Zululand forest birding, Mar 2013

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• List of birds

At 4pm I picked Nicola up from work and we left immediately, driving down first the N11 to Ermelo, getting stuck behind endless numbers of trucks and then onto the N2, past Piet Retief and then south to Paulpietersburg, arriving at our farm accommodation outside Vryheid just after 8pm. We had the old farmhouse all to ourselves and had an easy evening before going to bed.

On Thursday morning we were up before sunrise and headed for Vryheid Hill Nature Reserve. Despite being managed by KZN Ezemvelo, the tracks inside the reserve does not seem to be maintained and on top of the hill it’s so washed away that we eventually had to turn around. But the drive through the forest is nice and apart from Broad-tailed warbler (lifer) calling in the grassland below, we also added Red-fronted tinkerbird, Tambourine dove, Sombre greenbul and African paradise flycatcher. On top of the hill it was cold, windy and misty but we did spot a female Buff-streaked chat before we headed back to town again. The Klipfontein Bird Sanctuary was rather disappointing – very overgrown and the hide locked with no explanation of where to obtain the lock combination. We left Vryheid around 10am and made our way slowly to Melmoth, arriving in Eshowe around lunch time. At Bishop’s Seat inside Dlinza forest we had lunch but spotted nothing until we drove back out and Nicola spotted a Narina trogon, low down in the forest, barely 3 meters from the car. We checked into Dlinza Forest Accommodation, a mere 100m from the Aerial Boardwalk and after taking a bit of a rest, spent the last hour of daylight on the boardwalk picking up Cape batis, Trumpeter hornbill, Cape white-eye and Knysna turacos.

Waking up to thick mist and a chilly wind, we were not very hopeful as we walked back to the Aerial boardwalk but our guide for the morning, Sbu, managed to find a whole bunch of forest birds in the 3 hours we spent with him: Terrestrial brownbul, Chorister and Red-capped robin-chats, Eastern olive sunbird, Scaly-throated honeyguide, Square-tailed drongo, Olive woodpecker, Dark-backed weaver, African goshawk, Red-fronted and Yellow-rumped tinkerbirds and undoubtedly the prize of the day, Spotted ground thrush (lifer for Nicola). Having finished our walk in Dlinza forest we spent another hour at the hide and on the boardwalk before returning to the lodge, picking up lunch and driving out to Entumeni forest. The track into Entumeni was narrow and thickly overgrown; it took some careful driving to reach the picnic spot but it was quiet, secluded and absolutely beautiful. Not feeling like walking much, we just sat around the picnic table and ate lunch and in the process got Yellow-bellied greenbul responding to playback, heard a single Olive bush-shrike call and saw some chattering Collared sunbirds right above our table. Just after 1pm we left again, spotted a lone Red-backed mannikin on the way out before holing up for a rest in the heat of the day. Late afternoon we ventured back onto the boardwalk . Purple-crested turacos were calling raucously and even though a human family with a noisy toddler and baby scared some birds away, we still picked up two Grey cuckooshrikes, Bronze mannikins and a few Cape white-eyes. Back at the Forest Accommodation it was time for dinner and an early night.

It was still dark when we left for Mtunzini and although the sky was clear, a strong wind was still blowing. Sakhamuzi Mhlongo, a Zululand Birding Route guide, was waiting for us at the BP station just outside Mtunzini; we picked him up and he guided us into Ongoye forest where we parked next to the Birding Camp in the eastern section of the forest. This was our first attempt at finding Green barbet. We took a walk down into the forest to where a small stream was running and got good views of Yellow-streaked greenbul, Square-tailed drongo and Collared sunbird but the wind was blowing strongly and made so much noise in the trees that we could not hear any responses to our Green barbet playback. After walking up and down for about half an hour we returned to the car and drove deeper into the forest. The faint track crossed waving grasslands where the car scared up Neddicky,  Croaking and Zitting cisticolas. We parked at the edge of the forest about 3km from where the Birding Camp is and started walking down. Although our Green barbet playback was still unsuccessful, there were plenty of other birds that kept us interested: Black-bellied starling, African paradise flycatcher, Narina trogon and Red-fronted tinkerbird made it onto the list. After walking for almost a kilometer, Sakhamuzi veered off onto a thin trail and a little deeper into the forest. We played the Green barbet call again and then suddenly we all three heard it – a faint response far off. We moved on a little onto a bare granite slab and played the call again – and almost immediately Sakhamuzi saw it fly in – we had it! A single Green barbet was sitting right above us in the tree and we had fantastic views of it as it turned this way and that and eventually called it’s soft chook chook call while we were watching. Nicola even managed to get a few pictures through the binoculars before it flew off. A few other birds also attracted our attention: a Dark-backed weaver made a brief appearance and then a Grey sunbird responded very well to playback. Happy with our success we made our way back to the car and picked up some more forest birds: Grey cuckooshrike, Cape batis and close-ups of Blue-mantled crested flycatcher. On the drive back to Mtunzini we also saw Dusky indigobird and then made a turn at the Umlalazi Nature Reserve where we had brief glimpses of another two lifers we were hoping to get: Palm-nut vulture and Mangrove kingfisher. A nice surprise came in the fly-by of two Broad-billed rollers – a very good record this far south. Just after 12:30 we finally said goodbye to Sakhamuzi who did a great job finding us four lifers for the day. Back in Eshowe it was time for a shower and a rest. Late afternoon we made another call to the boardwalk but the weather has changed: the wind was still blowing strongly but now from the south-west and heavy clouds were racing across the sky. We only stayed for about 10 minutes - it was obvious all the birds were hunkering down for the coming storm, so we followed suit.

