Kuimba Shiri

After settling into the campsite at the Kuimba Shiri bird sanctuary we wandered up to the centre to visit the birds.

The whole place was beautiful with lovely gardens surrounding Lake Chivero

We met the owners and chatted about the birds and the challenges of keeping the land safe from farm invasions as well as training staff to be able to take care of the birds themselves. Apparently their highly trained staff are often poached by falconers in Saudi Arabia and the Dubai where they can earn ten times what any employer in Zimbabwe can afford.

As we were talking we were surrounded by parrots of all shapes and sizes

After a few minutes we headed into the sanctuary itself where thousands of birds of all types lived.

All these birds are kept in large cages but are free to leave any time they want. Like the parrots outside, they are let out to fly regularly and doors are left open during the day. The birds stay because they choose to – they feel safe and at home.

This appeals to us in a big way, neither of us being fans of holding animals prisoner.

I am no bird expert so bear with me if I get any names wrong or miss some out. I was working from labels on the cages and trying to match them up some weeks later has been challenging!

So here goes with some of the wierd and wonderful of the bird world….

First up we saw a small falcon, the name of which eludes me

The Vulturine Guineafowl shone brighter than the usual Helmeted Guineafowl you normally see

But we weren´t sure whether this one was a falcon or a kestrel

These two Black-Breasted Snake Eagles were not going to take any messing

And neither was this stately Fish Eagle – a regular siting in the wild but fabulous to see one so close up

This little one was very shy and we had no idea what he was

But we spotted these as the White Faced Owl

This curious family were the Spotted Eagle Owl, all lined up watching us watching them

And right at the back, challenging my zoom, were the fluffiest little babies!

This one couldn´t help but make us smile, if anyone knows what he is we´d love to hear from you

Whereas there was no doubt that this one was the Hooded Vulture

We believe this was the Ayres Hawk Eagle and he was certainly making an impressive display

Whereas these two were being very quiet and well behaved in comparison

As was this fluffy little cutie

These three wise owls just sat and stared at us from one leg but we have no idea what type of owl they were

We came across a wonderful Crowned Eagle

Who treated us to one of his lovely displays, fluffing up his feathers

And looking at us as if to demand to know what we thought we were staring at!

There was no mistaking the ferocious Martial Eagle, one of the largest and most powerful of the eagles

A very different bird of prey to the tiny Lizard Buzzard….

We loved this furry guy but he was another one we couldn´t identify. He looked quite severe at first

But when he turned round to greet us he puffed his feathers up and ended up looking really very sweet

We were nearing the end of the birds of prey but we had one last gentleman to see before heading towards the quieter birds. This Giant Eagle Owl looked as though he had seen a lot in this world

As we left the predators behind we entered a rather more serene environment

And if you have ever wondered what a Peacock looks like from the back….

Now you know!!

We could have wandered around meeting all these wonderful birds forever but we realised we had spent so long in there it was time for today´s birds to fly. We hurried out and back to the gardens where the owner was waiting for us.

With the help of his trained staff he flies only a few each afternoon, apparently birds of prey get tired quickly and only need to exercise every few days.

He had names for them all and as they prepared for their exercise he told us all about them and showed us their beautiful features.

The first bird came out, a Goshawk

The bird flew upwards, circled around and dived in for the kill

As it swooped up and down it was aiming straight for our heads, missing us by millimeters. The owner giggled saying she was a tinker and enjoyed scaring the guests!

Eventually she was tired out and indicated that she was ready for bed by flying back to her handler´s glove

Next up was an owl. This one was less keen to frighten us, instead being happy to sit on my hand

And was even up for a bit of fuss!

Not so much the next one!

This huge Fish Eagle was hungry and wasn´t remotely interested in visitors

The owner moved us all to the edge of the lake where he got ready to throw dinner into the water allowing the Fish Eagle to enjoy swooping in and catching it just as it would in the wild.

It was an impressive and very dramatic display but my camera had no chance of catching any good photos with the speed this eagle can fly

With the meat firmly grasped in its claws the eagle landed on the near bank and set about its feast

We were not about to get in the way!

The final bird of the day was a falcon who seemed very attached to her handler

Apparently the birds spend so much time with individual members of the team that they become friends and build a trusting relationship

The falcon set off and flew around the trees swooping and sweeping across the sky before grabbing the meat and landing, panting, for her meal

Eventually she flew back to her handler, ready for bed

Whilst we had been watching this fabulous display there had been a few other birds of prey swooping nearby through the skies. The owner knew each one as they had all at one point been resident at the sanctuary. Apparently many of the birds who decided to leave stayed nearby and often came to visit.

We had had a wonderful day – seeing such a lot of beautiful and impressive creatures so close was amazing. And to see first hand how well they were treated, how much of a relationship there was between the birds and the people and to know that they were there because they chose to be there – that all just added to the wonder of this fantastic place.