Comprehensive South Africa
8 November-2 December 2007

Guide: Josh Engel



Michael (left), Josh (center) and Jonathan dwarfed by the Big Tree, the world's biggest baobab.

Introduction

South Africa is an incredibly diverse country—every day brings a new habitat, a new landscape and, of course, new birds.  The diversity of unique habitat--particularly high elevation grasslands, fynbos, the arid Karoo, the Drakensberg Mountains and sand forests—is the reason that South Africa has such an incredible number of endemic birds—more than any other country in Africa.  This trip was focused on seeing as many of the endemics as possible, as well as any species that is easier to see in South Africa than elsewhere.  We also made an effort to see many of South Africa’s mammal specialties.  On both fronts the tour was an undeniable success—we saw nearly every endemic bird we looked for and saw an exceptional number of mammals.

Jonathan sent me a wish list before the tour (having already birded Kenya and Gambia) with expectations for 200 lifers, with 250 as his optimistic goal.  We spent the last few hours of the tour feverishly chasing number 300—we never found it but ending up with 299 wasn’t bad!  Highlights included twenty-two larks—with brilliant views of Botha’s, displaying Rudd’s, the local endemic Short-clawed and all the possible forms of Long-billed; all of the South African bustards except the widespread Kori's; excellent luck with pipits including the very rare Short-tailed, the uncommon Bushveld, and the local endemics Mountain and African Rock; all the possible robin-chats, scrub-robins and rock-thrushes, including the beautiful endemic White-throated Robin-chat and Kalahari Scrub-Robin; all of the littoral forest and sand forest endemics: Lemon-breasted Canary, Pink-throated Twinspot, Neergard’s Sunbird and Woodward’s Batis; and an excellent raptor list that included Red-chested Sparrowhawk, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Forest Buzzard, Black Harrier, Amur Falcon and Taita Falcon. 

The mammals were consistently great throughout the trip.  We ended up with 58 species, an outstanding total for South Africa.  Nocturnal mammals provided many of the highlights, including Aardwolf, Bat-eared Fox, Caracal and Small-spotted Genet.  We saw the entire Big Five, including incredible looks at Leopard, a pride of Lions blocking the road as we were leaving Kruger, and mother and baby Black Rhino.  We also had wonderful views of Southern Right Whale and we finished the trip with a highly desired species, the rare endemic Black Wildebeest. 

Day 1: Cape Town to Lambert’s Bay

The tour’s first day brought an early morning and a great start to the trip.  We wasted no time and got up to a Cape Clapper Lark stakeout at first light.  They were singing when we got there, and we watched a few distant display flights before they stopped singing (before the sun had even come up!).  We then hit the Darling Hills Road, where a distant Black Harrier was succeeded by a closer perched one, then by a juvenile.  All told we were to see SIX of this stunning endemic raptor today (along with several African Marsh Harriers).  Various stops yielded our first among many common endemics for the day, including Cape Bulbul, Southern Double-collared Sunbird, Gray-backed Cisticola, Cape Canary, Karoo Scrub-Robin and many more.  One stop along the river turned up all of the local marsh dwelling warblers: Little Rush-Warbler, Lesser Swamp Warbler and African Reed Warbler; at another we found Chestnut-vented Tit-babbler, Yellow Bishop, Lesser Honeyguide and Fiscal Flycatcher in quick succession.  A stake out of Southern Black Korhaan yielded a raucous male and a subdued female while a Cape Grassbird and a pair of Cape Longclaws showed well nearby.   Down the road our Cloud Cisticola stakeout came through with great looks at an individual of the very distinctive Cape subspecies sitting on top of a small bush. 

On the coast nearby we found all three endemic cormorants: Crowned, Cape and the rare Bank, as well as a large group of African Black Oystercatchers.   We continued further north, finding Karoo Lark and South African Shelduck.  We didn’t have luck with Verreaux’s Eagle at its nest site, but Acacia Pied Barbet and Mountain Wheatear were nearby.  With a bit of effort we got scope looks at the wonderful Cape Long-billed Lark, while Sickle-winged Chat was just down the road.  Chestnut-banded Plover was right where it usually is, along with a number of waders and tern and both Greater and Lesser Flamingo. 

We finished the day in Lambert’s Bay, where the spectacular surf meant the walk to the Cape Gannet colony was closed, but we found a great vantage point nearby and had wonderful looks at both the gannets and a large number of nearby Cape Fur Seals.  We ended up tallying over 130 species on the day!

Day 2: Lambert’s Bay to Brandvlei

An early departure from Lambert’s Bay found us heading first into the mountains to a beautiful canyon to look for Protea Seedeater and other typical birds of rocky areas.  We arrived as the sun was hitting the side of the canyon, and within minutes had found both our main quarry, the local Cape endemic Protea Seedeater along with various other targets, including the often elusive Cape endemic Cape Siskin, Streaky-headed Seedeater, and the Karoo endemics Layard’s Tit-babbler and Fairy Flycatcher. 

We then set off for the Brandvlei and the rugged beauty of the Karoo.  We found various typical Karoo birds en route, including Larklike Bunting, Greater Kestrel, Karoo and Tractrac Chat, Spike-heeled Lark, Chat Flycatcher and Pririt Batis, plus several individuals of Striped Mouse.  A stop in a nature reserve netted Dusky Sunbird and Pale-winged Starling, while closely checking specific agricultural fields turned up a distant group of Ludwig’s Bustards.  We got lucky with a group of very cooperative Black-eared Sparrowlarks drinking from a roadside puddle, allowing point blank views of the highly nomadic species.

