If you haven't been to Africa yet, or are not sure where to book your next birding trip abroad, despite the poverty in the country I suggest you seriously consider Malawi - great countryside, great people and great weather. I'll certainly be going back.
Here is a list of birds seen and where along with a few pics below.
1
Long tailed Cormorant - Nkhata Bay, Chintheche and Lilongwe NR Malawi
2
African Darter - lakeside road south of Nkhata Bay, Malawi
3
Black crowned Night Heron - Lilongwe NS, Malawi
4
White backed Heron - Lilongwe, Malawi
5
Cattle Egret - Nkhata Bay, Malawi
6
Squacco Heron - Nkhata Bay, Malawi
7
Striated Heron - Nkhata Bay and Chintheche, Malawi
8
Little Egret - Chintheche, Malawi
9
Black Egret - one Mzuzu, Malawi
10
Intermediate Egret - several Nkhata Bay, Malawi
11
Grey Heron - Lilongwe NS, Malawi
12
Black headed Heron - Luzaka, Zambia and Lilongwe, Malawi
13
Hammerkop - Lilongwe NS, Chintheche, Malawi
14
Abdim's Stork - one lake side road, south of Nkhata Bay, Malawi
15
African Open-billed Stork -24 Lilongwe, Malawi
16
Glossy Ibis - Lilongwe, malawi
17
Greater Flamingo - one north over Lake Malawi, Malawi
18
African Black Duck - Lilongwe NS, Malawi
19
Yellow billed Kite - Nkhata Bay, Malawi and Nairobi, Kenya
20
African Fish Eagle - Nkhata Bay, Malawi
21
Palm-nut Vulture - one north of Nkhata Bay, Malawi
22
Brown Snake-Eagle - Nkhata Bay and Lilongwe, Malawi
23
African Marsh Harrier - lakeside road south of |Nkhata Bay, Malawi
24
Dark Chanting Goshawk - lakeside road south of Nkhata Bay, malawi
25
Gabar Goshawk - M1 south of Mzuzu
26
Shikra - Nkhata bay, malawi
27
African Goshawk - Nkhata Bay, Malawi
28
Bat Hawk - Nkhata Bay, Malawi
29
Honey Buzzard - Nkhata Bay, Malawi
30
Verraux's eagle - one in mountasins south of Mzuzu
31
Lesser Kestrel - 40+ in flock Lilongwe, Malawi
32
Helmeted Guineafowl - Chintheche and Lilongwe NS, Malawi
33
Common Sandpiper - Nkhata Bay and Lilongwe NS, Malawi
34
Grey headed Gull - Nkhata Bay, Malawi
35
Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove - Nkhata Bay, Malawi
36
Blue-spotted Wood-Dove - Nkhata Bay, Malawi
37
Dusky Turtle - Nkhata Bay and Bandawe, Malawi
38
Laughing Dove - M1 road south of Mzuzu, Malawi
39
Shalow's Turaco - Lilongwe NS, Malawi
40
White-browed Coucal - Lakeside road south of Nkhata Bay, Malawi
41
White-faced Scops Owl - Nkhata Bay, Malawi
42
African Barred Owlet - Bandawe, Malawi
43
Pennant-winged Nightjar - just south of Nkhata Bay, Malawi
44
Little Swift - Nkhata Bay, malawi and Nairobi airport, Kenya
45
Eurasian Swift - common, Malawi
46
African Palm Swift - Nkhata Bay and Lilongwe, Malawi and
Nairobi, Kenya
47
Bohm's Spinetail - M1 journey north, Malawi
48
Spekcled Mousebird - Chintheche, Malawi
49
Narina Trogon - Nkhata Bay, Malawi
50
Pied Kingfisher - Nkhata Bay, Malawi
51
Grey-headed Kingfisher - Lilongwe NS, Malawi
52
Brown-headed Kingfisher - Nkhata Bay, Malawi
53
Giant Kingfisher - Nkhata Bay and Lilongwe NS, Malawi
54
Half-collared Kingfisher - Lilongwe NS, Malawi
55
Malachite Kingfisher - Nkhata Bay and Lilongwe NS, Malawi
56
African Pygmy Kingfisher - Lilongwe NS, Malawi
57
Little Bee-eater - Bandawe, Malawi
58
Broad-billed Roller - Bandawe, Malawi
59
Lilac-breasted Roller - Lilongwe, Malawi
60
Green Wood-Hoopoe - Lilongwe NS, Malawi
61
Crowned Hornbill - Chintheche, Malawi
62
African Broadbill - Lilongwe NS, Malawi
63
Mosque Swallow - Lilongwe and Nkhata Bay, Malawi
64
Lesser Striped Swallow - Nkhata Bay, Malawi
65
Barn Swallow - common, Malawi
66
Wire-tailed Swallow - Nkhata Bay, Malaw
67
White-headed Saw-wing, above Nkhata Bay, Malawi
68
Blue Swallow - route north M1, Malawi
69
Pearl breasted Swallow - Lilongwe, Malawi
70
African Pied Wagtail - Nkhata Bay, Malaw
71
Mountain Wagtail - Lilongwe, Malawi
72
Common Bulbul - common, Malawi
73
Grey-olive Greenbul - Nkhata Bay, Malaw
74
Gunning's Akalat - Nkhata Bay, Malaw
75
White-browed Robin Chat - Nkhata Bay, Malaw
