The critical timing for the trip was to see the Namaqualand flower displays in early September, which was towards the end of the flowering season. For this part of the trip we had a private tour lead by Patrick Cardwell of Avian Leisure. There were two main objectives of this tour, to see the flowers and to find a number of range restricted birds of the Western Cape, Northern Cape and inland Karoo areas, which included a whole swag of larks.
Namaqualand National Park |
The Avian Leisure tour was superbly organised,
with Patrick providing good company with an excellent knowledge of the fauna
and flora. We stayed at a number of small towns, with some excellent
accommodation and great meals, along the way. These were places we had driven
through or passed by in our previous trip from Cape Town to Augrabies many
years ago.
I had also organised a couple of days birding
with Samson Mulaudzi in the Soutpansberg to chase down a few of the local
specialities, such as Bat Hawk, and to visit the Miombo woodlands in Venda.
Other that the couple of days in the Soutpansberg and the organised tour with Avian Leisure, we followed our own
itinerary. As regards birding, we saw a total of 471 birds during out visit to South Africa and Swaziland, of which 30 were lifers and 50 were new for South Africa. Some of the birding highlights and key target birds I was chasing were as follows:
-
Knysna Woodpecker – Storms River Mouth
- Knysna Warbler – Storms River Mouth
- Cape Siskin – Swartberg Pass
- Chukar Partridge – Robben Island
- Common Chaffinch – Tokai Forest, Western Cape
- Chestnut-banded Plover – Salt pans in the Western Cape
- Cape Penduline Tit – West Coast National Park
- Eurasian Curlew – Langebaan Lagoon, West Coast National Park
- Antarctic Tern – Paternoster on the West Coast
- Protea Canary – Swellendam
- All nine target larks - Karoo Long-billed, Agulhas Long-billed, Karoo, Red, Barlow’s, Cape Clapper, Sclater’s and Stark’s Lark plus Black-eared Sparrow-lark
- Karoo and Tractrac Chats – Northern Cape and Karoo
- Cisticolidae family - Red-faced and Grey-backed Cisticola, Namaqua and Cinnamon-breasted Warbler and Karoo Eremomela
- Bradfield’s Swift – Northern Cape
- Double-banded Courser – Black Mountain Conservation Area
- Cape Rockjumper – Betty’s Bay, Western Cape
- Victorin’s Warbler – Betty’s Bay
- Franklin’s Gull – Strandfontein Sewage Works
- Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk – Strandfontein Sewage Works
- Bat Hawk – Soutpansberg
- African Broadbill – Soutpansberg, a pair of birds doing their aerial displays
- Scaly-throated Honeyguide - Soutpansberg
- Pink-throated Twinspot – Miombo Forest in Venda
- Striped Pipit – Found two birds in the rocky areas of the main camp of Mapungubwe
- Steppe Eagle – Good views of Steppe Eagle and Tawny Eagle perched together
- Yellow-billed Oxpecker – Seen close to Satara on some Buffalo
- Greater Painted Snipe – A total of 11 birds seen on Limpopo River and at Engelhard Dam
- Blue Swallow – Malolotja Nature Reserve in Swaziland
- Pygmy Kingfisher – Seen several times at Mkuze Game Reserve
- European Honey Buzzard – Mkuze Game Reserve
- Yellow-breasted Pipit - Wakkerstroom
Rhino poaching in South Africa is rapidly
becoming a huge issue and since the start of the poaching epidemic in 2008,
South Africa has lost over 2,600 rhinos, with 83 killed in 2008, increasing to
1,004 in 2013 and 1,116 rhino killed in 2014 up until 10th December.
With rhino horn going for more than US$60,000 per kg on the black market, as
compared with gold at US$37,000 per kg, there is obviously a huge incentive for
poaching.
There are a number of strategies in place to
try and rein in the slaughter, such as relocation of rhino and removal of the
rhino horn, and the game farm we visited in Tankwa Karoo has a policy of
injecting the rhino horn with dye and poison. A letter of authority is required to take a rental car into Swaziland, which is issued free of charge, at least by AVIS. With this letter and valid passports, it’s very easy and quick to enter and exit Swaziland.
We had organised a Wild Card before our trip which enabled free access to the National Parks within South Africa. The card also avoids payment of the daily conservation fees, which can be considerable. For the Kruger National Park the conservation fees are currently R264 per adult per day for international visitors.
Trip
Report
Garden
RouteFriday 22nd August: Arrival
Flew from Melbourne to Sydney to Johannesburg and finally to Port Elizabeth, leaving Melbourne at 4:30am and arriving in PE at 7:30pm, so a long day considering the eight hour time change, but no problem with the Qantas and BA flights.
Spent the night at Forest Hall Guest House
which had lovely spacious accommodation, huge comfortable bed and a large well
wooded garden.
Saturday
23rd August: Storms RiverAfter a huge breakfast, picked up the AVIS rental 4WD at Port Elizabeth airport and drove down to Storms River, in a howling wind.
Rugged eastern coastline of the Tsitsikamma rainforest at Storms River |
Sunday 24th August: Wilderness
Up early, well before sunrise and took a walk up to the Storms River suspension bridge. Had some excellent birding in the early hours of the morning, with Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher, the non-descript and secretive Knysna Warbler initially heard in the pre-dawn gloom and then seen just after sunrise, plus one of my key target birds, the Knysna Woodpecker being seen with an Olive Woodpecker.
Storms River Mouth |
Monday 25th August: Oudtshoorn
After a very enjoyable stay with Sue and George, we left in late morning for the town of George, to sort out some banking and then onto Oudtshoorn for lunch.
Lovely town of Wilderness |
Greater Double-collared Sunbird in Strelitzia flowers at Die Fonteine |
The Swartberg Pass is very impressive and
worth the drive just for the lovely views. We had good weather for the trip,
with clear skies and sunshine, although quite windy at the top. The following
day the pass was completely shrouded in heavy storm clouds and wouldn’t had
offered any decent views.
Prince Albert (Prins Albert)
lies on the southern edge of the Great Karoo, nestling under the majestic
Swartberg Mountains. The village has many well-preserved Cape Dutch, Karoo and
Victorian buildings, thirteen of which are National Monuments. The town would
have been a very nice place to spend a night.
On the Swartberg Pass there were quite a few
sunbirds and Cape Sugarbird. We saw a flock of Cape Siskin on the way back,
which was one of my target birds.Rugged Mountains of the Swartberg Pass |
Klipspringer in early morning on Swartberg Pass |
Wednesday
27th August: Breede River, Swellendam
After a wonderful farm style breakfast, with
a huge choice of special breads, cheese, bacon, eggs, etc., we drove through to
Swellendam to shop for groceries, before driving to our accommodation on the
Breede River.
The Breede River area is good for birding,
especially along the farm roads. Some of the highlights on the drive to the
Breede River were huge flocks of Blue Crane, a single Ludwig’s Bustard, Cape
Clapper Lark and Grey-backed Cisticola.
We stayed at Aloe Ridge in a huge thatched chalet overlooking the Breede River. This was one of our top places we stayed at, with huge accommodation, lovely views and we had the place to ourselves.
Blue Crane |
We stayed at Aloe Ridge in a huge thatched chalet overlooking the Breede River. This was one of our top places we stayed at, with huge accommodation, lovely views and we had the place to ourselves.
Aloe Ridge on the Breede River |
Overnight we had rain and a lot of wind. It got very cold during the day and the wood fire heater couldn’t cope, this accommodation is probably best in summer. I went for a walk between rain showers and had a look up at the mountain ranges behind Swellendam, when the clouds lifted, to see that they were covered in snow. I had a pair of Martial Eagle floating overhead about 10m above where I was standing on the ridge.
We had Giant Kingfisher visiting our veranda,
a wet bedraggled Yellow Bishop sheltering on the deck chairs, and Malachite
Sunbird and Southern Double-collared Sunbird feeding on the flowers in the
garden. Also close to our accommodation we had the delightful Swee Waxbill.
Overnight at Aloe Ridge.
Western
and Northern CapeMalachite Sunbird |
Friday 29th August: Simon’s Town
In the morning we did some birding along the local farm roads before driving though to Simon’s Town. The bustard sightings were good with Ludwig’s Bustard, Denham’s Bustard, Karoo Korhaan and Southern Black Korhaan being seen.
The drive to Simon’s Town was scenic and we
had a short stop on Sir Lowry’s Pass, overlooking the Cape Flats and False Bay.
In the late afternoon we visited Boulders
Beach to see the African Penguin.
Our accommodation was the Watsonia Apartment owned by Patrick and Marie-Louise Cardwell of Avian Leisure. Patrick was to be taking us on a private tour starting on Tuesday the following week. The accommodation was very spacious, well-appointed and had views overlooking False Bay.
In the evening we had porcupine coming into
the garden to feed, quite special to see these mammals up close. Our accommodation was the Watsonia Apartment owned by Patrick and Marie-Louise Cardwell of Avian Leisure. Patrick was to be taking us on a private tour starting on Tuesday the following week. The accommodation was very spacious, well-appointed and had views overlooking False Bay.
Saturday
30th August: Simon’s Town
We spent the morning at Strandfontein Sewage
Works and saw a good range of birds, with highlights including Maccoa Duck and
Water Thick-knee. I was looking for the Franklin’s Gull but it wasn’t seen that
day by ourselves or others birders at the site.
Overnight at Watsonia Apartment.
Sunday
31st August: Simon’s Town
I had a pelagic trip booked for the day
leaving from Simon’s Town and I was looking forward to some good birding in
some of the best waters for pelagic birds. I went with another birder from the
USA, who was also staying at the Avian Leisure apartments and we headed out
across False Bay on two small boats, in what was an uncomfortable swell.
On getting out beyond Cape Point the seas
became quite unsettled and the skippers abandoned the plan to head out to the
trawler fleet. There were reports of increasing winds in the afternoon, however
as we sat stationary in the sea, the winds died down and we had very calm seas.
The guides then produced two small containers of fish oil, must have been 100ml
each, and had limited success in attracting birds. There was no chum and this
is the first pelagic I have been on where no chum is used, and I have done many
pelagics previously including from Simons Town.
We then headed back into the harbour having
seen absolutely nothing of interest and the few birds we did see, such as Shy
and Yellow-nosed Albatross, can easily be seen from the shore. So a very
disappointing trip, which could have been a lot better, if we had decent boats
and proper chum had been used, given that the weather didn’t stop us going
further out to sea. View of Cape Point from the sea |
I was sent an official trip report by the organisers, Cape Town Pelagics, which gave the impression of a wonderful trip and didn’t reflect anywhere close to reality.
Met up with Patrick in the late afternoon,
who was just back from a trip up the West Coast, so had the latest information
on the flowering season.
Overnight at Watsonia Apartment.
Monday
1st September: Robben Island
We drove into Cape Town in the morning,
taking an interesting route trying to miss the morning traffic, to the Victoria
& Alfred Waterfront. We then took a
catamaran trip to Robben Island on calm glassy seas, with quite a few African Penguin
seen along the way. View of Table Mountain from trip to Robben Island |
Overall a lovely day with warm sunny weather and a pleasant trip. I did get to see the Chukar Partridge which is an introduced species for South Africa, only occurring on Robben Island.
Overnight at Watsonia Apartment.
Tuesday
2nd September: Cape of Good HopeAfter a lovely breakfast, we commenced our tour with Patrick and drove down to Cape Point Nature Reserve. The weather was warm and clear, with no wind. At Cape Point we had good sightings of Cape Siskin, Cape Grassbird and Peregrine Falcon. Patrick has an excellent knowledge of the flowers and plants, and spent quite a bit of time describing the various species seen along the way.
Cape Point |
We then spent the afternoon at Kleinplaas Dam where I saw three Cape Clapper Lark, this Cape subspecies apiata having a pale grey back and quite distinct from the Agulhas subspecies marjoriae we had seen the previous week.
The trip with Patrick had a large focus on
Larks and we were going to look for a number of range restricted Larks along
the way. In addition, with the various splitting of Larks such as the
Long-billed Lark into four species, it was important to identify the various
subspecies as well. I had a target list of ten Larks, with the Stark’s Lark
very unlikely, this being a nomadic bird and the Short-clawed Lark being found around
Pietersburg and in southeast Botswana.
Had dinner at an excellent Italian restaurant
in Simon’s Town and overnight at Watsonia Apartment. The Simon’s Town area has
a wide range of excellent restaurants and we tried out different restaurants
every evening.
Wednesday
3rd September: West Coast Park
After another great breakfast, we packed up
the Toyota Fortuna and drove through to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens for a
quick visit. The gardens were splendid as always and we had good views of a
pair of Spotted Eagle Owl roosting in the trees. We also had brief views of an
African Goshawk flying over. Spotted Eagle Owl |
Cape Dutch style restaurant at West Coast National Park |
West Coast National Park |
Overnight in Langebaan.
Thursday
4th September: West Coast Park
After breakfast with our Scottish hosts, we
spent most of the day in the West Coast Park. We visited an area which is only
open for the flowering season and had some nice displays of local flowers. Blue Wildebeest in wild flowers at West Coast |
Late in the afternoon we drove to the nearby Jacob’s Bay for some more birding, which included seeing Large-billed Lark and Red-capped Lark.
Overnight at some excellent accommodation in
Jacob’s Bay, which is a small village of whitewashed cottages, and has a lot of
character. Had dinner at a rustic seafood restaurant overlooking the rocky
shoreline, very scenic and excellent food.
Friday
5th September: ClanwilliamI was up before sunrise and took a walk around Jacob’s Bay village. Saw a Spotted Eagle Owl moving between the houses and was joined by a local couple still in their pyjamas, who also managed to see the bird. After breakfast we had a short drive around town and eventually found a pair of Grey-winged Francolin in a grassy patch.
Attractive town of Jacob's Bay |
Took a drive to a nearby gorge to try and find Protea Canary. After quite a bit of looking, Patrick and Yvonne headed back to the car and I kept searching, eventually getting good views of the Protea Canary perched in the open and singing. I was chuffed at finding this bird as it can be a very tricky bird to find. As the field guide says, it’s unobtrusive and often sits quietly in canopy, easily overlooked if not calling.
Overnight at the Long House in Clan William.
Saturday
6th September: KamieskroonAfter breakfast we continued our journey northwards, with stops in the Vanrhynsdorp area where we saw Grey-backed Sparrow-lark and Karoo Chat, and then onto the Knersvlakte area where we saw the lovely Rufous-eared Warbler.
We visited a private farm in the Knersvlakte area
to explore the fascinating stone plants (succulents), which were probably the
most interesting of the plants and flowers seen for the trip. The Knersvlakte
is known for its characteristic white quartzite gravel which conceals the stone
plants. The word Knersvlakte literally means “grinding flat” and gets its name
from the grinding sound of the iron rimmed wagon wheels cutting through the
quartz stones.
Had lunch at the Kern Nursery situated at the
edge of the Knersvlakte. This nursery, the largest for South African succulents,
was founded to preserve the unique Knersvlakte succulents, many of which are
difficult to differentiate from the pebbles near which they grow.
Stone Plants - Bababoudjies (babies’ bottoms) |
Rare variety of succulent at Knersvlakte |
Namaqualand National Park |
Kamieskroon Hotel garden views |
Sunday
7th September: Springbok
Today we spent most of the day at the lovely
Goegap Nature Reserve, a municipal reserve just outside Springbok. This was a
very pleasant reserve, one of the best maintained we visited on our trip, with
a good range of flowers, habitats and scenery. The area is good for Aloe dichotoma also known as the quiver
tree.
Goegap Nature Reserve |
Goegap Nature Reserve |
Monday
8th September: Port Nolloth
After breakfast we drove through to Port
Nolloth with some stops along the way. We had nice sightings of about 30
Namaqua Sandgrouse flying into drink at a farm dam close to the road. Other
highlights were about 20 Bradfield’s Swift and three Lanner Falcon at a nest
which had two chicks. Namaqua Sandgrouse |
After lunch we had a short trip to find our first Barlow’s Lark (coastal subspecies) and then a quick trip to the waste treatment plant to see some more Bradfield’s Swift.
Balow's Lark (coastal subspecies) |
After checking in, Patrick and I did some more birding and saw six Barlow’s Lark, six Cape Long-billed Lark, Karoo Lark, Tractrac Chat and Cape Penduline Tit. Overnight at Port Nolloth.
Tuesday 9th September: Pofadder
We had an early start as we drove westwards to Aggeneys on the way to Pofadder, our next stop. On the way we stopped at our Sandgrouse hotspot and had over 1,000 Namaqua Sandgrouse flying in in large flocks of about 100 birds each. Quite an amazing sight with the birds calling as they few with a nasal ki-ki-vee. We also saw two dead Spotted Eagle Owl at a roadside cutting.
Patrick had organised access to the Black
Mountain Conservation Area with one of his many contacts, and this was a key
site for Red Lark. During our visit we had good views of three Red Lark (redder
dunes form), a very attractive lark found in the red sand dunes and quite
different in colouration to Red Lark (browner plains form) we would see later
in the Brandvlei area. Surprisingly whilst three subspecies have been
described, these differently coloured larks are not identified as separate
subspecies according to Roberts VII and the IOC.
Other excellent birds seen at Black Mountain
were Stark’s Lark, which we didn’t think we would see on this trip, and Double-banded
Courser.
After lunch we took some back roads through
to Pofadder and saw about 120 Grey-backed Sparrow-lark. We then took a drive to
the Namibian border at Onseepkans. Arriving at 5pm we found the border post
deserted, this being the “New South
Africa” which closes down at 4pm. Patrick and I took a walk across the
Orange River bridge, staying in South African territory. We did see some border
guards from Namibia, so decided to head back to the car. We saw Orange River White-eye and Dusky Sunbird
at this site, and Ludwig’s Bustard on the way in.
Pofadder is not a tourist destination however
we did have good accommodation and meals at the Pofadder Hotel.
Wednesday
10th September: Augrabies National ParkHarsh Northern Cape area close to Orange River |
A quick drive around the Pofadder produced four Karoo Long-billed Lark, Spike-heeled Lark, Grey-backed Sparrow-lark, Black-eared Sparrow-lark, Rufous-eared Warbler and Karoo Chat. On the drive to Kakamas we stopped for Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, Pygmy Falcon, Martial Eagle and about 140 Lark-like Bunting.
Karoo Long-billed Lark |
Augrabies Falls |
Thursday
11th September: Brandvlei
We did some early morning birding at
Augrabies with highlights being two out of range Burchell’s Coucal, according
to the Sasol and Robert’s distribution maps, plus Swallow-tailed Bee-eater and
Orange River White-eye.
We then drove down to Kleinhardt stopping for
an impressive Sociable Weavers nest and saw four Black-faced Waxbill, again
considerably out of range according to the Sasol and Robert’s distribution maps.
Saw three Karoo Korhaan and two Lanner Falcon on this section of road.
After checking into our lovely farm stay
close to Brandvlei, Patrick and I visited some private farming areas to try and
find some larks. We had to trim back the thick thorn bushes along the drive,
and I was driving and Patrick was doing the pruning, when we entered some stony
plains, much like gibber plains in Australia. I slammed on the brakes and in
front of us was a Sclater’s Lark collecting nesting material. Patrick managed
to get some good photos and the Sclater’s Lark wasn’t too fussed about us. I
think of all the larks we were looking for, this was one that Patrick was most
concerned about finding.
Sclater's Lark (photo by Patrick Cardwell) |
Had a great braai in the evening at the farm house, a huge house all to ourselves, in the middle of the dry desolate Karoo.
