On the eastern side of Zakouma National Park it is flat with the Bahr Salamat and Bahr Auom meandering through this large floodplain. “Bahr” translates to sea or ocean. It can also refer to a specific body of water, like a lake, river, or gulf, in the case of Zakouma it refers to a river.

“Don’t let the expectations and opinions of other people affect your decisions. It’s your life, not theirs. Do what matters most to you; do what makes you feel alive and happy. Don’t let the expectations and ideas of others limit who you are. If you let others tell you who you are, you are living their reality — not yours. There is more to life than pleasing people. There is much more to life than following others’ prescribed path. There is so much more to life than what you experience right now. You need to decide who you are for yourself. Become a whole being. Adventure.”
~ Roy T. Bennett

On the second day of our trip, our guide Doug MacDonald took our group to the Rigueik pan. The three main wetlands in Zakouma National Park are Tororo (north), Rigueik (east), and Maniam/Al Kalam (south). These wetlands include pans and pools of water all of which are part of the Bahr Salamat river system.

The Zakouma floodplain incorporating its bahrs and pans is located in the upper south western extension of the Sudd. The Sudd wetland, with an estimated area of approximately 57 000 km2, represents one of the largest freshwater ecosystems in the world stretching from Egypt to Sudan, Chad, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda. It is drained by the White Nile, Blue Nile and Atbara rivers, all of which feed to the Nile.

According to UNESCO, the Sudd is Africa’s largest wetland and one of the largest tropical wetlands in the world. The IUCN world heritage site gap assessment identified the Sudd-Sahelian Flooded Grasslands and Savannas eco-region, of which the Sudd is a part, as a key unrepresented ecological system globally. It is a vast social-ecological and hydrological system driven by the dynamics Nile basin’s water regime. Its unique assemblage of extensive freshwater and grassland habitats are characterised by extensive seasonal rain fed flooding and low substrate permeability.

We left the Tinga camp in Zakouma at 5h00 to visit the Rigueik pan. It was an early start because it gets so hot during the middle of the day in mid-March in Zakouma. The hotter it gets the greater the heat haze which is a focus killer especially for long focal lengths. Dawn was a very pleasant 25 degrees centigrade and in the diffused pink light of dawn we saw a few Kordofan giraffe lying down in an open area along the side the road.

As the morning brightened this Long-crested eagle posed beautifully for us. It had a superb high perch from which to search for prey in the surrounding area.

This was one of the bird species I really wanted to see, the Abyssinian ground hornbill. This African species is found north of the equator and is one of only two species of ground hornbill found in Africa. Its cousin is the Southern ground hornbill and is found throughout east Africa and in the southerly latitudes of Africa.

Both male and female have blue skin around the eye. Males have a mix of blue and red bare facial skin, while females have entirely blue facial skin. Both sexes have throat pouches on their necks: the female’s is blue but the male’s turns red. The bill is long and black except for a reddish patch at the base of the mandible. On top of the bill there is a short open-ended black casque. The Abyssinian ground hornbill’s truncated casque is thought to be an adaptation for amplifying calls. The casque, a bony structure on the upper beak, is hollow and believed to help project and resonate vocalisations, especially during courtship and communication with other group members. The Southern ground hornbill does not have a truncated casque but its call is also a booming sound often heard at dawn.

After some interesting detours and distractions along the way we arrived at the Rigueik pan. We drove around the eastern side of the Rigueik pan as Camp Nomad is positioned on the north western side of the pan. We drove along the tree line at the edge of pan. From the tree line we had a clear view of the vast grassland and swamp which makes up the pan. The first antelope we saw was a family of Bohor’s reedbuck feeding on the floodplain grasses surrounding the pan. Reedbuck generally prefer grasslands and marsh areas.

Bohor’s reedbuck took sanctuary in the wetland and found good grazing. Only the male Bohor’s reedbuck has horns and they are short, heavily ridged and point forward. The openness of the grasslands around the vast pan provided safety for many herbivores as they could see any threats coming.

