Never before had I seen someone’s breath quite literally taken away from them by a bird. But there was an audible release as months of anticipation, nerves, and excitement came together in a moment as Dr Daniel J. Field laid eyes on his first Knysna Turaco. The brilliant green bird with magenta wings hopped through the tree nonchalantly, not giving two hoots about the academic’s amazement. And to think, this all came about from a chance meeting on a beach in Israel!
I recently returned from a two-week birding trip around two distant corners of South Africa, from Kruger to the Cape, with two palaeontologists. I met Daniel Field while I was over in Israel for the Champions of the Flyway event (read my blog post here!). My team had sprinted on to North Beach in Eilat looking for a final boost to our race tally, and while my teammates were looking at a Striated Heron in a scope I got chatting to Daniel and his friend. He mentioned he was planning a bird diversity field course to South Africa later in the year and asked if he could run some ideas and itineraries past me. I gave him a business card, and over the coming months we emailed back and forth, and I, partially tongue-in-cheek, suggested that taking me along as a local guide would be crucial for the success of the trip. Clearly, I was convincing enough, and he agreed. It was a good opportunity for me to act as a guide in some new areas, and they had the benefit of local knowledge of the birds and the areas.
The trip had two objectives. The first was for a possible field course that Daniel was looking to start through his home institution, the University of Bath, focusing on vertebrate diversity and ecology. South Africa has very few rivals in those combined departments. But the trip was primarily a National Environmental Research Council (NERC) training course on avian biodiversity and ecology for Fiann Smithwick, who is doing his PhD at the University of Bristol on colour production is fossil organisms and how this might have affected their ecological strategies, with Dan instructing the field course. Fiann happens to be working on a number of feathered fossils, so was looking for a destination to explore how colours vary in extant (living) birds and how this feeds into behaviour and ecology. Again, South Africa is surpassed by very few countries in terms of its concentration of bird diversity, and even fewer English-speaking countries can compete. Daniel and I designed a route that would yield a good species list in a short space of time, and before we knew it we were meeting up at O R Tambo International!
Broadly, our route covered the southern half of Kruger, a few spots between there and Johannesburg, wider Cape Town and the West Coast, the Garden Route, and the Tankwa Karoo. In addition to the diversity of birds, the route includes vastly different habitats, and we had the chance to view different flora and fauna in each location. Most serious birders are not only interested in the birds, but also the other creatures and their ecology. So, despite the itinerary including a lot of traveling (we did close to 4000 km over the two weeks!), it gave us a good exposure to a number of interesting natural aspects.
I met Dan and Fiann at the airport and we headed to collect our hire car. I’d suggested that a 4x4 was not necessary and that a regular sedan would handle the roads just fine (more on that later). It was with some disbelief as we approached the parkade and the unlock button lit up the headlights on a mean-looking Audi A3. All our accommodation and other bookings were handled through a travel agency as per university protocol, and they clearly thought that we required optimal comfort for our budget training course. We were not complaining though, and the 5 and a half hour drive to Kruger was some of the more comfortable driving I have ever done. We cut our gate entry rather fine, though, arriving in Berg-en-Dal Camp minutes before gate closing. But we had enjoyed a number of good bird and wildlife sightings on the short drive from Malelane Gate, including a large herd of African Elephants and around 100 Cape Buffalo. On the birding front the highlights were two species of raptors – Long-crested Eagle and Pearl-spotted Owlet. Once we were unpacked I opened a bottle of South African whisky to celebrate the beginning of the trip. That evening we did some owling around camp and had great looks at the unbelievably agile South African Galago (or Lesser Bushbaby) and some resident Bushbuck. We called off the owl search for some much-awaited dinner at the camp restaurant, Tindlovu, and this started something of a slippery slope for Daniel as a string of burgers on consecutive nights ensued. It took a really special meal to kickstart his unhealthy habit, though, with the culprit being the enormous, lavish, and ironically-named Gandhi Burger (Mahatma Gandhi was renowned for his frugal eating habits and hunger strike protests). I went the more patriotic route with a Mandela Burger which was also good, but no match for the vegetarian feast that Fiann and Daniel consumed that evening. Another dangerous introduction that evening was Windhoek Draught beer, which instantly became the firm favourite with the tourists. On our return to our bungalow we were greeted with the popping call of the African Scops Owl in a tree in front of our front porch. We all got good torchlight views before it disappeared again, which meant falling asleep to their staccato calls that night was satisfying rather than frustrating.
Our first morning in the park was spent wandering around the camp getting accustomed to some of the more common birds at close quarters. It was difficult to draw ourselves away from the flowering aloe plants, as they were being feasted on by a number of impressive sunbird species, including Collared, Scarlet-chested and White-bellied Sunbirds. We also got good views of the usually elusive but beautiful Orange-breasted and Grey-headed Bushshrikes and enjoyed photographing small foraging parties of seedeaters including Red-billed and Jameson’s Firefinch, and Blue Waxbills. Another highlight was watching a small band of Dwarf Mongooses working their way through the campsite. I picked up my first lifer (new bird) of the trip in the form of a Little Sparrowhawk. We exited camp and headed back to Malelane Gate to check the river for waterbirds, which was very rewarding with Goliath Heron, Saddle-billed Stork, Black Crake, Giant and Pied Kingfisher, as well as some reptiles in the form of Nile Crocodile and Marsh Terrapin.
