SOUTH AFRICA: THE SOUTHWESTERN CAPE & KRUGER
AUGUST 17–SEPTEMBER 1, 2018
Leopard
LEADER: PATRICK CARDWELL LIST COMPILED BY: PATRICK CARDWELL
VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746 WWW.VENTBIRD.COM SOUTH AFRICA: THE SOUTHWESTERN CAPE & KRUGER AUGUST 17–SEPTEMER 1, 2018 By Patrick Cardwell
Our tour started in the historical gardens of the Alphen Hotel located in the heart of the Constantia Valley, with vineyards dating back to 1652 with the arrival of Jan van Riebeeck, the first Governor of the Cape.
Surrounded by aging oak and poplar trees, this Heritage Site hotel is perfectly situated as a central point within the more rural environs of Cape Town, directly below the towering heights of Table Mountain and close to the internationally acclaimed botanical gardens of Kirstenbosch.
DAY 1 A dramatic change in the prevailing weather pattern dictated a ‘switch’ between scheduled days in the itinerary to take advantage of a window of relatively calm sea conditions ahead of a cold front moving in across the Atlantic from the west.
Our short drive to the harbor followed the old scenic road through the wine lands and over Constantia Nek to the picturesque and well-wooded valley of Hout (Wood) Bay, so named by the Dutch settlers for the abundance of old growth yellow wood trees that were heavily exploited during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Our skipper was on standby to welcome us on board a stable sport fishing boat with a wraparound gunnel, ideal for all-round pelagic seabird viewing and photographic opportunity in all directions.
On the way out of the shelter of the harbor we encountered Cape Fur Seals sunning themselves on the mooring buoys in the company of Cape and White-breasted cormorants loafing about on their favored day roosts. Soon after leaving the shelter of the bay, the swell picked up noticeably, making for a ‘bumpy’ ride out to sea as the skipper negotiated his way across the incoming swells and around rafts of floating kelp ripped up by a cold front earlier in the week.
Swift Terns, or Great Crested Terns as they are also known, were evident in number, consorting with feeding flocks of Hartlaub’s Gull, a cold-water species associated with the Atlantic, on the outer reefs. Soon afterwards, as we headed out to deeper water, our first true pelagic sighting of the day hove into view as a Sooty Shearwater crossed the bow on silvery wings in frenetic flight. This relatively common
Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 2 South Africa: The Southwestern Cape & Kruger, 2018 shearwater is found throughout the southern seas with large breeding concentrations in New Zealand where the species is regarded as a traditional delicacy under the commercial descriptive of Mutton Bird.
Hartlaub’s Gull
By now wavering flight lines of Cape Cormorant and the occasional Cape Gannet were regular sightings as we headed out to warmer water along the current line, and soon thereafter the first of many White- chinned Petrels careened across the bow and swept up the wake for all to see the key identification features in excellent light.
Our pelagic objective ahead of the approaching frontal system was to secure an ‘albatross’ sighting, if at all possible, for the iconic worth the albatross enjoys in poetry and literature dating back through the ages to the early seafaring days of exploration in the southern seas.
Shy (White-capped) Albatross
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In this we were not to be disappointed as the first of several Shy Albatross swept into view over our wake and around the boat in seemingly effortless flight so distinctive of these benign ocean wanderers.
From this point on as we headed further out to sea, we were accompanied by an entourage of White- chinned Petrels to the current line as our intended ‘chumming’ destination in the absence of a working trawler or pole fishing boat. Chopped sardine floating back in the wake of the boat soon had the desired effect of creating an oil slick and with it increasing numbers of pelagic species including a Northern Giant Petrel, several Shy Albatrosses, and a mix of Sooty Shearwaters and White-chinned Petrels with Cape Gannet and Kelp Gull in attendance.
White-chinned Petrel
By now wind speeds were picking up, and we turned for home with a ‘bonus’ sighting of a Sunfish (Mola mola ), a truly bizarre looking fish in a class of its own, lolling about on the surface next to the boat. Soon thereafter another surprise encounter presented itself as a Bryde’s Whale, breached on several occasions for all to see the sickle-like dorsal fin as a distinctive identification feature.
