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If the mere point out of a pennant-winged nightjar, Rudd’s apalis or three-banded courser will get you all twitchy, that is the journey for you.
Phrases: Robert Ingle
Images: Robert Wienand, Arno Pietersen, alamy, gallo/ gettyimages
It’s mid-afternoon, the summer season warmth and humidity are stifling and also you’re having hassle staying awake as your sport automobile ploughs by the grasslands of the Kruger Nationwide Park. However it’s comprehensible. Particularly for those who occur to be a participant on an Excessive Birding weekend at Punda Maria Camp. Now of their twenty third 12 months, these weekends type a part of a programme run throughout Kruger each January and February by the West Rand SANParks honorary rangers. They’re a incredible alternative for birders to tick off some lifers with the assistance of South Africa’s prime birding guides, work together with the rangers who work in Kruger, and go to elements of the park not usually accessible to guests. Better of all, income from these weekends are used to fund conservation actions within the park, with a spotlight in recent times on anti-poaching actions.
The Excessive Birding weekends at Punda Maria are notably common, and replenish inside minutes of bookings opening, as they provide the one probability of seeing some Kruger specials which aren’t discovered elsewhere within the park. The celebs aligned for me when the spouse of a birder I’d met needed to pull out and I arrived at Punda Maria with a way of nice anticipation. The identify isn’t any exaggeration: that is hardcore birding and also you’ll spend many (however pleasant) hours out within the bush.
The weekend begins with a night drive the place you’ll get to satisfy your fellow teammates, for not solely is that this excessive birding, it’s additionally aggressive, with prizes on supply for the crew that spots probably the most species. The principle goal chook right here is pennant-winged nightjar and we managed a fast glimpse whereas having fun with sundowners within the heat sand. After one of many quickest braais I’ve ever been to, it was off to mattress to attempt to catch just a few hours of sleep earlier than the large day. Though the official leaving time from camp was 2am (unhealthy sufficient), our information determined we must always depart at 1.30am to steal a head begin on the opposite groups. We duly assembled bleary eyed on the designated time – when no sane birder can be out and about –solely to find that each one the opposite groups had had the identical thought.
A 90-minute drive underneath spectacular starry, and surprisingly chilly, skies took us to the Luvuvhu River Valley the place it was nonetheless pitch black with little signal of any birdlife. Nevertheless, a brief drive north of the river offered one of many highlights of the day with a three-banded courser giving nice views within the highway. It is a species restricted to the far north of Kruger which eludes many birders as a result of its nocturnal habits. Returning to the river it was nonetheless darkish and so our information determined we must always seek for Pel’s fishing owls alongside the highway to Criminal’s Nook. Having appeared in useless for this species on this space many occasions earlier than, I didn’t have excessive hopes however as we sat underneath a tree admiring an indignant trying Verreaux’s eagle owl who was lower than happy to see us, a ghostly wail was heard from the riverbed. A fast pivot with the highlight revealed a Pel’s in all its glory sitting out within the open on a fallen tree – pure birding magic.
A dawn breakfast was taken at a birdsong-filled Pafuri picnic website, a lot to the delight of the native monkeys who usually have to attend a number of hours longer for his or her first victims to reach. We then headed south alongside the administration observe which runs alongside the border with Mozambique. Whereas gradual going, this gives each panoramic views and entry to the Nwambiya Sandveld which hosts a number of species that aren’t discovered anyplace else in Kruger, together with Rudd’s apalis and pink-throated twinspot, each of which duly carried out for us. Lunch was at an ephemeral pan the place we had been entertained by the sight of a giant flock of African openbill storks circling overhead earlier than coming right down to seek for molluscs. These birds at all times look awkward since their beaks don’t shut correctly. In the meantime lesser moorhens had been noisily sputtering away, sounding like automobile engines struggling to start out, and the compulsory African jacanas stepped daintily between lily pads whereas bee-eaters hunted overhead, a magical scene.
I gained’t lie, the lengthy sizzling drive by the grasslands within the afternoon is soporific and the lunchtime beer, whereas very pleasant, might not have helped. I duly nodded off for some time and woke as much as the sound of a small canine barking which was very complicated. Nevertheless, it was no canine however a male dwarf bittern displaying on the prime of the bush – yet one more lifer for the day. Again at camp we loved a slap-up meal, the prize giving competitors (the place our nearly 200 species nonetheless weren’t sufficient to clinch the highest spot), quite a few toasts to have a good time the assorted lifers seen after which a collapse into mattress.
A phrase of warning: bushy mammals are very a lot secondary on these weekends. In the event that they occur to be within the background, incredible, however they aren’t the main focus – although we did cease for nearly 60 seconds to have a look at a pair of lions. These well-organised weekends are undoubtedly geared toward birders who will not must really feel responsible about stopping a sport automobile to have a look at small nondescript birds. Superlative birding in spectacular environment, and better of all… you’re serving to to guard the park and its wildlife.
There might be a Kruger Chook & Wildlife Problem subsequent 12 months, from 12 to 19 February 2023. Discover out extra right here or e mail Norma Gardiner at [email protected] about different upcoming Excessive Birding weekends.
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