South Africa, September 2005
by Jono Leadley
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10 September 2005 : Flight from Birmingham Airport to Amsterdam, then on to Johannesburg. Collected from the airport, before spending the night at the Emerald Guest House.
11 September 2005 : Early morning flight to Durban. Collected the car, then drove to Creighton. Birded the Creighton area in the afternoon. Spent the night at Smithfield Guest House, Creighton.
12 September 2005 : Birded the Sani Pass, Drakensberg Mountains and Lesotho. Night at Smithfield Guest House.
13 September 2005 : Birded Xumeni Forest and Creighton area. Late morning, drove back towards Durban then north to Amatikulu to meet Sbu. Birded Amatikulu and Mtunzini. Night in the Zululand Backpackers, Eshowe.
14 September 2005 : Birded Dlinza Forest, Eshowe, then on to Ongoye Forest. Mid afternoon drive to St Lucia. Spent the next three nights at Hippo's Hideaway.
15 September 2005 : Boat trip up the St Lucia river, then spent the afternoon on Cape Vidal.
16 September 2005 : Day trip to Hluhluwe Imfolozi. Spent the day driving around the Imfolozi section of the park.
17 September 2005 : Drove back to Durban to catch a flight to Cape Town. Drove out of Cape Town to Rooi Els, then on to Hermanus. Night at Hermanus Backpackers.
18 September 2005 : Hermanus area, including Fern Kloof nature reserve, then drove to Arniston. Spent the night at Southwinds B 'n' B.
19 September 2005 : De Mond nature reserve, lunch in Struisbaai then on to Cape Agulhas.
20 September 2005 : De Hoop nature reserve in the morning, then to Paarl via the Malagas - Buffeljags road. Night at Aster Palms.
21 September 2005 : Birded the Tanqua Karoo National Park with Callan Cohen from Birding Africa. Night at Aster Palms.
22 September 2005 : Visited a few places in the Paarl area, then drove the short distance back to Cape Town. Night at Whale Cottage B 'n' B, Bakoven.
23 September 2005 : Table Mountain, Cape Town and Robben Island. Spent the night at Marianella, Simon's Town.
24 September 2005 : Boulders Beach and Cape of Good Hope National Park. Night at Marianella.
25 September 2005 : Cape Town. Flight to Johannesburg and then a night at the Emerald Guest House.
26 September 2005 : Drove to Sabi Sands, Kruger National Park. Next five nights at Elephant Plains Lodge.
27 September 2005 : Sabi Sands.
28 September 2005 : Sabi Sands.
29 September 2005 : Sabi Sands.
30 September 2005 : Sabi Sands.
01 October 2005 : Sabi Sands, then drove back to Johannesburg. Flight back to Amsterdam.
02 October 2005 : Flight from Amsterdam to Birmingham.
General
South Africa was a great place to visit. It has a great infrastructure, seems very safe away from certain parts of some cities and has some awesome scenery in which to go birding. The people are very friendly and helpful and it has a small, but thriving, birding scene. We found September a great time to go as it is the start of spring and consequently the countryside is carpeted in flowers and many of the birds are singing and hence quite showy.
Birding
Birding is easy, with plenty of birds around in most habitats and the majority are relatively easy to identify. Our biggest struggle was with the Euplectes widowbird group, which gave us a bit of a headache. Around Creighton there were large mixed flocks of these widowbirds and in immature-type plumages were pretty hard to sort out.
We did not have any bird call CDs and although we would have undoubtedly found more species with this aid, we still did pretty well. Consequently, I had no playback facility and this is why some of the more skulking species did not show themselves. Birders equipped in this manner will have better success with species such as Barratt's Warbler than we did. However, playback is cheating and possibly in some well-known sites it could be quite damaging to individual birds that have tapes played at them regularly. It is much more fun to use fieldcraft to see birds anyway!
There is a good system of nature reserves, national parks and game parks which usually have an entrance fee. Some have hides, and many have information leaflets, species lists and maps available.
The information available on the internet is excellent, particularly the websites of the Cape Birding Route, Zululand Birding Route, Birding Africa, Cape Town Pelagics etc. The SASOL guide to the Birds of Southern Africa (Sinclair, Hockey and Tarboton) is excellent and essential, as was the Essential Birding Western South Africa (Cohen and Spottiswoode).
Guides
We hired three guides during our stay. The first was Malcolm Gemmell who runs the wonderful Smithfield Guest House at Crieghton and the bird tour company, Button Birding. Malcolm took us out on our first afternoon around the Creighton area to look for such specials as Black-rumped Buttonquail, Denham's Bustard and Black-bellied Bustard. The following day, Malcolm took us over the Sani Pass into Lesotho. This trip requires a 4x4 and is pretty hairy at times so it is worth paying for someone like Malcolm who knows the road - and where to find the birds! On our last morning in the Creighton area, Malcolm took us to Xumeni Forest to look for Cape Parrot.
