South Africa - The Tour Part 4

Nature in the Western Cape region of South Africa is so special and is complimented by scenically stunning vistas throughout the area. It was the perfect place to spend our last few days in this wonderful country. From Table Mountain, Cape Rockjumper in the Rooi Els, to an unforgettable day on the ocean enjoying a productive paleagic trip (Photo left Shy Albatross), ensured the tour extension was a great success. I hope you enjoy reading this penultimate episode in the series of blogs related to Worldwide Birding Tours 2014 tour of South Africa, perhaps you may even be tempted to join us in 2015.

South Africa THE tour: Part Four of our amazing nature tour. A trip report/blog

Tour Leader: Peter Jones (Worldwide Birding Tours, Co-author and Editor)

        Dylan Vasapolli (Birding Guide & Main Author)

Cape Sugarbird

Preface. Because of the length of this tour, 3 weeks, there is so much to tell you and thus I have broken this blog, or more correctly Trip Report, into 5 parts! The final part will be a bird species list and a mammal list. I hope you can forgive the drawn out nature of these information packed day by day accounts of my tour. This comprehensive tour of South Africa by Worldwide Birding Tours undertook a 3-week journey across eastern South Africa, and down into the Western Cape of South Africa. Starting in Durban on the scenic Kwazulu-Natal coast, we slowly worked our way northwards taking in the rolling hills and forests of Eshowe down to the coastal forest and bushveld of the greater Isimangaliso Wetland Park, before heading up to the high-altitudinal grasslands surrounding the endemic hotspot of Wakkerstroom. Kruger was next on the agenda, where a few days were spent enjoying this true natural side of Africa, before heading onto Cape Town and the Western Cape via Dullstroom. Some time was spent on the Cape Peninsula itself, before heading up the west coast to the sleepy village of Langebaan, thereby bring the tour to an end some three weeks later. Due to the length of the tour, and variety of habitats taken in, a mammoth total of nearly 470 species of bird were found on the tour! Photographs from the paleagic trip courtesy of Dylan Vassapolli.

Cape Grassbird

Day 17, 7 December – Day around Cape Peninsula

We had got word yesterday that our Paleagic Trip would be postponed for today, and could still run tomorrow, so we all had our fingers crossed hoping we would get out! As a result, we had planned a morning excursion to Rooi Els, followed by Strandfontein Bird Sanctuary in the afternoon. Arriving at Rooi Els as the sun was warming up the slope seemed to work the magic. We had a great run of birding, and got brilliant views of Ground Woodpecker, Cape Rockjumper (obviously high on everyone’s ‘hit-list’) and we did have to work for them until we eventually were rewarded with great views; Cape Rock Thrush, Cape Sugarbird, Orange-breasted Sunbird, Karoo Prinia, Grey-backed Cisticola, White-necked Raven, Rock Kestrel, Cape Grassbird, Rock Martin, Southern Double-collared Sunbird and another of our main targets – Victorin’s Warbler. Whilst a few of us were patiently waiting for the Warbler to show itself, a few of the other guys in the group managed to lock onto a Cape Siskin. The Warbler took some time, and after a small brain-wave we were rewarded with good, but brief views. Despite spending some more time birding the area, we would have to call it quits on the Siskin momentarily for those who missed it. We enjoyed a great lunch, during which we also found out our paleagic would be heading out tomorrow, before heading onto Strandfontein. The birding was great, and the spectacle of thousands of Greater Flamingos kept everyone enthralled for a while! Great White Pelican, African Marsh Harrier, Maccoa Duck, Black-necked Grebe, Pied Avocet, African (Black) Oystercatcher, Caspian and Sandwich Terns and a host of other great waterbirds were on show. Cape Spurfowl was one of the non-waterbird highlights and a Small Grey Mongoose on the mammalian side of things.

Cory's Shearwater

Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross

Black-browed Albatross

Southern Giant Petrel

Day 18, 8 December – Paleagic off Cape Point

With smiles all round, we set off for Simonstown high in anticipation for our paleagic trip. After quickly refuelling the boat, we were off and bound for the oceanic waters off Cape Point. We enjoyed the rafts of Cape Cormorants en-route out. Just before the point we clocked our first true pelagic species, White-chinned Petrel. After enjoying the views of Cape Point, the shout went up for Giant Petrel – we had some good looks as it shot on past the boat allowing us to confirm it as a Northern Giant Petrel. It wasn’t too long afterwards before we got our first Sooty Shearwater, followed by Cory’s Shearwater and some brief Sabine’s Gulls. Shy Albatross was our first Albatross, and it gave some great views as it followed in our wake for a while. Rafts of Arctic Terns would shoot up off the water, and we successfully managed to locate a group of fishing vessels – all with large numbers of seabirds in their wake. Amongst the crowds, we picked out Atlantic Yellow-nosed, Indian Yellow-nosed, Black-browed and Shy Albatrosses, both Northern and Southern Giant Petrels, Wilson’s Storm Petrel, Brown (Sub-antarctic) Skua, Great and Cory’s Shearwaters, White-chinned Petrel and better looks at Sabine’s Gull. The journey back was interrupted by a huge pod of Common Dolphins, numbering a few hundred at least! We picked up on the water ‘shimmering’ in the distance, and headed over to see what it was. We all thoroughly enjoyed this surprise! Numbers of Cape Gannets and Cory’s Shearwaters followed the pod. A few Parasitic Jaeger sightings just off the point rounded up the paleagic species. We enjoyed good views of Bank Cormorant just offshore, and in the harbour a lone Crowned Cormorant perched. We quickly shot off for the nearby Boulders Penguin Colony, and enjoyed some time with the birds here as they went about their daily activities. Cape Bulbul and Fiscal Flycatcher delayed us a little bit before dinner.

