The legendary birds on São Tomé.
Certain birds have a special nimbus around them. Not necessarily because they are beautiful, nor do they need skills of remarkable behaviors. No, the birds I am thinking of have one thing in common; I have felt a strong desire to see them for as long I can remember. Typically, they have their home in remote places, sometimes there is a rumor that they are already extinct from Earth.
The Sao Tome Ibis is a good example of these enigmatic, legendary birds. To me this was the quintessential São Tomé bird long before I set foot on the island. So rare that it was not seen for more than 60 years until its rediscovery in 1989. We were fortunate to first hear them at night from our muddy campsite in the wet forest. Then, the day after, we could enjoy two birds at close range perched in the trees only a couple of hundred meters away from the tents...
As for the Ibis, the Sao Tome Fiscal has a critically small population and the birds were not seen for most of the 20th century. We had to trek up the hills and deep into the forest to reach the few territories that are known. This Fiscal is unique in being the only Lanius Shrike that lives in the rain forest. And indeed it was raining, but we were rewarded greatly!