After a rest we headed east from Brandvlei.  We got out in typically sparse habitat to look for Sclater’s Lark, and Jonathan found one at our first stop!  With that in the bag, we continued on.  First we found a male Northern Black Korhaan showing off its distinctly wing pattern.  Then a large lark flew up near the roadside and fortunately landed in view—a Red Lark!!  Stunned, we got out for a better look, and after a number of brief views of it running between bushes it sat on top of a small shrub for great scope views before flying off.  Another Dusky Sunbird and a very confiding pair of Black-chested Snake Eagles rounded out a great day.

Day 3: Brandvlei

We spent the day driving various roads around Brandvlei.  We started out before breakfast, finding Yellow-bellied Eremomela and a handsome Rufous-eared Warbler, as well as a good number of Red Larks.  After breakfast we headed north, soon finding two more new larks: Sabota (of the large billed western subspecies) and the endemic Karoo Long-billed.  We then stopped at our very reliable site for Stark’s Lark; within minutes a pair of these tiny, nomadic larks came into view. We were soon into Sociable Weaver colonies, admiring the birds and their impressive nests.  A riparian area yielded Black-chested Prinia, here on the edge of its range, and at another we found an out-of-range Ashy Tit, a family of Cardinal Woodpeckers and a couple Cape Glossy Starlings.  We also spent some time driving around the town of Kenhart, where we were pleasantly surprised to find a number of Orange River White-eyes plus Red-eyed Bulbul. 

We also found our first Karoo Korhaans, two very confiding groups at different places, and we twice found Double-banded Coursers, including one with a small chick. 

Day 4: Brandvlei to Karoo National Park

We spent the morning driving to Karoo National Park.  The drive was livened up by a number of birding stops.  This included a flock of Red-billed Queleas around a borehole; a great juvenile Martial Eagle eating a Yellow Mongoose; a living Yellow Mongoose; our first Namaqua Warbler that posed beautifully in a riparian area.  We stopped in a town to look for Karoo Thrush, which we found after a few minutes of driving around, and seconds after finding the thrush found a group of Red-faced Mousebirds.

Arriving in the Karoo we started out on the plains, mostly to look for mammals in the early afternoon heat.  The mammaling had to wait, however, when a Long-billed Pipit flew up and landed on a bush next to the car for beautiful views.  We did find a few mammals, including the endemic Cape Mountain Zebra, Gemsbok (Oryx), Springbok and Kudu. 

We started our way up the pass looking for some of the rock-loving specialties of the area.  Although we found some of them, they made us work!  After getting a few responses from African Rock Pipit, it finally took a very steep climb to a ridgetop to finally see this rare endemic, but we got great views of this distinctive pipit.  It took much scanning to eventually find the sporadically calling Ground Woodpeckers, but it was worth the effort to see a family group with fully grown juveniles on a rock outcrop. Further scanning revealed a perched pair of magnificent Verreaux’s Eagles sitting on a cliff face.  A male Short-toed Rock-Thrush also showed off its distinctive white cap well after a bit of effort.

We ended the day with a brilliant night drive.  This park offers some of the best night drives in South Africa for hard-to-see mammals, and tonight’s effort showed why.  It started off with a Spotted Eagle-Owl, then the mammals started coming.  First among the more interesting nocturnal species was a Caracal slinking through the brush.  Later a magnificent Aardwolf, a bizarre nocturnal ant-eating species showed incredibly well, even sitting on the road for a few seconds.  This was followed minutes later by a Bat-eared Fox!  Common throughout the evening were Cape Hare and Common Duiker, and we also came across Cape Mountain Zebra, Gemsbok, Steenbok, Kudu and Eland.           

Day 5: Karoo to Wilderness via Swartberg Pass

After a breakfast that we shared with Red Bishops, Red-winged Starlings and others outside our chalet, we left for Swartberg Pass.  We were greeted by the stark beauty of the Swartberg Nature Reserve, as well as by a Neddicky sitting in a burned protea singing away.  We made our way to the top of the pass and took a beautiful walk along the ridge, until we had a pair of the always fabulous Cape Rockjumper dueting in the scope.  We also found two male Orange-breasted Sunbirds in the same area, our first of this gorgeous endemic, as well as the endemic antelope Gray Rhebok.

Working our way down the other side of the pass, we stopped to play for Victorin’s Warbler.  One responded a long way off and we weren’t hopeful it would come much closer.  As it turned out, it didn’t matter, another responded right next to us.  We hurried over to find the bird hopping about on the rocks in full sunlight!  It really was incredible views of this normally reclusive warbler.  Continuing on, we found our first of the iconic Cape Sugarbird, a group of young birds in a stand of proteas. 

Elated with our success, we headed towards the coast.  We made a stop to try for Knysna Warbler, but it didn’t behave like its congener we had just seen, instead remaining hidden in the dense foliage despite singing a few times.  We did, however, see a male Cape Rock Thrush and an Olive Woodpecker (an odd pair, for sure).  A Forest Buzzard was well seen on the way to the lodge. 

Arriving at our lodge, the lifers came fast and furious.  First was a Knysna Turaco, a few of which kept us company in the garden providing us with point-blank looks of this stunning bird.  Further endemics ensued among the many species seen, with male and female Greater Double-collared Sunbird flitting about the bottlebrushes in the garden and Forest Canary and Swee Waxbill taking advantage of the water and birdseed provided. 

Our afternoon birding started off with a Burchell’s Coucal perched by the roadside.  With that, one participant’s next lifer would be number 5,000, so we had to make it count.  I decided to try for Red-chested Flufftail—what a 5,000 that would be.  We stationed ourselves on the boardwalk in the middle of the reeds, and put the tape on.  We waited, nothing, and put the tape on again.  It called back--and close!  Within moments we had spotted it in the reeds, where we watched it sing from less that two meters away!  We then spent the next twenty minutes observing this usually extremely shy bird as it bathed (directly under the boardwalk!), fed, sang, and walked about looking for the intruder.  At times the bird was right in the open, less than a meter away.  There was absolutely no doubt that this was a worthy 5,000.

Ecstatic with out flufftail success, we headed to the forest for the remainder of the evening.  We picked up several new birds here, including Cape Batis, Terrestrial Brownbul, Green Woodhoopoe and Blue-mantled Flycatcher.  We had planned to stick around to try for African Wood Owl.  I put on the tape and very soon a large owl flew in.  Strangely, we through, it was a Spotted Eagle Owl.  It left, I put on the Wood Owl tape again, and again the Eagle Owl returned, this time with prey in its beak.  Finally the Wood Owl responded.  One more attempt at playback was all it took, and the African Wood Owl came and perched above us.  A minute later it began singing, only to be immediately chased away by the Eagle Owl.  It was an interesting interaction to watch, perhaps eventually the Eagle Owls will replace the Wood Owls here.

It was another great success, but not the last new bird for the day—a Fiery-necked Nightjar was sitting on the road on the road out from the forest.

Day 6: Wilderness

We started the day off by chasing around a skulking Knysna Warbler until we had great views.  Rain hampered our efforts at forest birding, so we returned for breakfast.  Once the rain abated, we returned to the forest, finding Yellow-throated Woodland-Warbler and a cracking pair of Olive Bush-Shrikes.  Rain again chased us from the forest, but the rain had soon stopped so we did a bit of wetland birding, first finding Maccoa Duck along with various other waterbirds.  We continued on to a local hide where I put on tape of African Rail.  Within a few minutes we had at least three of them boldly strutting about right in front of the hide!  Emboldened by our success, I decided to try for the shy and retiring Baillon’s Crake.  I was surprised when after it a few minutes it actually responded.   We looked towards the call just in time to see the bird dart back into the reeds, not to be seen again.    Before returning to town for lunch, we stopped by a local riverbed where we had been stopping frequently, and we finally met success with a very showy Half-collared Kingfisher.

After lunch and a rest, we headed back to the forest to search for the few remaining birds we wanted to see.  Almost immediately we located a very nice canopy mixed flock; with it was the first of our targets, Gray Cuckooshrike.  A short while later I heard a White-starred Robin singing, and a bit of playback lured this handsome little thrush into view.  Our last main target was Narina Trogon, Southern Africa’s lone representative of the family.  It really made us sweat, but after half an hour of chasing around calling birds we finally found a brilliant male perched in the canopy and got to watch its tail wag as it sang. 

As if that weren’t enough, on our way back to the hotel I saw an intriguing flock of swifts over the road.  Sure enough, there were at least two of the uncommon Horus Swift mixed in with the White-rumped Swifts.  It was a very fitting finish to an exceptionally successful day.


Half-collared Kingfisher is uncommon throughout its limited range in Africa. We saw this individual near Wilderness.

Day 7: Wilderness to the Overberg

The morning started off right, with a brilliant male African Finfoot.  Singing Red-chested and African Emerald Cuckoos, however, would not come in to playback—we would have to wait until later in the trip to finally see them.  After enjoying our breakfast in the company of turacos, canaries and waxbills, we set off for the Overberg.  We started with some nice mammals, including a number of Bontebok and Cape Mountain Zebra.  Heading deeper into the plains, we found a pair of the local Agulhas Clapper Lark coming into water.  As we got out to scope them, we found the other local endemic lark, an Agulhas Long-billed Lark that sat on a post singing.

After taking a rest at the hotel, we headed to Potberg to look for Cape Vulture at their southwesternmost colony.  We didn’t go directly (as birders do), we first had to stop for the endemic Gray-winged Francolin, then for a Denham’s Bustard right by the roadside.  The Cape Vultures were surprisingly uncooperative.  We waited and waited and eventually got distant looks at one before it dropped behind the mountain.  A gorgeous Black Harrier came past as we waited.  On the way back to the hotel we found a Denham’s Bustard displaying the gorgeous evening sunlight. 

Day 8: Agulhas Plains to Cape Town

We spent a lovely day slowly making our way back to Cape Town.  On our way to De Hoop we stopped for an Agulhas Long-billed Lark in the early morning sunlight.  We killed time waiting for the gate to open by looking unsuccessfully for Hottentot Buttonquail, but had great looks at the numerous Cape Sugarbirds and Orange-breasted Sunbirds.

We arrived at our destination (with quick stops to admire two endemic antelope, Bontebok and Gray Rhebok), and literally seconds after stepping out of the vehicle were staring at a beautiful Southern Tchagra.  We ended up seeing about four of these skulking endemics throughout the morning.  Knysna Woodpecker didn’t come so easily, but perseverance paid off with stunning looks at a female as she foraged low in a dense bush.

After a photo-op and lunch at the southernmost point of Africa, we continued on our way westward.  We stopped in Hermanus hoping that Southern Right Whales had not yet vacated the area.  They surely had not, and we had incredible, close looks at numerous individuals, including at least two mothers with their calves as we stood over them on a bluff.

Then it was on to Betty’s Bay, where the African Penguins were as plentiful and charming (and as photogenic) as always.  We were also entertained watching a couple Parasitic Jaegers harassing the gulls offshore. 

After a day of rare birds and fantastic mammals, we returned to Cape Town for a two night stay.

Day 9: Tanqua Karoo and West Coast

With a few Karoo species still missing from our list, we decided for an early morning start for the Tanqua Karoo.  Only two hours from Cape Town, the landscape could not be any more different.  We had only a short list of species we were after, and they fell in quick succession.  First was a brilliant Cinnamon-breasted Warbler that we watched preen for several minutes, its cinnamon breast positively glowing in the early morning sunlight.  Next on the menu was Karoo Eremomela, a lone individual of which we found with no trouble at all, followed minutes later by a group of seven down the road.  Southern Gray Tit was slightly more difficult, but it eventually came out and sat on the roadside fence for us to admire.  Last was Black-headed Canary, which a month earlier had been common in the area.  It was no longer so numerous, but we found a lone male drinking from a remaining pool and two females flying overhead. 

After a truly successful morning, we were back in Cape Town in time for lunch and a long rest.  Our last bit of Cape birding came late in the afternoon, with a foray a short ways up the west coast to look for the diminutive Cape Penduline Tit.  With high winds we weren’t overly hopeful, but again our persistence paid off when we eventually found a group of about five of these adorable endemics.  With that final lifer under our belt, we were set to leave the Cape and try our luck in the eastern half of the country.   

Day 10: Cape Town to Durban to Creighton

We left Cape Town early and arrived in Durban with plenty of time to bird on our way to Creighton.  After picking up a picnic lunch we made our way to Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve.  Things certainly started well, before we had even arrived at the reserve we had seen Striped Pipit!  It was sitting up singing by the roadside in the heat of the late morning.

At the entrance gate we had a stunning Narina Trogon and just down the road added Wailing and Croaking Cisticolas to our growing list.  A drive around the reserve yielded an obliging Red-capped Robin-Chat, several absolutely stunning Violet-backed Starlings, a singing male Greater Honeyguide, Eastern Olive Sunbird, pair of Gray-crowned Cranes and a surprising African Golden Weaver.

We left the reserve and made our way to Creighton.  Stopping at a grassland near town revealed Wing-snapping Cisticola and our first Banded Martin and three widowbird species: Red-collared, Fan-tailed and the outrageous Long-tailed. Yet another great surprise turned up here, large numbers of the uncommon and nomadic Red-headed Quelea.  

An evening visit to a nearby forest patch was a bit misty, but we did have very nice views of the secretive endemic Barratt’s Warbler.

Day 11: Creighton to Underberg via Xumeni Forest

Every trip has one, and ours was today.  An extremely early start was necessary to have a good chance of seeing the very local Orange Ground Thrush and indeed it proved vital.  After a bit of looking we had stunning looks at this rare thrush as it hunted earthworms right on the road in front of the car.  It was then to our Cape Parrot site.  Unfortunately, the dense fog reduced our chances, but when we heard them calling from a fixed position we went after them.  We ended up with very nice views of them flying around squawking over our head and were lucky enough to see two of these highly endangered endemic parrots perched next to each other on dead snags.

We spent a bit more time poking around the forest, finding Dark-capped Yellow Warbler and some out-of-place Southern Black Tits along with a variety of other forest birds.

After a well deserved rest we set out to explore the area around Underberg.  An adult African Harrier-Hawk got us started and a short while later we finally saw a Red-chested Cuckoo (being harassed by the brightly colored virens race of Cape White-eye), a bird we had heard many times.  Gray-crowned Cranes were common in the area, and while searching for cisticolas we flushed Common Quail and saw Wattled Lapwing.  A bird-filled pond held a number of White-backed Ducks and breeding plumaged Whiskered Terns.

Day 12: Sani Pass and Underberg area

We had a brilliant day today, starting with the small—a very cooperative Pale-crowned Cisticola, and ending with the huge, a stunning pair of Wattled Cranes.  We set off with glorious weather and local guide Robin Guy to spend the day going up Sani Pass into Lesotho looking for a variety of specialties all along the way and soaking in the passes incredible scenery. 

Our first stop yielded a great Pale-crowned Cisticola, one of the more distinctive of the small cisticolas.  Hitting the bottom of the pass, we stopped to try our luck with Bush Blackcap, which obligingly came out of the dense cover and sat up for wonderful views of this enigmatic and secretive bird.  Continuing on, we tried taping Red-winged Francolin without success, but did eventually find a Red-throated Wryneck.  The spectacular Gurney’s Sugarbird was common in protea stands and before long we were beginning to see the highland endemic Drakensberg Siskin along the road cuts. 

A stop at the pass itself quickly yielded our first Sentinal Rock-Thrush, singing and displaying in front of us.  The charismatic highland endemic Drakensberg Rockjumper proved rather easy today.  A quick walk around yielded at least four of these beautiful birds, males, females and young, feeding and frolicking in the grass.  Next it was on to look for Mountain Pipit, a very localized highland breeding endemic.  Our first stakeout didn’t produce (but we did see the strange Slogget’s Ice Rat), but a short walk up the road yielded a very tape responsive pair.  We could not have asked for better views of this target species. 

