Malawi, September-October 2008
Page 3: Wildfowl and Raptors
All dates between 22nd and 30th relate to September, all dates from 1st to 10th relate to October.
White-faced Whistling-Duck (White-faced Duck) Dendrocygna viduata [1000?]
Up to 30 Liwonde 23rd-24th, 1 Lake Chilwa 26th, 20+ Mpatsanjoka (Senga Bay) 9th; these counts paled into insignificance compared to the huge flocks at the Bird & Hippo Sanctuary (Senga Bay) on 9th - quite possibly 1000 birds though I didn't count them precisely.
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White-faced Whistling-Ducks, Liwonde, 23rd September
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White-faced Whistling-Ducks, Bird & Hippo Sanctuary (Senga Bay), 9th October (with a few Comb Ducks in the centre photos)
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White-backed Duck Thalassornis leuconotus [3]
Singles at Lake Chilwa 26th, Lujeri Tea Estate (Mulanje) 29th and the Bird & Hippo Sanctuary (Senga Bay) 9th.
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White-backed Duck, Lake Chilwa, 26th September
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White-backed Duck, Lujeri Tea Estate (Mulanje), 29th September
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Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiacus [61]
2 Addis Ababa airport 22nd, up to 19 Liwonde 23rd-25th and 40+ Vwaza Marsh 3rd-4th. Goslings were seen at both Liwonde and Vwaza.
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Egyptian Geese, Vwaza Marsh, 4th October
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Spur-winged Goose Plectropterus gambensis [61]
Up to 30 Liwonde 23rd-25th and 3 Vwaza Marsh 4th.
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Spur-winged Geese, Liwonde, 23rd-25th September
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Comb Duck Sarkidiornis melanotos [23]
1 Liwonde 24th, 1 Vwaza Marsh 4th and at Senga Bay 11 Mpatsanjoka and 10 Bird & Hippo Sanctuary 9th.
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Comb Duck, Vwaza Marsh, 4th October
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Comb Duck, Bird & Hippo Sanctuary (Senga Bay), 9th October
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Comb Ducks, Mpatsanjoka (Senga Bay), 9th October
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Yellow-billed Duck Anas undulata [76]
50+ Kasungu 3rd, 20 Vwaza Marsh 4th, up to 3 pairs Chelinda Dam and 2nd Dam (Nyika) 4th-6th.
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Yellow-billed Ducks, Vwaza Marsh, 4th October
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Yellow-billed Ducks, Nyika Plateau, 5th-6th October
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Red-billed Duck (Red-billed Teal) Anas erythrorhyncha [24]
10 Kasungu 3rd and up to 14 Vwaza Marsh 3rd-4th.
Red-billed Duck, Vwaza Marsh, 4th October
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Hottentot Teal Anas hottentota [6]
6+ Lake Chilwa 26th.
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Hottentot Teal, Lake Chilwa, 26th September
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Southern Pochard Netta erythrophthalma [4]
4 Bird & Hippo Sanctuary (Senga Bay) 9th.
Southern Pochard, Bird & Hippo Sanctuary (Senga Bay), 9th October
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Osprey Pandion Haliaetus [1]
1 flew in from far out on Lake Malawi, carrying a large fish, at Nkhotakhota Pottery 8th. The Ospreys in Malawi and in most of Africa are Palaearctic migrants - the first ones arrive in Malawi in August.
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Osprey, Nkhotakhota Pottery, 8th October
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African Cuckoo-Hawk Aviceda cuculoides [-]
1 Dzalanyama 2nd but my views were so poor I can't count it - it was identified by Steve Bailey who got a slightly better view than me.
European Honey-Buzzard Pernis apivorus [1]
This species is an uncommon Palaearctic migrant and winter visitor to Malawi with only one documented record before 20th October. Hence it's a species I wasn't expecting to see and it dawned on me rather slowly that the strange raptor perched beside the road north of Nkhotakhota on 8th October was this species. Fortunately it allowed me to take some photos before the person on whose land it was sitting approached in the hope that I would pay him for the priviledge of having him scare it off.
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Honey-Buzzard, N of Nkhotakhota, 8th October
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Bat Hawk Macheiramphus alcinus [1]
At Liwonde 1 hunting bats at dusk on 23rd was very much enjoyed. At least one other bird was seen with it a couple of times - the guide reckoned there was a second Bat Hawk but I was unconvinced. The bird I saw was much smaller and seemed falcon-like but I didn't get good enough views to identify it; however it appears in a couple of my photos and seems to have been a Square-tailed Nightjar! It's possible that there was a second Bat Hawk in addition to this.
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Bat Hawk, Liwonde, 23rd September
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Black-shouldered Kite (Black-winged Kite) Elanus caeruleus [3]
1-2 Nyika 6th, 1 between Nyika and Rumphi 7th and 1 near Lilongwe 10th. Birds in Africa belong to the nominate race caeruleus, the same as in southern Europe.
