During June 2013 and again in June 2014, Gerda and I travelled to La Lucia, a suburb of Durban on the north-east coast of South Africa to spend 8 days at La Lucia Sands Resort.This was a holiday trip with Gerda rather than a birding trip, but I took the opportunity here and there to do some good birding (no surprises there).
We have owned timeshare for the last two weeks of June at La Lucia Sands Resort for about 30 years now, but had only used them occasionally up until a few years ago as they fell outside the school holidays. Latterly we have started using at least one of the weeks on a regular basis and now enjoy the chance to have a warm holiday in the middle of winter in tropical Durban, with lunches mostly taken at local restaurants to make it super relaxing. The KZN north coast has superb weather in Winter, with warm days and cool nights and none of the humidity that can make it uncomfortable in Summer.
Getting There
The 2013 trip began with a fairly stressful drive to our overnight stop in the Kwazulu-Natal Midlands, due to the very busy highway which did not allow for a moment’s relaxation. We spent the night at Granny Mouse Country House, which had expanded since we last saw it many years ago, but had still retained its charm.
Granny Mouse Country House, Midlands KZN Our room at Granny Mouse Country House
The room was very comfortable with a log fire to ward off the cold (-3°C in the morning) and the Bistro where we had supper and breakfast was excellent. Our simple supper of soup followed by fish and chips could not have been done better and breakfast was equally tasty.
Saturday morning saw me up early to fit in some quick birding before breakfast and a stroll around the garden produced 19 species including a Dusky Flycatcher.
After breakfast we completed the journey to La Lucia just north of Durban and settled into “our” apartment, still in good condition and well maintained.
A Motoring Interlude
Sunday was Top Gear Festival day for me joined by the Genis males, while Gerda and Anlia Genis did their own thing at the Mall. More about Top Gear on another occasion (thinks : is this the cue to start an “All Things Motoring and Mechanical” Blog?)
Relaxing at La Lucia
Monday was the start of our holiday routine, which included some light birding from the balcony overlooking the lush tropical gardens, typical of the north coast beyond Durban. One of the first to appear in the large trees along the front of the property was Rose-ringed Parakeet – only my second sighting of this species after seeing them a few years ago in Irene near Pretoria. Other regulars in the garden were Bronze Mannikin, Black-collared Barbet, Black Flycatchers, Cape White-eye, Sombre Greenbul and Dark-capped Bulbul.
Rose-ringed Parakeet, La Lucia Bronze Mannikin, La Lucia Black-collared Barbet, La Lucia
The beach lies directly in front of the complex and is accessed through a gate – I rustled up some energy for a late afternoon walk along the beach, which produced Kelp Gulls, Swift Terns cruising past in the strong breeze, Cape Gannet offshore and even an Albatross which was just to far off to positively ID, but was most likely a Black-browed or Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross.
La Lucia beach with the Moses Madiba stadium in the background – built for the 2010 World Soccer Cup Swift Tern The iconic lighthouse at Umhlanga Rocks
On another day a commotion amongst the Parakeets, which were flying in a group of 6 or 7 in wide circles, led me to spot a Black Sparrowhawk higher up in the air, probably on the lookout for an easy meal.
Black Sparrowhawk, La Lucia
Daily walks on the beach were always interesting – the changing tides, weather conditions and the subtleties of the light at different times of the day meant that no two walks were ever quite the same, not to mention the passing “traffic” of interesting people and seabirds either cruising rapidly by in the same direction as the prevailing wind or using their wing power and streamlined shape to fly against the wind.
La Lucia beach La Lucia beach in the evening Lone girl on La Lucia beach
Out at sea there was also an ever-changing landscape, with surfers catching the strong waves and large ships either at anchor, waiting their turn to get into busy Durban harbour or steaming away over the horizon, headed for the high seas.
A surfer off La Lucia beach Off to the high seas
One afternoon a few fishermen were fishing off the beach and the Swift Terns were watching closely for left over bait, occasionally being rewarded for their efforts – a Cape Cormorant stood nearby hoping for a look-in but the Terns were too quick for him (is that why they are Swift Terns I wonder?).
Fishermen on La Lucia beach, Durban in the background Swift Tern Cape Cormorant
Oyster Box Treat
We like to do something special on our anniversary, often going away to some special place for a weekend. This year’s anniversary treat had been missed, so we thought to make it up with a special lunch at the renowned Oyster Box Hotel, a five-minute drive from La Lucia. They serve lunch on the terrace which we chose as it was fine weather and the view is unbeatable, with the iconic red and white Umhlanga lighthouse as the centrepiece. It’s the sort of place that you look around at the other guests and wonder if they are rich and famous (not that it matters of course) or just ordinary folk like us.
The Terrace Restaurant, Oyster Box Hotel Gerda and I enjoying Lunch at the Terrace Restaurant The view from the Terrace
The meal was just superb and the service as we like it – attentive without being obtrusive. Our main course was a full plate of prawns, perfectly prepared.
Seeing the week out
Over the remaining days I made a couple of outings to some of the listed Durban birding spots, which I will tell you about in later posts – Kenneth Stainbank Nature Reserve and the Durban Bayhead were both interesting spots to visit but the best was the forest gem in the middle of Durban suburbia, known as Pigeon Valley Nature Reserve, where I found a lifer and some other specials.
The rest of the week was more of the same and we returned home on a less busy day after a wonderfully relaxing week.
We had participated in two of these special weekend birding events in previous years, based in Punda Maria camp, and had enjoyed the vibe of a group of keen birders and the unbeatable location of the event, taking in a large chunk of the northern part of Kruger Park. The scoring is probably not meant to be that important, but people and in particular keen birders are competitive animals and it certainly adds to the spirit of an event such as this.
So being the optimistic lot that we are and in anticipation of some special birding experiences, we once again put our names down for the event planned for November 2014.
Thursday
George Skinner and I left Pretoria early and followed the familiar route to Punda Maria. George had arranged with well-known bird guide Samson Mulaudzi to meet him near the Entabeni Forest, which we duly did around 10.45 am and we proceeded into the forest area, hoping for a few specials. Both Lesser and Scaly-throated Honeyguides were easily located by call and the latter was seen flying and trying its best to stay out of sight in the canopy as it did a wide circle around us.
Entabeni ForestBat Hawk, Entabeni Forest
From there we drove close to the river to a spot where Half-collared Kingfisher was quickly located, then to the spot where Bat Hawk has been nesting for more than 10 years and we soon found it perched high in the tall trees, just off the gravel road. This was a lifer for me, thanks to Samson!
Satisfied with this short birding sortie, we carried on to Punda Maria gate an hour or so away, arriving at the camp at 2.20 pm, to be greeted by the West Rand Honorary Rangers (HR’s) team of William, Monika and Norma who all feel like old friends the third time around.
Punda Maria entrance gate
The Event Starts
Punda Maria chalets
Check-in and finding our comfortable bungalow did not take long and by 3pm we were back in the air-conditioned restaurant for the briefing led by Monika, who explained the HR’s role and wonderful sponsorship spread over a variety of efforts in many of the National Parks.
Then it was Joe Grosel’s turn to highlight the attractions, features and different habitats of this special part of the Kruger National Park, from Giant Rats to Racket-tailed Rollers, his passion for the area clearly showing.
Once done with the briefing, it was time for the first late afternoon drive and we had hardly left the gate when we were surrounded by a bird party gathered in and around a large tree – I could barely keep up listing the species on Birdlasser, my new bird atlasing App.
White-browed Robin-Chat, Punda MariaBrown-crowned Tchagra, Punda Maria
Destination PWNJ Lek
As in previous years, a highlight of this event is the visit to the Lek where the rare Pennant-winged Nightjar does its display flight at dusk – this was our destination once again and there was a swell of anticipation as the 40 – odd (the number not the birders, although some of them are pretty odd as well) birders sipped our Strettons G & T’s and waited for the action in the gathering dusk. Well, as Joe put it, it was like the Springbok’s loss to the Irish the previous weekend – disappointing – as the PWNJ’s kept their distance with just one doing a rapid fly past, but nevertheless tickable for my atlas list.
Sunset at the lek, Punda Maria
On the way back to the camp we came across a magnificent Giant Eagle-Owl, imperious on his perch in a large tree.
Verraux’s Eagle-OwlAnd it’s not eye make-up, all natural
Dinner was a bring and braai and we headed to bed with thoughts of the treasure hunt and a long day’s birding the next day.
Friday
Up (very) early after a 3.30 am alarm, to be ready for the treasure hunt drive at 4.15 am. The treasure hunt entails deciphering cryptic clues into a list of 14 bird, animal and tree species, then finding and photographing each one before returning to the camp by the cut-off time of 12.30 pm, for adjudication by Joe Grosel.
Once every one was on the safari truck, we made our way to Pafuri area, not encountering much of interest until the light allowed us to see the surrounding bush a bit clearer, starting with Black-chested Snake-Eagle and followed by good numbers of birds. A brief diversion to Kloppenheim area added some water-reliant species such as Squacco Heron, Water Thick-Knee, Common Moorhen (unusual in the Kruger), Black Crake and Three-banded Plover.
African Wild CatCommon ScimitarbillBroadbilled RollerPit stop for our teamGiant Kingfisher
Onwards to the Luvuvhu bridge at Pafuri for the usual feast of birding and back to the Pafuri area itself with a lengthy stop at Crook’s Corner, which provided a good boost to our growing list of bird species recorded. A feature of the day’s birding was the number of bird parties we encountered, some called up by Ranger/Driver Jobe who uses his skill at imitating the Pearl-spotted Owlet to draw the birds nearer. On a few occasions we had between 10 and 15 species in close proximity to the vehicle and had to work hard to keep up with ID-ing them all.
At the Pafuri picnic spot, Norma and her colleagues had prego rolls ready which went down a treat, while we continued to scan the area for as yet un-ticked species.
By then it was late morning and we had found most of the target species, so it was time to head back to camp to be in time for the cut-off – on the way we came across our final target species – Crested Francolin, which had amazingly eluded us till then. Our only slip-up was choosing the wrong Euphorbia species to photograph.
Some of the species we had to find and photograph :
Little SwiftPredator footprintReptileEmerald-spotted Wood-DoveTrumpeter HornbillCrested Francolin (only just)
After this intense species-hunting, it was time for a siesta until the next round of clues – this time covering targets in the camp itself, which turned into quite a challenge, but again we managed to get all of them photographed between 4 and 6 pm, almost coming short on the Passer Domesticus (House Sparrow) once again, but a last-minute rush to find a “proper” one saved the day.
Vervet Monkey, Punda Maria campParadise Flycatcher, Punda Maria campDark-capped Bulbul, Punda Maria campPasser Domesticus, Punda Maria camp
A slightly dazed Pygmy Kingfisher which had flown into a restaurant window, drew some attention away from the goings on in the camp
Pygmy Kingfisher, Punda Maria camp
All that remained was the dreaded Quiz which went a little better than previous years but once again some hasty decisions cost us valuable points, leaving us with only the atlasing session the next day to catch up to the leading teams.
Saturday
Our atlasing session turned into a marathon, starting at just after 4 am and ending at 3 pm when we eventually returned to the camp. Each team was allocated a “good” pentad and a “poor” pentad to atlas, the good one being in a lush bushveld area and including a stretch of river while the poor pentad was in a dry area dominated by Mopane bush. What we were not told was that only the “poor” pentad total would count towards the scoring and so we focused our attention and time on the “good” pentad, leaving the “poor” pentad for later in the day when birds generally take cover from the heat.
At least we enjoyed some excellent early morning birding in the windless, overcast conditions and in prime bushveld, which included the new Nyala Wilderness Trail camp on a bend of the Luvuvhu river with views over the river and the koppies beyond. This was also the cue to enjoy coffee and rusks in this beautiful location.
After a short drive further we alighted from the vehicle again to take a walk along a stretch of the river, which produced a few species including a highly debated Wagtail which photos showed was a Pied Wagtail despite arguments to the contrary. Then an even shorter drive to a viewpoint over the river which we knew from previous visits to Punda Maria, with wonderful views over the river below.
We continued atlasing productively until we left the pentad after about 2.5 hours of recording and headed south towards the “poor” pentad some distance away, which we entered after 12.00 pm after some heavy debate about where we were in relation to the map provided by Sanparks. Inexperience at working with co-ordinates, which are essential for atlasing, meant there was a total misconception on the part of our driver as to where the pentad boundary was and we found ourselves a full pentad (about 8 km) out of position in a north-south direction.
