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Ultimate Zambia (Including Pitta) Tour

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Ultimate Zambia (Including Pitta) Tour BIRDING AFRICA THE AFRICA SPECIALISTS Ultimate Zambia including Zambia Pitta 2019 Tour Report © Yann Muzika © Yann African Pitta Text by tour leader Michael Mills Photos by tour participants Yann Muzika, John Clark and Roger Holmberg SUMMARY Our first Ultimate Zambia Tour was a resounding success. It was divided into three more manageable sections, namely the North-East Extension, © John Clark © John Main Zambia Tour and Zambia Pitta Tour, each with its own delights. Birding Africa Tour Report Tour Africa Birding On the North-East Pre-Tour we started off driving We commenced the Main Zambia Tour at the Report Tour Africa Birding north from Lusaka to the Bangweulu area, where spectacular Mutinondo Wilderness. It was apparent we found good numbers of Katanga Masked that the woodland and mushitu/gallery forest birds Weaver coming into breeding plumage. Further were finishing breeding, making it hard work to Rosy-throated Longclaw north at Lake Mweru we enjoyed excellent views of track down all the key targets, but we enjoyed good Zambian Yellow Warbler (split from Papyrus Yellow views of Bar-winged Weaver and Laura's Woodland Warbler) and more Katanga Masked Weavers not Warbler and found a pair of Bohm's Flycatchers finally connected with a pair of Whyte's Francolin, Miombo Tit, Bennett's Woodpecker, Amur Falcon, yet in breeding plumage. From here we headed east feeding young. Other highlights included African which we managed to flush. From Mutinondo Cuckoo Finch, African Scops Owl, White-crested to the Mbala area we then visited the Saisi River Barred Owlet, Miombo Rock Thrush and Spotted we headed west with our ultimate destination as Helmetshrike and African Spotted Creeper. Next near the Tanzanian border, where several lovely Creeper. However, the dambo grasslands were the Mwinilunga area in the far north-west of the on our itinerary was the lower Zambezi Valley of male Tanzanian Masked Weavers were seen in full very productive and we flushed Black-rumped country. We broke the journey with two nights the Siavonga/Chirundu area where we enjoyed breeding plumage. Returning south we paused at Button-Quail, five Blue Quail and good numbers of en route, seeing a good number of new birds en spectacular views of African Pitta, our bird of Shiwa Ng'andu with Laura's Woodland Warbler and Locust Finch, and watched a lovely African Grass route, including Dickinson's Kestrel, Black-necked the trip, on two consecutive mornings, and other Great Snipe. Owl hunting at dusk. On our last morning we Eremomela, Red-throated Twinspot, Chestnut- highlights included Dwarf Bittern, Livingstone's backed Sparrow-Weaver, Pale-billed Hornbill, Flycatcher, African Broadbill and Three-banded Bocage's Akalat and Bamboo Warbler, the latter Courser. Our quick success with the pittas meant treating us to superb views. In the Mwinilunga that we could spend some additional time in area we enjoyed specials such as Margaret's Batis, miombo at Lazy J Ranch on the outskirts of Lusaka, Grimwood's Longclaw and Dambo Cisticola where a few hours produced an impressive list of alongside more widespread species like Southern birds including Pale-billed Hornbill, Souza's Shrike, White-faced Owl, Ovambo Sparrowhawk and Rufous-bellied Tit, Miombo Tit, African Spotted © Yann Muzika © Yann Rosy-throated Longclaw. The long drive back to Creeper and Bushveld Pipit. A pair of Black-faced Lusaka brought Sharp-tailed Starling, Bohm's Bee- Canaries in Lusaka was one of the biggest surprises eater and, as our final new bird of the Main Zambia of the trip. Tour, the endemic and localised Chaplin's Barbet. This followed on immediately with our Zambia Top 10 birds seen Pitta Tour which kicked off in Livingstone, as we travelled west along the Zambezi River to the 1. African Pitta Machile area to find the striking little Black-cheeked 2. Black-cheeked Lovebird Lovebird, with Southern Carmine Bee-eater en route. Along the river we found Slaty Egret, African 3. Chaplin's Barbet Skimmer, African Pygmy Goose, Southern Brown- 4. Bar-winged Weaver, throated Weaver and Lesser Jacana, and in the arid woodlands, Bennett's Woodpecker, a surprise pair of 5. Bamboo Warbler Dusky Lark and another Dickinson's Kestrel. From 6. Shelley's Sunbird the Upper Zambezi River we headed for the Nkanga area to see Chaplin's Barbet, and other highlights 7. Grimwood's Longclaw here included Racket-tailed Roller, Shelley's Francolin, African Broadbill, Shelley's Sunbird, 7. Dusky Lark Miombo Pied Barbet, Greater Painted-Snipe, female 9. Blue Quail Pennant-winged Nightjar, Red-throated Twinspot, Black-cheeked Lovebird 9. Dickinson's Kestrel 2 | Ultimate Zambia 2019 Ultimate Zambia 2019 | 3 ESSENTIAL DETAILS African Pitta Dates 21 Nov: Mutinondo to Nsobe Camp © John Clark © John North-East Pre-Tour: 11-18 November 22 Nov: Nsobe Camp to Mutanda Nature Lodge Main Zambia Tour:17-28 November 23 Nov: Mutanda to Kalwelwa (Mwinilunga) Birding Africa Tour