Punda Maria Part 1

Time flies when you're having fun, and this was definitely the case as we made our way through unfamiliar territory between Louis Trichardt and Punda Maria Gate.  The roads were in fair conditions and apart from the bit of township traffic, which the scenery made up for, we had a pleasant drive.  En-route a spectacular sighting of Long-crested Eagle got the adrenalin pumping even more and the road shrunk more and more.  Then the magnificent gates of Punda appeared in the distance . . . They are like a light beam to me a mere moth and not so secret admirer, pulling me in closer and closer until I'm so mesmerised by their presence and beauty along with the thought of what lay beyond . . .

The car did not even come to a complete standstill and the Kruger choir performed in all their glory, Rattling Cisticolas, Tawny-flanked Prinias, Cape Glossy Starlings and the highlight, the first Woodland Kingfisher we heard for the season!!!

Check-in went as smooth and friendly as always and we started "crawling" in on our way to Punda Maria camp.  Not a hundred meters in and I could hear a special bird calling, at first I was hesitant to call it but after hearing them again later on and seeing them I came to the conclusion that they were indeed Broad-billed Rollers calling from closer to the ridge.

The first animals were of course the very numerous but yet so graceful Impala, which was quickly followed up by a Steenbok and then some Buffalo.

High above us there were some Bateleurs circling while a Lilac-breasted Roller and Black-crowned Tchagra were scurrying after food in between bushes. As we came closer to camp we could hear the magical melody of the Piet-my-vrou (also know as the Red-chested Cuckoo) ringing from the overgrown hillside.

Another quick and successful check-in done we quickly unpacked and then went to have a some lunch at the restaurant, tasting phenomenal as only a Kruger meal can.  Then we had a quick nap before going on our sunset drive, well the others did not even the Lowveld heat could put a damper on my excitement and I had to go explore.

I made my way through the bush along the Flycatcher trail which runs along the northern boundary of the camp.  Even with the heat the bush was ringing with bird sounds, Green-backed Camaroptera, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Eastern Nicator, African Goshawk, Bearded Scrub-Robin and Crested Guineafowl to name but a few.

It was wonderful to spend some time here and time sure flies when having fun.  I eventually had to rush to ensure I wasn't left behind for the drive.

For the sunset drive we sat off in an anti-clockwise direction along the Mahonie loop.  This is truly one of the magical loops of Kruger especially as far as biodiversity is concerned.  Not long after leaving the tar road we came across a beautiful dark phase Wahlberg's Eagle perfectly showing of the slight crest and yellow lipstick.  This off course had the Fork-tailed Drongo's in a flat spin and they were going crazy.  Leaving their racquet behind we soon found another couple of very nice birds including Mosque Swallows, Golden-breasted Buntings, Jacobin Cuckoo's, Jameson's Firefinches and Common Whitethroat.

We went down a small loop towards a watering hole and this is where we came across a pair of Broad-billed Rollers calling.  Close by we came across some more Buffaloes which yielded another little jewel in the form of Yellow-billed Oxpeckers.  Back on the main dirt road we soon bumped into a rather fierce looking but magnificent Dickinson's Kestrel.  With the sun now started to get quite low down on the horizon we had our third group of Grey-headed Parrots flying overhead towards their roosts.  As we sat listening to their screeching we noticed some movement in the riverbed to our right.  A family herd of Elephants where on a mission past us and only gave us brief glimpses.

As darkness set in we moved onto a special track off limits to normal tourists.  This is the Pennant-winged highway.  We stopped at several sites waiting and listening, but nothing.  Just as we were about to through in the towel though we had a single female come down to investigate.  Maybe next time we'll be lucky enough to find a male willing to put on a show for us.

The road back was fairly quiet apart from two Rufous-cheeked Nightjars.  And then just before we got back to camp this beautiful Barn Owl made its presence know.

Unfortunately it did not stick around for long with its kill and disappeared back into the darkness in utter silence.  This marked the end of a wonderful and very successful drive and first day back in paradise.

Our species total at the end of the day was 62.

Birding Big Day

Birding Big Day started off with a bang.  We firstly sat off to Soutpan to try and find the Baillon's Crake and Greater Painted Snipe for Barbet and then to log the southern side of the pan which also incorporates the northern edge of Soetdoring.  The main part of Soetdoring also incorporates two other pentads which was also on the to do  list.

Soutpan truly delivered and we managed some excellent sightings of both the Baillon's Crake and the Greater Painted-Snipe.  Thereafter it was time to tackle Soetdoring.

It was a very productive day in my books even though we had to go home far too early we still managed a total of 108 species for the three pentads.

Some of the highlights of the day included great views of African Quailfinches, the vast amount of Double-banded Courser (14 of them in total) and Large-billed Lark.

