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.