It rained during the night and was cool as we packed up at 4am. But a few stars could be seen and it looked like we'd still have a last rain-free birding day. We headed for the N2 and then drove north to reach Bonamanzi Game Park just after 6am. We were hoping to get Lemon-breasted canary and if we we re able to get onto the Hluhluwe flood plain, Rosy-throated longclaw as well. Driving to Lalapanzi camp we heard Bearded scrub-robin, Yellow-bellied and Sombre greenbuls, Terrestrial brownbul and our first Gorgeous bush-shrike for the year. At Lalapanzi we learned that access to the Hluhluwe flood plain is only through a booking and costs R500 per person so we left the longclaw for next time. We had breakfast at one of the hides but this produced few birds and we soon left to drive the rest of the park. Approaching our turn-around time, we heard a strange call that left us baffled. Parking the car, we slowly walked towards the call, close to one of the isolated chalets. Whatever it was stopped calling when we got near but as I searched beyond the chalet I suddenly saw a medium-sized bird of prey take flight from a perch. It was obviously where the call came from and at least now we had an idea of what it could've been. Back in the car we played all the raptor calls and then suddenly we got it - it was a Southern banded snake-eagle! This was quite a surprise lifer and we had to listen to the playback several times to confirm the ID. Happy with a lifer, we left the reserve but just before we crossed the train tracks to get back to the highway, Nicola spotted a longclaw among some Crowned lapwings. Although it was just a Yellow-throated longclaw, we haven't seen this species in almost 3 years and Nicola made another discovery: a whole flock of Lemon-breasted canary feeding in longish grass next to the longclaw and lapwings! Fantastic! Vowing to return to Bonamanzi later in the year, we settled on the long drive home, getting back without incident at 4pm.

Flock at Sea 2013 cruise and arid north west birding, Mar 2013

Links

• List of birds for the trip

Total birds for the trip: 214
Nicola lifers: 31
Pieter lifers: 29

After work on the 27th, we started the long drive through the night to Beaufort West. We took turns driving and consumed lots of coke and lollipops to keep awake. We had folded the back seats down and set up our hiking mattresses and pillows, so that the non-driver could get some shut-eye. This set-up worked quite well, and by 3 the next morning we were in Beaufort. We pulled up at a truck stop to sleep the rest of the night, and apart from Nicola screaming in her sleep from a nightmare, the night passed uneventfully. We woke up at 6am and got ourselves tea and coffee from a garage shop. We headed off to Karoo National Park to try and pick up our first lifers for the trip. What a beautiful park, lonely and desolate, and largely untouched by man. We thoroughly enjoyed our time there and ticked off four of the six birds we were hoping to find here: Karoo lark, Karoo long-billed lark, Sickle-winged chat and Southern tchagra, dipping on Karoo eremomela and Cinnamon-breasted warbler. In the early afternoon we headed for our guesthouse, checked in and got an early night.

Another early morning start as we headed towards Cape Town where our ship was waiting. We picked up a few birds along the way, the most exciting being a Black harrier. We arrived at Cape Town harbour and started the daunting process of checking in our luggage (first long queue), and then getting ourselves into some underground concrete basement of the dockyard (second long queue) where we had to wait for checking in. Finally we boarded the MSC Opera and then had a third queue (thankfully shorter) for immigration. Finally free to roam, we navigated the endless decks of glitz and glam and found our cabin, dropped off our hand luggage, and then went back out into the world of money to find some food. And find it we did: there was a cafeteria, a pizza parlour, a burger and chips place, two restaurants, a morning croissant service, an ice-cream cart and in case you were lazy – room service. There were endless amounts of free food available 24/7 but as we soon discovered, of a low quality. Everything was edible, but only a handful of dishes were actually worth the effort of eating. After lunch we went exploring and found the ships duty free shopping court, library, gym and ridiculously expensive spa. Returning to our cabin, we unpacked and then made our way onto the top deck where we all waved madly as the eTV helicopter circled overhead taking pictures of us for the Saturday evening news. We were standing behind the Sea of the “Save our Sea birds!” sign held up by volunteers. After waving the helicopter goodbye, we turned our attention to the sea and saw a few cormorants, gulls and terns as we left the harbour, along with some dolphins cavorting in the waves. In the late afternoon we attended a good talk on how to ID pelagic birds, swallowed some sea-sickness tablets and then off to dinner and bed.

Our first full day at sea! We spent a few hours on the top deck and picked up our first pelagic lifer: Shy albatross; but most of our time was spent running back and forth, following the bird guides directions over the 2-way radios to try and catch a sight of the latest bird to fly over. We soon realized this was a fools game as the ship had to keep moving and most birds were only visible for a few seconds. After lunch we found the best spot to watch – from the double tier of balconies on the very prow of the ship. However a good proportion of the 1000+ birders on board were crammed into this space so you had to wait impatiently until a gap opened up, grab it and then you dare not leave it! But the discomfort was worth it as we picked up lifer after lifer and by the end of the day we had seen Atlantic yellow-nosed and Black-browed albatrosses, Leach’s, Wilson’s and European storm-petrels, Sabine’s gull, White-chinned and Great-winged petrels, Cory’s and Sooty shearwaters and Long-tailed and Parasitic jaegars. We went to bed satisfied with a good day’s birding.

