Wryneck

Went on "hunt the Wryneck" yesterday afternoon with Kevin and Doris. So lucky, there it was still in the same patch of burned grassland running round with the Senegal Plovers that have a nest with 3 eggs in it. To say that it is not easy to see is the understatement of the year and it is only thanks to Kevin's very keen eyesight that we found it. Once located it behaved superbly, standing upright, running around feeding, flying into a charred doum palm and posing for about 20 minutes while Doris took a whole series of good pictures which no doubt she will be posting on Facebook. A long time since I had a 'lifer'.

While we had gone to find the Wryneck we also saw about 30 other species, including several lesser Grey Shrikes, one Red Backed Shrike. Eurasian Cuckoos had been around but they seem to have gone now. Brown Chested Snake Eagle, Black Shouldered Kite, Red Faced Crombec, Black Headed Batis, Sulphur Breasted Bush Shrike, Scaly Babblers, white phase Paradise Flycatcher, several Bare Eyed Thrushes, White Browed Scrub Robin and a fabulous Gabon (Square Tailed) Nightjar plus a large group of Woolly Necked Storks.

While Nguuni may have become degraded due to the large number of Giraffe and Water Buck it can still yield quite a lot of bird species.