headed Weaver

Collared Sunbird

Lesser Masked Weaver

Tropical Boubou

Meve´s Starling


Day 15, Thursday, December 15 - Bubi River to Joburg


Grahame is scared of the border control, so we started very early on our way back to Joburg. We did not see anything of interest whatsoever on the way back to Joburg.


Grahame took Wilna and I for some birding around Rust de Winter on our return, but we did not pick up anything of interest.


All in all, I got 6 lifers on the trip and 7 photo lifers, but I must say that 9 birder and 2 guides is way to many people to go after one specific bird. We all have our different agendas and we all have our different noise levels. It would probably have been an idea to split it up in 2 groups in order to “lesson the pressure” on the area. Some of us are more “competitive” than others and you do not want to compete with your “guide” in getting the best picture?


As a result, Wilna and I spent more and more time on our own, maybe not picking up all the species the other people got, but at least enjoying our birding and photography at our own phase. I think that the trip finally revealed to me that I am not really a birder, just a guy that want to take nice pictures of birds :-). Many people want the tick and then rush off for the next bird, but some of us would like to spend some more time with a particular bird in order to get “the shot”.


However; I did have beautiful views of the Pitta (several times)