It was a wonderful day and I can't wait for the next birding big day.

Soutpan, in search of the elusive Baillon's Crake Part 2

It's early morning and the weather is terrible but I'm still full of hope and on my way to try my hand at finding the elusive Baillon's Crake!

Now some may say I cheat a bit though as this time I'm going with the experts, my fellow birders from the Free State Birding Club.  They had luck in finding the bird at least 90% of the time and I was pretty sure that today would be the day.

Upon our arrival it was quite cold, cloudy, windy and a drop of rain here and there.  None the less we where out with bino's and spotting scopes pointed in the direction of the small remaining patch of water.  Quite a bit less water than what was around the last time I visited the pan.

The first spectacular bird to make its appearance was a female Greater Painted Snipe, tick and another lifer in the bag.  She was so relaxed that we were able to all take our time in soaking up her utter beauty through the spotting scopes.  A little latter the male also put in an appearance but it was short lived and with this he also spooked the female and they both disappeared into the long grass.

A quick "there it is" came from my left and just as I got to the scope and peered down the lens I could see a small blue critter disappear behind a clump of grass.  I had it but would have loved to have a better look.

Not too long afterwards and my wish was granted, as we made our way back along the stretch of water be saw a female move along the grass line.  We watched her moving in and out of view for about five minutes until she disappeared for the last time.

As we approached the car one flushed from the side of the road and a little later another darted over a stretch of open ground.

After four separate sightings I could now say with fair certainty that I've seen the Elusive Baillon's Crakes of Soutpan and what a pleasure it was making an acquaintance with them!

Krugersdrift Dam, waders paradise

Ever since I started joining the members of the Free State Birdclub on outings I'm officially hooked.  It is so wonderful to be able to go on outings and share the same passion with like-minded people.

Today was no exception and we had another highly successful outing to the Krugersdrift dam which also forms part of the Soetdoring Nature Reserve.

The morning started with probably about a hundred or more Lesser Kestrels trying to perch on the shrubs on a small hill inside of Bloemfontein.  On the way to the dam we had a quick glimpse of a Jacobin Cuckoo darting across the road in front of us.

Upon our arrival at the gate we were greeted by dozens of Rufous-naped Larks and Zitting Cisticolas calling up the veld in a cacophony of whistles, chirps and zits.  The odd one or two White-browed Sparrow-Weavers put in a note or two while the Swallows (Greater Striped, Red-breasted and White-throated) graced us with their appearance.

Shortly after our arrival a steady stream of cars started arriving and to our misfortune we were informed that there was a major angling competition taking place.  Almost every inch of the northern shore of the dam was covered with cars, tents, fishing rods, anglers and their extended families!  Our luck in finding a good number of waders plummeted exponentially. . .

The previous rainy season was exceptionally wet and in turn the dam was filled to the brim.  The grass cover was extensive and very rank.  Along with this we did not have high hopes of finding one of our target species the Kimberley Pipit.  But even with all these factors counting against us we were still determined to make the most out of the day.

A couple of special sightings comes to mind.  The first was when we had the opportunity to watch a pair of African Pipits building their nests.  I also enjoyed only my second sighting of African Stonechat in the Free State.  Just before departing from the northern shore we decided to pay a visit to a spot with a little less anglers and was this a great decision.  We had plenty of Red-capped Larks and African Pipits busy foraging on the bare patch next to the water.  Joining them was at least two Kimberley Pipits which we confirmed after lots of scanning, checking behaviour, listening to the call, comparing size and loads of debating.  To say the least I was ecstatic!!!!!!!!!

From here we proceeded to the southern shore, here we also encountered a couple of anglers but they were well spaced with large gaps in between.

Little did we know that the rush of waders would soon start!  As we stopped on a slight rise and quickly scanning to see whether it would be worthwhile to get out of the vehicles we caught sight of a special little Plover, Common Ringed to be exact (special at least to me).  Unfortunately it disappeared shortly after spotting it and we had to be entertained by its cousins the Three-banded and Kittlitz's Plovers. A bit more Pipit spying manifested and after satisfying our thirst we continued in search of some more waders.

Not too long afterwards we came across a good congregation of Little Stints, a Ruff, Wood Sandpiper, Kittlitz's and Common Ringed Plovers.  A tern flew past but by the time we got it in the scope it was too far off to make a positive identification.

A little further though we were rewarded with lovely views of some White-winged Terns among a handful of Caspian Terns.  Only then do you appreciate the size of the Caspian Tern.  It is truly huge compared to the White-winged and Whiskered Terns.

In a small little bay just to the left of them there was a massive congregation of Little Stints and then we saw them, two Ruddy Turnstone's!!!  They did not stick around for long but it was very special seeing these birds especially since they are very uncommon in the interior of the country.

