Zimbabwe Best of Birding 18th to 27th January 2018 (13 days) African Pitta by Hugh Chittenden Zimbabwe is justly famous as a superb birding destination that leaves one with a lasting impression of having experienced the real 'wild Africa.' Pristine wilderness areas, spectacular landscapes and an amazing variety of ecosystems make Zimbabwe a natural history paradise. The diversity of habitats is astounding and ranges from open grassland and afro-montane evergreen forest to broad- leaved Mopani and Miombo woodlands, gallery forest and seasonal wetlands, which together host a large and impressive variety of birds and game. Our tour to this under-birded African destination has been specially designed to incorporate all of these diverse habitats, and we can expect some unrivalled birding experiences! RBL Zimbabwe - Best of Birding Itinerary 2 The superb Mopani and Miombo woodlands are home to a vast suite of avian specialities such as the smart Arnott’s Chat, White-breasted Cuckooshrike, spectacular Racket-tailed Roller, localised Boulder Chat and Southern Hyliota, while we can expect seldom-seen and extremely localised species like Chirinda Apalis, Roberts’s Warbler, the delightful Swynnerton’s Robin, Bronzy Sunbird, Black- fronted Bushshrike and Cinnamon-breasted Tit in the picturesque Vumba Mountains of the Eastern Highlands which border Mozambique. Another mouth-watering destination is the Honde Valley which also borders Mozambique. This valley will put us in direct contact with many bird species more restricted to the low-lying areas of Mozambique which otherwise, can be very hard to find. These include Marsh Tchagra, Lesser Seedcracker, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, Moustached Grass Warbler, Green-backed Woodpecker, Black-winged Red Bishop, Short-winged Cisticola, Red-winged Warbler and some highly localised species such as Scarce Swift and Singing Cisticola. Our tour then moves onto the extensive, seasonal wetlands and bird-rich Miombo woodland’s around the capital city of Harare. Here localised specialities include Green-backed Honeybird, Whyte’s Barbet, African Spotted Creeper, Miombo Rock Thrush and Miombo Double-collared Sunbird. We descend from the plateau once more into the Lower Zambezi Valley where our primary target will be the very sought after African Pitta. This under-birded wilderness also holds specials such as Böhm's Spinetail, Livingstone's Flycatcher, White-breasted Cuckooshrike, Arnott's Chat and the sought after Big 5. THE TOUR AT A GLANCE… BEST OF BIRDING ZIMBABWE Day 1 Arrival in Harare, Zimbabwe Day 2 Harare to the Great Zimbabwe Ruins Day 3 Great Zimbabwe Ruins and surrounds Day 4 Great Zimbabwe Ruins to the Vumba Mountains (Eastern Highlands) Day 5 Vumba Mountains (Eastern Highlands) Day 6 Vumba Mountains (Eastern Highlands) to the Honde Valley Day 7 Honde Valley Day 8 Honde Valley to Harare Day 9 Harare and surrounds Day 10 Harare to Lower Zambezi Valley Days 11 & 12 Lower Zambezi Valley and surrounds Day 13 Lower Zambezi Valley to Harare and final departures RBL Zimbabwe - Best of Birding Itinerary 3 TOUR MAP Best of Birding Zimbabwe Boulder Chat by Hugh Chittenden Day 1: Arrival in Harare. Upon arrival in Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital city, you will be met by a Rockjumper representative and transferred to our nearby lodge where we shall overnight. Time permitting, we shall explore the Harare National Botanical Gardens where Whyte’s Barbet visits the RBL Zimbabwe - Best of Birding Itinerary 4 fruiting fig trees, Miombo Double-collared, Variable and Copper Sunbirds may all be seen in the indigenous gardens. We will then settle into our overnight accommodations. Day 2: Harare to Great Zimbabwe Ruins. This morning we will be given a bit of a taste of the capital city’s wet grassland specials within close proximity to our lodge. Depending on rainfall and conditions we might find several rare, secretive and erratic species like Striped and Spotted Crakes, Streaky- breasted Flufftail, Blue Quail and Locust Finch, which have made these wetlands famous within the local birding fraternity. These species are all regular and appear annually in the grasslands in and around Harare; however, they will only be present if there has been regular, recent rain and the Rosy-throated Longclaw by Cuan Rush seasonally flooded grasslands are shallowly inundated with water. Other regular visitors include African and Western Marsh Harriers, African Crake, Corn Crake, Greater Painted-snipe and African Snipe, Black Coucal, Marsh and Grass Owls, three species of Longclaw, including the highly sought-after and localised Rosy-throated Longclaw, Pale-crowned, Wing-snapping and the larger Croaking Cisticola, the parasitic and nomadic Cuckoo- finch, Orange-breasted Waxbill and Quailfinch. Other potential specials include Lesser Moorhen, Black-rumped Buttonquail, the colourful Yellow-mantled Widowbird and the smart Grey-rumped Swallow overhead. After fuelling our bodies with a scrumptious breakfast we leave Harare and begin the picturesque drive south to the historical Great Zimbabwe Ruins. As we meander through Zimbabwe’s interior we will pass through a variety