Black crowned cranes gathered at this wetland in huge numbers. They must have numbered thousands, but impossible to count. These are the northern cousins of the Grey crowned cranes found in east and southern Africa but not in the numbers seen at Rigueik and through Zakouma.

We saw huge gathering of Black crowned cranes where hundreds continued to fly into the pan. These crowned cranes are omnivores, meaning they eat both plant and animal matter. The majority of their diet consists of grasses, seeds, and grains, but they will also consume crustaceans, small mammals, reptiles, and seeds. The wetland is ideal for them as all of their dietary preferences would be catered for.

“No, no! The adventures first, explanations take such a dreadful time.” ~  Lewis Carroll

Lelwel hartebeest watching us from the safety of an open area next to the wetland. This species of hartebeest is classified as endangered by the IUCN. There do not seem to be recent population counts on Lelwel hartebeest but the population is estimated to have declined from 285 000 in 1980 to around 70 000 in 2008, as reported by The Rufford Foundation.

It was a wonder to see the multitude of Spurwing geese which gathered at Rigueik pan. We saw huge numbers of Spurwing geese and White-faced whistling ducks around most of the pans in Zakouma. As the morning progressed the numbers of Spurwing continued to grow in Rigueik.

Spurwing geese flying in from their overnight roosting sites. It was interesting to see all the birdlife mingling at the pan. Humans could take a few cues from our avian friends. The pan must have provided everything that this mass of avians needed.

Around mid-morning more and more Black crowned cranes arrived at the wetland together with Spurwing geese. Among the incoming visitors were a huge number of Vinaceous doves. The latter looked very similar to the southern African Cape turtle dove.

As the morning progressed squadrons of crowned cranes and then pelicans started to fly in to the pan.

The morning got progressively hotter and hotter. As a consequence the heat haze began to influence the image sharpness especially with the greater depth of field. The small herd of Bohor reedbuck were keeping a wary eye on us even though we were a few hundred metres away.

The marvel of Rigueik pan is the huge congregations of birds and mammals.

“The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” ~ Christopher McCandless

Great white pelicans mixed with Marabou and Yellow-billed storks and a herd of Tiang in the background. Tiang is a sub species of the Topi.

You begin to get a sense of the incredible gatherings at Rigueik. The number of birds is spellbinding.

The main tent of the Nomad camp which is sited at the edge of the wetland. Visitors at this camp would get the benefit of the early morning and late afternoon wildlife gatherings.

At the tree line around the wetland we saw a lone Side-striped jackal who looked to be scouting for something to eat.

An Abyssinian roller perched on a dead tree stump which gave it a commanding lookout from which to hawk insects attracted by the wetland and all the wildlife.

Tiang making their way out of the trees towards the wetland to graze and drink. The wetland provided greater safety because it is so open and there are many eyes watching for predators.

No air traffic control here but despite the numbers the larger birds seemed to manage perfectly with minimal squabbling.

A Defassa waterbuck bull resting under an acacia at the edge of the wetland. He had his back to the wetland and was looking into the woodlands to make sure no predators were around.

A mixed herd of Tiang and Defassa waterbuck with a troop of Olive baboons in the background. A few Marabou storks were wandering in amongst the herd.

An amazing array of storks, cranes, egrets, herons and pelicans. I have never seen so many Marabou storks in one place.

The wetland appeared to be an ideal place for feeding and resting. There must have been an abundance of fish in the remaining water in the pan. We did not get close to the water so as not to disturb the congregation. It was the opportunity to see this type of huge mixed congregation of wildlife that drew me to Zakouma. I was not disappointed.

“An understanding of the natural world and what’s in it is a source of not only a great curiosity but great fulfilment.”
~ Sir David Attenborough

It is the luck of the draw as to whether you see buffalo and elephant and perhaps a lion in the pan. We did see a few buffalo on the edge of the pan but no elephants and no predators other than a single Side-striped jackal. As a birding enthusiast the numbers and variety of birds in and around the pan was mind boggling.

Rigueik pan and wetland does make me wonder what the wildlife is like other parts of the Sudd and especially in southern Sudan.

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike