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Fairest Cape to Kruger 7th – 22nd January, 2011

Set Departure tour

Tour leader: Charley Hesse Report & photos by Charley Hesse.

Burchell’s Zebra’s grazing beneath a rainbow in Kruger National Park (Charley Hesse)

This January set departure tour, while keeping the same itinerary as the September/October one differed in several ways. Although some of the Cape endemics were a little more difficult to find, this was more than made up for by the amazing spectacle of large numbers of late summer migrants from Europe, like Southern Carmine Bee-eaters and European Rollers. Other late breeders like the spectacular whydahs and widowbirds were in full breeding plumage at this time. The Karoo and Kruger were well into the rainy season and many places which were dry and birdless 3 months earlier were alive with activity and seemed to have a bird singing from the top of every bush. In fact there were so many birds it was difficult to make any headway. Some highlights of our trip included: watching albatrosses and other seabirds at close range on the pelagic, coming face to face with the adorable African Penguins at Simon’s Town, finding Cape Rockjumper at Sir Lowry’s Pass, crossing the spectacular Swartberg Pass and finding many rarities on the way, looking at the awesome scenery of the Karoo from our chalet balconies, picking up mega-rare birds around the birding mecca of Wakkerstroom and getting to know Kruger with its seemingly endless supply of new birds and its impressive large mammals. It was a trip none of us would forget in a hurry.


7th January – Arrival day Today was the official arrival day but most of the clients had arrived on previous days, keen to shake off jet lag and get down to birding as early as possible. Our hotel was wonderfully situated on the edge of a nice lake full of birds. We had a good selection of water birds and ducks were well represented with Yellow-billed Duck, Cape & Red-billed Teal, Cape Shoveler and even the uncommon White-backed Duck. Other highlights were Yellow-billed Egret, Glossy Ibis, Purple Gallinule and Kitlitz’s Plover. Once everyone had arrived and had some lunch, we headed to the nearby Koeberg Nature Reserve. Centred around a nuclear power plant, this reserve has some of the closest quality Fynbos habitat north of Cape Town. We walked for a couple of hours picking up our first Fynbos birds with some great ones, like Black Harrier, Bar-throated Apalis, Cape Bulbul and Chestnut-vented Tit-Babbler. We also saw a few northern migrants like Steppe Buzzard and European Bee-eater. On the way back we stopped at the edge of the Rietvlei reserve to check out the Great White Pelicans, African Darters, Spur-winged Goose and distant Greater Flamingos. Despite it only being a half day of birding we had accumulated an impressive 78 species.

Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatrosses contending for scraps (Christian Boix)

8th January - Pelagic Most of the group decided to sign up for the world famous pelagic trip. The seas can be rough off Cape Town but we heard that it was going ahead, so we took an early drive down to Simonstown where I left the participants in my colleague Christian’s capable hands. I drove the other 2 clients to Rooi Els to start our search for endemics. On the way we spotted a small Long-beaked Pilot Whale close to shore and several Cape Fur Seals playing in the waves. We checked a couple of spots on the way and found Neddicky and a stunning male Orange-breasted Sunbird. Close to Rooi Els we spotted our first Cape Sugarbird with its very long tail feeding on flowering Proteas. We started our walk and immediately spotted Bottle-nosed Dolphins in a bay very close to shore. I heard a Victorin’s Warbler and we tracked it down to some thick vegetation but despite my best efforts, we only have fleeting views. We drove back through the heavy holiday traffic and finally made it to pick up the others. They told us all about their amazing pelagic experience, getting Shy, Black-browed, Atlantic Yellow-nosed & Indian Yellow-nosed Albatrosses, White-chinned Petrel, Cory's, Great & Sooty Shearwaters, European & Wilson's Storm-Petrels along with many tern and cormorant species. We all went together to see the African Penguins at Boulders Beach before heading to Strandfontein to witness amazing concentrations of Pied Avocets, Greater Flamingos, ducks and other water birds. New birds for our trip were Maccoa Duck and Southern Pochard. It had been a long day and we finished it by sampling some of Cape Towns fine cuisine.


9th January – Cape Peninsular After another early breakfast, we drove to Kirstenbosh Botanical Garden. As soon as we entered we were picking up new birds for the people who went on the pelagic and had great views of Cape Sugarbird and Orange-breasted Sunbird. We got our first Forest & Cape Canaries and even had scope views of an impressive African Goshawk. From Kirstenbosch we took the scenic Chapman’s Peak Drive but unfortunately it was misty. At Kommetjie we searched for cormorants and despite the holiday crowds and patchy mist, we found the full complement of Crowned, Cape, White-breasted & Bank Cormorants. We also saw a lot of terns and gulls including Arctic Tern. Next we drove to Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. First stop was the visitors centre where we took a look at the exhibits including some huge Southern Right Whale bones and we spotted a chubby Cape Skink hiding in a crevice in the wall. There was lots of mist at Cape Point and we ate lunch outside where were joined by a Striped Mouse, Red-winged Starlings, Cape Buntings and others. The mist lifted a little and we were finally treated to some nice views. Some people rode up the funicular railway while the rest enjoyed the walk up to the lighthouse. It was starting to warm up and Black Girdled Lizards were coming out on rocks to sun themselves. Our main target was the Cape Siskin and we spent quite a while looking for it along the trail to the old lighthouse but had no luck. The non pelagic people did manage to add Cape Gannet to their lists and we were all enchanted by the very cute Rock Hyraxes which were common along there. After a long drive back to the hotel, we went for a nice dinner of sea food.

The Fynbos endemic Orange-breasted Sunbird (Charley Hesse)

10th January – West Coast We started our day looking for Cape Clapper Lark just north of Cape Town. It was a little late in the season and unfortunately they were not doing their distinctive flight display so we didn’t get them. We did start to see some other nice birds such as the delightful Bokmakirie, some comical White-backed Mousebirds, Pearl-breasted Swallows and Grey-backed Cisticola. We moved on to the Darling Wildflower Route. The wildflower season had fini shed but it was still great birding and the start of the loop we found Southern Black Korhaan, Blue Crane, South African Shelduck and Capped Wheatear. At a marsh further on, we picked up Lesser Swamp-Warbler and Levaillant's Cisticola, and at the wildflower reserve Namaqua Dove, Jackal Buzzard and a stunning male Cape Longclaw. Next stop was the West Coast National Park where we immediately had our first tickable Common Ostriches and great views of an adult Black Harrier. We visited the Abraamskraal Bird Hide where we had nice views of African Spoonbill & African Sacred Ibis and amazing flybys of African Marsh Harrier. On to the Geelbek Hide where it seemed to be high tide. We waited a while and the water started dropping to expose some mud. The shorebirds flocked in and we had large numbers of Marsh & Curlew Sandpipers, Little Stint, Common Greenshank along with Pied Avocet, Greater Flamingo and South


African Shelduck. We took a walk in the Fynbos nearby and came across a small flock of Cape Penduline-Tits and had several huge Alpine Swifts flying overhead. At the Restaurant we had Cape Francolins running round our feet and a short stroll in the gardens after lunch gave us a beautiful African Hoopoe and a pair of diminutive Cardinal Woodpeckers. In the north of the park, we visited the Zeeberg viewpoint to take some scenery shots of the breath-taking lagoon. It was very windy but that didn’t seem to bother a Lanner Falcon that still managed to fly around in it. We had more great views of Southern Black Korhaans, females this time. We dropped in briefly to the Zeeberg bird hide where we added Bar-tailed Godwit, several terns including Sandwich Tern and a nice White-fronted Plover. We exited the park through the north entrance and headed to the Vredenberg area to look for Cape Long-billed Lark. It was very windy here too and we were having trouble staying on our feet never mind finding any birds. We found a slightly more sheltered spot where we picked up Southern Ant-eating Chat before we gave in and headed to Veldriff, the last birding spot of the day. Here we saw a few more shore birds, many flamingos, including Lesser Flamingo and some nice non-breeding plumaged White-winged Terns before we started our long drive back to Cape Town. It had been a long day but we had done well and seen well over 100 species.

Bontebok (Charley Hesse)

11th January – De Hoop via Sir Lowry’s Pass We made an early start, leaving Cape Town and heading to Sir Lowry’s Pass. It was very windy but we braved the adverse conditions and walked to well known site for Cape Rock Jumper. We found some before long and had great scope views of a pair. We walked down to a spot for Victorin’s Warbler but couldn’t find any calling so we left this tricky endemic for another day. We headed east on the main N2 highway seeing a few Blue Cranes and a Jackal Buzzard on the way and had lunch in the garden of a restaurant in Bredasdorp, a nice country town. We continued our drive across the Agulhas plain towards De Hoop checking occasionally for Agulhas Long-billed Lark. We heard its distinctive 2-note call at one spot and got good scope views. We carried on down the gravel roads scanning for birds and found a Denham’s Bustard with 2 chicks. After telling the group how lucky we were, we went on to find more and more, eventually totalling more than 12 birds! Far more than I had ever seen in a day. At the Potsberg section of the reserve we saw distant Eland, Cape Mountain Zebras and many Bontebok, one of the most beautiful antelopes. In Potsberg is the only Cape Vulture colony in the Western Cape. We spotted one flying very high but had to be satisfied with distant views. We also had some very nice Black Sawwings and a Brimstone Canary. From here we drove on to Malagas where we spent the night.