After much lively discussion and some input on my part (as the only regular atlasser in our team), we did eventually find the pentad boundary, but the map versus co-ordinates debate continued unabated, also due to non-existent roads being shown on the map. The area we found ourselves in was single habitat – Mopane bush with no pans or any other water, so atlasing was slow and quite laborious in the heat of the day and we were relieved when we had completed the minimum 2 hours of atlasing and could head back to the camp. On the way back a Coqui Francolin surprised us as he crossed the road in front of our vehicle.
Baboon
Coqui Francolin
The Final Curtain
A last visit to the lek was spectacular, with the male Pennant-winged Nightjar performing majestically, floating back and forward just above tree height and settling on a rock for a minute or two.
G and T’s at the LekPennant-winged Nightjar LekPennant-winged Nightjar LekPennant-winged Nightjar (Photo : George Skinner)
As usual the Honorary Rangers and Sanparks put on a fine closing out dinner and prize-giving but unfortunately our team had fallen out of the running completely.
Nevertheless a great event that added to our appreciation of this part of Kruger, although three in a row is probably enough for the time being.
Those brave souls who have read the 3 part story of our trip through Mozambique, will know that we had to cut it short due to a propshaft bearing that collapsed under the punishment meted out by a certain rutted road, leaving us temporarily stranded at Mphingwe camp, just south of the Zambezi river. This is the conclusion of the story – how we got the vehicle repaired, our enforced longer stay at Mphingwe and our experiences getting home. Finally, I have included my overall Impressions of Mozambique.
Day 11 : Coutada 12 Birding (Squeezing in)
I woke up early and rather despondent this Sunday morning, not knowing how we were going to get ourselves and the vehicle back home. There seemed to be just 2 options – fix the car here and drive home or get home by other means and arrange to repatriate the car – neither would be simple but it would be a lot easier if we could just drive the car back ourselves.
To take our minds off the problem and encouraged by the others in the group, we squeezed the whole team into the remaining 2 vehicles and set off to do mostly forest birding in the Coutada 12 area, along with some woodland birding, hoping to clinch some of the difficult (for the time of year) specials. Thanks are due to Owen and Sue for making room for us in their vehicle, which turned a potentially depressing day into another great day of birding. In fact I was able to add another 3 lifers to my list :
Short-winged Cisticola perched high up on a dry tree
The very distinctive and colourful Chestnut-fronted Helmetshrike, which was followed moments later by a group of their close cousins, Retz’s Helmetshrike
Orange-winged Pytilia in woodland
Chestnut-fronted Helmetshrike – not pleased for some reason
Other significant birds we came across (any one of them would be a great sighting for the average SA birder) :
Martial Eagle circling overhead
Common Scimitarbill
Green-backed Woodpecker
White-breasted Cuckooshrike
Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher
Cabanis’s Bunting
Narina Trogon – flying right over our heads
In the forests we tried the “waiting for the bus” routine again, hoping that some of the shy species would be curious and come and join us, but we only came up with Tiny Greenbul, which called frequently and then played hide-and-seek with us, affording a brief glimpse or two
Back at Mphingwe we enjoyed a last dinner with the full group, as those still mobile would be heading to Zimbabwe the next day. Our fate lay squarely in the hands of Joe, the resident mechanic looking after the sawmill, who would look at the Touareg in the morning and confirm our options. We had a date with him for 6.30 am at the sawmill.
Day 12 : Solving the Car Problems and Time for Contemplation
We took the car to the sawmill just after 6 am for Joe to have a look and once we had it up on the ramp, his recommendation was simple and quick – get the part and he will fix it.
So we set about getting the part, which meant driving cautiously and slowly up to the tar road – anything over 30 km/h and the knocking would start – and towards the nearest tower for a cellphone signal, where I spent some time phoning various people in SA to arrange for the part to be supplied and paid for. That was the easier part – getting the part to Mphingwe seemed to be a real problem until Pat, the wife of Mphingwe’s owner Ant White, suggested her daughter, based in Johannesburg, would be prepared to collect the part from Pretoria and fly to Beira the following day, where after Pat would arrange for it to be transported by “Runner” (one of their employees from Beira) on a “Shapa” (local min-bus taxi) to Mphingwe. These people are nothing short of amazing! With luck the part would be here in two days. The only proviso was that I would pick up the cost of her air ticket to Beira and back, which I did with alacrity and relief. The benefit to them was an opportunity for mother and daughter to have a day or two together in Beira, so definitely a winning solution all round.
At the same time Neithard was making arrangements to get both his damaged vehicle and himself and Kathrin back to Pretoria, which was looking like a lengthy affair.
By lunchtime our arrangements were done and we could relax for the rest of the day. I took a walk along the Suni Trail which winds through the forest and had a magical time with the many butterflies, which posed for some beautiful photos in the soft dappled light of the forest.
Suni TrailArmy ants on the marchGold-banded forester / skaduweedansertjie (Euphaedra neophron neophron)False dotted-border / valsvoelentwitjie (Belenois thysa thysa)Eyed bush brown (henotesia perspicua)
Birds were not plentiful in the immediate vicinity of the camp but some nice specials occur including Crested Guineafowl (aka The Rockers – which will make sense if you’ve ever heard a group of them doing their call, which sounds like a rock band warming up, plus their wild hairstyle), Black-bellied Starling and Yellow-bellied Greenbul. The resident Emerald-spotted Wood-Doves and Tambourine Doves provide a constant soothing background sound with their calls right through the day.
Our equally stranded camp-mates Neithard and Katherina, with Mandy (part-time emergency nurse), Mphingwe campHeading to fire up the donkey for the hot water, Mphingwe campBlack-bellied Starling, Mphingwe camp
The evening meal was memorable for a great sirloin steak and good conversation with Neithard and Kathrin, all of us in the same boat at that stage, in rough waters and no paddle in sight.
Day 13 : Waiting for the Part and some birding at Mphingwe
A day of waiting, while the vital spare part travels from Pretoria to Mphingwe near Caia in Mozambique via Jo’burg (by plane to) Beira (by Shapa to) Mphingwe all courtesy of Pat and her daughter Carrie, or Wonder Woman as I was now regarding her. Our hopes were that it would arrive the next morning and be fitted without a problem – what if it was the wrong part?
To pass the time George and I took a long birding walk along the Suni Trail, diverted to the track down to the sawmill and returned via the main dirt road back to the camp.
This helped to push the pentad total (I hadn’t given up atlasing) up to 31 with some exciting species such as
All in all some excellent birding and plenty of Butterflies
The rest of the day was relaxed with another good dinner to close out the day.
Day 14 : Replacing the part – an all day event
The bearing arrived
We took the Touareg down to the sawmill just after 6 am and left it with Joe who had assured us it would be a quick job. Well it didn’t turn out that way as an “hour or so” job turned into a whole day affair as Joe and his men had to dis-assemble and re-assemble the propshaft bearings to get the centre carrier bearing in place, in the process having to fashion special tools to fit the VW components.
So we postponed our departure until the next day, hoping an early start would get us to Beit Bridge in the day.
We got through the day with much sitting around, reading and contemplating – the only birds that raised any interest were a pair of Crested Guineafowl making their way through the camp and a Bateleur and what looked like a Long-crested Eagle soaring high overhead.
Mphingwe campOur home for an extended stay, Mphingwe campCrested Guineaufowl, Mphingwe campGaika blue (Zizula hylax hylax)False chief / bontvalsrooitjie (Pseudacraea lucretia tarquinia)
With plenty of time on our hands, there was a chance to appreciate the smaller wildlife and the camp was full of interesting lizards, bugs, ants and others – the shower and toilet block was a magnet for them and I counted over 20 species of insects, moths and dragonflies during one “sitting”. A couple of small black snakes had to be persuaded to leave the toilet including one which was curled up under the hollow seat!
Transparent Dragonfly, Mphingwe campFurry little caterpillar, Mphingwe campMphingwe campMillipede, Mphingwe camp (as long as my middle finger)Ants on a cracker, Mphingwe camp
Day 15 and 16 : The long and winding road home
We set off at our planned time of 5 am in near dark, gradually getting lighter as we progressed slowly along the potholed road to Inchope. The first 260 km took all of 4 and a half hours as I drove gingerly around and through the badly potholed sections.
From Inchope to the Zimbabwe border was a little better, but there was a constant stream of trucks to contend with and some hazardous overtaking manoeuvres were the only way to make some progress. It was a relief to get onto the Zim roads which are generally in a good condition, albeit narrow.
We proceeded through Mutare and Masvingo (Fort Victoria in the “old days”) where we decided to carry on to the Lion and Elephant Motel another 2 hours away, as it was only 4.30 pm. With the light fading, I didn’t see a 60 km/h sign along the way and was stopped by a cop who tried the by now familiar scare tactics – according to him we would have to appear in court the next morning and he was clearly looking for some “persuasion” to help us avoid this fate. I stood my ground refusing to play along and eventually he wrote a R200 fine which I paid and we proceeded on our way. I was only too glad to get away from that spot, having smelt alcohol on his breath.
The motel was a welcome sight some time later, after 14 hours of driving the 950 kms from Mphingwe.
Next morning we were up early and at the Beit Bridge border post where yet another pair of cops looked for some reward for letting us through, after a veiled threat of having to search the vehicle for drugs – “but the guy who does the search will only be here at 10 am” implying a 4 hour wait for us.
Once again we refused to play along but “rewarded” them with a couple of our remaining snack bars which they took in disgust and waved us on.
The rest of the trip home was uneventful other than another speeding ticket – think I was just too tired to spot the signs by then – and we got back to Pretoria around 1 pm, thankful that Joe had done a good job on the Touareg, which had made it without further problems.
The end of the tripThe end of the trip
Impressions of Mozambique
The Birding
With our trip cut short by car trouble we spent about 10 days birding in a diverse range of habitats and places including
Wetlands and floodplains
Forests
Tidal flats and estuaries
Beaches
Woodland
Roadside spots
Bridges
Birds were plentiful and the Moz specials were there, although it proved quite difficult to get a good view at times. I was very pleased with the 30 lifers that I chalked up and with the general quality of birding overall.
The Roads
On a long trip like this the quality of the roads becomes important and this is where Moz is a less attractive birding destination, unless you are prepared to risk damage to your vehicle, don’t mind dodging potholes for long stretches and can remain relaxed despite some atrocious road conditions. We drove many different roads and experienced every imaginable road condition :
Good tar roads limited to the south of Moz
Severely potholed tar roads further north with the Inchope – Caia road being the worst
Sand roads varying from reasonable to poor, but still preferable to potholed tar
Rutted, rock hard gravel roads – such as the one that caused 2 of the vehicles damage
Rain in places added to the stress of driving
Villages and towns we passed through often have hawkers both sides of the road and buses, trucks and cars parked anywhere and everywhere so require particular caution
The People
The vast majority of people are obviously poor but friendly and we saw some back-breaking tasks being performed for probably very little compensation. I did not pick up any feeling of aggression from the “have-nots” in the way we often experience it in SA.
Bicycles are an important form of transport and we were amazed to see the loads that get transported – 3 or 4 heavy bags of charcoal and in one case cement get transported long distances in this way.
Strings of people along the roads near towns are a common sight as taxis are few and money tight.
The Food
Chicken is a popular item on menus and often the safe choice. Surprisingly fish was scarce, even at the coast. Our best meals were at Mphingwe where we had superb sirloin steaks and all meals were tasty. The local beers were good – Manica and 2M (Dosh M). Our other meals were self-prepared and simple – rusks early morning with coffee, snack bars in between and tuna, pork in tins, sardines, cheese etc on cracker bread and the like for lunch. Being able to boil water for coffee/tea wherever we stopped long enough was a real boon.
The Weather
We expected hot and humid and we got exactly that – winter may be a better option as being in a constant bath of sweat is not enjoyable and can detract from the pleasure of the surroundings and bird life.
Occasional rain brought some respite from the oppressive heat, but not for long.
