January 2024 – Birds are our Story

Zimbabwe to see the African Pitta.

Published on January 25, 2024February 1, 2024 by Paul Bartho4 Comments

10th to 17th December 2023

In November 2022, we planned to treat ourselves to find an African Pitta. It was Sally’s milestone birthday present as well as our Christmas and Birthday presents to each other in 2023.

So, in 2022 we booked 5th to 9th December 2023 with Derek Adams of Victoria Falls Birding Safaris. During the course of the year this got changed to 12th (Tuesday) to 16th (Saturday) December 2023 at the request of Derek Adams.

An Aside – take note if you are interested in going on this trip.

Make sure you secure your accommodation before you go. There are only 3 acceptable rooms ( I believe they are numbered 1,2and 3) available at Murara. Each of a good standard and I believe they can each accommodate 3 persons. They have their own ablutions. If you are told there is another place available which they call the Doll’s House or Honeymoon Suite – DO NOT accept it as you will be bitterly disappointed.

Back to our story.

We found direct flights from Durban to Harare and booked. Since these flights were only on a Sunday we needed to organise somewhere to stay in Harare for 2 nights until we got picked up and a further night on our return to Harare. Adam suggested Guinea Fowl Rest. We booked.

And as we had a full day on the Monday before pickup, we organised a day’s birding with Sean Hind and he took us to Haka Park and Christon Bank.

And so it began.

We were picked up at the airport and taken to Guinea Fowl Rest. A very comfortable and friendly B&B. The food was plentiful and delicious.

And we were entertained by a Purple-crested Turaco behaving oddly.

Interesting behaviour of a Purple-crested Turaco.

And here are a few of the resident birds.

The next morning at 05h30 we were picked up by Sean and headed for Haka Park. The wetland area had suffered from the drought. As a result, the wetlands had shrunk considerably.

Here are some of the birds we photoed.

Then we found the Yellow-mantled Widowbird – a bird we had seen previously but not in breeding plumage.

Then we were off to Christon Bank. Not much time was spent at Christon Bank as it was very hot and there was much scrambling amongst the rocks.

At the rocks we heard a number of bird calls. It seemed that two different species were trying to outdo each other – Brown-crowned Tchagra and a White-browed Scrub-Robin.

Walking round the rocks, we looked to see if we could find a Boulder Chat. We eventually saw several.

The next morning we were collected early. There were 2 vehicles to take Sally and I plus 6 others to Murara Camp near Masoka Village – expecting to arrive at 13h00.

After 3 hours we arrived at the changeover point. Two game vehicles arrived and emptied their previous guests and luggage and we took their place to go to the camp. Our drivers took the previous guests back to Harare.

Seen at the exchange point.

After an hour’s drive we stopped in a riverbed where 6 Ground Hornbills were seen disappearing round a corner of the dry riverbed. Our guides suggested a pit stop and then got us to all sit together on one side of the riverbed.

Be Quiet and Sit Still, we were told. Siraaj, one of our guides proceeded to put a Bluetooth speaker at the top on the other side and proceeded to call the African Pitta. Lo and behold, it responded and then a couple of them started to show themselves. Not at the camp yet, and we had already achieved our goal. This was our best sighting of an African Pitta. We had at least half an hour with the birds.

Another 3 hours and we arrived at Murara Camp.

On arrival everyone got allotted rooms. Ours was the “Doll’s House” also known as the “Honeymoon Suite”. Immediately we should have had questions about this, but we thought because we booked so early we were being treated to the best accommodation. In fact, it was terrible. However, we thought it must be the same for everyone. Not SO. The accommodation for everyone else was far superior and clean which we only found out later when Sally went to check.

If you ever venture here paying its extortionate price, make sure you know which accommodation you will be allocated. We complained and were offered a discount on further trips with Adam as he accepted it was sub-standard – but he would not give us a cash refund of any sort. Many excuses but basically he ripped us off. We had booked well early and paid full price when we booked.

We had no choice to stay in the crappy room with broken furniture and filthy bathroom as well as animal droppings inside. There was nowhere else to go.

On our first night we drove to a pan where the Pennant-winged Nightjars like to visit. On arrival the Red-billed Queleas in their hundreds were in force in the bushes hanging over the water.

All lined up we waited. At dusk they arrived. Swirling all over the water and our heads. A magnificent sight.

For the next 3 days, our routine was to be up and out by 05h30 each morning returning for lunch about 12h30. Rest until 15h00 and then out again till 18h00. Back to freshen up and do a bird list with everyone before dinner at 19h00.

We visited many different areas depending on what we hoped to find – usually specials which people wanted to see. Most of these places involved an hour’s drive to get there – birding along the way.

