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Baby boom for the Storks
Game Drives / 25 May 2020

Baby boom for the Storks

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Remote Africa Safaris is lucky to have virtually exclusive access to the amazing Stork Colony in South Luangwa National Park’s Nsefu Sector, during the early season. These yellow-billed storks can number into the thousands in some years.

created by dji camera

The 2020 boom

The rainfall in 2020 was high, causing the banks of the mighty Luangwa River to sweell and burst, flooding all of the streams and channel networks which weave through the game-viewing areas. One of these channels feeds the Stork Colony area. The water rises above the bases of the trees, preventing the raiders, such as baboons, from reaching the nests. This has a positive knock-on of egg survival.

This year has also seen additional trees on the plain playing host to our feathered friends. In past years the main concentration has been on two clusters of African Ebony trees.. but this year the number of nest-bearing trees has expanded.

As the water receeds and the chicks begin to grow, and the opportunistic scavengers come to the fore. Crocodiles rest at the bases of the trees and in the streams not far away. Baboons raid the nests. Leopards prowl the area in search of resting baboons, but would not pass up a fallen chick. Marabou storks patrol beneath the trees, mostly waiting for fish which has missed the mouths of the chicks and fallen to the ground.

As time goes by

As the weeks pass, so the chicks grow older and get better at flying. They chase each other around along the edges of the gullies playing with sticks. At the same time, lagoons are starting to dry up and the mass of storks, both young and old, frequent these lagoons and shallow water bodies forming amazing fishing parties.

All the while this is going on overhead, the beautiful plains behind you could have any number of animals gracing it – from the regular puku and impala, to herds of buffalo, giraffe or elephant.

It is a truly spectacular place to be. And to have it all to yourself.

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