Storks in Mana Pools

June 20, 2019
Blog, Wildlife

By Brian Pettit

Well – where do they come from?

I’m sure that if you ran a poll today, asking the question, “Where do babies come from?”, many would be unable to answer. When I was younger, everyone knew that babies were brought by Storks. In Europe, the Stork in question, is the European White Stork – Ciconia ciconia. So named, mainly, for the fact that it is mostly White with Black wings. It also differentiates it from another, closely related European Stork, the Black Stork – Ciconia nigra. Although there are some small, scattered, non-migratory populations both species tend to migrate to Sub-Saharan Africa in the European winter season. We, very recently, had a flock of some 50 White Storks passing through here, at Pamuzinda Safari Lodge. No doubt on their way back to Europe in the hopes the weather would improve on what they seemed to be having there at the moment.

Black stork perched on a granite rock — Black Stork

A diverse menu.

Whilst I have never, personally, seen White Storks at Mana Pools I have, nevertheless, seen many other species. I’m sure there are many further species there that I have not seen. Those that I have seen, however, I have usually been able to photograph at leisure. Yellow Billed, Saddle Billed, Woolly Necked, Marabou and Open Billed, to name but a few.

saddle-billed storks can be seen during the green season at Pamuzinda Safari Lodge — Saddle Billed Stork

Storks are excellent hunters of the frogs and fish in Pamuzinda safari Lodge's section of the Serui River — Yellow Billed Stork

Some Stork birds are not so common. One of those birds is the Wolly Necked Stork — Wolly Necked Stork

Mana Pools national Park is also a haven for similar species such as Herons and Egrets, Ibis, Spoonbills and the like. All these species share a similar feeding regime as they are carnivorous. The diet is determined, in varying percentages, by personal preference and seasonal and locality-based availabilities. It includes Crustaceans, small to large fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects and their larvae, small mammals and ground-nesting birds, their eggs and nestlings.

The Sacred Ibis is commonly foundin the Mana Pools National Park Area — Sacred Ibis

The cattle egret is seen straddling the water versus the more common sightings of them on the backs of large herbivores — A very Macho Cattle Egret

The African spoonbill hunting in the waters of the Lower Zambezi. This bird has a truly unique looking beak — African Spoonbill on the Lookout

Egrets are very efficient in fishing out food from ponds. This one is seen with a frog in its beak. — Great White Egret with Frog

This egret seen opening its wings as it celebrates catching a frog — Great White Egret with a small Bream

How to get that shot of a lifetime.

At Mana, this is not as difficult as in some venues. The birds at the better-known Pools are relatively used to human presence. Not only that, different species can often be seen feeding peacefully side by side.

It is feeding time as these massive birds scour the waters for food

If you take the trouble to dress in sympathetically coloured clothing there are many places where you can lodge yourself near the waterside in a bush and wait. Set your camera up for fast-speed shooting, on a “continuous” setting if you have one. Fix your lens on a subject displaying feeding behaviour patterns and stick with it. It’s a game of patience. There is often quite a period between successful “strikes”. If one takes place, however, within camera range then “what a pleasure”. I have attached a couple of images below showing that it is well worth the wait