During our stay, the weather threatened to rain. Clouds accumulated and we got a bit of drizzle on the first day but it never lasted long, After that – no rain – just overcast weather making photography for me very difficult.

Here are some photos of the typical habitats we enjoyed.

We saw quite a few different raptors, including: Bateleur, Lizard Buzzard, African Fish-Eagle, African Hawk-Eagle, Brown Snake-Eagle, Martial Eagle, Wahlberg’s Eagle, Western-banded Snake-Eagle, African Goshawk, Dark Chanting Goshawk, African Harrier-Hawk, Black-shouldered Kite, Shikra and Little Sparrowhawk.

Here are photos of some of the other specials we saw.

Arnot’s Chat.

African Golden Oriole seen on several occasions.

Abdim’s Stork.

Dusky Lark

Flappet Lark

Brown-necked Parrot seen flying and in nearby trees.

Jacobin Cuckoos

Livingstone’s Flycatcher constantly on the move. Seen in several places.

Lillian’s Lovebirds

Meyer’s Parrot seen alongside Brown-necked Parrots.

Mottled Spinetails

Orange-winged Pytilia seen in camp.

Racket-tailed Roller

Senegal Coucal seen on several occasions.

Hadeda Ibis – why is this special you ask. Well check the eye colour. Typical of Hadedas seen in the area.

Here are some of the other birds we photographed.

We left on a sour note with Derek Adams as he refused to compensate us for the disgusting accommodation he put us in.

To see our bird list for Harare and Murara please click on the following link.

Zimbabwe Bird List December 2023 Download

Paul and Sally Bartho

Zululand

Published on January 25, 2024 by Paul Bartho1 Comment

November 4th to 11th

Sally and I had not been away for nearly 2 months. Zululand beckoned. Our plan was to go to away for a week spending 4 nights in Mkuze and 3 nights in Bonamanzi. From Bonamanzi we planned to visit Hluhluwe Reserve.

At the time the area had had loads of rain so everywhere was lush and there was plenty standing (sitting?) water.

Mkuze

4th to 8th November 2023

To our surprise as we approached the gate, we noticed that there was flowing water either side of the road – something we had not seen in the 20 years of visiting the Reserve.

Camp was quickly set up and we relaxed for a while before going out for an afternoon drive.

No sooner had we left camp than we realised how much rain the Reserve must have had.

The animals and birds were scarce – compared to other times we had been there. most likely because there was water everywhere and they did not need to come to the main watering holes.

At the kuMasinga Hide there were hundreds of Barn Swallows – if not thousands. And not much else except for a couple of frogs lounging in the hide.

As usual there were many Impala and Nyala about, several small herds of Zebra and Gnus – and basically little else. The naughty elephant (we call him Mr. Grumpy) was not to be seen. However, there was a large group of Giraffe on the road to the main camp.

Coming around one corner we observed a stampede of White Rhinos. All orphans apparently. We were later told they had just been released into the reserve. Interesting to see them all together. we did see one other large male.

The Wahlberg’s Eagle nest was occupied with a youngster with parents visiting with food.

Close to the Wahlberg’s Eagle nest we noticed a Southern Masked Weaver starting to build a nest. Re-visiting the area a little later (couple of hours) it had virtually completed the nest.

Then there was the Red-billed Oxpecker family. The youngsters appeared to be coming out of their nest for the first time and the parents were fussing over them.

We took a detour outside the Ophansi Gate to look at the fig forest and the Mkuze River. The ground was not as wet as we expected but the river was well full – muddy full.

In the distance down the fence line of the Reserve, we spotted the best sighting of our stay. A special raptor.

Here are other birds that we managed to photograph.

In all we identified 125 different bird species in Mkuze.

After 4 nights in Mkuze we headed for Bonamanzi.

Bonamanzi

8th to 11th November 2023

Bonamanzi was like everywhere else, soaked. The roads were fine in the main areas but we were unable to get down into the wetland area.

There were very few campers. I think we were one of two! We chose campsite 10 with its own bathroom.

Having set up camp, we enjoyed a drive around the game areas – where we could get access that is.

We spent a day driving around Bonamanzi and another in Hluhluwe Reserve. Both days were overcast and wet. In camp we had several Crowned Hornbills, Brown Scrub-Robins, a Cardinal Woodpecker, Diderick Cuckoos and a Dung Beetle rolling its ball.

We visited the Hide at the main reception area but it was very quiet except for a White-throated Swallow and an African Pied Wagtail.

Here are some of the other waterbirds we took pictures of at various ponds, wetland areas etc:

We did see an animal:

Getting around – greeny style:

Hluhluwe

Having exited the security entrance gate, there was water on the grass either side of us and there on one side were a dozen Glossy Ibis.

