A pair of Tawny Frogmouths caught our eyes as we walked down Spring Gully, Bendigo in Victoria Australia.
They stayed all day but were gone the next morning.
Other birds seen on this trail:
Paul Bartho and Sally King
Report by Sally and Paul Bartho
28 December 2016
Sally and I are based in Bendigo with family. We decided to have a day away and go birding in the surrounding area.
Tim Dolby’s book “Where to see birds in Victoria” suggested we take a look at the Kerang Lakes – just over an hour’s drive north of Bendigo.
The Kerang Lakes are in a flood prone region where many rivers and creeks converge to fill wetland areas. The drive was through farm lands – very flat and not exactly attractive countryside (in our opinion).
After an hour and a half we arrived in Kerang close to our first attempt at birding – almost 07h00.
Based on the information in Tim Dolby’s book and the time we had available we decided to visit:
All shown on the map above.
Fosters Swamp – a saline wetland with salt marshes round the edges was unfortunately dry. So no sightings of any waders. Needless to say we quickly left and headed for Middle Lake.
Middle Lake was a surprise. There were many birds – Ibises, numerous Ibises – Straw-necked, Australian White and Glossy – we were not surprised by the sign we saw at the entrance.
This was definitely the highlight of our day. The facilities were good – pathways and an unusually designed bird hide overlooking the rookery. The rookery included the full extent of Middle Lake and Ibises were everywhere. It was difficult to identify other species among them. But we did see a Little Pied Cormorant sitting on a dead branch. Even a Yellow-throated Miner was seen.
Unfortunately the day was very windy with the odd shower and birds were scarce. Despite that some birds were still long enough for a photo.
Overhead the air was constantly occupied with mainly Ibises as well as some Black Kites and Royal Spoonbills.
Moving on, we headed for Lake Tutchewop. Another very open lake with sparse vegetation around it. We were able to drive reasonably close passing a pair of Nankeen Kestrels flying beside us. Near the water we saw a number of water birds on the water’s edge some distance away. These included many Silver Gulls, Caspian Terns, some Whiskered Terns, a group of Red-necked Avocets as wells as many Red-capped Plovers.
An overhead White-faced Heron caught our attention.
Driving alongside the lake heading north on a dirt track we encountered Australian Pipits every hundred metres – not necessarily in ones or twos but at times up to six together foraging on the road ahead of us.
Our next stop was Lake Round to the west of the town called Lake Boga. The Lake was full and there were some ducks on the opposite side but in all not much of interest.
And lastly to the lake with the same name as the town – Lake Boga. Again disappointing as it was very difficult to get close to the lake’s edge and there was not much to see on the expanse of water.
And then it was back to Bendigo via a different route. Passing one pond by the road there was a family of Grey Teal, a pair of Masked Lapwings, a Australian Swamphen and this Black-winged Stilt. A Black-shouldered Kite flew overhead.
Back home in Bendigo we were entertained by this Blue-tongued Lizard trying to get indoors.
In all we recorded seeing 38 different bird species. See our list by clicking here.
Cheers and Happy New Year to you all.
Paul and Sally
Report by Sally and Paul Bartho
Sally’s son David and his fiancee Katrina went to Cairns for the weekend on business while we were visiting in Melbourne. Their car was at our disposal.
We took the opportunity to visit Phillip Island – about a two hour drive east of the entrance to the harbour.
Our goal was to see the Little Penguins coming in to roost at sunset. As we were there for only one night it was impossible to be at Cape Woolamai at the same time to see the millions of Short-tailed Shearwaters flying in to roost. There was also the opportunity to see Koalas. The brochures also indicated that we should find thousands of waders in the Rhyll estuary, mangroves and mudflats and that Swan lake was worth a visit for birding.
This was our first chance to go birding since we arrived. We wanted to refresh our memory of Australian birds and Phillip Island enabled us to reacquaint ourselves.
Leaving Melbourne at 05h00, we arrived just after seven and went straight to Cape Woolamai on the off chance of seeing late departures of the Short-tailed Shearwaters.
