Southern Africa Birds

 Birding Trip Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe and Central Southern Mozambique.

 

Accompanied by my wife , Jansie and George we set off from Centurion at 04h30 on Tuesday 14 July in with Maans our tour leader. After crossing through  Beitbridge border to Zimbabwe our birding really started. Having to travel some 200 km toward Masvingo, we did manage to stop a few times to check the birds. My highlight was when I spotted my first lifer for this trip an African Cuckoo Hawk. Other highlights were Augar Buzzard and Whitebacked Vultures. Having traveled 700 km from Centurion we arrived at  our overnight accommodation – “Inn On The Great Zimbabwe” at 17h30.
I also picked up my second lifer in the inn gardens, Miombo Double-collared Sunbird.  Our accommodation was very comfortable and the dinner was adequate considering that there are many starving people in Zimbabwe.

 

Day 2: We rose early and did some birding in the beautiful gardens of the Inn before we departed and drove around Kyle Lake stopping at  various points where we were able to observe many interesting birds. By the time we reached the  Birchenough Bridge which crosses the Save River, en route to Mutare, I have picked up four more lifers: Miombo Tit, Red-faced Crombec, Striped pipit and Mashona Hyliota. We drove into the Bavumba highlands where we spent the night at the Seldomseen cottages. Despite a power failure the accommodation was comfortable and the management provided candles in our rooms. We went to a nearby restaurant for our dinner – an a la carte menu the food was excellent although expensive.

Day 3: Up and on the go early because Maans had arranged with the local bird guide, Bulawesi, to accompany us through the adjoining forest and surrounding area. It was not easy walking through the wet forest but I was awarded with some fantastic Livers. The Swynnerton Robin I really enjoyed, it is really a beautiful bird. Others Lifers : Bronzy sunbird, Chirinda Apalis , Roberts Prinia , Singing Cisticola , Stripe-cheeked Greenbul , Variable Sunbird , White-tailed Flycatcher , Yellow-bellied Waxbill, Yellow-streaked Greenbul , Gurney’s Sugerbird , Western Olive sunbird and Olive Bush Shrike. At midday we made our way to the Forbes Border, I had to pay R30 for my visa to
enter Mozambique. We traveled along the main route to Beira, a tar road with several potholes. (On route we also saw a Palmnut Vulture.) At Chimoio we stopped for fuel and also went to the nearby Shoprite supermarket to stock up on sweets and cold drinks. We reached the turnoff to our accommodation for the next two nights. It was not at all impressive– a muddy road with filth everywhere and an awful smell from the fish market where crowds of  people purchasing their supper. We drove on to the Bispo Motel which was really nice .The chalets were adequately furnished. I ordered chicken (an excellent choice  ... the best chicken I had in a long time)

 

Day 4: After early coffee and rusks we left at 06h00 for a drive to Rio Savane. On route we had fantastic scope views of two Bat Hawks. The narrow gravel road through the swamps was very busy with people walking many kilometers and riding bicycles loaded with goods. We drove through an area where there were many dams and we understand they farm prawns. En route to Rio Savane we passed through a small forest which produced lifers. Lifers seen for the day forest and swamp : Black-rumped Buttonquail , Locust finch , Narina Trogon , Rufouswinged Cisticola , Short-tailed Pipit , Green Coucal  and Cuckoo Finch.

Day 5 :  After early coffee and rusks we left at 06h15 along a 270 km gravel road to our next accommodation – M’pingwe Camp, approximately 45kms South of Caia. The route is spectacular traveling through Miombo forest. On route I picked up some more lifers: Black-eared Canary and Southern banded Snake Eagle. At M’pingwe camp we each had a very comfortable chalet with en suite bathrooms and our meals were served, a la carte, in the open air dining area.

Day 6: Another early start, coffee and rusks and at 06h15 we left camp  and commenced what was a circular drive through the beautiful Miombo woodland. This was a very successful day of birding and my lifer list was now really growing. Lifers seen  : Orange-winged Pytilia , Pale Batis , Plain-backed Sunbird , Stierlings Barred Warbler , Violet-backed Sunbird , White-breasted Cuckoo , Silvery-cheeked Hornbill , African Broadbill , Blue-spotted Dove , Bohm’s Spine-tail , Grey-headed Parrot , Livingstone Flycatcher (Wow what a beautiful bird), Neergaards Sunbird and Yellow Warbler.