In Eshowe, we hired Sbu who is a local man who has been trained as a bird guide through a project run by BirdLife International South Africa. This superb project is training many local people as bird guides, to encourage bird-tourism. Sbu was a fantastic guide and was able to give us an insight into the culture of the region, aswell as it's bird life. He took us to Amatikulu, for Swamp Nightjar and to Mtunzini for Palmnut Vulture and Mangrove Kingfisher. The following day he accompanied us to Dlinza Forest where we found Eastern Bronze-naped/Delegorgue's Pigeon and Spotted Ground Thrush. Our only miss came at Ongoye Forest, where despite Sbu's heroic efforts we only heard Green Barbet. Sue Anderson who works at the BLSA office was very helpful in organising an itinerary for this part of our trip and introduced us to Sbu, who coincidentally we met at the Rutland Water Birdwatching Fair.
Lastly, we hired Callan Cohen from Birding Africa. Callan needs no introduction and exceeded expectations on our trip to the Tanqua Karoo. His birding skills were simply awesome and together with his wider interest in botany, geology, culture etc, we had a great introduction to the sights, sounds and smells of this fantastic area. We cleared up most of our target species and even added some superb bonus birds such as Ludwig's Bustard.
We had booked on to a pelagic with Cape Town Pelagics, from Simon's Town, near Cape Town, but unfortunately, the weather was too bad and the trip was cancelled.
Health
We took Malerone anti-Malaria prophylaxis for the duration of our stay, but I did not see more than a handful of mosquitos during our entire stay and I did not get bitten. Kwa-Zulu Natal, and especially Kruger NP have a high Malaria incidence and precautions must be taken. However, when we visited, it was so dry that there were simply no mozzies around. We took advice from our doctors before we left and had a couple of innoculations - this is essential before you visit. The hot sun and ticks were the only problems we encountered, but neither caused any lasting problems. There are some big scary things that can eat or squash you, so do take care and follow guidance carefully.
Safety
We felt safe throughout our trip, both in the cities and in remote rural areas. I was a little apprehensive about standing by the roadside with my 'scope, but in my experience it was completely fine. Some areas of the cities are reputedly dangerous for tourists but this is all well-known and highlighted in all guide books, so just use common-sense. Most good birding sites had an entrance gate, so we felt completely secure once inside. An interesting thing is that most streets and car parks have people working as car park attendants. For a few rand (we usually paid 5R, about 50 Uk pence) they would look after your car. It was all completely safe and above board and it was nice to know somebody was keeping an eye on your car, especially if you were carrying all of your gear around.
When booking over the internet, a number of the SA companies, eg Cape Town Pelagics, require you to send photos of your credit card and the security number. I was a little concerned about doing this so I asked "Smile", my credit card company. They said if I gave this information out, it would not be deemed as "due care and attention" and if anything bad happened, then they would not cover me. There appears to me no way round this, unless you are willing to pay through the nose for a cash transfer. We had no problems however, but tried to book things through the companies that did not require such extensive info, such as Safari Now.
Travel
We flew KLM, which was by far the cheapest we could find at the time. The downside was that we had to change planes in Amsterdam and on the way back this resulted in a 5 hour wait. KLM were fine, but the planes we flew on were old and a bit basic.
For us Brits, driving was a pleasure. South Africans drive on the left hand side, the same as in the UK, which immediately makes travelling easy. We hired cars from Hertz, who were good value and excellent. A large 4 door saloon worked out about £11 (110 Rand) a day which was good value. Petrol is about half the cost of the UK, which is handy given some of the distances we drove. Road conditions and signage are excellent, although in rural areas most roads are unsurfaced. Take huge care driving on gravel roads as they are very slippy and punctures are easy to get, especially if you slam your anchors on to check out a Black Harrier, or something! Having said this, we took a bit of care and did not get a single puncture.
For the longer trips, we flew with the internal carrier Kallula. Flying Kallula is great fun (as you can see from their website) and is reliable and cheap, although we had a slight delay on one of our three flights.
Accomodation
We booked the vast majority of our accomodation over the internet in advance. One particularly good website was www.safarinow.co.za which enables you to book a range of accomodation in a range of places very simply. Birding Africa and BirdLife South Africa can help sort out accomodation if needed. The vast majority of places we stayed in, from the backpackers at Eshowe and Hermanus to the luxury lodge at Elephant Plains, were superb and good value for money.
Food
The food was excellent and cheap. My first "bought" meal was T -bone steak, with chips and salad, in the pub next to the Eshowe backpackers, for about 3 UK pounds! All "western" snacks and meals are available, intermingled with some great "game". We tried Kudu, Warthog and Angel Fish - all beautiful!
Please click the links below to view photos.
Many seen in the Cape, most of which were presumed to be feral. Large creches of young noted at De Hoop NR.
Several seen from the Robben Island ferry, then hundreds seen on and around Boulders Beach.
Four (three adults and one immature) seen off Cape Point (Cape of Good Hope NP) in strong winds.
At least two seen from Cape Vidal during strong onshore winds.
Three seen from Cape Point, one of which came close in enabling specific identification.
c20 seen off Cape Vidal and a couple of hundred seen from Cape Point.
c250 off Cape Vidal and c500 off Cape Point.
