Ennedi, Ouadi-Rime and Zakouma - Chad 2023

[Pictus Safaris]

Day 19 (April 17th):

 

Our penultimate full day in Zakouma was upon us, and a real case of red-flanked duiker fever was upon us. Such is the nature of mammal-watching tours, that one often ends up chasing species that might not top the list of targets for your typical visitor, sometimes to the exclusion of everything else. Having consulted the local guides, rumour was that red-flanked duikers were being seen regularly near the village of Goz Djarat, just outside the park - some forum mmebers may know this as where the market is held that is often visited by groups staying at Tinga or Nomade. And so, this morning, we made an unusual journey to look for wildlife outside the boundaries of the national park.

 

The drive out of the park lasted around ninety-minutes, taking us through some interesting areas that are hardly ever visited by vehicles other than those running supplies. These areas were particularly arid, but the drive was nonetheless productive, as we spotted lion, red-fronted gazelle, Buffon's kob, Kordofan giraffe and roan. The highlights of the drive out were excellent views of greater kudu and the unusual sight of a civet strutting around in daylight. Eventually, we emerged onto the park boundary road, pulling off into a scrubby area just outside the village. The morning was then spent driving the network of paths used by local herdsmen, criss crossing woodland and open areas between the village and watering points. Eyes were firmly trained on the shadier areas of the denser woodland in the hope that a red-flanked duiker might materialise, but there was a surprising amount of wildlife to be seen elsewhere. The village outskirts were a far more productive area for red-fronted gazelle than the park itself, and we encountered several small groups as we bounced around the trails. We also had extended and numerous views of Gambian sun squirrel, which he hadn't seen at all in the park, and our first view of common slender mongoose which, as usual, perplexed us for some time with the bushy squirrel-like tail seen in this species in much of Central Africa. It was lovely to see this species disappear into its hole high up in a nearby tree, about six feet from the ground. By far the most abundant mammal, though, was common duiker, of which we disturbed about a dozen specimens as we explored the woodland. We noted also the present of several fresh aardvark digs, and an agreement was made to return this evening to see if we couldn't track down red-flanked duiker and our first aardvark of the tour. The only hiccup of this morning came when our Land Cruiser crashed through the roof of one of those aardvark digs, and we took plenty of time to extricate ourselves from the deep sand. Some birding was enjoyed as we did so, with our first white-throated bee-eater of the tour, as well as a few more cryptic species.

 

Western greater kudu

 

Red-fronted gazelle

 

Gambian Sun Squirrel

 

White-Throated Bee-Eater

 

Our drive back into the park saw us stop at the entrance gate to the park at Goz Djarat, where we knew the outbuildings had a healthy population of bats. These were identified as Midas mops bats. Depressingly, there was also a Patas monkey on a leash here, which we promptly reported to park authorities on return to Tinga. By now, the heat of the day was up, and our drive back through the park revealed only Buffon's kob. Close to camp, we came across a very large group of Patas monkeys, including a large male and an adorable baby squealing in indignation having been separated from its mother.

 

Goz Djarat Entrance Gate

 

Midas mops bat

 

Patas

 

 

On returning to camp, most of the group opted to spend the afternoon mooching around camp, and were richly rewarded with great views of both lion and elephant as they came to drink at the hide. Three of the clients headed down to the Salamat for some relaxed sundowners amongst olive baboons and yet more extraordinary densities of fish eagles and marabou storks. We had taken it easy deliberately this evening, as we headed back to camp for an early dinner, and then out for a protracted night drive around Goz Djarat. And protracted it would be, as we returned to camp at about 3.30 the following morning.

 

West African crocodiles at Tinga

 

Catfish at Tinga

 

Northern carmine bee-eater

 

Male lion seen from camp

 

Our drive out to the village saw us gain views of serval, side-striped jackal and a large pride of lions in the middle of the road near park headquarters. The periphery of the park was quieter, although savanna hare was seen under spotlight, and the occasional glimpse of genet, civet and galago as we headed out of the park at speed. We didn't quite know what to expect around the village at night, but we were surprised by the density of wildlife. We spent most of our time with binoculars glued to our eyes trying to discern whether the eyeshine we had under spotlight belonged to a red-flanked duiker. It didn't. We must have seen in excess of a hundred common duikers tonight, pain-stakingly identifying all that we could to ensure we weren't missing a red-flanked. As we searched, the mammal 'bycatch' was prolific. Wild cat were seen two or three times, and we had a hugely enjoyable time at an active pale fox den with three youngsters playing at the den entrance. Civets, genets and galagos were abundant, but the highlight was undoubtedly our first view of the tour of an aardvark. The sighting was all too brief as the orycterope dashed away into the bush, and it was around then at 2am that we decided to call it a night. We decided that the 'red-flanked duikers of Goz Djarat' were instead common duikers, but it was certainly not a night wasted.

 

Lions blocking our exit from the park

 

Pale fox youngster at an active den

 

African civet at Goz Djarat

[Kitsafari]

@Pictus Safaris 

 

"but the kill had disappeared and vehicle tracks indicated that we had been beaten to the punch by the Camp Nomade vehicle anyway."

 

That's very curious. do you know the rationale behind removing a kill deliberately? was it too close to the camp and did they move the kill to a nearby location? it's odd to remove a leopard's natural source of food.  

