Katanga 400 club

I headed out about 4pm as usual on a Saturday afternoon, first off a little unsure where to herad but then realising I hadn't been down to the dambo from the bottom of the garden for a couple of weeks it was a bit of a no-brainer. A quick wander round the garden didn't yield anything too exciting until I heard an unfamiliar call from the tops of bamboos. I picked up African Paradise-Flycatcher and Yellow-breasted Apalis but it didn't seem to be coming from either of these and then a chunky fledgeling jumped into view next to the pair of Apalis. At first I was confused thinking it might be an early juvenile cuckoo species but that didn't seem right, overall it reminded me of a female campephaga cuckooshrike but then an adult Orange-breasted Bush-Shrike appeared and all became clear. I watched the adult feeding the youngster for a while and got some decent photos of the former if not the latter.

juvenile Orange-breasted Bush-Shrike, Frontier Mine, DR Congo

adult Orange-breasted Bush-Shrike, Frontier Mine, DR Congo

The dambo was down to the last few dregs of water as rain has still be very much at a premium and the last couple of weeks have been hot and sunny most days. Surprisingly there were a lot more large waterbirds around again including 35 Yellow-billed Stork and a record count of 20 Great White Pelican. A tall brown and white bird had me puzzled at first until it turned round and I realised it was juvenile Saddle-billed Stork, scanning around yielded not one but three young Saddle-bills so I surmise the adults that have been around since June must have bred very close by. They were both also present as well as the sub-adult making a great count of six in total.

juvenile Saddle-billed Stork, Frontier Mine, DR Congo

juvenile Saddle-billed Stork, Frontier Mine, DR Congo

I thought I could hear the buzzing call of a Sand Martin and careful scanning through the Barn Swallows revealed a single individual. Not a rare bird but a first for the site and more importantly my 400th species in Katanga Province in the 3.5 years I've been working here. I doubt there are too many other members of the Katanga 400 club!

Curlew Sandpiper, Frontier Mine, DR Congo

Lesser Grey-Shrike, Frontier Mine, DR Congo