Fairly common along the coast both in KZN and the Cape.
Fairly common along the Cape coast, with largest count (c30) at Robben Island.
Only seen with certainty at Robben Island, where c30 actively nesting on the breakwater.
Common at the lake near Underberg and small numbers on wetlands elsewhere.
Seen commonly along the Cape coast, eg. Cape Point and Hermanus.
c50 on the lake near Underberg.
70 seen on the lake at De Hoop.
Ten on the lake at De Hoop.
The commonest heron seen. Three together at Durban airport the largest count.
Singles on the St Lucia river followed by two together at Cape Vidal.
Several on a lake near St Lucia.
Singles seen at various wetlands, including the small reservoir near Creighton.
Common across South Africa.
Very common throughout, especially near cattle and large game.
Singles seen at a variety of places, eg Creighton, Imfolozi and in Sabi Sands.
One in a field near Underberg was presumably a bird that had overwintered rather than an early migrant.
Small numbers seen at Amatikulu and near Cape Town.
c250 on pans next to the road, c5 miles from Arniston on the Bredasdorp road. The pans were a result of heavy rains last winter.
Small numbers seen regularly in Sabi Sands, especially around the lodge waterhole. Three the largest count.
Common. Largest gathering on a rubbish tip near Underberg.
Six feeding in a grassy field near Creighton.
Abundant and noisy! One pair nesting in the garden at Smithfield Guest House.
Several seen including three on a roadside wetland near Johannesburg.
One flew up river at St Lucia from Hippo's Hideaway.
c150 on the river at St Lucia, from the Ski-boat pub.
20 on a lake near Underberg.
Four seen in the Creighton area. Four seen in the Tanqua Karoo, seemingly miles from any water.
Common in the Creighton area and on the lake near Underberg. Seen on the pans at Arniston and on other wetlands.
Two seen near Paarl on the way to the Tanqua Karoo.
Common on the lake near Underberg and at St Lucia. Small numbers seen on other wetlands, such as the pans at Arniston.
Eight seen on the river at St Lucia.
Small numbers on the pans at Arniston.
Common in a wide range of habitats.
A single male seen on the lake at De Hoop NP.
A single seen in a tree at De Hoop NR.
Eight seen below the Sani Pass.
Common in Sabi Sands.
One seen well in Sabi Sands.
One seen briefly cruising along a ridge on the edge of the Tanqua Karoo.
Several in Sabi Sands, including one seen at close range swallowing a large rat.
Two seen in Imfolozi and then seen regularly most days in Sabi Sands. Two nests seen, one of which had a sitting bird.
One seen on the penultimate day in Sabi Sands, with a displaying pair the following morning.
Common in Kwa Zulu Natal. Refularly seen perches on roadside posts and poles in the Creighton area.
A majestic male seen with a large monitor lizard in a tree at Sabi Sands. This bird allowed a very close approach.
Common in Imfolozi and Sabi Sands.
One male seen in Imfolozi. One of the commonest raptors at Sabi Sands, with several seen each day, including frequent sightings of pairs and threes. Seen occasionally perched, including on the ground at waterholes.
One flew in right on cue at Mtunzini, landing in the top of a nearby raffia palm. Raffia palms that have been planted along the KZN coast have apparently led to the southwards spread of this species. It is still pretty uncommon in SA.
Up to five adults seen on the river at St Lucia. One adult and one immature seen at Sabi Sands, and two adults seen on the way back to Johannesburg on our last day.One male seen in Imfolozi. One of the commonest raptors at Sabi Sands, with several seen each day, including frequent sightings of pairs and threes. Seen occasionally perched, including on the ground at waterholes.
One at De Hoop NR.
Common in KZN. Scarce in the Cape.
One seen at dawn perched in a tree at imfolozi and one shot across the airstrip one dusk in Sabi Sands.
Only one of these collosal Accipters was seen; an immature at Creighton.
One seen in Ongoye Forest, one at St Lucia Ski-boat Club and one seen in Sabi Sands from the balcony at Elephant Plains.
One seen in Sabi Sands.
Three seen in the Tanqua Karoo.
One in a marshy area near Creighton, then two near Arniston.
This was undoubtedly one of the most handsome species seen in South Africa. Several seen around Arniston, including three separate individuals within the space of twenty minutes along the Bredasdorp to Arniston road and on the dunes just south of Arniston. In addition, one adult seen near De Hoop.
One near Buffeljags.
A big female was seen sparring with a Jackal Buzzard over grassland near Ongoye Forest, one in Imfolozi, and one seen in Sabi Sands.
Very common. Large flocks noted eg near Ixhopo c30.
Very common in open areas throughout, noticeably around the Arniston area.
Common, especially in the Cape. Several seen in the Tanqua Karoo. Sometimes lumped with Common Kestrel, this species is much more similar to Lesser Kestrel in appearance, being very pale and unmarked on the underside. The female also looks a but like a male!
A pair seen on our last afternoon in Sabi Sands.
Very common in Sabi Sands.