[Pictus Safaris]

Hi @Kitsafari- no indication whatsoever that anyone had moved the kill. More likely, the leopard had returned to feed and the carcass had fallen and been scattered by hyenas, or perhaps the leopard had relocated the kill in response to our vehicles having disturbed it. Hard to know for sure, but unlikely that the kill was moved by anyone.

[Kitsafari]

On 6/27/2023 at 7:22 PM, Pictus Safaris said:

Day 18 (April 6th):

 

Following a lengthy night drive the prior evening, there were a few bleary eyes around the breakfast table this morning, but no shortage of enthusiasm to get going again this morning. 

xxxx

.....We took a diversion to check out the leopard kill we had located the previous night, but the kill had disappeared and vehicle tracks indicated that we had been beaten to the punch by the Camp Nomade vehicle anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

@Pictus Safaris ahhh i must have misunderstood you in the above (highlighted in red) sentence in your opening paragraph? 

[Pictus Safaris]

Hi @Kitsafari- yes, as I say, the kill had disappeared and Nomade were there first at any rate, so we wouldn't have been able to get into the sighting even if the kill had still been there.

[Pictus Safaris]

Day 20 (April 8th):

 

Our final day in the park had arrived, and far too soon of course. We had a very relaxed start this morning after a late finish the night before, with time spent catching up on rest and doing some relaxed birding around camp. The plan for this evening was to take our dinner with us and head deep into the south of the park, following the course of the Salamat and exploring the 'palm forest', in a hope that we may finally come across a red-flanked duiker. There was also the hope that we may be able to pick up a more rewarding elephant sighting than we had managed on our previous soujourns to this area.

 

As we pulled away from camp this afternoon, we were quickly rewarded with a brief lion sighting (from my notes, I think we only had one drive during our stay where lions weren't seen), as well as the typically rich diversity of ungulates and birdlife that Zakouma offers 'as standard'. The Salamat was once again playing host to truly ridiculous densities of bird species including marabou, African fish-eagle, great white egret and great white pelican. Togui even had a chance to show off his impressive bushcraft, as we noticed a sizeable drag mark across the track. After a few minutes off poking our nose into the nearby bush, we caught a glimpse of the culprit as a young male lion bounded away, somewhat affronted that we had tracked him down. We didn't get a great look at the carcass, although based on size it was likely to be a common duiker. There was some discussion as to whether it was a red-flanked duiker and, if it was, whether that would count as a sighting. We decided it definitely wouldn't. A short drive on brought us to a stunning colony of nesting northern carmine bee-eaters - we had to hurry to get into red-flanked duiker habitat, but we could quite happily have sat here all evening.

 

Northern carmine bee-eaters

 

The long drive down south was fairly quiet this evening, despite there being plenty of evidence that a large herd of elephants had crossed the road fairly recently. The plan had been to dedicate significant time to seeking out red-flanked duiker as they descended to the Salamat from the surrounding forest in the fading light, which is the best bet for a sighting in Zakouma and in much of their range. Unfortunately, our plans were largely scuppered by a density of tsetse flies unlike any other I have encountered in Chad - one could almost be forgiven for thinking we were in Kafue or Ruaha. Understandably, Togui wasn't keen to hang around, and our drive through some good areas was done at pace, spooking only bushbuck as we travelled.

 

Dinner was taken in the dry section of the Salamat riverbed, with a striking night's sky above us. Within minutes, the nearby guard post had wind of our presence and mosied on down to see what we were doing. We treated them to a bottle of wine we had brought with us, although when we opened up another bottle of the same wine we realised 'treat' was not the right term, as it turns out France exports this wine to Chad rather then keeps it for themselves for a reason. Quite undrinkable.

 

Dinner in the Salamat

 

Despite my best attempts to convince Togui to retrace at least some of our steps now that the tsetses had dissipated, we continued on west. There was plenty of eyeshine along the short stretch of riverbank, with the vast majority belonging to common genet and bushbuck. We did nab our first oribi of the tour, which would have been an unusual miss had we not seen it tonight. Shortly afterwards, we returned to dry-country, and so our hopes of a red-flanked duiker vanished.

 

Nonetheless, a protracted drive through any part of Zakouma is a real treat. The dry country produced excellent views of African civet, common genet and large-spotted genet, but little else until we began to re-approach the wetlands further north. At the edge of these wetlands, we had brief views of African wild cat and a very obliging greyish eagle-owl, before emerging onto the main plains. Here, in addition to the usual procession of Kordofan giraffe, we had some unusual eyeshine far into the centre of the grassland area, bobbling with an unusual gait. Eventually, as they approach ever closer, we had distant but good views of a pair of honey badgers - they promptly dashed away from us and we couldn't relocate them, despite retracing our route in the direction they had headed for a kilometre or so. Returning to the plain, we also had views of serval and a mating pair of lions, which passed right by our vehicle.

 

Greyish eagle-owl

 

From where we found ourselves, already quite some time into the hours of darkness, it was to be a long drive home on some scarcely used tracks. Even here, where the grasses were extremely high, Zakouma had some more surprises for us. Starting the return drive with another honey badger, and a dozen or so civets and genets, we encountered only our second rodent of our stay in Zakouma (after a brief view of a crested porcupine some days earlier) - a Congo gerbil. This is, by far, the most common gerbil in the park, but we had struggled for rodents throughout our stay, whereas our other groups had seen hundreds. I suspect that the unseasonable rain had brought them out in high densities for the other groups. Despite a concerted effort, we couldn't only grab 'proof shots' of this particular individual.