The weather was cold, overcast and very blustery. Unfortunately we were not lucky enough to see any but we did see this Swamp Harrier.
Then we headed to Rhyll and walked to the estuary.
Thousands of waders there might have been but nowhere in the area we hoped to find them. A few different species of water birds were seen in the distance including Silver Gulls, Australian (Sacred) Ibis, Pacific Black Ducks. Some photos taken in the area:
Our next destination was the Penguin Parade to purchase a seat for the evening event. For a little extra we also were able to visit the Koala Reserve. We took a walk down to the beach where the Little Penguins would emerge at sunset to explore the area. On the way down we saw a Swamp Wallaby close-by.
Then at the beach we found three Hooded Plovers – two with rings. We understand that this is a threatened species.
We were hoping to find the odd L Penguin in the daylight so that we could take a photo or two. Photography at night during the parade is forbidden. Again we were not fortunate. However we did find an interesting bird party at the entrance to the car park.
We took a drive round the headland – Nobbies – to get a high point view of coast line.
Leaving Nobbies we headed back to the Koala Reserve. There were two main fenced in boardwalks enclosing Eucalyptus trees in which several Koalas inhabited.
We saw three Koalas in each enclosure – doing what they do best – curled up sleeping.
Walking round the enclosures we saw quite a few different species of birds especially overlooking the wetlands on one of the boardwalks. Even a Swamp Wallaby made an appearance.
While walking between the two enclosures a Forest kingfisher made an appearance.
After dinner we headed for the Penguin Parade – arriving an hour and a half early to get a good seat – sheltered from the wind which made the cool evening a lot colder.
As people arrived so the stands filled and even a cordoned off sand area in front of both stands filled. We waited for sundown and the first penguins were expected at 21h00. Sally and I had our binoculars with us so we were able to scout the sea for sightings of flocks of penguins gathering in groups before they made their dash up the beach.
Then the moment arrived and the first group made a dash. Up they came then one got nervous and started back – the whole lot followed.Up and down they wavered, groups and groups making their charge up the beach. Sometimes the groups were as much as a hundred strong. In total they expected almost a thousand Little Penguins to come ashore.
Several parties came up the beach between the two main grand stands so we were able to get a very close-up view. The temptation was there to take photos but most people resisted.
Then the rain came and there was a mad congested dash for shelter. Fortunately it was not a downpour. Walking back up to the car park you could hear all the youngsters calling for their parents and you could see them standing outside their burrows. The adults were walking up the roads so close you could almost touch them. It was quite an experience and all over by 22h00.
The next day we headed for Churchill Island. The first bird we encountered was a Pied Oystercatcher.
The variety of birds was limited but a few species were in abundance.
Then we headed for Swan Lake near Nobbies. Along the path down to the hides, a bird flew in front of us – calling. At first we thought it was a pigeon but it turned out to be a cuckoo – a Pallid Cuckoo.
There were two hides with shallow wetlands in front of each.
Some of the other birds photographed at Swan Lake:
Altogether we recorded seeing 56 species. Click here to see our bird list.
This was a very pleasant venue for us despite the weather.
Paul and sally Bartho
Below are a few species photoed at Ben Vie on Sunday 16 October 2016. This was on an outing organised by the BirdLife KZN Midlands Bird Club led by Ian Gordon.
Note the Common Buzzard was seen near Karkloof Conservancy and not at Ben Vie.
Paul Bartho
This was both a Week-end and Sunday outing.
It was attended by ten members for the weekend and a further eleven for the Sunday outing. And as usual it was a resounding success surpassing everyone’s expectations. Not only was the birding excellent but the venue and hospitality of Richard Alcock were equally so.
As noted on both previous visits this year (and reported on the website) this can be considered the “Okavango” of South Africa.
Peter and Frankie arrived Thursday afternoon as did Sally and I. It was a drizzly cold afternoon. Despite this we took a drive round the estate heading for the hide.
On the way just before entering the forest over 30 White-backed Ducks took off from the water’s edge showing us why they got their name. A magnificent sight. It was so unusual to see so many together.
