Verlorenkloof is our favourite destination for a get away from it all week in October each year, usually green from early summer rains and buzzing with bird life across all of the various habitats, from the river along the one boundary through wetlands and open grasslands to the forested kloofs of the surrounding mountains.

It’s all about relaxation while enjoying the beauty and superb birding of this secluded valley – so join us as we explore the estate and the surrounds, ever on the lookout for the special birds of the area.

Day 4 – Sunday

Verlorenkloof is like a mild drug when it comes to birding – hard to stop when the birds are constant companions around the croft and wherever you walk or drive in the estate, But I do enjoy the opportunity to relax and that is what I did on day 4 and 5 of our visit, alternating between the verandah and the lounge.

Nevertheless there were still plenty of interesting bird “happenings”, starting with an early wake up call – this time from a Natal Spurfowl on the lawn outside our bedroom window, calling at the top of his voice as only they can. This is not a sound that is easy to sleep through!

Not content with that, he (or could it have been a she?) then jumped up onto the window cill, about 1,5m from my resting head (obeying the social distancing rules in the process) and belted out another series of calls, ensuring that further rest was completely out of the question.

After coffee, Gerda called from the kitchen where several things bird-related were happening outside the window –

Waxbills feeding on grass seeds;

Female Cape Rock-Thrush coming and going to her nest constructed (which is a kind way to put it) on top of one of the carport’s stone columns. We watched as she arrived with a stick, small twigs, leaves etc and casually dumped them on the pile already there, then rather comically sat on top and wiggled her body about hoping, it seemed, to create a cup shaped depression in the unruly pile. Comical for us but serious business for the Rock-Thrush.

Violet-backed Starling which flew in and perched on a branch for us to admire this colourful migrant – first of the summer for us and so striking.

A bit later I walked to the rock pool and on the way saw an African Paradise Flycatcher flying into the copse of trees and bush that separates croft 2 from the pool. I peered through an opening in the bush and there the flycatcher was, sitting on a tiny lichen-decorated, cup-shaped nest, with its long tail draped over the side.

Photo conditions were tricky in the extreme – poor light, twigs and branches in the way making focusing a challenge and the flycatcher not hanging around for long, but with patience I eventually got a couple of shots.

Later I went for a swim in the freshly filled pool – quite chilly but very refreshing and just the thing for an ageing birder!

Day Five – Monday

There always seems to be something of interest on awakening – this time it was an African Golden Weaver feeding on grass seeds right outside our window. This is one of the scarcer weavers so to see one close up is a treat – the key ID features of heavy black bill and yellow eyes were clearly visible.

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Much of the rest of the day passed quietly on the verandah with our own “theatre of birding” providing the entertainment in the usual impeccable fashion – constant calls and bird movements to and fro – such as this African Hoopoe and Familiar Chat.

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Our late afternoon walk was down the old entrance road, or “cisticola alley” as I have come to imagine it (due to the number of cisticolas often present), Perhaps I need to re-imagine it as “grassbird alley” as both Grassbirds were calling – the newly renamed Fan-tailed Grassbird (or Broad-tailed Warbler) and the Cape Grassbird – both of which remained hidden in the long grass from which their contrasting calls emanated

Lazy Cisticola put up a sterling performance, clearly hoping he could persuade me to revert to my original name for this bird-rich “alley”. Then an African Yellow Warbler made Gerda’s day by showing nicely and enabling her to find it in her new bird book – Faansie’s Bird Book – an absolute delight for not only kids but adults as well, especially those who are not interested in all the detail facts that other books and apps provide.

Just one day left of our stay – Koos has plans to make it another biggie…