|
Looking for Drakensberg endemics at Sani Pass, South Africa.
Overview:
This was a 10-day tour in January 2010, with focus on birds.
Areas visited: Drakensberg, Zululand and Wakkerstroom.
Total number of bird species: 411 species seen plus 18 heard.
Mammals seen: 33 species; reptiles: 2 species.
Summary: This jam-packed, 10-day birding tour focussed on the
endemic-rich habitats of the highlands and north-eastern coastal
plain of South Africa, with a day around Gauteng thrown in for good
measure. We visited in sequence, Palmiet Nature Reserve in Durban,
highland grasslands and forests at Hella-Hella Pass, montane forest
at Xumeni Forest, high-altitude grassland and mountains at Sani
Pass, mid-altitude forest at Entumeni and Dlinza Forests, coastal
wetlands at Richard’s Bay, riverine forest at Enseleni Nature Reserve,
coastal dune forest at St Lucia, gallery forest and coastal wetlands
at Musi Pan, sand forest and lowland bushveld at Mkhuze Game Reserve,
highland grasslands at Wakkerstroom and, in Gauteng, Acacia
bushveld at Zaagkuilsdrift and wetlands at Cullinan near Pretoria.
Top birds seen included Blue Swallow, Denham’s
Bustard, Drakensberg Rockjumper, Drakensberg Siskin,
Southern Bald Ibis, Red-throated Wryneck,
Ground Woodpecker, Gurney’s Sugarbird,
Chorister Robin-Chat, Orange Ground Thrush, Spotted Ground
Thrush, Southern Brown-throated Weaver, Red-headed
Quelea, African Finfoot, Rudd’s
Apalis, Livingstone’s Turaco, Southern Banded Snake
Eagle, Woodward’s Batis, Brown Scrub Robin, Gorgeous
Bushshrike, Lemon-breasted Canary, Pink-throated
Twinspot, Neergaard’s Sunbird, Crested
Guineafowl, Yellow-breasted Pipit,
Rudd’s Lark, Botha’s Lark, Blue Korhaan, Barrow’s
Korhaan, Black-rumped Buttonquail, African
Grass Owl, Red-winged Francolin, Orange River Francolin,
Cuckoo Weaver, Southern Pied Babbler,
African Rail and Red-chested Flufftail.
Besides the number of specials seen, we saw an impressive list of
411 species, with a further 18 heard. Mammals of note were white
Rhino, Nyala, Suni, Red Duiker in Zululand and Meerkats at Wakkerstroom!
Detailed report: Arriving in
Durban in the late afternoon we made best use of the remaining daylight,
birding at the Palmiet Nature Reserve adjacent to our accommodation.
Amongst our first birds seen were the colourful Purple-crested
Turaco, and only Black Sparrowhawk, Red-backed Mannikin
and Mountain Wagtail of the trip. Early the next morning
we headed west towards the Drakensberg Mountains, stopping en route
to look for the threatened Blue Swallow in the Hella-Hella area.
Whist ascending the mountain pass we found a pair of co-operative
Olive Bushshrike and a relaxed Knysna Turaco at the
roadside. Arriving in the high grasslands in dense mist we were
concerned about our birding prospects, although we did see Wailing
Cisticola and the first of many Cape Longclaw, and managed
to lure a Pale-crowned Cisticola very close for exceptional
views. Fortunately our concerns soon evaporated with the mists,
and we found ourselves watching several Blue Swallow flitting
along the forest edge and directly over our heads. On our way out,
the grasslands produced Common Quail, and as we continued
towards Lesotho we enjoyed roadside views of Denham’s Bustard,
Drakensberg Prinia, Long-tailed Widowbird and Red-collared
Widowbird. Our last stop for the day was in search of another
threatened species, Cape Parrot. During the afternoon at Xumeni,
bird activity was low, although not without its highlights. These
included Olive Woodpecker, Bar-throated Apalis, and
a pair of Barratt’s Warbler feeding a juvenile African
Emerald Cuckoo, allowing for exceptional views of this typically-skulking
species. The forest edge was more active, and we quickly notched
up a smart Bush Blackcap, Lazy Cisticola, Cape
Grassbird, Forest Canary and Swee Waxbill, before
we watched several pairs of Cape Parrot flying into roost,
one pair perching on top of a large dead tree and allowing prolonged,
although fairly distant scope views.
