A birding trip to Zimbabwe & Mozambique

Transcription

1 A birding trip to Zimbabwe & Mozambique December 2013 Andy Mears African Pitta at Coutada 12 All photos by Marc Thibault Of the three races of African Pitta, the migrant longipennis differs most from its close relative, Green-breasted Pitta. With the taxonomy far from unravelled, I was keen to see this particular race and I began looking into options a couple of years ago. Wintering birds have not been seen in and around Kenya s Sokoke Forest for well over 10 years now and sadly, the source of this population must subsequently have been destroyed. Several intrepid birders had scored in southern Zambia and in northern Zimbabwe during the breeding season but all the information seemed scant and none of the sites gave the impression of reliability. Scouring the Southern African Birdfinder book only gave tantalising references to remote locations and trying to contact anyone in those areas proved fruitless. s to the birding organisations in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique all led more or less nowhere. I d been told by knowing South African birders that Mozambique was the place but could find no details of sites. Chris Gooddie famously encountered a bird in Zambia, recounted in my favourite chapter in his book, The Jewel Hunter, but boy did that sound hairy. A couple of bird guides offered to set up trips for me but their prices were high while site details worryingly low. A breakthrough came in 2012 when Chris Lotz kindly sent me his excellent article from the ABC bulletin, Vol 19.1 entitled A productive birding transect from highland Zimbabwe to coastal Mozambique. Suddenly, here were full details of a seemingly reliable site in a safe area with accommodation close by and plenty of other great birds in the vicinity. The most natural way to do it would be to start from Harare in Zimbabwe, bird across slowly to Beira in Mozambique taking in the pitta en route, and then fly back to Harare. This short flight was expensive though and I was not prepared to simply spend whatever was necessary. A brainwave hit - bird your way out and bird your way back - there were plenty of sites to go at - and there was a killer option pinned down at last. There are a few web reports from birders who ve essentially followed this route in the last few years but Chris s article remains essential reading for anyone contemplating a similar trip. It is currently available on the ABC web site under Bulletins: I did seriously consider a visit to Masoka in northern Zimbabwe, another site that has recently built up a good track record of African Pitta sightings, but the Zim/Mo alternative offers a wider range of specialities for a two-week visit in early December. With more time you could do both of course and try for Lilian s Lovebird too. Of all the guides I d contacted, Etienne Marais from Indicator Birding seemed closest to offering an ideal trip. I pitched a proposal to him: I would recruit a team of three, he would drive us in one vehicle, and we would pay X USD per day all in; and thankfully we had a deal. Etienne efficiently set up our itinerary and made all the necessary bookings: Etienne Marais: info AT birding.co.za

2 In the event, Etienne already had bookings made at Mphingwe Lodge so we worked the trip around those. Additionally, Errol De Beer from Johannesburg was called in to drive and guide as Etienne had the opportunity to run a separate trip with other clients over our dates. Everything went like clockwork from the moment Errol picked us up at Harare Airport. He proved to be absolutely perfect for this somewhat gruelling road trip. We parted great friends after two weeks and his endless energy, impressive good humour and excellent knowledge of the birds mean that I have not the slightest hesitation in recommending him: Errol De Beer: erroldb AT mweb.co.za My good friends Marc Thibault (from France) and Ollie Wardman joined me for the trip. Travelling through Zimbabwe is potentially risky for anyone who doesn t know the country; and potentially very risky for us Brits. This was borne out by our double entry visas costing USD70 in comparison with Marc s at just USD55, and also by Errol s assessment of the trouble you could get in if you had a road accident. Mozambique is Portuguese-speaking so the potential for problems there seemed quite high too. I suspect that our decision to enlist a relatively local driver with experience of both countries was a sound one. Having said all that, the local people we met in both Zim and Mo were amazingly friendly and welcoming, and at no point did we feel anything other than safe. Here is the final itinerary actually followed by Ollie and me: Dec13 Birding Accommodation 1st Late afternoon at Cecil Kop NR (Mutare, Zim ) Torksey Guest House, The Bvumba (Zim ) 2nd The Bvumba, Torksey and Chicamba Dam loop (Mo ) Nhambita Camp, Gorongosa (Mo ) 3rd Gorongosa Mountain (Mo ) Mphingwe Lodge, Catapu (Mo ) 4th Coutada 12 (Mo ) Mphingwe Lodge, Catapu (Mo ) 5th Coutada 12 & village areas close by (Mo ) Mphingwe Lodge, Catapu (Mo ) 6th Zambesi & village areas (Mo ) Mphingwe Lodge, Catapu (Mo ) 7th* Mphingwe Lodge (Mo ) Mphingwe Lodge, Catapu (Mo ) 8th* Mphingwe Lodge and Nhambita Camp (Mo ) Nhambita Camp, Gorongosa (Mo ) 9th Gorongosa NP & areas close by (Mo ) Seldomseen Cottages, The Bvumba (Zim ) 10th The Bvumba, Seldomseen and Honde Valley (Zim ) Aberfoyle Lodge, Honde Valley (Zim ) 11th Gleneagles and Mutarazi Falls (Zim ) Far and Wide Cottages, Nyanga (Zim ) 12th Gosho Park (Zim ) Crake Cottage, Harare (Zim ) 13th Christon Bank NR and Harare lakes, morning only (Zim ) n/a * Marc and Errol spent most of the 7 th and 8 th driving further south and birding the Rio Savane Floodplain near Beira, then we all met up back at Nhambita Camp to finish off the trip together.