The Accommodation
The tour is not about luxury accommodation – what you get is fairly basic but comfortable in rustic surrounds – a clean bed, simple bathroom (communal at Mphingwe) aircon (except Mphingwe) and the important mosquito nets
The Guide
There is no question that having a guide with the expertise in birding and the knowledge and experience of Mozambique is invaluable and trying to do this trip without Etienne would have resulted in dipping on many of the special birds.
Personally, I would have liked to have spent more time photographing some of the birds, but this would only be possible if a specific photography trip was arranged, as it requires a very different approach – ie spending a lot more time in certain locations rather than trying to cover as much ground as possible.
We had set out to cover some of the best summer birding spots of southern Mozambique during a 15 day birding trip and, in the 6 days covered by Parts 1 and 2, we had already seen a lot of special birds. This Part 3 includes further birding of the Rio Savane area outside Beira, then we continue northwards to Mphingwe and the assorted delights of lowland forests plus a hazardous trip to the Zambesi River to look for a highly sought after species of Bee-eater.
The Group
Etienne Marais (Indicator Birding : http://birding.co.za ), our group leader and guide for the trip, with his passengers Corné Rautenbach, Edith Oosthuizen and Bruce Dyer who had all flown up from Cape Town for the trip, Owen and Sue Oertli from Johannesburg, Neithard and Katharina Graf von Durkheim from Pretoria, Myself (also Pretoria) and George Skinner (Johannesburg, but at the time I write this has “emigrated” to Dullstroom).
In describing the trip I have again borrowed from the itinerary which Etienne had drawn up and distributed prior to the trip and which sets it out nicely on a day by day basis ……….
Day 7 Beira to Mphingwe
“After some early morning birding in the Rio Savane area, we depart northwards on the Dondo-Muanza road. This drive is long and the road poor – but it offers excellent birding in the woodlands en route
Overnight : Mphingwe Camp (the cabins are simple wood structures which are pleasantly furnished and beautifully situated within the woodland. The restaurant offers a limited but good menu and early morning coffee is usually provided 30 minutes before departure time.”
Rendezvous time at our lodge in Beira was 5 am for breakfast, but the staff had misunderstood and we had to wait a short while until they were ready.
Immediately after breakfast, we left and headed back to the Rio Savane area for further attempts to find some of the secretive species.
The 40 km of sandy road leading to the Rio Savane was busier this morning and we once again marveled at the local men, riding old-fashioned “dikwiel” bicycles, trying to earn a few Meticals by delivering long bags of charcoal to agents somewhere in town (ie 80 km or more there and back) – there were many of these fit men (some older men too) visible on the road, carefully steering their bikes with their heavy loads mounted crosswise behind the seat.
Charcoal transporters, Rio Savane
Various stops on the way through the lush fields of grass produced Osprey, Lizard Buzzard, several Black-chested Snake-Eagles again, 5 or 6 African Marsh-Harriers (where else is this species a “trash bird”?) and many Yellow-throated Longclaws.
Rio SavaneRio Savane
Giant Kingfisher was a new one for the trip, as was a pair of Wattled Cranes with a youngster at the far end of one field.
Wattled Crane, Rio Savane (a long way from the camera)
The bridge where we looked for Seedcracker yesterday was busier today with White-browed Robin, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Spectacled Weaver and Black-throated Wattle-Eye (first and only sighting of this species on the trip) all busily going about their daily routine in and amongst the dense bushes.
Kathrin and Edith enjoy a rest at Rio Savane (Photo : Corne Rautenbach)Dragonfly
We followed this with a couple of “rope trick” attempts, hoping to flush a Blue Quail, but to no avail and we returned sweating to the vehicles but energized for the long (in terms of time) trip to Mphingwe.
We did 9 hours of driving in all for the day, covering some 480 km on the way to Mphingwe along the EN1 National road, which for long stretches is in a shocking state, so it was a case of constant vigilance and a drunken style of driving, swerving back and forth to avoid the worst potholes. Passing Gorongosa National Park, we stopped to take in the view of the Gorongosa mountain in the distance.
GorongosaA stop on the road near GorongosaStick insect, Gorongosa (males are usually smaller than females)
Once settled in at Mphingwe, we enjoyed a superb dinner – simple food well cooked.
Mphingwe turn-off
We had arrived to heavy rain and hoped that the weather would play along the next day, which promised to be special.
Day 8 and 9 Catapu Area
“We have three full days in the Catapu area which includes the Zambesi River and associated wetlands, the Zangue floodplain, Coutada 12 and Catapu itself. The time will be managed according to the birds we see and what the priorities are. Catapu provides access to excellent patches of lowland forest…. In late summer large numbers of Cuckoos are often present.
Overnight : Mphingwe Camp.”
We had our first exposure to proper lowland forest birding, doing a long circuit on day 8 and a shorter out-and-back trip on day 9.
The forest was pristine and stretched for tens of kms and it seemed that wherever we stopped there was bird life aplenty to be seen. Once off the tar road, which also provided excellent roadside birding but was rendered a little hazardous by passing trucks and buses, we made frequent stops along the quiet sandy roads, each stop providing opportunities to see and hear the numerous specials.
Road through the forest, Catapu areaHere comes the team (part of it) (Photo : Corne Rautenbach)What’s happening? (Photo : Corne Rautenbach)Butterfly : Eyed bush brown (henotesia perspicua), Catapu area
Some of these were fairly easily found and seen, such as :
Broad-tailed Paradise Whydah – up until then this species had an almost mythical feel for me, but in fact we saw it a few times during the two days, proving once again that many “rare” species change to common when you are in the right spot
Broad-tailed Paradise Whydah
Retz’s Helmetshrike
Black-winged Red Bishop (the old name of Fire-crowned Bishop still suits it better)
Black-winged Red Bishop
Grey-headed Parrot in small flocks, calling in typical squawky parrot fashion
Grey-headed Parrot
Emerald Cuckoo
Thrush Nightingale – calling melodiously from a roadside bush but refusing to show itself, as they are wont to do
Buffy Pipit
Buffy Pipit
Cuckoos, both Common (European) and African – each time we came across one of these it generated some discussion as to which one it was – they are very alike with only the subtlest of differences in bill colouring. At least once we wondered whether the species we were looking at could be of the Lesser/Madagascar species but could not come to a conclusion.
Cuckoo on a cable, Catapu areaAfrican Cuckoo, Catapu area
Zambezi Indigobird – seen a few times
Chestnut-fronted Helmetshrike – raised the pulse rates of a few in the group, being a lifer and quite a dramatic bird
Chestnut-fronted Helmetshrike
Then it was the turn of some of the more difficult species as we tried to get a glimpse of Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo which was calling stridently close by, but concealing himself in the tall trees to the extent that all we could see was a dark shape flitting about, until he kindly flew across the road high above our heads, allowing the briefest of glimpses.
At certain stops, Etienne took us into the forest where the relatively clear understory allowed easy access, found a suitable clearing and had us sit down in a crescent to wait for target species to react to calls played on a remote speaker. It’s a wonderful way to do forest birding, in surroundings that couldn’t be more peaceful and the combination of sitting in a comfy camp chair, surrounded by trees with dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy, with no sound but the soft calls of forest birds , tends .. to .. make .. you … quite drowsy ….. ….. zzznnnggggzzzzznnnnggg (oops, it’s happening again) and at least one of our group succumbed for a while, head bowed and snoring quietly!
Waiting for the bus (or a rare bird) (Photo : George Skinner)Forest floor (Photo : George Skinner)Butterfly : Brown Commodore (Junonia natalica natalica), Catapu area
In this way some of the group got brief glimpses of White-chested Alethe (I think I was the only one to actually see it), Tiny Greenbul, Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher and better views of East Coast Akalat. While waiting, a Mangrove Kingfisher came and sat on a branch literally above our heads.
Mangrove Kingfisher
The calls we heard ranged from Square-tailed Drongo to Narina Trogon, in between the vociferous calls of Tiny Greenbul, very vocal but hard to see.
Overgrown track in Catapu areaKite Spider, Catapu areaJoker / Tolliegrasvegter (Byblia anvatara acheloia), Catapu area
At other spots we waded through shoulder height grass and into wooded areas and were rewarded with sightings of Cabanis’s Bunting, Short-winged Cisticola amongst others.
More birders in the bush, Coutada 12 areaBirders beating about the bush (Corne (Photo : Corne Rautenbach)Short-winged Cisticola – Etienne pointed out the main feature of this bird ie no features at all
All of this wonderful birding (and some butterflies) made up for the fact that I started suffering around lunchtime with an aching body and tummy problems which got progressively worse as the day wore on – some sort of bug had got to me.
Back at Mphingwe, I skipped dinner and on one of my trips to the toilet block in the dark, while pointing my torch at the pathway to see where I was going, I hit my head against the protruding edge of the corrugated iron roof, cutting the top of my head quite severely in the process. It’s well-known that your head bleeds profusely when cut and this was very much the case with me – blood poured down my face and over my glasses until I could get hold of a towel to wrap around my head and soak up some of the worst of it. But enough of the gory detail – suffice to say I sought assistance and it came in the form of Mandy, ex nurse now working at Mphingwe and resident there, who worked some magic, cleaning the wound and applying strategic plasters that held it together. The slight scar I have will forever remind me of that evening.
The camp staff cut off the offending, dangerously protruding roof the next morning, so others won’t have to worry about suffering the same fate.
Day 10 Via Sena to Rademan’s Farm and back
Day 10 was a day of mixed fortunes, to say the least. I was not on top of the world after last night’s drama, but my head was not too uncomfortable and my tummy manageable so I clocked in with the others for the day’s outing. We left after early morning coffee at around 5.30 am and did a short recce along the road in the vicinity of the turn-off to Mphingwe, but heavy mist made it difficult to spot much, other than a Harrier-Hawk and an initially puzzling raptor which turned out to be an African Goshawk.
Misty pond near MphingweAfrican Goshawk in the mist, Mphingwe
Then we moved on to Caia 30 km away for two of the vehicles to fill up with petrol, which had been unobtainable for a day or two – they had to be content with roadside “take away” petrol at inflated prices as the regular petrol station had run out. From Caia we took the road to Sena along a road which fast turned out to be the worst kind for a vehicle – rough and rutted dirt that shook the vehicles to their core for the whole 80 kms. I was concerned about what it may do to my vehicle but pressed on at speed in order not to lose contact with the rest of the group, hoping that everything would hold together.
There was a good reason for taking on this poor road – our destination was the farm where we hoped to find Bohm’s Bee-eater (remember Inspector Closeau’s “bomb”) – a highly sought after bird in the Southern African region. Part of the way there, Etienne stopped at a small graveyard with a few large Palm trees and heavy surrounding bush – ideal habitat for another desirable species, Collared Palm-Thrush, and, true to their name, there they were.
Collared Palm-Thrush, in palm grove on the Road to SenaLooking for a Palm-Thrush in the dead centre of townCollared Palm-Thrush
A Blue-spotted Dove made a brief appearance to add to the moment and as we were on the verge of leaving a large raptor flew over the nearby tall trees and settled in the top of one, then took off to soar high over our heads, causing much camera activity amongst the group. It turned out to be Southern Banded Snake-Eagle, despite our attempts to turn it into the Western variety, nevertheless a desirable tick.
Blue-spotted DoveButterfly : Green-banded swallowtail / groenlintswaelstert (Princeps nireus lyaeus)Southern Banded Snake-Eagle, Road to SenaSouthern Banded Snake-Eagle, Road to Sena
Arriving at the farm at last, shaken but not stirred, we were immediately “greeted” by our target species, Bohm’s Bee-eater, in the garden of one homestead on the way to the main farm-house, hawking insects from open branches. Thrilled with this special sighting we recovered enough composure to check out the Yellow Wagtail nearby (thunbergi race).
Bohm’s Bee-Eater, Rademan’s Farm on Zambezi RiverBohm’s Bee-Eater, Rademan’s Farm on Zambezi RiverYellow Wagtail (race Thunbergi)
Etienne had the owner’s permission to use their verandah even though they were not at home, which we gladly did, enjoying breakfast with a view of the Zambesi at the bottom of the garden and several species in the trees. I wonder where else would you be able to view six species of Bee-eater in one location? Apart from Bohm’s there were White-fronted, Little, Carmine, Blue-cheeked and European Bee-eaters.