We then drove north to Skukuza Camp, which took the entire day as we were stopping to identify and photograph new birds every few meters! Predictably, the Lilac-breasted Roller with its flashy plumage was a firm favourite. It was another good day for raptors, with White-backed Vulture, Bateleur, Brown Snake Eagle, Dark Chanting Goshawk, and African Fish Eagle all featuring. We saw all of the common hornbill species (Southern Red-billed, Southern Yellow-billed, and African Grey), as well as the long-tailed Magpie Shrike, and the striking Golden-breasted Bunting.
That evening we had organised to meet some friends for sundowners at Lake Panic near Skukuza rest camp. I know a few lucky people who live at Skukuza from my days on the OTS Course, and one of my American classmates from that course, Zoë Kitchel, happened to be around assisting with some botanical fieldwork. She was assisting Maddy Case from Yale, who happened to know Daniel from his time there. And if the world was not small enough already, when I introduced Zoë to Daniel they recognised each other and worked out that they had shared a near-death experience on a geological field trip in the Canadian Maritimes a few years prior. It also happened that Maddy was collaborating with friends of mine from the University of Cape Town. You just can’t make these things up! The sundown itself reflected stunningly off the altocumulus clouds and the still lake surface. The cherry on top was a flock of Crowned Hornbills nearby, which are rare elsewhere in the park. After dinner with Zoë and Maddie (Daniel enjoyed his Yazoo Burger at the Cattle Baron), we headed out for a night drive, which added Marabou Stork and Common Buttonquail to our bird list, and Large-spotted Genet and Spotted Hyaena to our mammal account.
Our next day was one of our most memorable of the trip. We started the morning by driving along the Sabie River towards Lower Sabie Camp. We had some very productive birding along this stretch, including another lifer for me in the form of Gorgeous Bushshrike. We also had a huge Martial Eagle perched up roadside, which never fails to impress even non-birders. Another highlight was a flock of Ground Hornbills. One über aggressive bird swaggered up to our car and proceeded to give us a substantial peck with its beak, thankfully not scratching the hired A3. But things really kicked off at the bridge near Nkuhlu Picnic Spot. First, we picked up a pair of unexpected Mosque Swallows above the sycamore figs, and then as we were leaving we spotted a night heron of some sort flying into the reeds. As we turned back onto the bridge we were stopped by a reversing car. The passenger leant out and said there was a Leopard crossing the river. We quickly got onto it and watched the powerful male bounding between rocks. At the last hurdle, he amusingly missed his mark and splashed into a pool, which Daniel managed to catch on camera. The leopard then seemingly dissolved into the riparian vegetation and wasn’t spotted again (no pun intended!). We then stopped in at Nkuhlu picnic spot and happened on a pair of White-crowned Lapwings, another uncommon park bird, and our first Purple-crested Turaco, which was one of the big targets for Daniel and Fiann.
From Nkuhlu we detoured slightly south and then back west along some quieter dirt roads. We encountered a rather grumpy bull elephant that didn’t like us coming past his herd. He proceeded to stomp after us for more than a half a kilometre before abating and begrudgingly letting us pass. We also visited the Stevenson-Hamilton Memorial lookout and picked up a Greater Honeyguide and a Cordylus lizard. We also had our best sighting of Red-crested Korhaan. A pair of them were very accommodating and we got some great photographs. We spent the night in the leafy Pretoriuskop Camp which I hadn’t visited before. We spent some time walking around camp, trying to avoid being assaulted by aggressive Vervet Monkeys while photographing more Turacos, before settling down for dinner at the local Wimpy. Daniel predictably went for the Champion Burger, adding to his fast-growing list of obscenely put together buns and patties.
The next morning we headed out at first light as we had a long drive to Satara Camp further north. The drive took us through changing habitat, from the dense silver cluster-leaf to the fig-dominated Sabie River, all the way through to the grassier, open plains that characterise Satara. Near the Sabie River, we had our first Lions, with a lioness walking along the road unfussed by the many cars attending the sighting. Birding highlights on this stretch included an early morning Lizard Buzzard, our first and only Kori Bustards for the trip, coveys of Swainson’s Francolin, and most impressively a tree with around 20 vultures, of 4 different species. A solitary Lappet-faced Vulture, a pair of White-headed Vultures, 5 or 6 Hooded Vultures and a few White-backed Vultures had collected above an old elephant carcass. The carcass itself was slightly obscured, and the two lions feeding on it were barely visible. A few days later we learned that an Egyptian Vulture, an exceptionally rare bird in southern Africa, had visited that same tree and carcass. Daniel and I had both seen the species in Israel, but it would have been a huge bird for my personal SA list.