3 The first couple of days were slightly rushed, a consequence of fitting in with the Mphingwe bookings, which were carefully timed to coincide with the rains as far as possible so this couldn t easily be avoided. The theory is that the pittas display as soon as the summer rains begin, and this is typically in late November or early December. Displaying birds are noisy around dawn and can be carefully stalked hopefully leading to views. The display period does not last long however and is all but over in a matter of two weeks. Our experiences led me to revise my own views on this slightly and more on that follows. Visas: Double entry visas for Zimbabwe can be bought easily on arrival at Harare Airport with prices as above; and we d read that obtaining Mozambique visas could be problematical at the border near Mutare so we opted to buy them in advance. Mine cost around USD75 total using recorded delivery in the UK. The border crossings were fine and took about an hour each way. Travel: The roads in both Zimbabwe and Mozambique were impressively good. A few were rather potholed but nothing too bad and none were very busy; in fact, many in rural Mozambique were all but deserted at times. We also used a lot of dirt track and getting up Mount Gorongosa, and up to Gleneagles, was tough even for the rugged 4x4 that Etienne provided for our trip. Errol regularly had to produce his driving licence and vehicle import licence to roadside police but this never proved to be a problem. Apparently, just before we arrived, he stopped at the roadside, lifted the bonnet and was topping up the windscreen wash when a policeman came over and booked him for running an illegal garage. Genius, I think the fine was USD20 if I remember rightly. There are very few gas stations in the areas close to the Zambezi and careful planning is needed to avoid serious problems. Close to Mphingwe for example, Caia town is the only source of fuel and stocks regularly run low. Accommodation and food: All was of a good standard with very good South African style meals provided. Some of it was rather at the top end of what I regard as perfect for a birding trip but I suspect that it is a case of high standards or pretty low standards in many areas, with more or less nothing in between. This seems harsh in two countries where many people are very poor but we were bringing tourist dollars in and our trip would have been no use if we were constantly ill from living in conditions that our soft European constitutions simply couldn t cope with. Errol had breakfast kit and hot water flasks with him so early mornings could be spent in the field on virtually every day and coffee made whenever - just the job. Evening beers and roadside cokes were not expensive at all. Cash: US Dollars are used throughout Zimbabwe (how they keep track of what s coming in and out of the country I can t imagine). It was easy to change USDs to Mozambique Meticals at the border post and Errol used ATMs in both countries although sometimes a search was required for a working machine in a town. The trip was expensive for birders used to independent travel and modest budgets but with hindsight, I feel it was great value for money. Weather: Pretty pleasant really - warm to hot in most areas, cooler in the hills of course often with mist at dawn and for better or worse, we saw very little rain during our stay. Insects: Just a few mosquitoes around and all our accommodation provided nets where necessary. I did pick up a good array of bites though so taking anti-malaria pills, which I did, may have been a wise decision. The tsetse flies in the Coutadas were annoying but nothing really to worry about and they are not known to carry disease. A few notes follow on the sites and their birds. Many are in the Birdfinder book or easily found on the web.

