Ken Borland

 

Timing is everything in birding and so much of that is just down to sheer luck. A second or two can mean the difference between making that great sighting as a rare bird flies into a tree or missing it entirely as you move on to the next bush.

I was reminded of this in quite forceful fashion on my trip to Mlawula Nature Reserve, a dramatic venue in the foothills of the Lebombo Mountains, nestled in the north-eastern corner of Swaziland, right on the Mozambique border.

There’s a large, rustic campsite on the Simunye side of the reserve and, with a spacious lawn and plenty of trees, it’s a productive place to walk around in terms of birding.

And so it was that on a typically steamy Lowveld afternoon I was walking around the campsite and enjoying the shade of the trees. When my wife phoned!

Obviously I am always delighted to hear from the very special person who agreed to marry me, but some times are better than others.

Anyway, I’m not one of those people who tend to walk around while talking on the phone, so I stood still and took the call.

And I’m glad I did because the call ended and I was just putting my cellphone back in my pocket when I noticed something large fly into the Milkwood tree in front of me.

It was unmistakably raptorish, but fairly short and squat and lots of white was visible.

Closer inspection revealed a pale form Wahlberg’s Eagle – the one with the lovely white head and brown wings. It was only after a few seconds that I noticed the handsome bird was holding something in its powerful yellow claws – an unfortunate young  Rock Monitor was going to be supper.

 

 

The eagle hung around for quite some time, producing a memorable highlight of the second day in Mlawula.

I had awoken that day – my first morning there – to the liquid purity of the Blackheaded Oriole regaling the dawn with it’s perfectly pure notes. Along with the Gorgeous Bush Shrike whistling away and the Yellowspotted Nicator chuckling in the dense bush, and the Greyheaded Bush Shrike providing a mournful contrast, it was impossible not to feel excited about being in this exotic wilderness.

Everything was very skittish though, suggesting there was hunting there in the past and that poaching may still be a problem.

The moist savanna between the entrance gate and the camp featured typical lowveld birds: there were lots of Redbacked Shrike, swooping on their insect prey like little masked superheroes, plenty of African Hoopoe and other interesting sightings such as Crowned Hornbill, Paradise Flycatcher, Woodland Kingfisher, Plumcoloured Starling and Purplecrested Lourie.

Feeling adventurous (and hoping for Black Coucal which has been seen in the area before), I tackled the track along the Mbuluzi River towards the Mozambique border. Now you really felt as if you were in the tropics, with stifling heat and thick bush hemming you in, and eventually I could proceed no further as the road had been washed away, leaving a pile of unpassable boulders.

The third day brought a contrast as I travelled south and up into the hills where Magadzavane Lodge nestles with a commanding view; a place of great potential. From the valleys which are just over 150m above sea-level, you climb to an altitude of over 550m.

Along the way, Bearded Woodpecker was spotted along with the more common Goldentailed, while Whitebacked Vulture added to the raptor list.

As another example of fortuitous timing, as I stopped to take a photograph of the magnificent view of hills and valleys stretched out below me, what should fly almost directly beneath me but a beautiful Crowned Eagle. It was soon joined in its majestic drifting by a Brown Snake Eagle.

A European Marsh Warbler – one of the few non-aquatic Acrocephalus species – was foraging in the clumps of bush in the grassland on the other side of the road.

But just to prove that intuition also plays a role in birding success, once back at camp I was aware of several birds making a helluva racket close to the ablution block. Going to investigate paid off as there was a young Southern African Python trying to stealthily make its way across the lawn.

A drive to the Mbuzi Picnic Site and the Mlawula River in the late afternoon brought the wonderful Longtailed Paradise Whydah, Black Widowfinch and Blackchested Snake Eagle, as well as a Fierynecked Nightjar on the way back as evening fell on the African wilderness.

The moist bushveld, with lovely tall Fever Trees along the Siphiso River, close to camp looked a good spot for birding and spending a couple of hours on the final morning there brought Yellowthroated Sparrow, White Helmetshrike, African Fish Eagle and Pied Kingfisher.

The camping facilities at Mlawula are rustic and, this deep in the African bush, things do go wrong. Baboons dug up the water pipes early on the second morning, leaving me without any water to shower or wash up. Fortunately I had a two-litre bottle of water with me for cooking and drinking, but I had to resort to bush-toilets.

