The 29th August was the start of the Ivindo National Park extension. This is a famous place in birding circles & I had wanted to visit for a while now. We picked up two brothers Jan & Morten for this leg & they proved to be excellent companions for the remaining few days. Most of this very long day (around sixteen hours on the road) was driving but we made quite a few birding stops in roadside forest.
Grey Pratincole.
Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.
Great Blue Turaco.
Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.
Highlights: 2 Hartlaub's Duck; 2 Grey Pratincole; Great Blue Turaco; 4 Mottled Spinetail; Grey-throated Barbet; 20+ Grey Parrot; Purple-throated Cuckooshrike; Velvet-mantled Drongo; Chattering Cisticola; 6 Narrow-tailed Starling; 25+ Orange-cheeked Waxbill; Black headed Waxbill & Long-legged Pipit.
The view from Ipassa.
Photo courtesy of Elaine Cook.
The next two & half days were spent exploring the forests & the river of Ivindo. We stayed at the research centre at Ipassa & it proved to be a great choice, with good birds right on our doorstep.
Several hundred birds were present.
Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.
Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.
Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.
Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.
One morning we embarked on a river trip.
Rock Pratincole.
The water level was high, so precious few rocks
exposed for the Pratincoles!
Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.
Morten & myself.
Birding was mainly along a wide trail.
Photo courtesy of Elaine Cook.
Black Guineafowl: a real prize!
Photo courtesy of David Fisher.
Photo courtesy of David Fisher.
Fraser's Eagle Owl
Photo courtesy of David Fisher.
Black casqued Hornbill
Photo courtesy of David Fisher.
Black Bee-eater
Photo courtesy of David Fisher.
Rufous-sided Broadbill
Photo courtesy of David Fisher.
Fraser's Forest Flycatcher
Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.
Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.
Yellow-throated Tinkerbird.
Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.
Chestnut Wattle-eye female.
Photo courtesy of Morten Dehn.
Male.
Photo courtesy of Morten Dehn.
Photo courtesy of David Fisher.
Photo courtesy of David Fisher.
Photo courtesy of David Fisher.
Photo courtesy of David Fisher.
Photo courtesy of David Fisher.
Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.
Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.
Photo courtesy of Morten Dehn.
Photo courtesy of Morten Dehn.
Highlights (and there were many)!
2 Hartlaub's Duck; 7 Black Guineafowl!!! 2 Scaly Francolin; Bat Hawk; African Finfoot; 300+ Rock Pratincole; Blue-headed Wood Dove; Guinea & Yellow-billed Turaco; Yellow-throated Cuckoo; Fraser's Eagle Owl; Sabine's & Cassin's Spinetail; African Dwarf Kingfisher; Black Bee-eater; Red-billed Dwarf Hornbill; 3 White-thighed Hornbill; White-crested Hornbill; Elliot's Woodpecker; Grey Parrot; Rufous-sided Broadbill; West African Batis; Chestnut, White-spotted & Yellow-bellied Wattle-eye; Lowland Sooty Boubou; Blue Cuckooshrike; Blue-headed Crested Flycatcher; Rufous-vented Paradise Flycatcher; Bates's Paradise Flycatcher; Eastern Bearded Greenbul; White-bearded Greenbul; Yellow & Grey Longbills; Chestnut-capped Flycatcher; Gosling's Apalis; Rufous-crowned Eremomela; Red-tailed Ant Thrush; Fraser's Rufous Thrush; Fire-crested Alethe; Fraser's Forest Flycatcher; Yellow-footed Flycatcher; Fraser's Sunbird; Violet-tailed Sunbird; Cassin's, Rachel's, Blue-billed & Crested Malimbes; 3 Woodhouse's Antpecker and Western Bluebill.
On 1st September we had a long drive to Booue, where we caught the overnight train to Libreville. This was a bit of an unplanned move, because our ground agent was worried about army checkpoints & roadblocks surrounding the capital city. His fears proved to be totally justified! We arrived at our hotel to hear stories of civil unrest because of the disputed elections. Most of the group departed that evening but Glen, Keith & myself were flying to Johannesburg and South African Airways wouldn't land! After a bit of hassle, we all got out together on 5th September which puts all my plans out of sync.
A very long (much longer than expected) trip, very well lead by David & Glen. Thanks a lot guys. Till the next time!
Woodland Kingfisher.
This bird flew into a window & was stunned.
Photo courtesy of Keith Wiggens.
A very long (much longer than expected) trip, very well lead by David & Glen. Thanks a lot guys. Till the next time!
No comments:
Post a Comment