4 Cecil Kop nature reserve, Mutare Our first venture into miombo woodland and in a short, late afternoon session we picked up a few nice birds such as our first Black-eared Seedeater and Miombo Double-collared Sunbird. We couldn t find a decent feeding flock however, which is the key to miombo birding. Torksey Guest House, The Bvumba We birded the forest trail just behind the Torksey Guest House for a couple of hours from dawn, highlights being Livingstone s Turaco, Stripe-cheeked Greenbul, White-tailed Crested Flycatcher, Orange Ground-thrush, Swynnerton s Robin and Robert s Warbler. Very nice birding. Chicamba Dam loop Soon after entering Mozambique, we turned south onto a broad dirt track and made a long loop that essentially circumnavigated the Chicamba Dam. Stopping several times yielded our first Eastern Saw-wings, Orange-breasted Waxbill, a welcome Miombo Rock-thrush, several Miombo Blue-eared Starlings and singing Stierling s Wren- Warbler amongst others. The best miombo was not far from the end of the loop and a good option might be to take the main road east before simply driving south to this area. Gorongosa Mountain The best way to access the mountain has changed several times over the years and we left the excellent Nhambita Camp well before dawn to make the long drive as high up as we could get. Something like an hour on tarmac was followed by around two on a bullock track and all our fillings were thoroughly loosened by the end of it. Even Errol needed a local guide from the Camp to navigate us across the farmland and to within 2km of good forest (which sadly continues to recede year on year). We checked all the finches for Lesser Seedcracker on the drive in but none were found. The forest was superb and the three hours we spent in it were a trip highlight. Green-headed Orioles are pretty special creatures and were surprisingly common; Livingstone s Turacos were everywhere; and extras such as Blackthroated Wattle-eye, Bronze-naped Pigeons and Pallid Honeyguides were more than welcome as was our first Chirinda Apalis of the trip. Just below the forest, a male Red-chested Flufftail was calling from a dense, swampy area in the farmland at mid-day. I managed a brief view of the bird but we hadn t realised that while we sat in cover waiting for it to emerge, our local guide was stood in full view right behind us in his multi-coloured T-shirt. As soon as the flufftail saw him, it bolted back into cover. Not our finest hour. An Anchieta s Tchagra showed well in the grasslands on the walk up to the forest. Coutada 12 and Mphingwe Lodge A sandy jeep track runs right through the massive hunting concession, Coutada 12, and gives very easy access to broad-leaved forest areas interspersed with grassy woodland. It s very wild and warm, has few dangerous mammals and is a great place for birding as long as you don t get lost off trail. We were told that several antelope species are hunted sustainably in Coutada 12. This part of the world has had a torrid history but some large, natural areas appear to be protected at present. It is a shame that this is largely due to access being restricted to a privileged few hunters, researchers and birders. Perhaps this will change as Mozambique consolidates its recent, relatively stable political situation. Mphingwe Lodge serves the hunting concessions in the central Mozambique area south of the Zambezi and is run by a sawmill operative manufacturing hardwood furniture - the perfect combination to provide very uncomfortable and tense conversations over evening meals I d assumed. I m pleased to say that this was not the case over our four days, however. While we were there, we saw no trucks taking out logs, heard no chain saws and met not a single hunter. In fact, we had Coutada 12 entirely to ourselves over two days with the crucial exception of a guy named Mack. The only other guests at the lodge were a leading expert on African trees, an intern forest researcher and some of the owner s visiting family. The lodge is smart but simple and perfect for birders, and more information can be found here: target =mphingwe-range After hearing that Zimbabwe had seen rain in mid-november, I was worried that the short display period for the pittas might be over and done with before we arrived at the Coutadas on 3 rd December. The Mphingwe owner told us that they d had no recent rain however, but it usually hit sometime between 29 th November and 4 th December - and here were grounds for optimism.