A large covey of c15 seen on the way up and then back down the Sani Pass.
Common in the Cape, eg Rooi Els and suburban Hermanus.
common in Sabi Sands.
Common in Sabi Sands.
A very common and charismatic bird seen throughout SA, often in large groups.
One of the Creighton specials. A single seen unbelievably well at close quarters in a stubble field. After having spent hours searching long grass for them with Malcolm, we came across one looking a bit nervous in a nearby field while looking for larks. The bird showed too close for me to digiscope it, down to several feet. It is apparently very rare to see them on the deck.
Two accidentally flushed from the road verge near De Mond.
A beautiful and common bird in the grassy plains of the western Cape. Large flocks noted around Arniston, with the largest count over 60, near De Mond NP.
Four seen in fields by the lake near Underberg and then two family parties located near Creighton. It seems hard to beleive birds this exotic live wild!
Approximately twenty heard in a small marsh near Creighton, with only a brief sighting of one of them.
Abundant on all freshwater.
An absolute cracker found unexpectedly in a creek in the mangroves whilst looking for Mangrove Kingfisher at Mtunzini. We heard a splash and the finfoot swam across the creek next to us, climbed out on the mud and started running around on the mud among the mangrove roots, showing it's rediculously large coral pink feet off to full effect. Possibly the best surprise bird of the trip.
Surprisingly common. Several of these collosal birds seen in the Creighton area with further sightings of about five in the De Mond - De Hoop area.
Another surprise, five seen distantly in flight, in the Tanqua Karoo. This is the very southern limit for this species which is equally as massive as Denham's.
Common and approachable in Sabi Sands. Several calling males seen.
One seen near Creighton and one seen at Sabi Sands.
One seen on a small marsh near Creighton was the only sighting.
Very common in open areas. Three pairs breeding on the airstrip at Sabi Sands had hatched chicks by the end of the week.
Several seen in Sabi Sands.
Two near Creighton.
A common and charismatic species.
Small numbers seen in Sabi Sands.
Heard displaying at dusk over the marsh near Creighton.
Two on Johannesburg airfield and one flushed at close range during an evening game drive at Sabi Sands.
Common on the river at St Lucia, where 5 seen together from the Ski-boat Club, and singles seen elsewhere, such as at waterholes in Sabi Sands.
Common at De Mond NR.
Over 40 seen, with highest counts at De Mond NR (12), De Hoop NR (6), Robben Island (8) and Boulders Beach (6).
Small numbers at the lake near Underberg, on the river at St Lucia and on the pans at Arniston.
c250 on the pans near Arniston was an impressive site.
Common along the river at St Lucia.
Common on the pans at Arniston, with small numbers at De Mond NR and St Lucia.
Common along the river at St Lucia. One seen at the mouth of the river at De Mond NR.
Very common along the river at St Lucia. c30 flew upriver at dusk from Hippos Hideaway.
Abundant along the river at St Lucia and five on the pans at Arniston.
Common along the river at St Lucia.
c15 seen along the river at St Lucia.
Very common in most marshy areas, especially at St Lucia.
Several at De Mond NR.
Two seen at Arniston harrassing the terns, and one off Cape Point.
Common along the coast, with a surprising number seen inland feeding in grassy fields, eg. near Bredasdorp.
Common inland in KZN, eg around the Johannesburg airport. Small numbers along the coast too.
Very common along the Cape coast.
One seen in Cape Town at the Victoria and Albert Dock with the characteristic white eye. This was the only one seen well enough to identify.
One seen feeding over the breakers at Arniston, with Common and Arctic Terns.
Three of these smart little birds seen resting on sandbars in the mouth of the river at De Mond NR. One pair was seen displaying.
Common along the coast, with large flocks noted roosting at Hermanus.
Common along the coast. Regularly in mixed flocks with Sandwich Terns.
Small numbers seen along the Cape coast, including at Arniston.
Common on the Cape coast.
c20 breeding plumaged adults and a few juveniles seen on a small wetland near De Mond NR.
Several seen at St Lucia.
Several seen at Ongoye Forest, including one individual picking up gravel on the road through the site. c20 in a tree next to Aster Palms, Paarl.
One seen perched at Dlinza Forest from the platform, early morning.
Common throughout SA, particularly in KZN.
Two heard and a couple of "possibles" in Sabi Sands.
Abundant everywhere. It's "work harder" call a common sound throughout the country.
One at Amatikulu. Very common in Sabi Sands.
One showed well next to the car park at Dlinza. Two seen from the balcony at Elephant Plains, Sabi Sands.
One seen on the forest floor at Dlinza.
One seen near Malagas.
Three flew over at Sabi Sands.
c15 seen on a murky morning at Xumeni. Many more flying over in the mist calling. This species is highly endangered due to habitat loss. It was a shame to see many tourist trinkets for sale made out of yellow wood, which is the primary nesting tree for the parrots. The loss of these trees for timber is the main threat to the species' survival.
Several seen around a water-hole on our first afternoon in Sabi Sands.
One seen briefly at Xumeni Forest.
