Malawi, 28 June – 2 July 2002

Long weekend in Malawi, 28 June – 2 July 2002

My friend, Hanri, invited me to join him in visiting his friends, Frik and Berinda Kruger, in Malawi. Frik is a doctor at Nkhoma Mission Station, some 35 km east of Lilongwe.

Photo H.D. Oschadleus	Frik and Berinda’s house and garden. The house is on a hillside.
Photo H.D. Oschadleus	Late afternoon view south-eastwards from the house.
Photo H.D. Oschadleus	Early morning view eastwards from the house.
Photo H.D. Oschadleus	Chichewa villagers walking to the local market
Photo H.D. Oschadleus	Tree basking in the late afternoon sunshine. Malawi was wonderfully warm in mid-winter, although some days were cooler. It was pouring with rain in Cape Town when I left.
Photo H.D. Oschadleus	Male Yellow-bellied Sunbird. These were common in the garden. This species occurs from Zimbabwe northwards, so is not a bird I normally see.
Photo H.D. Oschadleus	The duller plumaged female Yellow-bellied Sunbird.
Photo H.D. Oschadleus	African Hawk Eagle. This bird seemed to have a favourite perch on a tree on a cliff not far from Frik’s house. When first encountered I got quite close to the bird. On my next visit the bird circled above me before I could get too close to the tree.
Photo H.D. Oschadleus	Swallowtail butterfly on exotic Lantana blossoms. I saw many different butterfly species, including Painted Lady.
Photo H.D. Oschadleus	Vervet Monkey. Much of the area around Nkhoma is light woodland, with patches of more dense wood. This patch of woodland was next to a village and was probably the site of a graveyard. When I passed the village, some Chichewa children started following me but when we saw this troop of monkeys the children forgot about me and tried chasing the monkeys away.
Photo H.D. Oschadleus	White-necked Ravens enjoying a cup of tea! On Saturday we visited the Dedza pottery shop an hour’s drive south of Nkhoma. While having lunch here, these ravens showed up at the adjoining table.
Photo H.D. Oschadleus	En route to the airport (north of Liliongwe) I stopped at the Lilongwe Nature Reserve in the city centre. The reserve is a patch of natural woodland next to the Lilongwe River.
Photo H.D. Oschadleus	Natural woodland in Lilongwe Nature Reserve.
Photo H.D. Oschadleus	The reserve contains various information signs, like this one of the weaverbirds present in the reserve. Unfortunately the weavers were not breeding, so I only found Spectacled Weaver, but there were numerous old weaver nests along the river from last summer.
Photo H.D. Oschadleus	Schalow’s Lourie, a species not found in southern Africa, but similar to the Knysna Lourie.
Photo H.D. Oschadleus	Nile Crocodile swimming past in the Lilongwe River. These crocs are wild and there are no fences between the river and the paths! Fortunately there is a high bank along most of the river in the reserve (and lots of warning signs).

No pictures of Lake Malawi? This trip was too short to fit in a visit to the Lake. Next time …

Bird list for Nkhoma (28 June – 1 July) and Lilongwe Nature Reserve (2 July), 2002

All the birds I recorded are reasonably common around Lilongwe, with the exception of the Black Sawwing Swallow (* below) which occurs south in the lower Shire valley. A flock was seen near Nkhoma Peak on 1 July.
The most frequently seen bird in the garden at Nkhoma was Yellow-bellied Sunbird.
The most frequently seen bird in the woodland at Nkhoma was African Golden Oriole.
The most frequently seen bird in the open areas at Nkhoma was Tawny-flanked Prinia.

The most recent checklist for Malawi is: K Newman, N Johnston-Stewart & B Medland. 1992. Birds of Malawi. A supplement to Newman’s Birds of Southern Africa.

Reed Cormorant Phalacrocorax africanus
Black-headed Heron Ardea melanocephala
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
African Hawk Eagle Hieraaetus spilogaster
Lizard Buzzard Kaupifalco monogrammicus
Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris
Red-eyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata
Cape Turtle Dove Streptopelia capicola
Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis
Schalow’s Lourie Turaco schalowi
Klaas’s Cuckoo Chrysococcyx klaas
Fiery-necked Nightjar Caprimulgus pectoralis
Speckled Mousebird Colius striatus
Little Bee-eater Merops pusillus
Black-collared Barbet Lybius torquatus
Greater Honeyguide Indicator indicator
* Black Saw-wing Swallow Psalidoprocne holomelas
White-breasted Cuckooshrike Coracina pectoralis
Fork-tailed Drongo Dicrurus adsimilis
African Golden Oriole Oriolus auratus
Black-headed Oriole Oriolus larvatus
Pied Crow Corvus albus
White-necked Raven Corvus albicollis
Dark-capped Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus
Terrestrial Brownbul Phyllastrephus terrestris
Mocking Chat Thamnolaea cinnamomeiventris
Heuglin’s Robin Cossypha heuglini
Tawny-flanked Prinia Prinia subflava
Wattle-eyed Flycatcher Platysteira peltata
African Pied Wagtail Motacilla aguimp
Puffback Dryoscopus cubla
Three-streaked Tchagra Tchagra australis
Tropical Boubou Laniarius aethiopicus
Grey-headed Bush Shrike Malaconotus blanchoti
Yellow-bellied Sunbird Nectarinia venusta
Black Sunbird Nectarinia amethystina
Scarlet-chested Sunbird Nectarinia senegalensis
Yellow White-eye Zosterops senegalensis
Dark-backed Weaver Ploceus bicolor
Spectacled Weaver Ploceus ocularis
Southern Masked Weaver Ploceus velatus
Red-collared Widow Euplectes ardens
Bronze Mannikin Spermestes cucullatus
Red-backed Mannikin Spermestes bicolor
Red-throated Twinspot Hypargos niveoguttatus
Red-billed Firefinch Lagonosticta senegala
Blue Waxbill Uraeginthus angolensis
Pin-tailed Whydah Vidua macroura
Black Widowfinch Vidua funerea
Yellow-fronted Canary Serinus mozambicus