Next on the agenda was the scenically spectacular
Sani Pass. Before arriving at the foot of the pass we found Greater
Double-collared Sunbird, Amur Falcon, Black Cuckoo, Cape
Weaver and a bright Bokmakierie. The lower sections of
the pass produced the first of many Jackal Buzzard, Buff-streaked
Chat, breeding Horus Swift, Cape Rock Thrush,
the popular Red-throated Wryneck, several Ground Woodpecker,
Fan-tailed Grassbird (Broad-tailed Warbler) and many Protea-loving
Gurney’s Sugarbird. As the gradient of the pass increased,
so did our bird list, with the switchbacks producing a distant,
singing South African Rock Pipit, active Drakensberg
Siskin, flyover Bearded Vulture, Cape Bunting and, best
of all, a confiding pair of striking Drakensberg Rockjumper
feeding a recently-fledged chick on the verge of the road. Once
through the Lesotho border we continued across the plateau towards
the Black Mountain, finding several displaying Mountain Pipit,
Sentinel Rock Thrush, a sizeable flock of Southern Bald
Ibis feeding in the pastures, Cape Vulture overhead,
Sickle-winged Chat at the roadside, and, in the more shrubby
areas, the dainty Fairy Flycatcher and Layard’s Warbler
(Layard’s Titbabbler). Rain interrupted our afternoon birding, but
we did find time to watch Amur Falcon coming into roost by
the hundreds.
Starting our journey eastwards we paused again
at Xumeni Forest, where birding was slow once again. However, over
several hours of we had excellent views Red-chested Cuckoo,
Chorister Robin-Chat, Grey Cuckooshrike, Yellow-throated
Woodland Warbler, and brief views of Orange Ground Thrush,
which sang a lot but showed little. The drive to Eshowe was a long
one, but memorable for African Firefinch alongside its brood
parasite Dusky Indigobird, and several spectacular Long-tailed
Paradise Whydah. A short stop at Entumeni was rewarded with
Lemon Dove, a juvenile White-starred Robin fed by
its parent, and Croaking Cisticola. At Eshowe we focussed
our attention on the bird-rich Dlinza Forest. Some concentrated
searching resulted in excellent views of Spotted Ground Thrush,
and a stint on the canopy tower resulted in prolonged scope views
of Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon, all too fleeting flashes
of Green Twinspot, fly-past views of Little Sparrowhawk,
noisy Trumpeter Hornbill and Crowned Hornbill, and
our first White-eared Barbet, Black-collared Barbet, Square-tailed
Drongo, Black-bellied Starling and Olive Sunbird. Back
at ground level we found Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, enjoyed
much-improved views of Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon and were
frustrated by several nearby Green Twinspot which refused to emerge
from the dense tangles they hid in. After this a short detour to
Richard’s Bay produced a full Thulazihleka pan with few waterbirds,
although we watched breeding Red-headed Quelea, Southern
Brown-throated Weaver and Yellow Weaver in the swamp-side
reeds. Our final stop before St Lucia was the Entumeni Nature Reserve
where a Grey Sunbird sat singing in the open, an Osprey
fished over the river and the much-desired African Finfoot
was spotted.
The coastal dune forests and wetlands of St Lucia
were as productive as ever. Most of the special birds were found
in the densely-tangled dune forests. Woodward’s Batis was
particularly obliging, greeting us as we alighted from our vehicle.