5 We were also told that when the rain does hit, a pair of pittas holds territory right next to the lodge and the male immediately starts displaying loudly and for prolonged periods. News indeed. My understanding was that the pittas were only seen in the forested hunting concessions, which are an hour s drive from Mphingwe. The habitat around the lodge is a mix of quite nice looking forest and rather dry woodland. To my untrained eye, the woodland really did not look like great pitta habitat but I was to be proved comprehensively wrong. Mack was a friendly South African birder carefully looking after his southern African list. This was an important trip for him with a few key targets; and two days before our arrival he had stumbled upon a pair of foraging pittas in Coutada 12. Great news for us, at least we had a lead to follow until it rained. Errol pumped Mack for gen over beers and gave plenty back in exchange. Next morning we were on site at dawn and just getting our bearings before walking in to the forest north from the track to reach Mack s precise pitta spot. An Eastern Nicator had been hammering out its fabulous song since our arrival but just above it I heard what sounded like prrrr-oip. I looked over to Errol who had stopped dead in his tracks and was listening intently. Another call rang out - there was definitely a pitta displaying to the south. Yikes, why was this bird fired up when there d been no rain? Maybe this was just a prelude from a particularly impatient male. We started to sneak in towards it but the displaying had now stopped. Errol went in quite quickly and suddenly he was waving us over and emphatically whispering pitta. He d seen it on the ground well ahead of us, just like that. Marc was closest and soon had a view but Ollie and I were behind and carefully had to try once we d caught up. We knelt or sat to get decent views across the forest floor, which was relatively open, and Ollie was soon getting me on the bird. Wow, there was an African Pitta hopping through the leaf litter some 30m in front of us. It fed in typical pitta style, flicking leaves aggressively and darting in to take small prey items. It also spent long periods motionless just as the literature suggests. I had assumed that this was a rather general statement made to beef up the account of a bird of which little was known. It really does seem to be a trait of this particular species though. In dappled sunlight, the plumage would provide pretty good camouflage but when quietly perched in the shade, the colours were intense and fully saturated, a truly stunning bird. We had half an hour of on-off viewing and at one point, a second pitta flew in, squaring up to the first and revealing its sky blue rump patch. We lost both birds soon after that but our precious encounter was in the bag. With the pressure off, we birded the area hard for another two days seeing all the key specials in Coutada 12. Tiny Greenbul, Red-winged Warbler, Livingstone s Flycatcher, Black-headed Apalis, Chestnut-fronted & Retz s Helmetshrikes, African Broadbill, Narina Trogon, Mangrove Kingfisher, Speckle-throated Woodpecker, Whitechested Alethe, East Coast Akalat and Red-throated Twinspot all scored top marks and offered good views. The akalat was seen fairly easily and gave close, prolonged views. White-chested Alethe was harder but we all managed a range of views from OK to good. Barred Owlet was heard but remained unseen for us. A nice view of a Four-toed Elephant Shrew after dark was fascinating. Just a few other mammal species were seen such as Red & Common Duiker, Nyala and Samango Monkey.

6 East Coast Akalat, Coutada 12 Livingstone s Flycatcher, Coutada 12 We also missed the following, which are important species for southern African listers but were less of a worry for us: Vanga Flycatcher (seen by Mack), Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo and Plain-backed Sunbird. On our last scheduled morning at Mphingwe, the 7 th of December, we were keen to try for more pitta views so despite the lack of rain, we were out before dawn to see if anything was happening around the lodge. Marc and I searched separately and had no luck but Errol heard a displaying pitta while he was sorting out the vehicle for the day beside his cabin. He found the bird just 75m from the lodge and did his best to round us up. The pitta probably displayed for around 15 minutes up in a large tree but by the time Marc arrived, it was on the ground feeding happily in a shady patch of cover. A couple of minutes before I arrived, it was flushed by an African Goshawk. Later that day it rained heavily so I wonder if the pitta had sensed the forthcoming downpour and hence gone into display mode. Well this led us to rethink the next two days, and Ollie and I opted to forfeit birding the grasslands and miombo further south to try for displaying pitta views at Mphingwe. Before heading off, Errol set us up with a lift from Mphingwe to Nhambita for 10am the next morning with a local driver, Paulo. Out just before dawn on the 8 th - that s about 4.20am - we were amazed to hear two pittas loudly calling to each other from inky black tangles close to the lodge grounds. This was the unmistakable, loud, liquid quoip call and I suspect a wake up contact between a pair rather than display. We quietly walked towards one but it then called behind us - we d walked right past it! The bird was just 25m from the lodge restaurant and perhaps 8m from