 

The next highlight was undoubtedly a stunning standard-winged nightjar sitting in the middle of the road - a real top birding prize in this neck of the woods, and just our luck that we would encounter this on one of our more mammal- and less bird-focussed tours to the park. Shortly afterwards, I thought we may have lucked out with a cheetah sighting, but the promising eyeshine ended up belonging to a pile of three adolescent lions obscured by a bush just off the road. Our final sightings, on the short drive back to camp from the lions, were those of one final serval, and a lone spotted hyena, no doubt on its way to camp. Pulling into camp at about midnight, there was a bit of disappointment at dipping on red-flanked duiker, but satisfaction with yet another highly productive drive.

 

Day 21 (April 9th):

 

It's always sad to say goodbye to Zakouma, and this morning was no exception. Relucantly, the team piled into our vehicles for the long, long drive ahead. Unsurprisingly, road conditions hadn't improved much up to Mongo, but we arrived there by early afternoon, and the remainder of the day was spent on good roads to a lovely campsite near Bokoro. The inselberg by which we camped looked a likely spot for some rodents, and traps here revealed the presence of Johan's spiny mouse, a delightful species and one we returned safely to the rocks from which it came.

 

Johan's spiny mouse

 

Spiny mouse habitat

 

Views from our final campsite near Bokoro

 

Day 22 (April 10th):

 

The final day of the tour returned the group to N'Djamena, where there was time for lots of cold beers and back-slapping before transferring to the airport. This was the day with the most pressing mechanical issues encountered, which is entirely understandable given these vehicles had, by this point, spent six weeks on the road across Chad. There was also a significant shortage of fuel, linked to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and associated geopolitics, which meant we squeaked into the capital running on fumes.

 

There was nearly a sting in the tail, as I was briefly detained at the airport as my walkie-talkies were discovered. Eventually, I was able to provide my letter of invitation from African Parks as evidence that I was just using these to communicate with other vehicles, rather than plotting a coup, and I was able to connect with the scheduled flight to Paris.

 

Overall, across the three tours, we finished up with 80 mammal species and nearly 300 bird species - lists to follow! My huge thanks go to clients Dan Nugent and Jon Hall for permitting use of their images in this trip report.

Edited July 13, 2023 by Pictus Safaris

[Pictus Safaris]

So, in total across our three groups, we were certainly delighted with both the quality and quantity of sightings enjoyed. Ennedi and Ouadi-Rime both exceeded expectations in a big way, and Zakouma had its best game-viewing season for quite some time. The list of highlights is a lengthy one, and I hope I've done justice to them in this TR. The Sahel is always a challenging place to visit, for one reason or another, but a tally of 80 mammals and 293 bird species is not to be sniffed at anywhere. We very much look forward to being back in Chad in 2024!

 

Mammal List - 80 species

 

 