12th January - De Hoop to Wilderness We packed up and left very early for De Hoop. On the drive, saw Cape Hare and Grey Rhebok adding further to our mammal list. We were looking for Agulhas Clapper Lark which does a distinctive flight display which includes clapping its wings, but again, it seemed a bit late in the season and they were not vocal. We entered the De Hoop Nature reserve and soon heard the call of Grey-winged Francolin. We got closer to it and got great scope views of this tricky species that we had missed on the West Coast. We birded at bit near the reception and got good views of a lovely pair of Acacia Pied Barbets in a big fig tree. Next we found the difficult Southern Tchagra nearby after quite some effort. We drove to Koppie Alleen where the Fynbos meets the sea and had amazing views across the dunes along the coast. There were also several species of tame birds like Cape Spurfowl and Cape Bulbul that clearly were accustomed to receiving scraps from visitors. We left the reserve and on the way to the highway we spotted a Karoo Korhaan from the vehicle. We reversed to get a better look but it had disappeared behind the hill. We waited a while and it finally reappeared to give scope views. Just before the highway saw a pair of magnificent Secretarybirds. We had lunch at a farm stall called the Blue Crane which had yummy home baked pastries. We had a long drive to Wilderness stopping on the way for Knysna Warbler. We failed to find it but did find Greater Double-collared Sunbird. We got to our lodge in Wilderness and started seeing some wonderful birds like Knysna Turaco, Amethyst Sunbird and Swee Waxbill at close range on the feeders.

Knysna Woodpecker (Charley Hesse)

13th January - Wilderness We tried again in the early morning for the Knysna Warbler with no luck so we headed to the Half-collared Kingfisher trail in the Wilderness National Park. Things were very quiet inside the forest although we did get nice views of an adult Malachite Kingfisher feeding its young. As we left the trail, I heard the distinctive call of the Knysna Woodpecker and we tried to move closer to this elusive bird. It doesn’t seem to respond to the tape and only calls every few minutes so it is always a very tricky bird to get. Rebecca spotted it first and we finally all had great views of the bird sat very still on a branch. Next we headed to a part of the park called Big Tree where we went for a nice walk in the forest. The big tree itself is a huge 800 year-old Outeniqua Yellowwood. Apart from a fairly tame Chorister Robin-Chat the forest was very quiet, until large flock containing Green Wood-Hoopoe, Black-bellied Starling, Grey Cuckooshrike and Black-headed Oriole came by. In the afternoon we walked around the National Park headquarters and camp site for a while before taking a drive around some of the trails and bird hides in the park. We started at the Brown-hooded Kingfisher trail where we came across a very vocal but not very obliging Knysna Warbler. It must have been singing about 4 feet away in very thick vegetation and we just couldn’t get a look at it. We checked the Malachite Kingfisher and Rondevlei bird hides and on our way to the latter we spotted some Red-necked Francolins. At the hide we managed to see a nice Brown-hooded Kingfisher and a few waterbirds before heading back.


14th January – Wilderness to Karoo Our time at Wilderness was over and we were on our way to the Karoo via the Swartberg Pass. One of our main targets was the rare Protea Canary but we also had our final chance at some difficult Fynbos birds that we had missed previously. Our first stop was at a patch of the canary’s favourite Proteas. We tried and tried but there was no sign. We did however get more good views of Orange-breasted Sunbird, Cape Sugarbird and most of even got some kind of view of Victorin’s Warbler after trying for a long time. Driving up to the pass, the scenery was spectacular. We stopped to take some scenery photos in an open meadow when I spotted a pair of Cape Siskins flying overhead. We chased after them back down the road but failed to find them. Then I spotted a very dull brown seedeater which I realized was the Protea Seedeater. What a find! Just to make things even better we got amazing scope views of Victorin’s Warbler after all our previous effort. After this we did manage to track down the Cape Siskins and had distant scope views. We made a few stops scanning for Ground Woodpeckers but instead found a distant Klipspringer laid out on a rock. We went higher and higher, over the pass and coming down the other side I spotted a movement on the highest rocks. We jumped out and got the scope on the birds to find more Cape Rockjumpers. What a day!

Protea Seedeater (Charley Hesse)

Coming down the other side we were treated to amazing rock formations and equally spectacular if somewhat drier scenery. We came out of a gorge and into the Karoo, a vastly different habitat than we had seen up until now. We tried for Namaqua Warbler in the Acacia scrub but there was no response. After lunch in the town of Prince Albert we made our our way to the main N1 highway and on to Karoo National Park. As soon as we entered the park, there were birds everywhere! Lark-like Buntings seemed to be singing from the top of every bush and in the short drive to the rest camp we picked up a host of new trip birds, including: Karoo Chat, the attractive Rufous-eared Warbler, the large-billed form of Sabota Lark and Karoo Long-billed Lark. We checked in and drove to our chalets and our last birds of the day were a soaring pair of Verreaux’s Eagles. We were very excited to be in such an amazing place! 15th January - Karoo We were woken by White-necked Ravens calling from the roofs of our chalets. We did some birding before breakfast around interpretive centre and found Fairy Flycatcher easily but Karoo Thrush was only seen by one person. We also had nice views of Brown-hooded Kingfisher, Diderick Cuckoo, African Hoopoe, Acacia Pied Barbet and Black-throated Canary. After breakfast we headed up to the Klipspringer Pass where funnily enough we found a pair of Klipspringers. We had a single Layard's Tit-Babbler in a bush and up at Rooi Valle a juvenile Verreaux's Eagle at close quarters plus many Pale-winged Starlings. As lions had been introduced recently, there was no getting out of the car outside of the designated spots and we balanced the scope on the edge of the windows to ID a distant Black-chested


Snake Eagle. More good birds like Black-headed Canary, Sickle-winged & Karoo Chats and Grey-backed Sparrowlark but the best bird was the Namaqua Sandgrouse at a waterhole back on the plain. After lunch we quickly checked out the hide by the camp and saw many weavers and bishops nest building along with Little Grebe and African Reed Warbler. We moved on to the lower loop at Lammetjiesleegte and found some Common Ostriches, a beautiful Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk in flight, the gorgeous European Bee-eater and several small birds like Yellow-bellied Eremomela, Long-billed Pipit and Dusky Sunbird. We actually heard the difficult Karoo Eremomela but it didn’t come in to the tape and we weren’t allowed out to look for it. We were still missing a few birds so headed to the camp site where we found the attractive Pririt Batis and had better looks at Karoo Thrush. It was time for our long awaited night drive and we saw some great things. It was dusk when we left and we found a covey of Grey-winged Francolins going off to roost. After dark we saw a Spotted Eagle-Owl and several Rufous-cheeked Nightjars. Mammals were the main targets and we found Grey Rhebok, Kudu, Gemsbok, Cape Hare and the star of the show, an African Wild Cat.

Verreaux’s Eagle & Klipspringer (Charley Hesse)

16th January – Karoo to Johannesburg Today was mainly a travel day but we did see a few interesting birds. We had some Common Ostriches on the way out of the park, Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk and White-necked Ravens on overhead wires on the way back to Cape Town. We had a couple of birding stops on the way back. The first was to look for the endemic Namaqua Warbler which we had dipped on previously. We tried a regular site for it and sure enough a pair came straight in. Further on we tried for another endemic, the Cinnamon-breasted Warbler but this time without success, but we did get better looks a dapper male Dusky Sunbird. Our birding in the western part of South Africa was finished and we boarded our flight to Johannesburg for the next leg of the trip. Somebody spotted a Glossy Ibis as we landed. Our new driver for this part of the trip, Wayne, met us at the airport and took us to our hotel. We took a walk around the nice garden before dusk and spotted some Red-faced Mousebirds. 17th January - Wakkerstroom We left Johannesburg early heading towards the South African birding mecca of Wakkerstroom. After an hour or so of driving we took a bathroom break at a road-side gas station, surrounded by open grasslands. We stood there with the scope for about 20 minutes and picked up a whole bunch of new species for the trip. We had many Amur Falcons perched on distant wires, Grey-headed Gulls flying overhead, a vocal Rufous-naped Lark perched on a distant rock and countless White-winged & the spectacular Long-tailed Widowbirds flying over the fields. We set off again and further along stopped by a small pond with a Giant


Kingfisher. Our next stop along the highway we picked up South African Cliff Swallow, Black-chested Prinia and Yellow-crowned Bishop and closer to Wakkerstroom we found a great target species, the Blue Korhaan along with African Wattled Lapwing, displaying African Snipe and the attractive Fan-tailed Widowbird. We had seen so many birds and we hadn’t even arrived yet. In Wakkestroom itself, we stopped at a spot for the Red-throated Wryneck and found it easily. We had some time before lunch so we went and stood by the lake, picking up more great birds like South African Shelduck, the gorgeous Grey Crowned Crane, Whiskered Terns and some skulking Little Rush-Warblers. Back at the hotel we met our local guide named Lucky who would take us out in the afternoon.