us. A staff member casually walked past and it called again. We were totally unprepared for this scenario - essentially a roosting bird - and started to peer into the bushes as it sounded like it was perched around head height. This was a bad move and a dusky blur flew away into the darkness. I realise now that we should have either tried spotlighting or just quietly waited for it to come light to see how it played out. And that was pretty much it for us and the African Pittas. We did hear a couple of more distant displays half an hour later, just the presumed wing beat prrrrp sound, but we never came close to seeing a bird again. My conclusion is that both the rains and the display have a protracted and unpredictable lead in (and probably lead out). No doubt the major rains often begin in that late November / early December five-day period and this would prompt the most intense period of display. The Mphingwe staff even said that at times, the constantly displaying male pitta gets a bit annoying! Etienne was on site a day or two after us with his group and for them, the weather remained very dry and they really struggled, obtaining just one view of a flushed bird over two days. It might follow that the period for catching up with this species is a bit wider but more unpredictable than I previously thought. Chris Gooddie s experience in southern Zambia would also seem to back this up (do read the book). With some luck, time and care, you only need to hear brief displays to have a chance of seeing a bird. Once on the ground, they are not the most skittish of pittas, and the forest floor at Coutada 12 and Mphingwe is relatively easy to observe. As far as the calls are concerned, the full display would appear to be wing beats with a vocalised call; but a subdisplay may be just the wing beats alone; and the call alone can be used for contact. Anyone have a better theory? A few other good species were logged around the lodge such as Purple-crested Turaco, Eastern Bearded Scrub-

7 robin, Eastern Nicator, Red-throated Twinspot and Kirk s Francolin. A couple of drinking pools can be viewed from the restaurant and a few nice species came in while we were there. Zambezi River We spent most of a day birding wetlands north and south of the Zambezi River bridge close to Chimuara. The birding was great with a wide range of species seen including Eastern Nicator, Anchieta s Tchagra, Moustached Grasswarbler, Orange-breasted Waxbill, Lesser Jacana, Greater Painted Snipe, Long-toed & White-crowned Lapwings and White-backed Duck; Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters were very common and a few wintering wader species were also seen. The wetlands are obvious from the road and with a bit of perseverance, finding access should be no problem for the first time visitor. The local people were again extremely friendly but a fisherman had captured an Allen s Gallinule and several Black Crakes, perhaps as by-catch. Errol purchased the gallinule and released it. Areas close to Mphingwe We also spent some time exploring the general area close to Mphingwe, driving various dirt tracks and visiting a selection of grassy areas and thickets. Most interesting were multiple Square-tailed & European Nightjars, twinspots again, a Southern Banded Snake-eagle from the road and a Swallow-tailed Bee-eater. A single Banded Martin may in fact be an unusual record. Rio Savane Floodplain Marc and Errol targeted four species in the floodplain seeing Blue Quail, Locust Finch and Quail Finch well; but missing Black-rumped Buttonquail. They tried hard for Racquet-tailed Roller in roadside miombo but without success. This was more than made up for however when they found a juvenile Thick-billed Cuckoo being fed by a pair of Retz s Helmet-Shrikes - a very special moment. A couple of close Ayer s Hawk-eagles were also good finds. Nhambita Camp (Envirotrade), Gorongosa This was a great place to stay, out in the wilds with permanent tents and top hospitality. African Wood Owl was common in the grounds and Spotted Eagle-owl also showed. A few Cabanis s Buntings were singing at the roadside just a few kms prior to the camp and Southern Hyliota was seen briefly in the miombo. When the dogs started barking during diner, we were pretty surprised to look under a sideboard next to our table and see a Mozambique Spitting Cobra with head raised and hood flared. A beautiful creature, it was rather sad to see it summarily despatched by the owner. It s reported to be a common species in the area however and I guess they just acquire the status of rather dangerous pest. Gorongosa NP We only birded the areas within a few kms of the entrance and up to the Chitengo Headquarters. Racquet-tailed Roller was again a target that could not be found while Collared Palm-thrushes were common in the HQ grounds. We didn t have time to venture further into the park where we may have seen some nice game. Red-throated Twinspot, Mphingwe Lodge Collared Palm-thrush, Gorongosa NP