A bank of fog covered our approach to Walvis Bay at 7am. We had breakfast already by 06:30 and were eagerly looking for new birds as we entered the harbour. Soon we realized that a long queue of people will want to disembark so at 07:15 we joined it about 10m from the front. We docked late and only about an hour and 15 minutes after we joined the queue were we able to leave the ship. To our dismay we discovered that we were not waiting for only 3 other people as per our tour instructions. There were two large vehicles, each holding ten people and we would not leave before both vehicles were full. As there were only 2 Namibian immigration officials, the waiting turned into an ordeal and it took until just before 11:30 for our two vehicles to fill up – THREE HOURS to disembark the ship! At last all of our group made it off. We were all very disappointed with the loss of time but with Geoff Lockwood as our guide, we were still very hopeful to find Gray’s lark as we headed north to Swakopmund. On the salt road opposite the salt works we stopped for a beautifully perched pale form Tractrac chat and ended up walking for a good half hour across the stony plains, searching this ideal habitat of Gray’s lark. Unsuccessful, we returned to the vehicles and soon heard news from another group who found the larks a bit closer to the salt works. Off we went and we had barely stopped the car in a spot that looked ideal when I spotted two little birds fluttering on the ground beside us. And there they were – two exceptionally well camouflaged Gray’s larks. We soon spotted a third, fourth and fifth lark and then everyone tried to get a few good close-ups. With our aim achieved we had a fair bit of time to drive around the edge of the salt works' pans and apart from common birds like Curlew sandpipers, Sanderlings, Black-winged stilts, Greater and Lesser flamingoes, we had far-off views of Chestnut-banded plover (lifer) and Common redshank (Southern African lifer) and fantastic sightings of Damara tern (lifer). Strangely, a lone Common whimbrel was walking around the gravelly desert as we got back on the road and headed back to Walvis Bay. Getting back on the ship was less of a pain and within half an hour we were back on the front deck as the ship sailed out of Walvis Bay harbour, hoping to connect with Black terns that were spotted earlier in the morning. We dipped on the Black tern, but as the sun set on a cloudy sky, we still picked up three more lifers: Pomarine jaeger, Subantarctic skua and Arctic tern. Another fantastic birding day despite the time lost in the morning.

Monday dawned very foggy and me (Pieter) feeling a little uneasy on the legs. It seemed the ship was trying to catch up on lost time too as we were cruising at quite a pace and even over the relatively smooth surface, it was pitching and rolling like a (excuse the pun) drunken sailor. Luckily I wasn’t nauseous and found that if I lay down and kept my head still it was all right. So we used this as an excuse to relax and not worry too much about birding (it turned out we didn’t have to feel very guilty as nothing new was spotted during the day). The ship’s TV was a lost cause but luckily we had plenty to watch on the computer and had a nice easy day. Our suitcases had to be packed and ready before we went to bed as these had to be placed outside the cabin before midnight. With this chore complete, we were off to bed, looking forward to the rest of our trip.

Oh, the waiting. Rushing off to breakfast at 6am to get ready early to disembark proved pointless. A bank of fog in Table Bay made for some very pretty sunrise pictures but probably also caused us to dock more than an hour late. At least we were expecting more immigration officials than we had in Walvis Bay and we did actually manage to get off the ship by about 10:15. Finding our suitcase was easy and then it was a quick rush to get to the car and out of Cape Town, heading north towards West Coast National Park. Stopping only for a few quick views of some Rock kestrels, we were soon in West Coast NP and drove up to the first Geelbek hide. The tide was still high and only flamingoes were wallowing in the deep water. But the tide was on its way out so we decided on a seafood lunch at our wedding venue (Geelbek restaurant) and I had the first palatable coffee in five days. After lunch the hides were in great condition and most of the common species turned up: Eurasian curlews, Sanderlings, Curlew sandpipers, Grey plovers, Black-winged stilts, Ruddy turnstones, Common, Kittlitz’s and White-fronted plovers. Alas, no rarities were around and after a good hour’s birding from the hide, we headed back out making a quick stop at Seeberg hide as well. Just as we entered Langebaan we spotted two female Southern black korhaans on a bright green lawn – a bit of an oddity as they're usually well hidden in tall brown grass. We checked into our friendly B&B, bought some dinner and got an early night.

The rising sun caught us driving towards Velddrif. The tide was out and at the estuary hide we were able to spot a number of birds but most were far out on the sandbanks. Around Cerebos salt works we added a few more birds but nothing new. After another quick turn at the estuary hide, we drove up past Rocher pan towards Verlorenvlei , Graafwater and eventually Clanwilliam. It was getting hot but a nice picnic spot in Pakhuis pass was a perfect spot for lunch. Beyond Pakhuis pass the Cederberg has burnt badly and it was a long and dry drive up towards Calvinia. It was late in the day and we were hot – we only cared for dinner and bed.

Before sunrise we left our guesthouse to get some early morning birding at Akkerendam Nature Reserve. Unfortunately we discovered the reserve only opens at 8am. We drove back through town onto the dirt road towards Ceres and picked up a few common birds along the side, before returning to Akkerendam just after 8am. We had high hopes for Cinnamon-breasted warbler and Karoo eremomela and drove first to the picnic site and then to the dam itself. The dam had a fair number of waterbirds, most notably a single Great crested grebe but even after a walk around the dam, we again dipped on both our target birds. Leaving a little earlier than planned, we took a slow drive up towards Brandvlei. Unfortunately there were so many Stop/Go road works on the way that we couldn’t stop at all the good spots to wait and look for Sclater’s lark and we ended up arriving in Brandvlei early. We visited some of the closer spots recommended in SA Birdfinder but did not find anything of note. Back in Brandvlei we bought a few nice lamb chops and then drove out to our accommodation at Oom Benna’s. We had the entire self-catering house to ourselves and after we rested a little in the heat of the afternoon we took a slow drive on some of the farm roads; alas no new birds seen. Then, as we started our braai and darkness started to settle, we saw shapes flying around and dropping down to the ground outside the house. I suspected these might be nightjars and Nicola quickly got out the spotlight. When another one dropped to the ground about 3m from us, Nicola had the spotlight ready and I the binoculars. And there we had it – Rufous-cheeked nightjar!