Having had our fill of the pipits, we turned our eyes skyward and immediately spotted a subadult Lammergeier in the distance.  We drove on a little further where we soon had stunning views of an adult Lammergeier—a truly spectacular bird in an equally spectacular setting.  In the same place we had our best views to date of Cape Vulture as well, three birds soaring on a thermal. 

With a very successful visit to Lesotho, we turned around and headed back into South Africa.  Rob chose a very fortuitous (and gorgeous) spot for lunch, for moments after stepping out of the car Jonathan went to investigate a grasshopper and happened to flush two Red-winged Francolins!  He chased them down again and had great views, including of the striking red wings.  Halfway through our meal we also spotted a male Buff-streaked Chat on the rocky slopes, bagging yet another grassland endemic. 

With that we set off for the grasslands around Underberg.  Rob took us to the best local site for Wattled Crane, a species considered critically endangered in South African and globally threatened.  He took us to a spot from which we had a broad view over its territory and after a couple minutes of scanning he spotted the pair on a very distant hillside.  We decided to drive closer.  A great decision that was, because along the way we obtained crippling views of Yellow-breasted Pipit!   While trying to relocate the cranes, we found two female Montague’s Harriers foraging over a wetland.  We eventually found the cranes again and had wonderful views of these remarkable birds, wattles and all. 

It was clear that by this point rain was approaching, so we called it a day—and what an incredible day it was.


We were very lucky to find Yellow-breasted Pipit near Underberg. This was one of no fewer than five individuals of this threatened species we saw. Nearby was another threatened species, Wattled Crane.

Day 13: Underberg to Eshowe

We started the day with a local guide taking us to a private farm for a Blue Swallow hunt, but the steady rain kept all the swallows hunkered down.  We returned to the site later to scope from the road, but despite several species of swallows foraging in the distance, no Blue Swallows materialized.  With that, we left for Zululand.

We stopped for lunch in a small coastal town and while we were there decided to bird a small forest patch we found on the way out.  We soon had nice views of Tambourine Dove feeding on the roadside, singing Yellow-breasted Apalis, and when a flock came through we added Golden-tailed Woodpecker and Dark-backed Weaver.  A White-eared Barbet perched up for us as well.

We arrived in Eshowe, got organized, drank a cup of tea, and departed again for Dlinza Forest, a wonderful patch of forest right in town.  We started on the trails, where we found numerous Chorister and Red-capped Robin-Chats and Olive Thrushes, plus a charismatic Blue Duiker, but not the sought-after Spotted Ground-Thrush.  We paused our ground-thrush search when a Green Malkoha started calling, and after a bit of looking we found it perched in the open in a dense tree-top providing great looks at this shy bird.  We paused again to chase around a singing Emerald Cuckoo, but couldn’t get a good view of the canopy and never found it.  Continuing the search, with more robin-chats and a group of Terrestrial Brownbul causing momentary excitement…then we spotted a thrush with white tail corners fly across the trail.  We quickly chased it down and there it was—a gorgeous Spotted Ground-Thrush.  This is perhaps South Africa’s rarest forest bird and we had stunning looks at a pair, including what appeared to be a male feeding a female.  On our way back to the car we had a quick flyby of Scaly-throated Honeyguide. 

On our way back to the B&B we took a slight detour to look for Long-tailed (Mountain) Wagtail.  No sweat—we found it sitting in a stream meters away from us as we stood above it on a low bridge.  With that final lifer, we returned for a rest before dinner.   

Day 14: Eshowe to St. Lucia

We had a number of specialties to look for today as we worked our way up the coast.  We started in Dlinza Forest, where a light mist encompassed the area.  Luckily it cleared just long enough for us to have very nice looks at perched Eastern Bronze-naped (Delagorgue’s) Pigeon, another of South Africa’s rarest forest birds.  The mist returned, and when it dissipated again the birds had flown.  We then went around trying in vain to see one of the many singing African Emerald Cuckoos.

After breakfast we toured the property on which we were staying, adding Black-collared Barbet and African Firefinch to our steadily growing list. 

After saying goodbye we left for the coast, where our first stop was in the coastal town of Mtunzini.  In no time at all we had the scope on a fantastic Palm-nut Vulture, here at its only residence in South Africa.  We reached our trail and again had very quick success with our main target when a Black-throated Wattle-eye flew in and showed off its red wattle.

Our next stop was in the industrial city of Richard’s Bay. Although not the most scenic place in South Africa, we had great birding.  We quickly located the localized Southern Brown-throated Weaver.  While scanning for Lesser Jacana we found our first Hottentot Teal, and continued scanning revealed a brilliant Lesser Jacana feeding in the open. 

We finally made our way to St. Lucia for lunch.  After an afternoon swim, we continued hunting for littoral specialties at Cape Vidal.  We soon had great views of the endemic Brown Scrub-Robin.  After spending some time searching, I heard the high pitched call of Green Twinspot overhead.  Fortunately it landed, found its mate, and we watched a male of female of this normally secretive species building a nest 10 meters up in a Casuarina tree!  We also had a couple great mammals in the area, including the diminutive Red Duiker and Samango Monkey.

