All posts by Don Reid

South African nature enthusiast with a passion for Birding, Photography and Travelling to interesting places to discover more about Southern Africa and the World

Birding Trips

My Birding Year 2015

January 13, 2016 Don Reid 4 Comments

Just when you thought it was safe to go into 2016, here is another of those pesky “looking back at 2015” stories. Apologies but I just have to do it – so here is my review of my birding year, for what it is worth.

It has been another busy year of travel for Gerda and myself, in between maintaining our normal home routines, however this time around we did not do any “overseas” trips but confined ourselves to travel within South Africa. In addition my birding took me to Mozambique for a dedicated 2 week birding extravaganza and work-related trips took me to northern Botswana, where I was able to fit in some wonderful birding and game viewing – all in all it made for another interesting year…….

January

The year started, as it has over the past couple of years, in Mossel Bay where we have a second home and I used the opportunity to do some atlasing in the Golf Estate where our house is located and in the surrounding area. (reminder : “atlasing” is the recording of bird species in an area called a Pentad, defined by coordinates, about 8 x 8 kms in extent, with the data collected going to a database at the University of Cape Town)

Gerda joined me for a morning of atlasing near Albertinia, with breakfast and coffee stops to make it a pleasant outing for both of us.

Malachite Sunbird on flowering sisal trees, near Albertinia

From the 9th to 12th we did a short trip through the Western Cape, spending one night in Swellendam and two more visiting Johan and Rosa in Worcester. I managed to sneak in some atlasing as we went without turning up anything of note.

On the 16th it was time to leave Mossel Bay and return to Gauteng but not without making the most of the journey – two nights in Prince Albert in the Karoo and one in Hoopstad in the Free State made sure of that.

Kurrichane Buttonquail, Hoopstad — Kurrichane Buttonquail in mielie (corn) fields, Hoopstad

February

Undoubtedly the highlight of my birding year started on 29th January with a two week birding trip through Mozambique as part of a group of 10 in four vehicles. The full report appears in my posts from earlier in 2015 and it is difficult to isolate the highlights as every day was full of them, but here are a few that were really special and the “Lifers” that went with them :

Early morning on the Limpopo floodplain with Sedge Warblers and Rufous-winged Cisticolas

Birding on the mudflats at Imhambane and Lighthouse beach nearby – Lesser Sand Plover, Lesser Crested Tern and Crab Plover

Driving through dense woodland to the Panda area to view Olive-headed Weaver, Green Tinkerbird, Woodward’s Batis and Livingstone’s Flycatcher, amongst a plethora of other desirable species

Lunch stop in more dense woodland which was alive with bird life, adding Red-winged Warbler
Dragging a rope across pristine floodplains of the Rio Savane near Beira in hot, humid weather, hoping to flush some of the specials – Great Snipe was one reward

Photographing a warbler in the Rio Maria area, which turned out to be Basra Reed Warbler, a southern Africa megatick

Mphingwe camp and the surrounding pristine forests of the Catapu area which produced a multitude of magnificent lifers – Ayre’s Hawk-Eagle, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, Mangrove Kingfisher, Tiny Greenbul, White-crested Alethe, East Coast Akalat, Black-headed Apalis, Plain-becked Sunbird, and Broad-taled Paradise Whydah

A memorable trip to the Zambezi to view Bohm’s Bee-eater and several other special birds (not to mention the atrocious road and the failed propshaft bearing of my vehicle)

Collared Palm-Thrush, in palm grove on the Road to Sena

Southern Banded Snake-Eagle, Road to Sena

Bohm's Bee-Eater, Rademan's Farm on Zambezi River — Bohm’s Bee-Eater, Rademan’s Farm on Zambezi River

Coutada 12 birding adding Short-winged Cisticola, Chestnut-fronted Helmetshrike and Orange-winged Pytilia

Chestnut-fronted Helmetshrike, Coutada 12 area

Mphingwe camp – enforced longer stay due to car repairs but also time to explore the surrounds and home in on some beautiful butterflies

March

A weekend in Cape Town revolved around the Cape Town Cycle Tour which I had entered – no time for any intensive birding but we did enjoy a walk through Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and some lightweight birding in Stellenbosch where we stayed in the Devon Valley Hotel

On the 14th I joined Koos Pauw for some interesting atlasing at the Baviaanspoort Water Treatment works (ie Sewage farm) where a pale form Steppe Buzzard had us postulating for some time.

Common (Steppe) Buzzard (Pale), Baviaanspoort

27th saw us heading to Mossel Bay for the Easter holidays, with a stop over at Prior Grange near Springfontein – a favourite overnight spot in the Free State with some excellent birding on the farm and the surrounds

April

During our stay in Mossel Bay I confined my birding to the immediate area with one atlasing trip to Albertinia.

Orange-breasted Sunbird, near Albertinia

A short trip to the Western Cape included a stay in McGregor on the 12th and some exploration of the Robertson area and Greyton – I squeezed in some atlasing as we went

Back in Pretoria Koos and I atlased in the Kwamhlanga area on the 25th, which produced some surprisingly good birding – near a vlei we saw Lanner Falcon, African Quail-Finch and heard African Rail in quick succession. Soon after, in a hilly, rocky area along a side road, I was thrilled to find Short-toed Rock-Thrush posing beautifully in a dry tree, a lifer for me.

May

My first trip to Kasane in northern Botswana from 5th to 7th for a project I am involved in, was the first of many for the year and a chance to explore the natural delights of Chobe National Park in between work commitments. This trip was all about excellent game viewing experiences with enough birding to whet my appetite for later visits.

More atlasing on the 16th (Kwamhlanga area) and 25th (Delmas area) and 30th (Coalfields around Ogies), produced some memorable species.

Levaillant's Cisticola, Delmas area — Levaillant’s Cisticola, Delmas area

June

Winter atlasing in the dry grasslands near Bronkhorstspruit on 6th was followed two days later by atlasing near Balfour after a two hour drive through early morning traffic.

The same day I visited Marievale Bird Sanctuary for some relaxed birding and photography at this wonderful venue, which I had all to myself, it being a Monday.

18th to 25th was Koos and Rianda’s timeshare week at Verlorenkloof, which we were once again invited to share with them, unquestionably our favourite place for superb birding and relaxation and it produced many highlights as usual.

July

Saturday 4th was time for more winter atlasing, this time south of Balmoral with the challenge being ID’ing the seed eating species in their drab winter plumage – the watchword is definitely “practice makes perfect”.

Another trip to Kasane, another chance to visit Chobe, followed on the 7th to 9th.

Our winter trip to Mossel Bay started on the 12th and we only returned on the 1st of August. Birding was confined to Mossel Bay for the first 10 days due to cold, wet weather which gave me the chance to atlas the Golf Estate thoroughly and watch the birds coming to our feeder.

Southern Double-collared Sunbird, Mossel Bay

Gerda joined me for a short trip to Klein Brak and the beautiful countryside, green and lush after the substantial rains

My only specific atlasing trip was along the Herbertsdale road with some good birding in the two pentads.

Cape Robin-Chat, Mossel Bay-Herbertsdale

Our trip to Robertson to taste the culinary and birding delights followed – see my separate post on this trip.

Swee Waxbill, Orange Grove Guest farm near Robertson

August

A late winter trip to Kasane on the 4th to 6th produced some memorable game and bird sightings once again.

Koos and I atlased the De Wildt area on the 8th with some interesting sightings

September

Another Kasane trip on the 8th to 11th included a day trip to Victoria Falls to view the new airport under construction and an afternoon visit to the Falls

Red-billed Firefinch (Male), Victoria Falls

We managed to squeeze in a Chobe Riverfront drive with some stunning sightings being the reward

An atlasing trip on the 19th to dusty, sprawling Garankuwa north of Pretoria produced more than expected with lovely sightings of Fairy Flycatcher, Striped Kingfisher and others

Golden-breasted Bunting, Lethlabile North West

October

One of the year’s highlights came up in October with a week long visit to Satara camp in Kruger, documented in several separate posts, followed by another highlight when our timeshare week at Verlorenkloof came up just afterwards from 16th to 20th, producing some of the best birding ever in this superb locality

November

Back to Kasane on 6th to 8th and more of Chobe Riverfront, but this time, accompanied by another keen birder – Derek Thomas, we did some proper atlasing in this amazing slice of Africa and in a new (for us) location – Kasane Water Treatment Works

The 13th saw me heading to Mkhombo dam area for an atlasing session, with a visit to the dam to see if some of the special birds seen during the preceding weeks were still around.

Grey Plover, Marsh Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt, Mkhombo area

Before we knew it, we found the year was rapidly running out as we packed once again for the trip down to Mossel Bay for our end-of-year long visit. On the way we stopped over in Hoopstad for two nights, one on the farm where I was able to fit in some good birding walks and drives.

Spur-winged Goose, Annasrust farm Hoopstad

Sociable Weaver, Annasrust farm Hoopstad

Our second stopover was at Karoo National Park where we enjoyed the quiet Karoo atmosphere and some good birding.

Southern Masked-Weaver, Karoo National Park

Southern Red Bishop, Karoo National Park

In Mossel Bay my first atlasing trip was to the area west of the village Ruiterbos in beautiful rolling countryside

December

The last visit to Kasane on 2nd to 4th was another opportunity to atlas in Chobe and in Kasane itself at some spots located by Derek

Broad-billed Roller, Seboba Nature Park Kasane

African Golden Oriole, Seboba Nature Park Kasane

Back in Mossel Bay I saw the year out with some fine atlasing around Herbertsdale, Vöelvlei and Gouritzmond

Black-winged Stilt, Voëlvlei near Gouritzmond

African Spoonbill, Voëlvlei near Gouritzmond

Plans for 2016? Let’s see what develops

Birding Trips

My 2015 Photo pick

January 1, 2016 Don Reid 4 Comments

Here’s a selection of my photos from places visited in 2015 – mostly from places that support my favourite pastime of birding.

The Places

Sunset, Inhambane - Mozambique — Sunset, Inhambane – Mozambique

Canola fields along Herbertsdale road near Mossel Bay

The Animals

Giraffe at waterhole, Chobe Game Reserve

Burchell's Zebra, Satara - Nwanetsi S100 — Burchell’s Zebra, Satara – Nwanetsi S100

The Birds

Jackal Buzzard with nest material, Mossel Bay-Herbertsdale

Brown-headed Parrot, Satara - Orpen H7 — Brown-headed Parrot, Satara – Orpen H7

Others

Best wishes to all for 2016 and hope you enjoy my ramblings as much as I enjoy recording them in words and photos!

Birding Spots, National Parks

A Week in Kruger – Satara to Timbavati

December 17, 2015 Don Reid 2 Comments

Timbavati x 3

With part of our family group otherwise engaged (Andre and Megan had returned to Joburg for a schools competition) and the remainder taking the opportunity to spend some quality time in Satara, I used the opportunity on two mornings to do some birdmapping (that’s the new terminology for “atlasing”) at my own pace ie driving at an ultra-slow pace and stopping frequently, which is the best way to birdmap / atlas effectively but can be frustrating for those not involved in the process.

Both birdmapping drives took me to Timbavati picnic spot for a coffee and rusks break and when Andre and Megan returned it was the destination of choice once again, making it three visits in all during the week.

The Routes

There are a few options when heading to Timbavati, which lies north-west of Satara, and the choice of route will depend on how much time you wish to spend driving and whether you prefer tar or gravel roads, the latter being a lot slower but often more productive.

One option is to take the H7 tarred road west towards Orpen, then turn off northwards onto the S40 gravel road at the Nsemani dam about 7 kms from Satara and follow this road to Timbavati.

Travelling further along the H7 will take you to turn-off to the S39 gravel road, which meanders along the Timbavati River for much of the way – a longer route but well worthwhile.

The other option is to head north from Satara towards Olifants along the H1-4, then take a left at the S127 which winds through arid bushveld for about 9 kms to the picnic spot. This route means less driving on gravel but is not as productive game-wise (and birding-wise) as the first options

Whichever route you choose it makes sense to take one of the other routes back to Satara so that you cover the greatest area and increase your chances of interesting sightings along the way.

Habitat

The S39 and S40 roads take you through mixed woodland with the S39 staying close to the Timbavati river, although during the dry season the river will be dry for most of the way other than a few pools left after the long dry winter

River Scene, Timbavati Road — River Pool, Timbavati Road

The open plains are generally better for game while the mixed woodland provides good birding opportunities as well as the chance for some close encounters with game.

An extract from the Kruger Park map book shows the routes :

The Game

Game is not as abundant along the S39 and S40 as it is on the open plains east of Satara, however small groups of game are often encountered grazing or pursuing some other activity quite close to the road, affording good close-up views

On my first trip I came across two Lions at the Giravana water hole, just chilling as they are wont to do.

Regular sightings of some of my favourites kept things interesting – Giraffe, Kudu and Blue Wildebeest amongst others

No drive would be complete without coming across a monkey or two……

Surprise of the one trip was a brief Leopard sighting, seen crossing the river and disappearing into the thick bush before I could get a camera focused on him.

The Birding / Birdmapping

Taking it slow and easy to make the most of the available birds, I built up some healthy lists as I passed through the various pentads (roughly 8 x 8 kms square) on the way to Timbavati, spending a bit more time in some of the pentads which I had identified earlier as lacking some birdmap attention in 2015.

Highlights were many :

Gabar Goshawk swooping across the road and “attacking” a spider’s nest and apparently feeding on the contents

Black- and Brown-crowned Tchagras in quick succession in the roadside bushes
Kori Bustard pair in the long grass

Flock of White-winged Widowbirds still in their winter plumage
Red-billed Oxpeckers on a Zebra

Sabota Larks perched on top of trees and singing cheerfully
Black Crake patrolling a small pool

A handsome Tawny Eagle perched high up in a tall tree
Red-crested Korhaan calling in its distinctive fashion right next to the road, boldly showing its black front then turning to show just how well camouflaged it can be in the dry grass

Red-crested Korhaan - front view while calling - can hardly miss him — Red-crested Korhaan – front view while calling – can hardly miss him

Red-crested Korhaan - viewed from the back - now he is well camouflaged — Red-crested Korhaan – viewed from the back – now he is well camouflaged

Purple Roller

Closer to Timbavati a Grey-Tit Flycatcher was moving through the canopy, emitting its typical high-pitched trilling call which I had only just got to grips with on this trip, having heard it several times in Satara as well.

More proof that many birds are extremely habitat specific was the numbers of European Bee-Eaters in one spot but nowhere else to be seen.

Timbavati Picnic Spot

The two mornings that I spent birdmapping, I arrived at Timbavati when it was quite busy – full of happy groups of visitors enjoying a brunch in this special setting overlooking the river, albeit dry at this time of year.

On the morning that we visited as a family we arrived a little earlier and had the place to ourselves for a while. Andre and Geraldine soon had the gas going and the skottel frying merrily and it wasn’t too long before we were tucking into another delicious brunch.

Timbavati picnic spot, before the visitors descend on it for brunch

Timbavati still has the same chairs I remember from our first visits more than 40 years ago!

On the way to Timbavati we had taken the Olifants road then turned left onto the S127 – not much game was encountered but one lone, large elephant had us reversing a short way until he started feeding on the road verge and we grabbed the chance to get past safely. Interesting was the way he pulled out green bushes using his trunk and front leg in a sideways kicking motion to dislodge them from the hard dry ground.

Birding was slow that morning until we reached the picnic spot where several birds were vying for “loudest call” honours. Orange-breasted Bush-Shrike was a clear winner with its piercing but tuneful call from a nearby tree, but others were almost as active especially Crested Francolin and Natal Spurfowl trying to outdo each other with their equally raucous calls as they wandered around amongst the tables.

Back to Satara

On the return trip to Satara along the S127, a flock of Chestnut-backed Sparrowlarks made for an unusual sighting, as did a pair of tiny, colourful Quailfinches quenching their thirst at a small pool below a bridge on the tar road.

We had briefly diverted to Piet Grobler dam not far from the picnic spot, where a lone Yellow-billed Stork and Black-winged Stilt were new additions to the trip list, taking it to 126 species.

Back at Satara it was time for a snooze and some relaxation to get us through the hot afternoon, with the temperature heading to the mid 30’s again.

Sources :

Krugerpark.co.za

Sanparks Guide to Kruger National Park

Birding Spots, National Parks

A Week in Kruger – Satara to Nwanetsi

November 18, 2015 Don Reid 2 Comments

The Route

The next drive during our stay in Satara was also one of my Kruger favourites – the drive eastwards from Satara to Nwanetsi picnic spot which lies close to the border with Mozambique.

We had planned to do a circuit, first taking the S100 gravel road eastwards, which branches off the H1-4 tarred road just south of Satara camp. This becomes the S41 to Nwanetsi and we would return via the H6 tarred road back to Satara.

At Nwanetsi there is a dam which can be viewed from a roofed viewpoint on the ridge overlooking it. The Sweni hide, overlooking a small dam, and the low water bridge can be accessed on the return trip by taking the branch left at the S37 and travelling for a few kms

Habitat

The S100 meanders through open tree savanna with mostly Marula, Knob-thorn acacia, Leadwood, Sickle-bush and Russet bushwillow trees. The H6 tarred road is more direct but passes through similar habitat

An extract from the Kruger Park map book shows the route :

Best to go out on the yellow S 100 road and return on the H5 red road — Best to go out on the yellow S 100 road and return on the red H6 road

The Drive

An early start saw us driving the S100 – always good for plains game and today was no exception as we came across a selection of game in quick succession.

Waterbuck, Satara - Nwanetsi S100 — Waterbuck, Satara – Nwanetsi S100

Impala, Satara - Nwanetsi S100 — Impala, Satara – Nwanetsi S100

Black-backed Jackal, Satara - Nwanetsi S100 — Black-backed Jackal, Satara – Nwanetsi S100

Blue Wildebeest, Satara - Nwanetsi S100 — Blue Wildebeest, Satara – Nwanetsi S100

Signs of battles for dominance amongst the game were present – both Impala and Waterbuck were clashing horns. Nothing serious – more like a playful enactment of an ancient ritual as they butted each other lightly and tried to twist the opponent’s horns so that they would “bow” in submission.