Spotted Eagle Owl

Day 19, 9 December – Cape Town to Langebaan

Today we were transferring up the coast to Langebaan, and as some of us had missed the previous Cape Siskin sighting, we shot off for a nearby alternative. As soon as the sun had warmed up the rocks, we had our Siskin and enjoyed the antics of a small party of them. Cape Bunting, Cape Grassbird, Cape Sugarbird, Orange-breasted Sunbird and a few confiding Neddickies kept us company throughout the morning. After a good breakfast, we headed off up to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, but not before getting eyes on one of the Common Chaffinches around the lodge. We got all of our main targets at Kirstenbosch except Lemon Dove – African Dusky Flycatcher, Forest Canary, Swee Waxbill and Spotted Eagle-Owl. We had great views of the resident Owl pair, and their two large chicks. After combing through the gardens, we headed up to West Coast National Park, but not before taking in a scenic view of Table Mountain. After lunch at Geelbek, we popped into a few of the hides, and also paid a visit to Abrahamskraal, the only freshwater in the park. We managed to get a good sampling of birds, and on the waterbird front found Eurasian Curlew, Marsh and Curlew Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, Grey Plover, Common Whimbrel, Lesser Flamingo and South African Shelduck amongst many others. We also enjoyed great looks at Grey-winged Francolin, Karoo Scrub-Robin, Black Harrier, White-backed Mousebird, a brief Southern Black Korhaan, Namaqua Dove and Yellow Canary. African Rail and Little Rush-Warbler taunted us with their calls, but wouldn’t show at all. There was a stiff wind blowing, so that didn’t help our cause either. Eland and Red Hartebeest were seen on the mammalian side.

Verreaux's Eagle

Day 20, 10 December – Day around Langebaan

Up at first light, and off we went into the farmlands north of Langebaan. A quick coffee break got us underway, and a stop for a Booted Eagle produced an unexpected Chestnut-vented Warbler (Tit-babbler). Before long we were stopping regularly for the likes of Capped Wheatear, Sickle-winged Chat, Black Harrier, Red-capped Lark, Large-billed Lark, White-throated Canary, Bokmakierie, Blue Crane and our main target – Cape Long-billed Lark. The Long-billed Lark was relatively straight forward, and after a bit of time in the gale-force wind we had enjoyed both great views of displaying birds, and views on the ground. We were also most fortunate to come across a close Secretarybird, and as we piled out the van to watch it, we noticed it had some vegetation in its bill, and it took off and flew to a nearby bush, where it landed on its nest up on the top of the bush! A second bird appeared from behind the bush and we enjoyed them for a while before moving on. A skittish Bat-eared Fox in the fields was a surprise find. Next up was a visit to the salt works at Velddrif, where we went looking for Chestnut-banded Plover. We spent some time walking around the various pans, and enjoyed looks at both Greater and Lesser Flamingos, Black-necked Grebe and all the regular small plovers (White-fronted, Common Ringed, Kittlitz’s and Three-banded) except Chestnut-banded. With lunch calling, we had to exit the saltworks. After a great seafood lunch, we quickly visited the Riviera hide, to find not much happening, and decided to spend the afternoon back in the West Coast National Park. The drive up to the Seeberg lookout provided great views of two Southern Black Korhaans walking right next to the track. After soaking in the views (and avoiding being blown off the viewpoint back to Johannesburg) we set off for the hide. Grey-winged Francolins and Angulate Tortoise delayed us. At the hide, we enjoyed a few roosting Little Terns, amongst the Commons, along with numbers of roosting Common Whimbrel. A quick visit to the Langebaan quarry failed to produce the Verreaux’s Eagles. We enjoyed a fantastic final dinner before calling in for the evening.

Secretary Bird

Day 21, 11 December – Langebaan to Cape Town, and end of tour

A few of us were up at dawn, and shot over to the nearby Quarry to try again for the Eagle. It didn’t take long, and we had our first perched views of the Verreaux’s Eagle, however, it soon moved off and out of sight. In the process we enjoyed numerous Familiar Chats and Rock Kestrels. We decided to check another section of the quarry and found the pair of Eagles perched against the distant rock face. We got to a respectable distance from them and bathed in their beauty for a while. We birded the scrub en-route out and came up trumps with a small group of Grey Tits, along with White-backed Mousebird, Yellow Canary and Karoo Scrub-Robin. After breakfast we bade farewell to some of the group, who had opted for a day excursion up Table Mountain, and had later flights booked, whilst some of us with early afternoon flights popped into the West Coast National Park for some last birding. We visited the Seeberg hide again, and enjoyed a plethora of birds this time around. Huge numbers of waders with Red Knot, Eurasian Curlew and Bar-tailed Godwit being the highlights. Cape Penduline Tit was seen in the scrub around the parking area, and came in for great views! All too soon we were on the road back to the airport, and with it brought the end of a highly successful tour!

Cape Point

African Penguin

Cape Fur Seal

Cape Cormorant

The final piece in this story (Part 5) will focus on the systematic list of birds and mammals seen, so for those with an interest watch out for the next blog. My heartfelt thanks go to Dylan, not only for taking time to write the main content to these blogs, but for being such great company too. The tour owed so much to Dylan and his expert guiding, good humour and safe driving! Thank you for reading the series on this most wonderful of nature tours and hope you enjoyed it. For full details of our itinerary on this tour, click on this link

Kittlitz's Plover

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South Africa - The Tour Part 3

The blog come trip report continues (Part 3) with one of the most exciting periods of our tour in South Africa, 4 nights in the wild areas of the famous Kruger Park. We cruised around in an open safari vehicle for some of our time and this just enhanced the whole experience, albeit with cool temperatures meaning we had to wrap up with extra clothing first thing in the mornings! Here we encountered Lion, Leopard, Black Rhino and all the animals that encapsulate Africa’s spirit, or at least for me since childhood.

South Africa and THE tour: Part Three of our trip report on a great adventure.