Our drive back to town was enlivened by several more new birds: Red-breasted Swallow, a Brown Snake Eagle perched by the roadside and the beautiful Livingstone’s Turaco, along with Buffalo, Warthog and several other mammals.

A night drive near town didn’t reveal the hoped for Swamp Nightjar, but superb looks at Greater Bushbaby at least partially made up for it. 

The biggest surprise of the day came later yet, when a security guard knocked on our doors at we were falling asleep.  “Look out the window,” he said.  “Hippos.”  Sure enough.  Two massive hippos were feeding on the lawn right outside our windows!

Day 15: St. Lucia to Bonamanzi

The day started off right with two Crested Guineafowl crossing the road on our way to Iphiva Campsite to look for Woodward’s Batis and others.  A walk around the campsite didn’t yield the target species, so we ventured into the dunes forest where a male Woodward’s Batis showed brilliantly.  On the way back to the vehicle we called up a showy pair of Rudd’s Apalis, another southeast African endemic. 

We then headed to the St. Lucia estuary with our sights set on Rufous-winged Cisticola.  It didn’t take long; while admiring a huge weaver colony (African Yellow, Brown-throated and Lesser Masked) a Rufous-winged Cisticola (yet another southeast African endemic) popped up and showed brilliantly.  The river mouth yielded a number of water birds, including Yellow-billed Stork.

We took a couple short forest walks after breakfast.  The best results were finally seeing a gorgeous and cooperative African Emerald Cuckoo after heading many; obtaining spectacular looks at Livingstone’s Turaco; and seeing two new sunbirds, Marico and Purple-banded.  We also found a large group of Banded Mongoose.  On our way out, we spotted a large raptor sitting on a roadside post—a Southern Banded Snake Eagle!

We moved on to Bonamanzi for lunch, and headed out afterwards.  In no time at all we were staring at our primary target, the rare Lemon-breasted Canary.  We were stunned by our quick success, and thoroughly enjoyed watching at least three individuals flying around their favorite tree, lala palm.  We found them just in time, too, as the rest of the afternoon was riddled by rain.  We did manage a couple other new birds, including African Yellow White-eye,  Ashy Flycatcher and Chinspot Batis.  We also saw our first Nyala of the trip, a beautiful antelope that we would see several more times on the trip.

Day 16: Bonamanzi to Mkuze

Things started slowly this morning, with a bit of rain and quiet forests.  Things began picking up with nice views of the secretive Gorgeous Bush-Shrike and our first Yellow-throated Petronia and Orange-breasted Bush-Shrike.  Eventually we bumped into a large mixed flock.  Getting out of the car we heard the very distinctive call of African Broadbill, after a minute of searching we had great views of a male of this retiring species.  The flock also contained a pair of Olive Bush-Shrikes, a ruddy form male and buff form female, as well as our first Kurrichane Thrush. 

Searching hard for more sand forest endemics, we found numerous Purple-banded Sunbirds, but not the similar Neergard’s.  It was getting towards breakfast time; while returning to the lodge we heard high pitched twittering from the from--Pink-throated Twinspots!  We walked back into the forest and pished—immediately a male of this gorgeous and uncommon endemic hopped into few, followed by a female.  They sat right in the open, providing outstanding views.   

Our next stop was Mkuze Game Reserve, a brilliant location for both birds and mammals.  Bearded Scrub-Robin greeted our arrival, and soon we were looking at Giraffe and Burchell’s Zebra.  Later we would see a baby Giraffe so young it still had its umbilical cord!

After lunch we set off.  One of the first birds we came across was a male Neergard’s Sunbird!  This sand forest endemic was our main target for the site, so it was fantastic to find it so fast.  We added a number of other new species to our list as well, including Gray Tit-Flycatcher, Pale Flycatcher, Green-winged Pytilia, White-bellied Sunbird, Brown-crowned Tchagra and the local Red-fronted Tinkerbird. 

Another big target for Mkuze is always seeing a rhino, as this is one of South Africa’s best places to see these beasts.  We were on our way out of the reserve in the evening, when Mike shouted “Rhino!”  We screeched to a halt and looked over in amazement as a Black Rhino, by far the rarer of the two rhino species, was staring back at us.  Just then, a very small baby rhino came out from behind the mother!  They slowly sauntered away from the road, leaving an everlasting memory behind.

Day 17: Mkuze to Wakkerstroom

We started the day with some pre-breakfast birding in Mkuze Game Reserve.  It started well, with a group of Gray Penduline-Tits.  We heard African Barred Owlet, but it wouldn’t come in to tape and we watched a Flappet Lark displaying high overhead.  On the way out of the reserve, first we found a Striped Kingfisher, then we had brilliant looks at a juvenile Lesser Spotted Eagle, and finally upon leaving we saw a male Purple Indigobird. 

Before returning to the lodge we visited a river that often produces some good birds.  Today was no exception, with White-fronted Bee-eater and the endemic White-throated Robin-Chat showing very well and nice looks at a Gray-rumped Swift leisurely flying past.

Finally we were off to Wakkerstroom, an area of high altitude grasslands famous for its grassland endemics.  On our way to town we found several stunning male Yellow-crowned Bishops.  After checking in at the lovely B&B, we headed off in search of rare larks.  Several of the fabulous Southern Bald Ibis showed well en route.  Walking the short grass fields was slow going, but we soon saw several of the sought-after endemic Blue Korhaan.  Finally we flushed two small larks from nearly underfoot—Botha’s Larks, one of the harder endemic larks in Southern Africa.  Unfortunately they kept on going, but we at least had nice flight views.  On our return for dinner we had great looks at a large group of Gray-winged Francolins and across the road was a Swainson’s Francolin with a group of Helmeted Guineafowl.  

