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South Africa Mega III 29Th September to 23Rd October 2018 (25 Days) Trip Report

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South Africa Mega III 29Th September to 23Rd October 2018 (25 Days) Trip Report South Africa Mega III 29th September to 23rd October 2018 (25 days) Trip Report Narina Trogon by Gareth Robbins Trip report compiled by Tour Leader: Gareth Robbins Photos: Tom Stevens, Steve Hayashi and Gareth Robbins Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours to South Africa Trip Report – RBT South Africa - Mega III 2018 2 Tour Summary After meeting up the night before, we started our first full day of the tour this morning. We left our lodge in Kempton Park an hour before sunrise and drove in the direction of Zaagkuildrift Road. We passed Pretoria, the capital city of South Africa, and made a brief coffee stop, getting views of Southern Masked Weavers, and African Palm and Little Swifts at a petrol station. We then continued and, shortly after sunrise, finally arrived at the ever-popular Zaagkuildrift Road. Some of the first birds that we saw were the vocal Magpie Shrikes, Desert Cisticola, Black-winged Kite, Chestnut-vented Warbler, Red-faced and Speckled Mousebirds, Black-faced Waxbills and African Grey Hornbills. We continued along Zaagkuildrift Road, spotting birds such as Burchell’s and Cape Starlings, as well as plenty of Gabar Goshawks. At a small wetland, we managed to see African Jacana, African Spoonbills, Black-winged Stilts, Glossy Ibis, African Snipe, Marsh and Wood Crimson-breasted Shrike by Gareth Robbins Sandpipers, as well as Yellow-billed Kites and a stunning Black-chested Snake Eagle. We also had a sighting of a single and unexpected Grey Crowned Crane – not normally found in this part of South Africa. We continued along the road, spotting birds like Crested Francolin, Swainson’s Spurfowl, Burnt- necked Eremomelas, Crowned, Blacksmith and Wattled Lapwings, Blue Waxbills, Red-billed Firefinch, Black-headed Heron, Southern Yellow-billed and Southern Red-billed Hornbills, a Gabar Goshawk with a kill (a small unidentified bird), Southern Pied Babblers, the striking Crimson-breasted Shrike, White- bellied Sunbird, Red-breasted, White-throated and Pearl-breasted Swallows, Lesser Honeyguide, Crested Barbet, Cardinal Woodpecker and the beautiful Green-winged Pytilia! After lunch, we made our way back along Zaagkuildrift Road, spotting African Fish Eagle, Acacia Pied Barbet, Brubru and Northern Black Korhaan. We also saw a Pearl-spotted Owlet after some excellent spotting from the clients inside the vehicle! We then drove to Polokwane, where we had a fantastic evening celebrating our first full and very successful day! We had a fresh and cool start to the day, leaving our lovely hotel and making our way Violet-eared Waxbill by Gareth Robbins to the Polokwane Game Reserve which was not too far from the hotel. As soon as we arrived, we were welcomed by a hive of activity in a flowering Bottle-brush Tree, which attracted birds like Black-faced Waxbills, Marico Sunbirds and Spectacled Weavers. We also saw a couple of Lesser Masked Weavers building their nest in this tree as well. We Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours to South Africa Trip Report – RBT South Africa - Mega III 2018 3 then walked around the picnic site, picking up views of Cardinal Woodpecker, Kurrichane and Groundscraper Thrushes, Little Sparrowhawk, Black-collared Barbet and a male Chinspot Batis. We then drove on the main loop of the reserve, spotting a Hamerkop while also getting unforgettable views of a pair of Crimson- breasted Shrikes, Brown-hooded Kingfisher catching a grasshopper, Short-clawed Lark, Golden-breasted Buntings, Violet-eared Waxbills and a Southern Fiscal. We were also very fortunate to see a Sable Antelope resting in the shade, as well as a few herds of Impala and a female Nyala. We then drove to Kurisa Moya (Tranquil Spirit) Lodge, situated in the Magoebaskloof Forest, and had a lovely lunch on the veranda before meeting David, the legendary bird guide for the area who would be Black-faced Waxbill by Gareth Robbins guiding us through some prime forest habitat for the rest of the day. With David, we saw Grey Cuckooshrike, Knysna Turacos, Bar-throated Apalis, Yellow-throated Woodland Warbler, Cape Batis, Yellow-streaked Greenbul, fly-over and scope views of the rare and endangered Cape Parrots, and beautiful looks at male and female Narina Trogons. On the way back to the lodge, we spotted a couple of Cape Canaries and an African Stonechat. We had a long day ahead, and at first light we bid farewell to Kurisa Moya and started our long journey to Wakkerstroom. We stopped in Tzaneen along the way, spotting a beautiful Scarlet-chested Sunbird, Bonze Mannikins, Marabou Storks