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Leaving home around 14:30 we immediately ran into problems. The N11 past Loskop dam was closed due to a truck overturning and we had to detour via Stofberg. When we finally got onto this road, we got stuck behind a queue of almost 2km long, caused by three trucks driving right behind one another and no-one being able to overtake them. It took us 30km to get to the front and overtake and we only arrived in Polokwane after 7pm. Luckily we had ready-made boerewors rolls for dinner.
We were up just after 5am and as Polokwane Game Reserve only opens at 7am, spent about 20 minutes picking up a decent number of birds at our accommodation, including African palm swift. Driving slowly towards the reserve, we added Black-headed oriole and Amethyst sunbird. At the reserve entrance, Black-faced waxbills were flitting in a bottlebrush and just beyond at the picnic site, three Hamerkops were disturbed from their roost by noisy campers. Driving around the reserve we picked our way through the regulars but were disappointed not to hear any cuckoos. By 10am we had around 80 birds on the list, including Northern black korhaan, Coqui francolin, Wahlberg's and Steppe eagles, Greater honeyguide, Yellow-fronted tinkerbird, Ashy tit and Violet-eared waxbill. The reserve was obviously very dry and not producing any water birds so we drove out to Polokwane Bird Sanctuary for these. Our previous visit to the Bird Sanctuary produced little more than lots of flies but this time it was much more productive with Wood sandpiper, Ruff, African jacana, African snipe, a few warblers, Orange-breasted bush-shrike and African fish eagle added to the list. We ate lunch at the picnic site and a fly-by Yellow-billed kite became our 100th bird for the day. It was still early so we decided to head off to Magoebaskloof. Despite a Stop/Go roadworks section just after Zion City we started the Woodbush Forest drive shortly before 3pm. We didn't expect to find much so late in the day but the calls of African emerald cuckoo, Sombre greenbul and Purple-crested turaco made good ticks on our list. Doing the Forest drive in Nicola's Jazz was entertaining but going very slowly did the trick. It was a very scenic drive and having added also Olive woodpecker, Scaly-throated honeyguide, Swee wasbill, Grey cuckooshrike, Chorister robin-chat and Olive bush-shrike, we ended with 114 species for the day. Still 12 short of our record but a really nice day's birding. Arriving back in Polokwane after dark, we got some take-aways for dinner.
Despite a late night, we were up early again. Not wanting to spend money for entering reserves again, we birded the suburbs for an hour or so before making our way slowly back home. So unfortunately unsuccessful in our record-breaking attempt this weekend but it was a very enjoyable outing and we are looking very much forward to Mkhuze next weekend.
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