Friday
12th September: Calvinia
We did some early morning birding in the
Brandvlei area, seeing six Sclater’s Lark, four Red Lark (browner plains form),
Large-billed Lark, Spike-heeled Lark, Karoo Long-billed Lark, Sabota Lark,
Red-capped Lark, about 120 Lark-like Bunting, Black-chested Snake Eagle and a
well out of range African Fish Eagle feeding on road kill on the side of the
road. Red Lark (browner plains form) |
Akkerendam Nature Reserve |
Saturday
13th September: Nieuwoudtville
In the morning we took a short drive to
Nieuwoudtville for some roadside flowers and birding. We then took a drive
through the Nieuwoudtville Wildflower Reserve, when we had range of different
flowering species. In the afternoon we
visited some other areas south of the town and had nice views of Common Quail
being flushed, about 60 Blue Crane and some Ludwig’s Bustard.One of many flowering species at Niewoudtville |
Before sunrise, Patrick and I walked up the hill behind our farm cottage to see Cape Clapper Lark displaying. We then walked down to the farm dam and saw a pair of Black Sparrowhawk which were probably nesting in the tall eucalypts. These birds were quite a bit out of range according to the Roberts VII distribution maps.
Black Sparrowhawk |
Monday 15th September: Tankwa Karoo
We took a game drive in the early morning, one of the worst I have ever done, where the guide had no idea about game or birds, making up the bird names as we went along. A White-breasted Cormorant became a “White-breasted Darter”, the Little Grebe became a “Little Whistling Duck” and a Bokmakierie was a “Yellow-breasted Sunbird”. OK so he wasn’t too good on his birds but then he couldn’t spot the Kudu which all the guests saw close to our vehicle. Patrick kindly got a refund for the game drive costs after complaining to the manager.
Spotted Thick-knee |
In the afternoon we took a drive along the dirt roads and a nice range of birds including Yellow-bellied Eremomela, Chestnut-vented Warbler, Lesser Swamp Warbler and African Reed Warbler.
Getting back, I discovered that we had been
upgraded to better rooms, as local contractors had damaged the plumbing system.
Overnight in Tankwa Karoo with a lovely
dinner in the huge thatched dining room.
Tuesday
16th September: GrootvadersboschIn the early morning Patrick and I had some good birding close to our accommodation, where we saw 50 species of birds within an hour, which included close-up views of White-backed Duck, Black-crowned Night Heron, Common Greenshank and Little Stint on the farm dam.
After breakfast we headed south to Montagu
and then to the Tradouw Pass, which we had travelled on a few weeks earlier on
our drive from Oudtshoorn to Swellendam. At the short stop on the pass we again
saw Cape Rock Thrush, plus had views of a distant Peregrine Falcon, African
Black Duck and Black Saw-wing.
We had a lunch time stop of the
Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve before driving onto our farm stay at a nearby
farm. Here we had a huge four bedroom house all to ourselves, with a huge
kitchen, dining room, lounge and extensive gardens. The hosts provided their staff for cooking our
meals while we sat around and relaxed.
Birds of interest for the area included
nesting Crowned Eagle, two Lesser Honeyguide following a Cardinal Woodpecker
probably trying to locate its nest, brilliant views of Knysna Warbler about a metre
from where we were crouched, hearing a Knysna Woodpecker then seeing the bird
fly past, about eight African Dusky Flycatcher and a displaying male Denham’s
Bustard. Tradouw Pass |
After dinner we tried to see African Wood Owl but only managed to hear three birds, some very close, and a Western Barn Owl.
Wednesday
17th September: De Hoop Nature Reserve
Patrick and I spent three hours birding in
the morning around the farm house and had views of Olive Bushshrike and
Southern Boubou plus heard Red-chested Cuckoo (Piet-my-vrou) which must have
just arrived in the area.
We then took a drive to Bontebok National
Park entrance area where we had good game viewing and saw Plain-backed Pipit.
Between Swellendam and De Hoop we saw our only Agulhas Long-billed Lark of the
trip, and our last lark needed for the trip.
Arrived at De Hoop Nature Reserve at midday
and checked into our lovely accommodation. There were many places we stayed on
during our trip which we would like to have stayed for a lot longer, and this
was one of them.
Birding around the accommodation area in the
afternoon produced just under 50 bird species, with nice views of Southern
Tchagra and Spotted Thick-knee. We heard the contact call of Knysna Woodpecker
but were not able to locate the bird despite some extensive searching.
Had a great braai in the evening.
Thursday
18th September: Rooi Els
Some early morning birding at De Hoop Nature
Reserve, looking for the elusive Knysna Woodpecker, with the bird being heard
five times and an unsatisfactory sighting of the bird flying between bushes
across the path, in poor light conditions.
We then drove through to Betty’s Bay where we
encountered quite a bit of rain, the only rain for the trip. Patrick and I took
a short walk between rain squalls and had great views of two Cape Rockjumper.
This is a bird which is becoming increasingly difficult to locate and at this
site the success rate is only 40%. Patrick then followed this up with excellent
views of the gorgeous little Victorin’s Warbler.
After checking into our lovely Bed and Breakfast in
Rooi Els, Patrick and I took a drive to Bot River Lagoon, where Patrick has arranged
for access to a private farm overlooking the Bot River Lagoon. It was not
raining steadily with quite strong icy winds. Patrick and I proceeded to walk
in a grid pattern across the low fynbos in an attempt to flush out Hottentot
Buttonquail. Given the appalling weather, it’s not surprising that the quail
kept its head down and we had no luck in finding it. After an hour of getting
soaked, we gave up and headed back to our accommodation. This was our only dip
of the trip and had we had better weather, there was a good chance of seeing
the bird. As Patrick said, two out of three birds for the day was pretty good,
considering that all three birds can be difficult to locate.
Dinner at a lovely seafood restaurant in
Betty’s Bay and overnight at Rooi Els.
Friday
19th September: Simon’s TownToday we took the drive around False Bay and stopped off at Strandfontein Sewage Works. For the short one hour visit we saw just over 50 birds, including a Spotted Eagle Owl roosting in thick bush. Patrick then spotted the Franklin’s Gull where I had asked to stop at one of the ponds and then produced a Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk on the other side of the car. The Franklin’s Gull is an American gull which is a vagrant to South Africa and had been seen on and off at Strandfontein for a couple of months prior to our trip. I had only seen the Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk in Kenya previously, so nice to see it in South Africa, where it is reasonably common around the suburbs of Cape Town.
We arrived back in Simon’s Town just before
lunch and had the Shearwater Apartment this time, the apartment with the grand
views of False Bay. Took the car for a major car wash and had all our laundry
done in the afternoon, before having a final meal with Patrick in the evening.
So overall an excellent tour with Patrick,
who shared his knowledge and love for the flora and fauna of the Cape with us.
Saturday
20th September: Edenvale
After saying our farewells to Patrick and
Marie-Louise, we headed off to Fish Hoek for a haircut for myself, before
driving to the airport. Flew up to Johannesburg on BA and spent the evening at the lovely Dunvegan
Execu Lodge in Edenvale after being collected at the airport by Monika Isaacs.Madagascar from 21st September to 9th October - see separate blog
Northern
Transvaal / Limpopo
Friday 10th
October: Soutpansberg
After breakfast at our excellent
accommodation at Pheasant Hill in Irene near Pretoria, we drove to Louis
Trichardt (Makhado) in the Soutpansberg, arriving about midday. The road from
Johannesburg airport to Irene and then further northwards is mostly a toll road
and is in excellent condition.
We had three nights at Mount Azimbo Lodge,
about 10km north of Louis Trichardt and had booked their spacious two bedroomed
chalet for the visit. Unfortunately there was a double booking so on the second
night we had to stay in a small single room and then move back to our chalet the
following day. Not the greatest of arrangements but the hosts offered us the
second night free.
Met up with Samson Mulaudzi and did a short
trip to Hanglip Forest in the afternoon. Some interesting birds seen included
Lemon Dove, Tambourine Dove, Yellow-throated Woodland Warbler, Chorister
Robin-chat and White-starred Robin.
Saturday 11th
October: Soutpansberg
Met up with Samson in the morning and drove
to the Gundani Miombo woodlands, this being a relict patch of Miombo woodland
in the remote hills of Venda, and is a habitat found in Zimbabwe and further
north. It had been raining in the morning however by the time we arrived the
rain had stopped and it was still misty with light drizzle, which cleared later
in the morning.
The birding was excellent in the woodland and
we quickly located Pink-throated Twinspot and saw about eight for the
morning. Closer to the river we saw
about twelve Green Twinspot which was quite amazing. Other nice birds included
Retz’s Helmetshrike, Bearded Scrub Robin, Yellow-breasted Apalis,
Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird and many Klaas’s Cuckoo. No Blue-spotted Wood Dove or
Southern Hyliota were seen and these do occur in the Miombo woodland.
In the afternoon we visited the Thohoyandou
Botanic Gardens which we discovered was closed because of the weekend, seems
strange to close a botanic gardens on the weekend. Samson did some smooth
talking and persuaded the guards to let us in, with a tip which helped too. In
the botanic gardens, which are not conventional gardens but a protected tract
of woodlands and bush, we heard two Blue-spotted Wood Dove but couldn’t get
onto them. Other nice birds included Orange-breasted Bushshrike, Lesser
Honeyguide, Red-capped Robin-chat and Red-faced Cisticola.
Overnight at Mount Azimbo Lodge.
Sunday 12th
October: Soutpansberg
I had an early morning start with Samson but
had problems opening the security gate at the lodge in the morning, so a bit
delayed. Met up with Samson and arrived at the Entabeni Forest just after 7am.
Here Samson quickly found two African Broadbill which were doing their display
flight, with the white back feathers puffed up, very impressive. In the same
area we had good views of Olive Bushshrike, Knysna Turaco and Purple-crested
Turaco.
We then drove to an area of open woodland and
had lovely views of two Narina Trogon plus Scaly-throated Honeyguide. The next
stop was up the hill in a stand of eucalypt trees where Samson located a
roosting Bat Hawk, this being a bird that has eluded me for a long time, both
in South Africa and Kenya.
At a nearby stream we found Red-backed
Mannikin and Holub’s Golden Weaver. At another site with a small dam and
overhanging vegetation, we failed to find any White-backed Night-heron which
are known to roost there.