On the verandah at Rademan’s Farm (Photo : Corne Rautenbach)The gardens at Rademan’s Farm, Zambezi River in the distance
A walk around the garden and birding a patch of dense undergrowth nearby added a number of species with highlights being :
Great Reed-Warbler calling constantly from the undergrowth
Goliath Heron flying overhead
Rufous-bellied Heron over the river
Thrush Nightingale and Basra Reed-Warbler calling from the same clump of bushes but remaining concealed despite our attempts to flush them
Willow Warbler foraging in the trees
Willow WarblerStriped Kingfisher, Rademan’s Farm on Zambezi River
Eventually we gathered ourselves for the return journey along the same bone-rattling and car-shaking road – we hadn’t gone very far when my heart sank as I felt and heard a knocking from the transmission tunnel next to my seat, gradually getting worse until I was forced to drive at snail’s pace for the last 30 kms, but fortunately made it back to Mphingwe. Neithard and Kathrin in their Pathfinder were less fortunate as the fan had dislodged itself and caused the radiator to lose all its coolant, so the remaining 2 vehicles had to help get them back to the camp. A disastrous end to an amazing day’s birding! One consolation was a Moustached Grass-Warbler in long grass next to the road, a lifer for me.
Moustached Grass Warbler, on the Road to Sena
The next day was Sunday so any attempts to repair the Touareg would have to wait until Monday, when Joe, an experienced Mechanic and responsible for keeping Mphingwe’s sawmills in operating condition, undertook to assess the damage and see what could be done.
That took care of the rest of the planned trip for George and myself, as the group was due to travel to Zimbabwe on Monday and we were not sure how and when the vehicle would be repaired or how we would get back home, all of 1500 kms away.
Part 4 will conclude this particular trip story – will we make it back home? Tune in next time to find out.
We had set out to cover some of the best summer birding spots of southern Mozambique during the first part of a planned 15 day birding trip and, in the 3 days covered by Part 1, we had already seen a lot of special birds. This Part 2 takes us back to Panda area to continue the search for Green Tinkerbird, then we continue northwards to Inhassoro and Beira, where we focus on the Rio Savane area.
The Group
Etienne Marais (Indicator Birding : http://birding.co.za ), our group leader and guide for the trip, with his passengers Corné Rautenbach, Edith Oosthuizen and Bruce Dyer who had all flown up from Cape Town for the trip, Owen and Sue Oertli from Johannesburg, Neithard and Katharina Graf von Durkheim from Pretoria, Myself (also Pretoria) and George Skinner (Johannesburg, but at the time I write this has “emigrated” to Dullstroom).
In describing the trip I have again borrowed from the itinerary which Etienne had drawn up and distributed prior to the trip and which sets it out nicely on a day by day basis ……….
Day 4 Morrongulo to Inhassoro
“We bird the area west of Unguane, The area is a type of coastal scrub-thicket with emergent larger trees here and there. …..the mega here is the Green Tinkerbird and we hope to encounter this bird in the thickets which are criss-crossed by small tracks. Once we have had success we head northwards…….
Overnight : Complexa Turistico Seta, Inhassoro”
A crack-of-dawn getaway saw us heading back to the Tinkerbird area at 5.15 am and an hour later we were in the same spot as the previous afternoon, where we recommenced the search.
Panda WoodlandPanda WoodlandPanda Woodland
At first it seemed as if it was going to be easy as the Tinkerbird was calling at regular intervals and sounded as if it was nearby, but as it turned out we chased it in circles in the hot humid thickets for quite a while until a shout from Etienne – “there it is!” – told us we had struck gold – or in this case green, in the form of Green Tinkerbird.
Green Tinkerbird (from a distance, wish I had a better photo)
The precious bird thankfully perched for a few minutes, fully exposed on top of a dead tree, affording all of us excellent views through the scope, but just too far for a decent photo. It continued its trilling call, its whole body seeming to shake in unison with the call, as we made high-fives all round in celebration of this mega-tick of a bird (although if truth be told it is quite drab), which was only rediscovered some 2 years ago after being lost to the Southern African region for many years.
With the pressure of finding the Tinkerbird now off, we proceeded to bird the surrounding area thoroughly and made several stops to walk the tracks and bush, each of which produced notable sightings, such as –
Both species of Spinetail – Mottled and Bohm’s (think Peter Sellers/Inspector Closeau’s pronunciation of “bombs” which comes out sounding like “berms”) in numbers in an area with Baobab trees, one of which was clearly used as a roost by the Spinetails as they flew in and out of the hollow centre while we stood there watching
Mottled Spinetail. Not a great photo but they are very difficult to photograph, flying fast and turning unexpectedlyBohm’s Spinetail – showing off its bat-like appearance
Woodward’s Batis calling vigorously and moving about in the bush (lifer)
Almost constant calls of Purple-crested Turaco, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird and Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove ringing through the bush
The mournful call of a Grey-headed Bush-Shrike, spooky in the distance
Livingstone’s Flycatcher showing briefly in the foliage of the taller bushes (another lifer)
Marsh Warbler calling and showing in low bushes
A pair of Mosque Swallows circling above a clearing – they are also birds often associated with Baobab trees
African Cuckoo perching in the “Tinkerbird tree” for a minute or two, prompting discussion about the differences between it and the almost identical looking Common (European) Cuckoo (more yellow in upper mandible was mentioned)
African Cuckoo. Another fuzzy photo – also taken from a distance
A lone Honey Buzzard cruising high in the sky, accompanied by a Wahlberg’s Eagle, distinctive with its long straight tail and dark colouring
Several other significant birds such as Pale Flycatcher, Trumpeter Hornbill, Broad-billed Roller, Square-tailed Drongo, House Martin, Black-bellied Starling and Rudd’s Apalis showed just how rich in bird life this area is
On this trip we had a couple of the group, including myself, who were on the lookout for interesting insects, butterflies and the like and the pickings were rich – some examples :
Red-tip Butterfly (female)Locust – very well disguised (clue – it’s on the left)Photographing the locustGolden Orb SpiderBuxton’s Hairstreak Butterfly. Hair tails are used to deceive predators (see where it’s actual front end is ?)CaterpillarGolden Orb Spider
We also came across a small village in the middle of the bush – seemingly deserted but probably because it was a Sunday.
VillageVillageVillageVillage in Panda Woodland – we could not work out what these structures were for
We eventually left this special area by late morning and headed back along the, by now, familiar track and once on the tarred EN1 we pointed our vehicles in the direction of Inhassoro, north-east from that point. Stops for lunch and fuel were made along the way before arriving at the Seta beach resort for our next overnight stop.
The beach at Inhassoro
George and I proceeded to the open deck for a cold beer where we had a view of the local fishing activities, with men going out in handmade boats, which on closer inspection were nothing more than polystyrene foam bottoms clad in rough planks, but the sea was calm and they were bringing in small catches so they obviously do the job. All that remained was the evening meal with the usual limited but tasty choice (fish, chicken or calamari) and calling up the day’s list.
The beach, InhassoroInhassoro – home made fisherman’s boats (Photo ; George Skinner)Complexo Turistico Seta, Inhassoro
A little misunderstanding, when I went to tell the “management” (one man hovering around reception) that we had no water in the bathroom, led to George being locked out when, unbeknown to me, he sought shower facilities elsewhere and he ended up coming to fetch the key at the restaurant in a partially clothed state, but still decent. Sorry George! Hey, these things happen.
Day 5 Inhassoro to Beira
“Morning birding in the Inhassoro area. We then take the moderate drive to Beira. There will be plenty of opportunities to bird along the way. In particular the Buzi River bridge is an excellent spot for swifts and raptors. The road takes us through a variety of habitats and at this time of year one may also see temporary wetlands along the way. At Inchope we turn left and head back east towards Beira. As we approach the Pungwe floodplain, wetland birding can be spectacular.
Overnight : Jardim de Velas guest house.”
An early breakfast had been arranged for around 6 am, by which time we were more or less packed. Early additions to our list were a Common Sandpiper, cheekily perched on a small boat offshore and a Swift Tern flying by, while one of the trees in the gardens was alive with Village Weavers.
Complexo Turistico Seta, InhassoroEarly morning coffee at Inhassoro (Photo : Corne Rautenbach)Neithard and Katherina, Inhassoro (Photo : Corne Rautenbach)Dedicated birders – Don and Bruce, Inhassoro (Photo : Corne Rautenbach)
After breakfast on the deck, overlooking a smooth glassy sea dotted with the home-made boats of the fishermen who were already going about their day’s business, we loaded up the vehicles and headed for the village ATM to draw cash, then on to the road out of Inhassoro.
On the way out a White-throated Swallow caught our eye, perched on the roof of an industrial building and a little further on we came across our first Striped Kingfisher and a Village Indigobird, while a short stop at a roadside quarry added Magpie Mannikin, Red-faced Crombec and Little Bee-eater.
Village Indigobird, InhassoroPied Mannikin, InhassoroNeithard, Kathrin, Etienne and Edith at the quarry outside Inhassoro (Looks a bit “See no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil”)
Further brief stops were made to break the journey and add to the group list :
At a bridge over a reed-lined river, which produced a number of Red-headed Quelea, first for the trip and a lifer for a few of us (me included). Close by a Yellow-throated Longclaw was calling loudly, seeming to be indignant about our presence
A woodland area which appears in the “Birding Spots” book but is now under severe pressure from charcoal makers who burn the trees to make charcoal, which apparently goes to Europe
Lunchtime stop in dense woodland, which was alive with bird life to entertain us as we enjoyed snacks and coffee
Paradise Flycatcher servicing a nest
Red-faced Cisticola calling stridently
Black Cuckoo, mournful as usual
Red-winged Warbler, called up by Etienne, which responded by flying back and forth and perching for good views (both ways – him of us, us of him) and to add to my list of lifers
Purple-crested Turaco showing nicely in the trees
Brief stop alongside the busy EN6 to view African Openbills and an African Marsh Harrier
Ponds close to Beira which held Pygmy Goose, White-backed Duck and Spur-winged Goose, albeit difficult to see against the late afternoon sun.
The road was challenging with long stretches of heavily potholed tarmac, so it was a rock and roll affair as I tried to choose the right line to avoid the worst potholes. We passed through a few typical villages along the way
Village scene, Inhassoro – Beira road
We reached Beira after 6 pm and soon thereafter left for dinner at Club Nautica, where we had a very acceptable meal with a view of the beach and sea.
Day 6 Rio Savane area
“We have a full day in the Rio Savane area. There are a number of good areas for birding and some of the time it will involve walking in short grassland in the Rio Savane floodplain. Our focus will be on the more difficult birds… Woodland patches on the floodplain hold all sorts of surprises…..“
Picture the scene – Four SUV’s arrive at a pristine floodplain, with varying lengths of short-ish grass in a myriad shades of green, stretching for kilometres, punctuated by clusters of trees forming mini-woodlands. Ten people alight from the vehicles, don hats and apply sunscreen to exposed flesh, while a couple of the group pull a long, heavy-looking rope out of a box.
After some instructions from the one who appears to be the leader, they start shouting in loud voices and then four of the group grab the rope and start walking across the floodplain in line abreast, leaving the rope slack between them so that it drags across the clumps and tufts of grass. Even though it is hardly 6 am and the sun has still to gather its full strength, it is soon clear that those dragging the rope, and indeed the remaining six who are doing their best to stay close behind them, are sweating profusely in the extreme humidity.
Nevertheless they carry on across the floodplain until someone gives a tentative shout as instructed by the leader and the whole group stops, pulls up binoculars to their eyes and almost in unison start babbling strange names such as “Black-rumped Buttonquail” or “Great Snipe”. After a few sweeps of the floodplain they all walk rather slowly back to the vehicles and after a while drive off, only to repeat the whole scenario in the next floodplain they come across.
What on earth are they up to? Well, they are trying to “flush” (ie encourage to fly up) certain birds which spend their whole life in floodplains such as these, often tiny birds which find safety in being extremely hard to find (and identify) unless you can get them to rise up out of the concealing grasses and fly for a distance. And this is where the rope comes in – it’s not enough to walk the floodplain and hope these elusive birds will flush – most will only do so if the rope is about to roll over them or one of the walkers is about to step on them.
This was our mission – find some of the really “hard to get” species, including Black-rumped Buttonquail, Blue Quail, Locust Finch amongst others. Unfortunately we dipped on the latter two despite a number of attempts at 3 or 4 different spots, but the Buttonquail flushed three times and a Great Snipe suddenly burst from the wet grass, flew a few hundred metres before disappearing out of range. A pair of elegant yet colourful Saddle-billed Storks mostly ignored our doings as they foraged in longer grass.
