BATS and BIRDS (with lots of photos)

As we put in the last blog we were going away for a week to a small but beautiful National Park called Kasanka. This park is good most times of the year for birding but at the end of October, early November it becomes world famous as having the largest migration of any mammal in the world. Approximately some ten million Straw Coloured Fruit Bats come together and roost each night in a small area of woodland deep in the heart of this park. The bats arrival is just before the rains start and continues into December when they migrate back to forests in The Democratic Republic of Congo. The reason they all come here is for the fruits that grow on the trees in the rest of the park and the neighbouring area.

During the day the bats roost in the trees trying to keep clear of predators such as eagles and other birds in the air and Leopards, Pythons and crocodiles that inhabit the ground. At night they all fly off to search for the fruit they eat. These bats, with wingspans of up to a metre wide have excellent eyesight and unlike most bats, they do not use echolocation. They are also known as “Flying Foxes” due to a facial similarity.

As they are a protected species the public is not allowed into the roost area during this time but have access to a couple of places nearby. The first one we went to for the three nights we were in the park. Arrival was around 17.30hrs and it was then waiting for the bats to fly. The site was about 300 metres from the nearest part of the roost and you could see the bats getting restless, calling and often flying up from the roost only to settle back down again. As the sun set and the moon rose and at pretty well 18.05 each of the nights we were there the bats suddenly streamed out from the trees and flew overhead, calling all the time. It was an amazing spectacle to see so many in the sky at once. The whole sky seemed full of the bats all flying out. By 18.30 it was all over and with just a few stragglers flying around the sky returned to normal.

Sunset

Bats in the sky

Almost a full Moon

The sunset kept changing colours

Beautiful evening

Bats against the grass fire in the distance

Some of the millions of Bats

Silhouette

On our final morning we rose at 03.00 to get a coffee, pack the roof tent down and drive the 20 mins or so to the other location in the park. This was a purpose built hide, high up in the tree canopy overlooking the roost site. We had to be up there around 04.30 and although still dark, as we walked through to forest to the hide we could hear the bats overhead. Climbing high up into the canopy while still dark was a bit scary as it was mainly by feel but once up there the noisy was awesome. As the sky lightened gradually you could see more and more bats wheeling around. Again it all seemed to happen exactly on time as the bats settled into trees on the edge at first then came in to the main roosts and settled down under the canopy to keep clear of the flying predators in the day. By 06.00 it was all over and most of the millions of bats were lost to sight and only a few stragglers left in the sky. What an amazing experience.

Early morning light

Bats going down to roost

First light of Day

Looking down on the roost

After saying goodbye to Kasanka National Park it was time to take the “short” journey (about 70 Kms as the bat flies, About 140 as the track goes by car and about 6 hours driving as I use the word track advisedly) we got to Banguela Wetlands and Shoebill Island Camp. It is called wetlands as most of the year it is flooded and Shoebill Island Camp is an island. That area has had very little rain so far this season and is parched and bone dry. Even the borehole at the camp was dry. We had come here to hope to get a sighting of probably Africa’s rarest bird, the huge and very dinosaur looking Shoebill Stork. This bird is only found in a few very wild and out of the way places in Africa and Banguela Wetlands is one such place. The Shoebill is enormous and lives in muddy, slow moving water. It is obvious why it is called a shoebill with that huge great bill that is razor sharp and with a vicious hook at the end for catching large catfish and lungfish that make up a lot of its diet.

The guide told us he knew where one was but it would mean a drive then a walk as the water had receded so much. We were not going to be put of and so we took the guide in our car and drove across fields, tracks and areas of thick dust to get to an area where there was still water. Once there it was out of the car, load cameras and backpack up and start walking. It was very hot and clear skies as we walked but it was well worth it. Once into the area that still had water the bird was found. I took a few photos from far off as I did not want to come back without any but I needn’t have worried. The Shoebill was very accepting of us and as long as we were quiet and moved slowly it stayed where it was in what looked like a very muddy puddle. It was everybit as amazing as I hoped for, a fantastic time with this extremely rare bird.

First sighting of a Shoebill

Preening time

Dont I look Handsome

In a reflective Mood

Shoebill Step

Open Wings

Let Me Think

Ha Ha Ha

The Shoebill is used to sharing his puddle with others

We are now back in a very wet Ndola after spending a week in the wetlands where it was very dry. The drive back was through torrential rain with often the roads more like rivers. We have a couple of weeks back at work or sorting out various bits and pieces here before Jan and I head down to Botswana for Christmas. We shall be leaving here somewhere around 16^- 17^th Dec, heading down to Lusaka and then onto Livingstone for a few days. We will then cross into Botswana to be in Kasane and Chobe National Park just before Christmas. The best part for us is that on Boxing Day we shall be joined by Andrew, Karen and Andrew’s partner, Louise for a slightly late Christmas Dinner in the bush and then two weeks of driving through Chobe, Savuti, Moremi and onto Maun before heading onto Makgadikgadi Pan, Nxai Pan and then return back to Kasane for a trip into Zimbabwe and the world famous Victoria Falls. All that we have to look forward to.