Page 15 - Dainfern Precinct Living Issue 11 2022
P. 15
Travel
BIRDING
IN MOZAMBIQUE
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY ANTHONY CAVANAGH
Steppe Whimbrel
A number of birds in delay at the Ressano
the Southern African Garcia border post
obtaining visas for the
non-SADC members of
region are found A our party resulted in
only in Mozambique, our arriving late at our first overnight
stop at the Pousada Jolly Roger Lodge
and it was with in Inharrime, some 380km north of
Maputo.
great anticipation Next morning at first light our three
therefore that vehicles departed and headed for the
wetlands to the west of Inharrime.
Sue and I together Etienne had us walking abreast in a
long line through the wetland and
with seven other in so doing we flushed the Great
Bittern, one of our target birds,
members of the which we all saw. We then drove
Wits Bird Club set on to the woodlands in the Panda
area where Etienne pointed out
off with our guide, other specials such as Olive-headed
Weaver, Mashona Hyliota, Pale Batis,
Etienne Marais, to and Racquet-tailed Roller.
see as many of these En route to our next stop at
Morrungulo Lodge, some 170km
special birds as north of Inharrime, we stopped
at the Inhambane estuary where,
possible. amongst a number of Whimbrels,
Etienne identified a single Steppe
Whimbrel. This is the rarest of the five
sub-species of Whimbrel, which was
thought to be extinct before being
rediscovered in 1997. The Steppe
Whimbrel can be identified by its
white underwings and axillaries.
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