Then we drove through the woods to the 200 metre narrow grassy path through the marsh to the hide. Our mistake was not wearing our wellies as the path was through tall wet grasses.
The hide is located at the start of the 7 kms channel into the wetland. As expected we saw many waterbirds including African Pygmy-Geese and White-backed Ducks. Two Grey-crowned Cranes did a fly pass and a pair of Wattled Cranes were observed some distance away close to the forest.
The next morning we returned to the hide – this time suitably attired in Wellies and warm weather-proof clothing. Again we saw most of the birds we saw the evening before including the African Pygmy-Geese, White-backed Ducks and Wattled Cranes.
The excitement was observing an African Rail walking along the water’s edge on the far bank.
There was one little bird right next to us which we failed to ID – have a go.
That afternoon Cecil and Jenny arrived followed by Cheryl and John. Everyone lent a hand to set up their campsites.
While setting up we had a juvenile Black-headed Oriole serenading us from the trees above as a Village Weaver tried to distract us.
After setting up, we all left Cecil and Jenny to enjoy their consumptions as we headed for the lower side of the dam wall.
Richard has cut paths through the bush below the dam with several bridges crossing the fast flowing water from the dam. Totally different habitat and birds to be seen. Here are some of the birds we managed to photograph on that afternoon and on Sunday morning (while the Sunday outing members went on the boat trip).
It was fascinating to see how all the spider’s webs had collected dewdrops.
Friday night proved too cold and windy for a braai so we all ended up chin-wagging till late around Cecil and Jenny’s open tent area! However we did manage an early night as it was up early to depart on the Pontoon with Richard at 06h30! the next day.
If you desire to visit this wetland paradise then you need to contact Richard Alcock – see their website for details: http://www.birdvalleyestate.co.za. You will need to come as a large group if you want to visit and be able to go up into the wetland area by boat.
Saturday morning we were all ready on time. The water was flat and we watched the fish jumping for the flies and the otters chasing behind. This was a treat we experienced each morning.
We also had two members from the Midlands Bird Club (Ian Gordon and Barry Taylor) join us. They had been on a similar outing with their members the week before and got a glimpse of what they thought might be a Striped Crake – the underside of the tail looked rufous.
Our hopes were high but expectations muted. The day still and sunny.
There were 10 of us and Richard as captain. Off we set towards the dam wall for a quick look round before heading up into the wetland area.
Our first surprise were a pair of African Black Ducks at the overflow of the dam.
As we headed north towards the wetland area there were large groups of African Pygmy-Geese and White-backed Ducks.
Just before we entered the channels there was this sighting of an African Darter which had us confused as to on what it was perched.
And then as we passed the Bird Hide we headed into the narrow channels going upstream towards the distant hills.
Onward we travelled with Richard imparting interesting information about the area and the formation of the channels. We eventually reached the area where the possible Striped Crake may have been. Barry disembarked and flushed the likely spots but unfortunately to no avail. Then we headed back.
On return Cecily and Mark arrived and setup their roof-top tent. Mark then proceeded to get out his fishing rod and headed to where the pontoon was tied up. Out he cast -no luck; try again – out he cast and lo and behold he brings in a huge bass which when weighed was recognised as the largest caught in the dam at a whopping 3.8 kgs. and which he generously donated to local staff.
Saturday evening was braai night. And then another gathering for more tales of past adventures which got more exaggerated as the evening wore on and the imbibing increased.
Sunday arrives – another glorious day – the water still and the otters playing. The Sunday outing members started arriving at 06h30 for the 07h30 start. Hennie and Decklan the first to arrive and then a little later Ann and Andy, followed by Dave and Penny then Sandi, Elena and Prem and finally Penny and Cheryl.
Decklan was quick to spot Mark fishing and joined him catching a fish in no time.
Then it was time for the Sunday outing members to depart. Richard the captain of course.
Everyone returned astonished at how good an experience they had had with Richard. Everyone wants to return and make this a regular outing. They had seen Black-backed Jackal, Reed Buck and 6 Otters – both on land and in the water – apart from the abundance of White-backed Ducks and African Pygmy-Geese. Apart from these, their sightings of the day included an African Snipe circling overhead and a pair of African Fish-Eagles trying to disperse their young.
