Location:  Chintheche Inn, Lake Malawi, Malawi
Date:  March 2010
Observer: Dana Allen
Photographer: Dana Allen

Chintheche Inn on the central shoreline of Lake Malawi is best known for being located on one of the best beaches of the country. Guests here - often en route to Chelinda Camp further north on the Nyika Plateau - usually spend their time enjoying the warm waters of the lake, snorkelling to check out the cichlids around the offshore island, relaxing on the beach or enjoying the outdoor dining in the beautiful grounds.

The Inn has other charms though. Bird watching in the grounds and in nearby lowland forests is very productive and can produce some interesting rarities. The Inn gardens themselves are great for finding the enigmatic Blue-spotted Wood-dove, the yellow-tipped bill proving a far easier diagnostic in most conditions than the eponymous feature (the spots). In good light however the wing spots shine a deep iridescent blue and are thrilling.

The other 'garden special' is the mutable sun squirrel, a south-east central Africa tree squirrel that uses a variety of forest types and can be frustratingly difficult to photograph as it darts rapidly through the trees, making sure to always keep a branch between it and the observer! It is quite variable in colouration as these photos of two different individuals show, but the banded tail is fairly distinctive.

Patience and a quiet walk in the grounds gives you a good chance of seeing both of these species.