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| African Fish Eagle |
Several Violet Turacos were seen making their way through the trees, three Oriole Warblers showed well low down in the bank-side vegetation, and four Swamp Flycatchers perched on low overhanging branches.
We turned a corner and made our way up a narrow creek, and after five minutes of scanning, the moment of truth came when an African Finfoot was picked up making its way along a bank. We spent about ten minutes watching this enigmatic species at extremely close range while it exhibited its natural behavior, completely unphased by our presence. It would swim back and forth, stopping to peck through the muddy bank sides for invertebrates, occasionally darting up over the bank to chase any prey items making an escape.
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| African Finfoot |
We then turned back to the main river and when around to the channel of the river that runs around the south side of MacCarthy Island, where hippos can often be seen. Unfortunately, the tide was too high for them to come out onto the river from where they forage deep behind the thick vegetation on the riverside. Despite this, a flock of 12 Knob-billed Ducks and a Gabar Goshawk flew over.
With the ferry out of action, we had to travel back the way we came. We stopped off at a series of ponds to look for African Pygmy Goose, but drew a blank. This species would have been nailed on if we had been able to continue across to the south bank.
After a long drive, and having crossed back over to the south using the new road bridge, where the Georgetown ferry itself had been operating just two years ago, we stopped off back at Toniataba where after a long search, found two Brown-rumped Buntings in the top of a tree. Other birds in the area included Brubru, Yellow Penduline Tit, Green Bee-eater, Red-winged Prinia and White-fronted Black-Chat.
A little way down the road near Nema Kuta, we finally connected with some Temminck's Coursers in a barren field. We received great views of two birds as they slowly circled us, approaching closer and closer. Then another six flew over showing their blunt ended, lapwing-like wings, which for some reason I hadn't expected having never seen coursers before.
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| Temmink's Courser |