Species	Scientific Name	Location(s)*
Carnivora – 23 species
Cheetah	Acinonyx jubatus	ZNP
Marsh Mongoose	Atilax paludinosus	ZNP
African Wolf	Canis lupaster	OROA
Caracal	Caracal caracal	OROA, ZNP
African Civet	Civettictis civetta	ZNP
Spotted Hyaena	Crocuta crocuta	ZNP
African Wildcat	Felis lybica	OROA, ZNP
Common Genet	Genetta genetta	AS, ZNP
Rusty-Spotted Genet	Genetta maculata	ZNP
Egyptian Mongoose	Herpestes ichneumon	ZNP
Common Slender Mongoose	Herpestes sanguineus	ZNP
Striped Hyaena	Hyaena hyaena	E, ZNP
White-Tailed Mongoose	Ichneumia albicauda	ZNP
Libyan Striped Weasel	Ictonyx libycus	OROA
Serval	Leptailurus serval	ZNP
Side-Striped Jackal	Lupelella adusta	ZNP
Honey Badger	Mellivora capensis	OROA, ZNP
Banded Mongoose	Mungos mungo	ZNP
Lion	Panthera leo	ZNP
Leopard	Panthera pardus	ZNP
Pale Fox	Vulpes pallida	E, OROA, ZNP
Rueppell’s Fox	Vulpes rueppelli	E
Fennec Fox	Vulpes zerda	E
Cetartiodactyla – 20 species
Addax	Addax nasomaculatus	OROA
(Lelwel) Hartebeest	Alcelaphus buselaphus	ZNP
Red-Flanked Duiker	Cephalophus rufilatus	ZNP
Tiang	Damliscus lunatus	ZNP
Red-Fronted Gazelle	Eudorcas rufifrons	ZNP
Dorcas Gazelle	Gazella dorcas	OROA
Northern Giraffe	Giraffe camelopardalis	ZNP
Hippopotamus	Hippopotamus amphibius	NDJ
Roan Antelope	Hippotragus equinus	ZNP
(Defassa) Waterbuck	Kobus ellipsiprymnus	ZNP
(Buffon’s) Kob	Kobus kob	ZNP
Dama Gazelle	Nanger dama	OROA
Scimitar-Horned Oryx	Oryx dammah	OROA
Oribi	Ourebia ourebi	ZNP
Common Warthog	Phacochoerus africanus	ZNP
Bohor Reedbuck	Redunca redunca	ZNP
Common Duiker	Sylvicapra grimmia	ZNP
African Buffalo	Syncerus caffer	ZNP
Bushbuck	Tragelaphus scriptus	ZNP
Greater Kudu	Tragelaphus strepsiceros	ZNP
Chiroptera – 10 species
Ansorge’s Free-Tailed Bat	Chaerephon ansorgei	ZNP
Yellow-Winged Bat	Lavia frons	ZNP
Common Bent-Wing Bat	Miniopterus schreibersii	ZNP
Midas Mops Bat	Mops midas	ZNP
Hairy Slit-Faced Bat	Nycteris hispida	ZNP
Large-Eared Slit-Faced Bat	Nycteris macrotis	ZNP
Egyptian Slit-Faced Bat	Nycteris Slit-Faced Bat	ZNP
Geoffroy’s Horseshoe Bat	Rhinolophus clivosus	E
Egyptian Mouse-Tailed Bat	Rhinopoma cystops	E
Egyptian Free-Tailed Bat	Tadarida aegyptiaca	ZNP
Eulipotyphla – 2 species
Savanna Shrew	Crocidura fulvastra	ZNP
Desert Hedgehog	Paraechinus aethiopicus	E
Hyracoidea – 1 species
Rock Hyrax	Procavia capensis	E
Lagomorpha – 2 species
Cape Hare	Lepus capensis	E
African Savanna Hare	Lepus victoriae	OROA, ZNP
Primates – 4 species
Tantalus Monkey	Chlorocebus tantalus	ZNP
Patas Monkey	Erythrocebus patas	E, ZNP
Northern Lesser Galago	Galago senegalensis	ZNP
Olive Baboon	Papio anubis	E, ZNP
Proboscidea – 1 species
African Savanna Elephant	Loxodonta africana	ZNP
Rodentia – 16 species
Johan’s Spiny Mouse	Acomys johannis	B
African Grass Rat	Arvincathis niloticus	ZNP
Pouched Gerbil	Desmodilliscus braueri	OROA, AS
Striped Ground Squirrel	Euxerus erythropus	E
Pleasant Gerbil	Gerbillus amoenus	OROA
Lesser Egyptian Gerbil**	Gerbillus gerbillus	E
Pygmy Gerbil	Gerbillus henleyi	E, OROA
Nigerian Gerbil**	Gerbillus nigeriae	E, OROA
Tarabul’s Gerbil	Gerbillus tarabuli	E
Gambian Sun Squirrel	Heliosciurus gambianus	ZNP
Crested Porcupine	Hystrix cristata	OROA
Lesser Egyptian Jerboa	Jaculus jaculus	E
Heuglin’s Striped Grass Mouse	Lemniscomys zebra	OROA
Guinea Multimammate Mouse	Mastomys erythroleucus	ZNP
Black Rat	Rattus rattus	A
Congo Gerbil	Taterillus congicus	ZNP
Tubulidentata – 1 species
Aardvark	Orycteropus afer	OROA, AS, ZNP

*A - Abeche, AS - Aardvark Site, B - Bokoro, E - Ennedi, NDJ - N'Djamena, OROA - Ouadi-Rime, ZNP - Zakouma NP

** trapped only

 

Bird List - 293 species

 