Some other nice sightings for the rest of the day included large flocks of both South African Shelduck and Whiskered Terns.  On our way back out at the gate we decided to have a nice picnic before returning home and with that ended off another wonderful and highly successful day outing with the members of the Free State Birdclub!

Tierpoort Dam now part of the extended family

After yet another successful day at Tierpoort Dam I think it is only fair to include it as part of the extended family of spectacular birding sites we have been privileged to visit thus far.

The morning started off nice and early with the only negative point, as with the previous trip, being that the sun was rising over the water causing a bit of trouble to identify the waders.

The air was filled with hundreds of South African Cliff-Swallows and Barn Swallows which stretched their wings before setting off for a good day of foraging.  The Sparrows where very chirpy (excuse the pun) and was only out done by the honking of the Egyptian Geese dabbling about on the surface of the dam.

Even though the main aim of the trip was for Barbet to finally add the Blue Korhaan to her list I also made use of the opportunity to do a bit of atlasing.  For both of us it turned out to be a rewarding day.  I racked up a good total of 66 species for the card and Barbet finally got her Blue Korhaan!

Unfortunately they were a bit far for the camera and so the picture quality is not the best.

The next stretch of road provided us with loads of African Pipit and Ruff along the shores of the Dam.  At a point the road turns away and up a slight incline.  Here we had a Bokmakierie calling its heart out from the top of a bush.  Down below him two Karoo Scrub-Robins where giving one another the run-around.

Not too much further we found some Red-breasted Swallows and at a small bay along the dam there was a few Levaillant's Cisticolas performing.  Suddenly a flash of colour broke through the bushes. . . My first African Stonechat for the Free State, normally I only see them up at Rietvlei when visiting Kingfisher.

We were now at the end of the pentad and decided to enjoy some coffee before heading back to see if the Korhaans where still around.  We barely sat off when a Pipit caused some confusion it was quite large and had relatively large bill with bold facial markings.  We thought it might be Kimberley Pipit but unfortunately it was perched on the fence and eventually disappeared without us being able to study its behaviour.  The Conclusion:  Pipits = Confusion!!!

The Blue boy and girls were still happily foraging and after spending a bit of time with them we had to return home.

A wonderful day of colour, lifers and Pipits/Confusion.  Birding is such an addictive pleasure!

Wolvenkop

I had the wondeful privilege to once again go on an outing with the members of the Free State Bird Club.  It was a lovely trip to the south of Bloemfontein which produced six wonderful lifers (especially) after the three month drought.

The morning started off being very productive and I finally saw my first ever Lesser Kestrels not even a kilometre from home.

All the members met up at the Tierpoort dam about half an hour's drive from Bloemfontein.  The conditions where a bit chilly as the sun rose over the water to the east.  This caused a bit of problems with trying to identify the backlit waders but none the less we had a great time.

The grasslands soon made up for the "bad" light and produced wonderful sightings of African Pipit, Eastern Clapper, Rufous-naped and Melodious Larks.  At the little koppie to our left we spotted a Steppe Buzzard soaking up the early morning rays and a family of three Blue Korhaan's searching for their breakfast at the base of the hill.

Tierpoort produced a fair number of both Egyptian as well as Spur-winged Geese.  There was a magnitude of Kittlitz and Three-banded plovers with the odd one or two larger waders.  A few surprises we had at the dam came in the form of an African Spoonbill and an African Fish-Eagle!

After a productive stretch of atlasing we headed for the farm on a nice and gentle pace to pick up a couple more birds.  The major highlight of this stretch of road was when we encountered two Ludwig's Bustards!  They flew over the road quite a way in front of us and when they finally landed we got out the scopes and watched these special birds strolling through the veld.

Just before our arrival on the farm we witnessed a very unusual sight.  An Ant-eating Chat was devouring a baby mouse.  After a tremendous struggle it finally managed to swallow it whole!  What makes this so unusual is that in none of my resources does it mention any other food source other than "Ants, Termites and other Insects with the occasional fruit".

At Wolvenkop we enjoyed a spectacular breakfast which was followed up by a visit to the neighbours dam. Here we had hundreds of Egyptian Geese and Yellow-billed Ducks.  The odd one or two Cape Shoveler's and Red-billed Teal put in an appearance.

Waders was also quite numerous with bucket loads of Little Stints, Curlew Sandpipers, Kittlitz and Three-banded Plovers.  A Yellow-billed Egret was joined by a Wood Sandpiper and on the opposite bank a few White-breasted Cormorants and South African Shelduck sat lazing in the sun.

To end of the excitement of the dam, two Alpine Swifts came gliding past and with that we made our way back to Wolvenkop.