Early on Friday morning we left our Oom Benna’s and went looking for our target birds as per the guidance of SA Birdfinder. The desert air was still cool in the morning but it promised to be another hot day. Early on we picked up a few common birds but after reaching our third recommended spot for the day, Nicola spotted something moving along the reddish gravel next to the road. We started getting excited as we eliminated other possible larks and after about 5 minutes’ diligent work we had our first lifer for the day – Red lark! Another birding couple arrived soon after and together we spent some time at a farmer’s water trough, waiting for Sclater’s lark. But all that came were Lark-like buntings, Grey-backed sparrowlark and Yellow canaries. We also tried the second and third water troughs on the recommended route but added nothing spectacular. Marginally disappointed we took an uncharted farm road heading north back towards the R27 and after only 10 minutes we stopped to look at something moving around the grasses about 10m off the road. This turned into another female Yellow canary but as Nicola was looking at it she spotted something black perched inconspicuously on a bush. A closer look revealed our second lifer for the day – Black-eared sparrowlark, a very elusive and tricky bird to find; we were ecstatic! And not five minutes later we got a third when I spotted movement on some whitish gravel and we got excellent views of our first Stark’s lark. With an unprecedented 3 lifers in the day, we were very happy and made our way back on to the R27 and headed up towards Upington. Just before Kenhardt some lapwing-like birds flew past just in front of the car and landed just off the verge. Immediately realizing it must be coursers, I screeched to a halt and started reversing when a third bird landed about 15 metres in front of us. Jerking the binoculars up before it flew off I yelped when I realized it was our FOURTH for the day – Burchell’s courser! After managing to get a few pictures of the single bird, we carried on through some more frustrating roadworks, eventually arriving in Upington around 4pm. We checked into our guesthouse with welcome air-conditioning, bought some food and settled for the night.

With the holiday approaching its end, we were still hopeful for some new birds but an early morning trip to Spitskop Game Reserve outside Upington held nothing new although there were plenty of Capped wheatears, Northern black korhaans, Chat flycatchers and even a lone Ludwig’s bustard. We had a long drive for the day so before 11am we headed for the N14 and drove to Delareyville where we spent our last night. On Sunday morning we had a chilly and windy morning at Barberspan Bird Sanctuary that, although it didn’t produce any new birds, really was in prime birding condition and we added Kori bustard, Chestnut-backed sparrowlark, Willow warbler, White-fronted, Kittlitz and Common ringed plovers, Common greenshank, Ruff, lots of Rock kestrels, calling Zitting and Desert cisticolas, Grey, Black, Goliath and Squacco herons, SA shelduck, Cape teal, Yellow-billed stork and African spoonbill plus a whole bunch of other common birds. However, with still another 450km to drive, we left at 10am, patiently waited at some more roadworks and eventually arrived home around 4pm.

Birding-wise a really fantastic holiday. It’s getting harder and harder picking up lifers and although we expected to get some pelagic birds, getting 16 pelagics plus another 13 terrestrials (15 for Nicola) exceeded our expectations significantly. The Flock at Sea cruise was amazing to experience. The guides were fantastic on the ship and on shore and the one talk we did attend was excellent. However, the boat itself failed to impress and I think it’s unlikely we’ll get on a luxury cruise ship again.

Australia & New Zealand, birding & hiking, Dec 2012

Links

• List of Birds

15 Dec 2012, Leaving SA (Nicola)
Birds for the day: 32
Lifers for the day: 0
Birds for the trip: 32
Bird of the day: Purple indigobird

The morning started with a late breakfast at our guest house, before we headed off for a few hours birding at Schurveberg. Due to the late start, we only picked up 32 birds, but a Purple indigobird, a new one for the year, was a nice surprise. We then went to visit our friends Jaco and Liezel to give their daughter Maaike her birthday present. Maaike and I share a birthday, although separated by 28 years! Then the drive to the airport, where my dad dropped us off. My cunning plan of ensuring the air hostesses knew it was my birthday did not bear fruit, as not only were we not bumped up to first class, we were seated on opposite sides of the plane. Luckily we managed to swap a seat with a very nice lady, and managed to sit next to each other after all. After waiting an hour at the gate for our plane, we were starved by the time dinner was served. After dinner we made use of the on board entertainment and I watched several episodes of Grand Designs before getting some shut-eye.

16 Dec 2012, Landing in Sydney and driving to Charlestown (Nicola)
Birds for the day: 9
Lifers for the day: 8
Birds for the trip: 41
Lifers for the trip: 8
Bird of the day: Rainbow lorikeet

We landed at around 3pm Ozzie time, and somewhat nervously approached customs, expecting that our bags would be emptied piece by piece, and that our leather shoes would be removed and sterilized. While we were not expecting them to be confiscated, we did not relish the time it would take. However it seems we looked innocent since we were just waved through after a verbal explanation of the contents of our bags. We picked up our rental car and started the drive up to Charlestown. Although we were paying more attention to the road map and the GPS directions, we did manage to take in some of our surroundings. Sydney felt very much like Cape Town, the beaches and vegetation, the same easygoing lifestyle. Although it was hard to recondition our thinking and accept that Wattles and Eucalypts are indigenous and supposed to be there! Although we spent most of the time concentrating on driving, we did manage to ID some birds as we whizzed by: Sulphur-crested cockatoo and Australian ibis. We arrived in Charlestown and checked into our very comfortable apartment and added a few more birds from the park opposite: Australian magpie, Rainbow lorikeet, Noisy miner (as ugly and noisy as the mynas we know) and Pied currawong. We did some grocery shopping for the next day and were gobsmacked at the self check-out-and-pay facility.

17 Dec 2012, Driving from Charlestown to Coffs Harbour (Nicola)
Birds for the day: 32
Lifers for the day: 22
Birds for the trip: 66
Lifers for the trip: 30
Bird of the day: Rufous fantail

Jet lag meant that we were both awake at 2 in the morning, so we watched some TV until it was light. We packed up and took a slow drive to Glenrock State Park, where we took a 5km walk to the lagoon. Although not being crowded with birds, we saw several very nice species, and notched up lifers left and right. The most interesting birds were Grey butcherbird, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Laughing kookaburra, Lewin’s honeyeater, Australian brush turkey and a Rufous fantail on it’s nest, with two hatchlings inside! We then started the long drive to Coff’s Harbour, where we managed to add a few more specials like Australian figbird and Galah, before settling in for the night with fish and chips sourced from the local fishing boats. Our early night was partly due to the need to sleep off jet lag, and partly due to a late afternoon thunderstorm that prevented a walk around town.