On return everyone gathered to take in their experience and to invest in something to eat and drink before taking a walk below the dam wall, meanwhile those of us who came to make a weekend of it stayed behind to de-camp.
Some of the birds seen on their walk include:
And finally we got together to tally the birds identified for the weekend. In total there were 104 different species – click here to see the list. And we had added another 17 to the total list for Bird Valley Estate. Click here to see the Bird Valley list.
This is a very special place and a birding experience not to be missed. Get a group together, contact Richard ( see details earlier) and plan a visit.
Paul and Sally Bartho
Photos by Paul or Sally Bartho unless otherwise stated in the captions.
Report by Paul and Sally Bartho
8th t0 9th September 2016
Only one night was spent in Kamberg Nature reserve on the way to family in the Berg.
Fortunately the weather was clear but cool when we arrived until we left – although we had an entertaining evening of wind and fire.
Anyway we were grandly welcome by the birds. These photos show the first five birds we saw.
On arrival we had noticed a smell of fire and we could see the smoke rising from the top of the distant hills. The wind was obviously blowing our way.
Sitting with our sundowners enjoying the peacefulness, the smoke we had seen now changed into fire. We could see the flames creeping down the mountainside towards us. Nervously the camp manager was called and she told us there were adequate fire breaks surrounding us.
On going to sleep the fires kept getting closer and the smell of smoke not quite choking – brought to us on the wings of a rather strong wind. Sleep eventually fell upon us and when we awoke all was quiet and the smoke had gone. Looking out the window we could see the burnt area miles away from us!
The morning was spent birding around the camp and staff areas. In total we identified 39 different species – click here to view our list.
Garden birds were calling all around us with Bokmakierie playing a variety of calls.
Several things were striking. The first was the numbers of Buff-streaked Chats – they seemed to be everywhere.
A large family of Ground Woodpeckers kept us entertained as they came out to sunbathe in the warmth of day.
A Red-throated Wryneck called all morning long moving from one clump of tall trees to the next and evading our binoculars. Eventually we found it in a distant bare tree.
Cape Vultures circled overhead
Unusually a Secretarybird flew above us. We are used to seeing them on the ground so this was a treat.
And a Rufous-chested Sparrowhawk did a fly-by.
Then we seemed to save the best for last. Having settled in at Kamberg Valley Hideaway http://www.kambergvalleyhideaway.co.za/with Sally’s son and girlfriend, we took a drive towards the Hlatikulu Crane Sanctuary and Giant’s castle.
We almost turned back as the temperature was dropping and the wind was up. However just past the turnoff to the Crane sanctuary there are two large lakes on the same side of the road. As we approached we wondered if we would see any Cranes. Were we in for a surprise – 30 Wattled Cranes and 2 Grey Crowned Cranes in the first field between the lakes and another 40 Grey-crowned Cranes in the field on the far side. Thankfully we had our scope with us to get a good count.
A very rewarding 24 hours.
Paul and sally Bartho
Saturday Outing to Tanglewood Farm NR
3 September 2016
We had an excellent turnout – the weather could have been a bit better but the cool/slightly overcast sky made walking very pleasant.
Our bird count was in the region of 84 – we had a few mysterious raptors and there was much debate whether the one was an early returning cuckoo or a sparrowhawk. Unfortunately no photos to help with ID. Click here to see a list of the birds recorded as identified.
The walk through the forested Kloof area yielded up a good number of birds, Purple-crested and Knysna Turacos, Dusky Flycatchers on every second tree and the one group were lucky enough to hear (and see?) Green Twinspots also Narina Trogon were heard.
Also heard was the Crowned Eagle but then the consensus was possibly a Red-capped Robin Chat!!
Our Weaver count was excellent; Dark-backed, Spectacled, Yellow and Cape building nests by the boathouse dam, Thick-billed and of course the ubiquitous Village.
Sunbirds were not too shabby either; Amethyst, Collared, Olive and Greater-double collared.