Day 18: Wakkerstroom

With an entire day to explore the Wakkerstroom area, we started out in the lower elevation grasslands for Barrow’s Korhaan.  A small finch by the roadside led us to a very obliging flock of the dainty Orange-breasted Waxbill.  We had a moment of bustard excitement with a pair of Black-bellied Bustards, but not the one we were searching hard for.  Eventually we noticed two large birds on a distant hillside; we set the scope up—Barrow’s Korhaans!  We drove closer and had brilliant looks at this rare bustard.  One last stop before breakfast yielded the target species fairly quickly—Brown-backed Honeybird, also called Sharp-billed Honeyguide. 

We continued racking up new birds after breakfast.  First was Eastern Long-billed Lark, sharing the rocky slope with three other rock-loving endemics: Sentinal Rock-Thrush, Ground Woodpecker and Buff-streaked Chat.  Next was outstanding views of Red-throated Wryneck. 

We then headed north from town.  First we flushed an African Snipe.  Two small larks flew up from the roadside that were surely Botha’s Larks.  After a bit of maneuvering we had incredible looks at these rare and secretive larks, one of the birds that made Wakkerstroom famous.  We soon had nice looks at the eastern forms of both Cloud Cisticola and Spike-heeled Larks, we had seen the distinctive western races of these taxa on the Cape part of the trip. 

We continued birding after lunch, with another unsuccessful search for Rudd’s Lark.  Our drive back to Wakkerstroom was spiced up with our first Amur Falcon, a female taking advantage of a stong tailwind followed very shortly thereafter by our first Lanner Falcon.  Completing a remarkable afternoon for raptors, a hawk soaring over a ridge south of town turned out to be a Red-breasted Sparrowhawk!   It was carrying a prey item so big it seemed to be weighing the hawk down. 

Just as we were contemplating whether we should call it a day, we noticed a lapwing land in a field near the car.  Pulling around the corner, another lapwing landed on the road.  We rushed to get the scope on it—it was a Black-winged Lapwing!  Looking around, there were three adults with three very small chicks.  With a final very lucky success, we called it a day…

…until we went for a short night drive before dinner.  Although it was birdless, our effort was well rewarded by excellent views of a colony of the fabulous and bizarre Springhare, a large rodent that looks halfway between a rabbit and a kangaroo.

Day 19: Wakkerstroom to Misty Mountain

This morning we had a single bird in mind: the critically endangered Rudd’s Lark.  After two afternoons of unsuccessful searches, we were finally making a morning attempt, hoping to find them displaying.  We entered the field and after walking for about ten minutes heard one singing in the distance.  We hurried in that direction, getting closer and closer to the singing bird.  Then there it was—a Rudd’s Lark displaying, high in the air.  We watched it in its display flight in the scope for the next ten minutes, even zooming in to see the distinctive head striping. 

Bolstered by our quick success, we headed back to look one more time for Pink-billed Lark.  Almost the moment we entered the field a pair flushed.  We flushed them a couple more times before they landed where we could see them—but only for a few seconds before they took off one more time and flew into the distance.  We were two for two on larks this morning!

Our drive to Misty Mountain was punctuated by lots of construction and, more importantly, Groundscaper Thrush.  Misty Mountain lived up to its name and was enshrouded in mist.  We were beginning to reconsider our decision to go for a walk, but decided to forge on into the grasslands.  We were well rewarded a few minutes later when a small, dark bird flew up showing a very short tail with immaculate white outer tail feathers—a Short-tailed Pipit!  This is an extremely rare bird in Southern Africa and we were able to flush it one more time before it went down into the grass, not to be seen again.

Day 20: Misty Mountain to Punda Maria via Abel Erasmus Pass and Tzaneen

Dense morning mist effectively canceled our morning birding, so we enjoyed a lovely breakfast before setting off towards our ultimate destination, Kruger National Park.  Our first stop was at the well-known Taita Falcon site in the beautiful Abel Erasmus Pass.  No sooner had we stepped out of the car than a falcon flew over and landed on the cliff.  It first landed our of site behind a tuft of grass, but fortunately it was quite active, making frequent forays, always returning to different perches on the rock face, providing brilliant looks both in flight and perched of this rare and unique falcon.

Our next target was another rare raptor at a staked out location—Bat Hawk.  Another very quick success—the female was sitting on the next and the male was sitting on an exposed perch higher in the same tree, showing off its white eyelids as it dozed.

Finally we made our way to South Africa’s most famous national park, Kruger.  This wasn’t an ordinary trip to Kruger, however—we were going to the far northern part of the park, its wildest and least visited region.  The area had gotten recent rains and its affect on the birds was evident—even in the middle of the afternoon there was loads of activity.  Standing at the park gate yielded several new birds, including Jameson’s Firefinch and Natal Francolin, plus great views of Woodland Kingfisher and Groundscaper Thrush.

Continuing on to the camp added many more birds, among them Jacobin Cuckoo, Purple Roller and Lizard Buzzard.  We arrived at camp and decided to do the sunset drive, particularly hoping for Pennant-winged Nightjar.  Elephant and the uncommon Sharpe’s Grysbok were among the first mammals seen, but the unquestionable mammal highlight came when an absolutely gorgeous male Leopard showed itself, sitting watching us for a minute before slowly wandering off into the bush. 