18 Dec 2012, Dorrigo National Park (Pieter)
Birds for the day: 69
Lifers for the day: 41
Birds for the trip: 113
Lifers for the trip: 71
Bird of the day: Regent bowerbird

At 04:30 we were up and packing, leaving our apartment just before 05:30. Before entering the Pacific Highway to Dorrigo we stopped at a pair of small dams at the Education Campus and picked up two lifers: Willie wagtail and Australian wood duck. In Fernmount, another small dam produced a third lifer for the day: White-necked heron. Mist enshrouded the mountains as we climbed higher towards Dorrigo and when we topped out on the plateau it was cool and overcast. Nicola spotted something on the side of the road and as I balked at stopping at an awkward site, a Buff-banded rail walked out of the grass! And just two minutes later, a very aptly named Superb fairywren sat still for a picture! Shortly after 7am we parked at Dorrigo Rainforest Centre, spotted our first kangaroo and walked out on the Skywalk. Mist and bird calls swirled around us and it was terribly frustrating not knowing all these new and wonderful calls. But luckily many birds did show themselves and the IDs were not terribly difficult: Eastern yellow robin, Eastern whipbird, Yellow-throated scrubwren, Eastern spinebill, Grey fantail and a few others. At the end of the Skywalk we stayed for almost an hour picking up several more, but surely the highlight of the day – two male Regent bowerbirds perched on a branch about 30m away! Strange meowing calls threw us for a while as the birds were hidden very well but when finally I spotted one and we got the ID from the book, we were surprised we didn’t get it earlier – it was a bunch of Catbirds! The 6km Wonga Walk in the rain forest produced fewer birds but lots of leeches and standing still for longer than 30 seconds (really!) proved a bad idea. Highlights on the trail were Brown cuckoo dove, Australian logrunner, Black-faced monarch and Horsfield’s bronze cuckoo. Arriving back at the Centre well after noon, we sat at a picnic table for lunch and were surprised when a female Satin bowerbird briefly sat down on another table, not 5m from us. A drive down to the Never-never picnic site added a few more lifers: Australia’s only pipit, Little black and Little pied cormorants, Red-browed finch and Australasian grebe. Back in Coff’s Harbour in the late afternoon we spent some time in the harbour and lagoon area and picked up Dollarbird, Little tern, Pied oystercatcher, White-breasted woodswallow and a trio of Yellow-tailed black cockatoos.

19 Dec 2012, Driving to Lamington National Park (Pieter)
Birds for the day: 52
Lifers for the day: 11
Birds for the trip: 125
Lifers for the trip: 82
Bird of the day: Rose-crowned fruit-dove

A very humid morning greeted us as we drove out to Coff’s Harbour lagoon before breakfast. A very familiar and welcome call greeted us as we drove: Eastern koel! The lagoon was surprisingly quiet but apart from the regular birds we picked up one new bird: Black-chinned honeyeater. We returned to our apartment for breakfast and after packing up and checking out, made a quick turn by the Education Campus dams, adding Australian darter, Hardhead, Pheasant coucal and White-winged triller. At the Botanic Gardens, White-throated needletails joined some Welcome swallows overhead but the “lakes” area of the gardens was very disappointing and no new water birds were seen. However, two other very nice additions were Scaly-breasted lorikeets and Rose-crowned fruit dove. Drizzle turning into slightly harder rain drove us out of the gardens just after 10am and we settled in for the long drive north to Queensland. Endless road works forced me to concentrate fiercely on the road and Nicola slept most of the way so no birds were logged until we reached Beechmont. The oppressing heat and humidity finally relented as we climbed up the mountains and topped out in the beautiful agricultural villages surrounding Lamington. We soon found our accommodation just before the turnoff to Binna Burra and our hosts, Jenny and Barry welcomed us warmly. After settling in we took a quick drive down to Canungra to buy food and then spent the rest of the early evening relaxing.

20 Dec 2012, Lamington National Park (Pieter)
Birds for the day: 41
Lifers for the day: 9
Birds for the trip: 134
Lifers for the trip: 91
Bird of the day: Paradise riflebird

Just before 6am we left our Beechmont accommodation for the Binna Burra section of Lamington NP. Our first lifer for the day was a Torresian crow, and before we reached the park proper we also saw Pied currawong, Australian figbird, Rainbow lorikeet and Pheasant coucal. As we entered the rainforest, Superb fairywrens and Eastern yellow robins were seen frequently, Eastern whipbirds were calling non-stop and another new bird for us, Wonga pigeon, sat beautifully in a tree a few metres away. We stopped briefly at the information centre and this turned out to be a good thing as a female Paradise riflebird sat still only long enough for a good ID. At the mountain lodge we parked and walked first the Bellbird lookout track and then the Rainforest Circuit. As expected in the rainforest, it was difficult to add new birds, especially since we’ve already seen so many of them at Dorrigo. Australian king parrots and Crimson rosellas were common, Wompoo fruit doves were calling regularly and a few of the smaller jobs like Large-billed, Yellow-browed and White-browed scrubwrens had us paging through the field guide constantly. We had fantastic views of a male Satin bowerbird and Spectacled monarchs (another lifer). After lunch we drove through Canungra to the Greenmountains section of the park and picked up our last lifer for the day, Noisy friarbird, just outside the town. The long twisty drive up to O’Reilly’s is beautiful and after we saw the fantastic Tree Top boardwalk, we decided to come back very early tomorrow morning. On the way back it started raining and back in Beechmont it rained hard for quite some time while we cooked succulent lamb chops on the barbecue.