Don and Etienne at Rio Savane (Photo : Corne Rautenbach)Rio SavaneThe rope trick, Rio Savane (Photo : Corne Rautenbach)Rio Savane (Photo ; George Skinner)
On the way to the floodplain and back, we made a few birding stops alongside the dirt road, which we shared with the ubiquitous cyclists on their old-fashioned Raleighs (or the modern Chinese equivalent) carrying their heavy loads of charcoal. Sightings included Copper Sunbird, African Fish Eagle, several African Marsh Harriers and as many Black-chested Snake-Eagles.
A breakfast break in a copse of trees provided a welcome break from the hot sun and was enlivened by the arrival of Pale Batis flitting about in the canopy.
Breakfast spot at Rio SavaneRio SavanePale Batis, Rio Savane
By now it was late morning and, drained by the heat, we made our way slowly back to the guest house, stopping at a known Lesser Seedcracker spot but with no luck. After a “lunch and relax” break we set out for the Rio Maria area where Etienne showed us a small dam with some interesting bird life present, such as Pygmy Goose, Malachite Kingfisher and a lone but exciting Lesser Jacana.
Rio Maria BeiraLesser Jacana, Rio Maria Beira
Also drawing our attention was a large, plain warbler, spotted by George moving about in the low branches just above the water (the bird, not George), which we could not ID with any certainty – Etienne, probably the best person to ID a Warbler in Southern Africa, had gone around to the back of the dam to try to flush a Nightjar for us. I took some photos of this mysterious Warbler, which turned out to be fortunate as Etienne later confirmed that it was a Basra Reed-Warbler, one of the mega-ticks for Southern Africa and a THS bird.
Basra Reed Warbler, Rio Maria Beira
This was a lifer for all of those that saw it, including Bruce Dyer, taking him to 888 for his Southern Africa list! Not in my wildest dreams did I imagine seeing this bird, one which experienced birders refer to in hushed tones. Sensational stuff!
Next stop Mphingwe and the delights of the lowland forests…… (Part 3 to follow)
This trip was a long time coming – George Skinner, my longstanding friend, with whom I have enjoyed some memorable birding trips and moments, had been nudging me in the direction of Mozambique for a couple of years, but circumstances had not allowed me to join him on one of these trips. Then in late 2014, George passed on details of a trip on offer in early February 2015 by Indicator Birding, which would cover some of the best summer birding spots of southern Mozambique – it looked very tempting and after “clearance for take off” from my dear wife Gerda, it was game on.
The trip was due to start on Thursday 29th January 2015, so we returned from our annual long stay in Mossel Bay a little earlier than planned, to allow time to see to some work commitments (yes, I actually do some consulting work in between birding and blogging) and make the necessary preparations for the trip, which included making sure my vehicle was in good shape for approximately 5000 kms of driving in conditions which at that stage were unknown to me, but bound to be challenging in places (little did I know what was in store).
And so the day arrived for departure, the VW Touareg was loaded with the necessities for a road trip of 15 days – an all-important fridge for cold water and other drinks, a crate full of breakfast, lunch and in-between snacks and goodies, a nifty little gas stove for preparing boiling water for tea and coffee, a few bottles of good wine stuck into various available corners of the load space and, of course, a bag full of bush clothes and all the other paraphernalia that goes with a trip dedicated to birding – books, cameras, spotting scope, etc. Dinners were planned to be taken at restaurants at or near our overnight stops, which was a good way to avoid having to take even more self-catering equipment and food and gave us more time for bird watching until dusk, without having to rush back and prepare meals.
I had a “Dr Livingstone goes into darkest Africa” feeling about the trip prior to departure – a country I had not visited before, news headlines of the recent flooding in parts of Moz (although we were assured it was all north of the Zambezi where we would not be going), the stories of corrupt and aggressive border officials that constantly do the rounds, etc – but nothing was going to put me off at this stage.
Etienne Marais (Indicator Birding : http://birding.co.za ), our group leader and guide for the trip, had proposed meeting at Milly’s near Machadadorp, for breakfast and introductions to the other group members, which we duly did, reaching this popular roadside stop at 7 am. There we met the group which was spread over four vehicles – Etienne with his passengers Corné Rautenbach, Edith Oosthuizen and Bruce Dyer who had all flown up from Cape Town for the trip, Owen and Sue Oertli from Johannesburg, Neithard and Katharina Graf von Durkheim from Pretoria, Myself (also Pretoria) and George Skinner (Johannesburg, but at the time I write this has “emigrated” to Dullstroom).
In describing the trip I have borrowed from the itinerary which Etienne had drawn up and distributed prior to the trip and which sets it out nicely on a day by day basis ……….
Day 1 RSA to Xai-Xai
“After meeting early morning we drive up to Xai-Xai and stay at Honeypot camp. This gives us easy access to the superb Limpopo floodplain nearby”
After breakfast at Milly’s we headed off in convoy towards the Lebombo border post, stopping just short of it to fill up with fuel and change some of our Rands to Meticals. We approached the Moz side of the border with some apprehension, having heard so many stories, but in the end it all went smoothly and we studiously ignored the many “helpers” and touts who pester you from the moment you enter the border post area.
We had made good time and were through the border formalities by 12 noon, but from there it was slower going, especially once we got to the “bypass” (a euphemism if there ever was one) around Maputo which is still under construction and only partly complete, so we had to negotiate the incomplete sections along atrocious dirt roads clogged with traffic. The rest of the trip was through beautiful countryside interrupted only by small typically African towns.
Outskirts of Maputo – on the way to Xai-Xai
Not much birding was done, but we did stop to view both European and African Hobby in the same trees, just outside the town of Macia.
Eurasian Hobby, Macia
We reached Honeypot camp just outside Xai-Xai (non-SA readers note it’s pronounced shy-shy) at 5 pm after 12 hours on the road and celebrated with a cold local beer, which tasted especially good. A short spell of birding the camp produced the first Olive Sunbird and a Peregrine Falcon sitting high up on a radio mast, then it was supper time in the camp’s restaurant and early to bed to prepare for our first serious birding the next day.
“Today we do a long circular route (370km) which will ensure an excellent variety of birds. Our first stop is on the wetlands of the Limpopo Floodplain. We then head across the floodplain and inland towards the Panda area. Once we have finished our woodland birding we head north to Imhambane. Overnight : Areia Branca Lodge, Barra Peninsula.”
Etienne had us up early for departure (which became the pattern for the trip) by 5am and we headed for our first stop in rainy weather at the wetlands of the Limpopo floodplain, very close to our overnight stop.
Early morning on the Limpopo floodplain near Xai-Xai
Very soon we were adding our first water birds of the trip, from the road that skirts the floodplain. African Openbill, African Jacana, Little Egret and Little Stint were immediately obvious in the reed-lined ponds not far from the road, while several Squacco Herons and Black-crowned Night-Herons flew by overhead in the soft, cloud-filtered morning light. A Sedge Warbler (my first lifer of the day) was heard by Etienne and made a brief appearance among the reeds, raising excitement levels as much as the early hour allowed (considering we were still coffee-deprived at that point). Fan-tailed Widowbirds flew nervously back and forth while the group scanned the wetlands and the skies for further species.
Excitement increased another notch when a Rufous-winged Cisticola was spotted and became my second lifer for the day, as it was for several of our group. Further into the wetland Common Greenshank, African Spoonbill and the colourful flash of a Malachite Kingfisher were spotted. The rain was moving in and getting increasingly heavy so we moved on to the next spot some distance along the road where we got out for a walk along a pathway that led into the wetlands and between the ponds.
We soon discovered the path was designed to attach the maximum amount of sticky cotton mud to the soles and sides of our shoes and, as the layers grew, our feet became progressively heavier and we became a little taller – no amount of shaking could get rid of it until we got back to the road and washed most of it off, using the puddles formed by the rain. The feeling was a bit like being a 4-year-old kid who tries on daddy’s shoes and clumps down the passage.
Sticky mud problem!
However, the muddy walk was well worthwhile, as we added several desirable species, including Hottentot Teal, White-backed Duck, African Pygmy Goose and Whiskered Tern.
The next 280kms or so was all on sandy roads and tracks, traversing “real Mozambique” – lovely green countryside with regular wetlands and stretches of Miombo woodland – parts of Mozambique that the casual tourist to this country will probably never experience, so we were pleased to be able to do so.
Our first stop after the floodplains was alongside the road to enjoy breakfast and coffee in typical bush.
Breakfast stop on the way to Panda WoodlandCollared Pratincole was a welcome sighting along the road
Setting off again, it was soon time for the major excitement of the day, when Etienne stopped at a bird party amongst Acacia trees with a sprinkling of lichen (aka “Old Man’s Beard”) and we were immediately rewarded with a mega-tick and lifer for most of us, in the form of Olive-headed Weaver, which only occurs in an isolated patch near Panda.
Olive-headed Weaver, Panda Woodland
In the excitement we almost missed the rest of the bird party but soon caught up with most of them, including delights such as Neergard’s Sunbird and Red-faced Crombec. Further on we stopped in the road to view a Flappet Lark displaying energetically and a Lemon-breasted Canary was seen by some but my view was too brief and poor to make out any detail so I did not tick it at that stage.
Crowned Hornbill, Panda Woodland
A vlei alongside the road was an opportunity for a brief stop, but it turned out to be bone dry – this didn’t stop Bruce and Corné from finding a Reed Frog clinging to a reed, unperturbed by the sudden attention and bevy of cameras.
Dry Vlei, Panda – Inhambane roadReed Frog
Our lunchtime stop was off the road along a rough track, after which we set our sights to complete the long run to Barra Peninsula, arriving after a total of almost 9 hours driving at our overnight stop at Areia Branca Lodge right on the estuary.
Areia Branca Lodge
Before settling in, we walked across the wide expanse of mudflats to view the waders present near the water’s edge and found several such as Greater Sand Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Grey Plover, Whimbrel, and plenty of the smaller Plovers – Common Ringed -, Kittlitz’s – and White-fronted Plover, Sanderling and others. Our timing was a bit late for greater numbers of waders so we hoped the next day would bring more.
The mudflats, InhambaneWhite-fronted PloverSunset, Inhambane
The evening meal was at a nearby beach restaurant – no fish available (!), but the limited choice of other dishes did the trick and the beers were good, so we left satisfied.
A feature of the trip was the “calling up” of the day’s bird list at the dinner table every evening, while we waited for our orders – a practical arrangement and one which adds greatly to the camaraderie of the group.
Day 3 Imhambane Area
“The area is best known for the numbers of shorebirds which are present in summer. We aim to bird the end of Barra Peninsula in the middle of the day. Birding is usually best at high tide (roosting sites) or in the receding tides. Fresh water wetlands may host some rarities, while bush and swamp edge birding is not too shabby. In the afternoon we take a short drive up to Morrongulo Lodge – which will serve as the springboard for a visit to the habitat where Green Tinkerbird occurs. Overnight : Morrongulo Beach Resort”
Up at 4.30am and on the mudflats of the estuary right in front of the lodge just a half hour later as it grew lighter.
Heading to the Barra mudflats – armed but not dangerous (Photo : Katherina Grafin von Durkheim)Checking the waders on Barra mudflats (Photo : Corne Rautenbach)
There was plenty of action in the shallows near the water’s edge – Lesser Crested Tern were prominent, accompanied by the waders seen yesterday afternoon, plus the likes of Curlew Sandpiper and Lesser Sand (Mongolian) Plover, a lifer for me and some of the group.
Lesser Sand PloverRuddy Turnstone, Barra mudflats
After an hour or two of superb birding we were sated and on the verge of leaving when I spotted a (very) distant Crab Plover on the far side of the estuary through the scope, which caused some excitement amongst the group as it was a lifer for most of us.
By 7 am we were done and made our way back to the lodge for breakfast and to get ready to leave, which we managed to do by 8.30am but not before viewing a Lemon-breasted Canary in the palm trees in the lodge gardens, spotted by Etienne – my third lifer for the morning and very pleasing after yesterday’s non-view plus all the times I have hoped to find one in the Pafuri area of Kruger, without success.