Rock Hyrax (Charley Hesse)

We started our afternoon’s birding along the Amersfoort road and a short distance along Lucky stopped us to show us a Meerkat colony. These are always a popular addition to our mammal list. Further on we had more furry friends in the shape of Rock Hyrax, but a Mountain Wheatear which flew in next to them reminded us that we should be looking at birds. As we only had Lucky for an afternoon, we were using his local knowledge to show us the most difficult birds in the area. Our first target was the Botha’s Lark. We walked around on some private land that he had access to and started finding some good birds. We got a distant view of Southern Bald Ibis, numerous Wing-snapping Cisticolas doing with distinctive vocalizations and wing snaps, Spike-heeled, Pink-billed and finally Botha's Lark. We even flushed a Cape Hare on the way back to the vehicle. On the way to the next site we saw Malachite Kingfisher, Banded Martin and even Pale-crowned Cisticola perched on the roadside fences. Lucky took us straight to a spot for the critically endangered Rudd's Lark but they appeared to be nesting so we left them in peace after brief but sufficient views. This is one of the rarest birds in the world and only found in this immediate area. Last port of call was the Utrecht Road where we quickly found Sentinel Rock Thrush and Buff-streaked Chat but we would try again for other targets here tomorrow. 18th January - Wakkerstroom We had another full day in the Wakkerstroom area and a long list of target species to find. We started at the Wetland reserve next to town to try and pick up some waterbirds that we were still missing. We did very well and had considerable luck with some of the more difficult species. We had a very lucky flyby of Little Bittern, followed by 2 Hottentot Teal flying in to the pond in front of us. Then we got good views of Black Crake, but African Rail was as elusive as ever and only gave fleeting views after considerable effort to bring it out. We had better views of Whiskered Tern and also another skulker, the African Reed Warbler. Next we returned to the Utrecht Road and immediately found a family of Ground Woodpeckers. We got better views of Sentinel Rock Thrush, Buff-streaked Chat and added Eastern Long-billed Lark. Our


third long-billed lark species of the trip. The best bird though was the Yellow-breasted Pipit. Along with Rudd’s & Botha’s Larks, one of the 3 mega birds in the area. Everything seemed to be going almost too well. We started driving down the Dirkiesdorp Road to check out some interesting forest patches. I heard a distinctive call from the window and we all jumped out to see the Drakensberg Prinia which came in readily to the tape. Another good patch on the way down produced Banded Martin, Wailing Cisticola and great views of Red-collared Widowbird. We had been warned about the state of the bottom part of the road and sure enough it deteriorated into a mudbath. It was only a short stretch but we decided not to risk it and instead to walk down to the main forest patch 2km away. On a not particularly physical tour, it was nice to get out and stretch our legs a little. We were glad we did because we saw some great birds down there. As soon as we entered the patchy forest we found Bar-throated Apalis, Cape Batis and Dark-capped Yellow-Warbler but Bush Blackcap and Barratt's Warbler took a bit of coaxing out but eventually gave good views.

The tricky Bush Blackcap likes Afro-montane forests (Charley Hesse)

In the afternoon we drove down the highway to bird the Dirkiesdorp Plain. We crossed a bridge and stopped to take a look at the large number of South African Cliff Swallows swarming round it. Scanning along the river I spotted a pair of Mountain Wagtails and we also found our first Hamerkop of the trip. We turned down a side road and went in search of bustards. We failed to find any of these but had nice views of a pair of stately Secretarybirds. We finished the afternoon’s birding back at the wetland reserve in Wakkerstroom where we had started. On the way to the hide we found a vocal Red-chested Flufftail which I used a specially patented Tropical Birding technique to lure out into the open. With the water level so high, we didn’t see much at the hide but we did get nice views of a nest-building African Purple Swamphen. Another very successful day’s birding. 19th January – Wakkerstroom to Kruger We set off early for Kruger and tried again for bustards on the way without success. It had been raining and there were lots of Hamerkops on the road. We had a fairly uneventful drive through eucalyptus plantations and open areas but did see Giant Kingfisher on a wire and a few nice Red-collared Widowbirds flying in the fields. We tried to keep stops to a bare minimum with so many new birds to see in Kruger, but a short distance before the park a huge raptor soared overhead so we screeched to a halt and piled out to get great views of a Brown Snake Eagle. We arrived at the Crocodile Bridge entrance to Kruger National Park in time for lunch, which was a little slow in coming but it really didn’t matter with so many birds to see. In the gardens we saw Black-collared Barbet, White-browed Robin-Chat, White-browed Scrub-Robin, Olive-tree Warbler, Southern Black Flycatcher, a Chinspot Batis with a begging chick, African Paradise


Flycatchers building a nest, Marico & Scarlet-chested Sunbirds, Blue Waxbills and the beautifully coloured male Violet-backed Starling. We left the camp heading north towards Lower Sabie rest camp where we would spend the night. It was only about 30km but it took us almost 3 hours to get there with so many birds. From a distance I noticed swarms of birds over the road but as we got closer I saw they were in fact falcons. More specifically hundreds of Amur Falcons and Lesser Kestrels. They seemed to be gathering around a termite hatching. We also had many Yellow-billed Kites and even an adult Bateleur! Raptors were very much in evidence on the rest of the drive and we saw Wahlberg's, Tawny & Booted Eagles. We added quite a few colourful birds with Lilac-breasted, European & Purple Rollers, Red-billed & Southern Yellow-billed Hornbills and Woodland Kingfisher. Other more sombre-toned but equally delightful species were Swainson's & Crested Francolins, Red-crested Korhaan, Water Thick-knee, Red-backed Shrike and a large group of White-crested Helmet-shrikes. It was not all birds though and some mammal highlights included a White Rhino with a Red-billed Oxpecker on its back, our first views of Elephant and Hippopotamus, and some Giraffes trying to hide unsuccessfully behind some trees. We arrived at Lower Sabie rest camp and checked in. Even before opening the doors to our rooms, we were sidetracked by more birds. This time a gaudy Crested Barbet and a dainty little Spotted Flycatcher, another northern migrant. After settling in, we walked to dinner seeing Grey Go-away Bird, Natal Francolin and a stunning Long-tailed Paradise-Whydah on the way.

Woodland Kingfisher & Giraffe feeding on a Purple-pod Terminalia Tree (Charley Hesse)

20th January - Kruger In the morning, we walked around Lower Sabie rest camp and saw some great birds like African Green Pigeon, Jacobin Cuckoo, some raucous Arrow-marked Babblers, Yellow-breasted Apalis, a stunning Orange-breasted Bush-Shrike singing up in a tree, Greater Blue-eared Starling and Village Indigobird. On the walk to breakfast we found a pair of Yellow-fronted Canaries coming to a nest and an African Fish Eagle perched on the other side of the river. We were still a little early for breakfast so we checked out the boardwalk that ran along the river and added Red-billed & Jameson's Firefinches and Red-faced Cisticola to our list. A real speciality of the restaurant deck are the Lesser Masked Weavers which have become so tame that they would hop on the table and try to take your food while you were sitting right there. They went from life bird to a pest in a matter of minutes. We had a great view from the deck and had Black Crakes running around below and Thick-billed Weavers nest-building nearby. We even had 2 huge Buffalos walk by. After breakfast we packed up and started birding our way through the park. I first wanted to check out an area of grassland north of Lower Sabie which has some very special birds and mammal. We crossed a


bridge over the Lower Sabie river and straight away saw Green-backed Heron, White-crowned Lapwing, Wire-tailed Swallows and even a 3ft long Nile Monitor. Driving through the open savanna habitat, we spotted a distant pair of Lappet-faced Vultures quickly followed by a nice Yellow-throated Longclaw and hundreds of Wattled Starlings in breeding plumage. Next we saw one of our main targets, the giant Kori Bustard. One of the heaviest flying birds in the world. We made our way to the Mlondozi picnic area where we had fine views over a dam. With the water so high, it wasn’t great for water birds but we did pick up a nice pair of Southern Black Tits just as we were leaving. We made our way back to the main road and started towards Skukuza. The main operational headquarters of the park. On the way we spotted a huge bus load of tourists and figured they must be looking at some large mammal, but as we drew close we saw they were actually looking at a pair of Southern Ground Hornbills. Spectacular and weird-looking enough to draw the attention of non-birders.

Southern Carmine Bee-eaters are common in Kruger in January (Charley Hesse)

After a nice lunch and some gift shopping in Skukuza we were on our way again and the next stop was the Tshokwane picnic site. As well as being an easy site for the African Mourning Dove we also saw Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove, a dainty Grey Tit-Flycatcher and a Great Reed Warbler. The later confirming its identity with its exceptionally croaky voice. The action in Kruger never stops and we picked up great bird after great bird on our way north. Southern Carmine Bee-eaters and African Grey Hornbills were common along this stretch of the road and we also spotted Purple-crested Turaco flying across in front of us, Burchell's Coucal and even the large Black-bellied Bustard trying to blend in with the grass on the side of the road. When we stopped to take a look at the latter, it even gave us a short vocalization which consists of a nasal ‘Aarnk!’ followed by a popping that sounds like it was made person pulling their finger from their mouth. Raptors were also well represented along here and along with the common species we had already seen, we added Steppe, Lesser Spotted & and the mighty Martial Eagle. At a waterhole on the way we added Woolly-necked Stork, White-faced & Comb Ducks, a delightful African Jacana and some Red-breasted Swallows. Our last bird before we arrived at Satara was the Double-banded Sandgrouse. At first I thought they were doves, but when they flushed from the road I could see their distinctive shape and ordered the driver to slam on his breaks. Luckily they landed again and the driver skilfully manoeuvred the vehicle to give us great looks. The optional night drives are highly recommended in Kruger National Park and those with sufficient energy went out with an official park vehicle. We found some nice smaller mammals like Scrub Hare, Large-spotted Genet and even a Black-backed Jackal optimistically chasing a Steenbok, but the highlight was


definitely 2 male lions at close range. With the recent rainfall and high grass, they had been difficult to spot during the day. We got some good birds too, like Common Quail flushing from the side of the road, Square-tailed Nightjar perching on the road and also Spotted Thick-knee which ran ahead of the vehicle, only flushing up at the last minutes giving loud flight calls and showing their white flashes in the wing. 21st January - Kruger We took a walk around Satara rest camp in the morning. It was raining and a little quiet, but we did pick up Jacobin Cuckoo, Common Scimitarbill and another gorgeous male Long-tailed Paradise-Whydah. After breakfast we drove towards Olifants rest camp which boasts the best view in the park. Birding was good on the way and the shy Red-crested Korhaan was spotted by one member of the group and we reversed in time to see it trying to creep away. Harlequin Quails were calling everywhere and we tried calling some in but the grass was too dense to see them. We did managed to flush a pair next to the road giving brief views in flight. The road was covered in Southern Carmine Bee-eaters, Barn Swallows and the odd Common House Martin and the roadside grasslands contained birds like Yellow-throated Longclaw, Lesser Grey Shrike, thousands of Red-billed Queleas and many male White-winged Widowbirds doing their display flight. The grass was very long here, but we still managed to see a White Rhino with its horn sticking out.

Elephants most definitely have right of way in Kruger (Charley Hesse)

We reached a view point over the river where we picked up Yellow-billed Stork, White-backed & Hooded Vultures and Waterbuck, a new antelope for us which has a distinct white ring around its backside like a target. When we arrived at Olfants rest camp, we firstly took a walk around the gardens and saw African Paradise Flycatcher, Grey-headed Bush-Shrike eating what looked to be a baby snake, a beautiful male Violet-backed Starling, Marico & Scarlet-chested Sunbirds and the very special Red-headed Weaver. We walked to the Olifants view point where we decided to have lunch to enjoy the view at our leisure. Here we had scope views of Marabou Stork, African Spoonbill, Tawny & Booted Eagles, Peregrine Falcon and a flyby of Trumpeter Hornbill. On the drive back we saw some very memorable birds, including Brown Snake Eagle, a juvenile Bateleur perched in trees close to the road and 2 heavyweight birds: The Kori Bustard (one of the heaviest flying birds in the world) and the unmistakeable and sinister-looking Southern Ground Hornbill. There were some patches of rain and just before reaching the camp we saw a beautiful rainbow. Some Burchell’s Zebras in the foreground seemed too good a photographic opportunity to miss. An Elephant walking across the road in front of us, close enough to cause us to reverse a little, really put us in our place. We got back to Satara and rested before taking a short drive to check some sightings of Leopard and Cheetah nearby. No new mammals were forthcoming but we got more great birds


in the shape of Great Spotted Cuckoo, Black-crowned Tchagra and large flocks of breeding plumage Wattled Starlings. Another packed day in this wildlife wonderland. 22nd January – Kruger to Johannesburg Today was the final day of the tour and our last chance to pick up a few new birds. We had our usual pre-breakfast stroll around Satara rest camp. We saw many of the same birds we had been seeing, like Red-faced Mousebird, Woodland Kingfisher, Arrow-marked Babbler, Black-backed Puffback, Grey-headed Bush-Shrike, Violet-backed Starling and Red-billed Buffalo Weaver but many of these we got much better views of. Our only additional bird was a striking female Bearded Woodpecker that was actually right outside our rooms when we got back. After breakfast we had one more treat in store. I had interrogated a gardener and got him to show me where an African Scops Owl was hiding. Of course he was well rewarded for his efforts. We had a long drive ahead of us and we tried in vain to minimize stops. At a waterhole next to the road we saw Marabou Stork, White-faced Duck, Water Thick-knee and much better views of Three-banded Plover. At a view point we were allowed to get out and we scanned the surroundings and found Cape & White-backed Vultures perched in the top of a large tree. Our final stop was to take a photo of a Buffalo with a Red-billed Oxpecker on its back but we also saw many White-winged Widowbird birds doing their flight display and picked up African Black Swift for the trip list. We were all rather sad to be leaving the park. It had been such an amazing experience.

Buffalos often play host to Red-billed Oxpecker (Charley Hesse)

A short time after leaving the park I spotted an interesting looking raptor on a roadside post and we made a quick stop to see it was a Dark Chanting Goshawk, another new bird for the trip. We had a couple of scheduled stops on the way back to try and pick up another bird or 2. The first one was at the only accessible site in South Africa for the rare Taita Falcon. There was normally a local guide who had a roadside handicraft stall to help birders find this rarity, but unluckily it appeared to be his day off. All we could manage was a distant troop of Chacma Baboons and a few Speckled Pigeons and Rock Martins. After about an hour of scanning the various patches of whitewash on the cliffs opposite us we had to admit defeat. Our last stop was at the spectacular Blyde River Canyon, South Africa’s biggest Canyon. We went to a viewpoint called ‘3 Rondavels’ named after a round building the same shape as the huge rock formations across from us. Whilst the clients enjoyed the amazing scenery, I scanned the rocks for new birds. I managed to find us a Lazy Cisticola and also a very colourful lizard that I later identified as a Sekukhune Flat Lizard. There were no more stops and we drove straight back to our hotel in Johannesburg.


Trip Lists BIRD LIST Taxonomy follows Birds of Southern Africa 3rd edition. Sinclair et al, 2002

1 Common Ostrich Struthio camelus Seen at Cape of GH, West Coast, De Hoop, Karoo & Kruger.

2 African Penguin Spheniscus demersus Seen on the Pelagic.

3 Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus Seen at Strandfontein, De Hoop & Wilderness.

4 Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis Seen at Strandfontein.

5 Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis Commonly seen at most sites on water.

6 Shy Albatross Thalassarche cauta Seen on the Pelagic.

7 Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophris Seen on the Pelagic.

8 Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche chlororhynchos Seen on the Pelagic.

9 Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche carteri Seen on the Pelagic.

10 White-chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis Seen on the Pelagic.

11 Cory's Shearwater Calonectris diomedea Seen on the Pelagic.

12 Great Shearwater Puffinus gravis Seen on the Pelagic.

13 Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus Seen on the Pelagic.

14 European Storm-Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus Seen on the Pelagic.

15 Wilson's Storm-Petrel Oceanites oceanicus Seen on the Pelagic.

16 Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus Seen at Rietvlei, Strandfontein, Veldriff & De Hoop.

17 Cape Gannet Morus capensis Seen on the Pelagic & at Cape of Good Hope

18 White-breasted Cormorant Phalacrocorax lucidus Commonly seen at most sites near water.

19 Cape Cormorant Phalacrocorax capensis Seen on the Pelagic, at Kommetjie & Cape of Good Hope.

20 Bank Cormorant Phalacrocorax neglectus Seen on the Pelagic & at Kommetjie.

21 Reed Cormorant Phalacrocorax africanus Commonly seen at most sites near water.

22 Crowned Cormorant Phalacrocorax coronatus Seen on the Pelagic & Kommetjie.

23 African Darter Anhinga rufa Seen at Rietvlei.

24 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea Commonly seen at most sites near water.

25 Black-headed Heron Ardea melanocephala Seen at many sites with open habitats.

26 Purple Heron Ardea purpurea Seen at Rietvlei, Strandfontein & Wilderness.

27 Little Egret Egretta garzetta Commonly seen at most sites near water.

28 Yellow-billed Egret Egretta intermedia Seen at Rietvlei, De Hoop & Wakkerstroom.

29 Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis Commonly seen at most sites.

30 Green-backed Heron Butorides striatus Seen at Kruger.

31 Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus Seen at Wakkerstroom.

32 Hamerkop Scopus umbretta Seen at Wakkerstroom & Kruger.

33 White Stork Ciconia ciconia Seen at De Hoop & Wakkerstroom.

34 Woolly-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus Seen at Kruger.

35 Yellow-billed Stork Mycteria ibis Seen at Kruger.

36 Marabou Stork Leptopilos crumeniferus Seen at Kruger.

37 Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus Commonly seen at most sites.

38 Southern Bald Ibis Geronticus calvus Seen at Wakkerstroom.

39 Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus Seen at Rietvlei, Strandfontein, Kommetjie & De Hoop..

40 Hadeda Ibis Bostrychia hagedash Commonly seen at most sites.

41 African Spoonbill Platalea alba Seen at Rietvlei, West Coast & Kruger.

42 Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber Seen at Rietvlei, Strandfontein, West Coast & Veldriff.

43 Lesser Flamingo Phoenicopterus minor Seen at Veldriff.

44 White-faced Duck Dendrocygna viduata Seen at Kruger.

45 White-backed Duck Thalassornis leuconotus Seen at Rietvlei.

46 Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiacus Commonly seen at most sites.

47 South African Shelduck Tadorna cana Seen at Darling, West Coast & Wakkerstroom.

48 Yellow-billed Duck Anas undulata Commonly seen at most sites with water.

49 Cape Teal Anas capensis Seen at Rietvlei, Strandfontein & West Coast.

50 Hottentot Teal Anas hottentota Seen at Wakkerstroom.

51 Red-billed Teal Anas erythrorhyncha Seen at Rietvlei & Strandfontein.

52 Cape Shoveler Anas smithii Seen at many freshwater sites.

53 Southern Pochard Netta erythrophthalma Seen at Strandfontein, De Hoop, Wilderness & Wakkerstroom.

54 Comb Duck Sarkidiornis melanotos Seen at Kruger.

55 Spur-winged Goose Plectropterus gambensis Seen at Rietvlei, Strandfontein, De Hoop, Wakkerstroom & Kruger.

56 Maccoa Duck Oxyura maccoa Seen at Strandfontein.

57 Secretarybird Sagittarius serpentarius Seen at De Hoop & Wakkerstroom.

58 Lappet-faced Vulture Torgos tracheliotus Seen at Kruger.


59 White-headed Vulture Trigonoceps occipitalis Seen at Kruger.

60 Cape Vulture Gyps coprotheres Seen at Kruger.

61 White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus Seen at Kruger.

62 Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus Seen at Kruger.

63 Yellow-billed Kite Milvus parasitus Commonly seen at most sites.

64 Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus Commonly seen on overhead wires.

65 Verreaux's Eagle Aquila verreauxii Seen at Karoo.

66 Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis Seen at Kruger.

67 Lesser Spotted Eagle Aquila pomarina Seen at Kruger.

68 Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax Seen at Kruger.

69 Wahlberg's Eagle Aquila wahlbergi Seen at Kruger.

70 Booted Eagle Aquila pennatus Seen at Kruger.

71 Martial Eagle Polemaetus bellicosus Seen at Kruger.

72 Brown Snake Eagle Circaetus cinereus Seen at Kruger.

73 Black-chested Snake Eagle Circaetus pectoralis Seen at Karoo.

74 Bateleur Terathopius ecaudatus Seen at Kruger.

75 African Fish Eagle Haliaeetus vocifer Seen at Kruger.

76 Steppe Buzzard Buteo buteo Commonly seen at most sites.

77 Jackal Buzzard Buteo rufofuscus Seen at Darling, De Hoop, Swartberg & Wakkerstroom.

78 African Goshawk Accipiter tachiro Seen at Kirstenbosch.

79 Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk Melierax canorus Seen at Karoo.

80 Dark Chanting Goshawk Melierax metabates Seen at Blyde River Canyon.

81 African Marsh Harrier Circus ranivorus Seen at Strandfontein, West Coast & Wilderness.

82 Black Harrier Circus maurus Seen at Koeberg & West Coast.

83 Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus Seen at Kruger.

84 Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus Seen at West Coast.

85 Amur Falcon Falco amurensis Seen at Wakkerstroom, Kruger & Blyde River Canyon.

86 Rock Kestrel Falco tinnunculus Commonly seen in open environments.

87 Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni Large numbers seen at Kruger attending a termite hatching.

88 Crested Francolin Periperdix sephaena Seen at Kruger.

89 Grey-winged Francolin Pternistes africanus Seen at De Hoop & Karoo.

90 Cape Spurfowl Pternistes capensis Commonly seen at most sites in the Cape.

91 Natal Spurfowl Pternistes natalensis Seen at Kruger.

92 Red-necked Spurfowl Pternistes afer Seen at Wilderness.

93 Swainson's Spurfowl Pternistes swainsonii Seen at Wakkerstroom & Kruger.

94 Common Quail Coturnix coturnix Seen at Kruger.

95 Harlequin Quail Coturnix delegorguei Seen at Kruger.

96 Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris Commonly seen at most sites.

97 Blue Crane Anthropoides paradiseus Seen at Darling & De Hoop.

98 Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum Seen at Wakkerstroom.

99 African Rail Rallus caerulescens Seen at Wakkerstroom & heard at West Coast.

100 Black Crake Amaurornis flavirostris Seen at Wakkerstroom & Kruger.

101 Red-chested Flufftail Sarothrura rufa Seen at Wakkerstroom.

102 African Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio Seen at Rietvlei & Wakkerstroom.

103 Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus Commonly seen in freshwater environments.

104 Red-knobbed Coot Fulica cristata Commonly seen in freshwater environments.

105 African Jacana Actophilornis africanus Seen at Kruger.

106 Kori Bustard Ardeotis kori Seen at Kruger.

107 Denham's Bustard Neotis denhami Seen at De Hoop.

108 Blue Korhaan Eupodotis caerulescens Seen at Wakkerstroom.

109 Karoo Korhaan Eupodotis vigorsii Seen at De Hoop.

110 Red-crested Korhaan Eupodotis ruficrista Seen at Kruger.

111 Black-bellied Bustard Eupodotis melanogaster Seen at Kruger.

112 Southern Black Korhaan Eupodotis afra Seen at Darling & West Coast.

113 African Black Oystercatcher Haematopus moquini Seen at Strandfontein & Kommetjie.

114 Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula Seen at West Coast & Veldriff.

115 White-fronted Plover Charadrius marginatus Seen at West Coast & Veldriff.

116 Kittlitz's Plover Charadrius pecuarius Seen at Rietvlei, Darling, West Coast & Kruger.

117 Three-banded Plover Charadrius tricollaris Seen at Kruger.

118 Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola Seen at West Coast & Veldriff.

119 Crowned Lapwing Vanellus coronatus Seen at Koeberg, De Hoop, Wakkerstroom & Kruger.

120 Blacksmith Lapwing Vanellus armatus Commonly seen at most sites.

121 African Wattled Lapwing Vanellus crassirostris Seen at Wakkerstroom.

122 White-crowned Lapwing Vanellus albiceps Seen at Kruger.


123 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres Seen at West Coast.

124 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos Seen at Kruger.

125 Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola Seen at De Hoop & Kruger.

126 Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis Seen at West Coast.

127 Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia Seen at Strandfontein, Kommetjie, West Coast & Veldriff.

128 Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea Seen at Strandfontein, West Coast & Veldriff.

129 Little Stint Calidris minuta Seen at Koeberg, Strandfontein, West Coast, Veldriff & Kruger.

130 Sanderling Calidris alba Seen at West Coast.

131 Ruff Philomachus pugnax Seen at Strandfontein, West Coast, Veldriff, De Hoop & Kruger.

132 African Snipe Gallinago nigripennis Seen at Wakkerstroom.

133 Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica Seen at West Coast.

134 Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus Seen at West Coast.

135 Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta Seen at Strandfontein, West Coast & Veldriff.

136 Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus Seen at many sites.

137 Spotted Thick-knee Burhinus capensis Seen at Kruger.

138 Water Thick-knee Burhinus vermiculatus Seen at Rietvlei & Kruger.

139 Subantarctic Skua Catharacta antarctica Seen on the Pelagic.

140 Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus Seen on the Pelagic.

141 Cape Gull Larus dominicanus Commonly seen at most coastal sites in the Cape.

142 Grey-headed Gull Larus cirrocephalus Seen at Wakkerstroom.

143 Hartlaub's Gull Larus hartlaubii Commonly seen at most coastal sites in the Cape.

144 Sabine's Gull Larus sabini Seen on the Pelagic.

145 Caspian Tern Sterna caspia Seen at Strandfontein.

146 Swift Tern Sterna bergii Commonly seen at most coastal sites in the Cape.

147 Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis Seen on Pelagic, Strandfontein, Kommetjie, West Coast & Veldriff.

148 Common Tern Sterna hirundo Seen on the Pelagic, Kommetjie, West Coast & Veldriff.

149 Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea Seen on the Pelagic & at Kommetjie.

150 Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus Seen at Wakkerstroom.

151 White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus Seen at Veldriff.

152 Namaqua Sandgrouse Pterocles namaqua Seen at Karoo.

153 Double-banded Sandgrouse Pterocles bicinctus Seen at Kruger.

154 Rock Pigeon Columba livia Introduced species. Commonly seen near human habitation.

155 Speckled Pigeon Columba guinea Commonly seen at most sites.

156 Red-eyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata Commonly seen at most sites.

157 Cape Turtle Dove Streptopelia capicola Commonly seen at most sites.

158 Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis Seen at many sites.

159 African Mourning Dove Streptopelia decipiens Seen at Kruger.

160 Namaqua Dove Oena capensis Seen at Darling, De Hoop, Karoo & Kruger.

161 Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove Turtur chalcospilos Seen at Kruger.

162 Tambourine Dove Turtur tympanistria Heard at Kruger.

163 Lemon Dove Aplopelia larvata Seen at Wilderness.

164 African Green Pigeon Treron calva Seen at Kruger.

165 Knysna Turaco Tauraco corythaix Seen at Wilderness.

166 Purple-crested Turaco Musophaga porphyreolophus Seen at Kruger.

167 Grey Go-away Bird Corythaixoides concolor Seen at Kruger.

168 Red-chested Cuckoo Cuculus solitarius Heard at Wakkerstroom.

169 Black Cuckoo Cuculus clamosus Seen at Kruger.

170 Great Spotted Cuckoo Clamator glandarius Seen at Kruger.

171 Jacobin Cuckoo Oxylophus jacobinus Seen at Kruger.

172 Klaas's Cuckoo Chrysococcyx klaas Heard at Wilderness.

173 Diderick Cuckoo Chrysococcyx caprius Seen at Karoo, Wakkerstroom & Kruger.

174 Burchell's Coucal Centropus burchellii Seen at Kruger.

175 Barn Owl Tyto alba Seen at De Hoop.

176 African Scops Owl Otus senegalensis Seen at Kruger.

177 Spotted Eagle-Owl Bubo africanus Seen at Kirstenbosch & Karoo.

178 Rufous-cheeked Nightjar Caprimulgus rufigena Seen at Karoo.

179 Square-tailed Nightjar Caprimulgus fossii Seen at Kruger.

180 Common Swift Apus apus Seen at Wilderness & Karoo.

181 African Black Swift Apus barbatus Seen at Kruger.

182 White-rumped Swift Apus caffer Seen at De Hoop, Karoo, Wakkerstroom & Kruger.

183 Little Swift Apus affinis Seen at Koeberg, Darling, De Hoop, Karoo, Wakkerstroom & Kruger.

184 Alpine Swift Tachymarptis melba Seen at West Coast.

185 African Palm Swift Cypsiurus parvus Seen at Kruger.

186 Speckled Mousebird Colius striatus Commonly seen at most sites.


187 White-backed Mousebird Colius colius Seen at Koeberg, Darling, West Coast & Karoo.

188 Red-faced Mousebird Urocolius indicus Seen at De Hoop, Karoo, Wakkerstroom & Kruger.

189 Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis Seen at Rietvlei, Veldriff, Wilderness, Swartberg & Kruger.

190 Giant Kingfisher Megaceryle maxima Seen at Wakkerstroom.

191 Half-collared Kingfisher Alcedo semitorquata Seen at Wilderness.

192 Malachite Kingfisher Alcedo cristata Seen at Wilderness & Wakkerstroom.

193 Woodland Kingfisher Halcyon senegalensis Seen at Kruger.

194 Brown-hooded Kingfisher Halcyon albiventris Seen at Wilderness & Karoo.

195 European Bee-eater Merops apiaster Seen at Koeberg, Karoo & Kruger.

196 S. Carmine Bee-eater Merops nubicoides Seen at Kruger.

197 Lilac-breasted Roller Coracias caudata Seen at Kruger.

198 Purple Roller Coracias naevia Seen at Kruger.

199 European Roller Coracias garrulus Seen at Kruger.

200 African Hoopoe Upupa africana Seen at West Coast, Wilderness, Karoo, Wakkerstroom & Kruger.

201 Green Wood-Hoopoe Phoeniculus purpureus Seen at Wilderness & Kruger.

202 Common Scimitarbill Rhinopomastus cyanomelas Seen at Kruger.

203 Trumpeter Hornbill Bycanistes bucinator Seen at Kruger.

204 African Grey Hornbill Tockus nasutus Seen at Kruger.

205 Red-billed Hornbill Tockus erythrorhynchus Seen at Kruger.

206 S. Yellow-billed Hornbill Tockus leucomelas Seen at Kruger.

207 Southern Ground Hornbill Bucorvus leadbeateri Seen at Kruger.

208 Black-collared Barbet Lybius torquatus Seen at Kruger.

209 Acacia Pied Barbet Tricholaema leucomelas Seen at De Hoop & Karoo.

210 Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird Pogoniulus bilineatus Seen at Kruger.

211 Crested Barbet Trachyphonus vaillantii Seen at Kruger.

212 Ground Woodpecker Geocolaptes olivaceus Seen at Wakkerstroom.

213 Knysna Woodpecker Campethera notata Seen at Wilderness.

214 Cardinal Woodpecker Dendropicos fuscescens Seen at West Coast & Kruger. Heard at Karoo.

215 Bearded Woodpecker Thripias namaquus Seen at Kruger.

216 Olive Woodpecker Mesopicos griseocephalus Seen at Wilderness.

217 Red-throated Wryneck Jynx ruficollis Seen at Wakkerstroom.

218 Rufous-naped Lark Mirafra africana Seen at Wakkerstroom & Kruger.

219 Sabota Lark Mirafra sabota Seen at Karoo & Kruger.

220 Rudd's Lark Heteromirafra ruddi Seen at Wakkerstroom.

221 Agulhas Long-billed Lark Certhilauda brevirostris Seen at De Hoop.

222 Eastern Long-billed Lark Certhilauda semitorquata Seen at Wakkerstroom.

223 Karoo Long-billed Lark Certhilauda subcoronata Seen at Karoo.

224 Karoo Lark Mirafra albescens Heard at Karoo.

225 Spike-heeled Lark Chersomanes albofasciata Seen at Wakkerstroom.

226 Red-capped Lark Calandrella cinerea Seen at Darling, Vredenburg, De Hoop & Wakkerstroom.

227 Pink-billed Lark Spizocorys conirostris Seen at Wakkerstroom.

228 Botha's Lark Spizocorys fringillaris Seen at Wakkerstroom.

229 Large-billed Lark Galerida magnirostris Seen at De Hoop.

230 Grey-backed Sparrowlark Eremopterix verticalis Seen at De Hoop & Karoo.

231 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica Commonly seen at most sites.