21 Dec 2012, Lamington National Park (Pieter)
Birds for the day: 41
Lifers for the day: 3
Birds for the trip: 138
Lifers for the trip: 94
Bird of the day: Albert's lyrebird

Up at 04:30 and on the road by 5, reaching O’Reilly’s around 06:30. It was very quiet and everyone seemed to still be in bed. Crimson rosellas and Australian king parrots were already looking for something to eat in the bird feeding enclosure and Eastern whipbirds and Green catbirds were calling constantly from the forest. We packed some breakfast and quietly walked towards the Tree Top boardwalk. And then, just at the entrance to the walk, a pheasant-sized bird casually strolled on the path, picking up bits and pieces to eat. It took me a few seconds to realize we were looking at a female Albert’s lyrebird! The BIG one! Nicola even managed to get a few blurry pictures (the light was terrible) before it moved on. At the top of the Tree Top walk we climbed the two platforms into the canopy of the forest, 30 metres above the floor. It’s a magnificent view and it would not have surprised us to hear David Attenborough’s voice narrating in the background. Unfortunately the platforms were very small and one could barely sit down so we scooted back to the boardwalk and sat down for breakfast on a bench at the end of it. A few other common birds were also seen, including Brown gerygone, Australian logrunner, Bassian thrush and Rufous fantail. Nicola spotted something that might have been a Noisy pitta but it disappeared so quick and we never saw it again so we still have to open our account for the pitta family. We spent a good 4 hours in the rainforest before returning to O’Reilly’s where a Mistletoebird rounded up our lifers for the day. We then bought some seed from the café and had a very entertaining 30 minutes feeding the Crimson rosellas and Australian king parrots. It was only noon now but dark clouds were building up so we decided to try something else. As we drove down the mountain it started to rain but eased up a little by the time we reached our destination: Tambourine Mountain. Watching a male Satin bowerbird while eating lunch at a small picnic site, we decided to have a look at the glow worm caves. This artificial cave was constructed purely for the conservation of glow worms that are apparently fast disappearing from their natural environments. It was a fascinating half an hour in the “cave” watching the glow worms create silken threads used to catch insect prey and 5000+ little lights creating a starry pattern on the roof and walls. After a quick cup of tea and coffee we were back on our way home for our last night in Australia before heading for New Zealand.

22 Dec 2012, Leaving Aus (Nicola)
Birds for the day: 25
Lifers for the day: 3
Birds for the trip: 142
Lifers for the trip: 97
Bird of the day: Sacred kingfisher

We got up bright and early to try and get to Brisbane with enough time to be able to do some birding at Boondall Wetland Sanctuary. We picked up a few birds en route, with the most exciting being a Magpie Goose that was flying over on one of our pit stops. We arrived at the sanctuary to be greeted by a swarm of mosquitoes. We rapidly unpacked our bags to find the repellant, slathered ourselves and set off. We followed one of the short circular routes, and the mosquitoes followed us. We walked rather quickly to try and stay ahead of the vampires, but every stop for a bird meant they caught up, and since our exposed flesh was repellant, they simply bit us through our clothing. We reached the hide only to find it was high tide and there were no sandbanks for all the waders we were hoping to see. Since the mozzies were a real menace by then, we gave up and headed back to the car. Although the outing was largely a bust, we did pick up two lifers – Sacred kingfisher and the Pale-headed rosella. We arrived at the airport early, too early to check in, so spent a few hours at a coffee shop before leaving for the next stage of our trip – New Zealand! The flight across was uneventful and we arrived in Christchurch around 11pm. The customs procedure was a little more comprehensive than in Sydney but we were still through without any hitches in about 10 minutes, picked up our rental car and drove through to our B&B where we flunked out quickly for the night.

23 Dec 2012, Christchurch to Fairlie (Pieter)
Birds for the day: 22
Lifers for the day: 11
Birds for the trip: 158
Lifers for the trip: 108
Bird of the day: Variable oystercatcher

Despite the late night, I shoved us out of bed before 6am for a quick look at Travis wetland before breakfast. At Travis we picked up our first New Zealand lifers with Grey teals and Paradise shelducks. Just after 7am we had breakfast at the B&B followed by a quick shower before checking out and heading back to Travis. A 3.5km walk took us right around the beautiful wetland and we added Silvereyes, Grey gerygone, Black swan, New Zealand scaup, Swamp harrier, and a few other introduced species. A drive past various points around the estuary potted both South Island pied and Variable oystercatchers as well as Bar-tailed godwit. We took a road that lead up into the mountains south of Christchurch and in the grassy heath we saw Goldfinches, Greenfinches and Yellowhammers. Beautiful scenery from the top of the hill had us snapping away but soon we drove back into town to do some shopping. We stopped at Hagley park, saw our first Black-billed gulls and then snoozed a little in the car while waiting for Darrell and Liza. And then the bad news came: Darrell and Liza were diverted to Auckland – too much fog in Wellington to land. This could seriously impact our entire holiday if Darrell and Liza can’t make it to Christchurch. After lots of waiting and calls to and fro, Nicola and I eventually left to go pick up our station wagon rental at the airport while Darrell and Liza still tried to get down to the South Island. Around 6pm Darrell let us know that he may be able to get tickets down to Queenstown so we could maybe drive through to Fairlie, sleep the night, then drive through to Queenstown the next day and pick them up from the airport. Another hour later we had confirmation that we should start driving to Fairlie and we set off. It was already 7pm but with the sun only setting after 9pm, and the roads south of Christchurch nice and quiet, it was a pleasant drive, arriving around 21:30 in Fairlie. The motel accommodation was perfectly adequate and soon after we checked in, Darrell confirmed that they got a flight through to Queenstown for the next day – our plans were back on track!

24 Dec 2012, Fairlie to Glenorchy (Pieter)
Birds for the day: 25
Lifers for the day: 2
Birds for the trip: 162
Lifers for the trip: 110
Bird of the day: Double-banded plover

An early start got us excellent scenery on quiet roads as we drove west towards Twizel and then south towards Queenstown. We stopped several times to gawk at the snowy peaks reflecting in perfect lakes and even added a lifer: Double-banded plover. In some agricultural fields we saw a bizarre spectacle: South Island pied oystercatchers and Black-fronted terns poking and quartering around the grassy fields. Just after 11am we made it to Queenstown and waited a short while before, thankfully, Darrell and Liza arrived. After picking up our permits for Routeburn track, we drove up to Glenorchy and checked into our hotel for the night and then back to Queenstown to buy food and sort out our transport arrangements for the next day. Back in Glenorchy around 7pm, we had some dinner, packed our bags and went off to bed.