We moved onto a private site on the Luvuhu
River and whilst we saw some nice birds we failed to find any White-backed
Night-heron. Our last site for the day was the Muirhead
Dam on a private farm, where we had good views of White-backed Duck, African
Pygmy Goose and a Crowned Eagle flying over.
Overnight at Mount Azimbo Lodge.Monday 13th October: Mapungubwe National Park
Managed to get an early morning emergency appointment at a local dentist in Makhado to refit a crown that had broken off the previous day. Lovely staff and great service at Dr Michiel Roos Dentistry, for a fraction of the cost of a dentist in Australia.
After buying groceries we headed north to Messina (Musina) into Baobab country. The town of Messina has decayed from what it once was and is best avoided, except to get fuel and other supplies, on the way through.
Arrived at Mapungubwe National Park at 2pm,
which is a new national park to the west of Messina located on the Limpopo
River, the border between South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Our first two
nights were at the Limpopo Forest Tented Camp and the next two nights at the
Leokwe Camp.
The tented accommodation at Limpopo Forest
was very spacious and well equipped, being on a raised wooded platform under a huge
fig tree, with large kitchen, bedroom and bathroom, certainly one of the most luxurious
tented camps we have stayed in. There were only about six tented camps which
were well spread out and there were a few other visitors at the camp, including
some other birders.
There was a swimming pool surrounded by electrified
fencing to keep the elephants out and there were Bushbuck in the camp area plus
many birds. Some of the interesting birds seen during the afternoon were
Martial Eagle, Lilac-breasted Roller, Common Scimitarbill, Arrow-marked
Babbler, Meves’s Starling, Holub’s Golden Weaver and Hamerkop nesting outside
our tent.
Tuesday 14th
October: Mapungubwe National ParkTook a morning drive along the Limpopo River and through the park, seeing about 60 birds and quite a few game species. Many of the roads in the national park are limited to 4WD. The Limpopo Forest camp is on the western side of the national park and access is via a sealed road outside of the park. This area of the park is thus quite separate from the rest of the reserve and has very little traffic.
Highlights for the morning included
Saddle-billed Stork, three Pearl-spotted Owlet, Broad-billed Roller, Retz’s
Helmetshrike and Southern Pied Babbler.
In the afternoon we relaxed at the camp and
some of the highlights included nesting White-backed Vulture, Southern Carmine
Bee-eater, Red-billed Buffalo Weaver, Bearded Woodpecker and in the evening
Western Barn Owl seen outside our tent and about four African Scops Owl calling
in the campsite.
Wednesday 15th
October: Mapungubwe National Park
Took a morning drive to the Limpopo River and
saw close to 70 birds, with highlights being many White-fronted Bee-eater plus European
Bee-eater, Tropical Boubou, Black Cuckooshrike, Southern White-crowned Shrike, Lanner
Falcon and African Harrier-hawk.
After packing up we drove on the sealed road
outside the national park up to the main entrance. Along the drive we had a
great views of Black-chested Snake-eagle, a pair of Black Stork at a nesting
site on a rocky outcrop, Southern Carmine Bee-eater, Red-headed Weaver and
Black-faced Waxbill.
The accommodation at Leokwe Camp was again
spacious and well equipped, and the camp was nicely situated in amongst the
sandstone hills. The swimming pool was built in between huge boulders and had a
deck offering good views of the creek and hills, good for birding and relaxing.Leokwe Camp |
Birding around the camp in the afternoon
produced Mocking Cliff Chat, a pair of African Hawk-eagle roosting in a large Baobab
tree, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Yellow-throated Petronia and Freckled Nightjar
calling just after sunset.
Thursday 16th
October: Mapungubwe National ParkWe arrived at the Treetop Walk at 6am and this is a top birding spot for the park. Had a huge herd of elephant crossing the river into Botswana and saw some great birds including two Greater Painted Snipe, Ruff, Wood Sandpiper, African Green Pigeon, Broad-billed Roller, Meyer’s Parrot and Bennet’s Woodpecker.
Confluence with Limpopo River in foreground and dry Shashe River |
Mocking Cliff Chat |
Leopard Grass Snake (Psammophis brevirostris) |
17th to 24th October: Kruger National Park
We visited the Treetop Walk early in the morning and had an immature Martial Eagle on the river sandbanks and a Pearl-spotted Owlet perched close to the car as we arrived.
We packed up and drove to Messina to buy
groceries and then onto Pafuri in the Kruger National Park. The road was good
except for a bridge that had been completely washed in floods away a number of
years ago, and no evidence of any activity to replace the bridge. So if there
are rains, the rudimentary bypass through the dry river bed would be impassable.
Maybe it’s in the 20 year plan to eventually replace the bridge to one of the
largest tourist attractions in South Africa!!
We had booked various camps in the Kruger
National Park for the next eight nights, staying at Punda Maria, Shingwedzi,
Letaba, Satara and Pretoriuskop. Kruger was quite dry, except in the far south,
and wasn’t at its best. We did have good birding and mammal viewing along the
way but generally the Impala, Zebra, Wildebeest and even vulture numbers were
far less than we have seen before. Elephant crossing at Satara River |
Southern Ground-hornbill - vulnerable and decline in numbers |
We have seen 297 birds in Kruger now, with 23 birds added for this trip, which is a good number of birds for the park for an international visitor.
The Kruger camps were well maintained, the
staff friendly and very courteous. Many of the older huts are being replaced
with very nice modern accommodation, whilst still keeping many of the Kruger
traditions.
Many international visitors use the private
parks abutting the western side of Kruger but these are usually very expensive
and we didn’t see any justification for the extra expense, given that we have
spent a lot of time in many game reserves in Southern Africa.
Whilst the Kruger didn’t meet our high
expectations on this visit, we did enjoy the park and it’s always a rewarding
and relaxing place to visit.
25th
to 28th October: MkuzeWe left Pretoriuskop early in the morning for the drive to Mkuze, skirting around Swaziland. The roads between Kruger and Nelspruit were under construction and there were many detours and diversions, so slow going. To the west of Swaziland we hit heavy mist which slowed us down as well.
We spent the next four days with Debbie and Pierre in their house in Mkuze. Debbie used to nurse with Yvonne at Addington Hospital, so a long-time friend who has kept in contact over the years.
Had a great time with Pierre and Debbie and explored the area, including a visit to their new house under construction on the Pongola River up north near Tembe. The fishing on the Pongola River is reputed to be excellent and it’s within 5 minutes’ walk from the house.
We spent time on Pongolapoort Dam with a lovely cruise the one day, tracking the local elephant herd from the boat. Debbie also took us to Mkuze Game Reserve for the day where we saw some good birds, especially when the flying ants started to leave their nests, attracting a whole host of nice birds.
Green-winged Pytilia |
Southern White Rhino |
Wednesday 29th
October: Mbabane
After saying goodbye to Debbie and Pierre we
headed off to the nearby Swaziland border post at Golela. Not sure what to
expect we were surprised to find a very modern border post and it probably only
took us 20 minutes to get though the South Africa and Swaziland border posts.
No queues of traffic or travellers and no hassles getting out passports stamped
and a clearance to take the rental car though to Swaziland.
The road running north to the Big Bend in
Swaziland was wide, well maintained and had very little traffic, certainly a
lot better than many of the roads in South Africa. We stopped for morning tea
at Nisela Safari Lodge in the Nisela Nature Reserve and had a look at the Swazi
beehive huts, where one can spend the night for the princely sum of R137.50
pppn. Swaziland has its own currency which is on a par with the SA Rand,
however Rands are acceptable currency anywhere in Swaziland.
We continued on to Manzini and then Mbabane
stopping off at a local restaurant for lunch. After lunch we checked into
Silverstone Falls, our accommodation alongside a river on the northern
outskirts of Mbabane. This was one of the top places we stayed at on our trip,
very upmarket, immaculate and spacious accommodation with views from the
veranda overlooking the Silverstone falls. The staff were very friendly and we
had some excellent meals at our residence.
Swazi beehive huts |
Silverstone Falls |
Thursday 30th October: Mbabane
We drove off early in the morning to Malolotja Nature Reserve to try and find the Blue Swallow, our reason for visiting Swaziland. It’s a lovely reserve up in the hills towards Piggs Peak and we stopped at the picnic site which was the site for the Blue Swallow. Had lots of Buff-streaked Chat on the boulders and other nice birds but nothing resembling a Blue Swallow.
Buff-streaked Chat |
The birds are glossy metallic blue in colour
as compared to the matt black of the Black Saw-wing which were also in the
area. I could see the very long tail streamers from two birds flying close by
but these were difficult to see when the birds were further away and only the
males have the streamers. Given their rarity these days, this was the mega bird
of the trip.
We also had good views of a Secretarybird
close to the road. After lunch at the
nature reserve restaurant we headed back to our accommodation to relax for the
afternoon.
Birding at Silverstone Falls was also
rewarding with Purple-crested Turaco, Southern Boubou, Chorister Robin-chat,
African Pygmy Kingfisher, African Dusky Flycatcher, African Paradise
Flycatcher, Southern Black Tit, Southern Black Flycatcher, Amethyst Sunbird,
Black Saw-wing, Olive Sunbird, Swee Waxbill and African Firefinch all seen from
the veranda of our accommodation.
For the short trip to Swaziland I ended up
with a list of 68 birds which was pleasing.
Friday 31st
October: Wakkerstroom
We hit very heavy mist when we left in the
morning, however once this lifted, we quickly cleared customs at the border
post to the west of Mbabane and drove through to Wakkerstroom.
We checked into our accommodation at Wetlands
Country House and I went off birding in the afternoon, slap bang into a huge
storm. It looked like a dust storm approaching over the hills and there was
lots of lightning, very heavy rain and huge hail stones. I sat out the storm
and then went back to the accommodation.
I arrived back to see our room being evacuated and informed that we were
moving to alternative accommodation, as the room we were in leaked like a sieve.
The owner of the property tried to tell Yvonne that a few drops of water were
fine and that we should stay in the room. Yvonne then said we were going
somewhere else and he relented and offered this huge house as an alternative.