Now it was time for special project "find the Grass-Owl"!  Unfortunately we did not succeed and decided to try our luck with the Greater Honeyguide they often find along the river.  Once again we where disappointed, but a leisurely cruise up the river in a small boat made up for it when we came across two African Black Duck!

After the boat trip it was time to head back home after yet another wonderful day out birding!

Soetdoring Nature Reserve

The Soetdoring, or Acacia karroo one of the many beautiful trees to be found in this very much underrated reserve situated in the heart of the Free State Province, approximately 40 kilometres North-West of Bloemfontein.  It is a mega hub with regards to biodiversity containing many different habitats including: a large expanse of open water in the form of the Krugersdrift Dam which when water levels drop produce significant mud flats, the Modder River with large stands of Reeds and Weeping Willows on its banks, just beyond these there are the Thorn Thickets which eventually opens up to vast Grassy Plains and in some areas Karoo Shrubveld and finally the few hills in the are is covered by beautiful Wild Olive trees.  Naturally the diversity of habitat types would generate quite a substantial bird list and the reserve boasts over 280 different species with between 70 to 140 species that can be expected depending on the time of the year you visit.

On Saturday the 29th, Barbet and myself had a wonderful outing here along with members of the Free State Bird Club.  Even though conditions where far from perfect (severe wind and the occasional drops of rain) we had a blast of a time.  Barbet added three new species to her Life list, while my Free State list was also boosted by more than ten species.

We met just outside the gate at 06:30 where we had a chance to admire the variety of Swifts, Swallows and Martins.  The peaceful swaying of the binoculars trying to keep up with these acrobats of the sky was interrupted by the appearance of a Jacobin Cuckoo!  All the while listening to the constant call of a Diderick's Cuckoo in the background, we caught a quick glimpse of him/her just before entering the gate.

The first stretch over the extensive Grassy plains was filled with the continues calls of Rufous-naped Larks and mixes of Black-chested Prinia, Neddicky, Desert and Cloud Cisticola.  A single Red-breasted Swallow put in a dash of a performance in and amongst numerous South African Cliff-Swallows.  On the odd bush or two we found either some Scaly-feathered Finches of Kalahari Scrub-Robin.

At the camp site (which would hopefully be opened soon) we had close-up views of Pin-tailed Whydah, Kalahari Scrub-Robin and Black-chested Prinia.  The background chorus was filled in with the calls of a bunch of rowdy Swainson's Spurfowl and the melodious call of a Brown-crowned Tchagra.

Upon our arrival at the first picnic spot where we ha a wonderful coffee break we where entertained by African Hoopoe calling his heart out and the ever-frantic calls of the Namaqua Warblers.

The Thornveld was soon followed by some more open plains where we had sightings of numerous Rufous-naped Larks, Cape Longclaws and South African Cliff-Swallows.  The odd one or two African Pipits where on display and coming closer to the trees a few Sabota Larks put in an appearance.

No sooner where we out in the drizzle enjoying the sight of some Spike-heeled Larks when the Cloud Cisticolas began their aerial displays along with a single Zitting Cisticola.

While going round a bend we came almost face to face with a majestic speciman the Secretary Bird, it was weaving around and over the grass in search of prey.  It was not long before it became a bit fidgety and started prancing around, next thing it opened its wings slightly while kicking at something.  It scooped up a mouse and swallowed it in one gulp.  It then simply carried on with the routine and not two minutes later the same ritual presented it, only this time the mouse or rat judging by the size was still squirming when it wanted to swallow it.  The solution was to throw it back on the ground and to pound it a couple of times more before swallowing it just as swift as the first.  Amazing! We could not believe our luck with seeing such a marvellous bird and then two kills as well!  It soon strolled of further into the field and we continued.

At the picnic spots roughly in the middle of stretch of river we had a couple of quick glimpses of the Chestnut-vented Tit-Babblers while a Namaqua Dove pulled a disappearing act as soon as the Natal Spurfowls started alarm calling.

At the last set of picnic sites we watched a colony of Scaly-feathered Finches and some European Bee-eaters.  Then suddenly the air was pierced by the calls of a Red-chested Cuckoo, the first for the season for me.  While trying to locate it we had some Grey-headed Gulls and a Caspian Tern fly overhead.  In the end we gave up hope and had to start moving back.

En route back to the gate some new species which put in an appearance was Red-capped Lark and a fly-by from some African Quailfinches, if only I could get a closer look as this would have been a Lifer for me and a perfect way to en the day.

Something else that was pretty amazing was that we saw another five Secretary Birds on our way back to the gate, a single one and two separate pairs.  Never before in my life have I seen so many Secretary Birds in one day.  What a bonus!

Unfortunately I could not take any pictures due to the weather conditions but in the end we still managed to find approximately 80 species.  I plan on returning before we leave for Northern Kruger in just over a months time and who knows what I might bump into. . .