Tour Leaders: Peter Jones (Worldwide Birding Tours, Co-author and Editor)

                                Dylan Vasapolli (Bird Guide and Main Author)

Brown Snake Eagle

And so a further episode in our adventure reaches the blog! Our comprehensive tour of South Africa by Worldwide Birding Tours undertook a 3-week journey across eastern South Africa, and down into the Western Cape of South Africa. Starting in Durban on the scenic Kwazulu-Natal coast, we slowly worked our way northwards taking in the rolling hills and forests of Eshowe down to the coastal forest and bushveld of the greater Isimangaliso Wetland Park, before heading up to the high-altitudinal grasslands surrounding the endemic hotspot of Wakkerstroom. Kruger was next on the agenda, where a few days were spent enjoying this true natural side of Africa, before heading onto Cape Town and the Western Cape via Dullstroom. Some time was spent on the Cape Peninsula itself, before heading up the west coast to the sleepy village of Langebaan, thereby bring the tour to an end some three weeks later. Due to the length of the tour, and variety of habitats taken in, a mammoth total of nearly 470 species of bird were found on the tour!

Black Rhino

Day 12, 2 December – Day around Kruger 

We had arranged an open safari vehicle from Bubezi Safaris for the main Kruger days to better enhance the sightings within the park itself. We met Andy, who was to be taking us around for the day bright and early at 04h30, and decided on a route. The morning was filled with lots of stops, some great sightings on both the bird and mammalian front, and some great views of the Lowveld! High up on the birding side of things was a very vocal Stierling’s Wren-Warbler – singing its heart out from next to the road. We took in quite a few of the larger birds namely African Hawk-Eagle, Hooded Vulture, Marabou and Yellow-billed Storks, African Goshawk, Red-crested Korhaan, our first Levaillant’s Cuckoo and a brief Eurasian Golden Oriole amongst many others. We did quite well on the mammalian side too. Top honours went to a Wild Dog pack seen catching and killing a young Impala – a special sight, albeit rather gruesome! A stunning Black Rhino was a somewhat unexpected, but very much welcomed sighting as well. We even managed to sneak in a few reptiles with an African Rock Python high up in a tree, and a Boomslang that attempted raiding the weaver nests, both at Lake Panic Hide. After a hearty lunch we rested for a short while before setting out for the afternoon – main target being Lion. We followed up on some sightings earlier that day, but all proved fruitless – only a few gestures on where they were earlier that morning. A nesting pair of White-headed Vultures made up for the lack of Lions however! We stopped to watch the sunset capping off another great day!

African Green Pigeon

Day 13, 3 December – Day around Kruger

Today we were transferring up to Satara Restcamp and a few of us met at dawn to walk around the camp and try see what species we could get. The camp was alive, and a mad raucous of bulbuls, starlings and white-eyes lead us onto a Pearl-spotted Owlet. We had some good views of this small, dainty little owl. Other birds seen around the camp included White-browed Robin-Chat, Red-faced Cisticola, Lesser Honeyguide, Cardinal Woodpecker, Jacobin Cuckoo, Orange-breasted Bushshrike, Marico Sunbird, African Green Pigeon and a Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl calling from the other side of the river. After breakfast we hit the road north with some of the group with me, and the rest with Andy. We agreed to meet up at Tshokwane for lunch. Stops were made en-route for some raptors coming to an old carcass. Amongst the crowds were two Lappet-faced Vultures, a White-headed Vulture, a Hooded Vulture and two stunning Steppe Eagles – a scarce bird this far south in its range! Numerous African Elephants were seen en-route. We coincidentally met up at a view point, before setting off again. Green-winged Pytilia was the only note-worthy sighting before arriving at Tshokwane. After a precarious lunch with the cheeky Vervet Monkeys, we set off to cover the last little bit to Satara. Again, good sightings halted our progress and included Wattled Starlings, Red-faced Mousebirds, another Steppe Eagle, Common Ostrich, Little Sparrowhawk and another Lappet-faced Vulture (as some had missed the earlier one!). A large herd of African Buffalo just before Satara was the last noteworthy sighting of the day. A walk around camp after dinner saw us successfully getting one of the African Scops Owls that are regularly around the camp.

African Lion

Yellow-billed Kite

Day 14, 4 December – Day around Kruger

We were up at first light again, and with Andy’s guidance shot off south of Satara, main target being Lion. After an early African Civet, we got word of a nearby sighting of Lion and raced off towards it. Success, 3 male Lions lazing about next to the road. We spent some time with them, and with the ‘main target’ out of the way, we concentrated again on the birds – Southern Ground Hornbill, Martial Eagle, African Openbill, Black, Woolly-necked and Yellow-billed Storks, Green Sandpiper, Bearded Woodpecker, Black-bellied Bustard, African Barred Owlet and Acacia Pied Barbet (sadly I was the only one to get this species!) were seen during the course of the morning. After an ‘on-the-go’ breakfast with the resident Mocking Cliff-Chats, we resumed our drive and got some further good species – Chestnut-backed Sparrowlark, Spotted Thick-knee, Montagu’s Harrier and the giant Kori Bustard. We returned a little early, and had some resting time before our Sunset Drive that afternoon. For the most part, the Sunset Drive was relatively quiet, although we finally managed to find Saddle-billed Stork! Once it got dark, we managed to notch up Lesser Bushbaby and a stunning Leopard. As it always is, watching the sun go down in the African bush is a great experience!