Before leaving the Barra Peninsula, we ventured along a track with thick sand in places, to the lighthouse and the beach below, where we encountered not a single other soul but an interesting looking Tern roost near the water’s edge a couple of hundred metres away.
Taking on thick sand on the road to the lighthouse at BarraThe wide expanse of sand on Lighthouse beach Barra
It had been raining lightly on and off, while the temperature and humidity remained high as we approached the Terns, standing and preening in a long line 2 or 3 abreast.
Four species of Tern were evident – from small to large :
the cute Little Tern, looking like the baby sibling of the other Terns
Common Terns with black bill (some in breeding plumage with red bill and legs)
Lesser Crested Terns, handsome birds in their clean white and black plumage, prominent crest and orange bill
Swift Tern, noticeably larger than the others (Etienne called them Greater Crested Tern) with large yellow bill.
Mingling with them were Sanderling and White-fronted Plover.
Mixed Terns, Lighthouse beach Barra
Moving on, we headed back to the EN 1 and northwards, past the turn-off to our overnight stop at Morrenguro, towards the area known for the last 2 years for Green Tinkerbird. The last 10 kms were along a sandy track through bush and woodland which at times narrowed so much that the foliage brushed the car on both sides, raising a few grimaces, but after the first few squealing sounds of branch against paintwork, I resigned myself to the fact that some damage was inevitable and in any case “dis aardse goed”.
A local learns to drive a scooterPanda Woodland
The rest of the afternoon, after a quick “in the bush” lunch, was spent trying to find, by hearing or sight, said Green Tinkerbird and we came close, having heard it at a distance, but eventually had to call it a day and head back along the track to the EN1. From there we backtracked to Morrengulo Beach Resort for supper and our overnight accommodation right on the beach – real beachcomber style with no windows and the sound of the sea to send you to sleep.
Morrongulo Beach Resort
Dinner was crayfish, bought from vendors at Imhambane and prepared by the resort kitchen – served with chips! Not bad but rather tasteless – I think they overcooked the delicacy we entrusted to them.
Crayfish for dinner
Tomorrow we resume the search for Green Tinkerbird – more about that in Part 2. (This is a bit of suspense-building, just like those short films they used to show before the main feature on a Saturday morning at Scala cinema in Claremont in my distant youth – the hero is on a runaway train approaching a bridge destroyed by the baddies – will he escape in time? – come back next Saturday and find out!!)
We had made our usual booking for the birding weekend in Kruger Park at the end of January 2014 and were lucky to be allocated the very popular and over-subscribed Punda Maria camp event. This time we added the “Pel’s Pursuit” event, which was to be presented immediately before the birding weekend and promised to be an exciting addition to the itinerary, involving a search for the elusive Pel’s Fishing Owl, which is one of the most sought after birds in Southern Africa and one which I still wanted to add to my “Life List”.
Both events were presented by the West Rand Honorary Rangers who have made these weekends extremely popular over the years.
Joining me on this trip were George Skinner, Nick Royce and Karl Rohrs, while we also connected with Vos and Veronica Vosloo who travelled independently from Kwazulu-Natal.
Birding on the Way
After travelling the familiar route to Polokwane and Makhado, with a breakfast stop at our usual spot, we turned off towards Punda Maria and made a brief detour to Muirhead dams (turn off is at the signboard “Royal Macadamia“), a good site for Pygmy Goose – instead we found a few White-backed Ducks, almost as scarce and always a pleasing sighting.
Muirhead DamWhite-backed Duck, Muirhead dam
Next stop was Entabeni forest a short distance from the main road (turn off at Entabeni signboard and follow the “Picnic Spot/Hikers Hut” signs), where we hoped to spot the resident Bat Hawk with the help of bird guide Samson, but this species once again eluded me, possibly being in hiding after the heavy rainstorms that preceded our visit. Nevertheless, Red-backed Mannikin was a special sighting and worth the effort. A walk through the cool forest was a welcome but brief relief from the oppressive heat and humidity we had experienced so far.
Entabeni forest – lush after good rainsInsect and offspring, Entabeni forest
An hour or so later we arrived at Punda Maria gate which marked the official start of the extended weekend events. Entering Kruger Park we were soon rewarded with a soaring Tawny Eagle and the familiar summer calls of Rattling Cisticola and White-browed Scrub-Robin. High above a Martial Eagle and White-backed Vultures patrolled the skies in majestic fashion.
Little Bee-Eaters hawking insects from low branches tried to outdo their larger European Bee-Eater cousins, while a Ground Hornbill went solemnly about his business, looking like a well-dressed undertaker as he plodded through the long grass. Soon we reached Punda Maria camp, our base for the weekend, and with a couple of hours remaining before the gates closed, we drove a section of the Mahonie Loop, which produced nice sightings of Wahlberg’s Eagle, Hamerkop, Carmine Bee-Eater and three species of Flycatcher (Pale -, Southern Black- and Marico).
Pel’s Pursuit Event – Meeting the team
Next morning started with an introduction to the Pel’s Pursuit team and short talks by Witness on Community outreach programmes, Chris Patton on “Feathers of the North” – the special birds of the Northern Kruger and Tertius Gous on bird photography techniques, all of which were interesting and informative.
The facts
The rest of the day was at leisure so we decided to do a game and birding drive to Klopperfontein followed later by an afternoon drive around the Mahonie Loop.
The Park was very lush and green and the grass extra-long following the good rains in these parts – good to see but not conducive to easy game spotting. However our priority remained seeing as many bird species as possible, which is also affected by the lush landscapes as food is readily available at all levels of the food chain in these conditions. Nevertheless there were many highlights of the day’s drives, including :
2 sightings of the scarce Grey-headed Parrot and hearing their metallic-sounding calls where they had gathered in a large Baobab tree
Several sightings of Dusky Indigobird
Tropical Boubou calling not far from the camp
A couple of encounters with Crowned Hornbill
A glimpse of Arnot’s Chat in the Mopane woodland
Grey-hooded Kingfisher spotted twice
A lone African Cuckoo seen just before returning to camp
Driving the Mahonie Loop near Punda MariaHamerkop patiently waiting for prey – frogs etcLesser Spotted Eagle (Probable)Red-backed Shrike, Summer visitor to Southern Africa from Europe
Time to Pursue Pel’s
Friday morning saw us up at crack of dawn for a 5.30 am departure, only to find rain coming down heavily, which delayed our departure until 7 am in overcast weather. Our destination was the Levuvhu River and specifically some of the places along the river known for Pel’s Fishing Owl sightings. The drive was long and bumpy in parts, getting hotter and more humid as the clouds thinned out, until we reached a spot close to the river where our walk would begin.
We set off on the walk, sticking close to the river bank where we could, diverting upwards and over koppies where the river bank petered out, sweating profusely in the oppressive heat and extreme humidity, without any sign of the Pel’s. I was atlasing as we went, relying on our ranger David’s skills at ID-ing calls when they were unfamiliar to me. Some of our group were already struggling in the hot, uncomfortable conditions, so regular stops were made for refreshments and water. All in all, we did close to 4 hours walking, which in these conditions really tested our fitness levels – thank goodness for the beautiful, dense riverine forest in places, which provided some relief from the unrelenting sun.
Fish-Eagle and Martial Eagle eye each otherThe walkLuvuvhu River flowing stronglyThe long walk in hot humid conditions tapped our energy
The birding was good with some memorable sightings :
White-throated Robin calling in the dense bush
Meve’s Starling showing nicely in the tops of trees
Good sightings of Grey-hooded Kingfisher again
Colourful Collared Sunbirds in the canopy of the Riverine forest
Tropical Boubou in the canopy
Black-throated Wattle-Eye responding to taped calls
African Harrier-Hawk circling and jousting above the river
African Harrier-Hawk cruising above the Luvuvhu RiverBrown Snake-Eagle
The river was flowing fast from the rains and was a caramel colour from the stirred-up mud and silt.
The drive back to the camp was a relief for all, as we enjoyed ice-cold drinks to lessen the heat strain from the long walk. Rain started falling which brought further relief, with no complaints about getting a bit wet in the open sided vehicle.
A pity that we did not encounter the Pel’s Fishing Owl after all the effort put in – that’s how it goes with birding – nothing is guaranteed, but fortunately there is always the probability of a next time to try again.
The Birding Weekend Starts
With the Pel’s Pursuit event done and dusted, it was time to meet the rest of the participants for the “Birding Weekend” starting with a relaxed late afternoon drive, during which several species were added to our weekend list, including a European Nightjar, followed by a braai to close out the day.
Next morning, Saturday, was a complete contrast from the hot and humid conditions of Friday – we awoke to rain at 2h30 (early starts are the order of the day with these events) and were ready to leave camp by 3h15 in the relentless rain, which accompanied us all the way to the Pafuri area an hour and a quarter later. The last stretch was particularly heavy and we were all quite damp by this time, only partly protected from the weather by the leaky canvas top and sides of the safari truck.
We parked and waited under the largest tree near the bridge over the Luvuvhu River for another hour in pitch darkness, wondering what had brought us to this place at this hour in these conditions – the simple answer is a passion for birding.
Once dawn broke, we could see how strongly the river was flowing – an impressive and slightly worrying sight, knowing the extent of previous flooding.
Dawn on Luvuvhu River after heavy rain
We spent some time on the bridge, checking the bird life as best we could and making an impromptu cup of coffee to raise the spirits (ours not others) then made our way slowly to Pafuri Picnic spot, fording the deep pools of water that had formed in the dirt road.
Spectacled Weaver at his nest over the Levuvhu RiverWhite-fronted Bee-Eater
Highlights of the Pafuri area were :
Eurasian Hobby perched high in a tree
Yellow White-Eyes moving about busily
Greenshank working a large puddle in the road
Pytilias and Firefinches in the lower stratum
Green-winged Pytilia – fairly common in the Pafuri areaBlue Waxbill bathingNatal Spurfowl
From the picnic spot it was a short but wet drive to Crook’s Corner where the Limpopo was flowing powerfully, evidenced by the large tree stumps being carried along swiftly by the swollen river. We spent time there enjoying several Bee-Eaters (Blue-cheeked-, White-fronted- and Little) as well as the many birds frequenting the adjoining bush – Red-faced Cisticola looking indignant at being disturbed, Common Scimitarbill, Meve’s Starling, Village Indigobird and African Harrier-Hawk overhead.
Spider Alley
Our Ranger, Richard, then took us on the long drive to an area east of Babalala, by which time the rain had abated and our spirits were a lot higher. The lunch stop alongside a pan with Little Grebe and Red-billed Teal in residence, was made special by the knowledge that very few have the privilege of visiting this area, which is not open to the public.
Nwambiya panRed-billed Teal, NwambiyaRichard capturing the beauty of the wild flowersMarabou Stork, KNPFawn-coloured Lark
On the way there we had some “fun” traversing a stretch which could easily be called “Golden Orb Alley” – a narrow track through the dense bush which is favoured by Golden Orb Spiders to span their webs across at regular intervals. Every few hundred metres the open safari vehicle drove right through one of these massive webs and the resident spider, caught by the canvas roof edge, would descend into the vehicle right in front of the driver and our bird expert in the passenger seat, who happened to have a “thing” about large spiders. This caused some pandemonium a few times in the front of the vehicle, but our Ranger calmly collected them as they were dangling and deposited each one outside the vehicle without even slowing down.
Driving along “Golden Orb Alley”
Soon after, we all had a turn at jumping around in our seats as swarms of thousands of “miggies” (midges) hit the open vehicle as we drove at about 40 km/h – one swarm in particular brought us to a standstill as we tumbled out of the vehicle trying to get them out of eyes, nose and ears and to brush them off our clothes, turning it into a chaotic couple of minutes. No wonder this event is billed as “extreme birding”!
However all this discomfort proved to be worthwhile when, travelling along the border with Mozambique, our guides found Rudd’s Apalis and Pink-throated Twinspot in quick succession – both much sought after birds.
Pink-throated Twinspot, Moz border KNP
Bull Elephant vs Richard
From there we headed west back to the main Kruger road to Punda Maria camp through pristine grassland, stopping to enjoy close up views of Elephants along the way, for which, it became evident, Richard had a particular respect. One lone Bull got a bit shirty (correct spelling) and showed some aggression to the metal intruder but Richard had his match, revving the engine and advancing slowly and we were happy to see the elephant back off with ears flapping.