Our day in Hluhluwe continued to be gloomy and wet. After a few hours there we decided to return to Bonamanzi. The rivers were full and some roads impassable.

We were excited to see Elephants at the Hilltop entrance and a lone Buffalo wallowing.

Birding was very quiet.

It was lovely to get away and experience nature.

In all we atlassed 96 different bird species in Bonamanzi and 73 in Hluhluwe.

So, as we exited the gate on our way home, we had not even got to the end of the drive when we were in for another treat. On the road in front of us were Canaries. A mixture of Yellow-fronted and Lemon-breasted. Special as they did not fly off.

Cheers

Paul and Sally Bartho (King)

Northern South Africa – Part 3

Published on January 3, 2024January 3, 2024 by Paul Bartho2 Comments

Kruger National Park

29th August to 9th September 2023

This part of our trip took us to wherever we could find camping accommodation. It started in Punda Maria for 2 nights, 3 nights in Shingwedzi, 2 nights in Letaba, a night in Satara and finally 3 nights in Malelane.

So, from Dumela in Mozambique we took the S63 to the H1-8 and headed to Punda Maria. On the way we passed the “Big Hill” near Pafuri.

We turned off the main road south onto the tar (H13-1) to Punda. Within a few kilometres there was a large mud puddle on the left. And stuck in it was an unfortunate rather dead buffalo. Several White-backed Vultures were trying to have a feast without much success.

At Pafuri we chose a campsite at the top – our favourite spot close to a clean and non-smelly ablutions. Our choice was very limited because of the position of the electric points. Nowadays it is wise to take an extra long cable as the electric points are few and far between and each point only has 4 plugs.

In our time there we visited Klopperfontein – the busiest place in the short time at Punda. On the way there we noticed that the countryside had many colourful trees.

On our way to Punda on the (H1-8), we decided it was prudent not to take the Klopperfontein shortcut (S61) to Punda since we were towing and the road is known as a good place to see elephants. The Dam was empty of elephants but it had good birdlife. There were both Black-headed and Grey Heron, an Egyptian Duck, Pied Kingfishers, Pied Wagtails, a Three-banded Plover, an African Fish-eagle and a Knob-billed Duck.

Here are some of the other animals, birds we saw on our ride around the loop.

In the camp the Monkeys are always present. Sometimes naughty and sometimes fun to watch. Here is a head-twisting video to watch.

And then we were off to Shingwedzi, having recorded 79 different bird species in and around Punda Maria.

Shingwedzi

31 August to 3rd September 2023

The east side of the road to Shingwedzi (H1-7) had recently been set on fire and areas were still smoldering. In the distance we saw what looked like tornados and small cloud formations on the horizon in an otherwise cloudless sky. It was only as we drew closer that the “clouds” were actually smoke formations.

At Shingwedzi our campsite (18) was an “on the fence” site. The only ones available. Normally we would not have chosen a fenced site but as it happened this site was fairly shady and not too close to neighbours – also relatively close to an electric point.

The river on the left driving into the camp had only a few patches of water – one of the few areas close by with water. Water was scarce as we drove the Shongalolo Loop (R52), up the R56 to Babalala Picnic site and down river (S50) to the Nyawutsi Hide.

River on way to Nyawutsi Hide – very dry.

Similarly very dry on the R56 to Babalala Picnic site.

The river along the Shongololo loop was similarly dry.

We had White-backed Vultures in the bush beside us trying their best to guzzle on a corpse – perhaps a dead Hippo.

Then there were 2 Buffalos having a tussle in the riverbed to the camp and one with yellow-billed Oxpeckers on its back.

Crocodiles amassed together in whatever water they could find.

At the Nyawutsi Hide, a leguaan made an appearance showing its grappling claws as well as numerous Buntings – Golden-breasted and Cape, a Black-winged Stilt and a Hamerkop.

In the camp there were many colourful birds and an occasional creature.

Some beautiful birds we saw round and about.

Then there were some of the aminals;

Raptors: Not many seen and only one photoed.

And on the Shongololo Loop we had 2 treats. A large male Kudu with an extra twist in its horns and a Lioness. Our first big cat.

And to cap off our time in Shingwedzi I love this Hippo photo taken along the R56 to Babalala.

The days flew quickly and it was time to go but not before the Moon had its piece to say.

In total we recorded 97 different bird species in the 2 full days there. Eventually it was time to head south to Letaba.

Letaba

3rd to 5th September 2023

So, no sooner than we headed south on the H1-6 than we had large animals with several young racing across the road in front of us.

Surprise – Roan Antelope;

As we approached Letaba we noticed that the river had more water in it than those further north.

In the evening we watched a Wahlberg’s Eagle catching bats from the vantage of the bridge.