Report Tour Africa Birding Report Tour Africa Birding Zambia Pitta Tour: 28 November to 6 December 24-25 Nov: Kalwelwa 26 Nov: Chitunta and Mayau Itinerary 27 Nov: Mayau to Chingola 11 Nov: Lusaka to Serenje 28 Nov: Chingola to Lusaka//arrive Livingstone 12 Nov: Serenje to Nchelenge 29 Nov: Lusaka to Livingstone to Upper Zambezi 13 Nov: Lake Mweru 30 Nov: Lovebird Day Trip 14 Nov: Nchelenge to Mbala 1 Dec: Upper Zambezi to Choma/Nkanga 15 Nov: Saisi River to Shiwa Ng'andu 2 Dec: Choma/Nkanga 16 Nov: Shiwa Ng'andu 3 Dec: Choma/Nkanga to Lower Zambezi 17 Nov: Shiwa to Mutinondo //arrive Lusaka 4 Dec: Lower Zambezi 18 Nov: Mutinondo //Lusaka to Mutinondo 5 Dec: Lower Zambezi to Lusaka 19-20 Nov: Mutinondo 6 Dec: Pioneer Camp and Lazy J Ranch © John Clark © John Leader Jan-Joost Bouwman Michael Mills Richard Rolfe Albert Low Participants Yann Muzika Julian Francis Per Ovin John Clark Roger Holmberg Bamboo Warbler Peter Maaskant Tim Doran 4 | Ultimate Zambia 2019 Ultimate Zambia 2019 | 5 © John Clark © John Clark © John Birding Africa Tour Report Tour Africa Birding Report Tour Africa Birding © Roger Holmberg © Roger 6 | Ultimate Zambia 2019 Ultimate Zambia 2019 | 7 © John Clark © John Birding Africa Tour Report Tour Africa Birding Report Tour Africa Birding 8 | Ultimate Zambia 2019 Ultimate Zambia 2019 | 9 The following day our efforts were concentrated on here studying them, mostly in the riverside thickets REPORT the southern end of Lake Mweru and its papyrus where they fed. Water-associated birds very active The landlocked country of Zambia is one of Rosy-throated Longclaw was seen by the roadside, swamps. After a bit of legwork we found a suitable along the river and we saw Western Yellow Wagtail, south-central Africa's best-kept birding secrets. In before some weaver nests on the floodplain brought boat to take us into the swamps and braved an Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Rosy-throated Longclaw, November 2019 we ran our first Ultimate Zambia us to a rapid stop. While they were the nests of approaching rain storm with umbrella and rain Rufous-bellied Heron and various other herons, Tour to sample all of the country's best birds. The Holub's Golden Weaver, nearby we spotted the jacket. Once getting into a channel lined by papyrus ducks and waders. Landbirds included Miombo northern parts of the tour required a good deal of much smaller nests of a colony of Katanga Masked on both sides it wasn't long before we could hear the Wren-Warbler, Marico Sunbird and Square-tailed calls of Zambian Yellow Warbler, although we had Nightjar, and we heard Bare-faced Go-away-bird. Birding Africa Tour Report Tour Africa Birding driving as we visited the Tanzanian border in the far Weaver. Several masked weavers were found feeding Report Tour Africa Birding to wait for the rain to abate before we set eyes on the north-east, the DR Congo border at various places at the roadside, including a few males in near- Leaving the Saisi River we paused in some great bird. The pale eye and smaller size that differentiate in the north and the Angolan border in the north- full breeding plumage. A bit further on another roadside miombo where Arnott's Chat fed around it from Papyrus Yellow Warbler were noted and west. Lasting almost four weeks, we divided the tour colony was found and studied in detail. Other a road construction compound; we had to make differences in calls listened too over a couple of into three more manageable sections, each sampling birds of note were Long-tailed Widowbird (in full sure that they were not Ruaha Chats. Here too we hours, by which time we had enjoyed close up an important and distinct area of the country. breeding plumage), Chirping Cisticola and various made a close study of Reichard's Seedeater, and views of at least five birds, one of which showed waterbirds. After breakfast we continued north to at the adjacent cliffs we found both Rock Martin Our North-East Zambia Pre-Tour commenced in particularly well. Every now and again our attention Samfya, where we checked the Lake Bangweulu and Red-rumped Swallow, before turning south Lusaka, but we wasted no time in heading north, was diverted by other birds, including Black-headed shore for more masked weavers without success. for the Shiwa Ng'andu area where we overnighted pausing for our first overnight stop at Serenje. Weaver, Swamp Flycatcher, Lesser Jacana, African The first of hundreds of Brown Firefinch were at the comfortable Kapishya Hotsprings. Our time Continuing north the following day our first Pygmy Goose and African Swamphen. The song of seen here. In the afternoon we neared Nchelenge, at Shiwa was focussed on the dambo and swamps noteworthy stop was at the Luapula River that flows Little Rush Warbler dominated the soundscape and pausing at some roadside swamps near town where around the lake, with the hope of finding the very out of the Bangweulu system, accessed at Mukuku a couple of very similar sounding White-winged Marsh Tchagra, Greater Swamp Warbler, Angola difficult Chestnut-headed Flufftail.
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