Malachite Sunbird

Day 15, 5 December – Kruger to Dullstroom

We were up at dawn, and undertook a morning walk around the Satara camp. The birding was good, and we enjoyed great views of African Morning Dove, Red-billed Buffalo Weaver, Orange-breasted Bushshrike, and then two good ones – Icterine and Olive-tree Warblers moving about in some denser stands of acacia. We ended up getting great views of the Olive-tree Warbler, but the Icterine wasn’t as cooperative. Suddenly a flash of pink glided into view – Southern Carmine Bee-eater! We spent some time with it as it hawked insects from tree to tree until it eventually moved it off. We couldn’t find any Brown-headed Parrots and eventually had to break for breakfast before our legs fell off. Naturally as it happens, the Parrots turned up right outside the restaurant while we were having breakfast! A short spree away and we had them happily ticked and photographed. We were off to Dullstroom for the evening, and soon got on our way. White-headed Vulture, Steppe Eagle and Southern White-crowned Shrike halted us before arriving at the parks gate. After a quick coffee in Hoedspruit, we continued on our way, notching up Abdim’s Stork. A stop at the Stryjdom Tunnel produced Cape Vulture and Red-winged Starling, whilst the hoped for Mountain Wagtail was a no-show. We were on the road again, and took in Southern Bald Ibis before eventually reaching the De Berg road later that afternoon. Gurney’s Sugarbird showed well just before the turnoff, as did Malachite Sunbird, Streaky-headed Seedeater and Alpine and African Black Swift. Heading onto the road proper, we notched up Yellow Bishop, Yellow-breasted Pipit, Buff-streaked Chat and Cape Crow. We arrived at our overnight lodge and soon headed off to a great dinner in town.

Giraffe

African Elephant

Speckled Mousebird

Day 16, 6 December – Dullstroom to Cape Town

The entire group had opted to join the Western Cape extension, and with us overnighting down in the Western Cape tonight, we had a midday flight down to Cape Town before resuming that leg. The group opted for an ‘easy morning’, and those that went out found Olive Thrush, African Olive-Pigeon, African Harrier-Hawk and Cape Robin-Chat. Cinnamon-breasted Bunting and Groundscraper Thrush halted us on our way. We had a quick breakfast stop en-route for OR Tambo Airport, and arrived with some free time on hand. We decided to pop in at the nearby Korsmans Bird Sanctuary to kill some time. We had good species on the dam including Maccoa Duck, Great Crested Grebe, Squacco Heron, Southern Pochard, Intermediate (Yellow-billed) Egret, and sadly couldn’t find the regular Karoo Thrushes or Red-headed Finches. We all made it in one piece down to Cape Town, and were soon at our overnight accommodation in Noordhoek, ready to tackle some of the Cape birds.

Cape Rock Thrush

The next instalment of this blog, Part 4, will focus on the Western Cape and a wonderful day spent at sea on a very special paleagic birding extension. It was a great day and was complimented by other days spent around the Cape with time to stay in the area of the West Coast National Park, some great birding and worth looking-in on the next instalment for the story and photos. Thank you for spending time and interest in this adventure. For details on the tour itinerary, click-on this link

Arrow-marked Babbler

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South Africa - The Tour Part 2

What a wonderful destination South Africa is, wildlife and scenery combine to entrance the visitor and if like me you love nature, then the call of Africa will haunt you for the rest of your days. The diversity of birdlife is so rewarding and just seems to supplement the whole experience of emersion in the nature of this wonderful country, and so I hope sharing this blog come trip report part 2 will give you, the reader, a taste of the enjoyment that awaits friends who choose to accompany our tours to this natural wonder.

South Africa and THE tour: Part Two of the Trip Report with our day to day account of our adventure.

Tour Leaders: Peter Jones (Worldwide Birding Tours, co-author and editor)

                                     Dylan Vasapolli (Bird Guide and Main Author)

Lilac-breasted Roller

To recap, this comprehensive tour of South Africa by Worldwide Birding Tours undertook a 3-week journey across eastern South Africa, and down into the Western Cape of South Africa. Starting in Durban on the scenic Kwazulu-Natal coast, we slowly worked our way northwards taking in the rolling hills and forests of Eshowe down to the coastal forest and bushveld of the greater Isimangaliso Wetland Park, before heading up to the high-altitudinal grasslands surrounding the endemic hotspot of Wakkerstroom. Kruger was next on the agenda, where a few days were spent enjoying this true natural side of Africa, before heading onto Cape Town and the Western Cape via Dullstroom. Some time was spent on the Cape Peninsula itself, before heading up the west coast to the sleepy village of Langebaan, thereby bring the tour to an end some three weeks later. Due to the length of the tour, and variety of habitats taken in, a mammoth total of nearly 470 species of bird were found on the tour!

African Black Oystercatcher

Day 7, 27 November – St Lucia to Mkhuze

We opted for a walk along the beach this morning before breakfast, and managed to finally lay eyes on a Terek Sandpiper. All the waders on the mudflats suddenly took flight and looking around revealed a young Black Sparrowhawk learning the ropes. A Brimstone Canary also put in a brief appearance along the dunes. We managed repeat views of African (African Black) Oystercatcher and Whimbrel, whilst large numbers of Little Tern were seen flying offshore. After a hearty breakfast, we set off up the coast up to Mkhuze Game Reserve, still located within the greater Isimangaliso Wetland Park. Shortly after getting onto the N2, we found a Palm-nut Vulture perched atop some raffia palms – a rather unexpected sighting! Our first stop was at Mpempe pan, where the dry grasslands produced a string of great birds! Senegal and Black-winged Lapwings side-by-side, Caspian and Kittlitz’s Plovers showing great comparisons between the two species. A Lemon-breasted Canary floated by, but couldn’t be relocated for better views. We again had to drag ourselves away and push onto lunch at Mkhuze. A quick stop of Muzi Pan revealed some Great Egrets and Greater Flamingos. After our lunch break, we set off around the reserve. Birding was good and we managed to get repeat views of Four-colored (Gorgeous) Bushshrike, Cardinal Woodpecker, Burnt-necked Eremomela, Scarlet-chested Sunbird, Little Bee-eater, Jameson’s Firefinch and Chinspot Batis. We had a good run of raptors this afternoon and managed to get good views of Martial Eagle, Wahlberg’s Eagles and European Honey Buzzard. Chatting to some of the other cars in the reserve, we were informed of some Cheetah’s nearby. We effectively did some ‘twitching’, and shot off for the site. We nearly drove right past them, but fortunately caught another vehicle on a side road seemingly too stationary! We ended up having great vies of the two Cheetah as they lazed about and put their head up occasionally and spent some good time with them, before having to head back for dinner.