Three seen together at Dlinza Forest, with others heard.
Very common at Sabi Sands, often in groups of up to 10.
Heard near Paarl, on the way to the Tanqua Karoo NP.
Heard at Dlinza Forest.
One heard at Amatikulu. Two seen at Sabi Sands in the grounds of the lodge.
One showed well sunbathing at Dlinza Forest and another heard.
One flew across the road at Cape Vidal and one hopping about in bushes in front of our room at Elephant Plains. Several others heard.
One roosted each day in the tree next to our bungalow at Hippo's Hideaway, St Lucia.
One found roosting in a small tree next to our room at Elephant Plains allowed very close approach. Many others heard at Sabi Sands, including several on our last game drive calling within the space of half a mile.
One showed well in a tree at Sabi Sands.
Several seen at Sabi Sands, usually during the early morning.
One huge individual seen perched on a telegraph pole near Creighton.
Common. Two large chicks found in the garden of Smithfield Guest House, Creighton. They had apparently bred in the compost heap! Three seen on roadside poles within the space of a minute on the way back to Paarl from the Tanqua Karoo. One seen eating a bush baby on a track at Sabi Sands, flew to a nearby tree, where it bit off and swallowed the poor mammal's head. Two road casualties found, both near Arniston.
Two absolute behemoths gave cracking views close to the track on our last evening at Sabi Sands. They are quite scarce in this area, but with a bit of persistence, our guide took us to the southern limits of their land to where they have previously nested.
One seen before dawn on the way to Underberg from Creighton.
Heard at Creighton and Sabi Sands. At least three seen at Sabi Sands, including two perched on or beside the road.
Courtesy of Sbu, a male and female located during the afternoon roosting in grassland at Amatikulu.
c10 seen near Durban airport. Very common around De Hoop and Arniston. Also seen in the Tanqua Karoo.
Abundant. A huge colony was under the bridge at St Lucia. At times the air above the bridge swarmed with them. Also, large numbers at Johannesburg airport.
Two seen at St Lucia. Several seen in the Cape area.
Several nesting in palms in the grounds of the Zululand Backpackers at Eshowe and four seen feeding over St Lucia.
Several seen near Paarl on the way to the Tanqua Karoo and also seen at Cape Point and Sabi Sands in small numbers.
Very common especially in Sabi Sands.
Common throughout.
Two seen near Paarl and then others in the Tanqua Karoo.
One seen perched at close range at Dlinza Forest.
One on the river at Mtunzini.
One on the river from the Ski-boat Club at St Lucia.
One feeding in the low branches of a tree next to the office at Amatikulu.
One showed well in the mangroves (where else?!) at Mtunzini, shortly after crippling views of the Finfoot.
Common in wooded savanna in Imfolozi and Sabi Sands.
One seen in Sabi Sands on a roadside wire.
One perched on a dead branch on a sandbar in the middle of the White Infolozi river, in Imfolozi park.
Common in Sabi Sands.
Four seen in the Tanqua Karoo perched on wires near the turn for Katbakkies, was an unexpected and pleasant surprise.
Very common in Infolozi and Sabi Sands.
Small numbers seen in Imfolozi and Cape Vidal. Very common in Sabi Sands.
Very common in Sabi Sands, with several groups of up to a dozen seen ever day.
Three seen together in Sabi Sands.
Common at Dlinza (15). Several seen around St Lucia too, including four in the garden of Hippos Hideaway and five by the Ski-boat Club.
Two seen in Imfolozi park.
Very common at Sabi Sands. Known to the guides as "The Flying Banana" for obvious reasons.
Several seen in Sabi Sands, but much scarcer than the Yellow-billed.
One immense specimen walking around in some burnt wooded savanna in Imfolozi later flew low over the car.
Very common in KZN.
One seen in Imfolozi park.
Common in forest areas in KZN, eg. Amatikulu, Dlinza Forest and Ongoye Forest.
A big dip! We heard several calling at Ongoye Forest, the stake out for this restricted-range endemic, but despite prolonged efforts, we failed to find any.
One seen at Ongoye Forest and several others heard.
Several seen at Amatikulu, Imfolozi etc.
One seen at Imfolozi, and very common in Sabi Sands.
Three heard around the wood next to SMithfield Guest House, but we failed to locate them.
Several seen on our Sani Pass trip, and one heard near Karooport.
A pair seen in Sabi Sands.
Common in Sabi Sands.
A pair in Imfolozi. Common at Sabi Sands.
A cracking individual showed well singing from a tree stump at the lake near Underberg.
Several in the stubble field where we saw the Button-quail near Creighton. Two heard in open grassland near Ongoye Forest.
Common at Imfolozi.
One showed well on a roadside post along the Malagas to Buffeljags road. This area is a regular stake out for this species, but we failed to find Agulhas Clapper Lark with certainty in the same area. although two individuals seen briefly were probably this species.
Several seen in the Tanqua Karoo.
Small numbers seen at Creighton, near De Mond and Sabi Sands.
One seen in Lesotho on the high plateau. Several seen in the Tanqua Karoo.
