This post is also published as a trip report on CloudBirders.com
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Saturday
In summer, the gates at Pilanesberg open at 05:30. In a half-hearted attempt to get there as early as possible, we left home (Middelburg, Mpumalanga) around 3am and drove just over three hours to get there. Previously we’ve tried looking for Yellow-throated sandgrouse in the sunflower fields about 20km south of the park but this has always been in the late afternoon. Today we decided to try again, this time early in the morning. The weather forecast predicted a partly-cloudy and warm morning with a possibility of thundershowers in the evening. Naturally, when we arrived at the sunflower fields, it was pouring. Despite the rain, there were some birds around: Pied kingfisher, White-throated swallow, Black-chested prinia, Wing-snapping, Desert and Zitting cisticolas, Northern black korhaan and Abdim’s stork being the more interesting ones. Luckily we packed flasks with coffee and hot chocolate so we could enjoy a reasonable breakfast in the car. An hour and a half’s worth of scouring the wet fields did not produce anything that remotely looked like a sandgrouse so just before 8am, we made our way to Bakubung gate just west of Sun City. After entering, we headed north-west, completing the Ntshwe, Kukama, Moloto, Sefara and Tlou drives to reach the main road by noon. During the morning it rained on and off but from 11am it started warming up so that by noon the sky started clearing and temperatures reached the thirties. Notable birds included Scaly-feathered weaver, Red-breasted swallow, lots of Kalahari scrub-robins, White-throated robin-chat, African wattled lapwing, Cinnamon- and Golden-breasted buntings, Willow warbler, Lesser honeyguide and a simply stunning Kori bustard. Two white rhinos and two separate Black-backed jackals made the top of the mammal list along with all the usual antelopes.
After a quick toilet-break at the Pilanesberg Centre, we ticked a few common waterfowl around Mankwe dam but the number of people at the hide scared us off and we turned east to head to Manyane gate. Manyane camp is located just outside the main park fence and we checked into a chalet that we booked for the first time (we’ve camped here once before but all other trips were as day visitors only). I must say that we thought the chalets a monumental rip-off. Yes, it’s neat and clean, but it’s also old and tired and decidedly small. It’s advertised as having a living room, dining area and kitchenette. I guess in their minds, the two chairs squashed into the bedroom constitute the living area, the plastic table and chairs outside is the dining area and a kitchenette is defined as a refrigerator and kettle (no microwave or hotplate, no sink, no utensils, no crockery). Thank goodness we had some leftover pizza we could eat cold for dinner because we can definitely not self-cater with these facilities. Considering I paid a whopping R1,700 for just one night (and this was at a discounted rate through Hotels.com, there normal low-season rate is R1,800).A quick splash of water in the face helped to cool us down before we ventured back into the park. This time we did some of the short loops off the main road (Tilodi, Nkwe) where we added Little grebe, Lilac-breasted roller, Violet-eared waxbill, Red-billed oxpecker and Klaas’s cuckoo. Just before we turned back towards camp at 6pm, we paid a quick visit to the hide at Mankwe dam which now had fewer people around. A few Whiskered terns and Pied kingfishers were sitting on some exposed tree trunks and we also saw Glossy ibis, Common sandpiper and a distant Common greenshank. We reached Manyane camp just before 7pm with a very nice total of 132 birds for the day.
Sunday
With breakfast only being served from 7am, we decided to enter the park as soon as the gates opened (05:30) and drive north to Malatse dam. Just as we turned off the tar road, a leopard walked across the road and we watched in awe as the spotted cat disappeared into the long grass. Along the way we ticked a few common birds and then at Malatse dam, Western cattle egret, Black-headed and Grey herons, Pied kingfisher, Cape wagtail, White-faced whistling duck, Southern boubou, Spur-winged goose and Burchell’s coucal. Back at Manyane, the morning staff were late and so was our breakfast. It was admittedly a fairly decent spread but did not really make up for the overpriced chalet we had. We checked out just before 8am and entered the park again, re-tracing our steps north and then west along the Dithabaneng and Korwe drives and then stopped briefly at the Ratlhogo waterhole. A lone magpie shrike was the first one for the weekend and a few perching pearl-breasted swallows made for some great photo opportunities. Makorwane dam was reached via Tlou drive and produced three new species for the weekend: Striated heron, Pin-tailed whydah and Lesser masked weaver. With the sun approaching noon we decided to have on last-ditch attempt at finding Yellow-throated sandgrouse in the sunflower fields but since they usually only visit early in the morning and sometimes in the evenings, mid-day was going to be a long shot. This proved accurate as the still-damp fields did only yielded a couple of Common buzzards and little else. By 12:30 it was hot and steamy and time to head home.
Conclusion
It was a very pleasant weekend’s birding, ending with a total of 147 species (91 species on Sunday). Although we didn’t see anything majorly special, birds like Kori bustard and Western osprey were great birds to get. The weather was not bad – the early morning rain on Saturday perhaps cost us a few species but it made for very pleasant birding conditions, at least until noon. Our accommodation was adequate but when I think about the amount I forked out for just one night, it really turns my stomach – it is utterly overpriced and I doubt that we’ll stay here again. I’d rather drive an extra hour every day from Rustenburg where there is much better accommodation at much more reasonable prices. The roads in the park also leave a lot to be desired. The main tar roads are horribly potholed and most of the gravel roads show some pretty bad erosion – I doubt any of them have been graded in the last ten years. The entrance fees are actually more expensive than for Kruger National Park – one of the most expensive parks in the country and obviously none of it is ploughed back into maintenance. It’ll probably be a while before we visit again.