As we watched this we noticed a few cars gathered up ahead and immediately knew it was a “cat” sighting as no other event attracts so many cars in a short space of time. It turned out to be two Cheetahs some 150m from the road, lying and then standing, the one clearly pregnant judging by the heavy-looking belly.

Cheetah, Satara - Nwanetsi S100 — Cheetah, Satara – Nwanetsi S100

Cheetahs are probably the most sought after sighting so we were really pleased to have been in the right spot for them.

Further along more excitement awaited, this time tinged with some tension as we rounded a bend and came across a fallen tree partly blocking the road, with the remaining opening ominously guarded by a large tusker. To add to the tension another large bull elephant was eyeing us from the bush to one side.

Elephant road block, Satara - Nwanetsi S100 — Elephant road block, Satara – Nwanetsi S100

With no way through we waited ……. and waited, but the two elephant guards showed no inkling to move along as they fed on the fallen tree. Eventually one motorist behind us braved the bush and looked for a way past without disturbing the ellies. They emerged on the other side and waved, so we followed suit and found a well-trodden game path running through the bush which they had used – we were soon speeding along to Nwanetsi for a much-needed toilet break!

All the while I was continuing to atlas the bird species we came across – so easy with the Birdlasser App which uses gps to automatically pinpoint the position of each sighting and allocate it to the correct pentad (5 x 5 minute block of co-ordinates which is about 8 x 8 km in size)

Nwanetsi

Time for a brunch and some birding around the picnic spot. I walked up the small hill to the viewpoint over the dam below and the bush stretching into the distance and found a number of species

Pied Kingfisher
Pied Wagtail amongst the rocks on the river
Great Egret flying between the ponds looking for the best fishing spot
Spectacled Weavers moving about busily and calling their sharp call
Green=backed Cameroptera calling from the bush

After brunch we left the picnic spot and headed firstly to the low water bridge on the S37 but found it dry and returned to the Sweni bird hide along the same road for a better view of the dam. There we found some Impala, warily approaching the water where a large crocodile was resident.

The resident bird population were going about their business while we watched from the comfortable hide

White-faced Ducks

Black Crake
Water Thick-Knee
Red-capped Robin-Chat (unusual in this habitat)

Waders such as Wood Sandpiper and Three-banded Plover
The ubiquitous Egyptian Goose

The rest of the journey back to Satara was on tar and with less game visible so we did not dawdle too much, nevertheless we enjoyed seeing Zebra close up with a juvenile whose stripes were still fluffy and brown – looking cute enough to want to pat him.

On the birding side we did spot a Brown Snake-Eagle and Red-crested Korhaan not far from the road

The rest of the day was a relaxing mix of our typical Kruger activities – some resting, enjoying the quiet of the camp, a swim late afternoon and closing out the day with a braai with the family.

Sources :

Sanparks Guide to Kruger National Park

Birding Spots, National Parks

A Week in Kruger – Satara to Olifants

November 12, 2015 Don Reid 1 Comment

The Route

Kicking off our stay in Satara we decided our first drive would follow the H1-4 main tarred road which heads north, branching off onto the Olifants camp road after crossing the river

After the previous day’s long drive from Pretoria, we enjoyed a good night’s rest, only surfacing after 7.30 am for coffee and rusks on the stoep before packing the brunch goodies and setting off for Olifants camp after 9.30 am.

Habitat

The drive initially takes you through open savanna grassland, changing to more rocky landscape closer to Olifants, where the habitat is known as Olifants rugged veld and is the transition between the woodlands of the south and the mopaneveld of the north.

Most common trees are Knob-thorn Acacia, Umbrella Acacia, Marula, Ebony Jackalberry and Red Bushwillow. The open savanna is favoured by the grazers such as antelope, zebra and their predators, with plenty of Vultures gathered at carcasses

An extract from the Kruger Park map book shows the route :

Map of route from Satara to Olifants (the grid is my hand-drawn guideline for atlasing)

The Drive

The savanna grassland was particularly dry and barren after the winter, but the few waterholes and dams which still had some water kept things interesting , with plenty of Elephant, Giraffe, Waterbuck, Kudu and Impala plus a few Steenbok here and there, looking so small and defenceless in this environment.

On the birding side we started with a juvenile Black-chested Snake-Eagle and added regularly to the list, particularly when we stopped at Ngotso Water Hole some 20 kms north of Satara where we found Sabota Lark, Blue Waxbills, Ostrich, Lesser Striped Swallow, amongst others. This is the main water hole in the area, man-made and fed by the vlei area surrounding it.

At the Olifants Bridge you can get out of the vehicle in the designated zone to enjoy the scenes on both sides and the bird life(Little Swifts by the 100’s, African Spoonbill, Yellow-billed Kite, Green-backed Heron).

Further along, the road stays close to the river for a few km’s before turning off to Olifants camp. A lone elephant was making his way slowly across the mostly dry river bed to where a few Impalas were drinking at a pool – such a classic scene I just had to stop and let it soak into my memory. It’s these simple scenes that are what Kruger is all about and why we keep coming back after 40 + years of visiting our national treasure.

Olifants Camp

At Olifants camp we went straight to the picnic area where Andre and Geraldine were already parked and Megan and Maia were in the swimming pool. By now it was 35 deg C and the heat felt tangible, but as Geraldine reminded us, this is exactly what you expect in Kruger in summer – best embrace it and don’t try to be too active.

Andre conjured up a “brunch sandwich” on the skottelbraai (like an old ploughshare used for frying on a gas cylinder) with scrambled egg, fried lean bacon, fried onions and avo – delicious! Not that we were ravenous by then or anything. All part of the Kruger traditions/must-do’s!

