Birding for a Lark: Around Lake Mal

Tuesday, 28 August 2018

Around Lake Mal

On Sunday 12th August, Mohamed Vall and I headed due east out of Aleg to Lake Mal. This lake is probably the largest one in the country by the end of the rainy season. However, we had only visited it once before.

On arrival, we could see that it had got very low due to last year's poor rains though unlike Lake Jintu and Lake Aleg it may not have completely dried up.

At Lake Mal:

Poor visibility that day
Relatively few birds compared with records from other months
Plenty of spur-winged goose
Known for wintering palearctic ducks. A few garganey had already arrived. I am hopeful for ferruginous duck and possibly tufted duck in a few months
African swamphen out in the open
a large flock of black-tailed godwit present
in woodland by the side there were fulvous babbler
white throated bee-eater and blue-cheeked bee-eater around

At woodland between Aleg and Mal:

woodland with streams partially full of water
excellent southern rainy season habitat
woodland kingfisher was number one target rainy season bird for the trip. Finally seen.
African grey hornbill present too
Apparent long-legged buzzard flying overhead (reddish tail, broad dark trailing edge, dark carpals spots)