Species	Scientific Name	Location(s)*
Accipitriformes – 33 species
Shikra	Accipiter badius	ZNP
Ovambo Sparrowhawk	Accipiter ovampensis	AS
Tawny Eagle	Aquila rapax	ZNP, B
African Hawk-Eagle	Aquila spilogaster	ZNP
Grasshopper Buzzard	Butastur rufipennis	OROA, AS, ZNP, A
Scissor-Tailed Kite	Chelictinia riocourii	OROA
Beaudouin’s Snake-Eagle	Circaetus beaudouini	E, ZNP
Western Banded Snake-Eagle	Circaetus cinerascens	ZNP
Brown Snake-Eagle	Circaetus cinereus	ZNP, B
Short-Toed Snake-Eagle	Circaetus gallicus	E, OROA
Western Marsh Harrier	Circus aeruginosus	NDJ, E, OROA, ZNP, AS, B, A
Pallid Harrier	Circus macrourus	NDJ, E, OROA, ZNP, AS, B, A
Montagu’s Harrier	Circus pygargus	NDJ, E, OROA, ZNP, AS, B, A
Black-Winged Kite	Elanus caeruleus	NDJ, E, OROA, ZNP, AS, B, A
White-Backed Vulture	Gyps africanus	ZNP
Rueppell’s Vulture	Gyps rueppelli	OROA, ZNP
African Fish-Eagle	Haliaaetus vocifer	ZNP
Ayres’s Hawk-Eagle	Hieraaetus ayresii	ZNP
Wahlberg’s Eagle	Hieraaetus wahlbergi	ZNP, B
Lizard Buzzard	Kaupifalco monogrammicus	ZNP
Long-Crested Eagle	Lophaetus occipitalis	ZNP
Dark-Chanting Goshawk	Merlierax metabates	ZNP, B
Gabar Goshawk	Micronisus gabar	NDJ, E, OROA, ZNP, AS, B, A
Yellow-Billed Kite	Milvus aegyptius	NDJ, E, OROA, ZNP, AS, B, A
Black Kite	Milvus migrans	ZNP
Hooded Vulture	Necosyrtes monachus	ZNP
Egyptian Vulture	Neophron percnopterus	E, B
African Harrier-Hawk	Polyboroides typus	ZNP
Secretarybird	Sagittarius serpentarius	ZNP
Crowned Eagle	Stephanoaetus coronatus	ZNP
Bateleur	Terathopius ecaudatus	ZNP, B
Lappet-Faced Vulture	Torgos tracheliotos	OROA, ZNP, B
White-Headed Vulture	Trigonoceps occipitalis	ZNP
Anseriformes – 5 species
Egyptian Goose	Alopochen aegyptiaca	NDJ, ZNP
White-Faced Whistling Duck	Dendrocygna viduata	NDJ, ZNP
Spur-Winged Goose	Plectropterus gambensis	ZNP
African Comb Duck	Sarkidiornis melanotos	ZNP
Garganey	Spatula querquedula	ZNP
Apodiformes – 4 species
Little Swift	Apus affinis	NDJ, ZNP
Common Swift	Apus apus	ZNP, B
White-Rumped Swift	Apus caffer	ZNP
African Palm-Swift	Cypsiurus parvus	ZNP
Bucerotiformes – 6 species
Abyssinian Ground Hornbill	Bucorvus abyssinicus	ZNP, B
African Grey Hornbill	Lophoceros nasutus	E, ZNP, B, A
Green Woodhoopoe	Phoeniculus purpureus	ZNP, B
Black Scimitarbill	Rhinopomastus aterrimus	ZNP
Red-Billed Hornbill	Tockus erythrorhynchus	E, ZNP, B
Common Hoopoe	Upupa epops	NDJ, E, OROA, ZNP, AS, B, A
Caprimulgiformes – 4 species
Long-Tailed Nightjar	Caprimulgus climacurus	ZNP
Golden Nightjar	Caprimulgus eximius	OROA
Plain Nightjar	Caprimulgus inornatus	ZNP
Standard-Winged Nightjar	Caprimulgus longipennis	ZNP
Charadriiformes – 25 species
Common Sandpiper	Actitis hypoleucos	NDJ, ZNP
African Jacana	Actophilornis africanus	ZNP
Spotted Thick-Knee	Burhinus capensis	ZNP
Senegal Thick-Knee	Burhinus senegalensis	ZNP
Little Stint	Calidris minuta	ZNP
Ruff	Calidris pugnax	NDJ, ZNP
Little Ringed Plover	Charadrius dubius	ZNP
Common Ringed Plover	Charadrius hiaticula	ZNP
White-Winged Tern	Chlidonias leucopterus	ZNP
Grey-Headed Gull	Chroiocephalus cirrocephalus	NDJ
Cream-Coloured Courser	Cursorius cursor	A
Gull-Billed Tern	Gelochelidon nilotica	NDJ
Collared Pratincole	Glareola pratincole	ZNP
Black-Winged Stilt	Himantopus Himantopus	ZNP
Eurasian Curlew	Numenius arquata	ZNP
Egyptian Plover	Recurvirostra avosetta	ZNP
Spotted Redshank	Tringa erythropus	ZNP
Wood Sandpiper	Tringa glareola	NDJ, ZNP
Common Greenshank	Tringa nebularia	NDJ, ZNP
Green Sandpiper	Tringa ochropus	ZNP
Marsh Sandpiper	Tringa stagnatilis	NDJ, ZNP
Common Buttonquail	Turnix sylvaticus	OROA
Wattled Lapwing	Vanellus senegallus	ZNP
Spur-Winged Lapwing	Vanellus spinosus	NDJ, ZNP
Black-Headed Lapwing	Vanellus tectus	NDJ, ZNP, A
Ciconiiformes – 6 species
African Openbill	Anastomus lamelligerus	NDJ, ZNP
White Stork	Ciconia ciconia	ZNP
African Woollyneck	Ciconia microscelis	ZNP
Saddlebill	Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis	ZNP
Marabou	Leptoptilos crumenifer	NDJ, ZNP
Yellow-Billed Stork	Mycteria ibis	NDJ, ZNP
Coliiformes – 1 species
Blue-Naped Mousebird	Urocolius macrourus	NDJ, E, OROA, ZNP, AS, B, A
Columbiformes – 10 species
Speckled Pigeon	Columba guinea	NDJ, E, OROA, AS, ZNP, B, A
Rock Dove	Columba livia	E
Namaqua Dove	Oena capensis	E, OROA, AS, ZNP, B, A
Laughing Dove	Spilopelia senegalensis	E, OROA, AS, ZNP, B, A
Mourning Collared Dove	Streptopelia decipiens	ZNP
African Collared Dove	Streptopelia roseogrisea	E, OROA, B, A
Red-Eyed Dove	Streptopelia semitorquata	ZNP, B
Vinaceous Dove	Streptopelia vinacea	ZNP, B
Black-Billed Wood Dove	Turtur abyssinicus	ZNP, B
Bruce’s Green Pigeon	Treron waalia	ZNP
Coraciiformes – 13 species
Pied Kingfisher	Ceryle rudis	NDJ, ZNP
Abyssinian Roller	Coracias abyssinicus	OROA, ZNP, B, A
Malachite Kingfisher	Corythornis cristatus	ZNP
Striped Kingfisher	Halcyon chelicuti	ZNP
Grey-Headed Kingfisher	Halcyon leucocephala	ZNP
Giant Kingfisher	Megaceryle maxima	ZNP
White-Throated Bee-Eater	Merops albicollis	ZNP
European Bee-Eater	Merops apiaster	ZNP
Red-Throated Bee-Eater	Merops bulocki	ZNP
Northern Carmine Bee-Eater	Merops nubicus	ZNP
Blue-Cheeked Bee-Eater	Merops persicus	ZNP
Little Bee-Eater	Merops pusillus	NDJ, ZNP
African Green Bee-Eater	Merops viridissimus	OROA, ZNP, B, A
Cuculiformes – 2 species
Senegal Coucal	Centropus senegalensis	NDJ, ZNP
Great Spotted Cuckoo	Clamator glandarius	ZNP
Falconiformes – 8 species
Fox Kestrel	Falco alopex	B
Grey Kestrel	Falco ardosiaceus	ZNP
Lanner Falcon	Falco biarmicus	E, OROA, ZNP, B
African Hobby	Falco cuvierii	E
Lesser Kestrel	Falco naumanni	B
Peregrine Falcon	Falco peregrinus	E
Red-Necked Falcon	Falco ruficollis	ZNP
Common Kestrel	Falco tinninculus	NDJ, E, OROA, ZNP, AS, B, A
Galliformes – 4 species
Common Quail	Coturnix coturnix	OROA
Helmeted Guineafowl	Numida meleagris	E, ZNP, A
Clapperton’s Francolin	Pternistis clappertoni	ZNP, A
Stone Partridge	Ptilopachus petrosus	B, A
Gruiformes – 1 species
Black-Crowned Crane	Balearica pavonina	ZNP, B
Musophagiformes – 1 species
Western Grey Plantain-Eater	Crinifer piscator	ZNP
Otidiformes – 3 species
Arabian Bustard	Ardeotis arabs	OROA
Black-Bellied Bustard	Lissotis melanogaster	ZNP
Nubian Bustard	Neotis nuba	OROA
Passeriformes –  121 species
Common Reed Warbler	Acrocephalus scirpaceus	NDJ
Pale Flycatcher	Agricola pallidus	A
Greater Hoopoe-Lark	Alaemon alaudipes	OROA, A
Cut-Throat Finch	Amandina fasciata	OROA, ZNP
Bar-Tailed Lark	Ammomanes cinctura	A
Desert Lark	Ammomanes deserti	E
Sennar Penduline Tit	Anthoscopus punctifrons	A
Tawny Pipit	Anthus campestris	OROA
Red-Throated Pipit	Anthus cervinus	ZNP
Fulvous Babbler	Argya fulva	E, OROA, A
Grey-Headed Batis	Batis orientalis	B
White-Billed Buffalo Weaver	Bubalornis albirostris	NDJ, OROA, AS, A
Trumpeter Finch	Bucanetes githagineus	E
Yellow-Billed Oxpecker	Buphagus africanus	ZNP
Greater Short-Toed Lark	Calandrella brachydactyla	OROA
Grey-Backed Camaroptera	Camaroptera brevicaudata	NDJ, E, OROA, ZNP, AS, B, A
Red-Shouldered Cuckooshrike	Campephaga phoenicea	ZNP
Rufous-Tailed Scrub-Robin	Cercotrichas galactotes	NDJ, E, OROA, ZNP, AS, B, A
Black Scrub-Robin	Cercotrichas podobe	NDJ, E, OROA, AS, B, A
Scarlet-Chested Sunbird	Chalcomitra senegalensis	ZNP
Sulphur-Breasted Bush-Shrike	Chlorophoenus sulfureopectus	ZNP
Violet-Backed Starling	Cinnyricinclus leucogaster	ZNP
Beautiful Sunbird	Cinnyris pulchellus	ZNP
Desert Cisticola	Cisticola aridulus	OROA
Singing Cisticola	Cisticola cantans	ZNP
Zitting Cisticola	Cisticola juncidis	ZNP
Red-Pate Cisticola	Cisticola ruficeps	NDJ, B
Pied Crow	Corvus albus	NDJ, E, OROA, ZNP, AS, B, A
Fan-Tailed Raven	Corvus rhipidurus	E, B
Brown-Necked Raven	Corvus ruficollis	E, OROA, AS, B, A
Snowy-Crowned Robin-Chat	Cossypha niveicapilla	B
White-Rumped Seedeater	Crithagra leucopygia	E, OROA, AS, A
Subalpine Warbler	Curruca cantillans	E, A
Common Whitethroat	Curruca communis	NDJ, E, AS
Lesser Whitethroat	Curruca curruca	E, OROA, ZNP
Rueppell’s Warbler	Curruca rueppelli	E
Common House Martin	Delichon urbicum	ZNP
Fork-Tailed Drongo	Dicrurus adsimilis	ZNP
Glossy-Backed Drongo	Dicrurus divaricatus	ZNP
Northern Puffback	Dryoscopus gambensis	ZNP
Golden-breasted Bunting	Emberiza flaviventris	ZNP, B
Gosling's Bunting	Emberiza goslingi	B
House Bunting	Emberiza sahari	E
Dunn's Lark	Eremalauda dunni	OROA
Green-backed Eremomela	Eremomela canescens	ZNP
Yellow-bellied Eremomela	Eremomela icteropygialis	AS
Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark	Eremopterix leucotis	NDJ, E, OROA, ZNP, AS, B, A
Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark	Eremopterix nigriceps	NDJ, E, OROA, ZNP, AS, B, A
Black-rumped Waxbill	Estrilda troglodytes	ZNP
African Silverbill	Euodice cantans	OROA
Northern Red Bishop	Euplectes franciscanus	B
Crested Lark	Galerida cristata	OROA, AS, A
Sahel Bush-Sparrow	Gymnoris dentata	ZNP
Pygmy Sunbird	Hedydipna platura	NDJ, E, OROA, ZNP, AS, B, A
Icterine Warbler	Hippolais icterina	ZNP
Melodious Warbler	Hippolais polyglotta	ZNP
Ethiopian Swallow	Hirundo aethiopica	OROA, ZNP
Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	NDJ, E, OROA, ZNP, AS, B, A
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler	Iduna pallida	B
Red-Billed Firefinch	Lagonosticta senegala	NDJ, ZNP
Long-Tailed Glossy Starling	Lamprotornis caudatus	ZNP, B
Greater Blue-Eared Starling	Lamprotornis chalybaeus	ZNP, B
Lesser Blue-Eared Starling	Lamprotornis chloropterus	ZNP
Chestnut-Bellied Starling	Lamprotornis pulcher	NDJ, E, OROA, AS, B, A
Purple Glossy Starling	Lamprotornis purpureus	ZNP
Black-Headed Gonolek	Laniarius erythrogaster	ZNP