Links
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| European bee-eater |
Saturday
In summer, the gates at Pilanesberg open at 05:30. In a half-hearted attempt to get there as early as possible, we left home (Middelburg, Mpumalanga) around 3am and drove just over three hours to get there. Previously we’ve tried looking for Yellow-throated sandgrouse in the sunflower fields about 20km south of the park but this has always been in the late afternoon. Today we decided to try again, this time early in the morning. The weather forecast predicted a partly-cloudy and warm morning with a possibility of thundershowers in the evening. Naturally, when we arrived at the sunflower fields, it was pouring. Despite the rain, there were some birds around: Pied kingfisher, White-throated swallow, Black-chested prinia, Wing-snapping, Desert and Zitting cisticolas, Northern black korhaan and Abdim’s stork being the more interesting ones. Luckily we packed flasks with coffee and hot chocolate so we could enjoy a reasonable breakfast in the car. An hour and a half’s worth of scouring the wet fields did not produce anything that remotely looked like a sandgrouse so just before 8am, we made our way to Bakubung gate just west of Sun City. After entering, we headed north-west, completing the Ntshwe, Kukama, Moloto, Sefara and Tlou drives to reach the main road by noon. During the morning it rained on and off but from 11am it started warming up so that by noon the sky started clearing and temperatures reached the thirties. Notable birds included Scaly-feathered weaver, Red-breasted swallow, lots of Kalahari scrub-robins, White-throated robin-chat, African wattled lapwing, Cinnamon- and Golden-breasted buntings, Willow warbler, Lesser honeyguide and a simply stunning Kori bustard. Two white rhinos and two separate Black-backed jackals made the top of the mammal list along with all the usual antelopes.
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| Terrapin at Ruighoek dam |
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| Lesser grey shrike |
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| Kori bustard |
After a quick toilet-break at the Pilanesberg Centre, we ticked a few common waterfowl around Mankwe dam but the number of people at the hide scared us off and we turned east to head to Manyane gate. Manyane camp is located just outside the main park fence and we checked into a chalet that we booked for the first time (we’ve camped here once before but all other trips were as day visitors only). I must say that we thought the chalets a monumental rip-off. Yes, it’s neat and clean, but it’s also old and tired and decidedly small. It’s advertised as having a living room, dining area and kitchenette. I guess in their minds, the two chairs squashed into the bedroom constitute the living area, the plastic table and chairs outside is the dining area and a kitchenette is defined as a refrigerator and kettle (no microwave or hotplate, no sink, no utensils, no crockery). Thank goodness we had some leftover pizza we could eat cold for dinner because we can definitely not self-cater with these facilities. Considering I paid a whopping R1,700 for just one night (and this was at a discounted rate through Hotels.com, there normal low-season rate is R1,800).A quick splash of water in the face helped to cool us down before we ventured back into the park. This time we did some of the short loops off the main road (Tilodi, Nkwe) where we added Little grebe, Lilac-breasted roller, Violet-eared waxbill, Red-billed oxpecker and Klaas’s cuckoo. Just before we turned back towards camp at 6pm, we paid a quick visit to the hide at Mankwe dam which now had fewer people around. A few Whiskered terns and Pied kingfishers were sitting on some exposed tree trunks and we also saw Glossy ibis, Common sandpiper and a distant Common greenshank. We reached Manyane camp just before 7pm with a very nice total of 132 birds for the day.
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| Red hartebeest |
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| Zebra art |
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| Swainson's spurfowl |
Sunday
With breakfast only being served from 7am, we decided to enter the park as soon as the gates opened (05:30) and drive north to Malatse dam. Just as we turned off the tar road, a leopard walked across the road and we watched in awe as the spotted cat disappeared into the long grass. Along the way we ticked a few common birds and then at Malatse dam, Western cattle egret, Black-headed and Grey herons, Pied kingfisher, Cape wagtail, White-faced whistling duck, Southern boubou, Spur-winged goose and Burchell’s coucal. Back at Manyane, the morning staff were late and so was our breakfast. It was admittedly a fairly decent spread but did not really make up for the overpriced chalet we had. We checked out just before 8am and entered the park again, re-tracing our steps north and then west along the Dithabaneng and Korwe drives and then stopped briefly at the Ratlhogo waterhole. A lone magpie shrike was the first one for the weekend and a few perching pearl-breasted swallows made for some great photo opportunities. Makorwane dam was reached via Tlou drive and produced three new species for the weekend: Striated heron, Pin-tailed whydah and Lesser masked weaver. With the sun approaching noon we decided to have on last-ditch attempt at finding Yellow-throated sandgrouse in the sunflower fields but since they usually only visit early in the morning and sometimes in the evenings, mid-day was going to be a long shot. This proved accurate as the still-damp fields did only yielded a couple of Common buzzards and little else. By 12:30 it was hot and steamy and time to head home.
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| Western osprey |
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| Pied kingfisher |
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| Crimson-breasted shrike |
Conclusion
It was a very pleasant weekend’s birding, ending with a total of 147 species (91 species on Sunday). Although we didn’t see anything majorly special, birds like Kori bustard and Western osprey were great birds to get. The weather was not bad – the early morning rain on Saturday perhaps cost us a few species but it made for very pleasant birding conditions, at least until noon. Our accommodation was adequate but when I think about the amount I forked out for just one night, it really turns my stomach – it is utterly overpriced and I doubt that we’ll stay here again. I’d rather drive an extra hour every day from Rustenburg where there is much better accommodation at much more reasonable prices. The roads in the park also leave a lot to be desired. The main tar roads are horribly potholed and most of the gravel roads show some pretty bad erosion – I doubt any of them have been graded in the last ten years. The entrance fees are actually more expensive than for Kruger National Park – one of the most expensive parks in the country and obviously none of it is ploughed back into maintenance. It’ll probably be a while before we visit again.
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| Sunrise over Malatse dam |
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| Hippos at Ruighoek dam |
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| Lesser striped swallow |
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