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We were up by 03:15 and driving by 03:45, arriving in Kaapschehoop at about 6am. We parked the car in front of a guesthouse and then started the stroll towards the escarpment. Walking through bizarre rock formations we quickly added excellent birds like Cape rock-thrush, Buff-streaked chat, Swee waxbill, Wailing and Wing-snapping cisticolas. The short walk leads to a ranger station with a stunning view towards Komatipoort, Barberton and Swaziland. Through the rising early morning mist we saw Alpine and African black swifts and heard African emerald cuckoo, Sombre greenbul and Purple-crested turaco, but the raptors let us a bit down. Back in the hamlet we slowly walked past residents starting their early Saturday morning and picked up Amethyst and Greater double-collared sunbirds. Just beyond the hamlet limits, walking towards the Kaapsehoop hiking hut, we saw our first lifer: Drakensberg prinia. A short break at the hut allowed us to spot a confiding Olive bush-shrike and then shortly thereafter, on the way back to the village, we added our second lifer: Brown-backed honeybird. After getting a permit for Battery creek waterfall we took the short but steep and slippery walk through indigenous forest. Although visible from the road, the waterfall's much more impressive when you stand underneath it but the noise does mean you can barely hear one another talk, let alone bird calls. Back out to the top we did get a brief glimpse of a Chorister robin but not much else. Feeling tired from our early morning drive, we checked into Hippo Pools guesthouse and got a fantastic loft unit with kitchenette, bathroom, 2 bedrooms, lounge - all for just R200 pp! After an afternoon nap we headed back down to Battery Creek to try and lure White-starred robin out, but only got Yellow-fronted tinkerbird. There was enough time to take another walk to the escarpment edge but again the raptors failed us and we only spotted a lone Yellow-billed kite. After a canned dinner relaxing in front of the TV, we headed for bed early.
Expecting our bird guide, Enos, at 6am, we were up at 5am and ready just before 6am. Enos showed up exactly on time, having already walked 7km from his lodgings. Walking towards the Blue Swallow Heritage Site we ticked off all the regulars we also saw Yellow-fronted canary, Yellow bishop, African pipit, Red-winged francolin and African olive pigeon before reaching the forest. Enos said the Blue swallows haven't been back in the last 2 seasons so we decided to rather spend time in the forest. African emerald cuckoo called early on and Barratt's warblers were quite common in the scrub. An Olive woodpecker made a brief showing before we reached areas where we tried to call Bush blackcap, Orange ground thrush and White-starred robin. After two unsuccessful locations, we were walking around a bend when a robin-like call warbled behind us. First thinking it a Chorister robin we turned around to look for it and then Nicola spotted it - but it was a Bush blackcap! Elated we watched it for a few minutes while it called continuously and eventually moved off. Our playback of African emerald cuckoo got the bird interested but never enough to get close-up views. Shortly after we turned around we finally made contact with an Orange ground thrush but only got fleeting glimpses as it kept on darting to and fro above our head. Walking a little further and playing our recording again, we picked one up again, either the same one responding to our call or a different one. After patiently waiting in the undergrowth to the side of the road and playing the recording a few times, we finally got him sitting still on a branch long enough for all three of us to see him really well. Satisfied with some decent forest birding done, we made our way back to the top, picking up another Olive bush-shrike and a Crowned eagle on the way. Back in Kaapschehoop we loaded the car with our last stuff and dropped Enos off at his lodgings before making our way back home.
Kaapschehoop is an excellent birding location, close enough for a weekend birdwatching and hiking outing and we certainly plan to go back soon. We highly recommend making use of Enos as a bird guide - let us know if you need his number.
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