Neil Gray Birds

Due north some 70km from Kasanka lies Shoebill Island on the fringes of the vast Bangweulu Swamps. However, the road trip is some 145km and over 5 hours (yes the road, if it can be called that in places, is interesting!). Shoebill Camp is also run by the Kasanka Trust, so Webby the bird guide accompanied me to Shoebill. We dropped off his bicycle at the village of Chiundaponde and dropped Webby off there on our way out. He had a 94km bike ride ahead of him to get back to Kasanka - that's dedication!

Based currently out of Lusaka in Zambia, I took a week leave and headed north for a 7-day birding trip, very ably organised for me by Thorn Tree Safaris (http://www.thorntreesafaris.com). I had three specific destinations – Kasanka National Park, Shoebill Island and the Mutinondo Wilderness area - with the goal of removing the Shoebill from No.1 spot on my "must see" list.

When I decided on a birding trip to Kenya in late September 2010, it was planned to maximise the number of species seen, while hopefully having a high ratio of lifers in the final list. The trip was planned and all accommodation and transport bookings made for me by Moses Kandie (http://www.birdwatchingexpress.net), whom I contacted via the BirdingPals website - http://www.birdingpal.org

4 January 2010 - on my last full day in the UK before returning to Guinea I decided that whatever the weather I would spend as much time as possible at the London Wetland Centre. The day dawned with the temperature a frigid -7°C. I delayed my departure, but when I arrived at the Wetland Centre at 10:15 the temperature was still a chilly -3.5°C. I spent 5 hours walking around the Centre and when I decided to call it a day the temperature had reached the dizzy heights of -0.5°C.