Zambia. December 2019

Our December tour of Zambia includes Kafue, Zambezi and South Luangwa.


Saddle-billed Stork.
Saddle-billed Stork and Spur-winged Goose.
Brown-hooded Kingfisher.
Nile Monitor
White-browed (Heuglin's) Robin-chat
Green-backed Heron

Black Egret fishing.
Comes up for a look around.
Takes a bow.
Leopard cub peering at us.
We watched for some time.
African Rock Python.

Another view
The full measure.
Puku ram.
Black-collared Barbet.
Black-collared Barbet.
Black-backed Barbet. McBride's Camp.

Zach. Our guide.
female Kudu.
Black Crake and Hippo.
Tropical Boubou.
The Lone Ranger in camp.
Nightjar chick.

Fiery-necked Nightjar
Spotted Thick-knee or Dikkop.
Half-collared Kingfisher.
Half-collared Kingfisher.
Long-tailed Cormorant. Kafue river.
African Darter. Kafue river.

Squacco Heron
Giant Kingfisher.
Storm clouds over McBride's Camp.
Little BeeEater.
Black-bellied Bustard.
Reed Buck.

African Crake.
African Crake.
Little BeeEaters.
African Pipit.
Black-backed Puffback.
Thick-billed Weaver.

Ellies.
Lilac - breasted Roller.
Four men birdwatching.
Long-billed Crombec
McBride's Camp.
David cuts his cake.

Bush Pig.
Bush buck.
White-throated Swallow in my bathroom.
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Gwabi sunset.

Little Swifts.
Little Crocodile.
Wire-tailed Swallow.
White-browed Coucal.
Purple Heron.
Black-winged Stilt.

White-faced Whistling Ducks.
SouthernCarmine BeeEaters.
Kariba Dam.
Lake Kariba
Zambezi below the dam.
Lake Kariba

Eastern Bearded Scrub Robin
Zambian Tiger
Friendly Elly.
Osprey n Zambezi.
White-crowned Lapwing
Goliath Heron

Glossy Ibis.
A less friendly ellie shakes his head,
Then joins his chum in the river.
Come on in the water's lovely.
Told you!
Tsika Island with our camp.

D relaxes in the Lapa.
Netted bed.
The hut is open to the air.
Outside view.
Hippo making a splash.
Crocs eating hippo.

Zambezi sunset.
Lightening strike over the Zambezi.
Dinner of steak under the stars.
Violet backed Starling.
An ellie and friends join us in camp.
Retz's Helmet Shrike.

Verreaux's Black Eagle. Juv.
Cat calling.
Resting. Lion's don't do much.
Unlike this lovely leopard who took an early lunch.
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Bush Pig. A first for me.
Common Genet. South Luangwa at night.
Red-billed Hornbill.
Crawshaw's Zabra and foal.
Malachite Kingfisher.
Piggy and mum.

Don't ask what we had for Christmas lunch.
Lions still not doing much.
Spotted Hyena.
Temminck's Courser.
A tower of giraffe.
Dad takes a closer look.

Bennett's Woodpecker.
Lion about doing nothing.
Takes a walk.
Impala pecker.
Swallow-tailed BeeEater.
Luangwa rainbow.

Massive Bull Kudu late in the evening.
Red-necked Falcons.
Western banded Snake Eagle.
Southern Ground Hornbill.
Ellie mum and toto.
Coming our way.

A hidden watcher.
Walking into danger.
Auntie sleeps on the job.
The male leopard does not sleep.
Watching us watching him.
And both watching the approaching ellies.

Mum drifts ever closer to where the cat is hiding.
Right in the bushes.
The cat stays put but probably had a 'Plan B'.
Mum is really close now.
The cat waits.
Aunty still snoozes on the job.

So close now they are in the same frame.
Tense moment but I don't think the cat will pounce.
Right outside the door.
Baby E just trots by.
I can hear the cat's sigh of relief.
The family move off.

The cat was discovered later we have the video.
But mother and child just continue on.
African Harrier Hawk. Gymnogene.
Oh my gosh. Wild dogs. What a morning.
4 adults and four yearling pups.
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Beautiful animals.
Now they pass by us to start a hunt.
Just enjoy them. We did.
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This is one of the yearling pups.

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Broadbill Roller.
Piggy family
Wahlberg's Eagle.
African Spoonbills.
Luangwa Wafwa sunset.

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Pearl spotted Owlet
The same showng how it can rotate its head 180 degrees.
Complete with false 'eyes' on the back of its head.
African Scops Owl.
Verreaux's Eagle Owl.

Lone lion walks by.
Greater Galago (Bush baby).
Never seen one so obliging.
Purple-crested Turaco.
Cookson's Wildebeeste.
African Buffalo.

Sparring Bulls.
Nile Monitor.
Levaillant's Cuckoo zooms in.
Posed better. Sometimes called Striped cuckoo.
Allen's Gallinule. Female has a green shield.
same

same.
Grey Crowned Crane.
Luangwa sunset.
Luangwa leopard posing nicely.
Looks almost fierce in this light.
Just a pussy cat.

Another pose.
Verreaux's Eagle Owl.
Pel's Fishing Owl.
Pel's Fishing Owl.
Friendly bull. Part of a herd of 50 by our camp one morning.
Giraffe too.

Including baby George.
Banded Mongoose.
Land Monitor.
Another lazy lion.
Looking fierce.
We find the Wild Dog pack again. They are just meeting up.

One of the yearlings.
They look thin so the hunt may have failed.
Just enjoy them as they rest.
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Impala watch from a distance. We think this was the prey.
Portrait.

Taking it easy.
African Skimmers.
This lion disturbed our Sundowner.
Another leopard sighting.
Lizard Buzzard.
Giraffe family. There were 15 in this group.

Greater Blue-eared Starling.
Swainson's Spurfowl.
Swainson's Spurfowl.
Slender Mongoose. See the head of another?
We find the dogs again next morning.
Lazing and looking content.

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Dwarf Bittern.
Natal Spurfowl.
One of these just has to be the best leopard photo I have ever taken.

Pick one.
I can't.
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Carol singing?
Look out!

He comes down and poses.
pose. Darn grass in the way.
That's nice too.
Yellow Canary.
Levaillant's Cuckoo
Second Leopard of Christmas day.

She just walks out of the bush and in front of our vehicle.
And goes on her way. We may as well have been invisible.
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Woolly-necked Stork.
Meyer's Parrot.
Crowned Hornbill.

Crowned Hornbill.
Our third leopard of Christmas day.
He goes up a Sausage Fruit tree.
And starts playing with Sausage fruit.
Not eating them. Just playing.
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He decides he has played enough.
and comes down again.
Christmas leopard number FOUR.
This is just greedy.
Just seven minutes since the last one.
Flap-necked Chameleon.

Bush Pig.
House Gecko.
Swainson's Spurfowl
Brown Snake Eagle.
I can't decide which shot I prefer.
We meet the dogs again. Last time as we leave tomorrow.

Two find something to sniff at.
Lions blocking the track. Note the ellies in the distance.
One decides to check out Flatdogs car.
And then walks off.
A nice elly moment.
Toto is cute as always.

Just follow the sequence and enjoy them.





Please don't chase the Geese.
Alert.
Aw.
Red-necked Falcon.
Collared Palm Thrush.
Collared Palm Thrush.

Bushbuck male.
Poser
Creche of Impala.
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Our final leopard under red lights.