Page 38 - Waterfall City Issue 2 February 2023

The Sanctuary on the San Sebastian
36 Waterfall City Issue 2
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 sandbars that
attract numerous rare migratory
seabirds 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
Chestnut-fronted Helmetshrike be admitted to the reserve.
Etienne had booked a motorboat to
take us around the estuary and at dawn
we set off across the calm estuary
water to explore the first sandbar. Bird
sightings included numerous terns like
the Lesser crested, Damara, Swift, and
Common Tern, Lesser and Greater Sand
Plovers, and Common Ringed Plover.
On a second sandbar, Etienne sighted
two Mozambique specials i.e. a flock of
Crab Plovers and a number of Saunders’
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.
Snorkeling in the relatively clear water
Green Tinkerbird around the pier at this spot revealed
Angel fish, Lionfish and Tilapia, among
others.
Our second day on the boat in the
estuary took us to yet more sandbars
where we observed an African
Oystercatcher, as well as many more
terns and another look at the very
special Saunders’ Tern. We decided to
return to our lodge at low tide, which
necessitated our motoring out to sea
to go around the sandbars. Humpback
dolphins that inhabit the estuary were
seen and a flock of Greater Flamingos
flew overhead.
One could feel the pull of the ocean
as Rashid, our pilot, drove the boat
Eastern Nicator through the breakers. The boat rose
2023