The Wise Man and His Owl

Walking In pafuri pt 1

As discussed in a previous post, Pafuri holds a certain kind of magic. It lures you in as you cross the bridge over the Luvuvhu River, seduces you into its embrace. Once there, it grabs hold of your interest with its majesty, its fantastical feel, and enraptures your senses with its sights, sounds and smells.

Pafuri, as a piece of geographical and topographical land, is incredibly varied. It lies between the Luvuvhu and Limpopo rivers, and so the surrounding floodplains are flat, wet and sometimes marshy. As one moves further from the Rivers, the bushveld takes on more recognisable characteristitcs. There are Mopane woodlands, Acacia savannah, thickets of marula, baobab and jackalberry trees. The ground undulates, and in some places rises steeply, to its highest points at Lanner Gorge, where one may stand on sheer, grey granite cliffs and observe the Luvuvhu rushing past some distance below.

Such an area, then, is best seen on foot. It is the spiritual home of the walking safari.

The views of Lanner Gorge from the highest points in Pafuri

I have been fortunate enough to visit Pafuri twice in the past twelve months or so. The first time I travelled solo, the second with my girlfriend, Ellie. Both times I stayed at Pafuri Tented Camp (Check out my post about this incredible lodge). My guide, for both stays, was one of the most incredible people I’ve had the fortune to meet - Wiseman.

Wiseman is the Head Ranger and Guide at Pafuri Camp. He joined the team in 2015, as a cleaner. Guests and colleagues alike quickly noticed that Wiseman was an incredible birder - he can accurately identify well over 350 species of bird, from colour or call. He therefore was subsidised through his Guide training by the lodge, and qualified shortly thereafter. Just a few years later, he has become the head guide in Pafuri. His eyes and ears are immensely sharp, and are never wrong. He is an uncommonly kind man, quick to ask about his guests and their families, keen to learn who we are as people, why we love the bush, and what we would like to see.

In April 2022, Wiseman made a special plan for myself and his other two guests, Mike and Helen. He informed us that that afternoon, we would leave the vehicle behind, and head out on foot. We would leave camp and head East, along the river, never straying too far from the water. About 1km downriver, Wiseman said in hushed tones, there rested one of Pafuri’s most magical creatures - a Pels Fishing Owl.

Uncommon, elusive, smart and wickedly camouflaged, the Pels is one of the highlights of any avid birder, anywhere in Afirca. It is incredibly rare to see - they live only in a few very specific locations in the wild, and even in such locations exist in small numbers. Once you then take into account their colouring, their habits and their knack for hiding, one can see how special it would be to catch a glimpse of a Pels. These owls are truly beautiful - they are a tawny orange colour, with a few dark brown streaks on their wings, and deep, deep black eyes. As their name suggests, they feed on a diet principally of fish. From their perches high up in river facing mahogany and jackalberry trees, their keen eyes pick out potential prey below the surface of the water, and the owls swoop powerfully down, snap up their meal and head back to their perches to feed. Pafuri, and the Luvuvhu River in particular, are tailor-made Pels territory. As uncommon as they are to see, avid birders the world over therefore convene in Pafuri to give themselves the best chance of sighting and photographing the Pels. And if one is in need of a guide on such a quest, there is none better than Wiseman.

Thus it was that Mike, Helen and I found ourselves following Wisemans trail, as he brushed past Acacia and Guarri shrubs, toward the banks of the Luvuvhu River that one afternoon. Our destination - a cluster of giant Natal Mahogany trees, where Wiseman suspected an Owl had made its home. Our first positive sign came at the base of one tree, where we spotted white droppings, a sure sign that an owl had, in the previous few days, been sat in the branches above. Creeping now, making no noise so as not to disturb any sleeping owls, we circled this tree for 10 minutes, staring hopefully into the darkness above. To no avail. We then moved on to another huge mahogany, and as we approached, a powerful shape burst from the foliage, flew over our heads, and settled in another dense tree about 100 metres away. Wiseman assured us it was a Pels, but we guests were clueless, we had simply seen a large winged shape.

At this point, I was in utter disbelief. I had wanted for years to see a Pels Fishing Owl, and I had never even come close. They are immensely rare, and even more difficult to see. They deliberately hide, and make their roosts high up in dense riverine trees, all traits that lead to difficult viewing for guests. The fact that Wiseman had now found one, and I had see it fly, blew my mind. I was supremely content. But Wiseman was not yet done. By circuitous route, we left our fabled clearing, and headed away from the river back toward the road. Once on the road, Wiseman turned, and we had a good view of the tree that now housed the Owl, albeit about 100 metres away. We stood for roughly 15 minutes and searched those branches silently, we guests through our binoculars, Wiseman with nothing more than his supreme eyesight.

Eventually, he pointed, saying nothing. We dutifully lined up on his shoulder and followed his outstretched arm. Trying our best, and through our binoculars, we still could not see the Owl. Wiseman crouched in the dust, and drew a diagram - he drew the trunk of the tree, its canopy, and a few prominent stems and branches in the dirt. He drew an arrow indicating the position of the Pels, and without speaking, showed us how to navigate the tree to find it. Find the trunk of the tree. Follow the first branch to the right. Continue past a gap in the foliage, and find the next branch. Take this left. Directly above that was another gap in the foliage, through which there was a clear Y junction. Take this left, and behind that branch, sat an Owl. I did as I was told, and sure enough, with a great deal of effort, my binoculars highlighted a most amazing picture.

I was looking at a large female Pels Fishing Owl. Its eyes were deep black, its feathers pinky-orange, visible even in the tree’s darkness. It was swivelling its head, and often staring at us, judging if we were friend or foe and deciding on friend. All other senses seemed to turn off - I couldn’t hear the usual sound of the bushveld chorus, the smells of dust, grass and dung dissipated, and I forgot I was standing there with others, holding binos and a camera. It was just my eyes, and that beautiful, majestic, ethereal Owl. I watched it for some time, soaking up every moment, as I knew this would be a treasured memory.

Below is a photo I took of the Pels. It is a terrible photo, my camera being far less powerful than my binoculars, but I had to take it nonetheless, to prove to myself that it was not a dream, we and the Owl had actually been there.

The Wise Man and his Owl

Pels Fishing Owl

Revelling in our luck, in Wiseman’s skill, and in the beauty of the animal we had just seen, we made our journey back to camp. Once back on deck above the river, we were just beginning to discuss our story when, out of the twilit gloom, we heard a deep, short ‘boom. boom. boom’. The unmistakable, magical call of a Pels Fishing Owl. I was awestruck, the sound is deep, loud and incredibly subtle all at the same time. It seemed as though our friend was saying goodnight across the river.

I reflected on the genius of Wiseman - firstly, how had he so shrewdly been able to find the roost in the first place? And secondly, how on earth had he been able to spot the Owl in that final tree? At such a distance? With no binoculars? His senses, namely his hearing and his eyesight, are peerless. He really is the most incredible guide, and kind man, I have ever met. One could not wish for a better guide with whom to journey through the African wilderness.

This might be, I think, one of the most compelling cases I can put forward to come to Pafuri. The generosity, hospitality, skills and knowledge of the guides, combined with the unique, magical beauty of both the bushveld and its wildlife. This was an afternoon I will never forget.

Thank you, Wiseman, for everything. I can’t wait to return.