Birds of the Selous

The birds of the Selous are spectacular! As Monty Python would say: "Beautiful Plumage!

One of the unique things about Lake Manze camp in the Selous is the opportunity to safari by boat. You take a short ride in the camp Landcruiser down to a small dock and get into a small tin boat with an outboard motor and a canopy to protect you from the sun. Your guide pushes off and soon you are cruising down the river or out on to the lake. There are crocs, elephants, water buffalo and the ubiquitous hippos galore (ho hum :-)), but the main attraction is the bird life. You are surrounded by a dizzying array of water birds. Here are some examples:

 A pair of white crowned lapwings strut their stuff beside the lake.

An Egyptian goose gets ready for a swim.

Reflections of a white crowned lapwing in the river. 

An African open-billed stork looking for food. 

Another Egyptian goose in the river. 

Egrets were very common, stalking small fish in the shallows. 

This yellow-billed stork was doing a little display for us. 

Another yellow-billed stork feeding in the river

I always find the sight of long-legged water birds in trees a little incongruous, like this egret for example. 

The goliath heron is a wonderful bird to behold, but not if you're a small fish! 

 The light at sunset was gorgeous. Here's an African sea eagle bathed in the glow of the setting sun.

Another pair of sea eagles.

An Egret Soars beneath a puffy white cloud.

A goliath heron strikes at a fish!

 Unfortunately for the heron, this catfish proved to be too big to swallow an he had to let him go.

 Kingfishers were a common sight along the banks.

In the middle of Lake Manze there were several small islands that were home to many birds.