Of course the bushveld also provides and dirty plates were sorted out by putting them on the ground and, 30 seconds later, a swarm of ants would be busy picking them clean.

Going with the flow can also be a wonderful experience!

 

Sightings list

Blackeyed Bulbul

African Hoopoe

Nyala

Impala

Emeraldspotted Wood Dove

Crowned Hornbill

Redbacked Shrike

European Swallow

European Bee-Eater

Spotted Flycatcher

Wahlberg’s Epauletted Fruit Bat

Blackheaded Oriole

Paradise Flycatcher

Greyheaded Bush Shrike

Hamerkop

Blue Waxbill

Glossy Starling

Rattling Cisticola

African Pied Wagtail

Common Sandpiper

Warthog

Southern Black Flycatcher

Speckled Mousebird

Woodland Kingfisher

Plumcoloured Starling

Chacma Baboon

Purplecrested Lourie

Whitebellied Sunbird

Lesser Striped Swallow

Wiretailed Swallow

Yellowfronted Canary

Cape White-Eye

Blackcollared Barbet

Goldenbreasted Bunting

Forktailed Drongo

Little Swift

Wahlberg’s Eagle

Rock Monitor

Chinspot Batis

Redeyed Dove

Southern Boubou

Wahlberg’s Velvet Gecko

Brownhooded Kingfisher

Jameson’s Firefinch

Goldentailed Woodpecker

Bearded Woodpecker

Leopard Tortoise

Whitebacked Vulture

Burchell’s Coucal

Longbilled Crombec

Sombre Bulbul

Blackbacked Puffback

Striped Skink

Five-Lined Skink

European Marsh Warbler

Crowned Eagle

Brown Snake Eagle

Common Waxbill

Greater Kudu

Southern African Python

Longtailed Paradise Whydah

Black Widowfinch

Southern Greyheaded Sparrow

Arrowmarked Babbler

Greenbacked Camaroptera

Terrestrial Bulbul

Natal Francolin

Blackchested Snake Eagle

Plains Zebra

Fierynecked Nightjar

Yellowthroated Sparrow

White Helmetshrike

African Fish Eagle

Pied Kingfisher

 

 

 

Akasia Country Club, in the northern suburbs of Pretoria, takes its name from the many Acacias that line the fairways so it was no surprise that my February visit should throw up that great lover of thorn trees, a Willow Warbler, scurrying through the branches.

Set in bushveld country in the shadow of the Magalies Mountain, Akasia Country Club is a very pleasant place for a soothing stroll in the middle of suburbia but a potentially tense, if rewarding venue for a round of golf.

Unusually, the 6431m course features five par-threes and five par-fives and the number of short holes provides a hint that there could be plenty of water around.

And there is. The Boepensspruit runs through the course and comes into play on numerous holes.

The front nine is classical parkland with lots of water as well as trees just off the fairway, while the back nine has more of an estate feel to it, but is tighter and still has plenty of water to get over. The greens are bent-grass, with kikuyu on the fairways.

Water and trees are, of course, magnets for birds and my stroll around the course netted me 35 species, as well as sightings of Springbok, Impala and even Common Duiker in the more wooded patches. Look out too for the Southern Tree Agamas scuttling around the tree-trunks, always peering at you from the other side of the tree.

Apart from the cute Willow Warbler, I also enjoyed the Whitewinged Widows in the scrubby areas, with their soft, scratchy, rasping calls sounding like a piece of paper being crumpled up.

A Yellowbilled Kite was flying about and I fancy other raptors will be around due to the proximity of the Magalies Mountain, while the stream shelters Hamerkop and Greenbacked Heron.

Blackthroated Canaries were dashing around near the clubhouse and Blacksmith Plover breed just off the fairways … look out for the black-blotched eggs!

Your round of golf will begin with an absolute knee-trembler of a shot between two trees and over water to reach the green on the par-three first hole, 163 metres away. A nasty fast putt awaits from the back of the green.

And then it’s over Waterbok Road and into the parklands of the rest of the front nine. The par-four second hole features another sloping green with a fast putt from the back while a long par-three awaits on the fourth. Measuring anything from 166 to 196 metres from the tee, there is a stately Old Cape Dutch building to aim at behind the green running the width of the fairway, but beware going right because a road and out-of-bounds lurks there.