We checked into Satara with some daylight to spare, so after refuelling on coffee and photographing the local African Mourning Doves, we set out again first east and then north of the camp. We scooped a Purple Roller and Burchell’s Coucal during that time, and encountered our first Black-backed Jackal too, with the sunset as a backdrop. We headed out that evening for another night drive, which was notable for the many Large-spotted Genets, but not too much else. Back in camp, we found another species of bushbaby, the Thick-tailed Galago, a.k.a. Greater Bushbaby. We heard many African Scops Owls, but unlike Berg-en-Dal they weren’t obliging.
The next morning we enjoyed our last 50 km of Kruger before exiting at Orpen Gate, and then drove out to the Strydom Tunnel. This is the only spot in South Africa where one can connect with Taita Falcon as there is a resident pair. There are maybe 3 or 4 other spots where this species has been known to breed in southern Africa, so it is quite a prize species. We met up with Michael, a local craftsman who has seized the opportunity of helping birders get the birds. He has memorised their roosting and nesting spots on the sheer cliffs, and it is near impossible to locate the birds without his help. Luckily I had called ahead and Michael had located one of the birds on a ledge way up on the cliff. After a few high 5s and some peeks through the scope we moved a little closer and tried some digiscope shots. To thank Michael we bought some of his crafts, including some Helmeted Guineafowl statuettes and an ornate bowl decorated with a painting of a Taita. From the Tunnel, we headed through Lydenburg and Ohrigstad to Dullstroom. Along the way, we picked up our first Southern Bald Ibis and another Lizard Buzzard. When we arrived in Dullstroom it was lunchtime. This little town is set in a verdant valley beset by high altitude grasslands and is known as a prime destination for trout fishing. So we settled into a local restaurant called the Mayfly and enjoyed some of the local produce. For me, that was the culinary highlight of the trip! Soft, creamy fish with a subtle lemon and pepper sauce, served with hot vegetables – how do you beat that?
After lunch, we almost literally rolled out of the restaurant and went birding in the grasslands. Almost immediately we picked up two of our main targets – Buff-streaked Chat and Gurney’s Sugarbird. The two members of the family Promeropidae (the sugarbirds, which are endemic to Southern Africa) were high on Daniel’s list, and it was, therefore, a fitting milestone with a sugarbird as number 2900 on his world list. Further into the grasslands, we picked up Long-billed Pipit, Wailing Cisticola, Cape Longclaw, and Cape Grassbird. But as we ventured further from town the roads quickly deteriorated, way past the point of comfort for an A3. We couldn’t reach Verlorenvlei where the Wattled Cranes are said to reside, and we had to take some alternative routes. We trundled and bumped our way at snail’s pace for what felt like ages before finding the tar road again, with only a Jackal to show for our efforts. None of the birding books or websites mentions the terrible condition of the road, and I know now that 4x4 or at least good clearance is an absolute necessity. The area is surely a summer destination too, judging by how quiet the otherwise promising habitat was. We did eventually find our way back to Dullstroom and made our way onto the N4 back to Johannesburg for the evening. A mix-up in the planning stage had resulted in us booking accommodation right alongside O R Tambo International where we had met up. Now, this wouldn’t be a problem, except that we had booked flights to Cape Town out of Lanseria, which is an hour’s drive north. Nevertheless, we didn’t want to forfeit the payment so we stayed anyway.
In the morning we got up early to beat the notorious Johannesburg morning traffic and drove to Lanseria. We miraculously got the A3 past the inspection on its return, despite the previous day’s abuse and dirt. Whilst at the airport we even added two new bird species – Common Myna and Cape Sparrow! We had a painless flight and arrived in Cape Town in good spirits. Immediately there were new birds to be seen, with House Crow and Capped Wheatear seen from the plane itself! After offloading our baggage at my house we got back in the car and headed to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. The incredibly beautiful backdrop notwithstanding, the gardens offer exposure to a number of endemic and interesting birds, and the habituation to constant foot traffic means that the birds allow a close approach and easy photography. We enjoyed a productive two hours in the gardens, scooping up Cape Sugarbird (that’s the entire Promeropidae wrapped up in 24 hours!), Forest Canary, Speckled Mousebird, Sombre Greenbul, Olive Woodpecker, African Dusky Flycatcher, Olive Thrush, and a number of other species. We also caught up with the pair of resident Spotted Eagle Owls, with one bird so fast asleep that we could approach to within a few meters.
After Kirstenbosch, we headed to Strandfontein Sewage Works. This site is one of the best for birding in Cape Town, with an abundance of waterbirds and local bush birds easily found. It also forms part of South Africa’s youngest Ramsar site designated in 2015 and is the only artificial wetland to be granted that status. Immediately we were confronted with a host of new species, including Cape Shoveler, Cape Teal, Red-billed Teal, Greater Flamingo, Hartlaub’s Gull, African Spoonbill, among many others. We enjoyed the exceptional birding until the light dwindled, and then headed for dinner.