and a vocal White-browed Robin-Chat. We then visited the New Agatha Plantation, where we had excellent views of a Bat Hawk after some great spotting from the guide. We then made our way through to Abel Erasmus Pass, getting a look at a Brown Snake Eagle along the way. At the top of the pass we met Michael, who showed us a roosting Taita Falcon, as well as Mountain Wagtail and Mocking Cliff Chat. We then continued through the Highveld, spotting a few Jackal Buzzards sitting on the telephone poles. We then stooped at a large wetland, and here we saw Southern Pochard, White-backed Ducks, Whiskered Terns, Brown-throated Martins, Grey Heron, African Swamphen, Red-billed Male Cape Batis by Gareth Robbins Teal, Red-knobbed Coots, Ruff, Cape Wagtail and a pretty Three-banded Plover. As we neared Wakkerstroom, we saw a small family of Grey-winged Francolins consisting of two adults and two chicks that quickly crossed the road in front of us, and we turned around just in time to get a good look at the adult birds. We also stopped for a couple of large Spur-winged Geese sitting in the shade under a tree. We arrived at our stunning lodge in Wakkerstroom just after Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours to South Africa Trip Report – RBT South Africa - Mega III 2018 4 sunset. After a delicious dinner in the town, we went owling and successfully located a Spotted Eagle- Owl on a washing line post on the outskirts of the town. We woke to a very cold day in Wakkerstroom, but the forecasted rain had not yet arrived, so we were in luck. Lucky, our local expert guide, met us at our lodge and then we proceeded to visit the eastern side of the town, picking up good views of Sentinel Rock Thrush, Pied Starling, Long-tailed Widowbirds, Buff-streaked Chat and Yellow-breasted Pipit. After this, we made our way to the small White-bellied Bustards by Gareth Robbins village of Dirkiesdorp. Along the way, we drove through some light rain and thick mist, but just before Dirkiesdorp it was nice and clear. Here, we had fantastic views of two male and two female White-bellied Korhaans, as well as Common Waxbills, Southern Bald Ibis, and Greater-striped and South African Cliff Swallows. We then headed back to our comfy lodge and had a delicious cooked breakfast before heading back out into the cold. By this time, the weather had worsened so we focused on getting two main birds: Rudd’s and Botha’s Larks. We stopped at Fickland Pan, and here we searched hard for Rudd’s Lark, flushing a Black-bellied Bustard along the way and, finally, a Rudd’s Lark flushed up in front of us and we managed to see the bird well through the binoculars. After our great sighting, we moved onto our next target species. Along the way, we spotted Red-capped and Spike-heeled Larks, Secretarybird and Mountain Wheatears. We arrived in Daggakraal, where our search for the Botha’s Lark began. We came across a pair of Lanner Falcons, where one bird had just caught a small chicken and proceeded to eat it close enough for us to observe the bird through the scope. We also came across a small group of African Quailfinches, and at the same time Lucky spotted a Botha’s Lark nearby, where we managed to get some very close looks at this rare bird. We then headed back to Wakkerstroom, getting a lovely view of a pair of South Africa’s national bird, the Blue Crane. We made a brief stop at the wetland, and here we saw three Hottentot Teals, Common Moorhens, Black Crake, Cape Shovelers and a Purple Heron! We had a delightful lunch in the town of Wakkerstroom, and by this time the temperature had dropped considerably, so we headed back out for one last bout of birding before heading back Buff-streaked Chat by Gareth Robbins to the warm and comfy lodge. Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours to South Africa Trip Report – RBT South Africa - Mega III 2018 5 We woke up to a freezing morning in Wakkerstroom, but nevertheless headed out. We tried our luck for the Eastern Long-billed Lark, but the clouds came over. We did, however, manage to get a close look at a male Buff-streaked Chat along the side of the road. We then visited the wetlands and started off with an amazing view of three Cape Clawless Otters swimming and then coming up onto the land to pose well in the scope for us. We also saw Malachite and Pied Kingfishers, Cape Shoveler, Common Moorhen, Cape Weaver, a young Goliath Heron, African Marsh Harrier, Little Bittern and two African Rails running in between the reeds. We then headed back to the Eastern Long-billed Lark site, finally managing to get excellent views of this rock-loving vocal lark in 2ºC conditions. Just before we returned to the lodge, we also successfully managed to see a pair of Red-throated Wrynecks in the town of Wakkerstroom.
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