31 Aug – 2 Sep 2019: Satemwa Tea Estate

The first hotspot we birded in Malawi was Mount Thyolo, some 60 km south of Blantyre, with the Green-headed Oriole, Thyolo Alethe and White-winged Apalis our target birds. We arrived at Satemwa Tea Estate Lodge early in the morning and met Lameck, the local birding guide, who took us high into the forested areas of the mountain. Sadly, much of the Afromontane and riparian forest have been replaced by tea plantations and what is left is under constant threat of local charcoal burners. We searched the remaining small patches of forest but were unsuccessful in locating any of our target birds. We did, however, locate Southern Citril, Red-throated Twinspot, Little Greenbul, Eastern Olive Sunbird, Pallid Honeyguide and Black-headed Apalis. An Auger Buzzard perched in a forest tree while an African Goshawk unsuccessfully tried to catch a Tambourine Dove.

Southern Citril, Satemwa.

That afternoon, after having dropped our guide at the lodge, we managed to locate a pair of White-winged Apalis lower down the mountain at a mountain stream. The prices at the lodge were a bit steep for a pensioner so we camped next to the pool at the local country club.

White-winged Apalis, Satemwa Tea Estate

The elusive Thyolo Alethe showed well the next morning in the same forest patch where we missed it the previous day. Silvery-cheeked Hornbills flitted high in the canopy with Livingstone’s Turaco, while down in the leaf litter an Olive Ground Thrush looked for insects. Olive-headed Greenbul and Little Greenbul kept us company in mid-canopy. We dipped on the Green-headed Oriole, a massive setback, as this was the best place in Malawi to see this species. I may still be lucky enough to find this species in Tanzania.

Tambourine Dove, Satemwa Tea Estate.