8 Seldomseen Cottages, The Bvumba Another ideal place to stay with good birding on the doorstep and here we had the well-known guide Bulawesi for a morning. His main task was to show us Red-faced Crimsonwing, which he did in a roadside area where their favourite vine was seeding. He s quite expensive at USD5 per person per hour but pretty good and can be booked through the guest house. We came close to a Buff-spotted Flufftail but Bulawesi saw them recently with chicks so it s not surprising that they were difficult to temp out. Bronzy Sunbird was seen and a short session in the local miombo yielded Striped Pipit and our only Green-backed Honeybird of the trip. Before heading north to the Honde Valley, we called in at the Mutare Golf Park, which is a reliable site for Whyte s Barbet. While taking a drink and snack in the club, we watched a few minutes of the Nelson Mandela memorial day on TV - one of those moments when real life suddenly and poignantly appears during an intense birding trip. After a short walk onto the golf course, a couple of barbets were quickly found, one showing very well. Honde Valley We didn t try for Zambezi Indigobird being assured they were out of plumage and very hard to ID or locate. We made a few casual stops as we passed through the valley but the hoped for Orange-winged Pytillias couldn t be found. Aberfoyle Lodge & Gleneagles There s a local guide here, Morgan, also very good - and also expensive. He came up to Gleneagles with us, a long drive with 4x4 essential. Blue Swallow was seen well but Striped Flufftail was only heard briefly in a spectacular setting. We also had good views of both Mottled & Scarce Swifts. We d have had more chance with the flufftail if we d made it to Gleneagles earlier than mid-morning on a sunny day. Lots of nice birding was to be had on the way up though, including Green & Red-throated Twinspots, Black-fronted Bushshrike, swynnertoni Red-necked Spurfowl, Wailing Cisticola and crimsonwings again. The flufftails are present in the damp, open valley bottoms in the upland grasslands but we suspect they may have had young and were extra elusive much as the Buff-spots were at Seldomseen. Mutarazi Falls We also made a quick attempt for Striped Flufftail late in the afternoon near the stunning Mutarazi Falls. We walked back from the car park and down across the heathland to a damp, open valley. The flufftails are in the rank, damp vegetation but we had no joy (not even heard here). At the falls, close perched views of a Peregrine were rather dramatic. Far and Wide (outdoor adventure), Nyanga Just strategically placed accommodation for us but the owners have Striped Flufftail in their garden - worth asking if they could help you see it but we d run out of time by then. A birder called Josh works here, potentially useful for anyone birding their own way through the area and contact details should be easily found on the web. Gosho Park The reserve seems to be open 24/7 but there s a day charge at the gate and a night charge from 6pm. We had great birding during a long day s visit but we later discovered that in a recent intensive survey, only two Cinnamonbreasted Tits were found in the entire park. Our many highlights included Striped & Wood Pipits, Pygmy Kingfisher, Miombo Tit, Spotted Creeper, more of the speciality hyliotas, barbets, seedeaters and rock-thrushes; plus two quality birds for Marc, brief Collared Flycatcher and Arnott s Chat. Christon Bank (former botanical gardens), Harare Boulder Chats were almost silent and definitely invisible in Gosho (nesting perhaps). A dawn visit to Christon Bank on our last day did the job though where a bird was calling and seen well in the nature reserve. Whyte s Barbet was also seen again. Harare Lakes We then failed to find Rosy-throated Longclaw when quickly visiting a couple of the local lakes near Harare. Croaking Cisticola, Red-breasted Swallow and Western Marsh Harrier were most interesting amongst a good range of commoner waterbirds, and Crake Cottage was a great place to spend our final night. The owner, Dorothy, seems very knowledgeable on the local birds and wetlands.

9 Miombo Tit, Gosho Park Spotted Creeper, Gosho Park Roadside birding Some great species were seen simply along the remoter roads. Three Dickinson s Kestrels gave excellent views somewhere west of Catapu and a flock of 20 or so Eurasian Hobbies entertained in the last of the light one evening hawking round a large forest clearing. An Amur Falcon and Lizard Buzzard added variety to the flock. A good range of other raptor species was seen and Abdim s Storks and African Openbills were notably common in several areas. We made plenty of opportunistic stops at roadside miombo during the two weeks and while activity could be good right up to mid-day, we possibly should have made more early morning visits. We ended up missing just Cinnamonbreasted Tit from the miombo specialities. You can t have everything on a short trip though and being at Mphingwe at the right time was undoubtedly more important. Our final trip list was around 350 species and I can provide it on request. For some species (e.g. the flufftails) we were slightly too late in the season to maximise our chances; but for African Pitta and many other breeders we were arguably spot on. We were probably too early by a few weeks for indigobirds and some wetland species but we spent little time in the famous Harare vleis. We ll have to go back - twice. Sincere thanks are due to Etienne Marais, Errol De Beer and Chris Lotz. This was a superb trip that easily warranted two weeks and would probably justify slightly longer. It was also tempting to head off into Northern Mozambique once we d crossed the Zambezi. Another time perhaps. Keith Betton provided some helpful advice - thank you Keith. And lastly, thank you Mack - if you re out there reading this, do drop me a line. Andy Mears, Jan14 topflusher AT yahoo.co.uk Coutada 12