No sooner had we started our outboard motors for the final run back to harbour, when we were literally surrounded by a school of well over two hundred Dusky Dolphins, a relatively small and highly acrobatic dolphin that simply delights in ‘bow riding’ whenever a boat opportunity presents itself. True to form we enjoyed their antics around us for an extended period for the delight of all on board before heading back to calmer waters inside the bay.
Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 4 South Africa: The Southwestern Cape & Kruger, 2018 Pelagic trips are the marine equivalent of the classic safari ‘game’ drives in the bush where you are never quite sure what or when something new and unexpected will suddenly appear to make for a great and memorable occasion, as was the whale and dolphin encounter we all enjoyed…
Dusky Dolphin
With an extra few hours of daylight in hand, we decided to incorporate a whistle-stop tour of Cape Town into the afternoon’s program as a cultural experience before heading for the Milnerton Lagoon as our next birding destination.
This tidal estuary supports a wide variety of water associated birds, and in this we were not to be disappointed, as the back-end of the afternoon provided scoped views of African Spoonbill, Long-tailed Cormorant, Grey Heron, Egyptian Goose, Cape Shoveller, Yellow-billed Duck, and Grey-hooded and Hartlaub’s gulls. Reedbeds held both Southern Masked and Cape weavers, as well Southern Red Bishop- all in resplendent breeding plumage.
Here we encountered our first ‘warbler’ in the form of a pair of Le Vaillant’s Cisticola, displaying to one another. Other notables included Giant as well as Pied Kingfisher, Cape Spurfowl, and Blacksmith Lapwing. All in all, an amazing day across the bird sighting spectrum from albatross to reed warbler!
DAY 2 Our day got off to an early start at gate opening time for the botanical gardens at Kirstenbosch. Rain the night before ignited bird activity. All around, birds were in conspicuous and vocal evidence in keeping with the austral Spring breeding cycle. Southern Double-collared Sunbirds in full nuptial plumage flitted about the flower beds in concert with Forest and Cape Canary. Cape Sugarbirds, one of the most sought- after endemics, with their resplendent long tails, dominated the stands of flowering protea and brightly colored pincushion, while Cape Spurfowl and Helmeted Guineafowl strutted their stuff on the open lawns in association with flocks of brightly colorful Swee Waxbills of diminutive proportions. Herbaceous borders were home to Olive Thrush, Cape Robin Chat, Cape Bulbul, and Cape White-eye, while an eye to the sky picked up on African Goshawk displaying above the more wooded section of the gardens and a Forest Buzzard circling lazily above the lower gardens.
Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 5 South Africa: The Southwestern Cape & Kruger, 2018 Also present were flocks of Red-winged Starlings feeding in fruiting trees and numbers of the highly vocal Hadeda Ibis creating a racket as they passed overhead. Sombre Greenbul maintained a constant refrain from within their favored call sites but proved frustratingly difficult to see until taped into the open. Highlight for all was a Spotted Eagle Owl located in a day-roost for all to see and photograph.
Cape Sugarbird
With some reluctance and after a visit to the well-stocked book and gift shop, we set off for the Cape of Good Hope situated on the southwestern tip of the African continent at the point of convergence between the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.
Following an excellent seafood lunch at the ‘Two Ocean’s’ restaurant overlooking False Bay, we set off in search of new species. Cape Bunting and Red-winged Starling dominated the parking area, making the most of handouts provided by the passing parade of tourists.
Cape Grassbird
Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 6 South Africa: The Southwestern Cape & Kruger, 2018 Leaving the main arterial for the quieter side roads proved productive with a highly vocal and surprisingly conspicuous Cape Grassbird providing riveting views from the top of a bush within touching distance of our bus.
Other notables included a male cock African Ostrich in full breeding dress on the beach, with breaking waves behind it as a unique photo opportunity. Other notables included African Black Oystercatcher, Sacred Ibis, White-fronted Plover, and Cape Wagtail on a sheltered section of beach.