While he was busy I couldn’t help noticing that the fallen Mopane tree leaves looked uncannily like a butterfly, so I positioned one on the tree trunk ……

Mopane leaf "Butterfly", Olifants camp — Mopane leaf “Butterfly”, Olifants camp

After brunch it was time for the next must-do – as we walked slowly down to the restaurant area and viewpoint (Gerda and I cheated and drove – the extreme heat you know) below the restaurant to enjoy the timeless landscape below and stretching to the horizon in a 180 degree sweep. In all the years we have been visiting Kruger the view has not altered one bit – other than the effects of the different seasons – a testament to the foresight of the founders of the Park and those charged with looking after it.

In the river far below, some 30 to 40 Elephants of various ages were enjoying the pools of water as they moved slowly across the wide Olifants River, which flowed in several streams interspersed with rocky islands and stretches of sand and reeds.

Numbers of birds were visible – lots of Egyptian Geese but also plenty of white egrets (Great, Yellow-billed and Cattle were all represented), Marabou Storks, Hamerkop, Grey Heron, African Openbill and Saddle-billed Stork.

Tearing myself away from what has become one of my favourite spots in all of Kruger, I went off to find the rest of the family, who were busy with that other traditional pursuit – shopping. And who can blame the girls (old and young), with some pocket-money and nowhere else to spend it but in the tempting Kruger Park shops.

The road back to Satara was quiet, with birds rather than animals being the only reason for stopping – Red-billed Oxpeckers using Kudu as a feeding station, Kori Bustard some way from the road and a Yellow-throated Longclaw perched near the road.

The rest of the day was dedicated to camp activities – swimming in the large pool, and a late afternoon braai

Sources :

Krugerpark.co.za

Sanparks Guide to Kruger National Park

Birding Spots, National Parks

A Week in Satara – The Journey

October 31, 2015 Don Reid 5 Comments

Anticipation

We had been looking forward to a week in Satara in the Kruger National Park for some time, in fact ever since our daughter Geraldine had booked accommodation a year in advance for a week in October 2015, school holiday time and usually totally over-subscribed.

Route

And so Saturday 3 October 2015 saw us packed and departing early morning from Pretoria for the long drive to Satara. The route we had decided on would take us to Machadadorp in Mpumulanga, then via the N4 through Schoemanskloof after which we took the Sudwala Caves turn-off and made our way through Sabie and Hazyview to the Phabeni Gate into Kruger – we estimated this would be at least a five-hour drive with comfort stops. From Phabeni it is some 140 kms mostly northwards to Satara which, at Kruger speeds of maximum 50 km/h and including a few stops for game sightings, was likely to take 3 to 4 hours. So we had the prospect of around 9 hours on the road, eased by the fact that the last part would be in the Park and devoid of the stress of driving the highways.

Why Kruger?

Kruger holidays are like no other and in our family (and many other South African families I suspect) there are a few things to be attended to before departure – you could call them rituals :

buying the biltong, the boerewors (farmer’s sausages) and the braai chops – if you live in Pretoria east there is a good chance that, like us, you will have visited Uitkyk or Groenkloof butchery for these all-important items.
packing all the bush clothes you possess – every khaki shirt, shorts to go with them and a pair of longs for the evening (only to keep the mozzies away of course). There’s nothing wrong with “civvies”but proper bush clothing just adds to the feeling of escaping from the general routine for a while
stocking up on lots of fruit – always a bit scarce in Kruger’s camps. Some of this can often be purchased at roadside stalls along the way but this depends on the time of year and season.
making sure all the important stuff is ready and in good nick – camera, binos, birding books, scope, reptile book, mammal book, butterfly book, frog book (you never know), portable fridge, kitchen sink (just joking) and all.

The Journey

Then there’s the journey itself, where you have the chance to transition from city slicker to game ranger persona – a gradual process until you get to Kruger’s entrance gate. That’s when it really kicks in – slow down to 50 km/h or less, open the windows to let the bush smells and sounds drift in, binos around the neck, eyes tuned to the bush and on the lookout for movement – ahhhhhh we’re back!

Our trip from Pretoria took the time we expected, with a first stop for an early lunch at Milly’s near Machadadorp, a must on any journey involving the N4 towards Nelspruit. Here you can fill up with fuel, have a sit-down or take-away meal of excellent quality, stock up on all sorts of goodies and just enjoy a welcome break from the highway. We chose take-away trout pies (did I mention they do a great one?) and a coffee from the Seattle Coffee kiosk. The pie we ate at an outside picnic table and the coffee was taken in the car and sipped over the next 30 kms or so.

Once on the road to Sabie I enjoyed the “real” driving as the road twisted, turned and ascended/descended in quick succession – so much so that it brought to mind the old Chubby Checker* hit “Let’s twist again, like we did last Summer”.

*Trivia alert : what do Fats Domino and Chubby Checker have in common? Think about those names – wonder which came first and who copied the other?

The last stretch between Sabie and Hazyview was quite badly pot-holed in places and required extra care to avoid tyre and suspension damage – by the time we reached Phabeni I was quite tired, but it was only 1pm leaving plenty of time for a relaxing drive in Kruger for the next 130 kms.

The drive provided a good spread of sightings to whet our appetite for the week ahead – from tiny Duikers to big daddy Elephants and a Lion and Lioness that were pairing not far from the road.

We made a comfort stop at Tshokwane picnic spot, which was unusually quiet, except for a group of baboons looking for scraps left by the visitors that morning

Tshokwane - quiet in the afternoon — Tshokwane – quiet in the afternoon

Baboons have Tshokwane almost to themselves — Baboons had Tshokwane almost to themselves

After a full day’s driving, Satara camp was a welcome sight and a chance to relax, loving the feel of the warm air pressing into our pores after being cocooned in an air-conditioned car for most of the day.

Some of the game along the way :

Any Birds?

