Wings of Kafue

6 Nov

When you arrive at a magical place like the Kafue National Park in Zambia, it is easy to get a bit overwhelmed by the abundance of wildlife. The plains, woods and rivers are teeming with predators, numerous antelopes, elephants and hippos. They are all so majestic in their own ways. It is easy to overlook the smaller creatures, such as the birds. Particularly the smaller birds … like the tiny Cisticola hiding in the bushes.

On my last visit to Zambia I did not give the birds the time and attention they deserve. This time I was determined to focus more on the abundantly beautiful bird life. There are over 500 species of birds in Kafue alone. Having trawled through my photos from this year’s trip, I have concluded that I managed to take photos of almost one hundred different bird species from my days in Kafue. For the geeks among you, a full list can be found at the end of this blog. Granted, not all these photos are worth presenting. Some are heavily backlit, or the bird is somewhat hidden among branches, or a tad too far away leading to a heavy crop. But, some of the photos turned out beautifully.

The colour and variety of birdlife never fails to amaze me, particularly on trips abroad. Although we have many beautiful birds in the UK, there is something special and exciting about spotting and photographing tropical birds (see also my Costa Rica Gallery) – birds you cannot see readily or daily. It is a treat to observe these beautiful creatures. Heard of the Orange-breasted Bushshrike, the Grey-backed Camaroptera, the Rosy-throated Longclaw, or even the Bohm’s Bee-eater? No, neither had I before this trip. It is quite exciting to photograph new birds … well, if you’re excited about birds that is 😉

The Kafue birds come in all size and shapes: The tall and gangly Wattled Cranes and the majestic Martial Eagle, to the colourful bee-eaters and sunbirds, the tiny Cisticolas and pre-historic looking hornbills. Some are notoriously difficult to photograph, as they are skulking in the thickets, high up or just flitting around incredibly fast, such as the African Paradise Flycatcher. It is a challenge to move a 500mm f4 lens with a 1.4 teleconverter around quickly whilst handheld and be able to grab the shot against the rapidly changing light as the bird moves between the branches above you.

African Paradise Flycatcher - it didn’t ever sit still for very long

Other birds can be more accommodating, such as the Kingfishers when they are sitting totally still focused on the fish in the water below their perching branch oblivious to the boat drifting by.

One of the highlights of the visit was the ability to take photos from a boat on the Kafue river. Drifting along the riverbanks with its varied and vibrant bird life was special. Navigating up and down the Kafue river and its tributary, the Lufupa river, allowed for close up observation of Kingfishers, Cormorants, Herons, Fish Eagles and Darters among many other birds. The Reed Cormorant with its piercing red eyes was surprisingly elegant, ditto the African Darter with its huge wings and kinked snake-like neck.

In the middle of the river was an island sandbank. This was home to four pairs of African Skimmers. They seemed to be able to create a flimsy existence on the sands where they lay their eggs. The only problem is that this little island was a regular stopping point for hippos and elephants crossing the 100m wide Kafue river. The many eggshells were evidence of the struggle to produce and raise chicks on this patch of river frequented by huge trampling mammals. You wondered how long this small colony of the endangered Skimmers would survive. This is a rare bird with only around 15,000 individuals in existence. They are beautiful, with their specialised beaks with a long lower mandible tailored to catch fish when they dive down and fly just above the waterline skimming along with the lower beak just breaking the surface. When they touch a fish the beak slams shut. To catch this action is the ultimate Skimmer photo, but to make it even more tricky they prefer to feed at or after dusk when the light is poor. We spent two evenings with the Skimmers. Only on the last one did we see any feeding. I got one shot … literally the last one I took of the Skimmers when one eventually obliged in front of the boat after sunset.

African Skimmer doing the skimming business at sunset

Another fascinating group of birds is the weavers. The male creates elaborate hanging nests from trees to protect the eggs. The male then attempts to court the female with their nest. A good solid nest which looks like it will survive the breeding season will win over the female. A Spectacled Weaver was busy constructing a nest in strong winds in a tall tree in the Musekese Bush Camp on the edge of the Kafue river. The backlighting was tricky, but I got a few decent shots of this busy bird constructing its nest. The weavers lay eggs of different colours to help avoid parasite birds moving their eggs in. Cuckoos don’t know what colour the weavers eggs will be so the weavers can more easily eject the eggs they don’t recognise. Clever.

A bonus was the bird hide at the Ntemwa Bush Camp. Behind a simple screen one could view a small pond with overhanging perches. A few hours spent observing the birds flying in and out to drink revealed a richness in variety one would easily otherwise miss. It also allows for better photos whereby the perch and the background are more easily controlled. I caught some great shots of Bulbuls, Waxbills, Buntings, Finches, colourful Starlings and Sunbirds as well as the impressive Barbets among many others.

There was an impressive array of birds of prey in Kafue. Large and elegant raptors such as the Martial Eagle, the Tawny Eagle and the African Harrier Hawk. In addition, I got some great shots of the Yellow-billed Kite, the Black-winged Kite and majestic looking Vultures. The morning spent observing a Fish Eagle hunt at a waterhole was particularly rewarding. The rising sun created a pinkish sheen on the water when the Eagle repeatedly swooped down to catch fish for breakfast.

All in all, a very rewarding trip for bird photography – highly recommended. More photos can be found in the Birds of Zambia Gallery on this site. Below is a full list of the birds I photographed.