25 Dec 2012, Routeburn track Day 1 (Pieter)
Birds for the day: 16
Lifers for the day: 4
Birds for the trip: 166
Lifers for the trip: 114
Bird of the day: Mohua (Yellowhead)

We started the day with a cold breakfast of muesli, yoghurt and fruit and left the hotel just after 7am. It was a pretty drive across the terminal moraine but after we parked the car at the trailhead, the sandflies attacked in force so the insect repellant was pulled out first thing. Just after 8am we started the famous Routeburn track. Across a stream and then through beautiful old red beech forest we walked, quickly adding two lifers: New Zealand robin and Rifleman. We regularly stopped to take pictures, especially where openings in the forest lent us views of the nearby snow-capped peaks. Our bird of the day was easily the Mohua that came to sit less than two metres above my head, just before the gentle path reached a hanging valley floor. The Routeburn river streamed crystal clear across the grass and rocks and since we made excellent progress, we sat down for a long tea break about 5 minutes from Routeburn Flats hut. Another New Zealand robin came looking for food and we all got a few close-up pictures. Then the slog started: trudging uphill to gain about 250m to Routeburn Falls hut. Stopping several times to catch our breaths and gawk at the scenery, we reached the hut shortly before 1am and gratefully rested our feet while having lunch. The hut was huge: there were 48 sleeping bunks, a common room, toilets, ranger’s hut and another set of luxury huts for the guided walkers. And from the deck of the hut we had the most unbelievable view down the Routeburn valley and to the top of a few 2000m peaks. For the rest of the long afternoon we dozed a little, took gentle walks around the hut and watched the scores of people coming in off the day’s hike. Around 18:30 we had a sandwich dinner and then joined all the other hikers in the common room for a “hut talk” with the ranger. After 8pm we headed for bed.

26 Dec 2012, Routeburn track Day 2 (Pieter)
Birds for the day: 16
Lifers for the day: 4
Birds for the trip: 166
Lifers for the trip: 116
Bird of the day: Kea

Still feeling a little stiff from the previous day’s climb, we started slowly up the hill at 07:30. We were among the first people leaving Routeburn Falls hut and the morning air was still and cool. There were quite a bit of cloud around and rain was forecasted for the day, but we were still able to hike in shorts and T-shirts. The path ascended in a series of small terraces, allowing us a short reprieve after each incline. Not far above Routeburn falls, we heard a screeching noise and we managed to get a quick glimpse of the Kea that flew past, on its way to the hut to ransack boots and backpacks. Climbing higher, beautiful views opened up and when we reached Lake Harris, we had to stop several times for pictures. We reached the Harris Saddle about 2 hours after we started. We took a quick rest in the small shelter and made up our minds: Nicola and Liza were going to carry on walking towards Lake MacKenzie hut while Darrrell and I climbed Conical Hill. Darrell and I left our packs in the shelter and started climbing slowly towards the summit. Darrell reached the top in about 40 minutes and I followed about 10 minutes later and we spent a good 15 minutes taking pictures and reminiscing about previous summits reached. This was certainly one of the most beautiful! Then it was downhill back to the shelter and off towards Lake MacKenzie to try and catch the girls, who now had an hour and a half head start. With me struggling with sore feet, Darrell soon took the lead and we each hiked at our own pace, traversing the steep slopes above the Hollyford valley. It was hard walking: the path rarely had flat sections and the continuous up and down slowed me down badly. But the magnificent views made up for it and I felt privileged to finally see the Southern Alps. Finally, after about two hours walking and an annoyingly long uphill, I reached a saddle and looked down onto Lake MacKenzie. It was a steep descent down into the valley and when I reached the treeline, my feet were hurting badly. At last reaching the hut, I eased off my shoes and had a late lunch before settling into our bunks for a bit of a rest. Later in the afternoon, Nicola and I took a walk to see the Tomtits that Nicola and Liza saw on the way down. Another sandwich dinner was followed by a hut talk by the ranger and then it was off to bed.

27 Dec 2012, Routeburn track Day 3 (Pieter)
Birds for the day: 29
Lifers for the day: 4
Birds for the trip: 175
Lifers for the trip: 120
Bird of the day: Tui

Once again we were among the first people to leave the hut. This time it was quite cold and all of us had jackets on as we started on the trail. First taking us into some silver beech forest, the path then ascended up and across the slopes through the forest, crossing a number of beautiful streams and waterfalls including the 176m Earland waterfall. By the time we reached the gentle path leading down to Howden hut, I was hurting badly and at the hut I had to take off my boots and massage my feet. At least it was nice and sunny and we thawed well after the cold walk in the mountain shadows. After a 20 minute rest, my feet felt better and we started our last climb of the Routeburn track. Fifteen minutes later we reached the top and from here it was about 3km of downhill all the way to The Divide. I reached the car park first and happily saw our rental car left by Trackhopper who drove it around from Glenorchy. The other three were soon there and after a few “After” pictures, we packed the car and drove to Te Anau for a picnic lunch of roast chicken and coke. At the Mirror Lakes we stopped for a few pictures but a stiff breeze destroyed the image – however, our first Tui were seen foraging among the flowers around the edge of the lakes. We made another stop at a wetland but didn’t add any new birds here. Finally we reached Invercargill at 6pm and were greeted warmly by our hosts at Bushy Point Fernbirds Homestay B&B. They had a birdfeeder at one of their bay windows and within 2 minutes we got fantastic close-up views of both Tui and Bellbird (another lifer)! After a cup of tea and chocolate, we all had an incredibly welcome shower and then Darrell and Liza generously took us out to dinner at the Cabbage Tree, a wonderful local restaurant with great food. Although we only got back at 9pm, there was still a bit of light left and dropping Darrell and Liza off at the B&B, Nicola and I made a quick turn at Sandy Point reserve. Unfortunately the light was fading fast and we saw nothing new but thought it was a worth a visit the next morning.

