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)


Lake Mal
white-throated bee-eater

black-tailed godwit

garganey

spur-winged goose

african swamphen with bar-tailed godwit

great grey shrike (sahara)

fulvous babbler

Woodland, midway between Aleg and Lake Mal
first African grey hornbill

second African grey hornbill

long-legged buzzard 1

long-legged buzzard 2

woodland kingfisher 1

woodland kingfisher 2

Lake Mal, Brakna, MR
12-Aug-2018 09:00 - 11:15
White-faced Whistling-Duck  
Spur-winged Goose  
Garganey  
Laughing Dove  
Namaqua Dove  
African Swamphen  
Black-winged Stilt  
Spur-winged Lapwing  
Black-tailed Godwit  
Common Sandpiper  
Spotted Redshank  
Cattle Egret  
Eurasian Hoopoe  
White-throated Bee-eater  
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater  
Abyssinian Roller  
Great Grey Shrike (Sahara)  
Woodchat Shrike  
Pied Crow  
Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark  
Black Scrub-Robin  
Chestnut-bellied Starling  
Greater Blue-eared Starling  
Northern Grey-headed Sparrow  
Sudan Golden Sparrow  


Woodland, midway Aleg-Lake Mal, Brakna, MR
12-Aug-2018 11:45 - 13:30
Laughing Dove  
Namaqua Dove  
Long-legged Buzzard  
Eurasian Hoopoe  
African Grey Hornbill  
Woodland Kingfisher  
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater  
Woodchat Shrike  
Pied Crow  
Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark  
Western Olivaceous Warbler  
Black Scrub-Robin  
Greater Blue-eared Starling  
Beautiful Sunbird  
Northern Grey-headed Sparrow  
Sudan Golden Sparrow  


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