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Some target species include: Blue Korhaan, Taita Falcon, Rudd’s and Botha’s Lark, Southern Ground Hornbill, Pel’s Fishing Owl, Plain-backed Sunbird, Pink-throated Twinspot, African Broadbill, the endangered Blue Swallow, Spotted Ground Thrush, Blue and Wattled Crane, Ground Woodpecker, Bearded Vulture, Drakensberg Rockjumper, Southern Bald Ibis, Gurney’s Sugarbird and Cape Parrot.
The Highveld plateau extends across eastern Mpumalanga at an altitude of between 1 400m and 1 800m above sea level. Grasslands dominate the plateau, which is largely devoid of native trees except for those along some rivers and sheltered hillsides.
Typical birds include Long-tailed Widowbird, Southern Red Bishop, Cape Longclaw, Black-shouldered Kite, Blue Crane and Rufous-naped Lark. Prized endemics such as Rudd’s Lark, Botha’s Lark and Yellow-breasted Pipit occur in pristine pockets of this habitat.
The escarpment foothills are a region comprising hills, valleys and boulder outcrops, with forest pockets, thicket and broad-leaved woodlands, and fast-flowing rivers and waterfalls in the wet season. Small patches of evergreen forest grow in sheltered ravines and kloofs in the eastern escarpment.
Typical birds here include Chorister Robin-Chat, Olive Woodpecker, Cape Batis, Knysna Turaco, Narina Trogon and African Crowned Eagle.
A birding trip to the Kruger National Park should be on the bucket list of every birder. Spanning 19 685km², it’s the tenth largest game reserve in the world and home to a vast diversity of birds, including vultures, eagles and storks.
Every year, over a million visitors tally up around 520 species. Birders are also challenged to spot the “Big 6”: Saddle-billed Stork, Kori Bustard, Martial Eagle, Lappet-faced Vulture, Pel’s Fishing-Owl, and Southern Ground Hornbill.
While birding peaks during the summer months (November to March) with the influx of migratory species, the Kruger remains a rewarding destination year-round. Even in the winter months (May to July), a great number of birds can be seen.
The Kruger forms part of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park, and its landscapes are varied from mountains and bush plains to forests. Its extensive infrastructure includes 3 000km of road, 23 rest camps, many excellent picnic sites, walking trails and 4×4 routes. It also features hides and dams, optimising sightings.
The Highveld plateau is scattered with pan systems which fill up during the wet summer season and typically hold water into winter. These ephemeral wetlands are a magnet for waterfowl, with ducks, geese, herons, cormorants and others often found in abundance.
Blue, Grey-crowned and Wattled cranes breed in these natural wetlands, while plovers and migratory sandpipers forage on the mudflats. Additionally, skulking rallids, such as Red-chested Flufftail, African Rail, African Snipe and Black Crake make for a challenging and rewarding search.
The Highlands and Wetlands Birding Route includes Wakkerstroom, Chrissiesmeer and Dullstroom.
Target wetland species: African Crake, Red-chested Flufftail, African Rail, Grey-crowned Crane, African Grass Owl, Greater Painted-Snipe, African Purple Swamphen and African Marsh-Harrier.
Target grassland species: Rudd’s Lark, Botha’s Lark, Yellow-breasted Pipit, Southern Bald Ibis, Blue Korhaan, Denham’s Bustard, Buff-streaked Chat, Sentinel Rock Thrush, Eastern Long-billed Lark and Ground Woodpecker.
Target forest species: Bush Blackcap and Chorister Robin-Chat.
Ndumo and Tembe are world–renowned birding destinations set in the northeastern corner of Zululand called Maputaland. The region is flanked by the Lebombo Mountains in the west, the Indian Ocean in the east and the Mozambique border in the north.
This predominantly flat region is drained by two major rivers: the Pongola and the Mkuze. The Pongola floodplain runs from Jozini to its confluence with the Usutu River, and is dominated by pans, lala palm savanna and bush clumps. Strips of riverine forest can be found along some pans and streams. Coastal dune forest lines the Indian Ocean, and the coastline is also dotted with numerous pans and lakes.
This region provides a habitat for many species not found anywhere else in South Africa. Tropical stragglers, both marine and inland, are found every year, including specials such as Crab Plover, Sooty Tern, Rosy-throated Longclaw, Broad-billed Roller and Livingstone’s Turaco.
In Ndumo and Tembe, you can spot the shy sand-forest specials, such as Pink-throated Twinspot, African Broadbill, Green Malkoha (Chattering Yellowbill), Neergaard’s Sunbird and Rudd’s Apalis.
Tembe is one of the few places in South Africa where Plain-backed Sunbird, Lemon-breasted Canary, African Broadbill and Woodward’s Batis are seen regularly. Waterbirds such as African Pygmy Goose, Rufous-bellied Heron and Lesser Jacana abound in the floodplain pans.
Situated off the beaten track, Kosi Bay has much to offer the birder. Mangroves, lala palm savanna, coastal dune forest and wetlands are the major habitats here, and birds such as Pel’s Fishing Owl, Lemon-breasted Canary, Rosy-throated Longclaw, Palm-nut Vulture and Black-throated Wattle-eye are among the residents.
The Mkuze area is renowned as a bird lovers’ mecca. The junction of the moderate and tropical climate zones creates a habitat suitable for an extraordinary variety of plants and animals. Localised birds include Pink-throated Twinspot, Eastern Nicator, Pel’s Fishing Owl, African Broadbill and Neergaard’s Sunbird.
St Lucia is a popular tourist town, and with over 420 species recorded in the area, some of Zululand’s best birdwatching opportunities can be found here. It’s also one of South Africa’s most biodiverse regions. While birding on foot trails, you’ll see waterbuck and reedbuck grazing and hear hippos snorting from the pans, making for a special birding experience.
The surrounding World Heritage Site of iSimangaliso Wetland Park, combined with Lake St Lucia, covers an area of about 38 000ha. This is one of South Africa’s most important waterbird breeding sites.
The habitats vary significantly from the estuary and its floodplains and pans to dune forest, sand forest, coastal thickets, mangroves and grassland (with flooded areas in summer).
This birding route starts in the Ukhahlamba Drakensberg World Heritage Site, travels down from the sandstone cliffs, basalt precipices and buttresses, through the foothills of the Drakensberg to the picturesque rolling hills of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.
In just one outing, you can expect to see Wattled, Grey-crowned and Blue cranes.
Other key attractions include some of the most reliable sites for Cape Parrot, Cape Vulture, Blue Swallow, Bush Blackcap, Ground Woodpecker, Barratt’s Warbler, Orange Ground Trush and Forest Buzzard.
Travelling along the breathtaking Sani Pass offers the unique opportunity of viewing birds in a rugged environment that comprises 5 different habitats, ranging in height from 1 600m to 3 200m. The heart of this route lies in the lowlands below the Sani Pass, which includes picturesque nature reserves and large tracts of pristine mist-belt forest and grassland.
This region hosts various highly sought-after endemic species, such as Drakensberg Siskin, Drakensberg Rockjumper, Gurney’s Sugarbird and Cape Vulture. It is also home to the Bearded Vulture and Red-necked Falcon.