Some of the birds seen and heard included: Black-headed Oriole, Brown-hooded Kingfisher, Forest Canary, Black-collared, Crested and White-eared Barbets, Southern Boubou, lots of doves – Red-eyed, Emerald Spotted, Tambourine, Rock and Lemon, African Olive Pigeon (Caryl said they roost on top of the house) Common Fiscal, Black-backed Puffback, African Firefinch, Olive Thrush, Southern Black Tit, Olive Bushshrike, a couple of specials – Buff-spotted Flufftail (calling) and Grey Waxbill.
The walk through the grasslands yielded Cape Grassbirds, Croaking Cisticolas, Neddickys, Yellow-throated Longclaws, with Lesser Striped Swallows, Palm Swifts and Black Saw-wings swooping over the dams.
Plenty of wild flowers and butterflies produced some really great photos.
We finished off the morning having our picnic tea at the boathouse – watching the weavers building nests.
The Shetland pony came down to munch the fresh green grass around the dam, the Hadedas delving into the soft earth for tasty morsels, Woolly-necked Storks flying overhead, Reed Cormorants sitting in the dead tree, altogether a very pleasant place to be!
At one point someone on the deck saw this Reed Snake floating at the water’s edge below. “Look at the eyes” was the call, “But not much of a wiggle” said another.
At one stage we stopped off at the house to see the Trumpeter Hornbill chick that Caryl and her son rescued. At the moment it lives in a make-shift enclosure and is making a wonderful recovery. It shares the enclosure with an Angora rabbit (also found in the nature reserve) and they seem to be the best of friends.
We had a ‘silver’ collection and R300 was collected! which will go to the Hillcrest conservancy. Many thanks to Caryl for allowing us to visit and have such a great ‘birding’ day.
Cheers
Elena Russell
Report by Paul and Sally Bartho
23 to 26 August 2016
On the spur of the moment Sally and I decided to spend a few days in Cape Town as our Avios points covered most of the cost.
Like the last time when we went to see the Snowy Egret, we found a hotel in the centre of town – the Inn on the Square. The hotel was comfortable and the room and facilities were good.
Traffic is more than hectic at peak times. So staying in the town centre meant we were travelling in the opposite direction to the hectic traffic at peak times.
Our purpose was to find the Rufous-tailed Scrub-Robin in Zeekoevlei and to go to Postberg in the West Coast National Park to see the flowers.
After checking in at the hotel we took a drive in our cheapo rental car to Zeekoevlei to scout the area. It was chilly and windy when we got there at 16h00. Having not been there it was unclear where the bird had been seen. We looked where we thought it might be – based on Trevor’s photos. No luck. Were we looking in the right area or were the conditions unfavourable? A phone call was in order. And we learnt in which general area to look. A large grassy field some 200 by 50 metres – stretching from the car park to the start of a copse of trees.
As it started to get dark we decided that was enough for the day and to come back early the next day.
As we were driving out we had several unexpected sightings – Cape Francolins right out in the middle of the road. The other sighting was more curious as there was this huge spread of tail feathers stretching up some 2 metres in length and it seemed to be courting local Helmeted Guineafowl. It was a Peacock with the longest tail we have ever seen.
The next morning we headed back to try and find the Rufous-tailed Scrub-Robin. Now day 40 so what were our chances? We met some staff there and they told us that it had gone. Were we too late? We were the only people there. Rats.
After about half an hour traipsing around in the field getting soaked by the dewy grass we started to wonder. The day was perfect – sunny and windless. Surely it was there and would pop out to cheer up from the dewy night and to find some food.
Another person arrived – Barry. Just arrived back from Singapore the previous day and he had seen it the previous afternoon. Now we were hopeful.
Then Barry calls out “There it is”. We get a glimpse as it flies off into the dense scrub. Patience was the order of the day and it paid off. The Robin came back and displayed on the path 10 metres from us – unfortunately just popping round the corner as we got a decent view of it. However we did get a nice long viewing of it and its behaviour. The striking feature being its vertical cocking of its tail.