Soon to follow were Livingstone’s Turaco, Dark-backed Weaver
and smart Rudd’s Apalis, although it took a little longer
to tease the secretive Brown Scrub Robin from its thicket,
spot Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher and lay eyes on the
gaudy Gorgeous Bushshrike. The grasslands were home to European
Nightjar, chunky Red-breasted Swallow, a very obliging
Southern Banded Snake Eagle, migrant Lesser Spotted Eagle
and the scarce African Cuckoo Hawk.
Next on the itinerary was the bird-rich Mhkuze
area. En route we successfully searched for the scarce Lemon-breasted
Canary, finding a male singing from its road-side perch. The
two main foci of this area were lowland gallery forest and east
coast sand forest, with some time spent birding around wetlands
and in savanna bushveld. Perhaps the most specialised species were
to be found in the sand forests, and we were fortunate to find no
less than four pairs of Neergaard’s Sunbird, two pairs seen
at very close range. Pink-throated Twinspot proved more tricky
than normal given the dense growth of grass, although most of the
group had reasonable views on at least one of the three occasions
that we saw this handsome near-endemic. Other species in this habitat
included a tame flock of 30 or more Crested Guineafowl, with
young of all sizes, Grey-headed Bushshrike, Red-fronted
Tinkerbird, secretive Eastern Nicator, Bearded Scrub
Robin (heard only), Black Cuckooshrike and Grey Tit-Flycatcher.
The gallery forests were more diverse, although Pel’s Fishing Owl
was not found on any of its normal roost sites. However, this was
more than compensated for (at least in the opinion of some) by a
bright male Narina Trogon, Tambourine Dove, a pair
of Brown-headed Parrot, a very smart and obliging Green
Malkoha, Black-throated Wattle-eye, several Broad-billed
Roller and African Yellow White-eye. Brief visits to
several wetlands produced Yellow-billed Stork, in-flight
Lesser Jacana for some, Black Heron, a breeding colony
of Pink-backed Pelican, Rufous-winged Cisticola and
a pair of smart African Pygmy Goose perched in a tree! Finally,
the bushveld added several more widespread species to our list,
including Bateleur, Lizard Buzzard, African Pygmy Kingfisher,
Acacia Pied Barbet, Crested Barbet, Grey Penduline Tit, Stierling’s
Wren Warbler which sang out of view, Burnt-necked Eremomela,
Kurrichane Thrush and Yellow-throated Petronia. We were
also fortunate to flush one Kurrichane Buttonquail and see
another cross the road a couple of metres in front of our vehicle.
Pleased to leave behind the steamy lowlands we
started our climb towards the cooler highveld of the Wakkerstroom
area, where some of the country’s rarest birds awaited us. In the
lower-altitude grasslands we spent time studying pipits, with both
Buffy Pipit and Plain-backed Pipit seen nearby for
comparison. Banded Martin flitted over the grasslands, Ant-eating
Chat perched on the roadside fences, Cloud Cisticola
displayed high overhead, African Snipe favoured the edge
of a wetland, a whirring-winged Eastern Clapper Lark displayed
several times and African Quail-Finch was seen in flight.
However, the stars of the show were the handsome Barrow’s Korhaan
and very rare Black-rumped Buttonquail, first heard booming
away and later flushed for excellent flight views. The focus of
the higher-altitude grasslands were Yellow-breasted Pipit,
seen perched in the road and on a roadside boulder, Botha’s Lark,
watched carrying food to its nest, the Critically Endangered Rudd’s
Lark, first flushed and then watched scurrying through dense
grass cover, and the handsome Blue Korhaan, which initially
hid well in the tall grass but was finally seen very well. Almost
as desirable were Grey-winged Francolin and Red-winged
Francolin, both seen near or on the road, and a host of other
grassland species: Southern Bald Ibis, Secretarybird, Montagu’s
Harrier, Denham’s Bustard, Blue Crane, Horus Swift, Eastern Long-billed
Lark, Spike-heeled Lark, South African Cliff Swallow, Wing-snapping
Cisticola, Mountain Wheatear and bumblebee-like Yellow-crowned
Bishop. The various wetlands also produced their share of entertainment,
with an abundance of ducks including South African Shelduck,
Cape Teal, Cape Shoveller, Southern Pochard and Maccoa Duck.
