In his guide Tales of a Tribe, creator Mark Cocker describes an unlucky occasion befalling a good friend. One night time whereas tenting within the Himalayas, the birding good friend hears a Satyr Tragopan calling. He leaves the camp to search for the chicken, and has by no means been seen once more. Non-birders will ask: what has occurred, did they do a search and look arduous sufficient, was he kidnapped by aliens? Birders will ask: did he see the chicken? Sadly, we don’t know.

Is birding a harmful sport, an excessive sport even? In his actually entertaining guide about his Australian Huge Yr, Sean Dooley describes how British birder Mike Entwhistle units the Australian Huge Yr file whereas doing a birding world tour. He subsequently leaves for Peru and will get kidnapped and killed by Sendero Luminoso – the native model of Maoists. Phoebe Snetsinger was an American birder who first handed the 8,000 species mark. She died in a automotive accident throughout a birding journey. And one of many first tales in her biography is how her good friend died of altitude illness. Well-known ornithologist Ted Parker crashed right into a mountain in Ecuador whereas surveying birds. And so forth. You can not be blamed to suppose that birders are virtually just like the Kennedy’s: handsome however passing earlier than their time.

All these individuals had been legends – I barely scraped previous 2000 in half a century. Nonetheless, I’ve some tales of my very own and chances are you’ll discover them amusing, or only a purpose to say “Peter, you fool” or learn to keep away from an analogous destiny. Right here’s my Prime 3, with one other incident already coated in a earlier submit.

For quantity three we have to journey to Mahango Park in Namibia. It is a small and really attention-grabbing park in northern Namibia. It has all Huge 5 animals and an entire lot of different grumpy mammals. Nevertheless, you might be allowed out of your automotive… offered you might be “cautious when strolling round“. I drove in and went to the Kavango river floodplain. Earlier than leaving the security of the automotive I heeded the park’s recommendation and checked for animal tracks belonging to any biting, gnawing, mauling, trampling, stabbing or disembowelling species. None had been discovered. I bought out and walked to the river’s edge, and began scanning for birds whereas standing subsequent to a bush. Lengthy-toed Lapwing, Ashy Tit, Black-backed Cisticola, Lizard Buzzard, Meyer’s Parrot and Southern Black Tit had been simply a few of my rewards (these had been my lifers that day). It’s such a terrific place for birds. After about 10 minutes of bliss I heard a grunting sound and on the similar time seen a body-odoury, musky scent. Trying left I noticed a giant, male buffalo behind the bush. Just some meters away from me. His eyesight clearly wasn’t nice anymore and the wind was in my route so he hadn’t seen me but. An outdated blind bull will do only one factor with any perceived hazard, so I wanted to get out of hurt’s method rapidly and with out getting seen. Now think about a middle-aged birder, tip-toeing backwards via thornbush and you’ll perceive what the subsequent 5 minutes appeared like for me. Was it 5 minutes? It appeared a lifetime. Again within the automotive and after my heartbeat had slowed to beneath a thousand beats per minute I began considering. How did I miss this large beast? There have been nonetheless no tracks to be seen (I double-checked). After which I spotted: he had waded via the river…

On one other event I discovered myself within the Chimanimani Mountains on the border between Mozambique and Zimbabwe. My Mozambique mission involved Lake Chicamba Actual – a giant reservoir behind a dam within the River Revué. The reservoir supplies consuming water to the city of Chimoio and course of water to my consumer. I walked to the water’s edge and seen the massive indentations within the shore’s mud resembling dinosaur’s footprints. Having realized from my Namibian expertise I walked away briskly. Now, not getting eaten by Nile Crocodiles isn’t really my excessive birding instance quantity two. It’s simply the warm-up.

With the work performed I made a decision to spend the remainder of the day close to the lake and the encircling hills. I went to Casa Msika – a small resort. I took some drinks to go and walked onto the property. The miombo forest confirmed its greatest facet with one chicken celebration after the opposite. Hardly any of the “miombo lulls” – these intervals you see completely nothing in any respect. As an apart, exterior Africa “chicken events” are known as “combined feeding flocks” – it says all of it, doesn’t it? I ended up scoring 4 lifers: African Dusky Flycatcher, Village Weaver, Whyte Barbet and Zebra Waxbill. The whole was a lot larger with an absolute stonking view of an African Paradise Flycatcher. Then I heard a ruckus. I listened, ascertained the place the commotion was coming from, thought “most likely birds mobbing some predator, might be an owl, let’s go” and moved in direction of the mob of birds. The next chain of occasions occurred inside a single second. My description might give the impression of agility and athleticism on my half – that may be the flawed conclusion to attract. However let’s see what occurred. At the exact same time I noticed the mobbing birds a really massive snake shot out in direction of me and rose up. In a panicky reflex, I jumped up and the snake struck my boot. Whereas nonetheless within the air I noticed the massive, gaping black mouth of the snake. The snake shot underneath me into cowl, I got here down and realized a Black Mamba had simply bought method too shut for consolation. Most snakes I’ve encountered are just like the Panamanian snake within the image – rapidly and innocuously shifting within the different route. A mamba is one other matter altogether which warrants its place in my Prime 3. Respect!

So, aside from massive vicious mammals and venomous snakes, what else can presumably go flawed whereas birding? Effectively, right here’s my number one. After ending one more water stewardship coaching for a big beverage firm in Accra I had a while to kill. Grabbed my binoculars, placed on my flip-flops and hailed a taxi to deliver me to the Sakumono Lagoon. I requested the taxi to attend on the causeway and walked into the swamp. A form native particular person provided to construct me a bridge throughout the primary ditch for a mere greenback. He was nowhere to be seen for ditch quantity two so I waded in, the third, fourth and fifth ditch adopted the identical situation. Spectacular birding was my reward: massive flocks of Black-rumped Waxbill, Yellow-crowned Bishop, and Northern Pink Bishop and displaying/singing Copper Sunbird, Little Bittern and Black Coucal. I additionally seen the water’s origin within the lagoon as being predominantly sewage-derived. Once I returned to the taxi, I should have smelled horrible however the taxi driver was extra impressed with the blood gushing from my calves and shins – the leeches had had their bloody banquet.

As soon as I bought house, I began feeling very sick. In my household, we’ve a practice (in place since 1347 after we survived the Black Dying) of “wait over the weekend and see what occurs”. Nevertheless, the weekend didn’t deliver the required reduction and I used to be now violently unwell – worse than on a traditional Monday. Referred to as the household physician, glided by, and bought despatched to the Tropical Ailments Institute with out her taking as a lot as my pulse… Not good for one’s morale, I can let you know. I bought obtained by a physician in her early thirties. She inquired what was flawed and I answered that “I had been naughty in Ghana”. Her preliminary pleasant look turned to an expression greatest described as “you soiled bastard!”. It took me lower than a second to appreciate “being naughty in Ghana” might be construed in an extra-marital method, so I hastened so as to add “I waded via sewage”. The look of reduction on her face didn’t match the final assertion however made a variety of sense in the entire dialog to date. I described what I had performed, and he or she fortunately began ticking each doable take a look at for each doable tropical illness on her little lab sheet – from bubonic plague to yaws. Her complete manner simply stated: that is what I studied for all these years. She was positively comfortable and even advisable me a guide to learn. After often bleeding, peeing and pooping in a wide range of containers over the following few weeks I really bought higher with out ever getting a analysis. Most likely some parasite I removed on my own however in case it ever surfaces I’m staying near Sigourney Weaver…