As we entered the town we could see the mist from the Falls and I must admit that the adrenaline started pumping! We headed to our accommodation at Lokuthula Lodge (stunning), and then drove back to the entrance to the Falls.
The Falls defy description, so I will let the photos do the talking.
David Livingstone
Us!
We could have stayed here all day mesmerised by the grandeur of the Falls, but reluctantly we eventually pulled ourselves away. Heading out we surprised a pair of Schalow's Turaco - one of my most favourite birds. They are simply stunning but were, as is often the case, far too busy running from branch to branch to stay still long enough for a photo. We also came across a pair of Black-collared Barbets, busily foraging amongst a scrubby bush on the side of the gorge. Fortunately, they weren't in as much of a hurry and happily posed for me.
We then had lunch near the Falls and were joined by a troop of Vervet Monkey. All rather pleasant really! Driving back to our lodge, Tim and I picked up the Southern Grey-headed Sparrow (Lifer 11) and Meve's Starling (Lifer 12) from the safety of the car as it was a balmy 39 degrees outside.
After a very enjoyable shower and short kip, we wandered down to the main dining room, weaving our way amongst warthog, bushbuck and helmeted guineafowl.
The waiters were very kind and gave us a table overlooking the waterhole. As we sat there sipping our sun-downers, a herd of over fifty elephant wandered in for a drink. Spectacular. A solitary spotted hyaena wandered past in the dark and my dear wife contentedly sighed, "all we need now is an owl to fly into the floodlight and the night will be complete." On queue, a Western Barn Owl flew in and made several passes right in front of us. To top it off, the waiters came and sang an a-capella version of Paul Simon's song "Homeless" in perfect four part harmony. I love Africa!
The next morning was our first "sleep-in" for quite a while, and after a leisurely breakfast we headed into town to stock up on supplies and confirm our "mad" booking for the next day. The rest of the morning was taken up with resting by the pool and generally chilling out. After lunch we were collected by a game warden and taken to the Stanley and Livingstone Game Reserve. It was the end of the dry season and the bush looked parched.
The highlights were seeing a baby rhino and getting stunning views of Lilac-breasted Rollers, another of my favourite birds. They must be one of the most photogenic birds on the planet!
Day 3 at Victoria Falls was our "reclaim our youth" day. We went white-water rafting on the "mighty slammin' Zambezi river", which was quite simply an absolutely mind-blowing experience. Talk about an adrenaline rush! However, this is a birding blog, so I shall say no more, other than to mention the beautiful pair of Verreaux's Eagle that cruised above us as we made our way down the Zambezi gorge. Lords of the Air!
Our final day in Zimbabwe was spent with local birder and head of the Victoria Falls National Park anti-poaching unit, Charles Brightman. Charles knows everything about birds in this region and we had a fantastic day with him. It was also rather exciting as he was constantly in contact with one of his units which was undertaking a sting operation to prevent a group of poachers from putting cyanide into a local waterhole! Not exactly the norm at the Greenfield wetlands of Salisbury!
We headed out early and were soon into lifer territory long the Zambezi river banks. The first new one was the Collared Palm Thrush (Lifer 13), a bird I had been trying to chase down since my days in Kenya. Very cool! We then headed to a local tourist spot, and picked up both Lillian's Lovebird (Lifer 14) and Meyer's Parrot (Lifer 15). Amongst others, we also picked up Bearded Scrub Robin, Trumpeter Hornbill, and three species of Ibis standing next to each other at a small dam. The day had started well.
We headed further into the national park, and came across a beautiful pair of Tawny Eagles munching on a piece of some poor dead animal.
We then entered Bee-eater country - Southern Carmine, Little, Eurasian and Swallow-tailed Bee-eaters (Lifer 16) became fairly constant companions as we worked our way through the bush.
We also saw Lilac-breasted, Broad-billed and Purple Roller - I asked Charles if we could get out and sneak closer to a Broad-billed Roller for a photo. He said "sure", jumped out of the vehicle, and proceeded to pull out a very large 303 rifle. I got back into the car.
We worked our way around the park until lunch-time, picking up Cardinal Woodpecker, Golden-breasted and Cinnamon-breasted Bunting, Gabar Goshawk, Harrier Hawk, Western Osprey, Wahlberg's and Bateleur Eagle, Orange-breasted (sulphur-breasted) Bush Shrike, and both Green Wood-hoopoe and African Scimitarbill.
Lunch was a surprise event in the bush with a friend of Charles, who owns a bush camp in the Park turning up with a spread of delicious cold meats, salads and drinks set up in a glade near the river, complete with tables, chairs and a repertoire of stories of life in Zimbabwe - quite splendid.
The afternoon, predictably, was a little quieter, but we still added to our trip and day list, including Violet-backed Starling, Greater Honeyguide, Red-backed Shrike and Paradise Whydah. We also had a pair of Elephant washing themselves at a local waterhole and a stack of Sable Antelope grazing around the vehicle. Charles was a fantastic guide and a very affable chap - we saw well over 70 species and I pecked up four lifers, so the day was an unqualified success. I would recommend anyone going to the Vic Falls region who is keen on birding to contact Charles and organise a day with him. We had a brilliant time.
The next morning we left early and headed back into Bostwana for the final leg of our two week safari. Next stop was the town of Maun, one of the main entrances to the world famous Okavango Delta. This is one of the most remarkable places on earth, where major rivers from central Africa flow through the Kalahari Desert until they pour into swamps (pans) hundreds of kilometres from the ocean. These pans attract an enormous amount of wildlife and the birding is prolific. I couldn't wait! The adventures of the Okavango will be in my next instalment. Stay tuned!
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