Our search down a quiet track to Olifantsbosch at the start of the shipwreck trail produced Yellow Bishop, Cape Weaver, Rock Martin, Blacksmith Lapwing, Familiar Chat, and Karoo Prinia.
A group of previously endangered Bontebok, an antelope species hunted to the very brink of extinction early in the 20 th century, were finally found after an intensive search as the mammal of the day.
Chacma Baboon (image by Rosanna Lane)
Surprise of all, and certainly a delightful photographic opportunity of note, was a family of Chacma Baboons attending to the needs of a newborn infant in a most touching and almost human-like manner that delighted us all…
With sunset and gate closing time approaching, we headed back to the main arterial encountering a herd of stately Eland, by far Africa’s largest antelope, with gamboling calves providing amusing entertainment as they romped about in what resembled a game of ‘tag’ reminiscent of lambs at play.
Our drive back to the hotel followed the False Bay coastline through the historical town of Simon’s Town to bring a day rich in bird and mammal experiences to a close.
DAY 3 An early start to make the most of a full day commenced with a visit to the False Bay Environmental Park, previously known as the Strandfontein Water Treatment Plant, comprising a network of settling ponds and surrounding vegetated sand dunes supporting a variety of bird species and small mammals such as Cape Grysbuck.
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Waterbirds were plentiful with Little Grebe, Cattle Egret, Cape Teal, Cape Shoveller, Yellow-billed Duck, White-breasted Cormorant, and Red-knobbed Coot all present throughout the wetland complex. Fringing reedbeds provided habitat for the highly vocal Little Rush Warbler, Le Vaillant’s Cisticola, Cape and Masked weavers, Cape Spurfowl, Common Moorhen, and the strikingly colorful Purple Swamphen.
Cape Weaver
Open water on the larger settling pans supported Pied Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Little Grebe, Hartlaub’s Gull, Red-billed Teal, and Eastern Great White Pelican. Flat open well-grassed terrain provided good views of Black-headed Heron, Cattle Egret, Hadeda and Sacred ibis, Pied Crow, and White-necked Raven, as well as Jackal Buzzard and Black-shouldered Kite. At the smaller end of the scale were Zitting and LeVaillant’s cisticolas in conspicuous abundance.
Mid-morning dictated a ‘switch’ in aquatic related activity to Intaka Island, a compact bird sanctuary located on the north side of Cape Town that is home to Red-eyed and Laughing doves, Brimstone and Cape canaries, Southern Red Bishop, Lesser Swamp Warbler, Southern Masked and Cape weavers, and Common Waxbill in the reedbeds and fringing vegetation.
Waterbird sightings comprised of Yellow-billed Ducks, Long-tailed and White-breasted cormorants, African Darter, Red-knobbed Coot, Little Egret, Sacred and Glossy ibis, with Pied and Malachite kingfishers as prime sightings with a pair of the latter feeding young at the entrance to their nesting burrow.
From here we headed north along the scenic Atlantic seaboard to the coastal hamlet of Jacob’s Bay with a short stop ahead of the rural town of Darling for Blue Crane and a brief walk around the nearby Tienie Versveld Wild Flower Reserve for the blindingly bright flowers in full bloom and views of Orange- throated Longclaw and Cloud Cisticola.
Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 8 South Africa: The Southwestern Cape & Kruger, 2018 Our quest at Jacob’s Bay focused on locating Antarctic Tern, a Southern Ocean species favoring the West Coast during the austral winter. Several birds in various plumage stages were located roosting alongside Swift Terns (Great-crested Terns) on the exposed rocks of a sheltered bay.
Antarctic Tern
Other highlights included stunning views of a Southern Black Bustard crossing the road directly in front of our van, Cape Spurfowl, Karoo Scrub Robin, and Yellow Canary in the surrounding coastal scrub.
Verreaux’s Eagle
Our route across the north end of Saldanha Bay to our hotel for the night in Langebaan afforded the opportunity of spotting scope views of a pair of Verreaux’s (Black) Eagle at the nest on a cliff face in an old quarry as our closing sighting for the day.
Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 9 South Africa: The Southwestern Cape & Kruger, 2018 DAY 4 Daybreak heralded clear skies and a wind free dawn. Ideal for wild flower viewing in the scenically spectacular West Coast Park.
With a picnic lunch and refreshments in hand we birded our way round the extensive lagoon to the Postberg Nature Reserve – floral wonderland at this time of year. Everywhere we looked flowers were in full bloom across the color spectrum providing both close-up and wide-angle photographic opportunity for those so inclined.
VENT team in the Postberg Nature Reserve
Birding and botany aside, Cape Mountain Zebras—an endangered and localized endemic of the Western Cape— were evident in number with foals in nursing attendance. Eland, Bontebok, and Springbuck presented well on the open plain while Cape Bunting, Gray-backed Cisticola, Rufous-vented Warbler, Yellow Canary, Long-billed Crombec, Karoo Prinia, Bar-throated Apalis, Karoo Scrub- Robin, Southern Fiscal Shrike, and Yellow-billed and Black-shouldered kites provided repetitive sighting opportunities.
Dorotheanthus bellidiformis
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Eland Bull
Highlights for the day included stunning roadside views of a highly vocal Gray-winged Francolin and a close of day fly-by of a Black Harrier.
Grey-winged Francolin
Migrant shorebirds, normally present in number during the austral summer, are conspicuous by their absence during this time of year with only Eurasian Whimbrel and Common Greenshank evident on the tidal mud flats opposite the main lagoon blind. Other shorebirds recorded included the resident Kittlitz’s Plover and White-fronted Plover in association with Black-winged Stilt, Cape Wagtail, Le Vaillant’s Cisticola, and Orange-throated Longclaw.
Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 11 South Africa: The Southwestern Cape & Kruger, 2018 A close of day scan of the coastal scrub from the heights of Seeberg Hill yielded good views of Common Ostrich in association with Common Duiker and Steenbuck—two diminutive antelope species—grazing peacefully below us as the closing wildlife sequence of the day.
DAY 5 Our routing for a long road day of travel to the Inverdoorn Game Lodge as our overnight destination objective for the ‘suite’ of birds on offer in the surrounding scrubland, encompassed a visit to a working saltworks complex situated on the bird rich Berg River estuary near the town of Veld Drift.
Having secured permission to enter the salt mining area, we set about systematically searching the matrix of evaporation pans for a sighting of Chestnut-banded Plover, invariably the sole shorebird species likely to be encountered in this high saline and blindingly bright white habitat.
Chestnut-banded Plover
No sooner had our search got underway when an adult male in dapper breeding plumage appeared adjacent to the vehicle for all to enjoy at leisure in perfect viewing light.
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Chanting Goshawk in flight
Eared (Black-necked) Grebe, and Lesser and Greater flamingo sightings followed in quick succession on one of the less saline pans, and soon we were on our way across the sprawling wheat lands for the semiarid Tankwa Karoo lying within the rain shadow of the Cedarberg Mountain range.
A coffee break in the town of Riebeeck Kasteel added Common Waxbill, Fiscal Flycatcher, Jackal Buzzard, and African Black Swift to the trip list with Pale-chanting Goshawk, Karoo Chat, and Common Kestrel on our final approach to the safari lodge beyond the fruit-producing town of Ceres.
Our arrival was time for mid-afternoon ‘high tea’ followed by a game drive in an open 4x4 vehicle providing wraparound views and up-close encounters with the mammal and birdlife on offer within the extensive wildlife preserve. Springbuck, S.A.’s national mammal not found in the Kruger National Park, were plentiful on the open plains along with Oryx or Gemsbok, another antelope of the dry western parts of the country and Namibia to the north.
Regular feeding sites and water holes provided views of Namaqua Dove, Gray-backed Sparrow-Lark, and Red-capped Lark in abundance. Southern Gray-headed Sparrow, Southern Red Bishop, and Southern Masked Weaver represented the ‘Southern’ component within mixed flocks of passerines at the water holes.
