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Ken Borland


Pilanesberg National Park

Posted on January 09, 2013 by Ken

Two of the things I love the most about Pilanesberg National Park is how tame the avian life often is and the wonderful mix of bushveld and arid western birds you get in the popular Big Five reserve.

And so our trip around Pilanesberg the day after the Nedbank Golf Challenge finished at Sun City was marked by outstanding views of Jacobin Cuckoo and the lovely Scalyfeathered Finch, a seedeater of the drier country west of Johannesburg.

We were driving along the Kgama Drive, north of Lengau Dam, heading east, when two Jacobin Cuckoo flapped their way over the road. Being used to cuckoos being unobtrusive, I was in a rush to see them through the binocs and point them out to my wife. Little did I know that one would settle in a bush a couple of metres from the car and proceed to pose for us! Definitely my best sighting of this impressive black-and-white bird.

Jacobin Cuckoo

The Scalyfeathered Finch were on Mankwe Way, a delightful little party of them enjoying a relatively cool afternoon in the Pilanesberg, the temperature ranging between 21° and 25° and the previous day’s rain having given way to a lovely, mild sunny day. Some were on the ground nibbling at grass seeds, while others were on the brances overhanging the road, contentedly chirping away.

I had a feeling it would be a good drive when we entered through Bakubung Gate and immediately saw a Mocking Chat at reception!

From there we turned westwards on to Kgama Drive, which was busy with birds as the clouds cleared.

There was a lot of activity particularly around Lengau Dam, with Whitewinged Widow, the ever-present Marabou Stork, a group of Waterbuck, Sabota Lark, European Bee-Eater, Brownhooded Kingfisher and the Jacobin all being spotted.

A short detour for a comfort break at the Kubu picnic site allowed us to pick up Lilacbreasted Roller, both Streakyheaded and Yellowfronted Canaries in the same tree, Elephant and Plumcoloured Starling.

Mankwe Way is dominated more by thornveld and we saw Neddicky, Kalahari Robin, the Scalyfeathered Finch, Rufousnaped Lark (the signature Pilanesberg bird for me) and Yellowthroated Sparrow.

We exited the park via Tshwene Drive, which provided Redbreasted Swallow, Wahlberg’s Eagle and a good Blackchested Snake Eagle sighting, as well as Hippopotamus and Whitebrowed Sparrow Weaver at Tilodi Dam.

 

Sightings list

Mocking Chat

Southern Masked Weaver

Spotted Flycatcher

Greater Striped Swallow

Cape Wagtail

Goldenbreasted Bunting

Blackeyed Bulbul

Dabchick

Blacksmith Plover

Whitewinged Widow

Impala

Blue Wildebeest

Southern Greyheaded Sparrow

Blue Waxbill

Egyptian Goose

Marabou Stork

Sacred Ibis

European Swallow

Waterbuck

African Darter

Sabota Lark

European Bee-Eater

Brownhooded Kingfisher

Jacobin Cuckoo

Grassveld Pipit

Plains Zebra

Red Hartebeest

Cinnamonbreasted Rock Bunting

Familiar Chat

Glossy Starling

Lilacbreasted Roller

Streakyheaded Canary

Yellowfronted Canary

Rattling Cisticola

Elephant

Plumcoloured Starling

Neddicky

Giraffe

Warthog

Kalahari Robin

Scalyfeathered Finch

Rufousnaped Lark

Pied Crow

Crested Barbet

Yellowthroated Sparrow

Lesser Striped Swallow

Redbreasted Swallow

Springbok

Ostrich

Diederick Cuckoo

Wahlberg’s Eagle

Leopard Tortoise

Hippopotamus

Yellowbilled Hornbill

Whitebrowed Sparrow Weaver

Blackchested Snake Eagle

Threebanded Plover

Helmeted Guineafowl

 

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