Aim of the report: the aim of this write-up is not to produce a comprehensive report, but merely to record our sightings, provide a brief site update and on-the-ground contacts to facilitate future trips for visiting birders.
Aim of the trip: to see the Natal and Transvaal specialties following previous trips to Africa including Kenya and west South Africa and Namibia. The main focus of the trip was Natal with any time remaining spent in Transvaal.
Flights: we booked with Sabena from Manchester at a cost of £460 inc. taxes. Due to technical difficulties the plane never made it into Britain and was ultimately cancelled. After a sixteen hour delay we eventually flew with South African airlines via London who are recommended. We would not recommend using Sabena as they seem to be developing a reputation for short-notice delays and cancellations. There are frequently good deals to Cape Town and Jo'burg with return airfares as low as £300. We were not particularly flexible on dates and took what we could.
Car Hire: we hired a class "A" vehicle from Budget (tel: 0800 181181) arranged in advance from the UK at a cost of £270 inclusive of insurance, CDW and unlimited mileage for the two weeks. We picked the car up from Jo'burg airport without hassle. We could have secured a better deal by negotiating with the various car-hire companies on arrival but with a two-week trip we couldn't be bothered. The only minor drawback was the vehicle's low clearance. We covered c.4,500 kilometers in the two weeks.
Exchange Rate: the Rand continues to weaken against stronger currencies and reached an all time low against Sterling during our trip of R11 to £1. On arrival, we were able to obtain just over R10 for every £.
Hassles: none, and after the cancelled flight the trip went smoothly. The highways are superb and the South Africans "C" class roads put our motorways to shame! The roads are all well sign-posted and, except for around Jo'burg, are relatively traffic free. We did not feel intimidated or threatened at all though things within the country are far from harmonious.
Weather & Climate: apart from unseasonally cold weather at Wakkerstroom on our first day there, the weather was warm to hot. We timed the trip to coincide with the Austral Spring though several birds had only just returned or had started singing. We were perhaps fortunate to see Rudd's Lark as they normally vocalize from early November onwards. Many of the weavers and bishops were either in winter plumage or moulting into summer plumage.
Guides: we used the following guides:
1. Patrick Benson for the Wakkerstroom area arranged through John and Elize McAllister. John is the well-known guide for the area but was recovering from illness during our trip. Patrick knows the birds of the area and is highly recommended. I don't have Patrick's e-mail but John and Elize can be contacted on mcallister@vlr.dorea.co.za. With Patrick we cleared up in a single day, in my view virtually impossible without detailed local knowledge. Patrick charged us R70 per hour for a minimum of 4 hours; over two days the total cost was R900. I think John's charges are a little higher - perhaps R85 per hour;
2. Robin Guy for Sani Pass, Hella-Hella and Xumeni Forest. Robin is superb and knows the Underberg area well. Two wheel drive vehicles are not allowed beyond the border-post into Lesotho (Sani Pass) so it is best to use Robin for this birding feast. A marsh en route to Sani Pass holds Wattled Crane. Robin charges R1,200 per day (from 1/11/2000 the cost will rise to R1,500 per day). Robin charges R600 for half a day which includes Xumeni Forest and Hella-Hella. Xumeni Forest is easy to get to in a two wheel drive vehicle though a long walk would be needed to get to the Blue Swallow fields at Hella-Hella without Robin's four wheel jeep. Contact Robin on his e-mail rguysani@hotmail.com or check out his web site www.robguysani.co.za. If possible, provide a fax number for Robin to reply to. His e-mail account is with the post office in town. Replying by fax is more convenient and cheaper for him.