Bateleur

Day 8, 28 November – Day around Mkhuze

Up at dawn, and an early morning walk around the camp was our plan before breakfast. We weren’t to be disappointed and nailed pretty much all of our main targets. Good views were had of Golden-breasted Bunting, Long-billed Crombec, Purple-banded Sunbird, Grey Tit-Flycatcher, Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Bearded Scrub-Robin, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Green Wood Hoopoe, Broad-billed Roller, Brubru, Orange-breasted Bush-Shrike, Yellow-throated Petronia, Black Cuckooshrike and our main target Pink-throated Twinspot. We had a lovely pair come to within a few metres of us, providing absolutely great views! The dainty Blue Waxbills also stole many a heart! After this great birding we had worked up a healthy appetite and enjoyed a good breakfast. Soon after, we headed over to the Kumasinga Hide, with birding stops en-route for Striped Kingfisher, European Honey Buzzard and a collection of vultures at an old carcass. Amongst the vultures we managed to pick out White-backed and a lone Cape. We arrived at the Hide and immediately settled in. The mammals would come in waves, whilst the bird stream was slightly more regular. On the birding front, we found Long-tailed Paradise-Whydah, Dusky Indigobird, Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove, Red-billed Firefinch, Wire-tailed Swallow, African Pygmy Kingfisher, our first Bateleur along with Red-chested and Jacobin Cuckoos. After lunch at the camp, we set out for another hide, to find they are busy upgrading it, and it is inaccessible. No major problem as the ‘detour’ gave us a stunning White-throated Robin-Chat, Lizard Buzzard, Marico Sunbird and Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill. We set off for the southern section of the reserve, and had some good sightings en-route. Pot of the prize went to a group of three White Rhino. Close in second was the large volumes of raptors we encountered – species comprising Tawny, Wahlberg’s, Lesser Spotted, Martial Eagles, Bateleur and yet another European Honey Buzzard. Two more groups of Rhino’s stopped us as we headed back to camp.

Grey-crowned Crane

Day 9, 29 November – Mkhuze to Wakkerstroom

As we had a fair drive today, and still had not been to the some parts of the reserve, we shot off early for Nsumo Pan. The pan didn’t disappoint and we marvelled at Knob-billed Duck, Pink-backed and Great White Pelicans, Squacco Heron, African Openbill and witnessed some aggressive behaviour between a Western Osprey and an African Fish Eagle. We quickly stopped off at the Kumasinga Hide to see if there was anything different – just a vocal African Cuckoo that would not show! Black-bellied Bustard halted our arrival back at camp, parading around next to the road. After breakfast, we set off for Wakkerstroom, and took it easy going out the reserve. We managed to get our first looks at White-fronted Bee-eater and Lesser Grey Shrike before we hit the highway. The group wanted to do a bit of shopping, but being a weekend all the major towns (Mkhuze, Pongola and Piet Retief) were full of people and it was a nightmare to get around – we agreed to tackle this another day! Before Piet Retief I noticed a strange bird flying over the N2 – it was miles upfront, and appeared fairly large, but also a brown colour (so not your crows ;)). As we got closer, I saw the unmistakeable head of a korhaan/bustard sticking up out of the grass. We quickly came to a halt and marvelled at a group of three White-bellied Bustards slowly patrolling the area. We spent some time soaking up the views of this normally tough to find bird, and in the process found our first Southern Bald Ibis. We managed to notch up over species over the time here including Greater Striped Swallow, Long-tailed Widowbird and Cape Crow. After lunch in Piet Retief we set off to cover the last little bit to Dirkiesdorp we would resume birding again. Here we enjoyed the likes of Ant-eating Chat, Cape Canary, Wing-snapping Cisticola and African Quailfinch. A lovely pair of Grey Crowned Cranes brought us to a grinding halt alongside the road. After a lovely dinner, we retired for the evening.

Mountain Wheatear

Day 10, 30 November – Day around Wakkerstroom

With the assistance of local guide, Norman, we set off to tackle the LBJs of Wakkerstroom. We made good progress throughout the morning and all of our stops were incredibly productive. The overcast weather conditions certainly seemed to be working a treat. Over the morning we managed to knock-off a plethora of larks, namely Rudd’s, Red-capped, Spike-heeled, Eastern Clapper and Botha’s; Jackal Buzzard, one of the first arriving Amur Falcon, African Marsh-Harrier, Blue Korhaan, Blue Crane, large numbers of Grey Crowned Cranes, a few sightings of Denham’s Bustard, the ever-charming Pale-crowned Cisticola, Banded Martin, Mountain Wheatear and the sunning Cape Longclaw. One particular sighting however captured our attention a little bit more than the others – a Lanner Falcon seen next to the road with a male Long-tailed Widowbird held firmly in its talons! Some wetlands over the morning produced Whiskered Tern, Great Crested Grebe, Maccoa Duck, South African Shelduck and many others. After lunch, rain set in and would continue on and off for the rest of the afternoon. The frequency of the rain put paid to our efforts to bird the Wetland area properly, and we resigned ourselves to walking around the grounds of the lodge. Not to be undermined, we managed to get Dark-capped Yellow-Warbler, Drakensberg Prinia, Cape Weaver, African Black Duck, Malachite Sunbird and the vocal and boisterous Bokmakierie. We once again retired after a hearty dinner.