of habitats, including areas of extensive, moist grasslands. Passing through these grasslands, we will keep a lookout for Yellow-mantled Widowbird, the impressive Southern Ground Hornbill, highly endangered and superbly elegant Wattled Crane, Amur and Red-footed Falcons and Lesser Kestrel hunting in flocks overhead, before reaching our destination. The Great Zimbabwe Ruins, near Lake Mutirikwi and the town of Mashing, is an ancient, large city ruin in the hilly south- east of the country and is truly spectacular and a site to behold! Constructed during the country’s Iron Age (11th to 14th century), it once served as the capital and royal palace of the Nzimabgwe monarch of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe. At its prime, this ancient city could have housed up to 18,000 people and is now recognised as a World Heritage Site. The monument’s most prominent feature is its walls, some of which tower over five meters high and were constructed without mortar. Eventually, the Amur Falcon by Clayton Burne city was abandoned and re-established a little further west at what is now the city of RBL Zimbabwe - Best of Birding Itinerary 5 Bulawayo. At our accommodations, we may connect with Mocking Cliff Chat, White-necked Raven and Miombo Double-collared Sunbird. Day 3: Great Zimbabwe Ruins and surrounds. The ruins, nestled within picturesque granite hills, are surrounded by lush Miombo forests. Miombo is the Swahili word for a type of habitat comprised predominantly of trees within the genus Brachystegia. These iconic trees, with their tall, straight trunks, branching out only at the end, are great for birding and contain many of Zimbabwe’s range-restricted species. This unique woodland is endemic to a small band across Southern and Central Africa from Angola, through Wattled Cranes by Markus Lilje Zambia, across Zimbabwe to Malawi and Mozambique. Mornings are most productive in this type of habitat and we will spend our first morning working through this pristine area. Specials that we will be searching for include Green-backed Honeybird, Cabanis's Bunting, African Golden Oriole, Wood Pipit, Miombo Blue-eared Starling, Miombo Rock Thrush, African Cuckoo-Hawk and Black-eared Seedeater. Bird parties are regularly formed with large concentrations of mixed species moving steadily through the trees creating moments of confusion and awe simultaneously. These bird parties could contain sought after species such as White-breasted and Grey Cuckooshrikes, the brood parasitic Thick-billed Cuckoo and it’s brood-specific host - the Retz’s Helmetshrike - while Brown-backed Honeybird, Cinnamon-breasted Tit, Green-capped Eremomela, Red-faced Crombec, Southern Hyliota, Stierling's Wren-Warbler, Grey Tit-Flycatcher, Miombo Double-collared Sunbird, African Emerald Cuckoo and Scaly-throated Honeyguide may also be present. The impressive Boulder Chat might also be found atop the vast granite outcrops found in the surrounding green valleys. The afternoon will be spent exploring the Great Zimbabwe Ruins and viewing the famous bird statues thought to be stylised versions of the African Fish Eagle. Mocking Cliff Chats scurry over the ruins and their calls resonate off the walls, while you may be rewarded for keeping an eye on the sky, where massive Silvery- cheeked Hornbill and screeching flocks of Grey- headed Parrots may fly Arnott’s Chat by Adam Riley RBL Zimbabwe - Best of Birding Itinerary 6 overhead. After a busy day, we shall return to the comfort of our accommodation for a well-deserved rest. Day 4: Great Zimbabwe Ruins to the Vumba Mountains. After some final early morning birding and a well-deserved breakfast, we will make our way to the picturesque Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe. Here we will be based for two nights at a luxurious and well-run hotel in the heart of the Vumba Mountains, or “mountains of the mist,” situated to the south-east of Mutare. An investigation of the surroundings may produce Roberts’s Warbler, Bronzy, Variable and Miombo Double-collared Sunbirds, Cape Robin- Chat and Stripe-cheeked Greenbul while Yellow-bellied Waxbill and Red-chested Chirinda Apalis by Adam Riley Flufftail may also be found near the various wetlands scattered in the region. Day 5: Vumba Mountains. We have the entire day to explore the lush Afromontane forest that drapes The Vumba Mountains. Excellent birding can be had right around the hotel grounds and we shall be on the lookout for a host of specialities that inhabit these verdant forests. Livingstone’s Turaco, Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, African Emerald Cuckoo, White-eared Barbet and African Olive Pigeon clamber around the forest canopy, while Lemon and Tambourine Doves, Buff-spotted Flufftail and Barratt’s Warbler inhabit the forest understory. Mixed species flocks are a feature of these forests and could reveal the presence of Cape Batis, Black- fronted and Olive Bushshrikes, Yellow-streaked and Stripe-cheeked Greenbuls, Yellow-throated Woodland Warbler, the shy and brilliant Orange Ground Thrush, Bar-throated Apalis, Dark-backed Weaver, Grey Cuckooshrike, White-tailed Crested and Blue-mantled Crested Flycatchers.