By first light the next morning we were already on a boat, headed out to sea on a pelagic birding trip. Cape Town is one of the best places in the world from which to enjoy pelagic birds. There is a mix of Indian and Atlantic Ocean species, the continental shelf is relatively close and can be reached in a couple of hours, the waters are nutrient rich, and the trawling grounds are nearby. Pelagic trips aim to find a trawler, as these aggregate the birds into throngs of thousands which birders can sift through identifying different species up close and trying to find something rare. The trips also head out past the picturesque Cape Point, which is always worth a stop for photographs. It was at around this point that we came across a Southern Right Whale – one of the early migrants into the area that come to calve off the southern coast. This was Fiann’s first ever whale sighting, and Daniel’s first Southern Right, so a definite trip highlight. Out in the deep, we managed to find a single trawler and arrived just as she was pulling in her nets. It was a disappointingly small catch, but the clouds of birds were not deterred by this. Shy and Black-browed Albatross, Antarctic Prions, White-chinned and Pintado Petrels, Southern and Northern Giant Petrels, Sooty Shearwaters, Subantarctic Skuas, Wilson’s Storm Petrels all flew by in close proximity to the boat, allowing us to examine all their features. Unfortunately, the trawler processed the fish rather quickly and ran south to more productive areas. We stayed with the slick full of birds moving past us, and in this we managed to pick up a pale morph Southern Giant Petrel – a distinctly rare and interesting Dalmatian-patterned bird! We then settled for lunch and had a few skuas attend the boat looking for leftovers, and some morsels did “accidentally” end up overboard. We also found our only Yellow-nosed Albatross for the day in this post-trawler period, this of the Indian species. On our way back into Cape Point we came upon some Cape Gannets plunge-diving on schools of fish that a number of sport fishing boats were also trying to snag. In among them were three Manx Shearwaters too, which was a good bonus species. Before docking in Simonstown we stopped at Partridge Point for the four marine cormorant species (Cape, Crowned, Bank, and White-breasted) and the Cape Fur Seals. After a coffee, we headed back to Strandfontein to pick up some missed targets and managed to add some other species to our lists, the highlights of which were the evolutionarily distinct White-backed Duck and the cute Hottentot Teal. That evening I attended a friend’s 30th and Fiann and Dan met up with a visiting American palaeontologist for dinner. We ended up at the same venue, and after a seafood dinner Daniel indulged in what he called a “dessert burger”. I guess the appeal of ostrich meat was too much to turn down, and apparently even the pescatarian, Fiann, tucked in. Probably not coincidentally, I think this was the last burger that Dan ate the whole trip as the over-indulgence caught up with him.
The following day we were off before sunrise again up the West Coast. We arrived at the gates a little after opening time, but before the gate staff. After a short wait we entered the park, and almost immediately came across a vocal group of Grey-winged Francolin. While watching them we discovered a dead genet, which we presume had expired from natural causes. We picked up the carcass and took it to the front gate, who said there were no scientific services who could use it so we could throw it in the veld. I did so, and we were about to drive off when a few birds flew in and began alarming at this perceived egg thief. Two birds became four, and then more as the alarms alerted others. After a short while, there were double digits of species attending the carcass, including White-throated and Yellow Canaries, a pair of Bokmakierie, Cape Robin-Chat, Karoo Scrub Robins, and Cape Bulbuls. It was certainly an unconventional way to bird!
We then headed for the Geelbek hides to catch the outgoing tide on the mud flats. In summer the Langebaan Lagoon holds 10% of all South Africa’s Palearctic migrant wader population. Despite it being the wrong season for wader watching, we still picked up an impressive number of species, including Curlew, Terek and Marsh Sandpipers, Common Greenshank, Kittlitz’s Plover, White-fronted Plover, Grey Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Bar-tailed Godwit, South African Shelduck, and Lesser Flamingo. After this, we headed down to the restaurant area for coffee and picked up Karoo Thrush and African Hoopoe on a short walk. After that, we drove north towards Langebaan and spotted our first Southern Black Korhaan, which was performing vocally in a small grass patch surrounded by thicker strandveld. We picked up Cape Penduline Tit and Chestnut-vented Tit-Babbler near the Seeberg Hide before heading through to Langebaan for a chicken and waffles lunch (I was influenced by Daniel who spent some time in the American south…).
From there we headed out to Jacobsbaai where we found wintering Antarctic Terns, another covey of Grey-winged Francolin, and a Cape Long-billed Lark. We shot up to Velddrif salt pans to tick off Chestnut-banded Plovers (arguably the cutest wader around), and fortuitously also added Western Osprey, Acacia Pied Barbet, and Black-necked Grebe. On the drive back to Cape Town we stopped in at Darling Hills and found a Black Harrier in diminishing light as the last bird for the day. Dinner that night was an experience in South African culture as my dad put on a traditional braai. We all had too much meat, drink and pudding, and there was good conversation around the table too.