232 White-throated Swallow Hirundo albigularis Commonly seen at most sites near water.

233 Wire-tailed Swallow Hirundo smithii Seen at Kruger.

234 Pearl-breasted Swallow Hirundo dimidiata Seen at Koeberg & Darling.

235 Red-breasted Swallow Hirundo semirufa Seen at Kruger.

236 Greater Striped Swallow Hirundo cucullata Seen at many sites.

237 Lesser Striped Swallow Hirundo abyssinica Seen at Kruger.

238 South African Cliff Swallow Hirundo spilodera Seen at Wakkerstroom & Kruger.

239 Rock Martin Hirundo fuligula Commonly seen at most sites.

240 Common House Martin Delichon urbica Seen at Kruger.

241 Brown-throated Martin Riparia paludicola Seen at Veldriff & De Hoop.

242 Banded Martin Riparia cincta Seen at De Hoop & Wakkerstroom.

243 Black Saw-wing Psalidoprocne holomelas Seen at De Hoop & Wilderness.

244 Grey Cuckooshrike Coracina caesia Seen at Wilderness.

245 Fork-tailed Drongo Dicrurus adsimilis Seen at De Hoop, Wilderness & Kruger.

246 Black-headed Oriole Oriolus larvatus Seen at Wilderness & Kruger. Heard at Wakkerstroom.

247 Cape Crow Corvus capensis Seen at De Hoop, Swartberg & Wakkerstroom.

248 Pied Crow Corvus albus Seen at many sites.

249 White-necked Raven Corvus albicollis Commonly seen at most sites in the Cape.

250 Southern Black Tit Parus niger Seen at Kruger.


251 Cape Penduline Tit Anthoscopus minutus Seen at West Coast.

252 Arrow-marked Babbler Turdoides jardineii Seen at Kruger.

253 Bush Blackcap Lioptilus nigricapillus Seen at Wakkerstroom.

254 Cape Bulbul Pycnonotus capensis Commonly seen at most sites in the Cape.

255 African Red-eyed Bulbul Pycnonotus nigricans Seen at Karoo.

256 Dark-capped Bulbul Pycnonotus tricolor Seen at Wakkerstroom & Kruger.

257 Terrestrial Brownbul Phyllastrephus terrestris Seen at Wilderness.

258 Sombre Greenbul Andropadus importunus Seen at Kirstenbosch & Wilderness.

259 Yellow-bellied Greenbul Chlorocichla flaviventris Seen at Kruger.

260 Olive Thrush Turdus smithi Seen at Kirstenbosch & Wilderness.

261 Karoo Thrush Turdus olivaceus Seen at Karoo.

262 Sentinel Rock Thrush Monticola explorator Seen at Wakkerstroom.

263 Cape Rockjumper Chaetops frenatus Seen at Sir Lowry's & Swartberg.

264 Mountain Wheatear Oenanthe monticola Seen at Wakkerstroom.

265 Capped Wheatear Oenanthe pileata Seen at Darling & De Hoop.

266 Buff-streaked Chat Oenanthe bifasciata Seen at Wakkerstroom.

267 Familiar Chat Cercomela familiaris Seen at Rooi Els, Swartberg, Karoo & Wakkerstroom.

268 Sickle-winged Chat Cercomela sinuata Seen at Karoo.

269 Karoo Chat Cercomela schlegelii Seen at Karoo.

270 Mocking Cliff-Chat Thamnolaea cinnamomeiventris Seen at Kruger.

271 Ant-eating Chat Myrmecocichla formicivora Seen at Vredenburg & Wakkerstroom.

272 African Stonechat Saxicola torquata Seen at Darling, De Hoop, Swartberg & Wakkerstroom.

273 Chorister Robin-chat Cossypha dichroa Seen at Wilderness.

274 White-browed Robin-Chat Cossypha heuglini Seen at Kruger.

275 Cape Robin-Chat Cossypha caffra Seen at many sites.

276 White-browed Scrub-Robin Erythropygia leucophrys Seen at Kruger.

277 Karoo Scrub-robin Erythropygia coryphaeus Seen at Darling & Karoo.

278 White-starred Robin Pogonocichla stellata Heard at Wilderness.

279 Chestnut-vented Tit-babbler Parisoma subcaeruleum Seen at Koeberg.

280 Layard's Tit-babbler Parisoma layardi Seen at Karoo.

281 Olive-tree Warbler Hippolais olivetorum Seen at Kruger.

282 African Reed Warbler Acrocephalus baeticatus Seen at Karoo & Wakkerstroom.

283 Lesser Swamp-Warbler Acrocephalus gracilirostris Seen at Darling & Wilderness. Heard at Wakkerstroom.

284 Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus Seen at Kruger.

285 Dark-capped Yellow-Warbler Chloropeta natalensis Seen at Wakkerstroom.

286 Little Rush-Warbler Bradypterus baboecala Seen at Wakkerstroom & heard at West Coast.

287 Barratt's Warbler Bradypterus barratti Seen at Wakkerstroom.

288 Knysna Warbler Bradypterus sylvaticus Heard at Wilderness.

289 Victorin's Warbler Bradypterus victorini Seen at Rooi Els & Swartberg.

290 Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus Seen at Swartberg, Karoo & Kruger.

291 Icterine Warbler Hippolais icterina Seen at Kruger.

292 Yellow-throated Woodland-Warbler Phylloscopus ruficapilla Seen at Wilderness.

293 Bar-throated Apalis Apalis thoracica Seen at Koeberg, De Hoop, Wilderness & Wakkerstroom. Heard at Swartberg.

294 Yellow-breasted Apalis Apalis flavida Seen at Kruger.

295 Long-billed Crombec Sylvietta rufescens Seen at Darling & Kruger. Heard at Karoo.

296 Yellow-bellied Eremomela Eremomela icteropygialis Seen at Karoo.

297 Karoo Eremomela Eremomela gregalis Heard at Karoo.

298 Grey-backed Camaroptera Camaroptera brachyura Seen at Kruger.

299 Green-backed Camaroptera Camaroptera brachyura Seen at Kruger. Heard at Kirstenbosch & Wilderness.

300 Cape Grassbird Sphenoeacus afer Seen at Rooi Els, Cape of GH, Sir Lowry's, Swartberg & Wakkerstroom.

301 Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis Seen at Wakkerstroom.

302 Cloud Cisticola Cisticola textrix Heard at Wakkerstroom.

303 Wing-snapping Cisticola Cisticola ayresii Seen at Wakkerstroom.

304 Pale-crowned Cisticola Cisticola brunnescens Seen at Wakkerstroom.

305 Grey-backed Cisticola Cisticola subruficapillus Common in Fynbos & Karoo habitats.

306 Wailing Cisticola Cisticola lais Seen at Wakkerstroom.

307 Rattling Cisticola Cisticola chinianus Seen at Kruger.

308 Red-faced Cisticola Cisticola erythrops Seen at Kruger.

309 Levaillant's Cisticola Cisticola tinniens Seen at many sites near water.

310 Lazy Cisticola Cisticola aberrans Seen at Blyde River Canyon.

311 Neddicky Cisticola fulvicapillus Seen at Rooi Els & Swartberg. Heard at Sir Lowry's.

312 Tawny-flanked Prinia Prinia subflava Seen at Kruger.

313 Karoo Prinia Prinia maculosa Commonly seen at most sites in the Cape.

314 Drakensberg Prinia Prinia hypoxantha Seen at Wakkerstroom.


315 Black-chested Prinia Prinia flavicans Seen at Wakkerstroom.

316 Namaqua Warbler Phragmacia substriata Seen at Karoo.

317 Rufous-eared Warbler Malcorus pectoralis Seen at Swartberg & Karoo.

318 Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata Seen at Kruger.

319 African Dusky Flycatcher Muscicapa adusta Seen at Kirstenbosch & Wilderness.

320 Grey Tit-Flycatcher Myioparus plumbeus Seen at Kruger.

321 Southern Black Flycatcher Melaenornis pammelaina Seen at Kruger.

322 Fiscal Flycatcher Sigelus silens Seen at De Hoop, Swartberg & Karoo.

323 Chat Flycatcher Melaenornis infuscatus Seen at Karoo.

324 Cape Batis Batis capensis Seen at Kirstenbosch, Wilderness & Wakkerstroom.

325 Chinspot Batis Batis molitor Seen at Kruger.

326 Pririt Batis Batis pririt Seen at Karoo.

327 Fairy Flycatcher Stenostira scita Seen at Karoo.

328 African Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone viridis Seen at Wilderness & Kruger.

329 African Pied Wagtail Motacilla aguimp Seen at Kruger.

330 Cape Wagtail Motacilla capensis Commonly seen at most sites.

331 Mountain Wagtail Motacilla clara Seen at Wakkerstroom.

332 African Pipit Anthus cinnamomeus Coomonly seen in grassland habitats.

333 Long-billed Pipit Anthus similis Seen at Karoo.

334 Plain-backed Pipit Anthus leucophrys Seen at Wakkerstroom.

335 African Rock Pipit Anthus crenatus Heard at Karoo.

336 Yellow-breasted Pipit Hemimacronyx chloris Seen at Wakkerstroom.

337 Cape Longclaw Macronyx capensis Seen at Darling & Wakkerstroom.

338 Yellow-throated Longclaw Macronyx croceus Seen at Kruger.

339 Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor Seen at Kruger.

340 Common Fiscal Lanius collaris Commonly seen in open habitats.

341 Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio Seen at Kruger.

342 Southern Boubou Laniarius ferrugineus Seen at Kirstenbosch, De Hoop, Wilderness & Swartberg.

343 Magpie Shrike Corvinella melanoleuca Seen at Kruger.

344 Black-backed Puffback Dryoscopus cubla Seen at Kruger & heard at Wilderness.

345 Southern Tchagra Tchagra tchagra Seen at De Hoop.

346 Black-crowned Tchagra Tchagra senegalus Seen at Wakkerstroom & Kruger.

347 Bokmakierie Telophorus zeylonus Seen at many sites.

348 Orange-breasted Bush-Shrike Telophorus sulfureopectus Seen at Kruger.

349 Olive Bush-Shrike Telophorus olivaceus Heard at Wilderness & Wakkerstroom.

350 Grey-headed Bush-Shrike Malaconotus blanchoti Seen at Kruger.

351 White-crested Helmet-shrike Prionops plumatus Seen at Kruger.

352 Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris Commonly seen at most sites in the Cape.