 

Day 7: After early coffee and rusks we left at 06h15 along a 270 km gravel road to our next accommodation –  Envirotrade Camp run by  Piet van Zyl and his family. We each had our own tent under reed cover, communal ablutions and a delicious meal was served in the open air dining room where other guests were watching television in the bush! Arriving early at our destination we did some birding around the camp, we then had a hike to a warm water spring in the forest. After we got back to the camp we had some lunch and then birded our way through beautiful Miombo woodlands to the Gorongoza  National park as far as the Chitengo Camp – a very neat camp with tent as well as bungalow accommodation, a large open air dining room and a swimming pool. We then entered the park and also did birding and also wild life viewing. My lifers for the days birding : Eastern Saw-wing Swallow, Little spotted woodpecker, Green-backed Honeybird , Mottled Swift , Moustached Warbler , Rackettailed Roller , Red-throated Twinspot , Redwinged Warbler , Scarce Swift , Shortwinged Cisticola , Speckledthroated Woodpecker , Woodward Batis , Black-winged Bishop , Eastern honeyguide and Zambezi Indingobird .

 

 Day 8: After early coffee and rusks we traveled to the Gorongosa Mountain to try and see the Green-headed Oriole. The dirt road up the mountain is only accessible with 4 wheel vehicles. It rained the day before and we only managed to get about halfway before the dirt road became impassable. The group decided to hike the rest of the way. It took us three and a half hours to reach the forest. By this time I was bushed. On the way I picked up some more lifers:  Ayres Cisticola and Broad-tailed Warbler.

After reaching the top and paying the local headman we entered the forest. We got some nice birds. We broke up into two groups and as luck would have it the other group saw the Green-headed Oriole but I sadly missed out.

 

 Day 9: The tour was now finished and we left Mozambique traveling the same route back hoping to pick up birds we missed. After passing through the border into Zimbabwe we traveled to Masvingo and stayed in the Whitehorse Inn. A beautiful hotel with a lovely garden to bird. We spend the day birding the surrounds looking for specials like the Spotted Creeper and Miombo Rockthrust that we missed out. No luck, but I did get one final lifer the Cabanis Bunting.

 Day 10:  On the spur of the moment we decide to travel via Harare to see if we could pick up any specials. As we did not have a lot of time we visited the National Botanical gardens in Harare. What a letdown, the birds were almost non existent. The only birds that seem to survive are Bulbul’s. I asked the one guy where the birds are, his reply “What do you mean, I can hear them “ Of course it was the bulbul’s he heard.

 

The next day we crossed the border and arived safely in Centurion.

 

PS. Although I got a lot of lifers it is not easy to bird in these areas. There are not a lot of birds and you do need to know the spots to find them. Also in the Miombo  woodlands it is difficult to  see birds. You have to pick up birding parties and ten pick up the various species high up in the canopies fast. They do not give you a lot of time to ID. So either know what you are looking for or have a guide that knows his birds.

 

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Some tips I picked up. You can use Rand in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The going rate exchange was R10 for 1 US dollar in Zimbabwe. 3 Metical for R1 in Mozambique.

 

If you are going to use your own vehicle make sure your paperwork is in order. We got roadblocks just about every 60 km. The police do scrutinize everything and if they find anything wrong it is bribe time. Make sure you have some extra money on the side for bribes. Never show them how much money you have. Get Metical at the border for filling up with petrol/diesel. Very imported fill up your tank where ever you can. There was a shortage of diesel all the time. To buy diesel on the black market is very expensive.

(At one place they wanted R500 for 15 Liters)

 

Make sure that your medical aid will fly you out in case of emergency. Doctors are non existent.

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Thank you for sharing my trip. Of course we saw many other birds, but I only mentioned the lifers I saw. We most proberly also saw the lifers that you need. My own lifer list leaves me standing on 690. I can see a Pelagic trip coming to finally reach my lifetime goal of 700 birds seen.

 

Philip Fry.