Leopard

Day 11, 1 December – Wakkerstroom to Kruger NP 

Today was mainly a driving day, and we had quite a lot of ground to cover to get up to the south-eastern part of Kruger, and just had some time for morning birding around Wakkerstroom. We decided to head up the Paulpietersberg road, and were blessed with a brilliant morning – not a cloud in sight, and not a breath of wind. Of course, with it being still early on in the day, the air was still rather fresh! We again had a good spell of birding, and managed to find Ground Woodpecker, Eastern Long-billed Lark, Sentinel Rock Thrush, Buff-streaked Chat, Cape Bunting, Malachite Sunbird (for those who missed it the previous day), Yellow-breasted Pipit, Mountain Wheatear, Secretarybird and White-bellied Bustard. On the mammalian front, a group of Grey Rhebok kept us company. We quickly wolfed down breakfast, and hit the road. We made good progress and a stop was made for a group of Lesser Kestrels feeding over a recently ploughed patch of grass. We grabbed an ‘on-the-go’ lunch, and arrived at the Crocodile Bridge gate a little after 15h00. We took it easy up to Lower Sabie, where we would be based for the next two nights, and enjoyed the plethora of mammals and birds en-route. Woodland Kingfisher were full up, as were Red-backed Shrike and European Roller. Stops were made for a lovely group of White-crowned Lapwings right next to the road, our first herd of African Elephants and a stunning Leopard. We were driving through fairly dense scrub and a flash of tan caught my eye just off the road – I knew immediately what it was, and carefully reversed (having a trailer hitched behind you always made this an interesting task!) until we found an opening. The Leopard very fortunately obliged – walking right out into the opening, and then onto the road behind us. What a sighting!! With everybody in a great mood after the Leopard, we enjoyed a brilliant dinner before calling it a day!

Sentinel Rock Thrush - Juvenile

And thus ends part 2 of this mammoth blog, only 3 more instalments to go, thanks for bearing with me! Mind you, hopefully it reflects the wonderful time we all had on the tour. There is so much more to come and much to tell. Please do pop-by and read the next episode, I just hope you get a feel of how enjoyable this tour was and might join Dylan and I later this year on a repeat of this great and diverse adventure into one of the world’s natural wonders. Take a look at the itinerary on this link

Burchell's (Plains) Zebra

To see other destinations we visit please visit our main website. Thank you.

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South Africa - The Tour Part 1

Because of the length of this tour, 3 weeks, there is so much to tell you and thus I have broken this blog, or more correctly Trip Report, into 5 parts! The final part will be a bird species list and a mammal list. I hope you can forgive the drawn out nature of the information packed day by day accounts of my tour.

South Africa and THE tour. Part One of the Trip Report and really hope you will enjoy the read and of course the photographs. 

Tour Leaders: Peter Jones (Worldwide Birding Tours & Co-Author, Editor)

                Dylan Vasapolli (Birding Guide & Main Author)

This comprehensive tour of South Africa by Worldwide Birding Tours undertook a 3-week journey across eastern South Africa, and down into the Western Cape of South Africa. Starting in Durban on the scenic Kwazulu-Natal coast, we slowly worked our way northwards taking in the rolling hills and forests of Eshowe down to the coastal forest and bushveld of the greater Isimangaliso Wetland Park, before heading up to the high-altitudinal grasslands surrounding the endemic hotspot of Wakkerstroom. Kruger was next on the agenda, where a few days were spent enjoying this true natural side of Africa, before heading onto Cape Town and the Western Cape via Dullstroom. Some time was spent on the Cape Peninsula itself, before heading up the west coast to the sleepy village of Langebaan, thereby bring the tour to an end some three weeks later. Due to the length of the tour, and variety of habitats taken in, a mammoth total of nearly 470 species of bird were found on the tour!

Striated (Green-backed) Heron

Day 1, 21 November – Pre-trip Day – Umhlanga - Vernon Crookes, Umdoni Park back to Umhlanga

A few of the participants had agreed on arriving a few days prior to the beginning of the tour, and wanted to make the most of the extra day they had. I met the group at the grounds of the lodge at 05h30, and we set off down the south coast to Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve. Within no time, we had arrived on the access road, and immediately set off birding. For almost all of the participants, this was their first visit to southern African and birding along the way was good and delayed our arrival to the reserve a bit. Good birds seen included Eastern Golden (Yellow) and Thick-billed Weavers, Crowned Eagle, African Harrier Hawk, Little Bee-eater, Southern Tchagra, Lazy, Red-faced and Croaking Cisticola’s, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Dusky Indigobird and some of the attractive Violet-backed Starlings. We headed up into the reserve and slowly birded our way around, took a few short walks around the dam and picnic site respectively, and also took in our first mammals. Highlights on this section was an unexpected Cuckoo-finch, Common Quail, Lanner Falcon, Jackal Buzzard, African Pygmy Kingfisher, White-necked Raven, and African Green Pigeon while the undisputed highlight was definitely a noisy Knysna Turaco. We called it a day in the reserve, making our way over to the nearby Umdoni Park. A stop was made en-route to have a look at a stunning male Klaas’s Cuckoo. We pulled in for some take-away sandwiches in Pennington, before resuming our afternoon birding at Umdoni Park. The birding was rather slow, but we did manage to eek out Brown Scrub-Robin, White-eared Barbet, Bar-throated Apalis, Ashy Flycatcher, Dark-backed Weaver and Yellow-bellied Greenbul. We too called it eventually, and shot over to Blue Lagoon for some late afternoon wader watching. We weren’t to be disappointed and raked in Greater Sand Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Common Greenshank, and Curlew Sandpiper amongst others before getting our first views of Water Thick-knee, Greater Crested (Swift) Tern and Goliath Heron. A good end to the pre-day with a day list of 98.

Knysna Turaco

Day 2, 22 November – Umhlanga to Eshowe, via Mtunzini

Today I met the group for breakfast at a reasonable hour, where we enjoyed a hearty breakfast before setting off up the coast. Our first stop near Ballito produced some power-birding with great views of Green Malkoha, Black-throated Wattle-eye, Tambourine Dove, Grey and Purple-banded Sunbird’s, Woolly-necked Stork and some nesting Black-bellied Starlings. We eventually had to drag ourselves away and head on to the next birding stop. The Mbozambo Hide, Stanger proved a winner with a good sampling of waterfowl (all three teals, Southern Pochard, White-faced Whistling Duck etc.), nesting Reed and White-breasted Cormorants, African Darter, Greater Flamingo, Goliath Heron and our first African Jacana’s. We also enjoyed the antics of the local Rufous-winged Cisticola’s, and another Black-throated Wattle-eye was a good find! A slightly late lunch was had in Mtunzini before setting off for the next main target, Palm-nut Vulture. It took some time before finding one bird perched up atop the palms, but our wait was rewarded with great views of Striated (Green-backed) Heron and the brilliantly coloured Purple-crested Turaco. We arrived in Eshowe just in time for a lovely home-made meal.

