TZ Bird Atlas BLOG: 2 day trip to Isunkaviola

We just got back from a short 2 day trip to Isunkaviola, 20th-22nd Aug we were at our Top Forest camp. (S07 75335 E034 71730) alt 1812 m. We had a fab time and good birding. our birding highlights for the past few days are as follows;The evening before we left our Magangwe camp we saw this Senegal Plover in a burned area very close to camp.

On the drive up there (which is roughly 50km from us along a small track
through miombo and mbugas). we saw quite a few Racket tailed rollers. On the
top forest area our highlight was seeing about 5 Hill Babblers (nominate race),
there was a Rhus, bush with loads of berries on it that Whytes Barbets,
Black-backed Barbets, Yellow rumped tinkerbirds , Black headed orioles, YVB and
Yellow belllied green bulls were really gorging on. Rob managed to get some
pics of the Babbler, they are not great but they are a record. We saw the
'different' miombo grey tit that has a thin grey strip down its face not the
white blobby marking, and is much blacker than the 'normal' miombo tit. There
were loads of Miombo bearded scrub robins too,

Another highlight was in the evening we witnessed about 60 crowned hornbills
flying over the valley from one section of forest to roost in our section of
forest. They must have bee feeding over there, It was an amazing stream of
hornbills . The morning we left we had two pairs of Grey whistling hornbills fly
over camp, with one of the pair carrying sticks. So I guess they were off to
breed somewhere up there. Maybe thats part of their movements that we witnessed
from Jongomero. We have the Grey hornbills with us at Magangwe now so maybe
they come up to the miombo areas to breed. The Olive pigeons were also
displaying to each other. The thick billed Cuckoo was here again, and on the way
up in a rocky area we saw the Pearl breasted swallows as well as a Miombo Rock
thrush. The African Broadbills were there as usual plus Peters twinspots, Lead
coloured flycatcher and loads and loads of Dusky flycatchers. etc. In total we
saw 87 species in about 11 hours of birding. Later on in the year is clocks up
to over 100 species in the same area.

When we came up here in early (10th- 14th) August 2 years ago we saw lots of
Cabanis and Golden breasted buntings displaying to each other, now there were
non so we suspect they may have been on eggs.

What we did not see which is interesting, was no sunbirds, only one Collared
sunbird and one scarlet chested. Later on in the year we can see 10 different
sunbird species in the same area. So the Copper sunbirds do not come up here
when they leave us at Magangwe in June, (they return to us in November). We
also did not see any raptors, just a Bateleur, a Lizard buzzard, and an African
Goshawk. Also, slightly later on from mid September we have seen endless
African golden Orioles but on this trip we only had a fleeting glimpse of one on
our way back in the lower miombo area.

The area had not been burned which was good, the miombo was just beginning to
change, with a couple of species throwing out new leaf and some flowers (B.
floribunda, B taxifolia,) and some flowering trees too (Dalbergia Nitidula,
Craibia ) , and plenty of trees in fruit ( Croton, Garcinia etc). But our
observations over the years tend to show that from mid September onwards they
variety of species increases dramatically not only due to migrants but due to
bird breeding up there. This co-incides with when the Miombo is in full change
with new leaves and flowers, All species seem to enjoy the dudus around the new
leaf buds and flowers on the miombo.

Finally, on the way home, when we were just turing into our drive to camp we
saw an Ayres Hawk Eagle which was flying by the car being chased by Dongos we
stopped as it perched not too far away I got pics of it but it was into the
light so they are not so good but you can see what it is.

The photos below are a few samples of the trip.

Sue and Rob