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Another early start and game drive which started on the 16km office loop and finished with the 9km semole loop. We started with stone partridge and an African cuckoo then Forbes plover and spotted thick knee - I took several photographs of both the latter particularly the plover as William wanted a copy and a video for his computer records. He was also happy that we had seen it twice now and the avid birding group were still looking for it - such is the competition between the guides! The pictures did however take their toll as I was bitten on my hand and stomach by horseflies that came in through the window -photos over and window closed I gained my revenge by killing a few - Robert said it was not killing it was controlling - so as the morning went on we controlled a few more!
Thanks to Robert we had another glimpse of our make roan who was in a thicket eating around the base of a large tree before going further into the bush and out of sight.
We then saw several small birds - yellow fronted canary, red winged pytilia, prinia, beautiful sunbird and female indigo birds - who are not indigo at all but more like buntings. We finished back at the water hole with further and better sightings of the yellow winged bat than we had yesterday thanks to masterfully quiet, even in dry crunchy leaves, stalking. We then headed back to the hotel, after briefly allowing Robert to alight and give chase to a baboon who had stolen some biscuits from the community shop - he didn't half run fast - but the baboon ran faster and got away with his spoils. We stopped at the information centre to look at the crafts and supported the local community by buying 3 tubes of body lotion - made using the local shea butter - we saw the tree that produces the nut last night - 3 post cards and a wooden mask of a lady surrounding an outline of Africa which I am sure I can find a nook or a cranny where John can hang it.
Back at the hotel I went for my mandatory swim and as we were early by normal standards i.e. 10am and the other guests we having breakfast I had the pool to myself. Finished we enjoyed watching life around the water hole - the elephants were wallowing and cooling down, baboons and wart hogs passed the pool enroute to the area and no doubt a refreshing drink. Bushbuck, egrets, monkeys, hadeda ibis, hooded vultures were also foraging or resting in the vicinity and circling above were bateleur eagles and more vultures - a busy scene with much to sit and observe.(today's photograph is of the waterhole).
At 4.00pm we went out for our last drive first stop were some ponds where if you sit and wait the birds come to drink and eat - apparently in the wet season where we were walking is flooded - we got to see swamp, northern black and african blue flycatchers, orange cheeked waxbills and black bellied fire finches along with an array of doves and sunbirds including violet backed and beautiful sunbird and a golden tailed woodpecker on an adjoining tree. As we walked around John spied a new animal - a Kintampo rope squirrel.
On leaving in the vehicle we saw a violet turaco feeding so I quickly alighted and was able to photograph it quite well. It was now becoming dim as the sun was setting,the baboons were doing their last bit of foraging before going to their roost and night was beginning to fall. Tonight we drove the office loop in reverse and were rewarded with two nightjars - the long tailed and the standard winged- which was strangely named as the wings were far from standard - I thought it was being mobbed by a couple of birds but it carries long trailing feathers with something like a paddle on the end which gives it this strange appearance when flying.
We were back just after 7.30 and after freshening up went to dinner - same routine as every other night except we had to finish packing when we got back to our room as we are off at 0630am tomorrow.
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