Cape Teal, South African Shelduck—a sought after regional endemic favoring ephemeral pans as a preferred habitat within the Karoo, Yellow-billed Duck, Cape Shoveler, Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, Gray Heron, Little Grebe, African Spoonbill, Blacksmith Plover, Long-tailed Cormorant, and Sacred and Hadeda ibis were present in numbers on the main dam.
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Spotted Eagle Owl
Highlight was a visit to the cheetah rehabilitation centre to see these sleek and strikingly attractive cats undergoing lure training exercise to build up their speed and stamina ahead of release back into the wild with springbuck the preferred prey of choice in open terrain.
Cheetah
Our final bird of the day was a Spotted Eagle Owl located on a rooftop hunting perch within the lodge grounds.
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DAY 6 An early birding stroll ahead of breakfast secured good views of the normally shy and secretive Karoo Thrush foraging within a drainage ditch behind the lodge. In the lodge orchard we were able to add Namaqua and Karoo prinias, Cape Robin-Chat, Cape White-eye, Acacia Pied Barbet, Cape Bulbul, and White-backed Mousebird to get the day list off to a good start.
Acacia Pied Barbet
Our circular route across the open scrublands to the dry north of the lodge commenced with Rock Martin and Familiar Chat near the old barn and Pririt Batis in the acacia thorn trees on the dam wall.
Flowering aloes, members of the succulent family, provided close views of iridescently beautiful male Malachite and strikingly attractive Southern Double-collared Sunbirds, as they flitted about from one flower head to another.
Bokmakieries, a striking member of the bush shrike family, remained vocal for extended periods as pair- bonded birds maintained vocal dominance over neighboring rivals within their designated territories around the lodge.
Open country delivered sightings of Karoo Chat, Pied Crow, Pale-chanting Goshawk, and Rock (Common) Kestrel at regular intervals. Trac Trac Chat, Karoo and Large-billed larks, Pale-winged Starling, Southern Gray Tit, Karoo Scrub Robin, and Mountain Wheatear favored rocky terrain and scattered scrub along the circular route back to the lodge in abnormally dry conditions for the Tankwa Karoo at this time of year.
DAY 7 Routing for the day to the coastal town of Hermanus overlooking Walker Bay followed the foothills of the Cedarberg Mountain range. A short stop delivered views of Karoo Prinia and a hyper-active pair of Fairy Flycatchers. Further along, a Mountain Wheatear appeared briefly before disappearing due to the now windy and unpleasant weather conditions associated with a massive cold front moving in across the country.
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Booted Eagle
An unexpected sighting on the way was a Booted Eagle, a recently arrived migrant circling overhead.
Checking the river in Ceres, we were successful in securing good views of African Black Duck, a shy and shaded river-loving duck, before heading on through the mountains to the open farmland of the Overberg.
All around fields of wheat and barley competed with flowering rape for visual attention on our way to the coast with a wine estate in the heart of crane country for lunch. In this we were not to be disappointed, with a flock of unattached sub-adult birds competing vocally and in dance for our viewing benefit ahead of lunch. With the coast in sight we meandered along a back road adding African Pipit, Capped Wheatear, African Stonechat, Cape Canary, Cape Crow (Cape Rook), Crowned Lapwing, Black- headed Heron, Jackal Buzzard, Yellow Bishop, Pin-tailed Whydah, and several Spotted Thick-knees to the afternoon list.
Jackal Buzzard
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Pin-tailed Whydah
Our late afternoon arrival at the Marine hotel situated on the cliff top overlooking Walker Bay couldn’t have been better timed ahead of the now rapidly approaching cold front, with several views of breaching Southern Right Whales in the relatively calm conditions of the bay ahead of the predicted gale force onslaught that night accompanied by driving rain and near zero temperatures.
DAY 8 As predicted, we awoke to a day of wet and windy conditions bordering on the near impossible for birding and whale watching. Fortunately, the traveling fronts moving from west to east were spaced apart providing bands of weak sunshine in between and the opportunity to get out and about.