The Robin then came and went in the treed area and along the path enabling us to get reasonable good sightings of it. After about an hour of observing and trying to take photos we decided to leave.
We headed for Rondevlei NR. We did not expect to see much but we had several pleasant surprises.
Two of our first surprises occurred before we entered the Park. I had gone back to collect the tripod and scope while Sally waited for me. On my return she was talking to someone. As I got closer I realised it was a good friend from Durban whom we had not seen in ages – Adam Kahn.
Then the second surprise was a large raptor flying over our heads. At first we thought it might be a Yellow-billed Kite but then as it got closer we realised it was something else – a juvenile BBJ (Big Brown Job). It was only later when we had a good look at the photos that we realised it was a juvenile African Harrier-Hawk.
Most of the birds we saw at Rondevlei were resident species but several Greenshank had returned. Rondevlei has six bird hides overlooking the vlei with a couple of tall lookouts. It was at the second bird hide that we visited that we had our next surprise. Not a bird but a large nocturnal porcupine.
The rest of the day was spent with Sally’s brother in Somerset West.
On Thursday we headed for the West Coast National Park to see the flowers in Postberg. It was about an hour and a half’s drive with little traffic but thick fog in patches.
Our first stop was Geelbek. We went to one of the hides but it was still quite misty and blowing. We saw more species along the walk to the hide than from the hide itself – mostly because it was still high tide. Numerous Greater Flamingos about. On the way we saw Avocets, Cape Teals, Yellow-billed Ducks, Egyptian Geese, Black-winged Stilts, Blacksmith Lapwings and a harrier – either African Marsh or a juv. Black??.
Then we headed for Postberg. Fortunately we arrived early. On departure it was one long stream of cars coming in – it would have been impossible driving around without getting badly frustrated.
The flowers were fantastic – oranges, yellows, golds, whites, lavender blues and the odd red. So hard to capture on film. It was so colourful and extensive.
The landscape had some interesting rock formations as well.
The animals too surprised me – Zebra with unusual striped markings on their rumps and differently on their bellies, Blesbok, Wildebeest, Oryx, Springbok and Eland.
There were numerous birds as you might expect but the common species were predominantly Lesser Double-collared Sunbirds, Cape Bulbuls, Karoo Prinias, Cape Robin-Chats and Yellow Canaries.
On the way out we had a couple of sightings of Black Harriers – unfortunately some distance away.
Then it was the long drive back to the hotel and an early night in preparation for our very early morning flight back to Durban.
Well worth the Avios Points.
Paul and Sally Bartho
Vumbuka and Umbogavango
Saturday 6 August 2016
Report by Elena Russell
The moon was a sliver in the dawn sky and the click of the African Goshawk could be heard overhead and then seen. We had a good turnout starting off with about 14 members and ending up with 18/19 (the guards had been told about late-comers).
In the beginning a lot of the birding was on call but as the morning warmed up things started to improve. Red-fronted Tinkerbirds caused a bit of excitement, we then saw the Yellow-rumped Tinkerbirds which didn’t quite have the same pulling power!
As we walked through the ‘man-made’ forested area of Vumbuka (it is amazing what AECI have done in reclaiming slime dams and dumps) we identified Southern Boubou, Green-backed Camaroptera, Terrestrial Brownbul, Dark-capped Bulbul, Sombre and Yellow-bellied Greenbul, Bar-throated Apalis, Chinspot and Cape Batis as well as lots of nice flycatchers: Black, Dusky, Ashy, African Paradise. Our sunbird tally was not too shabby either: Collared, Grey, Olive and Amethyst. A very confiding Red-capped Robin Chat (aka Natal Robin) gave us one of those special birding moments too.
Tambourine and Red-eyed Doves, Square-tailed and Fork-tailed Drongos in abundance, Yellow-fronted and Brimstone Canaries, Black-collared and dare I say it the ubiquitous White-eared Barbet.
As we came out towards the grassland area there were masses of Africa Palm Swifts and & Black Saw-wings and to a lesser extent Lesser Striped Swallows and Rock Martins.
