Page 31 - Silver Lakes February Issue 2023

TRAVEL

Olive Bee-eater Eastern Nicator

Green Tinkerbird Red-necked Spurfowl

Etienne had booked a motorboat to take many more sandbars so we decided to which involved motoring out to sea to go
us around the estuary, and at dawn we moor the boat in front of one of the around the sandbars. Humpback dolphins
set off across the calm estuary water to upmarket developments on the eastern that inhabit the estuary were seen and a
explore the first sandbar. Bird sightings side. Snorkelling in the relatively clear flock of Greater Flamingos flew overhead.
included numerous ternslike the Lesser water around the pier at this spot revealed
crested, Damara, Swift, and Common Angel fish, Lionfish and Tilapia, among One could feel the pull of the ocean as
Terns, Lesser and Greater Sand Plovers, others. Rashid, our pilot, guided the boat through
and Common Ringed Plover. On a second the breakers. The boat rose up on the waves
sandbar, Etienne sighted two Mozambique Our second day on the boat in the estuary and then crashed down into a trough, only
specials i.e. a flock of Crab Plovers and took us to yet more sandbars, where we to rise up again on the next wave and drop
a number of Saunders’ Tern, the latter observed the African Oystercatcher as well down again. Gradually, we eased our way
having been discovered only very recently as many more terns and we got another out beyond the breakers but could still feel
in Mozambique. At low tide, the estuary look at the very special Saunders’ Tern. We the power of the open ocean. Interesting
becomes very shallow in places, revealing decided to return to our lodge at low tide, sightings out at sea included humpback

INTRAMUROS FEBRUARY 2023 | 29