Without spending too much time on birding, we nevertheless started the trip with some nice sightings :

Hamerkop at the first bridge after Phabeni – exactly where I had photographed one a year or so before
Dam at Nyamundwa – White-breasted Cormorant, Gyppo (Egyptian Goose)
Tshokwane picnic spot – Crested Francolin, Mourning Dove, Greater Blue-eared Glossy Starling, Saddle-billed Stork
Mazithi Dam – Another Saddle-billed Stork, Purple Heron, Three-banded Plover, Fish Eagle, Wood Sandpiper

The Satara Experience

In Satara camp itself, the familiar sounds were present and remained throughout the week –

soft calling of the Mourning Dove – often first on the scene when the crumbs are sprinkled on the ground

Long-billed Crombec with its cricket-like call
Screeching of Brown-headed Parrots
the almost constant melodious call of the Orange-breasted Bush-Shrike, not too difficult to track down and photograph

occasional haunting call from the “Ghost bird” – Grey-headed Bush-Shrike, which perched for a while in the tree right in front of our rondawel

Overhead a Yellow-billed Kite flew low over the trees, swooping lower every now and then in search of prey.

Satara is the second largest camp in Kruger and quite busy at this time of year, also attracting busloads of tourists from SA and overseas. The chalets are fairly simple and haven’t changed much over the years other than a small boma which has been added.

Satara - circle of chalets — Satara – circle of chalets

Most Kruger camps have their “residents” and Satara is no different – evening visitors to the chalets included African Wild Cat, Honey Badger and a cute troop of Banded Mongooses, while during the day you always have to be on the lookout for monkeys looking for a snatched snack.

African Wild Cat doing the rounds of the chalets

Other smaller residents use the chalets as sleeping quarters or hunting grounds

Fruit Bat - just "hanging around" until dusk — Fruit Bat – just “hanging around” until dusk

Striped Skink on the hunt for small insects — Typical Skink on the hunt for small insects

The Drives

Once settled in our chalet our thoughts turned to what drives we would be doing. Satara has wonderful routes that take you in all four directions and a week provides the time to try them all without “rushing about” too much.

The next few posts will cover the drives we chose to do and some of the great sightings and experiences we had

National Parks

Victoria Falls – the Smoke that Thunders

October 13, 2015 Don Reid Leave a comment

David Livingstone wrote after seeing the falls for the first time –

“No one can imagine the beauty of the view from anything witnessed in England. It had never been seen before by European eyes, but scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight”

Sounds a bit melodramatic you may say, but having seen the falls myself again after 17 years, I can’t help thinking he was spot on.

It was back in 1998 that we first visited Victoria Falls during a driving tour of Zimbabwe and the intervening years had made my memories somewhat fuzzy, so it was like seeing the Falls for the first time and the experience was truly breath-taking.

This time around, I was part of a group of professionals that had come to visit the new Vic Falls airport under construction, accompanied by our client, and with the business side taken care of in the morning, we ventured into Victoria Falls National Park in the afternoon before returning to Kasane in Botswana.

The entrance to the National Park at Victoria Falls is quite unimposing and does not prepare you for the experience that lies ahead.

Victoria Falls National Park main entrance

Once we had paid our $20 entrance fee, we took the pathway which initially winds its way to the David Livingstone statue – this famous Scottish missionary “discovered” the falls (they were always there and known to generations of African inhabitants, of course) on 17 November 1855, so the 160th anniversary is coming up next month.

After the statue you get to the first viewpoint with breath-taking views of the thundering waters, veiled in a thick spray which caused rainbows to form at the time of day we were there. The spray shoots up vertically in massive columns and you realize why the indigenous name is Mosi-oa Tunya or the “Smoke that Thunders”. Apparently the Zimbabwean government intends to rename the falls to Mosi-oa Tunya, hardly surprising I suppose.

A group of Asian nuns (Korean?) were enjoying the experience and I couldn’t resist asking them if I could take a photo, as they looked quite charming in their habits with floppy sun hats and petite stature – they did not object.

As you walk the designated pathways there are regular viewpoints where you can admire the different sections of the falls, which is the largest sheet of falling water in the world (although not the highest or widest) and twice the height of Niagara Falls at 108m. The mass of water, which averages over 1000 m3 per second, drops into a transverse chasm or gorge which is 1708m wide, then continues its way down the Batoka gorge (which my son Stephan and I rafted back in 1998 when I still had the desire for such things) through some spectacular rapids before becoming calmer and forming the mighty Zambesi River once more as it makes its way to Lake Kariba and beyond Kariba through Mozambique to the Indian Ocean.

The main streams of the falls have names –

Devil’s Cataract
Main Falls
Rainbow Falls
Eastern Cataract

We continued our meander along the path which follows the Zimbabwe side of the gorge for a Km or more, stopping at the regular viewpoints which allow views from strategically placed points.

Where the spray up flow is at its heaviest there is a constant “rainfall”, which wasn’t too heavy during our visit as the falls are at their lowest flow in October/November, but at other times requires a raincoat to prevent a drenching. It is along this stretch that a permanent rainforest has formed and it was a welcome relief from the sun’s heat while it also afforded the best views of the widest section of falling water.

Further along where the spray does not reach, the rainforest petered out and suddenly we were in grassy savannah with good views back along the length of the gorge and across at the strands of water cascading down the sheer face of the rocks.

Some brave tourists (or foolish perhaps?) out for adventure on the Zambian side, were bathing in a pool on the edge of the falls – this can only be attempted in the low-water season for obvious reasons. This activity has claimed a few lives over the years.

The pathway ends at the point where the gorge does a 90 degree turn and from there we made our way slowly back to the main entrance.

And the Birding?

