Malawi, September-October 2008
Page 6: Near-passerines (the pretty ones!)
All dates between 22nd and 30th relate to September, all dates from 1st to 10th relate to October.
Malachite Kingfisher Alcedo cristata [21]
Up to 20 Liwonde 23rd-25th and 1 Makuzi 8th.
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Malachite Kingfishers, Liwonde, 24th September
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African Pygmy Kingfisher Ispidina picta [4]
Singles Zomba Forest Lodge 26th and Ruo Gorge (Mulanje) 28th; 2 Dzalanyama 1st.
African Pygmy Kingfisher, near Zomba Forest Lodge, 26th September
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Grey-headed Kingfisher (Chestnut-bellied Kingfisher) Halcyon leucocephala [2]
An intra-African migrant which breeds in Malawi. The majority arrive in October, hence I'm not certain about the first, in September, 1 Liwonde 24th, which was too brief and before I'd notched up any experience of Brown-hooded Kingfisher. No doubt about the next ones though: 1 Dzalanyama 1st and 1 Cool Runnings (Senga Bay) 10th.
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Grey-headed Kingfisher, Senga Bay, 10th October
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Grey-headed Kingfisher, Dzalanyama, 1st October
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Brown-hooded Kingfisher Halcyon albiventris [5]
At Liwonde 2 24th and 3 25th.
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Brown-hooded Kingfisher, Liwonde, 24th September
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Striped Kingfisher Halcyon chelicuti [6]
At Liwonde 1 24th and 3 25th; 1 Nkhotakhota Pottery 8th and 1 Cool Runnings (Senga Bay) 10th.
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Striped Kingfisher, Liwonde, 24th September
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Striped Kingfisher, Nkhotakhota Pottery, 8th October
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Giant Kingfisher Megaceryle maximus [6]
At Liwonde 1 24th and 4 25th; 1 Makuzi Lodge 8th.
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Giant Kingfishers, Liwonde, 24th-25th September
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Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis [36]
Up to 20 Liwonde 23rd-25th, 2 Lake Chilwa 26th, 2 Vwaza Marsh 4th, up to 5 Makuzi Lodge 7th-8th, 2 Nkhotakhota Pottery 8th, 3 Mpatsanjoka (Senga Bay) 9th and 2 Cool Runnings (Senga Bay) 10th.
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Pied Kingfishers, Liwonde, 24th-25th September
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Pied Kingfishers, Makuzi Lodge, 8th October
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Pied Kingfisher, Lake Chilwa, 26th September
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Little Bee-eater Merops pusillus [28]
Up to 10 Liwonde 23rd-25th, 6 Lake Chilwa 26th, up to 4 Dzalanyama 1st-2nd, 1 Vwaza Marsh 4th, 2 Nyika 7th, 2 between Makuzi and Salima 8th and 3 Bird & Hippo Sanctuary (Senga Bay) 9th.
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Little Bee-eaters, Liwonde, 23rd-24th September
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Little Bee-eaters, Lake Chilwa, 26th September
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Little Bee-eater, Dzalanyama, 1st October
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Boehm's Bee-eater Merops boehmi [6+]
Another Liwonde special: at least 6 around Mvuu Camp, Liwonde 23rd-25th.
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Boehm's Bee-eaters, Liwonde, 23rd-24th September
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Madagascar Bee-eater Merops superciliosus [3]
An inter-African migrant, most frequent in Malawi on southbound passage between late August and early October: 3 Makuzi 8th.
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Madagascar Bee-eaters, Makuzi, 8th October
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European Bee-eater Merops apiaster [22]
A Palaearctic migrant and winter visitor: 5 Lilongwe 22nd, 10 Zomba Forest Lodge 27th, heard Nyika 6th and 7 Makuzi 8th. At least some of these appeared to be migrants moving over at height.
European Bee-eater, Zomba Forest Lodge, 27th September
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European Bee-eaters, Makuzi, 8th October
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European Bee-eater, Makuzi, 8th October
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Lilac-breasted Roller Coracias caudatus [14]
Up to 5 Liwonde 23rd-24th, 1 near Lilongwe 3rd, 1 between Vwaza and Nyika 4th, 3 between Makuzi and Salima 8th and 4 between Salima and Lilongwe 10th.
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Lilac-breasted Rollers, Liwonde, 23rd-24th September
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Racket-tailed Roller Coracias spatulatus [1]
The guide at Liwonde worked hard to find us one of these: 1 Liwonde 25th.
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Racket-tailed Roller, Liwonde, 25th September
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African Hoopoe Upupa (epops) africana [4]
Singles at Liwonde on 23rd and 25th, 1 between Lilongwe and Mzuzu 3rd and 1 Nyika 4th. Still treated as a race of the Hoopoe we see in Europe by some authorities though I suspect the split will be more universally recognised in due course. There are several differences but the wing-pattern is particularly distinctive.
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African Hoopoe, Nyika, 4th October
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African Hoopoe, Liwonde, 23rd September
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Green Woodhoopoe (Red-billed Wood-Hoopoe) Phoeniculus purpureus [20]
3 juvs Liwonde 23rd, 15 Liwonde 25th and 2+ Dzalanyama 1st-2nd.
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African Hoopoe, Liwonde, 23rd September
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Common Scimitarbill Rhinopomastus cyanomelas [2]
At least 2 Dzalanyama 1st-2nd.
Common Scimitarbill, Dzalanyama, 1st October
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