We left Cape Town the next morning, heading east along the coast. We drove the breathtaking Clarence Drive through the Kogelberg Biosphere, stopping to take in the views and inadvertently picking up two fynbos endemic birds, Cape Sugarbird and Orange-breasted Sunbird. The sunbird also happened to be our 300th species for the trip! We continued on to Rooi Els to look for Cape Rockjumpers. The area experienced a vicious fire not too long ago, but the birds are still around. The first bird we spotted was a first for me at this site, a male Sentinel Rock Thrush. We walked around 1.5 km down the dirt track without finding Rockjumpers, but we did locate two Ground Woodpeckers by their bright red bellies and Cape Siskins by their call. After turning around I could tell that Daniel and Fiann were getting despondent about our chances, but I knew that the birds often only revealed themselves on the return leg. True to form, Daniel spotted a pair of birds halfway up the slopes and we got the scope on them. Almost simultaneously, Fiann found a pair of Cape Rock Thrush, and our attention for the next 15 minutes was split between the two species. With spirits buoyed by the success, we headed out to Betty’s Bay to visit the Stoney Point penguin colony. African Penguins are so clumsy on land, and we enjoyed close views of them waddling about. Rock Hyraxes are also resident in the colony and provided extra entertainment. Rumbling stomachs dictated the next stop at the Red Disa restaurant in Harold Porter Botanical Gardens where Daniel’s burger obsession was displaced by a new love affair with bobotie. In the gardens, we barely glimpsed a calling Victorin’s Warbler but had much better views of a number of other species, including the endearing Swee Waxbill. From Harold Porter we drove across the Agulhas Plain to De Hoop Nature Reserve, ticking off the South African national bird, the Blue Crane, and the range-restricted Agulhas Long-billed Lark along the way.
De Hoop Nature Reserve has been a second home for me over the last two years because of my MSc fieldwork, so in the morning we made light work of most of our targets bar Knysna Woodpecker. Southern Tchagra was a highlight in the campsite, as were flocks of hundreds of African Black Swifts flying very low. Malachite Sunbirds feeding on the aloes accounted for a few hundred shutter clicks between us. After returning to our plush accommodation for breakfast we drove out to the coastal dunes of Koppie Alleen, but not before photographing Eland, Bontebok, and Cape Mountain Zebra on the way, and adding a Lanner Falcon to my already well-developed De Hoop birdlist. Koppie Alleen is perhaps the best spot in the world to watch Southern Right Whales, and no fewer than 10 could be seen from atop the dune. Fiann drank this in while Daniel and I photographed African Black Oystercatchers and ogled the life in the tidal rock pools below. A Long-billed Crombec finally saw us on our way, and we exited De Hoop and entered in the Eastern Potberg section. Here we saw many Cape Vulture kettles overhead, and an unexpected vocal Klaas’s Cuckoo and Lesser Honeyguide in the Eucalyptus forest. We then ventured into the Overberg Wheatbelt. We spotted our first Karoo Korhaans along here, before pushing through to Grootvadersbosch. We stopped by my friends Keith and Michele Moodie to drop in on their resident Crowned Eagles, which we luckily found. We also found Olive Bushshrike nearby and heard multiple Knysna Woodpeckers which we couldn’t locate. We finally made it into Honeydew Farm and made ourselves a delicious pasta dinner with a bottle of red wine in front of a wood fire. With much difficulty, we uprooted again to hunt nightjars, and we had fleeting views of Fiery-necked Nightjars in the torchlight as they flew away.
We awoke the next morning to torrential rain. We took the opportunity to get some much-needed admin done (both Fiann and Daniel were working furiously throughout the trip on some drafts for publication in impressive scientific journals), before scrapping the birding and heading to Wilderness. I had been talking up the bird feeder at our accommodation for a week now, and the other two were eager to see what I was harping on about. Not long after arriving at Kingfisher Country House our host, the wonderful and legendary Sue, initiated her bird feeding ritual. Within moments the tree next to the balcony was alive with forest specials like Lemon Dove, Chorister Robin-Chat, Forest Canary, and Terrestrial Brownbul. It was also at this moment that our accompanying academic lost his composure over the arrival of his verdant dream bird, the Knysna Turaco. After tea and biscuits and many photographs at the ever-busy feeder, we hauled Daniel away to do some wetland birding. We tried for Red-chested Flufftails, but they wouldn’t come in. We did manage to spot multiple White-backed Ducks, African Purple Swamphen, Black Crake, Southern Pochard, and a solitary African Snipe as consolation. That evening Daniel resumed his love affair with bobotie at Salina’s Restaurant, this time with springbok instead of the traditional beef, in what he called “perhaps one of his lifetime culinary highlights”.
