Report from Steve Garvie on a brief trip to Makasutu - early March 2005 

Pink-backed Pelican                      White Pelican
Long-tailed Cormorant                    African Darter
Striated Heron                               Grey Heron
Purple Heron                                 Goliath Heron
Western Reef Heron                       Little Egret
Cattle Egret                                   Great White Egret
Yellow-billed Stork                          African Spoonbill
European Spoonbill                         Sacred Ibis
Hamerkop                                      Osprey
Palm-nut Vulture                             Hooded Vulture
African Harrier-Hawk                        Long-Crested Eagle
Beaudoin's Snake Eagle                  Black-shouldered Kite
Yellow-billed Kite                             Marsh Harrier (cream-crown)
Lizard Buzzard                                Dark Chanting Goshawk
Shikra                                            Western Little Sparrowhawk (see notes)
Double-spurred Francolin                 Stone Partridge
Senegal Thick-knee                         Spur-winged Plover
Grey Plover                                     Whimbrel
Common Sandpiper                         Redshank
Greenshank                                    Grey-headed Gull
Caspian Tern                                   Royal Tern
Sandwich Tern                                 Laughing Dove
Black-billed Wood Dove                    Blue-spotted Wood Dove
Red-eyed Dove                                Vinaceous Dove
Speckled Pigeon                              Senegal Coucal
Barn Owl                                         African Scops Owl ( a number heard but none seen)
Palm Swift                                       Little Swift
Green Wood Hoopoe                        Giant Kingfisher
Blue-breasted Kingfisher                   Pied Kingfisher
Malachite Kingfisher(once briefly)       Striped Kingfisher (Savannah woodland)
Blue-breasted Roller                          Little Bee-eater
Swallow-tailed Bee-eater                    Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
European Bee-eater                           White-throated Bee-eater
Senegal Parrot                                  Rose-ringed Parakeet
Western Grey Plantain-eater              Green Turaco one seen briefly in a fruiting fig)
Violet Turaco(3 -in tree with Green)     Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird
Bearded Barbet                                 Grey Hornbill
Red-billed Hornbill                              Pied Hornbill
Grey Woodpecker                              Fine-spotted Woodpecker
Lesser Honeyguide                            Piapiac
Pied Crow                                         Pied-winged Swallow (drinking from swimming pool!)
Red-Chested Swallow                        Common Bulbul
Brown Babbler                                   Blackcap Babbler
Tawny-flanked Prinia                          Grey-backed Camaroptera
Northern Black Flycatcher                  African Paradise Flycatcher(drinking from the pool!)
Variable Sunbird                                Splendid Sunbird
Beautiful Sunbird                               Green-headed Sunbird (See notes)-
Mouse-brown Sunbird                        Yellow-billed Shrike
Common Gonolek                              Purple Glossy Starling
Long-tailed Glossy Starling                 Village Weaver
Northern Red Bishop                          Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu
Red-billed Firefinch                            Bronze Manakin 

A total of 104 species in two and and a bit days birding at Makasutu.

A number of birds on the list above are worth comment. Firstly Makasutu must be the Mouse-brown Sunbird capital of the world, they were everywhere -I  even watched one whilst showering in the lodge.  At the lodge's dining area adjacent to the pool wooden bowls are put out & are filled with fresh water which pulls in numerous Mouse-brown Sunbirds allowing close & detailed scrutiny & lots of pictures (the bowls also pulled in Blue-bellied Rollers). Red-breasted & Pied-winged Swallows are always present hawking above the swimming pool. The swimming pool has a large clump of bamboo-like grass in a central tiled island which attracts drinking passerines-including Gonolek & African Paradise Flycatcher.

On a woodland walk we saw Little & Swallow-tailed Bee-eaters; on a creek trip a few European Bee-eaters were seen whilst the mangroves in front of the communal seating area usually held Blue-cheeked & White-throated Bee-eaters which, on our first night, had an amazing pre-roost flock of about 35 birds. From the floating lodge bedroom we saw Giant, Pied & Blue-breasted Kingfisher whilst fly-pasts included African Darter, Long-tailed Cormorant & Goliath Heron. Goliath Herons were seen on each creek trip & probably involved a total of 6 individuals. 

Palm-nut Vultures were common & initially a distant subadult had me convinced I was looking at an African Fish Eagle. Our guide said he would take us by canoe to a Fish Eagle eyrie-this turned out to be a Palm-nut Vulture nest: however it gave us one of our most memorable experiences as an adult Palm nute Vulture was perching nearby. It took to the air as a small group of fishing Caspian Terns flew by. One of the terns dived, caught a fish & then seemed to have difficulty in swallowing the fish. At this point the vulture  banked & then swooped down low over the water picking up the dropped fish much in the same manner as a Sea Eagles would do 

Dark-chanting Goshawk & Black-shouldered Kite were seen on a few occasions at the nearby savannah woodland scrub area where both Long-crested Eagle & Beaudoin's Snake Eagle were seen in flight . One of our most surprising finds was a male Western Little Sparrowhawk which was seen twice in the shrubs at the driveway adjacent to the lodge generator shack. The bird was seen only briefly on the first occasion & looked like a small dark Shikra but was not quite right for Shikra. On the second occasion we were returning from horse-riding when the bird flew low over the path in front of us landing in some dense shrubs. I was able to get my bins onto it : the bird seemed not much larger than a Wood Dove. It was perched with its back to us, the back being a dark slaty-black. The tail was long & dark with 2 luminous white spots & though the breast could not be seen as the bird had its back to us it turned its neck to look towards us revealing a contrasting dark almost hooded head with a white chin/throat. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the bird & I appreciate that Western Little Sparrowhawk is rarely seen and I would be interested to hear if anyone else has seen this bird in this area.

Turacos & Pied Hornbill  were in attendance at a fruiting (? fig) tree. 

Another possibly contentious bird seen was Green-headed Sunbird. A pair of these birds were seen well in a flowering tree which was attracting a number of sunbirds including male Beautiful, Variable & Splendid with a number of females which certainly included female Splendid & other females that could have been Variable or Beautiful .  The Green-headed Sunbird pair were seen well. The male was around the same size as a male Splendid with a similar but shorter decurved bill. The head, nape & chin were metallic green whilst the upper breast appeared a metallic blue-violet. The underside appeared to be a dirty olive rather than the grey shown in the fieldguide. I appreciate that sunbirds are difficult were I on the rarities commitee I would reject this record though I remain convinced myself!

Makasutu really warrants a thorough survey.  If the owners of Makasutu could be persuaded to dig out a small waterhole or two there's no knowing what might get pulled in.  Work continues on the more modest Mandina camp some kms away.