Several seen in the Tanqua Karoo near the Katbakkies turn.
Two seen by a bridge over the White Imfolozi river posed well for photos.
Common in KZN, eg around Creighton. Elsewhere, one seen by the jetty on the St Lucia river.
One seen around the lighthouse at Cape Agulhas.
One seen near Ongoye Forest.
Very common in the Cape, particularly along the coast.
Very common along the coast in KZN and up in the foothills of the Drakensberg.
One at a regular breeding site (under a small road bridge) near Creighton.
Common. Seen around the hangars at Johannesburg and then wherever there was cliffs, large buildings etc.
Several seen around De Mond NR.
c30 seen over a water hole near Creighton. Two seen near Arniston.
Several seen at Amatikulu feeding along the river.
A male was seen in a roadside tree in Imfolozi.
Several seen in Dlinza Forest, especially from the viewing tower.
Very common throughout, one of the characteristic species of South Africa. A pair would usually be found with each herd of large herbivores in the national parks.
Several seen at Dlinza Forest and one or two at Ongoye. Heard at Amatikulu.
Seen and heard regularly in Sabi Sands.
Common in the Cape.
Many seen on the Sani Pass trip, including a large flock near the dump which lies just east of the SA border post. Several seen around the Cape, eg Cape of Good Hope.
Seen in small numbers in the Tanqua Karoo and also on the high plateau in Lesotho.
Common in most woodlands visited.
Several small groups seen most days in Sabi Sands.
This scarce endemic, which failed to show near the Sani Pass, was seen well at Xumeni Forest.
Abundant in KZN.
Very common in the Cape.
One seen at close quarters feeding on the ground among the leaf litter (where else?!) at Dlinza Forest.
One seen at Amatikulu, with another the next day at Ongoye Forest.
One seen bathing in the garden at Smithfield Guest House, Creighton. Common at Dlinza Forest and Ongoye Forest. Also seen at Amatikulu and Ongoye.
Two seen at Amatikulu and one at Ongoye Forest.
One seen in Sabi Sands.
Fairly common, with multiple individuals seen at Dlinza (3), St Lucia (2) and Boulders Beach (2).
One seen feeding in leaf litter in the picnic area at Skitterykloof, Tanqua Karoo.
One of these cracking Zootheras found after a long search feeding on the forest floor at Dlinza.
Heard at Xumeni Forest.
Two of these rather strange thrushes showed well around the waterhole at the front of the Elephant Plains lodge, Sabi Sands.
A female seen near Underberg. Several seen on the Sani Pass trip and in the Cape, eg two at Rooi Els.
Common on the Sani Pass.
One seen near Skitterykloof, Tanqua Karoo, with two others seen near Katbakkies.
Common in fields and grasslands around the Arniston-De Mond-De Hoop area.
Several seen in the lower Sani Pass area.
Common in the lower Sani Pass area. One seen at Rooi Els.
Seen frequently in the Tanqua Karoo.
Common on the high plain of Lesotho. One seen near Katbakkies in the Tanqua Karoo.
Small numbers seen around Eirkop and elsewhere in the Tanqua Karoo.
Very common throughout.
One seen at Ongoye Forest.
One seen in Sabi Sands.
Common at Dlinza Forest.
Very common, seen throughout South Africa.
A pair watched at fairly close range feeding fledged young at Rooi Els, south of Hermanus. The birds were watched on the lower slopes on the inland side of the track about 250 metres past the locked metal gate.
Common around the highest pub in Africa at the Sani Pass, including some small groups.
One seen in Imfolozi and found to be common in Sabi Sands.
Three or four seen; in the Tanqua Karoo and near Malagas.
One near Karoopoort.
Several of these exquisite little birds seen at Skitterykloof, including one pair building a nest.
One seen at Skitterykloof.
One showed very well near the South African border post on the way to the Sani Pass.
This little skulker was very common at Xumeni Forest, but try as we might, they would not show themselves.
One male seen at Xumeni Forest.
Two seen at Amatikulu. Two seen in Imfolozi. One seen in Sabi Sands in a mixed species flock.
Two near Karoopoort and the several in Sabi Sands.
Two seen in Sabi Sands on a bush walk.
Three, in a typically fast-moving group seen well near Eierkop in the Tanqua Karoo.
Two seen in Sabi Sands.
Common just lower than the South African border post near the Sani Pass. Seen elsewhere including De Hoop.
After a bit of searching, two pairs heard, one of which showed very well for a prolonged period as they fed young around the river canyon near Skitterykloof, Tanqua Karoo.
Common at Amatikulu.
Very common in the Tanqua Karoo and along the Cape coast.
One by the Black Mountain, Lesotho.
Common in Imfolozi and Sabi Sands.
Common in a marsh near Creighton.
Common at Amatikulu.
One seen in the bare field running around like a mouse near the button-quail at Creighton. Two seen at Amatikulu.
Two seen at Xumeni Forest.
Common at Rooi Els.
Common in KZN, eg at Mtunzini and in Imfolozi.