The morning’s breakfast was spent jumping between a delicious spread of breakfast items and our cameras as the bird feeder entertained us once again. Red-necked Spurfowl joined this time, as well as Amethyst and Grey Sunbirds. We went for a short walk to locate the calling Knysna Woodpeckers, which we achieved with ease, and then the resident White-starred Robin at the compost heaps in the garden. We then ventured out on the Half-collared Kingfisher Trail to try for some other forest birds. I was quietly pessimistic about our chances as it was near midday when we arrived, but I was blown away by how quickly and successfully we picked up our targets. Knysna Warbler fell within the first few meters, a Forest Buzzard flew overhead, Scaly-throated Honeyguide responded quickly to a call, and then, the piece de resistance, a Narina Trogon flew in just where I had indicated that it was last seen. We had abnormally good views of this reclusive species, although the light for photography was far from optimal. From this point we had no reason to carry on with the trail, so turned back and headed for the Big Tree at Hoekwil. It was very unexpectedly quiet here, although a Grey Cuckooshrike made the trip worthwhile. We happened on a Denham’s Bustard on our way back, which took off in dramatic and impressive fashion when we approached to photograph it.
The next morning we enjoyed our last feeder experience, and then began our long trek to the Tankwa Karoo National Park. Along the way, we connected with White-fronted Bee-eaters near Calitzdorp which was a new Western Cape species for me. We refuelled and stocked up on food in Laingsburg as this was the last human settlement we were to see for three days, so remote is the Tankwa. On a dusty backroad, we managed to pick up a Karoo Long-billed Lark. Just as we thought we were completely lost and done for in the arid desert wilderness, a sign to the national park broke the brown monotony and we found our way. We checked in to our accommodation, which resembled something between a miniature castle and Afghan bomb shelter, and was manned by Leslie, who was a young biologist from Limpopo resembling more of a city-slicker hipster than a field botanist. Nevertheless, it was very comfortable lodging with a well-equipped kitchen that we put to use making vegetarian pasta.
Our next day was spent exploring the national park, first visiting the large Oudebaaskraal Dam, and then driving the seemingly endless flat plains to the Gannaga Pass where we enjoyed splendid views of this almost lunar landscape. Birding highlights were a number of lark species (Karoo, Large-billed, and Red-capped), Fairy Flycatcher, Sickle-winged and Tractrac Chats, Namaqua Warbler, Orange River White-eye, Karoo Eremomela, Namaqua Dove, and a Secretarybird, which was a species Fiann was convinced didn’t exist after nearly two weeks of its conspicuous absence from our trip list. We also enjoyed the occasional Red Hartebeest and Springbok cavorting through the landscape. Sundown on our last night was a spectacular one with a perfect half-moon and deep burnt orange skies. The bottle of whisky opened on the first evening had somehow survived mostly unscathed until this point, but it didn’t stand a fighting chance that evening.
On our last day, we wistfully packed up in the knowledge that it was our last few hours for the trip. We drove south towards Cape Town, picking up yet another gargantuan Martial Eagle flying over the road very soon after leaving. Further south we turned into the Skitterykloof to search for Cinnamon-breasted Warbler. Despite the birds calling distantly and our best searching efforts we couldn’t locate one. Eierkop was a lot more successful, however, with a pair of confiding Karoo Eremomela joining us for second breakfast and a small flock of Grey Tit on the top of the hill. We pushed on through Ceres, stopping at Die Tolhuis to look for Protea Canary at the railway, but it was too windy. We were just about in Paarl when the rain bucketed down suddenly and scuppered our last birding plans on Paarl Mountain. The rain at least gave the car a much-needed clean before handing it back to the airport, where for some bizarre reason the lady at check-in felt it necessary to ask if Fiann and Dan were twins (Dan was thrilled and Fiann was offended or at least pretended to be).
Overall, we saw 363 species of birds over our 2 weeks, which is phenomenal considering it was winter and there are plenty of easy migrant species missing from our list. Daniel’s meticulous list-keeping in the freeware program Scythebill revealed that we recorded 91 bird families and over 70% of all bird orders. There can’t be many places in the world where that can be achieved at the worst time of year for birding.
I also couldn’t have asked for better people to bird with, and Fiann and Dan made me feel more like a birding buddy than a guide, which is a nice environment to work in. The banter ranged from cringeworthily terrible to top class, but it was all hilarious nonetheless. Daniel probably gained 20 kg in burger consumption, and Fiann’s stringent exercise regime and even eating philosophy went completely out the window, but I doubt either of them regret that one bit. Daniel also discovered the joys and application of Instagram and miraculously found 150 suckers (Fiann and I included) to follow him before he even posted anything. I’m happy to say he has now adopted more regular habits and has posted some quality images in the last few days, including some from our trip. Fiann also deserves a special mention for his application to his training course. It is easy to wonder and marvel at the rainbow birds like Narina Trogon and Lilac-breasted Roller, but it takes a little more application to appreciate the little brown jobs like larks and pipits. But, in an ecological sense, these sand coloured denizens of the desert are perfectly adapted for camouflage and energy conservation in their environments, which is something that was not lost on Fiann. Birders like Daniel and me are a special, competitive breed, and the idiosyncrasies of our hobby and profession can grate on other people. But Fiann did his absolute best to learn from us, and by the end of the trip he was even leading the evening bird tallies, which requires remembering the 100 or so species that we saw each day. That is no mean feat when you consider that Fiann’s personal birdlist probably amounted to 5 species before this trip! He was also responsible for spotting a number of important birds on the trip, not least the Narina Trogon.