As dusk set in, we waited patiently for Pennant-winged Nighjars to get active.  Just as we were giving up a female got up and flew around—it would be the only one we would see.  Our drive back to camp was highlighted by European Nightjar and fantastic views of Small-spotted Genet. 

Day 21: Punda Maria to Pafuri

We spent the day slowly working our way to the very northern part of Kruger.  Early in the morning we found both Gray-headed and Brown-headed Parrots, Crested Barbet, and Yellow-billed Oxpecker (alongside Red-billed with a large and very close group of African Buffalo).  We also watched a group of the entertaining Southern Ground Hornbill. Our drive north was first punctuated by a female Mocking Cliff-chat, then pulling up to a waterhole Jonathan noticed a small pipit singing in a roadside shrub—a Bushveld Pipit!  We finally made it to Pafuri, soon adding Meve’s Long-tailed Starling and a sunning Lappet-faced Vulture, showing off its massive size.  An African Hawk-Eagle soared overhead and Mosque Swallows were flying about.

We left Kruger in order to visit the Big Tree—said to be the world’s biggest baobab and home to a colony of the very local Mottled Spinetail.  A bit of luck on the way ensured us a guided visit, and no sooner had we arrived than a group of spinetails flew overhead.  They were to be with us the entire visit, allowing excellent views while we admired the very impressive—and appropriately named—Big Tree.  Our drive back held more excitement when I noticed a sandgrouse sitting on the roadside.  We got out to watched the female Double-banded Sandgrouse; when a truck drove past four flew up and disappeared into the bush.  We ended the day with a short but productive nightdrive that yielded a cooperative Square-tailed Nightjar.

Day 22: Pafuri to Punda Maria

We returned to Kruger proper this morning.  Our drive to Pafuri was very productive, yielding Dark Chanting Goshawk, a calling Red-crested Korhaan, much improved looks at Amur Falcon, a pair of Southern White-crowned Shrikes being harassed by White Helmetshrikes and our first Lesser Gray Shrike.   

Along the Luvuvhu River new birds continued, with a couple brilliant White-crowned Lapwings, a stunning African Pygmy Kingfisher, our first Red-faced Cisticola seen after hearing them several times, Tropical Boubou, Retz’s Helmetshrike and some great Hippos that eyed us as we drove past. 

We spent the remainder of the day driving back to Punda Maria and birding that area (along with a refreshing swim and rest in the afternoon).  Birding highlights of the afternoon included our only Southern Carmine Bee-eater, African Cuckoo (with a Striped Cuckoo that flew in and landed in the same binocular view), Crested Francolin and Shikra.  A bull Elephant decided we were too close for comfort and effectively got rid of us with a mock charge. 

Day 23: Punda Maria to Johannesburg via Polokwane and Ezemvelo

The final day of our trip certainly had an exciting start when we had to dodge a pride of lions sitting on the road on our way out of Kruger in the morning.   Even from the safety of our vehicle being so close to these great cats got our blood flowing.  It is easy to forget how big and powerful they are until you they are less than a meter away…


These lions bid us farewell as we were leaving Kruger National Park. They scarcely flinched as we drove around them.

Our main target upon arriving at Polokwane Game Reserve was the very local endemic Short-clawed Lark.  After seeing a number of Rufous-naped and Sabota Larks that got us momentarily excited, we noticed a sizable lark perched up in the distance.  Deciding it was worth chasing after, all we found in the area were a couple Sabota Larks.  I put the tape on and after a few seconds wait a Short-clawed Lark zoomed in, shot into the air and displayed right in front of us, then landed on a small, bare shrub five meters away!  We couldn’t have asked for a better performance from this rarity.   

We spent the next hour looking for typical Kalahari species, finding Scaly-feathered Finch, the beautiful Black-faced Waxbill, Crimson-breasted Shrike, Barred Wren-Warbler, Marico Flycatcher, Ashy Tit and Great Sparrow in due course.  As a bonus we flushed two or three Rufous-cheeked Nightjar, a bird we may have seen in the Karoo but not well enough to identify.  We also saw a beautiful Sable Antelope as we were leaving the reserve.

Instead of spending more time looking for the remaining Kalahari species, we changed tactics and decided to do some grassland birding at Ezemvelo Nature Reserve.  On the way Jonathan spotted a Shaft-tailed Whydah from the car.  Unfortunately we found out upon arrival that they closed earlier than other reserves, giving us only an hour to bird.  We did find typical grassland species, including Golden Bishop, but the mammals were fantastic, highlighted by a lone individual of the endemic Black Wildebeest. 

With the final bird lifer (Shaft-tailed Whydah) and final mammal tick (Black Wildebeest) we sadly headed to the Johannesburg airport for our departure.  It was an incredibly successful trip, yielding just under 300 lifers for the participants as well as over 40 new mammals.  It wasn’t just the numbers though—we had consistently great birding that allowed us to find very high quality birds and have an overall fantastic journey through South Africa.

BIRD LIST
Taxonomy follows Robert's Birds of Southern Africa, with the addition of Agulhas Clapper Lark as a full species. Southern African endmeics are in bold (including the five Southern African breeding endemics), near-endemics are in italics. Heard only birds are marked with an (H).