The first par-five of the front nine is a short 436m, but it is uphill and a stream runs across the fairway. When I was walking this hole, the entire three-ball playing it put their balls in the water!

The stroke one, par-four sixth is next, measuring 395m with a tricky elevated green.

The front nine ends with a short par-three, but once again you’re hitting over water.

A stream brings water into play again on the 10th and 11th holes, while the front of the 13th green slopes away from the hole, making distance control on the 418m par-four a priority.

The par-five 14th is rated the easiest hole on the course, but the approach to the green is narrow, as it is on the next hole, also a par-five, which also features water.

The last par-three is the 16th hole, where a narrow green is well-protected by bush close-in on the right and a hazard on the left.

The final two holes are doglegs. The par-four 17th goes sharply to the left and there are awkward mounds in the semi-rough on the left-hand side of the fairway in case you try and cut the corner, while the green slopes from back to front.

The final hole is a wonderful 548m par-five, stroke two with the fairway doglegging right in a broad curve, with out of bounds tight on the left. You then have to hit your approach over a dam on to the green, with bunkers at the back.

 

Sightings list

Laughing Dove

Redeyed Dove

African Hoopoe

Common Myna

Blacksmith Plover

Wattled Plover

Spotted Flycatcher

Southern Masked Weaver

Southern Red Bishop

Whitewinged Widow

House Sparrow

Cape Sparrow

Blackeyed Bulbul

Willow Warbler

Crowned Plover

African Palm Swift

Whitethroated Swallow

Greater Striped Swallow

Yellowbilled Kite

Whitebellied Sunbird

European Swallow

Tawnyflanked Prinia

Cape Wagtail

Fiscal Shrike

Blackheaded Heron

Southern Tree Agama

Egyptian Goose

Little Swift

Hamerkop

Greenbacked Heron

Springbok

Cape Turtle Dove

Blackthroated Canary

Common Duiker

Hadeda Ibis

Redfaced Mousebird

Impala

Little Egret

Bronze Mannikin

 

What was once a beautiful pristine body of water is now over-run by toxic algae, but looking upwards is always rewarding when one is birding in the Hartebeestpoort Dam area.

That’s because the Magaliesberg Mountains surround the dam and, with diverse woodland and thornveld around its shores, Harties is always good for raptors.

The Oberon Resort, now known as Eagle Waters, is expensive for a day visit, but you can drive around the shore for some way as well as walk in the woodland.

It was while I was walking, away from the dam and towards the Magaliesberg that a buzzard came flying over and hovered kindly just about right above me. The barred tail and the chocolate-brown stripes on the belly were distinctive and I had my second Honey Buzzard sighting!

Straight afterwards, a Cape Vulture was soaring imperiously high above the hills, obviously a member of the nearby Skeerpoort colony.

Whitebrowed Sparrow Weavers, those denizens of the arid west, bouncing around at the entrance suggested it would be a good morning and there were certainly plenty of birds about, in between the Plains Zebra and Blesbok that serenely wander around, despite the disgusting efforts of some visitors to hunt them.

The water was busy too, with Reed and Whitebreasted Cormorants, Cattle Egret, Egyptian Goose, Redknobbed Coot, Sacred Ibis, Cape Wagtail, African Darter, Yellowbilled Duck, Greyheaded Gull and Whitewinged Tern all dashing about.

Spotted Dikkop were resting in the patches of longer grass on the stony ground, while a solitary Glossy Ibis was a surprise sighting flying over the dam.

After driving as far as I could go, I parked in one of the little fishing spots next to the water and set off on foot. A Blackcollared Barbet was trying to eat a large beetle, while a male Whitewinged Widow was making his presence known as well.

A Cinnamonbreasted Bunting flew up off the road on my way back to the car, where Yellowfronted Canary came to visit and feast on the many grass seeds that were available.

By then my second Honey Buzzard sighting was marked down, but clearly one of the local wasps decided he/she had to keep ahead of that landmark by inflicting only my third ever wasp sting!

