The ghost in the Mavunda: birding north-west Zambia

The Ghost inthe MavundaPETER RYAN (2)Zambia straddles the miombo wood land belt that dominates much of south–central Africa. Inaddition to miombo birds, southern African semi-arid species penetrate the south-west of thecountry, and Congolese forest species straggle into the north-west.This latter group was the target of a recent trip to north-western Zambia by Peter Ryan andRod Cassidy. Top of their wishlist was the enigmatic White-chested Tinker bird, known from onlya single specimen collected in 1962.When Con Benson’s Birds ofZambia was published in the1970s, it was immediatelyap parent that for South African birders,Mwinilunga was the most important placeto visit. Sandwiched between Angola andthe Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),the Mwinilunga district is home to numerousspecies that are found nowhere else inZambia. It is only in the last decade thatZambia has become accessible to SouthAfricans, but surprisingly few have availedthemselves of the chance to visit this greatbirding area, which is readily accessible byroad.Having previously birded southern andeastern Zambia, we rushed north throughLusaka and west across the sprawlingCopperbelt to start birding at Mutanda, asmall village midway to Mwinilunga. Here,the Mutanda River road bridge supports alarge colony of Red-throated Cliff Swallows,which are easily observed as they leave thecolony at dawn and return at dusk. Theirpresence is less predictable at other timesof day, so it’s worth spending a night atthe rustic Mutanda Falls Lodge. Whilewaiting for the swallows to put in anappearance, visit the adjacent riparian forest– it supports a selection of in terestingbirds, including the gaudy Ross’s Turacosand Black-backed Barbets, ex quisite WhitechinnedPrinias, and noisy parties ofYellow-throated Leafloves.Above Dawn breaking over MutandaFalls. You have to imagine theaccompanying chorus of Ross’sTuracos and White-chinned Prinias...Opposite Mavunda – the tall, dryCryptosepalum woodland which is hometo Margaret’s Batis, Perrin’s Bush-Shrikeand the only known specimen of WhitechestedTinkerbird.december 2002/january 2003north-west zambia37

ANGOLAMinyanya PlainLiuwaPlainNationalParkChavumaZambeziZambeziSalujingaSiomaNgweziNationalParkHillwood FarmZambezi sourceChitunta PlainMwinilungaW. LungaNationalMayau ParkKabompoZAMBIAMutandaKafueNationalParkLivingstoneHeading further west, there are stillsome patches of tall miombowoodland along the main road,seven kilometres beyond the MwombezhiRiver. A stop here produced the patchilydistributedand rather elusive Bar-wingedWeaver. This oddly-plumaged weaver isthe western counterpart of Olive-headedWeaver, occurring in pairs,DEMOCRATICREPUBLIC OFCONGOChingolaLusakaLake Karibagleaning insects from epiphyticlichens on treebranches, and buildingnests made of old man’sbeard lichen (Usnea). Themiombo bird parties arelikely to contain severalother species not found insouthern Africa, such asBöhm’s and White-tailedBlue fly catchers, Red-cappedCrom bec, ChestnutmantledSparrow-WeaverandBlackcollaredEremo mela, aswell as Stripe-breastedSeed eater. Tabora Cisticolasare commonly seen in thegrassy understorey.Another few hours’drive brings you to thetown of Mwinilunga. Herethe road bends north, andthe tar peters out. Youthen pass through anothergood patch of miomboThe Chitunta Plain, between Mwinilunga and Hillwood Farm, is the easiest place to seeGrimwood’s Longclaw. It’s also good for Black-and-rufous Swallow, Bocage’s Weaverand a host of grassland species.PETER RYANwoodland which also supports Bar-wingedWeavers. After a further 30 kilometres theroad crosses the Chitunta Plain, a largegrassy dambo with a perennial streamrunning through it. This is the best knownsite for Grim wood’s Long claw, a localisedspecies found in Angola and adjacentareas of the DRC and Zambia. We weren’texpecting too much from this species butit proved to be a pleasant surprise, andmuch more attractive than the field guidessuggest. It is very large for a longclaw,with a long, deep bill, and rich buff plumageheavily streaked with dark brown. Itlacks a neat black gorget, but this doesn’tdetract from its looks. Several individualswere quite approachable in the wettergrassland close to the river, where theyoccur alongside the more widespreadFülleborn’s and Pink-throated longclaws.Chitunta also has other jewels to offer.Probably the best is the incomparableBlack-and-rufous Swallow. This small,short-tailed swallow is dark indigo aboveand rich chestnut-red below. Pairs flit lowover the plain together with the moreabundant Grey-rumped Swallows. Theybreed during the dry season and leaveMwinilunga during the summer rainyseason. The plain’s grassland is also hometo Black-chinned Quailfinches, LocustFinches, Marsh Widows, White-cheekedBee-eaters, Swamp (or Natal) Nightjarsand numerous cisticolas, including thehandsome Dambo (or Black-tailed)Cisticola. Some two kilometres downstream,above the confluence with theLuakera River, trees overhanging the riversupport a colony of the highly localisedBocage’s Weaver (formerly considered asubspecies of Cape Weaver) from the endof July onwards.North of Chitunta lies the source ofthe Zambezi River – a small spring arisingfrom within a patch of dense gallery forestor mushitu. This forest is home tomany of the Congolese birds that reachtheir southern limit in Mwinilunga. GreywingedRobin-Chats skulk close to theforest floor and are best located by theirslightly mournful, whistled song. CommonBristlebills and Rufous-belliedParadise-Flycatchers also occur in theunderstorey or mid-canopy, but by farthe hardest bird to see in this habitat isthe reclusive Bamboo Warbler, which isalmost impossible to locate if it’s notcalling. Olive Long-tailed Cuckoos andBlue-breasted Kingfishers are also moreeasily heard than seen as they call fromthe forest canopy. Other canopy speciesinclude Afep and Western Bronze-napedpigeons and Honeyguide Greenbul, whileRufous Ant-Thrush, Laura’s WoodlandWarbler, Buff-throated Apalis and Bates’Sunbird are more conspicuous aroundthe forest edge. In the mushitu and adjacentdense miombo may be found thelocal ised Bannerman’s Sunbird, a smallbilledversion of Green-headed Sunbirdwith bluer iridescence on its head.From its source, the Zambezi flows eastand north, before bending west andheading off into Angola. Near its northernmostpoint, the river flows over alarge granite outcrop, forming a series ofshallow rapids. This is the most reliablesite in Zambia for Forbes’s Plover, theWest African version of Three-bandedPlover. Dead snags overhanging the riverare the haunt of Cassin’s Grey Flycatcher,and the remnants of riparian woodlandsupport many of the region’s sought-afterforest species.But for the biggest hit of Congolesespecies, you have to go even furthernorth, past Salujinga, where the luckybirder may find White-spotted Flufftail,Brown-eared Woodpecker, White-belliedKingfisher, Spotted Thrush-Babbler, ChestnutWattle-eye, Sooty Flycatcher, PETE LEONARD (2)PETER RYANBirding outsidethe box…The burgeoning interest in birding insouthern Africa has seen a greatincrease in birding throughout theregion, with impressive spin-offs interms of our knowledge of the region’sbirds and the conservation of theirhabitats. However, relatively few southernAfrican birders venture north ofthe subregion’s boundaries. This ispartly due to the geographical limits ofthe region’s field guides, but it is exacerbatedby the competitive listing fraternity,which equates one’s ability as abirder to the size of one’s regional birdlist. It seems somewhat trivial to birdfrantically along the Zambezi orKunene rivers in the hope of seeing avagrant Angola Swallow or Shelley’sSunbird, when these and many moreexciting species can be seen by simplycrossing the river and venturing a littlefurther north.We challenge southern Africa birdersto broaden their horizons. Startthinking global or Africa-wide. If that’stoo much, how about expandingsouthern Africa’s boundaries to includeAngola, Zambia, Malawi and northernMozambique? This would close thegap between our region and East andWest Africa, and boost the region’s listto more than 1 250 species. Forget the800 club – what about the 1 000club?Above left Grey-winged Robin-Chat is aretiring species of the mushitu understorey,best located by its quavering song at dawnand dusk.Above right Bannerman’s Sunbird closelyresembles a Green-headed Sunbird, but isslightly smaller with a shorter bill and bluerhead. It is restricted to north-west Zambiaand adjacent Angola and the DRC.Left A pair of elusive White-throatedFrancolins on the Minyanya Plains.38 north-west zambiaafrica – birds & birdingdecember 2002/january 2003north-west zambia39

PETE LEONARD (2)The Black-collared Bulbul looks more like abush-shrike than a bulbul, but recent evidenceconfirms its placement with the bulbuls.It is quite widespread in Central Africa,but can be elusive and is one of the soughtafterspecials in north-west Zambia.Laura’s Woodland Warbler is a localisedendemic, mostly restricted to mushitu forestpatches and adjacent woodland in northernZambia and the southern DRC.Orange-tufted Sunbird or Compact Weaverin the remaining mushitu patches. This isthe best area in Zambia to see the stun ningBlack-bellied Seed cracker, and there is al waysthe chance of turning up a new spe ciesfor the country; Pete Leonard recentlyfound a female Shrike Flycatcher here.The most famous birding site in Mwinilungais Hillwood Farm, a large commercialfarm and game reserve east of Ikelenge.It offers a mix of open grassy plains,mushitu forest and well-conservedmiombo woodland, and is an excellentbase for exploring the region. It is a goodplace to find the striking, rather shrikelikeBlack-collared Bulbul, which prefersscrubby thicket vegetation, and is bestlocated adjacent to the airstrip north ofSakeji mission. Another forest-edge speciesthat reaches its southern limit here isthe Whistling Cisticola, which skulks inbracken along the edges of mushitu.The open plains in the reserve are wellstocked with a variety of game, includingThe source of the Zambezi – a small, dark spring, deep in mushitu forest.PETER RYANsable (which shows affinities to the giantAngolan form), Lichtenstein’s hartebeest,Defassa waterbuck, northern plains zebra,puku and oribi. The plains are also hometo an array of larks, pipits, longclaws andcisticolas, prime among which is theAngola Lark. Intermediate in size betweenRufous-naped and Flappet larks, it has abeautiful trilling call, with no clear affinityto other Mirafra larks. In the earlymorning, when the grass is wet, manybirds come out on to the roads, allowinggreat views of otherwise reclusive specieslike Locust Finch and Black-rumpedButtonquail.Zambia’s North-western Province hasmore to offer than just the Mwinilungaarea. In the far west, the Zambezi Riverre-enters Zambia from Angola at Chavuma.Here we crossed the already sizable riverby ferry and drove another 35 kilometresalong a sandy track to reach the vastexpanse of the Minyanya Plain. This ishome to an isolated population of WhitethroatedFrancolin, a species otherwiseconfined to the arid savannas of WestAfrica. Related to Coqui Francolin, it hassimilar calls and prefers to freeze ratherthan flush. It lives in much more openterrain, but is remarkably easy to overlookif it’s not calling. We spent a frustratingday chasing this species before we finallybumped into a small covey. Other interestingbirds include White-bellied Bustard,Sooty Chat, a very different race of RufousnapedLark and some very odd pipits. Atnight the plains ring with the calls ofSwamp Nightjars.Further east there are patches of Cryptosepalumforest, known locally as mavunda.This dry forest is distinguished from thesurrounding miombo woodland by itsvery tall canopy and dense, almost impenetrableunderstorey which holds the stunningPerrin’s Bush-Shrike. A close relativeof Gorgeous Bush-Shrike, it makes a similar‘kong-kong-koit’ call and even respondsto playback of Gorgeous Bush-Shrike song.The mavunda is one of the easiest places tosee the local ised Mar g aret’s Batis, whichco-occurs with Chin spot Batis, but typicallyis found at lower levels in the forest.The males of the two species are quitesimilar, but female Marg aret’s Batises havebuffy wing bars, a diffuse buffy breastband and no throat spot.But the real attraction of birding themavunda is the chance, however slim, ofrelocating the enigmatic White-chestedOFF YOU GO!In general, north-west Zambia isnot geared for tourism, and visitorsshould plan to be largely self-sufficient.The best time to visit is fromAugust to October, before the summerrains begin in earnest. The rainsgenerally start earlier in Mwinilungathan elsewhere in Zambia, and thebirds are most vocal just before theonset of the rains. Visiting beforethe rains also means that the roadsare still in reasonable condition.Birders planning to stay at HillwoodFarm should book via the websitewww.nchila-wildlife-reserve.com ore-mail nchila@compuserve.com. Youcan fly into Hillwood direct fromLusaka, but most people drive there.The tar road to Mwinilunga from theCopper belt is potholed in places, butis otherwise fine. The dirt roads northof Mwinilunga and south to themavunda are fine for two-wheel-drivevehicles, at least during the dry season.The main road to Chavumathrough Zambezi is heavily-ruttedgravel, and needs to be travelledquite slowly. Beyond Chavuma, thetrack to Minyanya requires a fourwheel-drivevehicle.Fuel availability can be an issue,es pe cially if you want to visitMinyanya. There is usually fuel inMwinilunga town and Kabompo,and occasionally in Zam bezi, butTinkerbird. Jali Makawa, Con Benson’sfamous collector, shot the sole specimennear Mayau in 1962. Reports tell that hewas attracted by its slightly different call.We birded several patches of mavunda,in cluding the largest easily accessiblepatch, five kilometres north of Mayau.Although there were lots of Goldenrumpedand Yellow-fronted tinkerbirds,none sounded odd, or showed a blackbelly patch and plain black face. Discouragedby the omni present sweat-bees,we left the mavunda and headed for home.But we couldn’t help wondering if somewherethere isn’t a thriving population ofWhite-chested Tinker birds just waiting tobe discovered. There’s certainly still plentyof habitat where the ghost of the mavundacould be hiding…PETER RYANThe name says it all – travelling in thearea can be somewhat challenging forthe ill-prepared visitor.take every opportunity to fill up incase the next town is out of supplies.Bird guides to use include the FieldGuide to Zambian Birds (Aspinwall &Beel), which illustrates all the speciesnot covered by the southern Africanfield guides, and has distributionmaps for these species. It should beused in conjunction with good southernand East African field guides. VanPerlo’s Illustrated Checklist to the Birdsof Southern Africa also covers Zambia.The classic Birds of Zambia (Benson etal.) is useful, giving informa tion ongeographic variation within Zambia.Anyone wanting information orguidance can contact the ZambianOrnitho logical Society(www.fisheagle.org, zos@zamnet.zm)or Cassidy Bird Tours (Cassbirds@yahoo.com).40 north-west zambiaafrica – birds & birdingdecember 2002/january 2003north-west zambia41