Goliath Heron

Day 3, 23 November – Day around Eshowe

A few of us got up at first light and took a stroll around the grounds of the lodge. There was a bit of mist moving through, but we still managed to knock-off a beautiful Olive Woodpecker pair, along with Greater Double-collared Sunbird, Grey-headed Bushshrike, our first views of Red-capped Robin-Chat and a brief flyby of some Red-backed Mannikins. We soon departed for the Dlinza Aerial Boardwalk, where some warm sunshine enveloped us at the top! In no time at all we had some great scope views of a few Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon, before a Black Sparrowhawk came shooting overhead in hot pursuit of a Red-eyed Dove – the Dove successfully managed to evade the Sparrowhawk. Setting off onto the trail, we notched up a few more species including great looks at a Chorister Robin-Chat, a Scaly-throated Honeyguide that toyed with us up in the canopy and some cracker views of Spotted Ground Thrush moving through the leaf-litter. The dainty Blue Duiker’s also kept us company in the forest. After a scrumptious breakfast, we shot back through to the forest, to try our luck briefly at trying to get some of the numerous calling Olive Bushshrikes to show themselves. Sadly, this was not the case, and a few only managed the briefest of views before it once again disappeared into the thickets. A Eurasian Hobby made up for the Bushshrike. Our next stop was a little to the north around Lake Phobane. Here we concentrated mainly on some woodland birding and managed to notch up Common Scimitarbill, Black and Klaas’s Cuckoo’s, Four-colored (Gorgeous) Bushshrike and White-browed Scrub-Robin. A showy White-bellied Sunbird proved to be a winner for the group. Before long, afternoon was upon us and we were off to Ongoye Forest for some afternoon birding. The forest was deathly quiet, but it delivered the expected Grey Cuckooshrike and Green Barbet. There wasn’t too much else to speak of, and we called it a day savouring the drive back to Eshowe and taking in the scenic panoramic views. A spell of ‘owling’ around the Lodge that evening produced African Wood Owl without much effort.

Olive Woodpecker

Day 4, 24 November – Eshowe to St. Lucia

A few of us were again up at first light, and this time took a little stroll through the streets of Eshowe. There was not too much that was new, but Southern Black Tit, Red-throated Wryneck and nesting Woolly-necked Storks were good sightings. We once again spent the next few hours around the Dlinza Aerial Boardwalk where we again found fair numbers of Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeons, together with Golden-tailed Woodpecker, Dark-backed Weaver, Grey Cuckooshrike, Cape Batis, African Goshawk, African Harrier-Hawk, African Emerald Cuckoo and our first views of perched Trumpeter Hornbills – what magnificent beasts! Olive Bushshrike again taunted us with no views, and we eventually had to drag ourselves away from the good birding to enjoy a well-deserved breakfast. We then set off to Enseleni Nature Reserve, a little bit further up the coast where we bird for a bit. As soon as we got out the vehicle a low-soaring Crowned Eagle gave brilliant views as it flew around calling its head off. Soon afterwards a Booted Eagle moved into the picture. Both hung around, and were seen a little later into the day as well. There was a gale-force wind blowing, so it did make birding slightly tougher but we still managed to get great views of Yellow-breasted Apalis, Croaking Cisticola and Yellow-throated Longclaw. After lunch in Richard’s Bay, we continued up the coast to St Lucia, quickly checked in to our lodge and then shot off for the estuary. There was quite a lot of activity on the shorebird front, and we managed to pull in Bar-tailed Godwit, Common Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper and Grey Plover amongst others. Two Pink-backed Pelicans showed well as did some Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters performing overhead.  We also enjoyed looks at our first Crested Guineafowl (what strange characters they are!), as well as our first Hippo’s –filled with noisy grunts and all.

Hippo...

Day 5, 25 November – Day around St Lucia

The majority of us were up at first light, and headed off for the start of the Igwalagwala trail. This trail passes through pristine coastal forest and plays host to some great South African birds! Before long we had seen the localized Rudd’s Apalis, Narina Trogon, Green Malkoha,  Terrestrial Brownbul, Ashy and Blue-mantled Crested Flycatchers amongst others. Woodward’s Batis and  Livingstone’s Turaco took a bit of time, but we were rewarded with great views in the end! After a productive morning walk (and a brief breakfast), I had to take Peter through to Empangeni for a dentist appointment due to some pain he had been having. After a successful tooth repair, we were off and into the Cape Vidal/Eastern Shore section of the Isimangaliso Wetland Park in no time. We slowly made our way up, enjoying the likes of African Fish-Eagle, Collared Pratincole and African Wattled Lapwing at some pans, along with a good sampling of mammals – Common Reedbuck, African Buffalo, Waterbuck and Warthog. A lone male Black-bellied Bustard was seen flying over the road just before we arrived at our lunch stop. The weather was threatening a little bit, and after we wolfed down our lunch, we headed over to the Mfazana Hide where we waited for the drizzle to abate. Not too much in terms of activity, but we eeked out a Black-chested Snake-Eagle along with a few Intermediate (Yellow-billed) Egrets. Slowly heading on up to Cape Vidal, stops were made for a group of Broad-billed Rollers and two Bushbuck feeding uncharacteristically out in the open. We found the main Bhangazi loop to be closed, and quickly pulled into Cape Vidal for a break. Time had rapidly run out from us this afternoon, and before long we were on the road back down to the main gate. A stop in at Catalina Bay produced a nice Goliath Heron, Crested Guineafowl and our first good views of Crowned Hornbill. We also marvelled at the numerous and rather showy Croaking Cisticolas. A little bit further down the road we came across a stunning Bushpig walking next to the road – and on closer inspection revealed it to have a horrible gash on its face – evidence of a recent fight. We got out the gate just before closing time, and headed on through to dinner.

