29 Aug 2019: Gorongosa

We decided to deviate southwards to Van Zyl’s Camp in Gorongosa and then take the tar road over Tete to Malawi; as the road conditions on the shorter route over Caia were too uncertain. The road down to Gorongosa was filled with potholes, and it took us much longer to reach Van Zyl’s Camp than planned. While stopping near the well-known birding quarry on the Gorongosa dirt road a pair of Racket-tailed Rollers entertained us in the mid-strata of some miombo trees. A Speckle-throated Woodpecker was seen in the tall miombo trees next to the road – a new Southern African lifer!

Racket-tailed Roller, Gorongosa

Piet van Zyl was away on business, which was a pity, as it would have been great to see him again. Ria van Zyl gracefully allowed us to use their internet facilities before we moved off to the camp. It always astounds me to find these families living alone in the bush and coping so well with the difficult circumstances. Ria told us that malaria was a constant part of their lives, and that Piet was recovering from a venomous spider bite. The previous evening Renamo had raided a village near the main road not too far from the Van Zyl’s. All just part of living in the bush in Africa!

The dry conditions made it difficult to find the Red-winged Warbler, but we tracked down an individual in a vlei area near the camp. The next morning, on the way back to the main road, we found a pair of Arnot’s Chats near a river crossing.

Stierling's Wren-Warbler, Gorongosa.