Birdwatching / Ornithology

Birdwatching in the Mutinondo is highly rewarding for the enthusiast. It holds a great number of species that are difficult to see outside Zambia, and it is one of the easiest and accessible places to see such species within Zambia. Mutinondo is probably one of the best places in the world to see elusive birds such as Long-toed Flufftail and Bar- winged Weaver. Recently a very keen birder from Portugal chalked up 32 "lifers" in about as many hours!

There is great miombo birding along the entrance road, and in the vicinity of the camps. A number of tracks and paths lead away from the camp, and all of them provide good birding. Miombo species include Thick-billed Cuckoo, Pale-billed Hornbill, Racket-tailed Roller, Green-backed and Scaly-throated Honeyguides, Spotted Creeper, Rufous-bellied Tit, Miombo Rock Thrush (not restricted to rocky areas), Central Bearded Scrub Robin, 'Long-tailed' Neddicky, Red- capped Crombec, Yellow-breasted Hyliota, Böhm's and White- tailed Blue Flycatchers, Sousa's Shrike, Violet-backed Sunbird, Miombo Double-collared Sunbird and Cabanis's Bunting. Stripe- breasted Canary is unusually common, and Wood Pipit flushes from the edges of the entrance road. Mutinondo is probably the best place to search for the curiously elusive Bar-winged Weaver, which particularly favours miombo branches festooned with Old man's beard lichen (Usnea) along which it creeps like a crombec or Miombo Grey Tit. The weavers occur widely, but a good place to start looking is between the camp site and stables, and from there back along the entrance road. They are not uncommon, but it is remarkably easy to overlook them. Carefully check bird parties, listening for their squeaky tit-like calls, and your patience should be rewarded.

There are several large dambos and even during the dry season, parts of them remain moist, and Long-toed Flufftail can be found here, particularly in the spongy, drying margins. Their hooting calls (similar to Red-chested Flufftail, but slower) offer a good clue to their whereabouts. Other dambo species include Blue Quail, Natal Nightjar, Short-winged and Stout Cisticolas, Broad-tailed Warbler, Fülleborn's Longclaw, Marsh Whydah, Locust Finch and Fawn- breasted Waxbill.

There are several small rivers that run through the area, including one just below camp, where you can find African Finfoot, African Black Duck, Half-collared Kingfisher and Long-tailed Wagtail. In the thin riparian forest, look for Anchieta's and Black-backed Barbets, Lady Ross' Turaco, Grey-olive Bulbul and Bar-throated Apalis. In well- developed forest, look for Bocage's Akalat and White-tailed Crested Flycatcher.

The granite hills harbour many species, such as Augur Buzzard, Mocking Chat, Rock-loving Cisticola, Rock Martin and Red-winged Starling. There are also spectacular groupings of migrating kites and eagles February/March. Keep your eyes open for thieving White- necked Ravens - those around the camp have learnt to raid tourists' belongings!

In areas of thin scrub around the hills, look carefully for double- collared sunbirds . Mutinondo is one of the best places in which to see the newly discovered form that probably belongs to the Greater Double-collared complex; it is sometimes seen along with Miombo Double-collared Sunbird, but the male of the local form has a longer bill, broader red breastband, and a more strident song. It also builds a different nest and its eggs are a different size and colour. The birds were discovered by Pete Leonard and John Colebrook-Robjent and DNA samples are now being studied to determine the bird's taxonomic status.

Total number of species recorded to date: 284.

To see the full Mutinondo Bird List click here.

Mutinondo Wilderness has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) under the Birdlife International IBA programme. The following extract is the Mutinondo account from the forthcoming book 'Important Bird Areas in Zambia - Priority sites for conservation.' (P.M. Leonard, in prep.)

Mutinondo Wilderness
Mpika District, Northern Province, 12°27'S 31°18'E
Area: 10,000ha
Altitude: 1360-1685m
Status: private conservation area
Categories: A1, A3 (A10), cc

Site description
This private conservation area protects a beautiful tract of wild and undisturbed terrain south of Mpika. It lies between the Great North Road and the Muchinga Escarpment in an area characterised by granite whaleback hills. Particularly numerous within the IBA, these range from small outcrops to imposing mountains. The tallest, at 1685m, is Mount Mayense which sits in the south-eastern corner of the property. The vegetation is predominantly miombo with a particularly high incidence of Proteas, epiphytic orchids and lichens such as Usnea. There are many dambos, some rather dry with numerous small Cubitermes termite mounds and others spongy and permanently wet. These drain into several rivers along which there are waterfalls, thin strips of riparian forest and occasional patches of mushitu. An enormous area of similarly undisturbed country surrounds the site and neighbouring local residents have expressed an interest in creating a much larger conservation area around the IBA.

Birds
Many Zambezian endemics occur in the miombo such as Miombo Rock Thrush Monticola angolensis and Sousa's Shrike Lanius souzae and other interesting species include Thick-billed Cuckoo Pachycoccyx audeberti and Green-backed Honeyguide Prodotiscus zambesiae. Anchieta's Stactolaema anchietae and Whyte's Barbets S. whytii can both be found, Bar-winged Weaver Ploceus angolensis is common and Stripe-breasted Seed-eater Serinus reichardi remarkably abundant. Ten species of sunbird have been recorded and particularly common are Red-and-blue Anthreptes anchietae, Violet-backed A. longuemarei and Miombo Double-collared Nectarinia manoensis. In addition, an undescribed sunbird occurs in the rocky scrub which is probably a new form in the Greater Double-collared Nectarinia afra complex. Other birds in this habitat include Freckled Rock Nightjar Caprimulgus tristigma, Mocking Chat Myrmecocichla cinnamomeiventris and Rock- loving Cisticola Cisticola aberrans. The Muchinga Escarpment would appear to be an important flight path for migratory birds and species such as White Stork Ciconia ciconia, Lesser Spotted Eagle Aquila pomarina and Steppe Eagle A. nipalensis are regular during passage periods. Many other raptors have been recorded including Martial Eagle Polemaetus bellicosus and African Hobby Falco cuvierii. European Circus aeruginosus and African Marsh Harriers C. ranivorus are both frequent over the dambos where other typical species include Blue Quail Coturnix chinensis, Long-toed Flufftail Sarothrura lugens, Natal Nightjar Caprimulgus natalensis, Broad-tailed Warbler Schoenicola brevirostris, Stout Cisticola Cisticola robustus, Marsh Whydah Euplectes hartlaubi and Locust Finch Ortygospiza locustella. African Black Duck Anas sparsa, African Finfoot Podica senegalensis, Half-collared Kingfisher Alcedo semitorquata and Mountain Wagtail Motacilla clara are resident along the rivers and Grey-olive Bulbul Phyllastrephus cerviniventris and Bar-throated Apalis Apalis thoracica are found in the thin riparian forest. Mushitu species include Bocage's Robin Sheppardia bocagei and White-tailed Crested Flycatcher Elminia albonotata, the latter an Afromontane endemic on the edge of its range. There are old records of Taita Falcon Falco fasciinucha from areas nearby but there are no records from the IBA.