We decided to pack up and leave the following
morning instead of staying two nights as originally planned.
Saturday 1st
November: Edenvale
I did some early morning birding around
Wakkerstroom before breakfast and couldn’t find the Yellow-breasted Pipit I was
after, although did see some nice birds such as Grey-crowned Crane and six
African Snipe in the wetlands. There was a gathering of local birders on the
bridge at the wetlands in the morning and they got excited/annoyed at seeing
their first European Starling in the area.
Went back for breakfast and had a chat to a
professional guide who was leading a tour, and he said that they had a brief
sighting on Yellow-breasted Pipit doing its display flight close to where I had
been looking. After packing up we went back up into the hills and I eventually
had reasonable views of two Yellow-breasted Pipit in the long grass showing
their buffy yellow throats, plus one bird doing a display flight quite high up,
with floppy wing beats then dropping down vertically into the grass. There were
also displaying Red-capped Lark and African Pipit in the area.
At midday we left and drove through to Ermelo
for lunch at the local Steers restaurant. Got in contact with Monika Isaacs and
organised a room for the night at Edenvale Execu Lodge.
Sunday 2nd
November: Return to Australia
Had the car washed and spent the morning
shopping at East Rand Mall, before packing our bags and headed to the airport.
Don’t remember too much of the flight back to Sydney and slept pretty well
after a long trip. Arrived back into Melbourne at 6pm on Monday 3rd
November.
References and
Resources
- Essential Birding - Western South Africa by Callan Cohen and Claire Spottiswoode, first edition 2000
- Southern African Birdfinder by Callan Cohen, Claire Spottiswoode and Jonathan Rossouw, first edition 2006
- Roberts VII Birds of Southern Africa iPhone App version 2 designed by Guy Gibbon
- SASOL Birds of Southern Africa iPhone App
- Newman’s Birds of Southern Africa by Ken Newman and revised by Vanessa Newman, commemorative edition 2010
- Mammals of Southern Africa, pocket guide by Chris and Mathilde Stuart
Mammals
Hyracoidea
Hyraxes
(Procaviidae)
Yellow-spotted
Rock Hyrax [sp] (Heterohyrax brucei)
Rock Hyrax
[sp] (Procavia capensis)
Proboscidea
Elephants
(Elephantidae)
African Bush
Elephant (Loxodonta africana)
Primates
Galagos
(Galagidae)
Moholi
Bushbaby (Galago moholi)
Old World
Monkeys (Cercopithecidae)
Vervet Monkey
[sp] (Chlorocebus pygerythrus)
Chacma Baboon
[sp] (Papio ursinus)
Rodentia
Squirrels
& Marmots (Sciuridae)
Eastern Grey
Squirrel [sp] (Sciurus carolinensis)
South African
Ground Squirrel (Xerus inauris)
Smith's Bush
Squirrel [sp] (Paraxerus cepapi)
Old World
mice and rats, gerbils, whistling rats, and relatives (Muridae)
Xeric
Four-striped Grass Rat (Rhabdomys pumilio)
Brants's
Whistling Rat (Parotomys brantsii)
Springhares
(Pedetidae)
South African
Spring Hare (Pedetes capensis)
Old World
Porcupines (Hystricidae)
Cape
Porcupine [sp] (Hystrix africaeaustralis)
Lagomorpha
Rabbits and
Hares (Leporidae)
Scrub Hare
[sp] (Lepus saxatilis)
Smith's Red
Rock Hare [sp] (Pronolagus rupestris)
Chiroptera
Free-tailed
Bats (Molossidae)
Roberts's
Flat-headed Bat [sp] (Sauromys petrophilus)
Carnivora
Cats
(Felidae)
Lion [sp]
(Panthera leo)
Leopard [sp]
(Panthera pardus)
Mongooses
(Herpestidae)
Yellow
Mongoose [sp] (Cynictis penicillata)
Cape Grey
Mongoose [sp] (Galerella pulverulenta)
Slender
Mongoose [sp] (Galerella sanguinea)
Common Dwarf
Mongoose [sp] (Helogale parvula)
Banded
Mongoose [sp] (Mungos mungo)
Meerkat [sp]
(Suricata suricatta)
Hyaenas
(Hyaenidae)
Spotted Hyena
(Crocuta crocuta)
Dogs
(Canidae)
Black-backed
Jackal [sp] (Canis mesomelas)
Bat-eared Fox
[sp] (Otocyon megalotis)
Eared Seals
(Otariidae)
Brown Fur
Seal [sp] (Arctocephalus pusillus)
Mustelids
(Mustelidae)
African
Clawless Otter [sp] (Aonyx capensis)
Honey Badger
[sp] (Mellivora capensis)
Perissodactyla
Horses
(Equidae)
Burchell's
Zebra [sp] (Equus burchellii)
Mountain
Zebra [sp] (Equus zebra)
Rhinoceroses
(Rhinocerotidae)
White
Rhinoceros [sp] (Ceratotherium simum)
Artiodactyla
Pigs
(Suidae)
Common
Warthog [sp] (Phacochoerus africanus)
Hippopotamuses
(Hippopotamidae)
Common
Hippopotamus [sp] (Hippopotamus amphibius)
Giraffes
& Okapi (Giraffidae)
Giraffe [sp]
(Giraffa camelopardalis)
Cattle &
Spiral-horned Antelope (Bovidae)
Impala [sp]
(Aepyceros melampus)
Blue
Wildebeest [sp] (Connochaetes taurinus)
Common
Tsessebe (Damaliscus lunatus)
Bontebok [sp]
(Damaliscus pygargus)
Springbok
[sp] (Antidorcas marsupialis)
Klipspringer
[sp] (Oreotragus oreotragus)
Steenbok [sp]
(Raphicerus campestris)
Sharpe's
Grysbok (Raphicerus sharpei)
African
Buffalo [sp] (Syncerus caffer)
Common Eland
[sp] (Taurotragus oryx)
Nyala
(Tragelaphus angasii)
Bushbuck [sp]
(Tragelaphus scriptus)
Greater Kudu
[sp] (Tragelaphus strepsiceros)
Red Duiker
[sp] (Cephalophus natalensis)
Bush Duiker
[sp] (Sylvicapra grimmia)
Gemsbok (Oryx
gazella)
Waterbuck
[sp] (Kobus ellipsiprymnus)
Vaal Rhebok
(Pelea capreolus)
Southern
Reedbuck (Redunca arundinum)
Cetacea
Right Whales
(Balaenidae)
Southern
Right Whale (Eubalaena australis)
Rorqual
Whales (Balaenopteridae)
Humpback
Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)
Birds
For the trip we saw a total of 471 birds of
which 50 were new birds for my South African list and 30 were lifers. The list of birds,
according to IOC taxonomy, was as follows:
STRUTHIONIFORMES
Ostriches
(Struthionidae)
Common
Ostrich [sp] (Struthio camelus)
ANSERIFORMES
Ducks, Geese
& swans (Anatidae)
White-faced
Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna viduata)
White-backed
Duck [sp] (Thalassornis leuconotus)
Spur-winged
Goose [sp] (Plectropterus gambensis)
Egyptian
Goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca)
South African
Shelduck (Tadorna cana)
African Pygmy
Goose (Nettapus auritus)
Cape Teal
(Anas capensis)
African Black
Duck [sp] (Anas sparsa)
Mallard [sp]
(Anas platyrhynchos)
Yellow-billed
Duck [sp] (Anas undulata)
Cape Shoveler
(Anas smithii)
Red-billed
Teal (Anas erythrorhyncha)
Hottentot Teal
(Anas hottentota)
Southern
Pochard [sp] (Netta erythrophthalma)
Maccoa Duck
(Oxyura maccoa)
GALLIFORMES
Guineafowl
(Numididae)
Helmeted
Guineafowl [sp] (Numida meleagris)
Crested
Guineafowl [sp] (Guttera pucherani)
Pheasants,
Fowl & Allies (Phasianidae)
Chukar
Partridge [sp] (Alectoris chukar)
Grey-winged
Francolin (Scleroptila afra)
Crested
Francolin [sp] (Dendroperdix sephaena)
Cape Spurfowl
(Pternistis capensis)
Natal
Spurfowl [sp] (Pternistis natalensis)
Swainson's
Spurfowl [sp] (Pternistis swainsonii)
Common Quail
[sp] (Coturnix coturnix)
Indian
Peafowl (Pavo cristatus)
SPHENISCIFORMES
Penguins
(Spheniscidae)
African
Penguin (Spheniscus demersus)
PROCELLARIIFORMES
Albatrosses
(Diomedeidae)
Shy Albatross
[sp] (Thalassarche cauta)
Indian
Yellow-nosed Albatross (Thalassarche carteri)
Petrels,
Shearwaters (Procellariidae)
White-chinned
Petrel (Procellaria aequinoctialis)
Sooty
Shearwater (Puffinus griseus)
Podicipediformes
Grebes
(Podicipedidae)
Little Grebe
[sp] (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
Great Crested
Grebe [sp] (Podiceps cristatus)
Black-necked
Grebe [sp] (Podiceps nigricollis)
PHOENICOPTERIFORMES
Flamingos
(Phoenicopteridae)
Greater
Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)
Lesser
Flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor)
Ciconiiformes
Storks
(Ciconiidae)
Yellow-billed
Stork (Mycteria ibis)
African
Openbill [sp] (Anastomus lamelligerus)
Black Stork
(Ciconia nigra)
Woolly-necked
Stork [sp] (Ciconia episcopus)
Saddle-billed
Stork (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis)
Marabou Stork
(Leptoptilos crumenifer)
PELECANIFORMES
Ibises,
Spoonbills (Threskiornithidae)
African
Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus)
Southern Bald
Ibis (Geronticus calvus)
Hadada Ibis
[sp] (Bostrychia hagedash)
Glossy Ibis
(Plegadis falcinellus)
African
Spoonbill (Platalea alba)
Herons,
Bitterns (Ardeidae)
White-backed
Night Heron (Gorsachius leuconotus)
Black-crowned
Night Heron [sp] (Nycticorax nycticorax)
Striated
Heron [sp] (Butorides striata)
Squacco Heron
(Ardeola ralloides)
Western
Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
Grey Heron
[sp] (Ardea cinerea)
Black-headed
Heron (Ardea melanocephala)
Goliath Heron
(Ardea goliath)
Purple Heron
[sp] (Ardea purpurea)
Great Egret
[sp] (Ardea alba)
Intermediate
Egret [sp] (Egretta intermedia)
Little Egret
[sp] (Egretta garzetta)
Hamerkop
(Scopidae)
Hamerkop [sp]
(Scopus umbretta)
Pelicans
(Pelecanidae)
Great White
Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus)
Suliformes
Gannets,
Boobies (Sulidae)
Cape Gannet
(Morus capensis)
Cormorants,
Shags (Phalacrocoracidae)
Reed
Cormorant [sp] (Microcarbo africanus)
Crowned
Cormorant (Microcarbo coronatus)
Bank
Cormorant (Phalacrocorax neglectus)
White-breasted
Cormorant (Phalacrocorax lucidus)
Cape
Cormorant (Phalacrocorax capensis)
Anhingas,
Darters (Anhingidae)
African
Darter [sp] (Anhinga rufa)
ACCIPITRIFORMES
Secretarybird
(Sagittariidae)
Secretarybird
(Sagittarius serpentarius)
Ospreys
(Pandionidae)
Western
Osprey [sp] (Pandion haliaetus)
Kites, Hawks
& Eagles (Accipitridae)
Black-winged
Kite [sp] (Elanus caeruleus)
African
Harrier-hawk [sp] (Polyboroides typus)
European
Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus)
Hooded
Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus)
White-backed
Vulture (Gyps africanus)
Cape Vulture
(Gyps coprotheres)
White-headed
Vulture (Trigonoceps occipitalis)
Lappet-faced
Vulture [sp] (Torgos tracheliotos)
Black-chested
Snake Eagle (Circaetus pectoralis)
Brown Snake
Eagle (Circaetus cinereus)
Bateleur
(Terathopius ecaudatus)
Bat Hawk [sp]
(Macheiramphus alcinus)
Crowned Eagle
(Stephanoaetus coronatus)
Martial Eagle
(Polemaetus bellicosus)
Long-crested
Eagle (Lophaetus occipitalis)
Lesser
Spotted Eagle (Clanga pomarina)
Wahlberg's
Eagle (Hieraaetus wahlbergi)
Booted Eagle
(Hieraaetus pennatus)
Tawny Eagle
[sp] (Aquila rapax)
Steppe Eagle
[sp] (Aquila nipalensis)
Verreaux's
Eagle (Aquila verreauxii)
African
Hawk-eagle (Aquila spilogaster)
Dark Chanting
Goshawk [sp] (Melierax metabates)
Pale Chanting
Goshawk [sp] (Melierax canorus)
African
Goshawk [sp] (Accipiter tachiro)
Rufous-breasted
Sparrowhawk [sp] (Accipiter rufiventris)
Black
Sparrowhawk [sp] (Accipiter melanoleucus)
African Marsh
Harrier (Circus ranivorus)
Black Harrier
(Circus maurus)
Yellow-billed
Kite [sp] (Milvus aegyptius)
African Fish
Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer)
Common
Buzzard [sp] (Buteo buteo)
Jackal
Buzzard (Buteo rufofuscus)
OTIDIFORMES
Bustards
(Otididae)
Kori Bustard
[sp] (Ardeotis kori)
Ludwig's
Bustard (Neotis ludwigii)
Denham's
Bustard [sp] (Neotis denhami)
Karoo Korhaan
[sp] (Eupodotis vigorsii)
Red-crested
Korhaan (Lophotis ruficrista)
Southern
Black Korhaan (Afrotis afra)
Northern
Black Korhaan [sp] (Afrotis afraoides)
Black-bellied
Bustard [sp] (Lissotis melanogaster)
GRUIFORMES
Finfoots
(Heliornithidae)
African
Finfoot [sp] (Podica senegalensis)
Rails,
Crakes & Coots (Rallidae)
African Rail
(Rallus caerulescens)
Black Crake
(Amaurornis flavirostra)
African Swamphen
(Porphyrio madagascariensis)
Common
Moorhen [sp] (Gallinula chloropus)
Red-knobbed
Coot (Fulica cristata)
Cranes
(Gruidae)
Grey Crowned
Crane [sp] (Balearica regulorum)
Blue Crane
(Grus paradisea)
CHARADRIIFORMES
Stone-curlews,
Thick-knees (Burhinidae)
Water
Thick-knee [sp] (Burhinus vermiculatus)
Spotted
Thick-knee [sp] (Burhinus capensis)
Oystercatchers
(Haematopodidae)
African
Oystercatcher (Haematopus moquini)
Stilts,
Avocets (Recurvirostridae)
Black-winged
Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
Pied Avocet
(Recurvirostra avosetta)
Plovers
(Charadriidae)
Blacksmith
Lapwing (Vanellus armatus)
White-crowned
Lapwing (Vanellus albiceps)
Crowned
Lapwing [sp] (Vanellus coronatus)
African
Wattled Lapwing [sp] (Vanellus senegallus)
Grey Plover
[sp] (Pluvialis squatarola)
Kittlitz's
Plover (Charadrius pecuarius)
Three-banded
Plover [sp] (Charadrius tricollaris)
White-fronted
Plover [sp] (Charadrius marginatus)
Chestnut-banded
Plover [sp] (Charadrius pallidus)
Painted
Snipes (Rostratulidae)
Greater
Painted-snipe (Rostratula benghalensis)
Jacanas
(Jacanidae)
African
Jacana (Actophilornis africanus)
Sandpipers,
Snipes (Scolopacidae)
African Snipe
[sp] (Gallinago nigripennis)
Whimbrel [sp]
(Numenius phaeopus)
Eurasian
Curlew [sp] (Numenius arquata)
Marsh
Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)
Common
Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
Wood
Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)
Common
Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)
Ruddy
Turnstone [sp] (Arenaria interpres)
Sanderling
[sp] (Calidris alba)
Little Stint
(Calidris minuta)
Curlew
Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)
Ruff
(Philomachus pugnax)
Coursers,
Pratincoles (Glareolidae)
Double-banded
Courser [sp] (Rhinoptilus africanus)
Gulls, Terns
& Skimmers (Laridae)
Grey-headed
Gull [sp] (Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus)
Hartlaub's
Gull (Chroicocephalus hartlaubii)
Franklin's
Gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan)
Kelp Gull
[sp] (Larus dominicanus)
Caspian Tern
(Hydroprogne caspia)
Greater
Crested Tern [sp] (Thalasseus bergii)
Sandwich Tern
(Thalasseus sandvicensis)
Common Tern
[sp] (Sterna hirundo)
Antarctic
Tern [sp] (Sterna vittata)
Skuas and
Jaegers (Stercorariidae)
Brown Skua
[sp] (Stercorarius antarcticus)
PTEROCLIFORMES
Sandgrouse
(Pteroclidae)
Namaqua
Sandgrouse (Pterocles namaqua)
COLUMBIFORMES
Doves and
Pigeons (Columbidae)
Rock Dove
[sp] (Columba livia)
Speckled
Pigeon [sp] (Columba guinea)
African Olive
Pigeon (Columba arquatrix)
Lemon Dove
[sp] (Columba larvata)
Mourning
Collared Dove [sp] (Streptopelia decipiens)
Red-eyed Dove
(Streptopelia semitorquata)
Ring-necked
Dove [sp] (Streptopelia capicola)
Laughing Dove
[sp] (Spilopelia senegalensis)
Emerald-spotted
Wood Dove (Turtur chalcospilos)
Blue-spotted
Wood Dove (Turtur afer)
Tambourine
Dove (Turtur tympanistria)
Namaqua Dove
[sp] (Oena capensis)
African Green
Pigeon [sp] (Treron calvus)
MUSOPHAGIFORMES
Turacos
(Musophagidae)
Knysna Turaco
[sp] (Tauraco corythaix)
Purple-crested
Turaco [sp] (Tauraco porphyreolophus)
Grey
Go-away-bird [sp] (Corythaixoides concolor)
CUCULIFORMES
Cuckoos
(Cuculidae)
Burchell's
Coucal [sp] (Centropus burchellii)
Great Spotted
Cuckoo (Clamator glandarius)
Levaillant's
Cuckoo (Clamator levaillantii)
Jacobin
Cuckoo [sp] (Clamator jacobinus)
Diederik
Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx caprius)
Klaas's
Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx klaas)
Red-chested
Cuckoo (Cuculus solitarius)
African
Cuckoo (Cuculus gularis)
STRIGIFORMES
Barn Owls
(Tytonidae)
Western Barn