353 Common Myna Acridotheres tristis Seen at Wakkerstroom.

354 Pied Starling Spreo bicolor Seen at Koeberg, Darling, De Hoop, Karoo & Wakkerstroom.

355 Wattled Starling Creatophora cinerea Seen at Kruger.

356 Violet-backed Starling Cinnyricinclus leucogaster Seen at Kruger.

357 Cape Glossy Starling Lamprotornis nitens Seen at Kruger.

358 Greater Blue-eared Starling Lamprotornis chalybaeus Seen at Kruger.

359 Black-bellied Starling Lamprotornis corruscus Seen at Wilderness.

360 Burchells Starling Lamprotornis australis Seen at Kruger.

361 Red-winged Starling Onychognathus morio Commonly seen at most sites.

362 Pale-winged Starling Onychognathus nabouroup Seen at Karoo.

363 Red-billed Oxpecker Buphagus erythrorhynchus Seen at Kruger.

364 Cape Sugarbird Promerops cafer Seen at Rooi Els, Kirstenbosch, Sir Lowry's & Swartberg.

365 Malachite Sunbird Nectarinia famosa Seen at Kirstenbosch, Cape of GH, De Hoop & Wakkerstroom.

366 Orange-breasted Sunbird Nectarinia violacea Seen at Rooi Els, Kirstenbosch, Cape of GH, Sir Lowry's & Swartberg.

367 Marico Sunbird Nectarinia mariquensis Seen at Kruger.

368 S. Double-collared Sunbird Nectarinia chalybea Commonly seen at most sites in the Cape.

369 Greater Double-collared Sunbird Nectarinia afra Seen at Wilderness.

370 Dusky Sunbird Nectarinia fusca Seen at Karoo.

371 Scarlet-chested Sunbird Nectarinia senegalensis Seen at Kruger.

372 Amethyst Sunbird Nectarinia amethystina Seen at Wilderness.

373 Grey Sunbird Nectarinia veroxii Seen at Wilderness.

374 Cape White-eye Zosterops capensis Commonly seen at most sites near water.

375 House Sparrow Passer domesticus Commonly seen at most sites. Often near human habitation.

376 Cape Sparrow Passer melanurus Seen at many sites.

377 S. Grey-headed Sparrow Passer diffusus Seen at Karoo & Kruger.

378 Red-billed Buffalo Weaver Bubalornis niger Seen at Kruger.


379 Thick-billed Weaver Amblyospiza albifrons Seen at Kruger.

380 Spectacled Weaver Ploceus ocularis Seen at Kruger.

381 Village Weaver Ploceus cucullatus Seen at Kruger.

382 Cape Weaver Ploceus capensis Seen at many sites.

383 Southern Masked Weaver Ploceus velatus Seen at Strandfontein, Darling, West Coast, Karoo, Wakkerstroom & Kruger.

384 Lesser Masked Weaver Ploceus velatus Seen at Kruger.

385 Red-headed Weaver Anaplectes rubriceps Seen at Kruger.

386 Red-billed Quelea Quelea quelea Seen at Kruger.

387 Southern Red Bishop Euplectes orix Seen at Darling, De Hoop, Karoo, Wakkerstroom & Kruger.

388 Yellow-crowned Bishop Euplectes afer Seen at Wakkerstroom.

389 Yellow Bishop Euplectes capensis Seen at West Coast, De Hoop, Wilderness & Swartberg.

390 Fan-tailed Widowbird Euplectes axillaris Seen at Wakkerstroom & Kruger.

391 White-winged Widowbird Euplectes albonotatus Seen at Wakkerstroom & Kruger.

392 Red-collared Widow Euplectes ardens Seen at Wakkerstroom.

393 Long-tailed Widowbird Euplectes progne Seen at Wakkerstroom.

394 Green-winged Pytilia Pytilia melba Seen at Kruger.

395 Red-billed Firefinch Lagonosticta senegala Seen at Kruger.

396 Jameson's Firefinch Lagonosticta rhodopareia Seen at Kruger.

397 Blue Waxbill Uraeginthus angolensis Seen at Kruger.

398 Common Waxbill Estrilda astrild Seen at Strandfontein, Wilderness, Wakkerstroom & Kruger.

399 Swee Waxbill Estrilda melanotis Seen at Wilderness.

400 Pin-tailed Whydah Vidua macroura Seen at Rietvlei.

401 Long-tailed Paradise-Whydah Vidua paradisaea Seen at Kruger.

402 Village Indigobird Vidua chalybeata Seen at Kruger.

403 Yellow-fronted Canary Serinus mozambicus Seen at Kruger.

404 Black-throated Canary Serinus atrogularis Seen at Karoo.

405 Cape Canary Serinus canicollis Seen at Kirstenbosch, Darling, Vredenburg, Swartberg & Wakkerstroom.

406 Forest Canary Serinus scotops Seen at Kirstenbosch & Wilderness.

407 Cape Siskin Pseudochloroptila totta Seen at Swartberg.

408 Black-headed Canary Alario alario Seen at Karoo.

409 Brimstone Canary Serinus sulphuratus Seen at De Hoop.

410 Yellow Canary Serinus flaviventris Seen at Koeberg, West Coast, Sir Lowry's & De Hoop.

411 White-throated Canary Serinus albogularis Seen at Koeberg, De Hoop & Karoo.

412 Protea Seadeater Serinus leucopterus Seen at Swartberg.

413 Streaky-headed Seedeater Serinus gularis Seen at Wilderness & Wakkerstroom.

414 Golden-breasted Bunting Emberiza flaviventris Seen at Kruger.

415 Cape Bunting Emberiza capensis Commonly seen at most sites.

416 Lark-like Bunting Emberiza impetuani Seen at Karoo.

MAMMAL LIST Mammal Taxonomy follows J.Kingdon, The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals, 1997

1 Chacma Baboon Papio ursinus Seen at many sites.

2 Vervet Monkey Cercopithecus aethiops Seen at Kruger.

3 Cape Hare Lepus capensis Seen at De Hoop, Karoo & Wakkerstroom.

4 Scrub Hare Lepus saxatilis Seen at Kruger.

5 Tree Squirrel Paraxerus cepapi Seen at Kruger.

6 Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis Seen at Kirstenbosch.

7 Striped Mouse Rhabdomys pumilio Seen at Cape of Good Hope & De Hoop.

8 Black-backed Jackal Canis mesomelas Seen at Kruger.

9 Small Grey Mongoose Galerella pulverulenta Seen at Strandfontein.

10 Slender Mongoose Galerella sanguinea Seen at Kruger.

11 Dwarf Mongoose Helogale parvula Seen at Kruger.

12 Yellow Mongoose Cynictis penicillata Seen at De Hoop & Wakkerstroom.

13 Suricate (Meerkat) Suricata suricatta Seen at Wakkerstroom.

14 Common Genet Genetta genetta Seen at Kruger.

15 African Wild Cat Felis lybica Seen at Karoo.

16 Lion Panthera leo Seen at Kruger.

17 Elephant Loxodonta africana Seen at Kruger.

18 Rock Hyrax Procavia capensis Seen at Cape of Good Hope, Swartberg & Wakkerstroom.

19 Cape Mountain Zebra Equus zebra Seen at Koeberg, De Hoop & Karoo.

20 Burchell's Zebra Equus burchellii Seen at Karoo & Kruger.


21 White Rhino Ceratotherium simum Seen at Kruger.

22 Warthog Phacochoerus aethiopicus Seen at Kruger.

23 Hippopotamus Hippopotamus amphibius Seen at Kruger.

24 Giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis Seen at Kruger.

25 Buffalo Syncerus caffer Seen at Kruger.

26 Eland Taurotragus oryx Seen at Koeberg & De Hoop.

27 Kudu Tragelaphus strepsiceros Seen at Karoo & Kruger.

28 Bushbuck Tragelaphus scriptus Seen at Kruger.

29 Gemsbok Oryx gazella Seen at Karoo.

30 Waterbuck Kobus ellipsiprymnus Seen at Kruger.

31 Springbok Antidorcus marsupialis Seen at Koeberg, De Hoop & Karoo.

32 Grey Rhebok Pelea capreolus Seen at De Hoop & Karoo.

33 Blue Wildebeest Connochaetes taurinus Seen at Kruger.

34 Red Haartebeest Alcelaphus buselaphus Seen at West Coast & Karoo.

35 Bontebok Damaliscus dorcas Seen at De Hoop.

36 Impala Aepyceros melampus Seen at Kruger.

37 Klipspringer Oreotragus oreotragus Seen at Swartberg & Karoo.

38 Steenbok Raphicerus campestris Seen at Darling, De Hoop, Karoo & Kruger.

39 Common Duiker Sylvicapra grimmia Seen at Wakkerstroom.

40 Cape Fur Seal Arctocephalus pusillus Seen on the Pelagic & on the way to Rooi Els.

41 Epaulet Fruit Bat Epomophorus gambianus Seen at Kruger.

42 Bottle-nosed Dolphin Tursiops truncates Seen at Rooi Els.

43 Long-finned Pilot Whale Globicephala melas Seen on the way to Rooi Els.

REPTILE LIST Taxonomy follows Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles. Bill Branch, 2002

1 Nile Crocodile Crocodylus niloticus Seen at Kruger.

2 Ground Agama Agama aculeata Seen at Swartberg.

3 Southern Rock Agama Agama atra Seen at Rooi Els, Swartberg & Karoo.

4 Southern Tree Agama Acanthocercus atricollis Seen at Kruger.

5 Marbled Leaf-toed Gecko Afrogecko porphyreus Seen at Wilderness.

6 Bibron's Thick-toed Gecko Pachydactylus bibronii Seen at Karoo.

7 Sekukhune Flat Lizard Platysaurus orientalis Seen at Blyde River Canyon.

8 Black Girdled Lizard Cordylus niger Seen at Cape of Good Hope.

9 Cape Girdled Lizard Cordylus cordylus Seen at West Coast.

10 Blue-tailed Sandveld Lizard Nucras caesicaudata Seen at Kruger.

11 Nile Monitor Varanus niloticus Seen at Kruger.

12 Rock Monitor Varanus albigularis Seen at Karoo.

13 Cape Skink Mabuya capensis Seen at Koeberg & Cape of Good Hope.

14 Red-sided Skink Mabuya homalocephala Seen at Karoo.

15 Striped Skink Mabuya striata Seen at Kruger.

16 Olive Grass Snake Psammophis mossambicus Seen at Kruger.

17 Eastern Green Snake Philothamnus natalensis Seen at Wilderness.

18 Leopard Tortoise Geochelone pardalis Seen at Kruger.

19 Angulate Tortoise Chersina angulata Seen at Koeberg.

20 Marsh Terrapin Pelomedusa subrufa Seen at Kruger.

Bold - endemic to Southern Africa Italics - near-endemic Italics - near-endemic

fairest cape to kruger - home - tropical birding cape to kruger 7th – 22nd january, 2011 set...

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