Peter Ginn Birding Safaris

The Save River drains most of the south eastern part of Zimbabwe and much of the lower valley lies at an altitude of less than 1000 meters (3000 ft). This lower area is called the "LOWVELD" and is generally much hotter & drier than the plateau or "highveld". This area has long been known for its beef industry, but it was found that the cattle were denuding the grasses. This combined with a series of drought years forced the farmers to look at alternatives to cattle ranching as an economic activity. Thus was born the Save Conservancy – probably the largest private game reserve in the world. The conservancy encompasses over 850 000 acres of essentially wilderness woodlands which have been fenced so as to keep wild animals, especially Rhino, Buffalo & Elephant in, while making it impossible for cattle outside the fence from coming into contact with the buffalo. This area has been designated as a tourist area. The emphasis will be on ecotourism with a maximum of 550 beds in the area. There will be some hunting to remove excess animals so as to keep the environment in balance with the total animal population. Although this project is comparatively new, it is already a favoured place for birding groups. We usually take our groups to one of two lodges, Mokore Lodge in the centre of the conservancy or to Senuko Lodge in the south. Both of these lodges offer very comfortable accommodation with great food. Mokore can handle a maximum of 12 while Senuko has 20 beds.

Thus far over 430 bird species have been recorded in this area. Our experience has been that one can expect to see over 250 species in a 3 day visit in summer, with somewhat lower numbers in winter when the migrants are not there. Along the major rivers with their extensive sandbanks we can find the White-crowned Lapwing Vanellus albiceps and the much smaller White-fronted Plover (Sandplover) Charadrius marginatus . These birds both nest out on the open sand and it always amazes me how a bird which seems so obvious can disappear once it settles on its nest.

White-fronted Plover

Yellow-billed Hornbill

I always think of the Save as being Hornbill country. The forests along the major rivers are home to the Crowned Tockus alboterminatus & Trumpeter Hornbills Bycanistes bucinator . The open woodlands have plenty of Grey T. nasutus , Red-billed T. erythrorhynchus , Yellow-billed T. leucomelas and Ground Hornbills Bucorvus leadbeateri (below)

The various hornbill's calls may be heard throughout the day, but are particularly noticeable in the breeding season. With the exception of the Ground Hornbill which is too large for the female to be sealed in the nest, the hornbills have a very interesting breeding biology. After mating the female enters the nest chamber in a hollow tree and seals herself in using feaces and bits of bark, beetle carapaces etc. She leaves a thin slit through which the males will feed her while she incubates the eggs. The first egg is laid up to 10 days after she has sealed herself in. Additional eggs are laid at 3 or 4 day intervals so that in poor years at least one chick will survive. She moults all her flight & tail feathers after sealing the entrance – she is effectively flightless until these grow back some weeks later when the chicks are about half-grown. At this point she breaks out and the chicks then reseal the entrance without any help from the female! Later the chicks will break out and may leave the nest at 4 day intervals suggesting that the eggs were laid at intervals, not on successive days.

Ground Hornbill

Grey-headed Bush Shrike

While the White Helmet Shrike Prionops plumatus is common here as well as on the highveld, the Red-billed Helmet Shrike P. retzii is much more common in the lowveld. It is interesting that the latter species is always attracted to the call of the Pearl-spotted Owl – the birds come to mob a predator of small birds! The Grey-headed Bush Shrike Malaconotus blanchotii is another common bird, but it is more often heard than seen. The mournful whistle seems to come all over the place and has earned this species the name "Ghost Bird".

Red-billed Helmet Shrike

Pygmy Kingfisher

The diminutive Pygmy Kingfisher Ispidina picta is one of the most beautiful of birds. This woodland kingfisher lives on grasshoppers, small lizards etc and only goes to water to bathe. It is an inter-tropical migrant which comes to Zimbabwe to breed in summer. Its larger relative, the Woodland Kingfisher is a very noisy summer migrant which breeds in the conservancy

These are but some of a large number of woodland birds which one can expect to see in the conservancy.