Birdlife in Pafuri

Summer has come and gone, and with so our summer visitor’s birds. As we start approaching a new season, most of the local summer visitors are getting ready for a long journey. I can hardly hear the call of the Woodland Kingfisher and the Broad-billed Roller, not to mention the Red-backed Shrike and a few others like the Cuckoos, this made me realise that the new season is coming.

We are really going to miss all these beautiful birds, but anyway what can I do, one has to accept it and say it’s all part of life; it’s like missing your loved ones and sometimes you feel lonely and say to yourself “ oh my gosh I really miss her” and you end up consoling yourself and say one day she will be back. Indeed, these beautiful birds that are getting ready to leave will be back here again in summer.

Let me say that Pafuri will always surprise you when it comes to birdlife. Every year we see unusual bird species. The 2017/2018 summer especially special. White-throated Bee-eaters were seen at the Luvuvhu bridge; they are notoriously difficult to see but some of our guests were lucky to see them. This was a big tick for Pafuri. Olive Tree Warbler’s have again proved to be a common summer visitor in the Pafuri region unlike in past when it was regarded as a scarce summer visitor. Towards the end of February beginning of March we had some good rains in Pafuri and that resulted in lots and lots of flying termites. We saw lots of White Storks around the camp area having a feast on the termite as well as the Lesser spotted Eagle that came in large numbers to join the feast.

I remember a day when I was sitting in front of the main deck and saw this big flock of Abdim’s Storks coming to land right in front of the camp in the river. I couldn’t believe it, I mean it was so amazing to see them landing right there, right in front just to come and say hello to us at Pafuri camp. Within a few minutes they were gone, but it was so cool.

Once again, the Pel’s Fishing Owl proved to be a fairly common resident at Pafuri. Guests are happy to see them right in front of the deck in the river fishing at night. Sometimes they don’t show up but just make that deep call from behind the Ana trees on the southern bank of the Luvuvhu river.

All the summer visitors were here, they did not miss the trip to Pafuri at all.

I would like to finish off by letting you know that Pafuri has, still and will always produce when it comes to birdlife.