Zambezi Traveller Issue 16 (Mar 2014) Full Content Listing

Zambezi Traveller Issue 16 (Mar 2014) Full Content Listing

The March 2014 issue of the Zambezi Traveller looks at birds and birding across the KAZA transfrontier area, with a special focus on vultures as species of conservation concern.

Cover Story

 

White-backed vulture (Tom Varley)

Wingbeats over the KAZA

Feature Story

The Four Corners: Birding paradise

Chobe

 

Egyptian geese (Tom Varley)

The delights of Chobe National Park

Sacrifice for an iconic species

New lodge seeks name

Feel the pulse of Africa

Warthogs have right of way

Kasane gets to grips with strays

 

Openbill stork (Tom Varley)

Snail and shell specialist

Okavango

 

Wattled crane (Pete Hancock)

Okavango – drawing global birders

Celebrating the elderly

Moremi - a conservation benchmark

Kariba & Middle Zambezi

 

Goliath heron (Tom Varley)

The value of citizen science

Atlassing and carcasses in Kariba

To bird or not to bird? That is the question!

Spectacle and theatre in Mana

Toy planes help children

Harare

 

African pitta (Richard Peek)

BirdLife Zimbabwe website relaunched

Pangolin take centre stage

Zim tourism gets import boost

Victoria Falls

 

Rock pratincole (Tom Varley)

In search of the Zambezi trio

Park’s insect life under scrutiny

Royal treatment at The Kingdom

Landmark year for Victoria Falls Safari Lodge

Imvelo to open Zambezi Sands

The Grand Lady marks 110 years

A lifetime with birds

Explore the gorges on foot

A second chance for two vultures

Children, art and wildlife

 

Slaty egret (Bradley White)

Special habitat - special birds

Ancient African link with Czech Republic

A new lodge for Victoria Falls

A man ahead of his time

Bulawayo

Challenged to make a difference

Banff Lodge gets a facelift

Hwange

 

Red-billed Teal (Mike Myers)

Brilliant summer birding

A unique bush experience

Don’t knock twitchers!

Livingstone

Pratincoles and fishing owls

Silent trumpets

Tree planting honours Mandela

Lions of the sand

 

Shoebill (Rory McDougall)

Four birds you’ll see nowhere else

How the rapids got their names

The capture of Shuckmannsburg

New arrival is the centre of attraction

Safpar turns 25

A timeline to success

Luangwa

Friendly people and beautiful birds

 

Lilac-brested roller (Tom Varley)

Flock to the Luangwa Valley

Lusaka

A bounty of birds

Have collar, will travel

The benefits of bats

Where taste meets flavour

Ben Japp – bringing good wine to Lusaka

Kafue

 

Ground hornbill (Stephanie Turner)

A bird’s eye view of Kafue

Game Rangers International

Backpages

 

White-backed Vultures (Tom Varley)

Can vultures survive in KAZA?

The ‘Vulture Man’

Why come to WTM Africa?

Mount Kilimanjaro Fact File

The first World Wildlife Day

Spectacle and theatre in Mana

Shelly Cox, African Bush Camps
PHOTOS: Tammy Smith, African Bush Camps

The dry season in Africa provides a harsh environment,demonstrating the survival of the fittest for all species including birdlife, which flourishes in Mana Pools National Park.

Kanga Pan, located inland of the Zambezi River, is the only water source in the area year round, providing a formidable stage for travellers,wildlife fanatics and birdwatchers to experience up-close-and-personal encounters with species battling to survive the dry months of August through to November.

In September 2013, our team at Kanga Camp captured incredible photographic footage of the daily spectacles which can be experienced inland of the Zambezi River.

Two resident fish eagles had been living off the smaller catfish species inhabiting the pan in front of camp. Equipped with powerful talons to enable the eagle to grasp slippery aquatic prey, these eagles had been successful in their hunting over the previous months.

Whilst this species mainly subsists on fish, the fish eagle is opportunistic and may take a wider variety of prey, such as waterbirds. As the water in Kanga Pan slowly began to recede and marabou storks depleted the catfish numbers, leaving only the larger fish which the eagles battled to carry in their talons, the competition for food increased.

Maribou Stork

With only the largest of the catfish left in the pan’s muddy waters, and after several unsuccessful fishing attempts, the two eagles resorted to feeding on doves that would frequent the pan in the early mornings to drink

Fish eagle in water

On the morning in question, guests were having breakfast looking out over the pan watching the two fish eagles sitting up in a nearby tree. Suddenly in a swoop of feathers and talons, the two eagles fell upon a juvenile sparrow hawk which had been drinking from a small puddle

The resident eagles

A battle between the two eagles ensued over the impending meal and guests watched in awe as the two majestic birds fought for the day’s sustenance

The battle begins

Finally one of the fish eagles made a break and took off with the sparrow hawk securely in its talons. Resting in the safety of a tree on the outskirts of the pan, the successful predator was left to feed on its prey

Factfile

- Despite only one in every seven or eight fishing attempts being successful, the African fish eagle rarely spends more than ten minutes per day actively hunting.

- Calling and duetting, whilst perched or soaring, is an integral part of the breeding display, and is combined with dramatic aerial dives and falls, with pairs interlocking talons in mid air.

- The female normally lays one to three eggs, which are incubated for around 44 days before hatching.

- In the wild those fish eagle young that are fortunate to survive the first year have an estimated life expectancy of 12 to 24 years.

- The estimated current population size is 300,000. The species remains widespread throughout sub-Saharan Africa in suitable habitat and is not considered to be threatened.

World Travel Market comes to Livingstone

Derek Houston of Houston Travel Marketing Services, Reed Travel Exhibitions & World Travel Market Africa invites you to a presentation on World Travel Market Africa & Africa Travel Week on Friday 14 March at David Livingstone Hotel Livingstone, 10h00 - 11h30.

RSVP derek@houstonmarketing.co.za Tel +27824640901

Programme:

Ø WTM Africa, Cape Town, 02 - 03 May 2014 - East Africa Pavilion
Ø IBTM Africa, Cape Town, 28 - 30 April 2014 - MICE event
Ø ILTM Africa -Luxury
Ø Additional opportunities at other Reed Exhibitions events

More from the Zambezi Traveller:
African Travel Market

Victoria Falls Fun Enduro

In aid of Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust

For more information visit www.facebook.com/VictoriaFallsWildlifeTrustFunEnduro