Return to Harare

03 December 2023 - Murara Pitta Camp to Harare; Day 8

All good things come to an end but again we were up at 4:30 for coffee and a quick bite, but this time it was to bring our luggage and pack the Cruisers for our journey back to the pickup point and then Harare. We said our goodbyes to Derek and the camp staff and headed out of the camp for the last time.

We stopped at the low level bridge, but I only managed a Green-winged Pytilia, still a first for the trip

Green-winged Pytilia (Pytilia melba)

Not much further on, our guides picked up a pair of Arnot's Chats, birds we had missed on the way in and during our 3-days - so that was pretty cool. 

Female Arnot's Chat (Myrmecocichla arnotti)

Male Arnot's Chat (Myrmecocichla arnotti)

As we were about to get back on the Cruisers, a single Yellow-bellied Eremomela was spotted foraging at the top of a tree adjacent to the road

Yellow-bellied Eremomela (Eremomela icteropygialis)

We then continued on our journey to the drop-off point, stopping for thermalling a Black-chested Snake Eagle

Black-chested Snake Eagle (Circaetus pectoralis)

There had been some rain, so a couple of sizeable puddles on the road to the drop-off. Wouter was already there, so a quick unpack and repack of the trailer before saying our goodbyes to Siraj and Adam for an unforgettable few days in the Lower Zambezi Valley. 

We then embarked on the 3-hour drive back to Harare checking back into Malcolm's Lodge around 1pm. There was a Bat Hawk nest site really close to Malcolm's Lodge, so Richard and I had a quick drive to see if we could see the pair - despite a lot of searching in the big and mature Blue Gums, we unfortunately had no luck.

After a pizza and beer lunch at Garfunkels, some of the group headed to the airport for their flight back to SA, the rest of us would be departing on the early flight tomorrow morning