Great Grey Shrike	Lanius excubitor	E, OROA
Grey-Backed Fiscal	Lanius excubitoroides	ZNP
Masked Shrike	Lanius nubicus	ZNP, B
Woodchat Shrike	Lanius senator	ZNP
Northern Black Flycatcher	Melaenornis edolioides	A
Horsfield’s Bush Lark	Mirafra javanica	OROA, AS
Common Rock Thrush	Monticola saxatilis	OROA
African Pied Wagtail	Motacilla aguimp	ZNP
White Wagtail	Motacilla alba	ZNP
Western Yellow Wagtail	Motacilla flava	E, ZNP
Spotted Flycatcher	Muscicapa striata	ZNP
Northern Anteater Chat	Myrmecocichla aethiopis	ZNP
Brubru	Nilaus afer	ZNP
White-Fronted Black Chat	Oenanthe albifrons	AS, A
Desert Wheatear	Oenanthe deserti	E
Isabelline Wheatear	Oenanthe isabelline	OROA
White-Crowned Wheatear	Oenanthe leucopyga	E
Eastern Black-Eared Wheatear	Oenanthe melanoleuca	OROA, AS, A
Blackstart	Oenanthe melanura	E
Northern Wheatear	Oenanthe oenanthe	NDJ, E, OROA, ZNP, AS, B, A
Brown-Tailed Rock Chat	Oenanthe scotocerca	B
House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	NDJ, E, OROA, ZNP, AS, B, A
Northern Grey-Headed Sparrow	Passer griseus	ZNP, B
Sudan Golden Sparrow	Passer luteus	E, OROA, AS, A, B
Desert Sparrow	Passer simplex	E
Common Redstart	Phoenicurus phoenicurus	ZNP, B
Buff-Bellied Warbler	Pyllolais pulchella	ZNP
Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler	Phylloscopus orientalis	AS
Willow Warbler	Phylloscopus trochilus	NDJ, E, OROA, ZNP, AS, B, A
Chestnut-Crowned Sparrow-Weaver	Plocepasser superciliosus	B
Village Weaver	Ploceus cucullatus	NDJ, ZNP
Little Weaver	Ploceus luteolus	ZNP
Vitelline Masked Weaver	Ploceus vitellinus	ZNP
River Prinia	Prinia fluviatilis	NDJ
Tawny-Flanked Prinia	Prinia subflava	ZNP
White-Crested Helmetshrike	Prionops plumatus	ZNP
Piapiac	Ptilostomus afer	NDJ, ZNP
Rock Martin	Ptyonoprogne fuligula	B
Pale Rock Martin	Ptyonoprogne obsoleta	E
Common Bulbul	Pycnonotus barbatus	NDJ, E, OROA, ZNP, AS, B, A
Green-Winged Pytilia	Pytilia melba	OROA, ZNP
Red-Billed Quelea	Quelea quelea	NDJ, E, OROA, ZNP, AS, B, A
Bronze Mannikin	Spermestes cucullate	NDJ, AS, A
Cricket Warbler	Spiloptila clamans	E, OROA, AS, A
Speckle-Fronted Weaver	Sporopipes frontalis	OROA, ZNP, B
Northern Crombec	Sylvietta brachyura	ZNP
Black-Crowned Tchagra	Tchagra senegalus	ZNP, B
African Paradise-Flycatcher	Terpsiphone viridis	ZNP
Brown Babbler	Turdoides plebejus	ZNP
African Thrush	Turdus pelios	ZNP
Red-Cheeked Cordon-Bleu	Uraeginthus benegalus	NDJ, ZNP
Village Indigobird	Vidua chalybeata	ZNP
Pin-Tailed Whydah	Vidua macroura	ZNP
Sahel Paradise-Whydah	Vidua orientalis	OROA, ZNP, B
Northern Yellow White-Eye	Zosterops senegalensis	ZNP
Pelecaniiformes – 19 species
Great White Egret	Ardea alba	NDJ, ZNP
Intermediate Egret	Ardea brachyrhyncha	ZNP
Grey Heron	Ardea cinerea	NDJ, ZNP
Goliath Heron	Ardea goliath	ZNP
Black-Headed Heron	Ardea melanocephala	NDJ, ZNP
Purple Heron	Ardea purpurea	ZNP
Squacco Heron	Ardeola ralloides	ZNP
Hadada Ibis	Bostrychia hagedash	ZNP
Cattle Egret	Bubulcus ibis	NDJ, ZNP
Green-Backed Heron	Butorides striata	ZNP
Black Heron	Egretta ardesiaca	ZNP
Little Egret	Egretta garzetta	ZNP
Black-Crowned Night-Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax	ZNP
Great White Pelican	Pelecanus onocrotalus	ZNP
Pink-Backed Pelican	Pelecanus rufescens	ZNP
African Spoonbill	Platalea alba	ZNP
Glossy Ibis	Plegadis falcinellus	ZNP
Hamerkop	Scopus umbretta	NDJ, ZNP
African Sacred Ibis	Threskiornis aethiopicus	NDJ, ZNP
Piciformes – 10 species
Fine-Spotted Woodpecker	Campethera punctuligera	ZNP
Brown-Backed Woodpecker	Dendropicos obsoletus	ZNP
Greater Honeyguide	Indicator indicator	ZNP
Lesser Honeyguiide	Indicator minor	ZNP
White-Headed Barbet	Lybius leucocephalus	ZNP
Black-Breasted Barbet	Lybius rolleti	ZNP, B
Vieillot’s Barbet	Lybius vieilloti	ZNP, B
Grey Woodpecker	Mesopicos goertae	ZNP
Yellow-Fronted Tinkerbird	Pogoniulus chrysoconus	ZNP
Yellow-Breasted Barbet	Trachyphonus margaritatus	OROA, A
Psittaciiformes – 2 species
Meyer’s Parrot	Poicephalus meyeri	ZNP, B
Rose-Ringed Parakeet	Psittacula kramieri	ZNP, B
Pterocliformes – 2 species
Chestnut-Bellied Sandgrouse	Pterocles exustus	B
Four-Banded Sandgrouse	Pterocles quadricinctus	ZNP
Strigiformes – 9 species
Short-Eared Owl	Asio flammeus	OROA
Little Owl	Athene noctua	E
Pharaoh Eagle-Owl	Bubo ascalaphus	E, OROA
Greyish Eagle-Owl	Bubo cinerascens	ZNP
Pearl-Spotted Owlet	Glaucidium perlatum	ZNP
Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl	Ketupa lactea	ZNP
African Scops Owl	Otus senegalensis	OROA, ZNP
Northern White-Faced Owl	Ptilopsis leucotis	OROA
Common Barn-Owl	Tyto alba	OROA, B
Struthioniformes – 1 species
Common Ostrich	Struthio camelus	E, OROA, ZNP
Suliformes – 3 species
African Darter	Anhinga rufa	ZNP
Reed Cormorant	Microcarbo africanus	NDJ, ZNP
White-Breasted Cormorant	Phalacrocorax lucidus	NDJ

