Kilombero valley/ Ifakara waterbird count

Hi Neil,

Is there anybody familiar with the Kilombero valley/ Ifakara area - I am think a waterbird count on the 1st in that area?

Regards,

Riaan Marais

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Hi Riaan,
Several of us familiar with the Ifakara / Kilombero valley but no resident birders that I'm aware of. Wilbard, you are the only person I know actually working on birds in the valley these days. Please call Riaan on 0787-272818 if you want to join him on this count.

Trev, who's at the Udzungwa monitoring centre these days ? name and contact phone number please, they might be interested in joining Riaan.

Riaan, some counting can be done from high points but really this count needs boats along the river and this can be tough as one cannot see above the bank. However even a few kms either side of the ferry / bridge at Kivokoni would be useful. Upstream more important than downstream, if the latter you will need clearance from Wildlife Division to reach as far as Boma Ulanga ranger post where Pel's Fishing Owl is well worth looking for. If you want to do this then let me know and we will liaise with WD for permissions. Might be more rewarding to count past the ranger post into the Selous than to return and then go upstream from Kivokoni.

Will you have 2 days available ?

If water levels low then White-headed Plover and Skimmer are target birds, if high and flooding in the valley then count what you can from the causeway and consider trying to reach Lake Mofu. I can give you GPS fixes for these places.

If this in on I will send you the results form the 1995 and 2005 count.

Hope you can organise Dar north with Tony and John, some great wader and tern birding along that stretch of coast and it looks as though the spoonbills (target species) are beginning to nest on Pangavini.

Neil




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