28 Dec 2012, Invercargill to The Catlins (Pieter)
Birds for the day: 22
Lifers for the day: 4
Birds for the trip: 179
Lifers for the trip: 124
Bird of the day: Royal spoonbill

With Darrell picking up a bit of a cold and staying in, Nicola and I had a quick cup of coffee at 6am before Jenny took us on a walk around Bushy Point, there own private reserve. Rubbing a piece of polystyrene on a glass jar, she managed to call a few inquisitive Grey fantails. Out in the grassy rushes, prime Fernbird habitat, Jenny began whistling and Nicola soon took over the job - amazingly the Fernbirds were so curious about us that they would scamper through the rushes up to less than a metre from us! But their habit of staying well within the grasses made seeing and photographing them almost impossible. During our hour long walk we spotted perhaps 8 individuals and did manage to get a few pictures of these curious little birds. At 07:30 we were back and had breakfast with Darrell and Liza before packing up and heading off to Sandy Point. Here we drove around slowly picking up several common birds but also two lifers: Hedge accentor (Dunnock) and in the estuary at Daffodil bay, Royal spoonbill. Around 10am we started making our way towards the Catlins, stopping at Curio Bay's petrified forest where we saw a Yellow-eyed penguin in a the far distance. We reached our motel-style accommodation at McLean Falls holiday park in the early afternoon and decided to have a rest. Later, while Darrell (still feeling sick) stayed in, Nicola, Liza and I drove to Papatowai to buy food for dinner. We were all still a bit stiff and sore after the hike and after dinner went off to an early night.

29 Dec 2012, The Catlins (Pieter)
Birds for the day: 30
Lifers for the day: 2
Birds for the trip: 181
Lifers for the trip: 126
Bird of the day: White-fronted tern

There are quite a few things we all wanted to do around The Catlins so soon after breakfast we headed out to a lookout point just outside Papatowai. An information board provided some interesting history about the area and included a beautiful poem by a bush tramway builder, Frank Ward. At Cathedral Caves we parked and walked down to the beach for about 20 minutes to walk around the interconnected caves in the shore cliffs, covered by high tide. Unfortunately there were throngs of people so we only stayed long enough for a few pics and then headed off to Tautuku estuary, Lake Wilkie, Purakaunui falls and Tunnel Hill before stopping beside the Catlins Lake for lunch. At Nugget Point we walked out to the lighthouse and added tow lifers: White-fronted terns were flying around the cliffs and numerous Spotted shags were drying out on the steep slopes. It's a beautiful walk with fantastic views and reminded us a lot of the walk to the Cape Point lighthouse. All too soon it was time to head back as for the first time in 8 days in New Zealand it looked like it might start raining. We stopped in Owaka to pick up a few groceries and then headed back to McLean Falls. While Nicola and I cooked a steak dinner and watched a David Attenborough special on the computer, Darrell and Liza decided to eat at the Whistling Frog restaurant. As the evening wore on, the skies finally opened and a light rain started to fall.

30 Dec 2012, Driving back to Christchurch (Pieter)
Birds for the day: 4
Lifers for the day: 2
Birds for the trip: 183
Lifers for the trip: 128
Bird of the day: Stewart Island shag

It was an overcast an drizzly morning as we set out for the 500km drive back to Christchurch. The drive was uneventful with frequent showers of rain but we stopped briefly at Moeraki to get a look at the Moeraki boulders and also the Little (Blue) penguin colony in Oamaru where we also spotted a few Stewart Island shags on the baywater. We reached Christchurch just before 4pm as the clouds made way for a hot afternoon. While Darrell and Liza rested, Nicola and I went looking for souvenirs in Christchurch but found everything closed. We dropped off the rental car at the airport and got a lift back to our motel before getting fish and chips takeaway for dinner. We had a subdued evening as we knew the holiday was fast approaching it's end and as we needed to get up at 03:30, we were off to bed before 10pm.

31 Dec 2012, Sydney (Pieter)
No bird-watching

After the early rise, we got a taxi to the airport and were soon checked in. Nicola and I wandered through the small airport but could find no souvenirs we liked so went off to the lounge for some breakfast. Darrell and Liza's flight back to Brisbane was called first and we said our goodbyes before also leaving for our gate. The uneventful flight got us back in Sydney at 08:15 but it took almost two hours to get out of the airport due to a 20 minute wait for an open aircraft parking bay, then almost an hour in immigration queues as an Airbus 380 deposited a huge number of Yanks just before we arrived. Finally out the airport we were at our motel in 5 minutes but could not check in before 1pm so we drove out towards the harbour area. Unfortunately our rented Tom-Tom GPS made a has of things - it continuously lost signal between the tall buildings and when on occasion it knew where we were, it's directions were lagging by a block or two. Inner Sydney roads are not easy to negotiate and we spent almost an hour driving around in circles before finally finding an out-of-way parking area next to the Royal botanical gardens. Throngs of people were already streaming into the gardens and we joined them, if only just to get some good views of the Sydney Opera House and and Harbour Bridge. We ate pies for lunch in between the growing crowds and were almost glad that both of us felt too tired to stay for the fireworks. After lunch we drove to The Rocks where we parked again and did some souvenir shopping before heading back to our Wolli Creek motel. We were both very tired and after repacking our bags, a shower and dinner, it wasn't long before we were both fast asleep, long before midnight.

01 Jan 2013, Home (Pieter)
No bird-watching

With our flight only at 10:30, we were able to sleep in a bit, but at 07:30, on eerily quiet roads, we made our way back to the airport. Checking in was quick and was followed by breakfast in the Qantas lounge. The flight back was long and as awful as it can be in cattle class but we landed on time and was soon met by Nicola's dad at Arrivals. A quick stop in Pretoria for Nicola to say hello to the cats before driving home.

Another short but incredible holiday! We thoroughly enjoyed both Oz and NZ and thought it would be an easy place to live in, if we ever decided to make our way to that side. We saw more new birds than expected and added some truly remarkable scenes to our memory banks. We hope we get a chance to go back again soon. Thanks to Darrell and Liza for sharing our time in NZ - it was good seeing old friends. Happy 2013!