Here we had Grey and Black-headed Herons, Rattling Cisticola, Bronze and Red-backed Mannikins as well as Tawny-flanked Prinias. We also had excellent views of a juvenile African Goshawk as well as an adult flying overhead.
And nearby in the grassy field there were Blacksmith Lapwings and Fan-tailed Widowbirds. African Pied Wagtails were seen in the fenced dam.
We had our tea at Vumbuka and then went on to Umbogavango (maybe a little late for good birding) but a number of Black-headed Orioles greeted us in the car park and a pair of African Fish Eagle delighted us as we set off for our second walk.
We got very excited in trying to identify a raptor. There were two raptors perched at most five metres apart. One was an adult Black Sparrowhawk. The other caused some consternation amongst the group. It was obviously a juvenile – but what? African Harrier-Hawk was one opinion the other a Black Sparrowhawk. In the end the consensus was Black Sparrowhawk (juvenile).
At the last hide not much on the water, Yellow-billed Duck, Little Grebe and Common Moorhen.
A slow walk back to the picnic site where Jenny and Jane were waiting. Did you see the Yellow-billed Kite? They asked. Of course none of us had. Here, an African Jacana entertained us while we had lunch and chatted (remember this is the Saturday Chat Show!!).
Our total bird count was 77 – not too shabby.
Thanks to John and Paul for the pics.
Cheers
Report by Paul and Sally Bartho
Thursday 21st to Sunday 24th July 2016
Sally and I were invited by Jenny and Dave Rix to join them for their visit to Mkuze. They had booked into the Tented Camp but the only one available was a double. All the huts, cottages and Tented Camp sites were full most nights we were there. The Camp Site only had one occupant.
The park is exceptionally dry. Dave, who has been coming to Mkuze since the 70s, says he has never seen it so dry.
Most of the animals were in the southern reaches of the park in the Fig Forest area.
All the roads are being upgraded and some repaired so access to various parts of the park were not possible. Basically we were limited to the northern part of the park. We were unable to get to Nsumo Pan as well as the road leading down to the hunting camp and the Loop Road off it.
kuMasinga and kuMahlahla Hides were both open and had water. The new kwaMalibala hide remains closed.
The first afternoon we took a drive to kuMasinga hide. As we were on the Beacon Road we were unable to take the first dirt road to the hide – it was closed. So we continued south to the next turn off to the left – again the road ahead was closed. Eventually we got to the hide. A number of animals came for a drink as well as numerous Emerald-spotted Wood-Doves.
The next morning we went with Patrick to the Fig Forest. It was the first time in weeks that the Fig Forest was open so we were very fortunate. New swing bridges greeted us and another treat was the Lookout Tower in the Fig Forest – standing some 10 metres tall in the canopy of the surrounding trees. Apparently this has been there for 5 years.
Our initial goal was to find the Pel’s Fishing-Owl. It did not take long for Patrick to find it and although it was distant we had good views of it.
Otherwise birding in the forest was productive unlike the arid areas of the park although we did find a Burnt-necked Eremomela. Here are some of those we did manage to photograph.
Most of our birding revolved around the main camp as well as the two hides and the campsite.
At kuMahlahla it was not as busy as kuMasinga except for the Emerald-spotted Wood-Doves. However a Black Sparrowhawk did make an appearance at the far end of the dam. Several Tambourine Doves also came down to drink.
On an evening walk around the Main camp we found an African Goshawk perched atop of the Reception – much like a weather vane.
The campsite too was relatively quiet birdwise. The place was a large dust bowl.
As expected we had several unwanted visitors around the tented kitchen. During the day it was monkeys at breakfast and lunch. At night it was the Bushy-tailed Bushbabies. During the evening braai one took his chance and swiped half of a rump steak. We would have been quite cross but the steak was tough and flavourless.
Crested Guineafowl and tame Nyala visited at breakfast. One naughty adult Nyala male kept coming up behind us and giving a nudge – probably wanting water.
In total we identified 93 different species – not a bad count considering the arid nature of the park. Click here to see our bird list.
Paul and Sally Bartho
Birds are our Story