Owl [sp] (Tyto alba)
Owls
(Strigidae)
African Scops
Owl [sp] (Otus senegalensis)
Spotted
Eagle-owl [sp] (Bubo africanus)
African Wood
Owl [sp] (Strix woodfordii)
Pearl-spotted
Owlet [sp] (Glaucidium perlatum)
CAPRIMULGIFORMES
Nightjars
(Caprimulgidae)
Fiery-necked
Nightjar [sp] (Caprimulgus pectoralis)
Freckled
Nightjar [sp] (Caprimulgus tristigma)
Square-tailed
Nightjar [sp] (Caprimulgus fossii)
Apodiformes
Swifts
(Apodidae)
African Palm
Swift [sp] (Cypsiurus parvus)
Alpine Swift
[sp] (Tachymarptis melba)
African Black
Swift [sp] (Apus barbatus)
Bradfield's
Swift [sp] (Apus bradfieldi)
Little Swift
[sp] (Apus affinis)
Horus Swift
[sp] (Apus horus)
White-rumped
Swift (Apus caffer)
COLIIFORMES
Mousebirds
(Coliidae)
Speckled
Mousebird [sp] (Colius striatus)
White-backed
Mousebird [sp] (Colius colius)
Red-faced
Mousebird [sp] (Urocolius indicus)
TROGONIFORMES
Trogons and
Quetzals (Trogonidae)
Narina Trogon
[sp] (Apaloderma narina)
CORACIIFORMES
Rollers
(Coraciidae)
Purple Roller
[sp] (Coracias naevius)
Lilac-breasted
Roller [sp] (Coracias caudatus)
Broad-billed
Roller [sp] (Eurystomus glaucurus)
Kingfishers
(Alcedinidae)
Brown-hooded
Kingfisher [sp] (Halcyon albiventris)
African Pygmy
Kingfisher [sp] (Ispidina picta)
Malachite
Kingfisher [sp] (Corythornis cristatus)
Giant
Kingfisher [sp] (Megaceryle maxima)
Pied
Kingfisher [sp] (Ceryle rudis)
Bee-eaters
(Meropidae)
Swallow-tailed
Bee-eater [sp] (Merops hirundineus)
Little
Bee-eater [sp] (Merops pusillus)
White-fronted
Bee-eater (Merops bullockoides)
European
Bee-eater (Merops apiaster)
Southern
Carmine Bee-eater (Merops nubicoides)
BUCEROTIFORMES
Hoopoes
(Upupidae)
African
Hoopoe (Upupa africana)
Woodhoopoes
(Phoeniculidae)
Green Wood
Hoopoe [sp] (Phoeniculus purpureus)
Common
Scimitarbill [sp] (Rhinopomastus cyanomelas)
Hornbills
(Bucerotidae)
Crowned
Hornbill [sp] (Tockus alboterminatus)
African Grey
Hornbill [sp] (Tockus nasutus)
Southern
Red-billed Hornbill (Tockus rufirostris)
Southern
Yellow-billed Hornbill [sp] (Tockus leucomelas)
Trumpeter
Hornbill (Bycanistes bucinator)
Ground-hornbills
(Bucorvidae)
Southern
Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri)
PICIFORMES
African
Barbets and Tinkerbirds (Lybiidae)
Yellow-fronted
Tinkerbird [sp] (Pogoniulus chrysoconus)
Acacia Pied
Barbet [sp] (Tricholaema leucomelas)
Black-collared
Barbet [sp] (Lybius torquatus)
Crested
Barbet [sp] (Trachyphonus vaillantii)
Honeyguides
(Indicatoridae)
Lesser
Honeyguide [sp] (Indicator minor)
Scaly-throated
Honeyguide (Indicator variegatus)
Woodpeckers
(Picidae)
Bennett's
Woodpecker [sp] (Campethera bennettii)
Golden-tailed
Woodpecker [sp] (Campethera abingoni)
Knysna
Woodpecker (Campethera notata)
Ground
Woodpecker (Geocolaptes olivaceus)
Cardinal
Woodpecker [sp] (Dendropicos fuscescens)
Bearded
Woodpecker [sp] (Dendropicos namaquus)
Olive
Woodpecker [sp] (Dendropicos griseocephalus)
FALCONIFORMES
Caracaras,
Falcons (Falconidae)
Pygmy Falcon [sp]
(Polihierax semitorquatus)
Rock Kestrel
(Falco rupicolus)
Greater
Kestrel [sp] (Falco rupicoloides)
Lanner Falcon
[sp] (Falco biarmicus)
Peregrine
Falcon [sp] (Falco peregrinus)
PSITTACIFORMES
Parrots and
Macaws (Psittacidae)
Rosy-faced
Lovebird [sp] (Agapornis roseicollis)
Meyer's
Parrot [sp] (Poicephalus meyeri)
Brown-headed
Parrot [sp] (Poicephalus cryptoxanthus)
Passeriformes
Broadbills
(Eurylaimidae)
African
Broadbill [sp] (Smithornis capensis)
Batises and
Wattle-eyes (Platysteiridae)
Cape Batis
[sp] (Batis capensis)
Chinspot
Batis [sp] (Batis molitor)
Pririt Batis
[sp] (Batis pririt)
Helmetshrikes
and Allies (Prionopidae)
White-crested
Helmetshrike [sp] (Prionops plumatus)
Retz's
Helmetshrike [sp] (Prionops retzii)
Bush-shrikes
(Malaconotidae)
Grey-headed
Bushshrike [sp] (Malaconotus blanchoti)
Olive
Bushshrike [sp] (Chlorophoneus olivaceus)
Orange-breasted
Bushshrike [sp] (Chlorophoneus sulfureopectus)
Bokmakierie
[sp] (Telophorus zeylonus)
Brown-crowned
Tchagra [sp] (Tchagra australis)
Southern
Tchagra [sp] (Tchagra tchagra)
Black-crowned
Tchagra [sp] (Tchagra senegalus)
Black-backed
Puffback [sp] (Dryoscopus cubla)
Tropical
Boubou [sp] (Laniarius major)
Southern
Boubou [sp] (Laniarius ferrugineus)
Brubru [sp]
(Nilaus afer)
Cuckooshrikes
(Campephagidae)
Black
Cuckooshrike (Campephaga flava)
Shrikes
(Laniidae)
Magpie Shrike
[sp] (Urolestes melanoleucus)
Southern
White-crowned Shrike [sp] (Eurocephalus anguitimens)
Southern
Fiscal [sp] (Lanius collaris)
Old World
Orioles (Oriolidae)
Black-headed
Oriole [sp] (Oriolus larvatus)
Drongos
(Dicruridae)
Fork-tailed
Drongo [sp] (Dicrurus adsimilis)
Monarch
Flycatchers (Monarchidae)
Blue-mantled
Crested Flycatcher [sp] (Trochocercus cyanomelas)
African
Paradise Flycatcher [sp] (Terpsiphone viridis)
Crows and
Jays (Corvidae)
Cape Crow
[sp] (Corvus capensis)
Pied Crow
(Corvus albus)
White-necked
Raven (Corvus albicollis)
Rockjumpers
(Chaetopidae)
Cape
Rockjumper (Chaetops frenatus)
Fairy
Flycatchers (Stenostiridae)
Fairy
Flycatcher [sp] (Stenostira scita)
Tits and
Chickadees (Paridae)
Southern
Black Tit [sp] (Melaniparus niger)
Grey Tit [sp]
(Melaniparus afer)
Penduline
Tits (Remizidae)
Cape
Penduline Tit [sp] (Anthoscopus minutus)
Nicators
(Nicatoridae)
Eastern
Nicator (Nicator gularis)
Larks
(Alaudidae)
Spike-heeled
Lark [sp] (Chersomanes albofasciata)
Karoo
Long-billed Lark [sp] (Certhilauda subcoronata)
Cape
Long-billed Lark [sp] (Certhilauda curvirostris)
Agulhas
Long-billed Lark (Certhilauda brevirostris)
Black-eared
Sparrow-lark (Eremopterix australis)
Grey-backed
Sparrow-lark [sp] (Eremopterix verticalis)
Sabota Lark
[sp] (Calendulauda sabota)
Karoo Lark
[sp] (Calendulauda albescens)
Red Lark
(Calendulauda burra)
Barlow's Lark
[sp] (Calendulauda barlowi)
Cape Clapper
Lark [sp] (Mirafra apiata)
Flappet Lark
[sp] (Mirafra rufocinnamomea)
Sclater's
Lark (Spizocorys sclateri)
Stark's Lark
(Spizocorys starki)
Large-billed
Lark [sp] (Galerida magnirostris)
Red-capped
Lark [sp] (Calandrella cinerea)
Bulbuls
(Pycnonotidae)
African
Red-eyed Bulbul [sp] (Pycnonotus nigricans)
Cape Bulbul
(Pycnonotus capensis)
Dark-capped
Bulbul [sp] (Pycnonotus tricolor)
Sombre
Greenbul [sp] (Andropadus importunus)
Yellow-bellied
Greenbul [sp] (Chlorocichla flaviventris)
Terrestrial
Brownbul [sp] (Phyllastrephus terrestris)
Yellow-streaked
Greenbul [sp] (Phyllastrephus flavostriatus)
Swallows and
Martins (Hirundinidae)
Black
Saw-wing [sp] (Psalidoprocne pristoptera)
Brown-throated
Martin [sp] (Riparia paludicola)
Banded Martin
[sp] (Riparia cincta)
Barn Swallow
[sp] (Hirundo rustica)
White-throated
Swallow (Hirundo albigularis)
Wire-tailed
Swallow [sp] (Hirundo smithii)
Blue Swallow
(Hirundo atrocaerulea)
Pearl-breasted
Swallow [sp] (Hirundo dimidiata)
Rock Martin
[sp] (Ptyonoprogne fuligula)
Greater
Striped Swallow (Cecropis cucullata)
Lesser
Striped Swallow [sp] (Cecropis abyssinica)
Red-breasted
Swallow [sp] (Cecropis semirufa)
Mosque
Swallow [sp] (Cecropis senegalensis)
Crombecs,
African warblers (Macrosphenidae)
Cape
Grassbird [sp] (Sphenoeacus afer)
Long-billed
Crombec [sp] (Sylvietta rufescens)
Victorin's
Warbler (Cryptillas victorini)
Leaf
warblers and allies (Phylloscopidae)
Yellow-throated
Woodland Warbler [sp] (Phylloscopus ruficapilla)
Willow
Warbler [sp] (Phylloscopus trochilus)
Reed
warblers and allies (Acrocephalidae)
Lesser Swamp
Warbler [sp] (Acrocephalus gracilirostris)
African Reed
Warbler [sp] (Acrocephalus baeticatus)
Grassbirds
