Paradise found?
African Birdlife|November/December 2022
Searching for Taita Falcons in Niassa Special Reserve
ANDREW JENKINS
Paradise found?

Stretched across the far northern reaches of Mozambique lies one of Africa's biggest but best-kept secrets: the Niassa Special Reserve (NSR). Framed by the Ruvuma River and the vastness of southern Tanzania to the north, and truncated in the south by burgeoning tracts of rural development, it covers over 42 000 square kilometres (more than twice the size of the Kruger National Park in South Africa) and makes up more than 30 per cent of Mozambique's protected land. It's a dream destination for those with an appetite for African exploration, but as we discovered to our considerable discomfort, it's a very difficult location to get to.

Late on a steamy night in mid-November 2021, five smelly South Africans, one smoky (and smelly) Zimbabwean, and all our gear for an eight-day survey, literally fell out of a single 4x4 taxi at Mbatamila, the management nerve-center of the NSR. Unfortunately, much of our drive in from Lichinga's commercial airport, situated 10 hours to the west, was completed after sunset and in a hurry. So our first direct impressions of the reserve were that it was dark, hot, dusty, and a very, very long way from anywhere. However, once camp logistics manager Alberto and his staff had welcomed us and got us fed and set up in the camp's rustic but comfortable accommodation, a rather deflated but not defeated team retired to bed.

At first light the next morning everything changed. We woke to the sound of a Taita Falcon fledgling screaming for food from its parents. After swiftly exiting our various sleeping quarters, we quickly located the youngster where it sat in the mouth of an apparently made-to-fit pothole, clearly visible in the sheer face of the inselberg that looms over the camp. That's when we all realised that we were exactly where we wanted to be!

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November/December 2022-Ausgabe von African Birdlife.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November/December 2022-Ausgabe von African Birdlife.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS AFRICAN BIRDLIFEAlle anzeigen
EXPLORING NEW HORIZONS
African Birdlife

EXPLORING NEW HORIZONS

Keith Barnes, co-author of the new Field Guide to Birds of Greater Southern Africa, chats about the long-neglected birding regions just north of the Kunene and Zambezi, getting back to watching birds and the vulture that changed his life.

time-read
5 Minuten  |
May/June 2024
footloose IN FYNBOS
African Birdlife

footloose IN FYNBOS

The Walker Bay Diversity Trail is a leisurely hike with a multitude of flowers, feathers and flavours along the way.

time-read
6 Minuten  |
May/June 2024
Living forwards
African Birdlife

Living forwards

How photographing birds helps me face adversity

time-read
10 Minuten  |
May/June 2024
CAPE crusade
African Birdlife

CAPE crusade

The Cape Bird Club/City of Cape Town Birding Big Year Challenge

time-read
5 Minuten  |
May/June 2024
water & WINGS
African Birdlife

water & WINGS

WATER IS LIFE. As wildlife photographer Greg du Toit knows better than most.

time-read
1 min  |
May/June 2024
winter wanderer
African Birdlife

winter wanderer

as summer becomes a memory in the south, the skies are a little quieter as the migrants have returned to the warming north. But one bird endemic to the southern African region takes its own little winter journey.

time-read
1 min  |
May/June 2024
when perfect isn't enough
African Birdlife

when perfect isn't enough

Egg signatures and forgeries in the cuckoo-drongo arms race

time-read
5 Minuten  |
May/June 2024
Southern SIGHTINGS
African Birdlife

Southern SIGHTINGS

The late summer period naturally started quietening down after the midsummer excitement, but there were still some classy rarities on offer for birders all over the subregion. As always, none of the records included here have been adjudicated by any of the subregion's Rarities Committees.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
May/June 2024
flood impact on wetland birds
African Birdlife

flood impact on wetland birds

One of the features of a warming planet is increasingly erratic rainfall; years of drought followed by devastating floods. Fortunately, many waterbirds are pre-adapted to cope with such extremes, especially in southern Africa where they have evolved to exploit episodic rainfall events in semi-arid and arid regions. But how do waterbirds respond to floods in areas where rainfall - and access to water - is more predictable? Peter Ryan explores the consequences of recent floods on the birds of the Western Cape's Olifants River valley.

time-read
5 Minuten  |
May/June 2024
a star is born
African Birdlife

a star is born

It’s every producer’s dream to plan a wildlife television series and pick the right characters before filming.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
May/June 2024