Birds and wildlife of Malawi

CHAIRMAN Brian Smith welcomed everyone to the SOC Dumfries Branch meeting held on October 15.

Recent bird sightings included more magpies than are normally seen in the area, a snow bunting at New Galloway, redwings, and waxwings around dundrenan, a pectoral sandpiper, little stint, willow tit and a hoopoe at Carsethorn.

A coma butterfly has been seen in the area which is good news.

At Caerlaverock a recent count of up to 80 whooper swans, 1,800 barnacle geese, pintail, light bellied brent geese and up to 100 shoveler. Two smaller Canada geese (one taverners and the other a cackling) had been spotted. There is also been sightings of a Crane.

The speaker for the evening was David Catt, who has been a serious birdwatcher for the last 20 years and who had recently had the chance to revisit Malawi where he had lived over 40 years ago.

His presentation showed the area of Malawi and the terrain he covered on his trip, through valleys a high plateau.

He saw all of the Africa’s ‘big five’, lion, cheetah, leopard, elephant, and giraffe.

David also showed images of village life which had changed from his first visit. The houses were traditionally made of mud with a wattle and daub finish but now they are made of mud bricks which are made locally.

The land is planted out twice in the year with crops being grown in the dry season and turned into a paddy field during the wet season.

Each village produce its own arts and crafts which are sold at local markets along the way.

He went out on safari where he saw a lot of antelope including Hartebeast, Kudu and Sable which have now been introduced to the large game park after spending some time in a large enclosure to adjust to their new surroundings.

He saw a Side-Striped Jackal which is rare and only seen in some parts of Malawi.

On a boat safari, he encountered crocodile, hippo and a Monitor Lizard.

David had photographed many different and vibrant species of birds on his trip. They are too numerous to name them all but had included the three different groups of egrets, white-breasted cormorants which nested in palm trees, a hammerkop, five species of heron, spoonbills, sacred ibis, storks, crakes, African jakanas, rollers, hornbills, all the species of kingfishers, swallows, sunbirds, lovebirds, black-winged stilts, bee-eaters, a cardinal woodpecker, vultures and African fish eagles.

It really was a very good power-point presentation by David. Susan Woods thanked David very much for sharing his trip and experiences with everyone; it had obviously been a memorable holiday.

The autumn bird recording season has now started. Anyone who would like to help in this important survey work in Dumfries and Galloway please contact Edmund Fellowes 01387 262094 for details.

If you have any sightings please let him know so he can build up his data.

The next meeting will be on Wednesday, November 12 in the Cumberland Street Day Centre, Dumfries, at 7.30pm when the speaker will be Russell Nisbet talking on Some Mediterranean Islands.

Visitors and non-members are always very welcome. There is no admission charge.