Neil Gray's birds and other wildlife
Lusaka, 10 May 2011 A new day dawns. After a Shoebill can the rest of the trip match up? At the ZAWA offices on the way out we disturbed a herd of Black Lechwe that ran off, giving me the opportunity for an action shot. Overhead was a mass of wheeling raptors, Martial Eagle, Black-breasted …
Lusaka, 10 May 2011 Would I see a Shoebill? My whole trip was planned with this as the crowning moment, so it was with some trepidation that I set out in the boat after breakfast, me, Webby the bird guide, and Paul and Emmanuel the boatmen. You just can’t miss the very common Blue-breasted Bee-Eater …
Lusaka, 10 May 2011 About 75km due north from Kasanka lies Shoebill Island on the fringes of the vast Bangweulu Swamps. However, the road trip is some 145km and over 5 hours (yes, the road if it can be called that, is in places interesting!). Shoebill Camp is also run by the Kasanka Trust, so …
Lusaka, 10 May 2011 Based currently in Lusaka in Zambia, I took a week’s leave and headed north for a 7-day birding trip, very ably organised for me by Thorn Tree Safaris. They supplied a vehicle, driver and assistant to take me to three specific destinations – Kasanka National Park, Shoebill Island and the Mutinondo …
Atlasville, 18 Oct 2009 One doesn’t always get to make amends for a previous missed opportunity. However, on 22nd September, not 3km from where I saw my first ever Palm-nut Vulture, I got the chance to take a few shots of another (maybe even the same) Palm-nut Vulture circling low overhead as I made my way …
Atlasville, 01 Sep 2009 During a break in my Guinea work schedule I returned to South Africa and managed to fit in a 10-night trip to the Escarpment area of Mpumalanga and both the southern and northern parts of the Kruger National Park. My wife and I spent 3 nights at the Hazyview Cabanas with …
Sutton, 15 Jun 2009 Both the Zambian and DRC projects that I was working on concluded in office work without further field visits, but a new challenge has arisen. I will be working in the field in the West African country of Guinea for the next year. A great opportunity to see this greatly under-birded …
Atlasville, 25 Oct 2008 Three more weeks completed at our field camp, which is now almost nearing completion with the thatched roof over the kitchen/dining area in the final stages. The onset of the rains has been threatening with daily cloud build-up and the odd rumble of thunder. The local farmers are waiting for that …
Atlasville, 14 Sep 2008 In late June we started building a field camp for the project in the Kolwezi area that I have been working on. Then the camp was not much more than a fenced area with two tents and some basic camping equipment. Work has continued during the past 2 months and the …
Atlasville, 30 Aug 2008 Just back from Zambia to find that the birding talk is all about the Franklin’s Gull that has been seen at the lake at the Centurion Shopping Mall between Johannesburg and Pretoria. This is only Southern Africa’s 2nd ever inland record for Franklin’s Gull – oddly the first was some 22 …