3. Hamish McLaggan for the Eshowe area. Like other guides, Hamish knows the birds and the area well and is very hospitable. During the heat of one day he insisted that we take a midday nap in his house following an excellent lunch. The two main forests of Dlinza and Entumeni are easily accessible to a two-wheel vehicle. Umgoye Forest is only accessible in a four-wheel drive car following rain. There is nothing that occurs at Umgoye that can't be seen elsewhere, with the possible exception of a barbet, which is beginning to gain acceptance as being Green Barbet rather than the ropey split of Woodward's Barbet. Hamish can arrange transport to Umgoye if needed but this may be restricted to weekends only. Hamish can be contacted through Pat Brenchley who is Secretary of the Zululand Birding Route. E-mail is zbr@mweb.co.za and the web site http://www.birding.co.za/zulubird. Hamish charges R250 per day irrespective of group size.
Accommodation: thanks to the weak Rand, most accommodation was reasonably priced:
1. Weaver's Nest, Wakkerstroom - we paid R80 per person per night. The normal cost is R270 for a room. Weaver's Nest is currently not on e-mail and their telephone number is 017 730 0115 and fax number 017 730 0280. Mandy is very helpful there
2. Robin Guy's Cottage, Underberg - R80 per person per night in a very comfortable and well kitted-out cottage. Meals extra (evening meal R70 and breakfast R50)
3. Eshowe - We stayed at the campsite in Eshowe as it is conveniently located close to Dlinza Forest and a good pub with bar meals! The cost was around R27 for two people over three nights!
4. St. Lucia - We camped here with the cost R50 per person per night
5. Bonamanzi - We stayed in a fully equipped tree hut for R85 per person per night. I believe Bonamanzi has e-mail facilities though I don't know what the e-mail address is. The telephone number is 035 562 0181 and fax number 035 562 0143.
6. Mkuzi Game Reserve - We spent one night on a campsite with bath and shower facilities! The cost was R35 per person per night but additional community levies, park entrance and vehicle fees and other strange costs produced a total for two days and one night of R130 for both of us
7. Oribi Gorge - We stayed on the excellent campsite but details of insignificant costs escape me
8. Pretoria - We stayed one night just outside Pretoria before visiting Pienaarsrivier the following morning. Although we never felt threatened at all we wanted to be safe rather than sorry
9. Strijdom Tunnel - We stayed in one of the chalets which cost R80 for two per night
Reports and references: we used the following reports / information:
Clements, James F. Birds of the World - A Checklist (2000)
Gibbon, Guy. Southern Africa Bird Sounds (1991)
Brown, Urban, Newman, Keith & Fry. The Birds of Africa - Volumes 1 to 6 (1982 - 2000)
Chittenden, Hugh (compiled by). Top Birding Spots in Southern Africa (1992)
Hornbuckle, Jon. Eastern South Africa and Zimbabwe: 3rd Feb - 5th March 1997.
Hoya del, et al. Handbook of the Birds of the World - Volumes 1 to 5 (1992 - 1999)
Newman, Kenneth. Birds of Southern Africa (2000)
Sinclair, Ian et al. Illustrated Guide to the Birds of Southern Africa (1993)
Sykes, Chris. South Africa and Namibia: 28/06/95 to 30/08/95
Tarboton, Warwick & Michelle. Wakkerstroom Bird and Nature Guide (1995)
Acknowledgments: grateful thanks is due to the three guides detailed above. For trip planning, we would particularly like to thank Glen Holland who suggested the original itinerary upon which this trip was strongly based. Many other people helped in various ways including Etienne Marais (site info on several birds), Dorothy Hall, Callen Cohen (for information on Taita Falcon), Christan Hinzen, Pat Brenchley of the Zululand Birding Route, Donella Young, William Collingwood, Tony Archer, Stephan Terblanche (Sharp-billed Honeyguide site), Andrew Sutherland, Reinderd Visser, Keith Barnes, Elize McAllister, Gillian Leisegang, Eric Shaw, Barry Porter, Barry Hawthorne, André Botha, Allan Richards, Jon Hornbuckle and Chris Sykes. All are warmly thanked.
Further Information: please contact Mike Hunter, 45 Brinkburn Avenue, Darlington, Co Durham, DL3 0JN.
