Ivindo National Park

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.

Ipassa Research Centre.

The river.

The group birding.
Photo courtesy of Elaine Cook.

The view over lowland rainforest.

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.

One morning we embarked on a river trip.

Rock Pratincole.

The water level was high, so precious few rocks 

exposed for the Pratincoles!

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.

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.

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.

Woodland Kingfisher.

This bird flew into a window & was stunned.

Photo courtesy of Keith Wiggens.

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!

Lambarene, Tsam Tsam & Omboue

A brief birding stop in the morning.

Black-casqued Hornbill

This is an amazing bird!

24th August & we set off early for a long drive to Lambarene via Ndjole, where we had lunch. We made a couple of birding stops & a longer stop looking over the river at Ndjole.

Our transport for this leg of the trip.

The Patient Dog???

The river at Ndjole, which was very birdy &

 produced a couple of key species.

Photo courtesy of Elaine Cook.

Grey Pratincole

Superb Sunbird.

When you get a good view this really is

 a cracking species!

Highlights included:

Hartlaub's Duck, a lone individual was a surprising sighting on the river at Ndjole. Brilliant stuff! 2 African Finfoot; White-crowned Lapwing; 2 Grey Pratincole (this was a species I had long wanted to see & it didn't disappoint)! Great Blue Turaco; African Emerald Cuckoo; 2 Black Spinetail; 15+ Bates's Swift; Blue-throated Roller; Shining-blue Kingfisher; 10+ Rosy Bee-eater; 8 Piping Hornbill; 4 Black-casqued Hornbill; 2 Green-backed Woodpecker; 5 Red-fronted Parrot; Rufous-vented Paradise Flycatcher; Western Nicator; 3 White-bibbed Swallow; Black-throated Apalis; 2 Superb Subird; Blue-billed Malimbe & Black-faced Canary.

All in all a good days birding in what really was a travel day.

Woodland Kingfisher.

A confiding individual close to the hotel.

This river is a major highway & pretty busy!

Red-headed Agamid: we weren't 

the only ones waiting!

Our transport for the next leg of the journey.

We all enjoyed a comfortable night in the hotel at Lambarene & did a little birding around the hotel which had a mangrove creek running through its grounds. We then went down to the main river & after a bit of a wait, boarded our motorised canoes for a three hour trip down the river. We birded all the way & made a couple of landings on large sandbars.

Pink-backed Pelican
Photo courtesy of  Glen Valentine.

At the nest next to the channel.
Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

Birding the river.

White-crowned Lapwing.

Rock Pratincole
Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

Grey Pratincole.

What a bird!

Grey Pratincole.
Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

African Skimmer.
Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

Photo courtesy of  Glen Valentine.

This species is declining all over Africa.

Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

Little Tern: a common breeding species here.

Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

Rosy Bee-eater.
Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

What a bird!
Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

White-bibbed Swallow
Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

Best species included: 

 2 African Pygmy Goose; 50+ Pink-backed Pelican; African Finfoot; 13 White-crowned Lapwing; 9 White-fronted Plover; 10 Rock Pratincole; 40+ Grey Pratincole; 60+ African Skimmer; 100 Little Tern; 10 Rosy Bee-eater & White - bibbed Swallow.

The setting for the camp.

A really idyllic spot.

It was a nice camp in great surroundings.

The staff worked hard to make us comfortable.

The view from our tent!

Not bad at all!

Keith, my roomy at this camp!
He proved to be an excellent birder & companion
 for the whole trip.

Harlaub's Duck.
Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

A scarce & localised species.
Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

Shining Blue Kingfisher.

Black-headed Bee-eater.
Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

White-bibbed Swallow.
Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

After settling in we went on another short boat trip along the lake & channel. We only saw a few species but they were some good ones present!

6 Hartlaub's Duck; 45 Afep Pigeon; 3 Cassin's Spinetail; 3 Shining-blue Kingfisher; Black-headed Bee-eater; c 40 Grey Parrot & 7 White-bibbed Swallow.

Vermiculated Fishing Owl

Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

Wonderful!

Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

Later that night we went on a short walk from camp & found the wonderful Vermiculated Fishing Owl!

Exploring the area.

The guys & girls birding.

Forest Elephant  footprints. 

We didn't see them though!

Blue-breasted Bee-eater.

Carmelite Sunbird.

Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

On 26th August we took a short boat trip across the lake & explored an area of gallery forest & grassland, birding was quite slow but it was a lovely walk.

White-bellied Kingfisher; Blue-breasted Bee-eater; African Pied Hornbill; 60+ Grey Parrot; Icterine Greenbul; White-bearded Greenbul; White-browed Forest Flycatcher & Carmelite Sunbird.

Hartlaub's Duck

Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

African Finfoot

Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

Black-casqued Hornbill
Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

Shining Blue Kingfisher

Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

White-bellied Kingfisher
Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

White-bibbed Swallow
Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

In the afternoon we enjoyed another boat trip & we saw another excellent selection of river & river forest birds. We left early on 27th August for a seven hour boat trip down to Omboue. It was a long day in he boat with little of note seen (we were going fast)! Tsam Tsam had been an excellent stay for us though, providing us with fantastic views of some key species.

Slender-snouted Crocodile

Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

White-crested Tiger Heron

The big prize & one of the birds of the entire trip.

Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

Shining Blue Kingfisher

Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

Cassin's Flycatcher

Photo courtesy of Glen Valentine.

The 28th August was basically a travel day but we were missing one key species: White-crested Tiger Heron! David & Glen arranged an early morning start on another boat down the Mphive Channel. By this time all of us had had enough of boats but we went & it turned out to be a great trip! We spent the rest of the day travelling by boat to Port Gentil where we did a little birding ( we scored with Loango Weaver) & then caught a flight to Libreville.