Starting off above the old Hermanus harbour, we were able to look down on several whales that had moved into the lee of the cliff for shelter directly below us. Here we could see mothers nursing newborn calves and whales in number breaching repeatedly in good view further out in the bay. All very special with sightings of Cape Spurfowl, Cape Bulbul, Cape Weaver, Cape White-eye, Cape Robin-Chat in the bushes around us, and Great-crested Tern, Hartlaub’s Gull, and African Black Oystercatcher on the rocks below us.
An afternoon break in the prevailing weather pattern enabled us to visit Stony Point to enjoy close-up views of African Penguin across the age spectrum from newly attached in parental care to sub-adults taking to sea for the first time. Always a visual and entertaining delight engaging with these highly endearing and entertaining members of the marine community.
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African Penguin
Also present in number were Cape and White-breasted (Great) cormorants in association with the now endangered Bank Cormorant. This decline is due to the collapse of the inshore rock lobster resource, the preferred prey form, due to overexploitation by the commercial fishing community.
Crowned Cormorants were in full breeding dress and provided side by side comparative views with the similar looking but larger Cape Cormorant present in considerable numbers ashore due to adverse sea conditions.
Present on the mammal side were several Rock Hyrax living harmoniously within the penguin rookery as a new mammal sighting for the trip.
A bonus on the way to the rookery was a displaying Denham’s Bustard encountered close to the road providing all with stunning views of this large and impressive looking bustard of open ‘ fynbos ’ habitat in loose association with a family group of Gray Rhebok as an additional bonus.
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Ground Woodpecker
Returning to the coast during a further lull in the weather pattern enabled us to walk the jeep track at Rooi Els in search of Cape Rockjumper. We were unable to connect with this frustratingly elusive species but did enjoy great views of a family of Ground Woodpeckers consorting together with Cape Rock Thrush, Red-winged Starling, Cape Bunting, Piping (Neddicky) Cisticola, and Cape Siskin as more than adequate compensation.
A sunset drive along the scenic False Bay coastal road brought us back to the main arterial into Cape Town and on to our environmentally acclaimed hotel adjacent to the airport for the night.
DAY 9
Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 19 South Africa: The Southwestern Cape & Kruger, 2018 After a leisurely breakfast we boarded our flight to Skukuza in the Kruger National Park via Johannesburg. With the flight arriving on time we set off on our first of several game drives in this biologically diverse mix of habitats in search of the ‘Big Five’ mammals—lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard as our main objective. Add to this a feast of bird sighting opportunities across the size and color spectrum, and you have some idea of what we were in for…
Objective for our first drive in Kruger was to ‘loop’ the Sand and Sabie river systems in search of a suite of herons, storks, and large raptors, along with sightings of hippo and possibly crocodile. Throughout the route in an open 4x4 safari vehicle our game drive was regularly punctuated by herds of elephant, buffalo, and impala crossing the road on their way to the river.
Engaging interludes these, with both Red and Yellow-billed oxpeckerx part of the accompanying entourage. Birds in general were numerous with repetitive sightings of Gray Go-away-bird, Fork-tailed Drongo, gaudy colored Lilac-breasted Roller, Red-billed and Yellow-billed hornbills, Crowned Guineafowl, Crested and Natal francolins in the bush around us, and Goliath Heron, Great and Little egrets, African Fish-Eagle, Egyptian Goose, Long-tailed Cormorant, and Giant Kingfisher along the river.
Highlight for all was a leopard in a tree close to the road affording all great looks as a prelude to our first lion sighting of the trip a short while afterwards.
Leopard
All in all, a great afternoon with four of the ‘Big Five’ mammals already in the bag before checking into camp for the night.
DAY 10 Our driver called for an early start, preceded by coffee and rusks, to make the most of our morning together.
Once again, we had the two river systems in mind as we headed south east to Lower Sabie as our mid- morning brunch stop before heading back to Skukuza and on to Notten’s Bush Camp in the Greater Kruger Conservancy.
Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 20 South Africa: The Southwestern Cape & Kruger, 2018 Birds and animals were plentiful as we followed the Sabie River with regular stops for new bird sightings including Hooded and White-backed vultures and Openbill Stork, Hamerkop, Tawny Eagle, Yellow-billed Kite, and Brown Snake Eagle. Stopping briefly at a roadside picnic site we had two African Wild Dogs, a now rare and infrequent sighting in the Park of this highly endangered carnivore, run up the road past us. Hopping into the vehicle, we gave chase and secured great views of these ‘painted dogs of Africa’ in hunting mode before they disappeared into the bush.
African Wild Dog
Next up was lion once again and then hippo and some of the largest crocodiles ever recorded sunning themselves on the banks of Sunset Dam at Lower Sabie.
Brunch followed a bird walk in the rest camp with Western Barn Owl, Greater Blue-eared Starling, White-browed Robin Chat, Terrestrial Brownbul, Sombre Greenbul, and Spectacled Weaver all accounted for over brunch.
Southern Ground Hornbill
Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 21 South Africa: The Southwestern Cape & Kruger, 2018 Surprise sighting on the return run was a ‘stonking’ great Southern Ground Hornbill striding towards us along the edge of the road and passing within touching distance!
On arrival at Notten’s we transferred to an open topped 4x4 safari vehicle for our post high tea game drive that afternoon. Notten’s lies within the Sabi Sands Conservancy with free and unrestricted flow of animals as part of the Greater Kruger Conservancy conservation initiative between private landowners and government.
Here, away from the regular crowds in Kruger, we were able to roam at will in response to sighting reports on two-wave radio and our own target objectives for the duration of our stay.
Habitat in the main consisted of mixed broad-leaf woodland interspersed by non-perennial drainage lines and expanses of open grassland supporting a wide variety of animals and birds in abundance.
No sooner had we left camp than we received a report of a leopard in vicinity of where we were. In no time our driver followed up on the report and positioned the vehicle to provide for great photo opportunities without encroaching on the leopard, as was evident by its total indifference towards us…
Heading back to camp after dark, we flushed a Fiery-necked Nightjar to a close ahead of a magnificent safari style three-course dinner back at the lodge.
DAY 11 A 05.30 wake-up call followed by coffee and rusks heralded the start of day as we boarded our designated safari vehicle with our tracker and driver and refreshments to tide us over to brunch around mid-morning.
Time of day is near perfect for birding in the bushveld at this time of year with feeding flocks encountered at regular intervals. Southern Black Tits are invariably the nucleus species within mixed bird foraging parties with Long-billed Crombec, White-bellied Sunbird, Cardinal and Golden-tiled woodpeckers, Black-headed Oriole, Scimitarbill, Green Woodhoopoe, Black and Brown-crowned tchagras, Chinspot Batis, Blue Waxbill, Cape White-eye, and Dark-capped Bulbul joining in.
Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill
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Other notables as we headed out to the first waterhole included African Hoopoe, Burchell’s Starling, Red and Yellow-billed hornbills, Blacksmith Lapwing, Gray Go-away-bird, Lilac-breasted Roller, Gray-headed and Orange-breasted bush shrikes and Ring-necked (Cape) Turtle Dove.
Mammals dominated by small herds of impala wandered though the woodland in close association with zebra, warthog, and baboon in a time-honored symbiotic association geared to self-preservation in a carnivore rich environment.
White Rhino
Soon after leaving the wooded savanna we came a cross a family group of white rhinos asleep in the shade of a marula tree. Rhino poaching for the value of the horn in Asian markets is decimating the rhino population throughout Africa to the point where populations are either in serious decline or regionally extinct. Fortunately, this threat is not the case within the Sabi Sand Conservancy where anti- poaching controls are in place. After watching the fascinating antics of a pair of Red-billed Oxpeckers diligently searching for ticks within the ears of the largest rhino, we headed out onto the open plain in search of Crowned and Senegal lapwings as target species with a stop for Lilac-breasted Roller.
Figure 1 Lilac-breasted Roller
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VENT group on safari
After coffee in the field we headed back to camp birding our way along with White-crested Helmet Shrikes the highlight before settling into a magnificent brunch served on the deck overlooking the waterhole and surrounding grassland.