African Elephant daring us to come closerAfrican Elephant – eyeing us
The evening braai was the chance to relax after a long day’s birding – G&T never tasted so good.
Sunday morning we returned to Pretoria with good memories of a superb weekend of birding one of the top spots in Southern Africa.
And just to round off this longish post…….
Stop me if you’ve heard this one
A joke my dad used to tell came back to me today – it is a gentle Scottish one told by a gentle Scottish man :
A Glaswegian named Jock, who is not feeling well, goes to see his doctor, one Dr McIntosh, who gives him a good check and prescribes some pills which he dispenses himself and hands to the patient with the instruction to “finish the course and bring me a urine sample in the same bottle”. Jock is a little puzzled by this request because he was complaining of a severe headache, but he follows the instruction and brings the urine sample when he next visits the doctor. The doctor has another look at him and prescribes further pills, with the same instruction to bring a urine sample in the same bottle.
When Jock visits Dr McIntosh a third time he is declared fit and well. Jock is curious and asks the doctor why he asked for urine samples when he didn’t seem to refer to them at all – Dr McIntosh replied in his broad Scottish accent “Well laddie, that way you get your bottles back!”
Since our first visit to this charming Karoo town a number of years ago, Gerda and I have made a point of stopping over in Prince Albert on our way back from Mossel Bay to Pretoria, particularly in January after our annual long stay in the Southern Cape. We generally try to stay at least 2 nights so that there is a full day to explore the town and it’s attractions.
We have tried a few B&B’s but keep going back to the one that fits our preferences best – Saxe-Coburg Lodge in the main street, which is run by Dick and Regina and offers pleasant rooms set in a long narrow garden with big trees and a pool. The rooms have aircon (essential in this part of the world) and all the other comforts you would expect of a decent B&B as well as a patio which is perfect for relaxing with a book or magazine in the afternoon when you have done enough exploring.
Saxe-Coburg Lodge in Prince AlbertCape Bulbul on nest, Prince Albert
Breakfasts are served in the main house – a Victorian style cottage from the mid 1800’s – and Dick and Regina are always there to chat and advise on the best restaurants and places to visit.
One of our visits was in January 2013, when we had booked to stay 2 nights at Saxe-Coburg Lodge and then proceed to our next overnight stop between Colesberg and Springfontein at the Orange River Lodge, a convenient halfway stop on the way back to Gauteng.
We had settled into our room at Saxe-Coburg and I had placed the potted plants, which we had bought in Mossel Bay and were taking with us to Pretoria, on the patio of our room so that they would enjoy some shade. I was doing some birding in the garden when I noticed a small frog on the patio, also sheltering from the hot sun and took a photo with the intention of identifying the species from the frog book that I usually have with me on trips.
Cape River Frog (I think) on the patio, Prince Albert
I thought was able to ID the frog as a Cape River Frog, a common species in this part of SA, and once I had a photo, I let him get on with his existence.
Next morning we did the round of Prince Albert’s attractions, which includes some excellent restaurants, speciality shops, an Olive farm a liitle way out-of-town, a small wine farm in town that produces some good fortified wines and Gay’s (that’s her name, to avoid confusion) Dairy for some really good cheeses and yoghurts, rounding off the day with a dinner at the Karoo Kombuis which serves a small selection of basic but very tasty dishes. On Saturdays there’s a market with fresh produce and other goodies.
Home weavers shop, Prince AlbertArray of pumpkins at the Saturday market, Prince Albert
Birding is always interesting in the area around Prince Albert :
Pale Chanting Goshawk, Prince AlbertAfrican Pipit, Prince Albert
A Frog’s Perspective
So there I was, a young frog finding my way in the world with not a worry other than the one many of us face on a daily basis – where is my next meal coming from?
I was getting to know my surroundings, since escaping from that pond where I seemed to spend an awfully long time just swimming around, waiting for my legs to grow and let me start exploring the garden in which I found myself (see, even frogs can avoid the trap of ending a sentence with a preposition).
It being a typically hot summer’s day in the Karoo, I made sure that I stayed in the shade as far as possible and found that one of the rooms had a nice shady patio with some plants to shelter under (OK, you can’t always avoid that preposition trap). I duly found a nice cool nook in and amongst the foliage and used this as my base for the next day or two…..
Next Stop Orange River Lodge
After breakfast under the vines the following day, we packed our vehicle, with the plants being the last to go in so that they would not get damaged, said our goodbyes to Dick and Regina and set off on the road to Colesberg and beyond, a distance of some 600 kms, where we arrived at Orange River Lodge, close to the N1, by about 5pm that afternoon.
Orange River LodgeOrange River Lodge
As this was a short overnight stop, I left most of our baggage in the car and just unloaded the essential bags as well as the plants which I placed outside the car so that they could get some fresh air …………
The only thought that went through my head was that the people in the room were quite considerate in placing these fresh young plants on the patio – how did they know this was my home and that frogs just love cool foliage to hide behind.
Next day was quite pleasant – a bug or two came my way and the plants provided a good spot to while a way the hours.
The following day seemed as if it would be a repeat and I found a great spot in one of the pots itself where the soil was moist and cool. The day had hardly begun when I found myself and the plant that I had made my new home being lifted up and placed in the back of a large vehicle and very soon after we were on the road to goodness knows where ……..
Just as I was putting one of the plants down, I noticed a small frog, partly concealed by the foliage and on closer investigation I realized it was the same frog I had found and photographed on our patio at Saxe-Coburg Lodge!
Not wanting to take him even further from his birth place, I looked around the garden for a suitable spot and found one near a dripping garden tap which was grassy and moist.
If he ever has grandkids this frog will have a memorable tale to tell of the day he went for a drive across South Africa.
There was still time to fit in some birding in the gardens and surrounding typical Karoo habitat :
Rufous-eared Warbler, Orange River LodgeNorthern Black Korhaan, Orange River LodgeAnt-eating Chat, Orange River LodgeAfrican Fish-Eagle (Juvenile), Orange River Lodge
After breakfast we took up our by now customary positions in the Cadillac XTS for the next stage of our trip, having decided not to try to do PE Island as it would have involved even more road travel and we were feeling somewhat jaded from the many hours we had spent in the car. (mental note – next time see more, travel less)
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Travelling south-west it wasn’t long before we reached the attractive town of Halifax on the south coast where we found parking near the waterfront and took a walk through the shopping area and other attractions, including the historic ships on display.
Halifax waterfrontHalifax waterfront
HMS Sackville
Lunch was at a very pleasant outside restaurant called Stayner’s Wharf.
Halifax waterfront – Stayner’s Wharf restaurant
There was time for a quick tour past some of the landmarks such as the Citadel Hill and Public Gardens before heading out-of-town to see some of the coast west of Halifax.
Peggy’s Cove
The next “look-in” was at Peggy’s Cove, certainly a desirable place to stop and visit, but unfortunately a few thousand other visitors had the same idea, so we did a slow circuit past the lighthouse where hordes of people were clambering over the rocks and filling the streets, followed by a short stop at a particularly scenic and picturesque spot and that was that.
Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia
The scenery from there along the coast was classic Nova Scotia and most charming, with many coves, bays and inlets (don’t ask me what the difference is between those three) lined with colourful Nova Scotia style clapboard houses. At the town of Liverpool we turned inland and drove across the breadth of Nova Scotia to Digby on the North Shore, where Sam had located an Inn at Smith’s Cove, which turned out to be one of the nicest locations we had stayed in.
Smith’s CoveHedley House Inn at Smith’s Cove
Fried Clams to go
The manager’s recommendation for a late supper was a take-out in Digby, which we duly found alongside the road and ordered combinations of clams, chicken, fries and mushrooms – all were served in large quantities and deep-fried. This turned into one of those memorable meals, but for the wrong reasons, as we filled our hungry stomachs with masses of oily battered food, the effects of which followed us for the next two days. I’ll spare you any further details.
The take-out joint that caused some problems
Monday 1 September : A Ferry, A Bore and the Wilderness
Ferry cross the Fundy
The 5am alarm was not very welcome but we had to be at the ferry in nearby Digby by 7am or wait half a day for the next one. Breakfast was at 6am, but we were a bit early for the owner’s wife who had the fright of her life when she saw me in the semi-dark house – the front door had been left open by her husband, so we walked in.
The ferry trip went smoothly, although heavy mist meant no bird – or whale-watching was possible as we traversed the Bay of Fundy, reaching the town of St Johns 3 hours later.
Misty outlook from the ferry from Digby to St Johns across the Bay of Fundy
Once we had threaded our way out of this seaside town we headed north-east towards Moncton, where we hoped to catch the phenomenon known as the tidal bore in action, having confirmed via google that the tide was expected at 15h09, which was confirmed by the electronic display at the Park
Tidal Bore Park, Moncton New Brunswick
Bore-ing
We duly arrived in Moncton and let the gps guide us to Tidal Bore Park, where, with lots of time to spare, we walked in search of a restaurant and found the Pumphouse Brewery in a side street, which seemed to be the only open venue nearby. The food and service were good and we wandered back to the park to witness the tidal bore.
Now here I could get clever and call it “boring” but I’ll refrain from being so corny – suffice to say it wasn’t as spectacular as expected, nevertheless it was interesting to see the small wave progressing determinedly up the river to signal the change in tides in the bay many miles away – certainly a unique sight.
On the verge of Bore-domThe Tidal Bore arrives at Moncton New Brunswick
Into the Wilderness
That done, we set off to get as close to Quebec City as possible before finding an overnight spot which, with John at the wheel, meant non-stop driving until late at night. We followed a different route back via Miramichi and from there the GPS took us via the shortest route along Highway 108 which turned out to be an hour and a half of twisting bumpy road with very few other cars. This had me wondering what would happen if we broke down on this lonely, wilderness-like road with unbroken forest on both sides all the way along. Eventually we emerged out of the “wilderness” to our relief at a couple of small towns and were soon back on the Trans-Canada for the final push to Edmunston where we found a Days Inn.
Tuesday 2 September : Quebec City
Quebec City turned out to be another highlight of the trip as we explored parts of this absolutely charming and picturesque city, a fitting end to our lightning tour of the eastern provinces of Canada.
Handsome buildingQuebec City – Looking down onto the river
Once parked in the Chateau hotel parkade, we walked around the historic old town, admiring the handsome buildings and the narrow cobbled streets of the lower town, which we accessed via a series of stairs and pathways. A sudden rain shower forced us into a local eatery where we enjoyed classic onion soup, done in the oven with bread and cheese – very tasty and quite filling, just the thing for a rainy day.
Quebec City – the Old TownQuebec City – the Old Town
The streets were filled with music from itinerant musicians playing a variety of instruments, adding to the already special atmosphere. The girls enjoyed some touristy shopping while John and I explored the streets further before they joined us again.
Wall art blends with reality (clue : the guy with the cellphone is real) in the Old Town, Quebec CityPop Art in Quebec City, (man, this is for the birds)
More walking took us to some monuments including one to the Canadian soldiers involved in the Anglo-Boer War.
War Memorial, Quebec CityInspiring words at the War Memorial, Quebec City
All that remained was to get back to the farm, which we did by just after 8pm, thankful to be back “home”
Last few days – Local Touring from the Farm
Our last few days on the farm gave us a chance to do some local touring and just relaxing in the peaceful surroundings of rural Ontario.
John and Gerda checking out the dahliasThe dahlias
Wednesday was a quiet recovery day with just a couple of trips into town, one in John’s 1950 MG TC which was a new experience for me – real “seat of the pants” motoring where you feel and smell the surroundings in addition to just seeing them. The area surrounding the farm is ideal for this kind of motoring, with long, mostly traffic-free country roads, bordered by lush farmland – perfect!
John’s lovely little MG TC (1950)
In town I admired some of the big “trucks” which we call bakkies, but they are mostly super luxurious and comfortable and make our “big bakkies” look very small by comparison. Prices were substantially lower than SA and American brands dominate completely.
Taking the MG through Alexandria Ontario
Late afternoon we took the MG for a tour of some nearby historic sites, including St Raphael’s Church ruins (burnt down) and St Andrew’s Church where we were invited inside by the kind lady in charge, who showed us the beautiful wood interior.
