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We left home after work on Friday afternoon and drove through some heavy traffic, arriving in Phalaborwa after 7pm. We checked into our accommodation and it wasn't long before the air-conditioner lulled us to sleep.
19 Mar 2011 - Day count: 90, Trip count: 90
My 33rd birthday! Happy to be on the way to Kruger, we left in a drizzle at 05:15 and waited for some minutes at the Phalaborwa gate before they opened. We had a long way to drive to Punda Maria but driving slow, we birded all the way there, picking up 3 bee-eaters, Namaqua dove, Martial eagle, Jameson's and Red-billed firefinches, African paradise flycatcher, Ground hornbill, Wattled starling, Saddle-billed stork, Black-crowned and Brown-crowned tchagras among many of the regulars. However, the drizzly and overcast weather kept many birds in but brought the reptiles out. Hundreds of chameleons were crossing the road and since they were difficult to see in the poor light, one had to be careful to not drive over them. A number of tortoises and a huge leguaan were also seen. Arriving at Punda Maria we decided to drive the Mahonie loop before checking in. Here we added Brown-headed parrot and Broad-billed roller. At about 3pm we checked in and had some birthday scones before starting our braai fire.
20 Mar 2011 - Day count: 116, Trip count: 139
We were at the camp gate just before the opened and when they did, were off to Pafuri for the day. With the weather looking excellent we tried to drive as close to the speed limit as possible to get to Pafuri early, but with so many birds to see along the way, it still took us almost 2 hours to reach the Levhuvhu bridge, unexpectedly picking up Levaillant's Jacobin and Diderick cuckoos. At the bridge the birding got exciting as we spotted African paradise flycatcher, African yellow white-eye, heard Grey-headed, Orange-breasted and Gorgeous bush-shrikes, Mocking cliff chat, Purple (lifer) and Village indigobirds, Horis swift and Meve's starling and Yellow-fronted tinkerbird. We first took the Nyala drive where we added Brown-headed parrots and then continued towards the picnic site. In the forest we got Shikra, African hoopoe, Trumpeter hornbill, Common scimitarbill and Bearded scrub-robin. the Levhuvhu was flowing quite strong but we managed Water thickknee, Green-backed heron and then a whole bunch of White-crowned lapwings on the opposite shore - a second lifer! On the way back to the tar road we spotted a Grey-headed kingfisher which added another lifer for Nicola. On the way back a male and female Chestnut-backed sparrowlarks sat still enough for pictures and at Klopperfontein, some patient watching produced two Temminck's coursers - lifer 3 and 4 for me and Nicola respectively. back at Punda Maria we had a quick bite to eat before leaving on a sunset drive. While the sun was still out there was nothing exciting but when it was properly dark, lots of Bronze-winged coursers, Fiery-necked nightjars and some owls (African scops and Southern white-faced scops) were seen. We also added a Lesser bushbaby and an African civet along with some of the other more common mammals.
21 Mar 2011 - Day count: 55, Trip count: 143
For almost 3 hours we drove the Mahonie loop, picking up only Purple roller, Green-winged pytilia, Southern black tit and Purple-crested turacos as new birds for the trip, before we departed from Kruger around 09:30. It was a long drive home where we arrived at about 4pm - a great weekend's birding.
Monday 21 March 2011
Monday 7 March 2011
Marievale birding Mar 2011
While Nicola was visiting Rhona in England and collecting our Amazon orders, I visited Marievale Bird Sanctuary and Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve for a weekend of birding. After dropping Nicola off at the airport I booked into my accommodation for the night (Thursday) and got up before dawn on Friday to drive through to Marievale. The water levels were just right to ensure I got both waders and proper waterbirds and I managed to get nice sightings of Black heron, Maccoa duck, African rail, African snipe, lots of Wood sandpipers, Glossy ibis, African darters, Reed and White-breasted cormorants. After a bite to eat at the picnic spot, I drove on to Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve and completed the 66km tourist route where I added Red-collared widowbird, Rufous-naped lark and a few other common bush- and grass birds. I spent the night in the same accommodation and checked out before dawn again on Saturday morning to visit Korsman Bird Sanctuary. This was my first time here and I was very pleasantly surprised - 50 species in just over an hour's walk around the pan perimeter, including Glossy ibis, African sacred ibis, lots of Squacco herons, Purple, Grey, Green-backed and Black-headed herons and also a small flock of African olive pigeons in one of the gardens. I tried out several of the other pans mentioned in the Gauteng birding guide but felt so unsafe there that I left early and went to visit David and Nicolette where I also spent the night. Sunday morning I picked Nicola up from the airport and then we paid a quick visit to Delta Park and Johannesburg Botanical gardens where we added some common suburban birds. Early on Monday we dropped off our passports at the Indian consulate before making our way home.