76
Kurrichane Thrush - Chintheche, Malawi
77
Collared Palm Thrush - Nkhata Bay, Malaw
78
Willow Warbler - Nkhata Bay, Malaw
79
Red-faced Cisticola - Nkhata Bay, Malaw
80
Siffling Cisticola - Lilongwe NS, Malawi
81
Piping Cisticola - Nkhata Bay, Malaw
82
Yellow breasted Apalis - Nkhata Bay and Lilongwe NS , Malawi
83
Ashy Flycatcher - Nkhata Bay, Malawi
84
Spotted Flycatcher - Nkhata Bay, Malawi
85
Chin-spot Batis - Lilongwe NS, Malawi
86
Black throated Wattle-eye - Nkhata Bay, Malawi
87
Amethyst Sunbird - Lilongwe, Malawi
88
Olive Sunbird - Nkhata Bay, Malaw
89
Marcio Sunbird - Nkhata Bay, Malaw
90
Purple banded Sunbird - Nkhata Bay, Malaw
91
Scarlet-chested Sunbird - Lilongwe, Malawi
92
Variable Sunbird - Nkhata Bay, Malawi
93
Common Fiscal - Lake route north south of Nkhata Bay, Malawi
94
Black-backed Puffback - Nkhata Bay + Lilongwe NS, Malawi
95
Black-crowned Tchagra - Lake road btn Lilongwe and Nkhata
Malawi
96
Fork-tailed Drongo - Nkhata Bay, Malawi
97
Pied Crow - common, Malawi and Nairobi Airport
98
White-naped Raven - Lilongwe and M1 route, Malawi
99
African Black-headed Oriole - Lilongwe NS, Malawi
100
African Golden Oriole - Nkhata Bay, Malawi
101
Eurasian Golden Oriole - Nkhata Bay, Malawi
102
Violet backed Starling - Nkhata Bay, Malawi
103
House Sparrow - Nkhata Bay and Lilongwe, Malawi
104
Grey-headed Sparrow - Nkhata Bay and Lilongwe, Malawi
105
Black-headed Weaver - Nkhata Bay and Lilongwe NS,
Malawi
106
Lesser Masked Weaver - Nkhata Bay and Chintheche,
Malawi
107
Spectacled Weaver - Nakhata Bay, Malawi
108
Bertram's Weaver - Lilongwe NS, Malawi
109
Holub's Golden Weaver - Nkhata Bay, Malawi
110
African Golden Weave - , Nkhata Bay, Chintheche
and Nkhata Bay, Malawi
111
Peter's Twinspot, Lilongwe NS
112
Green-backed Twinspot, Nkhata Bay, Malawi
113
Southern Cordon-bleu, Bandawe
114
Red billed Firefinch, Bandawe and Nkhata Bay, Malawi
115
African Firefinch, Nkhata Bay, Malawi
116
Common Waxbill, Nkhata Bay, Malawi
117
Bronze Manakin - Nkhata Bay, Malawi
118
Black and white Manakin - Chintheche, Malawi
119
Yellow-fronted Canary - Nkhata Bay, Malawi
120
Superb Starling -Nairobi, Kenya
121
Red winged Starling -Nairobi, Kenya
122
Speckled Pigeon - Nairobi, Kenya
123
Red-eyed Dove - Nairobi, Kenya
124
Hadada Ibis - Nairobi, Kenya
125
Great Cormorant - Nkhata Bay, Malawi
African Pied wagtail -these Wagtails were everywhere
Broad-billed Roller - a spectacular bird
Brown-headed Kingfisher - one of several species of Kingfisher seen on the visit
African Fish Eagle. If you're in Nkhata Bay ask for George in the local bars - everyone knows him. He's be-friended the local Eagles and they come to him (no-one else) for a suplement of fish. Amazing views of them fishsing some 10 yards from the wooden kayak , like something out of the Discovery Channel.
Giant Kingfihser - awsome bird.
Lilac-breasted Roller. Why aren't our birds this colourful?
Malachite Kingfisher taken in the night with flash.
Spekled Mousebird - a species with such character.
Pearl breasted Swallow - one of many species of Swallow seenm including our very own Barn Swallow back to winter here.
Black-backed Puffback - a favourire of mine, always chattering away.
The view from my lodge window! The bathroom was the lake....paradise!
Magnificent views wherever I went.
Snorkeling was great - over 200 species of chichlides that are unique have developed thousands of years here. Darwin would have been in his element.
The reason or me being here - teaching classes of 70-1020 pupils with no resources or desks and chairs was a real eyeopener.
Nearly didn't gey home as I nearly trod on this local while birding in Lilongwe Nature Sanctuary where crocodile is apparently rare! Luckily my non-birding companion had his wits about im or I would have tripped over this amazing beast.
Get in touch if anyone wants more infor or is interested in birding or helping the people in Malawi, the warm heart of Arica.