Common around Cape Town and in the Tanqua Karoo.
Common around the Drakensberg, including the garden of Smithfield Guest House.
One seen at Karooport.
Three seen in the Tanqua Karoo, one of which showed well in roadside scrub near Karoopoort.
One seen by the SA border post near the Sani Pass. One seen in Sabi Sands.
Singles at Dlinza Forest, Ongoye Forest and in Sabi Sands.
Two seen in Sabi Sands whilst on a bush walk.
A pair seen in a small Eucalptus wood near Smithfield Guest House. Several seen at Dlinza and Imfolozi, and seen regularly in Sabi Sands.
An individual considered to be this species seen in Imfolozi.
Common at Arniston, including individuals visiting the drinking pool in the garden of the guest house, plus seen regularly elsewhere.
One seen well at Xumeni Forest. Several others heard.
Seen in small numbers in Sabi Sands.
A pair showed well at the picnic site at Skitterykloof, Tanqua Karoo.
One seen near the riverside picnic area at Amatikulu.
Common by waterholes in Imfolozi and Sabi Sands.
One elegant indivdual along a small forest stream at Ongoye Forest.
Very common throughout.
Two seen at close range near Creighton, and several others seen along the Cape coast, including, for example, at De Mond.
Two at Amatikulu and one seen near Malagas.
Two seen in Sabi Sands, with many other unidentified pipits which were probably this species.
A pair showed well near Creighton in a grass field adjacent to the one with the buttonquail in.
Several seen at Amatikulu and in Imfolozi.
Very common to abundant throughout.
Parties several strong seen twice in Sabi Sands.
Heard regularly, but usually elusive. Three birds having a noisy territorial dispute showed well at Dlinza Forest.
Common in KZN, especially at Dlinza and Amatikulu, but also seen in drier forests at Imfolozi and Sabi Sands.
This species proved to be very elusive. Individuals were heard calling from thick cover near Creighton and at Dlinza Forest.
Several seen at Imfolozi and in Sabi Sands, including in the garden at Elephant Plains.
One seen at Amatikulu. Fairly common around the Cape, such as at De Hoop where three seen feeding on the ground together.
Heard at Amatikulu.
This cracking species was common at Imfolozi. One was seen on a bush walk in Sabi Sands.
Several heard at Dlinza Forest.
A flock of eight seen in Imfolozi. Seen regularly in flocks in Sabi Sands.
Common in many areas, eg Creighton, De Hoop etc. Several seen near Witbank on the N4.
This large, long-tailed species was common in Sabi Sands.
Fairly common in KZN and the Cape, eg around Smithfield Guest House, Creighton.
Very common in Sabi Sands.
Several seen well from the viewing platform at Dlinza Forest.
Very common throughout.
Two seen very briefly at Skitterykloof, Tanqua Karoo.
Two seen at Imfolozi. Seen regularly in small numbers at Sabi Sands. Most game heards had several around, especially the Cape Buffalo and the White Rhinos.
Common in the Cape.
Seen regularly in the western Cape, for example at Rooi Els, around Cape Town and at Fernkloof, Hermanus.
About a dozen seen on the Sani Pass trip, including several feeding on Protea flowers at close range. Much more attractive than Cape Sugarbird!
Common in the western Cape, including in the Tanqua Karoo and near the Sani Pass.
Fairly common in the western Cape. One at the top of Table Mountain in the fog looked a bit lost.
Fairly common in Sabi Sands, especially around the Elephant Plains lodge gardens.
Very common in KZN and in the Cape.
Common in Imfolozi and Sabi Sands.
One seen at Ongoye Forest.
Common at Xumeni Forest and Ongoye Forest.
One male seen well in Imfolozi.
Common around Creighton.
Common at Dlinza. Two seen at Ongoye Forest.
Very common in forest throughout South Africa.
Common and widespread. There was a large colony around the Lesotho border checkpost.
Several seen in Imfolozi and in Sabi Sands.
Very common throughout in suitable habitat.
Several seen in Imfolozi.
A large flock seen at Xumeni Forest, with one at Amatikulu and several at Dlinza Forest.
Very common in KZN, with about 50 nests in the garden of Smithfield Guest House.
Less common than Village Weaver, but still seen in reasonable numbers, often in mixed flocks with Village Weaver.
Abundant in the western Cape.
Common at Amatikulu.
Two seen building a nest at Amatikulu. Very common at Dlinza Forest.
This variable species was very common in the Crieghton area.
Common throughout, with many unbelievably bright males holding territory in any small patch of reeds they could find.
Several seen near Malagas. Also seen in the Tanqua Karoo.
Small numbers in mixed flocks with other widows near Creighton. Many immature widows we left unidentified.
Large numbers in KZN particularly around Creighton.
One cracking male, complete with long tail seen near Creighton. Other immature males seen in the same area and large numbers of female-type birds seen in mixed flocks in the grasslands.
One seen in Imfolozi and one seen in Sabi Sands.
Four seen in the Elephant Plains lodge garden, Sabi Sands.
One seen in the Elephant Plains lodge garden, Sabi Sands.
