Page 17 - Dainfern Precinct Living Issue 11 2022

Travel

Morrungulo Lodge is situated on a
palm-fringed beach which gives it a
tropical ambiance. Mosquito nets
over the beds added to the exotic
atmosphere and were essential to
keep the many mosquitos at bay.

The next morning, again at first light,
we set off for the woodlands west
of Unguane. Our target bird was the
Green Tinkerbird, which is extremely
rare and found in only a few small
patches of coastal scrub-thicket.
Although we searched for a few
hours, the Green Tinkerbird eluded
us on this occasion. Nevertheless,
we sighted Livingstone’s Flycatcher,
Neergard’s Sunbird and Blue-throated
Sunbird. Baobab trees are common in
this part of Mozambique and around
the baobabs Etienne identified both Racquet-tailed Roller
Bohm’s Spinetail and Mottled Spinetail
and highlighted the differences
between the two species.

The Sanctuary on the San Sebastian
Peninsula is the southernmost part
of the Bazaruto archipelago and
stretches over some 30 000 hectares
of conserved land and ocean. It is a
birding hotspot, as the huge estuary
incorporates many sand bars that
attract numerous rare migratory
sea birds and waders. To reach The
Sanctuary area, one drives along a
90km sand road from the EN1 main
road. Proof of booked accommodation
at Jacana Camp is essential in order to
be admitted to the reserve.

Etienne had booked a motorboat
to take us around the estuary and Eastern
at dawn we set off across the calm Nicator
estuary water to explore the first sand
bar. Bird sightings included numerous
terns including Lesser crested, Damara,
Swift, and Common Tern, Lesser and
Greater Sand Plovers, and Common
Ringed Plover. On a second sand bar,
Etienne sighted two Mozambique
specials i.e. a flock of Crab Plovers
and a number of Saunder’s Tern, the
latter having been discovered only
very recently in Mozambique. At low
tide, the estuary becomes very shallow
in places, revealing many more
sandbars and we decided to moor the
boat in front of one of the upmarket
developments on the eastern side of
the estuary. Snorkeling in the relatively
clear water around the pier at this
spot revealed Angel fish, Lionfish and
Tilapia, among others.
Red-necked Spurfowl
Our second day on the boat in the
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