St Raphael’s Church ruinsSt Raphael’s Church ruins
St Andrew’s Church inside
Clearly the Scots have had a big influence on the area and many names reflect this. Back at the farm Sam made coconut chicken and corn on the cob for supper which was very welcome after all the fast food and restaurant fare of the past week.
Thursday brought another hot, humid day – never imagined we would be uncomfortably hot in Canada in early September, but apparently the first frosts are a mere 2 to 3 weeks away.
For lunch we visited Gaetans (a roadside caravan) in Alexandria for hot dogs (“all dressed”) and their version of Putine – said by Sarah and Rachel to be the best, which we could only agree with compared to the Calgary version – very tasty but soon satisfies you and you don’t want to see it for a while.
Gaetans in Alexandria do a good Putine – don’t let the looks put you off
Heading back to the farm we popped in to see the neighbours and admire some of Ray’s “toys” including a pristine Ford Mustang from the ’60’s and a couple of Skidoos (Snowmobiles)
Ray’s pristine Mustang (one of the neighbours)
Then it was time to view John’s museum collection which was absolutely stunning and probably represents the finest collection of Canadian military uniforms spanning all the conflicts since confederation. John knows every detail of each one of the 60 plus mannequins, known as “the boys” – and there are even a few “girls” (the nurses).
John’s Military collection
Friday we visited friend Darryl to view his collection of exotic pheasants, mostly from China. His gun collection in an immaculate basement room was even more impressive and so was the trophy room – if you like the upper halves of dead animals filling every available space on the double-volume walls – most were animals well known to us and were the result of several trophy hunting trips to Southern Africa, which caused some mixed feelings for us.
Late afternoon we loaded the car and travelled the 90 kms or so to Ottawa where we stayed in John and Sam’s condo (fancy name for a flat if you ask me) and had melt in the mouth ribs at the Baton Rouge across the road.
And so our last day, Saturday, in Canada arrived – time to explore Ottawa, the Federal capital. Driving around the city, we passed beautiful gardens, parks and canals in perfect sunny weather – after parking we took a walk downtown towards the market and mall and admired the historic buildings from closer up – Parliament, the Chateau Hotel and several state buildings.
Ottawa Houses of ParliamentOttawa – unusual replica carOttawa parkpatriotic cookies for saleDowntown Ottawa – the marketUnusual sculptureOttawa – Churchill’s photo in Chateau hotelOttawa – the distinctive Fairmont Chateau Laurier hotelJohn will know who this is Nice hat anywayParliamentOttawa – the superb War memorialOttawa – the superb War memorial
Finally it was time to get to the airport for our long flights to London and onwards to Johannesburg.
Plenty to reflect on and remember after 4 weeks in Canada and Alaska!
With Calgary, the Canadian Rockies and the Alaskan cruise behind us, we headed east for the next phase of our adventure, looking forward to catching up with sister Sheila (Sam) and brother-in-law John and seeing a bit of the eastern side of Canada.
On the downside Gerda’s suitcase had gone missing on the Air Canada flight from Calgary to Ottawa, another of those trying irritations of modern air travel. It was delivered to the farm a couple of days later so the use of the term “delayed baggage” that airlines now use instead of “lost baggage” turned out to be accurate – it only becomes lost if it is never traced again.
Monday 25 August 2014 : The Farm and some light birding
The farm, which is close to the town of Alexandria in Ontario, and which we had only ever seen in photos and heard about in communication with my sister over the last 40 years, came to life today as we explored the rambling house and outbuildings (but “the boys” were held over for another day) and took a walk around the large garden.
The farm-houseWe were greeted on arrival by a handsome prince – just a pity he had been transformed to this
The bird feeders were drawing a constant stream of mainly House Sparrows and Mourning Doves plus a few other interesting species such as American Goldfinch and Chipping Sparrow. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were taking sugar-water from the nectar feeder – this was one bird I was looking forward to seeing and I was duly excited when they literally buzzed in at high-speed, sounding like bumble bees. They performed their special tricks such as hovering (which only a handful of species can do) and flying backwards and straight up and down (which only Hummingbirds can do) as I tried to get a photo, not an easy task at all.
American GoldfinchChipping Sparrow (Juvenile)Ruby-throated Hummingbird (through a window)
A birding walk around the garden had me sweating in the 30 degree heat and high humidity but did produce a selection of new species for my growing Canadian list, amongst them:
Eastern Wood-pee-wee (where do they get these names?) – a flycatcher like bird
White-breasted Nuthatch – white and grey with a black crown
Swainson’s Thrush
Canada Warbler – quick and elusive in and among the low bushes
Several other small Warblers which were difficult to ID but I’ve had a go along with some valuable assistance from Ronald Orenstein
Eastern Wood-PeeweeEastern BluebirdProbable Pine WarblerYellow-rumped WarblerPossible Mourning Warbler
The relaxing day was rounded off with a ribs dinner (delicious!) and a movie in the cinema room, which is John the movie buff’s pride and joy, complete with recliner chairs and twinkling ceiling lights (super comfortable!)
The day after was more of the same, while getting ourselves ready for our trip to Nova Scotia the following day and included a late lie-in. I joined John on a trip to nearby Cornwall and Alexandria to take care of a few chores and when we got back I took another birding walk around the garden, adding a few more species in the process including :
Great Blue Heron – flying overhead
Northern Harrier – in the fields
American Crow – they are everywhere
American Robin – around the house
Northern Harrier on the farm
Later it was time for pasta (lekker!) and a movie before doing final preparation for the trip
Wednesday 27 August : On the Road
Leaving the farm around 10am, we headed north-east, bypassing Ottawa and Montreal as we crossed into Quebec province, then on past Quebec City and Riviere-du-Loup into New Brunswick.
They’re a funny lot in Quebec!
We reached our overnight stop in Fredericton after 9pm having done close to 1000 km and found a Howard Johnson motel and burger joint nearby – our first taste of motel accommodation was not inspiring, but as it turned out this was one of the older motels of those we stayed in for the next 6 nights and was showing its age.
One puzzling feature of all the motels is the variety of plumbing fixtures used – showers and basin taps and even toilets took some working out to figure out how they operated and we spent some minutes pulling, pushing, twisting and turning the various bits of chrome until we found the correct combination.
The scenery along the highways was a fairly constant stream of trees and more trees, which became the standard for much of the road trip until we reached the coast.
Trees of New Brunswick
Our second day on the road took us from Fredericton to Baddeck in Nova Scotia, continuing along the Trans-Canada Highway through seemingly endless kms of forest on both sides. On the spur of the moment John diverted to Fundy National Park and Hopewell Rocks where we had a pleasant lunch of lobster sandwich before taking the golf cart ride to the lookout point for Hopewell Rocks, which we found were large rocks with interesting shapes projecting out of the sea. At low tide the open sands can be accessed, but these same sands are inundated by the tidal change of a massive 10m, one of the highest in the world.
This Dark-eyed Junco joined us at lunch in Fundy National ParkHopewell Rocks
On the way there we passed by the little fishing village of Alma, where there was more evidence of the extreme tidal changes, with boats moored far below the landing.
The beach and small harbour at Alma – the tide gets the boat back up to the jetty
Further along Hopewell Cape historic village caught our eye and we spent an hour or so walking the site which had a number of original buildings such as the County Court house, Stores and County Gaol all in beautifully restored condition.
The old Court House
From there we found our way back to the Trans Canada which took us via a series of towns to Baddeck Nova Scotia where we found a pleasant motel with a view across part of Bras d’Or Lake.
Friday 29 August : Driving the Cabot Trail
After breakfast we set off to drive the famous Cabot Trail and were soon on the trail proper where it branches off the 105 route from Baddeck. The trail, which is actually a tarred road all the way, runs right around Cape Breton for about 300 kms, twisting through hills, mountains and along the coast with many places to stop and admire the beautiful views. We were surprised to see all the Gaelic signs along the first stretch, once we turned off at exit 11 to St Anns – testament to the Scottish pioneers who first settled in the area
Cabot Trail sceneOur comfortable ride – Cadillac deluxeAnother way of doing the Cabot Trail
Some light rain fell to start with, but it gradually cleared up into a bright sunny day, albeit windy – at one viewpoint where we ventured onto the rocks, the wind tried its best to knock us off our feet, making photography of the many Gannets and Cormorants particularly difficult as they flew by in numbers close to shore.
A wild part of coastline along the Cabot TrailNorthern Gannet
At Neil’s Harbour we turned off to find a lunch spot and came across a charming restaurant, almost on the rocks overlooking the sea, called Chowder House and we, appropriately, had a delicious bowl of chowder with fresh bread and the best atmosphere for a sea-based meal.
Gerda and Sam enjoyed the lunch at the Chowder House
At Cheticamp we stopped at Flora’s for some shopping where Gerda was drawn by the quilting being done by a local lady. Then it was just a question of completing the circle back to Baddeck and finding a motel not far from Englishtown, where we were due to catch the boat to Bird Islands the next day.
Cabot Trail sceneRuffed Grouse (why did it cross the road?)Ruffed Grouse, Cape BretonThrough a motel door….
We found Kelly’s View motel in Boularderie with a very nice homestyle restaurant called Fitzgeralds right next door.
We enjoyed a couple of good home style meals here
Saturday 30 August : Bird Islands, Louisbourg and full motels
After yesterday’s windy conditions which stirred up the sea, Saturday broke calm and sunny (obviously heard about my birthday) – perfect for our “Puffin Expidition” by small boat to the Bird Islands which lie 45 minutes from the harbour at Englishtown.
The harbour at Englishtown where we caught the boat to Bird Islands
Three Mackerel in one go! A salty old fisherman at the harbour in EnglishtownOn the way to Bird Islands
As it turned out there was very little chance of seeing Atlantic Puffins as they had completed their breeding cycle a couple of weeks earlier and had left the islands – a great pity the Puffin lady didn’t inform Sam properly as it would have saved a lot of effort and trouble getting there, however we did get to see other interesting birds and some Grey Seals which made up for the disappointment on the Puffins. What a sight it must be when some 1200 Puffins and several thousand Razorbills occupy the rocky islands.
Grey Seal at Bird IslandsDouble-crested CormorantCormorants – Bird IslandsGreat Cormorant – Bird IslandsCormorants at Bird Islands
The highlight of the boat trip was the Bald Eagles who obligingly swooped down when Donelda threw a freebie Mackerel or ten into the sea alongside the boat, snatching the offering from the sea surface at full stretch with talons extended in spectacular fashion. What a photo opportunity!
Bald Eagle approachingA split second before the fish is grabbed by those fierce talonsThe magnificent Bald Eagle
Leaving Englishtown behind us we had a decent lunch at Fitzgeralds then headed to Sydney (still in Nova Scotia) for a quick drive through the uninspiring town, then onwards to the Fortress of Louisbourg, a beautifully reconstructed town from the 1700’s where we spent a few hours taking it all in and enjoying the location on a small bay and the period-dressed people who added to the atmosphere.
Fort LouisbourgFortress of Louisbourg – Gerda is suspected of spying!
Fort Louisbourg
They take re-enactment seriously at Fort LouisbourgThe band arrivesFort Louisbourg
By now it was around 5pm and we made our way back via Baddeck, across the causeway to New Glasgow, where, much later, we at last found an available motel room after a few failed attempts in earlier towns (something to do with it being Labour Day weekend). By this time we were fairly desperate so even the fact that there was just one room available did not deter us – as it turned out the room was a suite with a bedroom and separate sitting room with a pull-out double bed. Needless to say we slept very soundly after getting some snacks from the vending machine in the foyer and making a soothing cup of Rooibos tea.
Granny Mouse Country House, Midlands KZN
Our room at Granny Mouse Country House
Rose-ringed Parakeet, La Lucia
Bronze Mannikin, La Lucia
Black-collared Barbet, La Lucia
La Lucia beach with the Moses Madiba stadium in the background – built for the 2010 World Soccer Cup
Swift Tern
The iconic lighthouse at Umhlanga Rocks
Black Sparrowhawk, La Lucia
La Lucia beach
La Lucia beach in the evening
Lone girl on La Lucia beach
A surfer off La Lucia beach
Off to the high seas
Fishermen on La Lucia beach, Durban in the background
Swift Tern
Cape Cormorant
The Terrace Restaurant, Oyster Box Hotel
Gerda and I enjoying Lunch at the Terrace Restaurant
The view from the Terrace
Mostly Birding 