*A - Abeche, AS - Aardvark Site, B - Bokoro, E - Ennedi, NDJ - N'Djamena, OROA - Ouadi-Rime, ZNP - Zakouma NP

[Kitsafari]

thank you for such a detailed report. 294 birds is still impressive for a less-birding focused trip!  

[pault]

Great report and a very successful trip, judged using the metric of how often I was jealous I wasn’t there. It was a treat to read, especially with the spectacular photos from Dan and Jon to help keep us engaged. Sounds like a good time to go and the occasional comparisons with the previous trip were really interesting. 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

Thanks for me too - Zakouma is such a special place, and your report totally transported me back to that magic. Would love to see the wonders of Ennedi myself one day. A great trip report, one of my very favourites.

[AfricIan]

I'm a bit late catching up with this Tom but its been well worth it and thanks so much for posting.  I'm wondering why you didn't make your "elephant searching day" a full day one - when we went we were only successful in our "mission" at dusk, having been given the "right royal run-around" for most of the day!  As @michael-ibkhas already said, Ennedi looks amazing - one day!!

[Sangeeta]

@Pictus SafarisTom, logging in after much too long - have been riveted to your report & read it in one fell swoop. It is wonderful to see you focus in on Ouadi Rimé - my own little detour there was sadly not long enough, but I am delighted to see the ‘onion skin’ being peeled back bit by bit by the groups determined to see what all it offers What a wonderful trip you had overall & what a great report! Thank you for sharing.