After the success of this pilot course, I would hope that Daniel returns to lead a dedicated student field course. He knows that if he needs a local coordinator that I’m always game! I would certainly not rule out the possibility of there being further trips together in the future, whether that is a Kalahari to KZN trip in SA, or a fossil-finding expedition down in Dorset next time I’m over there!
Acacia Pied Barbet
African Black Duck
African Black Swift
African Darter
African Dusky Flycatcher
African Fish Eagle
African Green Pigeon
African Grey Hornbill
African Harrier-Hawk
African Hawk-Eagle
African Hoopoe
African Jacana
African Marsh Harrier
African Oystercatcher
African Palm Swift
African Penguin
African Pied Wagtail
African Pipit
African Rail
African Reed Warbler
African Sacred Ibis
African Scops Owl
African Snipe
African Spoonbill
African Stonechat
African Swamphen
African Wattled Lapwing
Agulhas Long-billed Lark (Endemic)
Alpine Swift
Amethyst Sunbird
Antarctic Prion
Antarctic Tern
Ant-eating Chat
Arrow-marked Babbler
Ashy Flycatcher
Ashy Tit
Bank Cormorant
Barn Swallow
Bar-tailed Godwit
Bar-throated Apalis
Bateleur
Bearded Scrub Robin
Bearded Woodpecker
Black Crake
Black Cuckooshrike
Black Harrier
Black-backed Puffback
Black-browed Albatross
Black-collared Barbet
Black-crowned Night Heron
Black-crowned Tchagra
Black-headed Heron
Black-headed Oriole
Black-necked Grebe
Black-shouldered Kite
Blacksmith Lapwing
Black-winged Kite
Black-winged Lapwing
Black-winged Stilt
Blue Crane
Blue Waxbill
Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher
Bokmakierie
Brimstone Canary
Bronze Mannikin
Brown Skua
Brown Snake Eagle
Brown-crowned Tchagra
Brown-headed Parrot
Brown-hooded Kingfisher
Brown-throated Martin
Brubru
Buff-streaked Chat
Burchell's Coucal
Burchell's Starling
Cape Batis
Cape Bulbul (Endemic)
Cape Bunting
Cape Canary
Cape Cormorant
Cape Crow
Cape Gannet
Cape Grassbird
Cape Long-billed Lark
Cape Longclaw
Cape Penduline Tit
Cape Petrel
Cape Robin-Chat
Cape Rock Thrush
Cape Rockjumper (Endemic)
Cape Shoveler
Cape Siskin (Endemic)
Cape Sparrow
Cape Spurfowl
Cape Sugarbird (Endemic)
Cape Teal
Cape Vulture
Cape Wagtail
Cape Weaver
Cape White-eye
Capped Wheatear
Cardinal Woodpecker
Caspian Tern
Chestnut-banded Plover
Chestnut-vented Warbler
Chinspot Batis
Chorister Robin-Chat
Cloud Cisticola
Collared Sunbird
Common Buttonquail
Common Buzzard
Common Greenshank
Common Moorhen
Common Myna
Common Ostrich
Common Scimitarbill
Common Starling
Common Tern
Common Waxbill
Crested Barbet
Crested Francolin
Crowned Cormorant
Crowned Eagle
Crowned Hornbill
Crowned Lapwing
Curlew Sandpiper
Dark Chanting Goshawk
Dark-capped Bulbul
Denham's Bustard
Diederik Cuckoo
Egyptian Goose
Emerald-spotted Wood Dove
European Turtle Dove
Fairy Flycatcher
Familiar Chat
Fan-tailed Widowbird
Fiery-necked Nightjar
Fiscal Flycatcher
Forest Buzzard (Endemic)
Forest Canary
Fork-tailed Drongo
Giant Kingfisher
Glossy Ibis
Golden-breasted Bunting
Golden-tailed Woodpecker
Goliath Heron
Gorgeous Bushshrike
Great Crested Grebe
Great White Pelican
Greater Blue-eared Starling
Greater Crested Tern
Greater Double-collared Sunbird
Greater Flamingo
Greater Honeyguide
Greater Kestrel
Green Wood Hoopoe
Green-backed Camaroptera
Green-winged Pytilia
Grey Cuckooshrike
Grey Go-away-bird
Grey Heron
Grey Plover
Grey Sunbird
Grey Tit
Grey-backed Cisticola
Grey-headed Bushshrike
Grey-headed Gull
Grey-winged Francolin
Ground Woodpecker
Gurney's Sugarbird
Hadada Ibis
Hamerkop
Hartlaub's Gull
Helmeted Guineafowl
Hooded Vulture
Hottentot Teal
House Crow
House Sparrow
Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross
Intermediate Egret
Jackal Buzzard
Jameson's Firefinch
Karoo Chat
Karoo Eremomela
Karoo Korhaan
Karoo Lark (Endemic)
Karoo Long-billed Lark
Karoo Prinia
Karoo Scrub Robin
Karoo Thrush
Kelp Gull
Kittlitz's Plover
Klaas's Cuckoo
Knysna Turaco
Knysna Warbler (Endemic)
Knysna Woodpecker (Endemic)
Kori Bustard
Kurrichane Thrush
Lanner Falcon
Lappet-faced Vulture
Large-billed Lark
Laughing Dove
Layard's Warbler
Lemon Dove
Lesser Flamingo
Lesser Honeyguide
Lesser Swamp Warbler
Levaillant's Cisticola
Lilac-breasted Roller
Little Bee-eater
Little Egret
Little Grebe
Little Rush Warbler
Little Sparrowhawk
Little Swift
Lizard Buzzard
Long-billed Crombec
Long-billed Pipit
Long-crested Eagle
Ludwig's Bustard
Magpie Shrike
Malachite Kingfisher
Malachite Sunbird
Marabou Stork
Marsh Sandpiper
Martial Eagle
Mocking Cliff Chat
Mosque Swallow
Mountain Wheatear
Mourning Collared Dove
Namaqua Dove
Namaqua Warbler
Narina Trogon
Natal Spurfowl
Northern Giant Petrel
Olive Bushshrike
Olive Thrush
Olive Woodpecker
Orange River White-eye
Orange-breasted Bushshrike
Orange-breasted Sunbird (Endemic)
Pale Chanting Goshawk
Pearl-spotted Owlet
Pied Avocet
Pied Crow
Pied Kingfisher
Pied Starling
Pin-tailed Whydah
Pririt Batis
Purple Roller
Purple-crested Turaco
Rattling Cisticola
Red-backed Shrike
Red-billed Buffalo Weaver
Red-billed Firefinch
Red-billed Oxpecker
Red-billed Quelea
Red-billed Teal
Red-capped Lark
Red-chested Flufftail
Red-crested Korhaan
Red-eyed Dove
Red-faced Mousebird
Red-knobbed Coot
Red-necked Spurfowl
Red-winged Starling
Reed Cormorant
Ring-necked Dove
Rock Dove
Rock Kestrel
Rock Martin
Ruddy Turnstone
Rufous-eared Warbler
Sabota Lark
Saddle-billed Stork
Scaly-throated Honeyguide
Scarlet-chested Sunbird
Secretarybird
Senegal Lapwing
Sentinel Rock Thrush
Shy Albatross
Sickle-winged Chat
Sombre Greenbul
Sooty Shearwater
South African Shelduck
Southern Bald Ibis
Southern Black Flycatcher
Southern Black Korhaan (Endemic)
Southern Black Tit
Southern Boubou
Southern Double-collared Sunbird
Southern Fiscal
Southern Giant Petrel
Southern Grey-headed Sparrow
Southern Ground Hornbill
Southern Masked Weaver
Southern Pochard
Southern Red Bishop
Southern Red-billed Hornbill
Southern Tchagra
Southern White-crowned Shrike
Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill
Species: 363
Speckled Mousebird
Speckled Pigeon
Spectacled Weaver
Spike-heeled Lark
Spotted Eagle-Owl
Spotted Thick-knee
Spur-winged Goose
Square-tailed Nightjar
Streaky-headed Seedeater
Striated Heron
Swainson's Spurfowl
Swee Waxbill
Taita Falcon
Tawny Eagle
Tawny-flanked Prinia
Terek Sandpiper
Terrestrial Brownbul
Three-banded Plover
Tractrac Chat
Trumpeter Hornbill
Verreaux's Eagle
Verreaux's Eagle-Owl
Victorin's Warbler (Endemic)
Village Indigobird
Wailing Cisticola
Water Thick-knee
Wattled Starling
Western Cattle Egret
Western Osprey
Whimbrel
Whiskered Tern
White-backed Duck
White-backed Mousebird
White-backed Vulture
White-bellied Sunbird
White-breasted Cormorant
White-browed Robin-Chat
White-browed Scrub Robin
White-chinned Petrel
White-crested Helmetshrike
White-crowned Lapwing
White-faced Whistling Duck
White-fronted Bee-eater
White-fronted Plover
White-headed Vulture
White-necked Raven
White-starred Robin
White-throated Canary
Wilson's Storm Petrel
Wire-tailed Swallow
Woolly-necked Stork
Yellow Bishop
Yellow Canary
Yellow-billed Duck
Yellow-breasted Apalis
Yellow-fronted Canary
Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird
Yellow-throated Petronia
Yellow-throated Woodland Warbler
Zitting Cisticola