safarigeek

Out and about in Zambia: When birds are better than cats.

Ordinarily, it would be hard to argue that seeing two lionesses and four cubs devour a recently ex-zebra or a young male leopard stalking alongside the vehicle as I did last night, or twelve lion on a buffalo kill at eleven o’clock this morning would be the highlight of the last 24 hours.  But, I am pleased to say that last night, just as we were driving into Mchenja Camp in the South Luangwa, our guide Levy topped the bill by finding not one, but two, Pel’s fishing owls.

Now, like the other guests in the land-cruiser, who had been delirious with excitement over the admittedly impressive lion and leopard sightings earlier in the evening, you may have found the above punch-line a complete anti-climax.  They failed to see why I was hopping up and down uttering incomprehensible squeaks and pointing at the tree when I had been pretty cool around the cats.  For the birders out there, I am sure you can understand.

The Pel’s is a magnificent owl, large and tawny with beautiful markings and a distinctive call.  It’s also very uncommon and the kind of thing that people can go through decades of life in the bush without seeing.  I’ve been hoping to see one for over ten years and even a few days ago at a different camp, was plagued by its call, never to catch a glimpse.  And here were two sitting immediately above the vehicle within a few hundred metres of the camp.  I went to bed happy last night…what a day!