This was not a birding outing but I had my binos and camera handy as usual and encountered a few worthwhile species

Red-billed Firefinch

Red-billed Firefinch (Female), Victoria Falls

Trumpeter Hornbill which played hide-and-seek with me in the rainforest

Tropical Boubou busy catching and eating an insect of sorts – my first photo of this species

All that remained was to leave this wonderful spot and say “Bin there, Done that”

Bird in the Lens

Bird in the Lens – Southern Ground-Hornbill

September 30, 2015 Don Reid Leave a comment

SOUTHERN GROUND-HORNBILL

Species Names

Southern Ground-Hornbill (the name includes “Southern” only because there is a related “Northern Ground-Hornbill” which occurs further north in Africa as per the extract from Birds of Africa below)

Bromvoël (Afrikaans) as with many Afrikaans names this one is most appropriate, “Brom” translating directly as “drone” , “grumble” or “grunt” which describes their early morning call
Ingududu, Intsikizi (Indigenous)
Hornrabe (German)
Bucorve du Sud (French)
Zuidelijke Hoornraaf (Dutch)
Bucorvus Leadbeteri (Scientific) The beauty of scientific names is that they are common throughout the world no matter what country or the language spoken. The first part – Bucorvus – is the Genus which is derived from the Greek Bu- meaning ox and Latin Corvus being the fairly well known term for Crow – so literally “large crow”. The second part – Leadbeteri – is the species name which in this case is named after the British taxidermist and ornithologist Benjamin Leadbeater

Southern Ground-Hornbill, Tamboti KNP — Tamboti KNP

Where to find it

This is another species that is easier to find in protected areas such as the National Parks in the north-eastern parts of Southern Africa. Most likely place in South Africa would be in Kruger Park.

My first sighting was during my first visit to Kruger in the early 1970’s and I still recall my surprise when we came across a small group of Ground-Hornbills on the first stretch of road as you leave Skukuza camp and head towards the Lower Sabie road. They were right next to the road and, it seemed, accustomed to the attention of passing visitors and clicking cameras (they still clicked in those days)

The distribution map below is from SABAP2

Look …….. and Listen

There is absolutely no chance of confusing this species with any other, except if you mistake it for an escaped turkey, which it does resemble up to a point with its black colouring and vivid red throat patch. In fact, it has in the past been referred to as a Turkey Buzzard. (Not to be confused with the Turkey Vulture which we encountered in Cuba)

This is a large bird, up to 120cm long and weighing up to 6 kg and largest of all the world’s Hornbills by a long way.

They move around in small family groups, waddling slowly as they search for food – anything from reptiles, frogs, snails, even small mammals such as hares.

The call is a low-pitched booming sound, not typically bird-like at all. My first encounter with calling Ground-Hornbills was early one morning in Kruger – a group was perched in a tree, silhouetted by the morning sunlight, sounding every bit like a rock-band warming up as they called in varying tones in a rhythmic fashion. Males and females call in different tones (much like humans)

Ground Hornbill, KNP — Early morning calling from tree

Ground Hornbill, Punda Maria — Punda Maria

Ground Hornbill, Chobe Game Reserve — Chobe Game Reserve

Photography

Probably one of the easiest birds you will get to photograph, because of its large size, vivid colouring and the fact that they are often found not too far from the road in places such as Kruger National Park

It is always pleasing if you can get close enough for a detail shot of the head with the long eyelashes often prominent and the bright red throat pouch

Other Stuff

Conservation status is listed as “Vulnerable” on the Red Data list – in SA it is considered “Endangered” and may soon meet the Red Data criteria as being “Critically Endangered”. Loss of habitat is the reason for their decline coupled with the fact that on average one chick is raised to adulthood every nine years by an adult pair.

Lifespan is 30 years or more and in captivity some have lived to 70 years

Nesting is generally in deep hollows in large trees or occasionally in clefts in rock faces

In Africa it has been a focal point of some traditional cultures and is a symbol of the arrival of the rainy season, thus the taboo against killing of the species.

An older version of Roberts mentions the indigenous interpretations of the booming calls, such as the female saying “I’m going, I’m going, I’m going home to my relations”, and the male responding “You can go, you can go, you can go home to your relations!”

References

Roberts Birds of Southern Africa

Birdlife International

Birds of Africa South of the Sahara

SABAP2 (Maps)

Latin for BIrdwatchers (Roger Lederer and Carol Burr)

Game Reserves

One Morning in Chobe ……..

September 20, 2015 Don Reid Leave a comment

Kasane – A Wild Place

We came across Elephant, Buffalo, Jackal, Sable Antelope and a pack of Wild Dogs …….. and that was before we entered Chobe National Park!

Kasane is a small town on the far northern border of Botswana, its claim to fame being that it is the gateway to Chobe, one of the great African game reserves. It is also an unpredictably wild town – elephants and other wild animals occasionally wander through the residential area, often at night and the locals are in the habit of setting off thunderflashes to scare them off.

Another visit this month to Kasane to visit the project in which I am involved, meant another opportunity to squeeze in a visit to Chobe – this time we set out to do an early morning drive through the Riverfront section, before the day’s business began.

Chobe Riverfront

We set off as the sky was starting to lighten and on the short drive to the entrance gate we came across a pack of Wild Dogs, who were seemingly on a mission as they trotted along the road. Being pack hunters they would be looking for prey that they could pursue in their relentless fashion, wearing it down until the prey becomes exhausted and vulnerable to the attacks of the pack. We had seen the same pack the previous afternoon, not far from the airport and were able to get really close to them as they lazed the afternoon away in the shade of a large roadside tree, which provided some relief from the hot sun but not from the many flies that were buzzing around their heads.

Cute? They may look it but these are expert predators when hunting in a pack

Entering Chobe, we proceeded along the sandy, bumpy track with regular sightings of the animals we have become accustomed to finding –

Elephants aplenty, including quite a few youngsters, not wandering far from Mom

Sable Antelope

Buffalo – circa 500+ on the Lechwe Flats

Waterbuck
Jackal
Hyenas – a pair were making their way back from the river into the bush as we passed by

Lions!

The best sighting of the morning was reserved till last. We encountered two Lionesses, strong and healthy looking individuals, as they made their way to a pool to drink (although we could not see the pool which was concealed by a deep donga) and moments after discussing the possibility of a male being nearby, a handsome male with a full mane of hair appeared and also headed towards the donga.

What followed was without doubt one of the more interesting Lion encounters I have had the privilege of experiencing, as the two Lionesses and the Lion played out a brief but fascinating series of moves. Initially the two Lionesses did a circular dance-like move in unison, as if sizing each other up, then one of them walked off slowly to the water and disappeared into the donga, The remaining Lioness and the Lion seemed to greet and gently caress each other before she too moved off towards the water, leaving the male to rest on the sandy ground and regally take in his surroundings.