And in the morning we looked up river and what did we see?

**Easier to see now that I have zoomed in.**

**There he is – the King of the cats.** Zoomed in even more.

Letaba River

On arrival we looked around for a suitable campsite close to an electric point. In the end we got lucky as someone was moving out of a shady site close to the entrance with a close by power point.

Campsite – no need to put out the awning as it was shady and we only had one full day there.

We had a stroll around the camp and enjoyed the view of the river, the camp elephant and sadly the cut down stumps of a tree which my niece and nephew used to climb.

On our walk round the camp we had several bird encounters.

Crested Barbet very close taking no notice of us

A video of our friendly Crested Barbet.

Crested Barbet.

Raptors seemed more plentiful than further north.

And then there were other species on our drives around the area – birds and animals.

Then we had some time with a small pack of Wild Dogs. A chance sighting of these athletic light- footed creatures.

Surprisingly we recorded 79 different bird species in the short time we were there.

From Letaba we wanted to get to Malelane. A very long drive. We popped in to Satara on the off chance of a night or two on the way down. One night was all we could get.

Satara

5th to 6th of September 2023

On arrival we quickly set up camp and spent the afternoon and part of the early morning of the next day driving the S100 and H7 south of the camp. Not a lot to see game wise, however we did identify 51 bird species in the short time there.

On a walk around the camp, we headed to the reception area hoping to pick up some interesting birds. However, seeing an African Scops Owl immediately in front of the restaurant was a bit of a surprise. A pleasant surprise.

Gnarly tree roots in front of the restaurant

We did come across Wahlberg’s Eagles. A brown morph and another not so brown with a grey /whitish head.

Here are some of the other bird species we managed to photograph.

Some special species amongst those above – the Lemon-breasted canary being the main one. In all we identified 51 bird species in and around Satara.

The next day we were on our way to Malelane – a long drive.

Malelane

6th to 9th September 2023.

On the way to Malelane we did stop at several places – Tshokwane for breakfast, Leeupan to check what birds were there, On the bridge over the Sabi River on the way passed Skukuza, Afsaal as a loo stop. All in all, it took us almost 8 hours to get to Malelane Private Camp.

Tshokwane was cold and void of birds. Leeupan had water but the weather limited what birds were about.

The Sabi River was low. Here are pics taken on the bridge looking up and down river.

Afsaal was crowded with many game viewing vehicles – expected as the park was full full.

Then we arrived at Malelane Private Camp close to the Malelane gate. And were able to get probably our favourite spot at the bottom of the camp. We have yet to try the sites on the right on entry which we understand are also level.

Berg-en-dal camp is always worth a visit. Its birdlife is excellent and we were not disappointed this time despite the dam being almost empty.

The dam was where the action was for us. A Hamerkop flew over. Brown-headed Parrots landed above us. A Green-backed Heron was seen in the mud then up on the dam wall being chased off by a Grey-headed Heron before taking a hiding place opposite waiting for dinner to arrive. Then beside us in a tree we noticed a pair of Little Sparrowhawks – one a juvenile calling for food. And as we were about to leave, we heard an African Barred Owlet calling to the right of the dam. After searching for a while we finally spotted it and watched it continue calling.

The S114 to S25 then onto the S119 and S118 before returning along the tarred road – H3 – is a loop we often take. Here are some of the birds we encountered along the way:

A Bateleur and a Tawny Eagle sharing a meal – not

And some of the aminals seen on the circuit:

Girafffe looks like he is sitting to eat.

The Gardenia Hide is on the S119. This hide can be birding dull or full of life. This time we visited there were raptors in the trees and flying overhead – severely testing our skills at identifying them.

Ahh….. yes, the hilarious incident of the Pearl-spotted Owlet and the Grey-headed Bushshrike.

As we drove along the S114 we stopped at a tree with many birds calling like crazy – Starlings and Fork-tailed Drongos. We looked for a possible snake but saw none. Eventually they flew off. As we moved off too, I noticed that one small dark bird was left behind. Just in case, we had a better look and realised that it was this bird causing all the tumult – a Pearl-spotted Owlet.

Next thing we knew another bird came flying in calling like mad and went straight for the Pearl-spotted Owlet. The Owlet as calm as you like, turned its head away from the Grey-headed Bushshrike and totally ignored it. The Bushshrike continued its ministrations getting ever closer to no avail. Hilarious to watch.

In all, 72 different bird species were identified in the Malelane area and a total of 232 species for our whole 4 week trip. You can download our trip list here.

13th August to 9th September 2023 bird list Download

And so ended our trip. It was great to get away in the winter months.

Hope you have enjoyed the read.

Paul and Sally Bartho (King).