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Black-shouldered Kite, Nyika Plateau, 6th October
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Black-shouldered Kite, between Nyika and Rumphi, 7th October
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Yellow-billed Kite Milvus aegyptius [15]
1 Addis Ababa Airport 22nd and 1-3 at various sites between Thyolo in the south and Nyika in the north 26th-9th. Yellow-billed Kite is often treated as a race of Black Kite Milvus migrans but some authorities recognise it as a distinct species; the race that breeds in Malawi is parasites, although nominate Black Kites from Europe also occur here on passage.
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Yellow-billed Kite, Satemwa Tea Estate (Thyolo), 29th September
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Yellow-billed Kite, Nyika Plateau, 5th October
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African Fish Eagle Haliaeetus vocifer [13]
Up to 8 Liwonde 23rd-25th; at the Lake 2 Makuzi 8th, 1-2 Cool Runnings (Senga Bay) 9th-10th and 2 Bird & Hippo Sanctuary (Senga Bay) 9th.
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African Fish Eagles, Liwonde, 23rd-25th September
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Palm-nut Vulture Gypohierax angolensis [3]
1 Liwonde 24th-25th and 2 Dzalanyama 1st-2nd.
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Palm-nut Vulture, Liwonde, 25th September
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Palm-nut Vultures, Dzalanyama, 1st-2nd October
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White-backed Vulture Gyps africamus [2]
1 Satemwa Tea Estate (Thyolo) 29th and 1 Dzalanyama 1st.
Black-breasted Snake-Eagle Circaetus pectoralis [2]
1 Lake Chilwa 26th and 1 Mpatsanjoka (Senga Bay) 10th.
adult Black-breasted Snake-Eagle, Lake Chilwa, 26th September
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juvenile Black-breasted Snake-Eagle, Mpatsanjoka (Senga Bay), 10th October
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Brown Snake-Eagle Circaetus cinereus [1]
1 Mpatsanjoka (Senga Bay) 10th. This was in view at the same time as a Black-breasted Snake-Eagle.
Bateleur Terathopius ecaudatus [3]
3 Liwonde 25th, including 1 juvenile.
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Bateleur, Liwonde, 25th September
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African Marsh Harrier Circus ranivorus [2]
2 Lake Chilwa 26th.
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African Marsh Harriers, Lake Chilwa, 26th September
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African Harrier-Hawk (Gymnogene) Polyboroides typus [6]
At Liwonde 2 24th and 3 25th; 1 on the way out of Satemwa Tea Estate (Thyolo) 30th.
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African Harrier-Hawk, Liwonde, 25th September
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Lizard Buzzard Kaupifalco monogrammicus [1]
Singles Liwonde 25th, Zomba Forest Lodge 27th and between Nyika and Rumphi 7th.
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Lizard Buzzard, near Zomba Forest Lodge, 27th September
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Dark Chanting-Goshawk Melierax metabates [-]
None confirmed but 1-2 possibles seen briefly on the way out of Dzalanyama 3rd.
Gabar Goshawk Micronisus gabar (or Melierax gabar) [1]
1 Liwonde 24th.
Little Sparrowhawk Accipiter minullus [1]
1 Mua Mission 9th.
African Goshawk Accipiter tachiro [-]
None confirmed but 2 separate medium-sized Accipiters on the way out of Nyika on 7th were probably either this species or Rufous-chested Sparrowhawk Accipiter rufiventris.
Black Goshawk (Black Sparrowhawk, Great Sparrowhawk) Accipiter melanoleucus [2]
A pair over Thyolo Mountain 30th.
Augur Buzzard Buteo augur [5]
2 probables Mulanje 29th, up to 5 Nyika Plateau 5th-6th.
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Augur Buzzards, Nyika Plateau, 5th-6th October
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Wahlberg's Eagle Aquila wahlbergi [1]
1 Liwonde 25th - this bird stumped me at the time and I'm still not completely certain. However I can't make anything other than Wahlberg's fit and have to put the odd tail shape down to moult and/or it carrying prey. Opinions from others welcome (and thanks to Duncan for input).
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Wahlberg's Eagle, Liwonde, 25th September
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Ayres' Hawk-Eagle Aquila ayresii [2]
1 Zomba Forest Lodge 27th and 1 Lujeri Guest House (Mulanje) 29th.
Martial Eagle Polemaetus bellicosus [2]
Single juveniles Vwaza Marsh and Nyika, both 4th.
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juvenile Martial Eagle, Vwaza Marsh, 4th October
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Dickinson's Kestrel Falco dickinsoni [1]
1 Liwonde 25th.
Red-necked Falcon Falco chicquera [1-2]
Single(s) Liwonde 24th and 25th.
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Red-necked Falcon(s), Liwonde, 24th-25th September
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Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus [5]
2 Dzalanyama 2nd, 1 between Lilongwe and Mzuzu 3rd, 1 Nyika 5th and 1 Mpatsanjoka (Senga Bay) 9th.
Lanner, Mpatsanjoka (Senga Bay), 9th October
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