I was stalking some birds in a little copse of trees near the campsite, where there is more thornveld as compared to the woodland on the eastern side of the resort, when I trod on a fallen branch, which rotated under my boot, obviously disturbing the wasp. I heard a buzzing, felt something on my neck and then was stung painfully!

I soldiered on, however, and was just thinking how the short grass with nearby trees was the perfect habitat for African Hoopoe when two flew up just ahead of me.

Even better, along the fence of the camping site, in some long grass, were a family of Blackthroated Canaries. Beyond the campsite is some even wilder grassy areas and these produced Fantailed Cisticola.

From Eagle Waters I drove to Magaliespark, where I was let in without any hassle after saying “I was told I can have lunch here.”

This beautiful resort is superbly set up and provides more lush vegetation as well as access to the Magalies River inlet to the dam.

A Common Moorhen was grooming itself contentedly in one of the water features, while I was surprised to see a group of Arrowmarked Babbler in thick, almost forest-like vegetation around the chalets.

The bird hide is really just an open lapa on the shore, but it provides a good view of one of the waterways and Whitethroated Swallow, Whitefaced Duck and Palm Swift were all zooming around.

A Rock Pigeon was my farewell bird as it chilled out on the stoep of one of the chalets, a foretaste of what was to come as I then went to the dam wall, where flocks of European Swallow and Rock Martin produce a swirling mass of birds just above the tunnel crossing, with the occasional Redwinged Starling flying about too.

 

Sightings list

Oberon

Crowned Plover

Whitebrowed Sparrow Weaver

Greater Striped Swallow

Plains Zebra

Blesbok

Blackeyed Bulbul

Lesser Striped Swallow

Reed Cormorant

Whitebreasted Cormorant

Cattle Egret

Egyptian Goose

Redknobbed Coot

European Swallow

Sacred Ibis

Cape Wagtail

Common Myna

Blacksmith Plover

Crested Barbet

House Martin

African Darter

Spotted Dikkop

Southern Masked Weaver

Yellowbilled Duck

Glossy Ibis

Greyheaded Gull

Grey Heron

Whitewinged Tern

Fiscal Shrike

Laughing Dove

Southern Red Bishop

Whitewinged Widow

Blackcollared Barbet

Tawnyflanked Prinia

European Honey Buzzard

Cape Vulture

Cinnamonbreasted Rock Bunting

Hadeda Ibis

Black Sunbird

Yellowfronted Canary

Spotted Flycatcher

Southern Greyheaded Sparrow

African Hoopoe

Kurrichane Thrush

Blackthroated Canary

Cape White-Eye

Fantailed Cisticola

Forktailed Drongo

Blue Waxbill

 

Magaliespark

Common Moorhen

Arrowmarked Babbler

Streakyheaded Canary

Whitethroated Swallow

Whitefaced Duck

Palm Swift

Grey Lourie

Rock Pigeon

 

Dam wall

Rock Martin

Redwinged Starling

Redeyed Dove

 

 

There are many, many Phragmites reedbeds scattered through South Africa and they do sustain an array of life and are an important habitat for birdlife.

But one reedbed in particular has become pretty famous – the Lake Victoria wetland in Mount Moreland, La Lucia, about 25km north of Durban. That’s because since the 1970s it has been a roost for what is reputed to be millions of European Swallows and has become quite the tourist attraction and sundowner event for people on the North Coast.

I was drawn as much by the potentially amazing sight of all those swallows as by an old record of Black Coucal in the area but, as typically happens when one goes birding for something in particular, it fails to turn up!

There were about 50 swallows around as the shortest night of the year fell (December 21), but barely enough to be considered a flock!

It was still a wonderful way to enjoy sunset, sitting on the terraced banks above the reedbed, enjoying some snacks & beverages.

A Purple Heron flew over as a reminder that the reedbeds are valuable for other birds too, while I went walking in search of a Burchell’s Coucal that was calling away, only to return and find it posing on a dead treestump!

There was no sign of its Black cousin, but a half-dozen Hamerkop did fly over as well, shortly before the swallows made their underwhelming arrival.

 

Sightings list

Spottedbacked Weaver

Speckled Mousebird

Blackeyed Bulbul

Yellowbilled Kite

Hadeda Ibis

Burchell’s Coucal

Purple Heron

Hamerkop

European Swallow