Two seen in Imfolzi.
Abundant in Imfolozi and Sabi Sands.
Several flocks seen, notably around Creighton and on the edge of the Tanqua Karoo.
Three seen at Xumeni Forest.
One flew over calling near Creighton, but evaded detection.
A flock of ten seen near Creighton feeding in a grassy field.
Common in KZN eg over 20 in the garden of Smithfield Guest House, Creighton.
Ten seen at Dlinza Forest.
Very common, especially around Creighton.
One seen briefly in the garden of the Smithfield Guest House, Creighton.
This attracive species was very common in KZN and in the Tanqua Karoo.
Common throughout South Africa.
Common at Xumeni Forest.
Very common on the Lesotho plain, particularly around the Sani Top Chalet.
Several seen near the Katbakkies turn in the Tanqua Karoo.
Common in the western Cape, eg at De Mond and De Hoop.
A pair watched at a small stream in Lesotho, while four were seen in the Tanqua Karoo.
One male seen near Creighton. Elsewhere, several seen in Imfolozi and one male seen in Sabi Sands.
Very common and widespread. Seen at the Sani Top Chalet and by the coast at De Mond, for example.
Two or three seen in flight near Eierkop in the Tanqua Karoo.
Very common along the western Cape, with notable concentrations in Hermanus bay, off De Hoop and Stuisbaai, in fact, anywhere we stopped to look!
A spectacular display was put on by several breaching individuals off the coast at Cape Vidal.
A small group was seen while seawatching from Cape Vidal.
Common around the Cape, eg in Cape Town harbour.
Common in all game parks, and in the Drakensberg Mountains near the Sani Pass.
Fairly common at Imfolozi and common at Sabi Sands. Seen occasionally elsewhere, mainly in KZN.
Seen at Cape Vidal and heard at Ongoye Forest.
Seen most evenings in Sabi Sands, usually singly, but occasionally in pairs.
One flushed at Skitterykloof, Tanqua Karoo.
Common in Sabi Sands.
Several seen in Sabi Sands.
Two seen in Ongoye Forest.
Seen at De Mond and Cape Point.
Common on the Sani Pass.
One small group and a single seen in Sabi Sands.
Common around Arniston-De Mond.
A small group seen in Sabi Sands. Tiny, like almost like Weasels.
A couple seen in Sabi Sands.
Seen regularly at night in Sabi Sands.
Two singles seen in Sabi Sands.
Two or three seen in Sabi Sands.
Up to four seen every day in Sabi Sands. There were four individuals; a territorial adult male, an adult female accompanied by a five month old female cub, and a two year old female. Seen with kills including Impala, Kudu and Bushbuck. On our last day we found the adult female and her cub with the adult male, which is a rare sight apparently. The male was heard roaring on one of the early mornings. Additionally, we found pug marks in Skitterykloof, Tanqua Karoo.
Seen most days in Sabi Sands. Two old males seen occasionally, part of the "Robson" pride. Additionally, a group of three seen several times, consisting of an adult male, an adult female and a young female. These were part of the "Manyeleti" pride and during the week were seen eating a Zebra and a Warthog.
A female was seen several times during the week at Sabi Sands. She was seen with a freshly killed Impala early one morning, and on our last day, she was watched stalking and then chasing Impala at full speed.
Common at Hermanus.
A large "tusker" (male) seen in the river at Imfolozi. A 30-strong herd, made up of females and young seen every day at Sabi Sands, plus the occasional tusker and a small group of immature males.
Common at Cape Vidal, Imfolozi and Sabi Sands.
Small numbers seen at De Hoop NP.
Several seen at Cape Vidal and Imfolozi, with a female accompanied by a calf at the latter site a nice sighting. Two males held territory around Elephant Plains, Sabi Sands, and they were seen every day. On our last day, two groups of five wandered in from Kruger.
Very common in the river at St Lucia, with several herds seen from the boat trip, plus a group out of the water opposite the ski-boat club. Present in the large waterhole at Sabi Sands too.
Common at Cape Vidal and fairly common at Imfolozi and Saib Sands.
Common at Imfolozi and Sabi Sands.
Several seen at Imfolozi and commonly seen, often in large herds, at Sabi Sands.
Fairly common at Sabi Sands.
Small numbers seen at Cape Vidal. Common at Imfolozi and Sabi Sands.
Common at Imfolozi and Sabi Sands.
Common at Sabi Sands.
Small numbers seen in the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains.
Small herds seen around the Sani Pass.
Seen in the Drakensberg Mountains.
Common at Cape Vidal and one large male seen at Sabi Sands.
A huge herd seen distantly in the Tanqua Karoo.
Common at Cape Vidal. Abundant in Imfolozi and Sabi Sands. Known as "MacDonalds" to the Sabi Sands guides, due to the black "m" on the rear end, and the fact that they are fast-food for most predators!
About 20 seen at De Hoop NP.
Small numbers seen at Imfolozi. Fairly common at Sabi Sands.
all material on this website is copyright Jono Leadley 2005