and allies (Locustellidae)
Little Rush
Warbler [sp] (Bradypterus baboecala)
Knysna
Warbler [sp] (Bradypterus sylvaticus)
Cisticolas
and Allies (Cisticolidae)
Red-faced
Cisticola [sp] (Cisticola erythrops)
Rattling
Cisticola [sp] (Cisticola chiniana)
Grey-backed
Cisticola [sp] (Cisticola subruficapilla)
Levaillant's
Cisticola [sp] (Cisticola tinniens)
Neddicky [sp]
(Cisticola fulvicapilla)
Zitting
Cisticola [sp] (Cisticola juncidis)
Cloud
Cisticola [sp] (Cisticola textrix)
Tawny-flanked
Prinia [sp] (Prinia subflava)
Black-chested
Prinia [sp] (Prinia flavicans)
Karoo Prinia
[sp] (Prinia maculosa)
Namaqua
Warbler [sp] (Phragmacia substriata)
Bar-throated
Apalis [sp] (Apalis thoracica)
Rudd's Apalis
[sp] (Apalis ruddi)
Yellow-breasted
Apalis [sp] (Apalis flavida)
Rufous-eared
Warbler [sp] (Malcorus pectoralis)
Green-backed
Camaroptera [sp] (Camaroptera brachyura)
Grey-backed
Camaroptera [sp] (Camaroptera brevicaudata)
Cinnamon-breasted
Warbler [sp] (Euryptila subcinnamomea)
Yellow-bellied
Eremomela [sp] (Eremomela icteropygialis)
Karoo
Eremomela [sp] (Eremomela gregalis)
Burnt-necked
Eremomela [sp] (Eremomela usticollis)
Laughingthrushes
(Leiothrichidae)
Arrow-marked
Babbler [sp] (Turdoides jardineii)
Southern Pied
Babbler (Turdoides bicolor)
Sylviid
Babblers (Sylviidae)
Chestnut-vented
Warbler [sp] (Sylvia subcaerulea)
Layard's
Warbler [sp] (Sylvia layardi)
White-eyes
(Zosteropidae)
Cape
White-eye [sp] (Zosterops virens)
Orange River
White-eye (Zosterops pallidus)
Sugarbirds
(Promeropidae)
Cape
Sugarbird (Promerops cafer)
Starlings
(Sturnidae)
Common Myna
[sp] (Acridotheres tristis)
Common
Starling [sp] (Sturnus vulgaris)
Wattled
Starling (Creatophora cinerea)
Cape Starling
[sp] (Lamprotornis nitens)
Greater
Blue-eared Starling [sp] (Lamprotornis chalybaeus)
Meves's
Starling [sp] (Lamprotornis mevesii)
Burchell's
Starling (Lamprotornis australis)
Pied Starling
(Lamprotornis bicolor)
Violet-backed
Starling [sp] (Cinnyricinclus leucogaster)
Red-winged
Starling [sp] (Onychognathus morio)
Pale-winged
Starling (Onychognathus nabouroup)
Oxpeckers
(Buphagidae)
Yellow-billed
Oxpecker [sp] (Buphagus africanus)
Red-billed
Oxpecker (Buphagus erythrorhynchus)
Thrushes
(Turdidae)
Groundscraper
Thrush [sp] (Turdus litsitsirupa)
Kurrichane
Thrush [sp] (Turdus libonyana)
Olive Thrush
[sp] (Turdus olivaceus)
Karoo Thrush
(Turdus smithi)
Chats and
Old World Flycatchers (Muscicapidae)
Karoo Scrub
Robin [sp] (Cercotrichas coryphoeus)
Bearded Scrub
Robin [sp] (Cercotrichas quadrivirgata)
Kalahari
Scrub Robin [sp] (Cercotrichas paena)
White-browed
Scrub Robin [sp] (Cercotrichas leucophrys)
Brown Scrub
Robin [sp] (Cercotrichas signata)
Grey
Tit-flycatcher [sp] (Myioparus plumbeus)
Southern
Black Flycatcher [sp] (Melaenornis pammelaina)
Pale
Flycatcher [sp] (Melaenornis pallidus)
Chat
Flycatcher [sp] (Melaenornis infuscatus)
Fiscal
Flycatcher [sp] (Melaenornis silens)
Spotted
Flycatcher [sp] (Muscicapa striata)
African Dusky
Flycatcher [sp] (Muscicapa adusta)
Cape
Robin-chat [sp] (Cossypha caffra)
White-throated
Robin-chat (Cossypha humeralis)
White-browed
Robin-chat [sp] (Cossypha heuglini)
Red-capped
Robin-chat [sp] (Cossypha natalensis)
Chorister
Robin-chat [sp] (Cossypha dichroa)
White-starred
Robin [sp] (Pogonocichla stellata)
Cape Rock
Thrush (Monticola rupestris)
Sentinel Rock
Thrush [sp] (Monticola explorator)
African
Stonechat [sp] (Saxicola torquatus)
Buff-streaked
Chat (Campicoloides bifasciatus)
Sickle-winged
Chat [sp] (Emarginata sinuata)
Karoo Chat
[sp] (Emarginata schlegelii)
Tractrac Chat
[sp] (Emarginata tractrac)
Mocking Cliff
Chat [sp] (Thamnolaea cinnamomeiventris)
Ant-eating
Chat (Myrmecocichla formicivora)
Mountain
Wheatear [sp] (Myrmecocichla monticola)
Capped
Wheatear [sp] (Oenanthe pileata)
Familiar Chat
[sp] (Oenanthe familiaris)
Sunbirds
(Nectariniidae)
Collared
Sunbird [sp] (Hedydipna collaris)
Orange-breasted
Sunbird (Anthobaphes violacea)
Olive Sunbird
[sp] (Cyanomitra olivacea)
Amethyst
Sunbird [sp] (Chalcomitra amethystina)
Scarlet-chested
Sunbird [sp] (Chalcomitra senegalensis)
Malachite
Sunbird [sp] (Nectarinia famosa)
Southern
Double-collared Sunbird [sp] (Cinnyris chalybeus)
Greater
Double-collared Sunbird [sp] (Cinnyris afer)
Marico
Sunbird [sp] (Cinnyris mariquensis)
Purple-banded
Sunbird [sp] (Cinnyris bifasciatus)
White-bellied
Sunbird [sp] (Cinnyris talatala)
Dusky Sunbird
[sp] (Cinnyris fuscus)
Old World
Sparrows and Snowfinches (Passeridae)
White-browed
Sparrow-weaver [sp] (Plocepasser mahali)
Sociable
Weaver [sp] (Philetairus socius)
House Sparrow
[sp] (Passer domesticus)
Cape Sparrow
[sp] (Passer melanurus)
Southern
Grey-headed Sparrow [sp] (Passer diffusus)
Yellow-throated
Petronia [sp] (Gymnoris superciliaris)
Weavers
(Ploceidae)
Red-billed
Buffalo Weaver [sp] (Bubalornis niger)
Scaly-feathered
Weaver [sp] (Sporopipes squamifrons)
Thick-billed
Weaver [sp] (Amblyospiza albifrons)
Spectacled
Weaver [sp] (Ploceus ocularis)
Cape Weaver
[sp] (Ploceus capensis)
Holub's
Golden Weaver (Ploceus xanthops)
Lesser Masked
Weaver [sp] (Ploceus intermedius)
Southern
Masked Weaver [sp] (Ploceus velatus)
Village
Weaver [sp] (Ploceus cucullatus)
Dark-backed
Weaver [sp] (Ploceus bicolor)
Red-headed
Weaver [sp] (Anaplectes rubriceps)
Red-billed
Quelea [sp] (Quelea quelea)
Southern Red
Bishop [sp] (Euplectes orix)
Yellow Bishop
[sp] (Euplectes capensis)
Long-tailed
Widowbird [sp] (Euplectes progne)
Waxbills,
Munias and Allies (Estrildidae)
Green-winged
Pytilia [sp] (Pytilia melba)
Cut-throat
Finch [sp] (Amadina fasciata)
Green
Twinspot [sp] (Mandingoa nitidula)
Pink-throated
Twinspot (Hypargos margaritatus)
Red-billed
Firefinch [sp] (Lagonosticta senegala)
African
Firefinch [sp] (Lagonosticta rubricata)
Jameson's
Firefinch [sp] (Lagonosticta rhodopareia)
Blue Waxbill
[sp] (Uraeginthus angolensis)
Swee Waxbill
(Coccopygia melanotis)
Common
Waxbill [sp] (Estrilda astrild)
Black-faced
Waxbill [sp] (Estrilda erythronotos)
Orange-breasted
Waxbill [sp] (Amandava subflava)
Bronze
Mannikin [sp] (Lonchura cucullata)
Red-backed
Mannikin (Lonchura nigriceps)
Indigobirds
(Viduidae)
Pin-tailed
Whydah (Vidua macroura)
Pipits and
Wagtails (Motacillidae)
Cape Wagtail
[sp] (Motacilla capensis)
African Pied
Wagtail [sp] (Motacilla aguimp)
Cape Longclaw
[sp] (Macronyx capensis)
Yellow-throated
Longclaw (Macronyx croceus)
African Pipit
[sp] (Anthus cinnamomeus)
Long-billed
Pipit [sp] (Anthus similis)
Plain-backed
Pipit [sp] (Anthus leucophrys)
Striped Pipit
(Anthus lineiventris)
African Rock
Pipit (Anthus crenatus)
Yellow-breasted
Pipit (Anthus chloris)
Finches,
Siskins and Crossbills (Fringillidae)
Common
Chaffinch [sp] (Fringilla coelebs)
Yellow-fronted
Canary [sp] (Crithagra mozambica)
Cape Siskin
(Crithagra totta)
Yellow Canary
[sp] (Crithagra flaviventris)
Brimstone
Canary [sp] (Crithagra sulphurata)
Streaky-headed
Seedeater [sp] (Crithagra gularis)
White-throated
Canary [sp] (Crithagra albogularis)
Protea Canary
(Crithagra leucoptera)
Cape Canary
[sp] (Serinus canicollis)
Black-headed
Canary [sp] (Serinus alario)
Buntings and
New World Sparrows (Emberizidae)
Lark-like
Bunting [sp] (Emberiza impetuani)
Cinnamon-breasted
Bunting [sp] (Emberiza tahapisi)
Cape Bunting
[sp] (Emberiza capensis)
Golden-breasted
Bunting [sp] (Emberiza flaviventris)
Sounds like a great trip. I'll keep this report in mind if we do go to southern Africa in the future - thanks.
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