Other noteworthy birds were Black Stork, Grey Crowned Crane
and Whiskered Tern, although our best find was the seldom-seen
African Grass Owl, which circled nearby in the torch beam,
giving excellent views.
Our final destination of the tour was the Gauteng
area, where our first target, Orange River Francolin, took
some time to track down but was eventually spotted in the road late
in the afternoon. While we waited for them to show we found Desert
Cisticola and bright Orange-breasted Waxbill, and
Red-headed Finch was spotted en route. At our accommodation
we found Karoo Thrush and Fiscal Flycatcher. Our next
target, Striped Pipit, also required some legwork, but we
eventually spotted a distant bird singing from its rocky outcrop.
Most of our time, however, was spent on the very productive Zaagkuilsdrift
road, adding many species to our list. Natal Spurfowl and
Swainson’s Spurfowl were seen feeding in the road, Northern
Black Korhaan, Lesser Grey Shrike, White-winged Widowbird,
Magpie Shrike and Scaly-feathered Weaver favoured the
more open areas, and a roadside Shaft-tailed Whydah was a
very welcome addition. Denser bushveld held a plethora of species,
including Levaillant’s Cuckoo, Woodland Kingfisher, two handsome
Southern Carmine Bee-eater, Southern Red-billed Hornbill,
the bright Crimson-breasted Shrike, Barred Wren-Warbler,
neat Southern Pied Babbler, Chestnut-vented Warbler (Tit-babbler),
Burchell’s Starling, White-throated Robin-Chat, Kalahari Scrub
Robin, Violet-eared Waxbill and Village Indigobird. Perhaps
the best find was two separate and excellent sighting of male Cuckoo
Weaver, not least significant in being Stuart’s 4000th
bird! Before dashing off to the airport there was one final stop
to be made, at the Cullinan wetlands, where a circling Abdim’s
Stork welcomed us. However, the dense lake-side reed beds demanded
most of our attention, being home to two skulkers extraordinaire.
Given that it was a sweltering midday we held little hope for our
two main targets, Red-chested Flufftail and African Rail. Initially
we drew a blank on the flufftail, but African Rail quickly
obliged, giving excellent views as it crossed a gap in the reeds.
Eventually we heard a flufftail calling, but only achieved millisecond-long
views as it flashed through the reeds. We gave it a break and went
to put up a Marsh Owl in some moist grasslands, which gave
excellent day-time views. Returning to our flufftail, our second
attempt was immeasurably more successful, this time a bright male
Red-chested Flufftail pausing in a gap in the reeds to give
tremendous views! Hoorah!
While this trip focussed on birds, we also saw Nile Crocodile, Monitor
Lizard and recorded 33 species of mammals:
Thick-tailed Bushbaby (heard), Chacma Baboon, Vervet Monkey,
Rock hyrax, Black-backed Jackal, Cape Hare, Dwarf Mongoose, Yellow
Mongoose, Slender Mongoose, African Elephant, White rhinoceros,
Burchell's Zebra, Warthog, Hippopotamus, Giraffe, Blue wildebeest,
Common Duiker, Blue Duiker, Red Duiker, Impala, Steenbok, Buffalo,
Eland, Kudu, Nyala, Bushbuck, Waterbuck, Springbok, Blesbok, Mountain
Reedbuck, Grey Rhebok, Sloggert's Ice Rat and Meerkat.
Birding
Africa Trip Report by Tour Leader Michael
Mills. Leader: Michael Mills,
assisted locally by Malcolm, Bheki, Lucky and Selwyn
Many of the birding sites on this trip are described in detail
in the Southern African
Birdfinder which is widely available in South African bookshops
and on the internet. (e.g., www.netbooks.co.za
or www.wildsounds.co.uk). However
you're always welcome to contact
us if you're interested in a guided trip in this area.
|
