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Trip Reports
Part 2
Golden Weaver
This lovely little park gave us a couple of hours of great birding before dusk during which we saw Livingstone’s Turaco, Yellow-bellied Greenbul, Terrestrial Brownbul, Natal Robin Chat, Blue-mantled Flycatcher, Brown Scrub Robin and a pair of Green Twinspot along with numerous Trumpter Hornbills..
Saint Lucia sits at the end of a peninsula on which there is dense coastal forest adjacent to an estuary full of hippos and crocodiles. We explored these forests along the park roads to Cape Vidal ensuring we did not stray too close to the water. We found Red-breasted Swallow, Yellow-throated Longclaw, Burchell’s Coucal, the very local Woodward’s Batis and Green Malkoha. The latter, rather uncharacteristically, showed itself very well.
Burchell's Coucal
In the park we were also treated to views of Greater Kudu, Waterbuck, Reedbuck, African Buffalo and Burchell’s Zebra. In the course of a short walk near out hotel we also found a pair of the pretty little Wattle-eye Flycatcher before retiring for a pleasant lunch by the estuary. After a lengthy lunch we headed north to our lodgings at the Sand Forest lodge. At this splendid establishment we easily found Pink-throated Twinspot, Rudd’s Apalis, Kurrichane Thrush, Scarlet-chested and Purple-banded Sunbirds and all three green cuckoos; Emerald, Diederik and Klass’s. In the grassy thornveld around the lodge we found Spotted Dikkop and Lesser Black-winged Plover along with the incomparable Gorgeous Bush shrike.
Burchell's Zebra
At the crack of dawn we headed north to meet our local guide, Beki, at the Musi pan area. Our day began slowly along the Mkhuze river with sightings of Broad-billed Roller, Wahlberg’s Eagle, a pair of Spotted Eagle Owls and a number of Purple-crested Turacos. The highlight came when we found Southern Banded Snake Eagle. This is a rare and localised species we were fortunate to find. We then returned to the Musi pan, a large wetland area where we found a good number of Pygmy Geese, a single Black Egret and a large flock of Lemon-breasted Canaries. The lake edges also held Goliath Heron, Hottentot Teal , Water Dikkop and a vagrant Pacific Golden Plover. Beki was very keen to show us this bird of course. We then returned to base for a well-earned rest during the heat of the day.
Bokmakiere
A full day in the Mkuze NP started early. We entered the park after seeing a good number of waterbirds at the Musi Pan en route. These were accompanied by White-browed Robin-Chat, Brown-crowned Tchagra, Black Cuckooshrike, Southern Yellow-billed Hornbills an African Goshawk and numerous Cardinal and Golden-tailed Woodpeckers. We then visited a waterhole to watch big game. In the course of our stay we saw White Rhino, Nyala, Burchell’s Zebra, Warthog, Imapala and Wildebeest. At a much smaller pool near the administrative block we found Red-backed Mannikins and a single Lesser Honeyguide along with a stunning Pygmy Kingfisher. In the late afternoon we took a game drive round the park and saw a number of Giraffe, dozens of Nyala, Greater Kudu many more Impala and Zebra and a superb adult Leopard dozing right by the road. It sat watching us intently for ten minutes or so until we had to leave to get out of the park before the gates closed.
White Rhino lounging during the heat of the day
The next morning before breakfast we walked the trails in the thornveld around the lodge. We were treated with good views of Gorgeous and Orange-breasted Bush Shrikes, Black-mantled Crested Flycatcher and a single Nicator that eventually gave itself up. We then headed to Waakestroom for the next part of our adventure. As we headed north west we gradually left the thornveld and climbed up to the cool montane plateau. On the way we saw several herds of White-tailed Wildebeest but very little else of note. Closer to our lodgings we found a pair of Secretarybirds and in the late afteroon we went to see what was around in the nearby marsh and found a Pallid Harrier chasing Pied Starlings coming in to roost and numerous African Snipe. There were also a good number of South African Cliff Swallows, a pair of Wattled Lapwings, several Swainson’s Francolins and a very obliging African Rail.
African Scops Owl
Waakestroom is at 1900m on the highveld surrounded by excellent grasslands. We met up with our local guide, Lucky, at 5.30am and we set off. He had a plan and within no time we were watching Eastern Long-billed Lark and Yellow-breasted Pipits. We then drove to Dierkiesdorp, where we found seven Barrow’s Korhaan and another female Black-bellied Bustard. A very good start to a day that only got better. Along the highway we saw a male Denham’s Bustard before returning to Waakestroom for breakfast. We then headed out along the Amersfoot road seeing several pairs of the lovely endemic Blue Korhaan en route to a site where found the localised Botha’s Lark, nomadic Pink-billed Lark and tiny Quailfinch. We then retraced our steps to Waakestroom stopping at Finckland Kraal to search for the critically endangered Rudd’s Lark. It was sunny and very windy providing us with little hope of success. However, not to be deterred we set out across the grasslands eventually seeing a single bird rather briefly. We then changed tack, sitting in the car and scanning the area. We were surprisingly quickly rewarded with great views of this lovely little lark and even managed a photograph.
The final part of our trip then began with a restful drive to the famous Kruger National Park arriving in good time for lunch at the Skakhuze camp in the south of the park.
Yellow-billed Hornbill
In the park we came across several White Rhino, African Elephants, Giraffe, Zebra and other grazing mammals. Celebrations then started as we found the tenth and final bustard species ; the Buff-crested Bustard. While in Kruger around both the Skakhuze and Satara camps we found Heuglin’s and White-throated Robins along with Brown-headed Parrots, African Mourning Dove and the ever present Burchell’s and Greater Blue-eared Starlings. To the east of Satara we saw another Lepoard with an Impala it had hauled high up into an acacia, several Lions, innumerable Elephants and herds of Impala. Rather more unusually we also saw several Sharpe’s Grysbok, and Suni Antelope.
Buff-crested Bustard
Our final day in the park was spent exploring the area north to the Oliphants river. We were treated to the spectacle of numerous carcasses from the previous nights kills along with numerous Lions and Hyaenas lying around with greatly distended bellies. We photographed Kori Bustard and Black-bellied Bustard along with the bizarre Southern Ground Hornbill. After a light lunch at the Oliphant's camp we headed south and west to the Orphen gate and from there to the Trackers camp near the Blyde river Canyon.
Black-bellied Bustard
The journey back to Johannesburg took us past a line of spectacular cliffs where the rare Taita Falcon breeds. On arrival it was foggy and drizzling with very poor visibility. Perfect conditions for seeing the birds we were told. After wrestling with this paradox for some time we did see the somewhat bedraggled birds drying off on the cliffs. We then drove north towards Polokwane for some last minute birding on our way to Johannesburg. We had very little time and confined ourselves to visiting a Bat Hawk nest site. Thankfully the birds were present and we managed to devote some time to watching these odd looking and increasingly rare birds. Interestingly the site was in an old Eucalypt plantation with large stands of pine and another Australian exotic a casuarina. The birds apparently flew some distance to hunt bats in banana plantations in the valley below. This pair therefore depends entirely on alien plants for its survival. We then had lunch with Joe and his wife in Polokwane before heading south to Johannesburg for our homeward flight ending a thoroughly successful and enjoyable trip.
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