Black-bellied Bustard

Day 6, 26 November – Day around St Lucia

As per the previous morning, a few of us were up at first light and set off for the Igwalagwala trail. Great looks were had at an Eastern Nicator perched out in the open, and a confiding Brown Scrub-Robin was a pleaser too. Repeat views were had of Woodward’s Batis and Livingstone’s Turaco, but our Green Twinspot was nowhere to be found. Red Duikers provided some entertainment as they slowly walked along the dark pathways in front of us. After breakfast, we headed over to the new Dukuduku Gate into the Western Shores of the Park. Birding was good in the overcast conditions and we had dynamite views of Violet-backed Starling for all to enjoy! Raptors were in great evidence here and we managed to notch up Southern Banded, Black-chested and Brown Snake-Eagles, Western Osprey, African Fish Eagle and Long-crested Eagle. A slightly more open patch in the grasslands produced an awesome pair of Plain-backed Pipits, and in some of the denser stands of grass, a nice group of four Cuckoo-finches! Broad-billed Rollers showed well, and our first Giraffe caused some excitement! The birding in this section was good and I look forward to future visits. We had to drag ourselves away from the activity and pick up some lunch before our boat cruise later that afternoon. The boat cruise up the estuary was a pleasant and relaxing way to do some birding (and general sightseeing). We had great views of Southern Brown-throated and Eastern Golden (Yellow) Weavers, Pied, Giant and Malachite Kingfishers, Common Sandpiper, Striated (Green-backed) and Goliath Herons and some inquisitive Hippos. Our first Nile Crocodile and Water Monitor (Lizard) were seen on the reptilian front. On the way back, we struck gold when a few groups of Red-headed Quelea were seen flying alongside the boat, but sadly not everyone in the group managed to get views. Some of the group opted for a relaxing afternoon, while the rest of us went to tackle the Umfolozi River mouth. We weren’t to be disappointed with African (African Black) Oystercatcher, Little and Common Terns, Whimbrel, Common Greenshank and all the usual suspects. After dinner, a few of the group wanted to try and find Swamp Nightjar, and I took them to a few spots around the town, but we were unsuccessful. Around the lodge, African Wood Owl and Thick-tailed Bushbaby were in evidence.

Pied Kingfisher

Well that about sums up the 1st installment and hope you might follow the blog and read about our remaining adventures on this spectacular tour. Why not consider joining me and Dylan later this year on another of our South African adventure tours? Details of the tour and itinerary can be found on this link

To see other destinations we visit please visit our main site. Thank you.

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Costa Rica is Calling!

Costa Rica. The country is an all round destination, good food, great accommodation, scenically beautiful, fantastic wildlife and wonderfully friendly people. Next year will be my 10th tour and it never ceases to amaze me how varied a landscape such a small country offers and the diversity of birds reflects the great range of habitats present. I am often asked what country is my favourite to visit, well Costa Rica is right up there at the top of my list. 

"If you haven’t yet been to Costa Rica, then go or at the very least put it on your life’s wish list! Trust me you won't regret it" 

Pleasant climate, super food and wonderfully friendly people make visiting Costa Rica a real pleasure. However, as a tour leader working for Worldwide Birding Tours, then high on the priority list for making journeys with groups a success is diversity of habitats, stunning scenery and of course a wide variety of wildlife, not to mention the birds. A good variety to birdlife is what keeps fellow travellers involved each day and certainly Costa Rica never fails to deliver. During my last visit we managed 450 species in our 2 weeks and heard another 30 odd, so another successful visit and yet again a very happy group made the whole trip a memorable one.

By way of relaxing before and after our main tour, I normally book an extra night prior to the start and at the end of our birding tour. I like to use the Hotel Bougainvillea in San Jose as my start and end point. I thoroughly recommend this hotel, set within its own grounds, beautifully landscaped and with several birds and plants to interest those given to strolling through gardens at their own pace. The ambience, the food and friendly staff all conspire to relax you after your journey and makes for an ideal last night in preparation for your homeward flight.

Costa Rica is one of the richest countries in the world for birds. More species have been recorded here than in the whole of North America yet the country is only the size of a small State! This tour has been organised to cover most of the best birding areas and aims to visit as wide a range of habitats as possible. Of course such a diversity of habitats will also produce diversity of plants, butterflies and amphibians. The scenery is stunning and sure to add an extra ingredient to make this a holiday to remember!

The extraordinary number of bird species recorded in Costa Rica is a result of the tremendous diversity of habitats in the country. Not only does Costa Rica have coastlines on both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea (Atlantic Ocean), but forest types ranging from dry deciduous forests in the lowlands to lush evergreen cloudforests in the highlands. It also has rivers, marshes, swamps and subalpine paramo.

On a personal note I managed 12 lifers on my last trip and being well travelled that is no mean feat, so thanks to my pal Steven Easley for not only helping the life list, but for making my job so easy and relaxed. Steven is most probably the best birding guide in the country, so these journeys mean I can step back, listen and watch and be more like a guest enjoying the holiday, its another reason for me to always look forward to these tours.

We have a few remaining places still available on our WBT 2015 tour. The tour begins January 31st and ends February 15th 2015. I very much hope you will consider joining me on what promises to be another incredible and enjoyable adventure. To find our more please contact me HERE

I hope you like this little collection of photos taken on our Costa Rica tour.

Well I hope you enjoyed what might be a preview of a few sights on our 2015 tour. I hope I might see you there.

For further in formation please contact me HERE

To view our full itinerary please visit our main web page on Costa Rica HERE

To see other destinations we visit please visit our main site. Thank you.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR MAIN SITE