Both Lionesses eventually returned and settled in different spots a distance from the male, who studiously ignored both of them as if in a huff.

The morning light lent a pleasant glow to the scene and created perfect conditions for photography as the Lions performed, oblivious to their excited audience, which by now had grown to 5 or 6 safari vehicles which arrived a short while after we spotted the first one. The photos are in the sequence taken –

Birding

The birding was limited to the “large and obvious” species for the most part –

Plenty of Guineafowl
Francolins and Spurfowl – Crested, Swainson’s and Red-billed were present in numbers
Hornbills – Red-billed, Yellow-billed, Bradfield’s and Ground all well represented
Carmine Bee-eaters are back in numbers and prominent in the sky or perching in bare trees at a few spots

White-browed Robin Chat, extra bright in the golden early morning light

A family of Orange River Francolins was a pleasant surprise and I was able to get my first photos of the mostly secretive species before they scuttled off into the bush

Orange River Francolin, well camouflaged in the dry grass

A truly wonderful morning’s game and bird viewing in this magical part of Southern Africa!

Bird in the Lens

Bird in the Lens – Saddle-billed Stork

September 4, 2015 Don Reid 2 Comments

What Now?

For the last 2 years my blogging has been about birding trips, birding spots, holidays etc which has been very rewarding for me – I love recalling some of the great moments and places we have been. Now I believe it’s time to broaden the scope of my ramblings to include my take on particular birds that I have become familiar with over the years.

There are plenty of birding books out there and a number of Apps that make it simple to access a mountain of detail information on every species in your locality, so I will be taking a more informal, down-to-earth look at a random selection of birds, on a regular basis. A sobering thought is that, if I manage to do one species per week, it will take me 16 years to cover the 850-odd “regular” species in Southern Africa (excluding the vagrants that drive twitchers crazy every now and then). By that time I will have had my 84th birthday – if I’m lucky enough to still be around – talk about long-term planning!

Where to start?

I wasn’t sure what species to kick off with, then I had a moment of clarity (happens infrequently when you reach pensioner age) and decided that I would start at the beginning …………… of my birding career. So I went back to my very first records, written into my first copy of Roberts Birds of South Africa, which I purchased during one of our early visits to Kruger National Park. This was around 1978 and it was only about 10 years later that I started listing birds with any regularity – 3 kids growing up and a busy professional career tend to keep you busy and don’t leave time for much else.

The very first bird recorded was noted in the margin of my Roberts : “Woodland Kingfisher, 27 August 1978, seen KNP”. Well it seems I managed to start with an incorrect ID, as the Woodland Kingfishers are migrants that only arrive in Southern Africa from October…… so it was probably a Brown-hooded Kingfisher that I saw that August.

The next one was more likely to be a correct ID, particularly in Kruger, and hard to confuse with any other bird – the note in the margin says “Saddle-billed Stork, 28 August 1978, seen KNP” – so that’s where I am going to start.

SADDLE-BILLED STORK

Species Names

Saddle-billed Stork
Saalbekooievaar (Afrikaans)
Kandjendje, Hukuinihlanga (Indigenous)
Sattelstorch (German)
Jabiru d’Afrique (French)
Zadelbekooievaar (Dutch)
Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis (Scientific)

That scientific name is very long-winded but if you break it down it starts to make sense : the first part is the Genus which is derived from the Greek words “ephippos” for “Saddle” and “rhyncos” for “bill” and refers to the frontal shield which “saddles” the bill. The second part is the species name which in this case is based on where it was discovered

Photography

Despite their large size, they are seldom close enough for a finely detailed photo, unless you are lucky enough to come across one near a hide.

Most of my photos have been taken at a fair distance, but I did once get some shots of a pair in flight as they came into land on the river bed just below where we had stopped, near Letaba in Kruger National Park.

Where to find it

This is one species that is almost exclusively found in protected areas such as the National Parks and then only those in the northern parts of Southern Africa. Most likely place to find this species is in Kruger Park, along the larger rivers, such as the Shingwedzi, Letaba and Sabie Rivers. They may also be found in wetlands in savannah areas.

The didtribution map below is from SABAP2

Look …….. and Listen

This is such a stand-out bird that it is unlikely to be confused with any other.

It will be standing on its own or with a partner on the river bed or in the shallows. It stands about 1,2m tall so a 7 year old child is going to be looking it straight in the eye, although it won’t compete on weight, being just 6kgs or so (it’s those long thin legs, you see). Adults have a wingspan of some 2,5m which is as wide as a Smart Car is long. In flight they fly with neck outstretched, like all Storks, compared to Herons which fly with necks drawn in

Most noticeable feature is the massive bill, from which it gets its name and which is bright red with a black “saddle” in the middle. Other than that they are, like most storks, a combination of black and white. Oh, and they have red knees (actually their ankles) and feet , just to make them look really cool

The Saddle-billed Stork is not known to call so don’t bother trying to listen for it!

Other Stuff

Conservation status is listed as “Least Concern” on the Red Data list – it is reducing in numbers gradually due to loss of wetland habitat (which affects a lot of species) but is still widespread over most of tropical Africa

Nesting is done on the top of a tall tree – we once came across a nest in Kruger with a young Saddlebill doing short jumps on top of a nest of large twigs, seemingly testing its wings before taking the big plunge – quite comical but very serious if you are a young Stork about to head into the world.

The following photos are of that event but please forgive the poor quality – scanned from negatives taken 25 years ago!

References :

Roberts Birds of Southern Africa

Birdlife International

SABAP2

Mostly Birding

All posts by Don Reid

My Birding Year 2015

My 2015 Photo pick

A Week in Kruger – Satara to Timbavati

A Week in Kruger – Satara to Nwanetsi

A Week in Kruger – Satara to Olifants

A Week in Satara – The Journey

Victoria Falls – the Smoke that Thunders

Bird in the Lens – Southern Ground-Hornbill

One Morning in Chobe ……..

Bird in the Lens – Saddle-billed Stork

Adventurous Birding, Atlasing and Travel