Reports of cheetah to the west of the conservancy immediately had has loaded up and on our way with the hope of close-up sightings of these exquisite cats as a follow on to the rehabilitation program we had been exposed to at Inverdoorn.
Cheetah
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In this we were not to be disappointed with superb sightings of an adult and two sub-adults relaxing in full view for us to enjoy at leisure before heading back to camp for the night.
DAY 12 An early start once again was the order of the day as we set off for a different part of the conservancy in search of Barred Owlet and Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl as prime targets within riverine habitat. A diligent search paid off with sightings successfully secured of both species followed by excellent views of Purple- crested Turaco as an unexpected bonus.
Barred Owlet
A radio report of lion in the area diverted our attention from birding and led to our locating the pride sleeping off the effects of the night before ahead of setting off again on the prowl later in the day.
Birding recommenced punctuated by intermittent stops for mammals, including sightings of Dwarf and Slender mongoose, Vervet Monkey, Smith’s Bush Squirrel, and Scrub Hare as adjuncts to the ‘Big Five’ seen and enjoyed at leisure once again…
Our day closed with an opportunistic young spotted hyena following a young female leopard on the hunt in the hope of an easy meal should the leopard prove successful at some stage after we set off back to camp for a barbeque under night skies.
DAY 14 Our last full day in Kruger dawned sunny and bright with birds vocal and active in all directions as the day warmed up. Soon after leaving camp we ran into a mixed flock of Retz’s and White-crested helmet- shrikes, accompanied by Blue Waxbill, Red-billed Firefinch, Yellow-fronted Canary, White-winged Widowbird, Yellow-throated Petronia, and Red-billed Quelea in number.
Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 25 South Africa: The Southwestern Cape & Kruger, 2018
White-crested Helmet-Shrike
Such activity drew the attention of a Pearl-breasted Owlet to the party which soon dispersed in recognition of this partly nocturnal and pugnacious predator of passerines.
A midday interpretive walk by the head field guide ended on lunch followed by our last late afternoon drive in search of desirable and new bird sightings.
In this latter regard, sightings of Martial Eagle and Bataleur on the wing, followed by a broad mix of bushveld bird sightings, including Magpie and White-crownd shrikes, Red-faced Mousebird, Brubru, Black-backed Puffback, Shikra, Brown Snake-Eagle, Tawny Eagle, Red-crested Bustard, Swainson’s Francolin (Spurfowl), Yellow-billed Kite, Little Bee-eater, and Fiery-necked Nightjar at dusk as we enjoyed sundowners and a bush sound recital under African skies ahead of dinner back at the lodge.
Martial Eagle
Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 26 South Africa: The Southwestern Cape & Kruger, 2018 DAY 15 Our last day delivered another leopard interaction and views of Common Duiker, Nyala, Kudu, Waterbuck, Giraffe, Warthog, and Buffalo in number with flocks of Red-billed Oxpeckers in manicuring attention, as well as a breeding herd of elephants blocking our way back to the airport.
Notable bird sightings on the morning drive included Little Sparrowhawk, Lizard Buzzard, Crested and Black-collared barbets, and a single Marabou Stork back at the camp waterhole as we were packing up.
Skukuza Airport, Kruger National Park
Our flight out to Johannesburg was on schedule, and we landed with time in hand for onward transfers and connections for those leaving the main tour ahead of the extension to Wakkerstroom.
In summary, the itinerary embraced a host of diverse habitat types from open ocean to coastal ‘fynbos ’ and classic Karoo scrubland to the Bushveld of the Kruger Park, still authentically representative of the Africa of old, rich in biodiversity and memorable wildlife experiences to cherish and enjoy along with the many photos taken along the way…
All in all, close on 300 bird species and over 40 mammal species were recorded.
Impala Lilies
Images: Patrick Cardwell, Avian Leisure 8 th September 2018. Please contact the VENT office to request a copy of the list of birds & wildlife seen on this tour.
Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 27 South Africa: The Southwestern Cape & Kruger, 2018