Ken Borland

My favourite part of Kruger National Park is the far north – around Punda Maria and Pafuri. There is something mystical about this area, it has a very tropical feel with its diverse habitats and rich birdlife, featuring several rarities.

And so it seems entirely fitting that this area is one of two (the other being the Pilanesberg) where I have seen the mysterious Monotonous Lark, a little-known nomad that may or may not be an intra-African migrant because it only ever seems to be seen in Southern Africa in irruptions of breeding birds making their characteristic, persistent “for syrup is sweet” call. There seems to be no pattern to their movements, save for a link to above-average rainfall and even then, they’ll be present in an area in one year and totally absent the next.

It was also fitting that this mercurial bird was the last added to my list of 163 Kruger sightings on this trip.

As one heads out of Kruger Park via the Punda Gate, there is a little detour one can take to Thulamila Koppie, rising 604m above the mixed sandveld woodlands of the Punda Maria area. It’s a great vantage point to look out over the expansive plains to the east and south and it was from this spot that I watched the solar eclipse in 2002.

But the 3km drive to the top of the koppie also takes you through interesting birding habitat with the diverse vegetation featuring bushwillows, Marulas and Tree Mopanes. It’s ideal habitat for Monotonous Lark and sure enough, there they were calling away from the trees in the plain below the koppie.

The Purple Roller, a real lover of woodlands, was there as well and Crowned Hornbill was seen flying over before the turn-off to Thulamila.

The Punda Maria region is famous for its beautiful broadleafed woodlands, flourishing in an area that boasts the second-highest rainfall in the park (650mm per annum; compared to the 700-750mm in the relatively high altitudes of the rolling hills around Pretoriuskop in the south-west).

The Mahonie Loop is a fabulous drive around the hill that hosts Punda Maria camp, with a stunning diversity of trees growing in the sandveld and a concurrent multitude of birds.

Doing the loop counter-clockwise, the Dimbo stream is a profitable early spot. A pair of African Black Duck were in the shallow water, while Black Widowfinch was in the trees above.

There are plenty of Buffalo this far north and Redbilled Oxpecker was in attendance, while African Green Pigeon were enjoying the Jackal Berries. Longtailed Paradise Whydah was present on the south-western side of the loop.

Punda Maria camp is surrounded by Mopane, which is never the richest of birding habitats, so the camp provides an island of woodland habitat and is excellent for birding.

Heuglin’s Robin, resident in the thickets on old anthills, was somewhat frantically calling away and the cute Collared Sunbird were passing through as I returned from the Mahonie Loop. That night a Thicktailed Bushbaby came and visited my campsite, clambering along the trees above me at suppertime.

There is another dirt road to the east of the Mahonie Loop, the S60, which is also a beautiful route, great for birding. The S60 skirts the Gumbandebvu Hill and travels through wonderful subtropical sandveld woodland as well as mature Mopane forests, before reaching the open grasslands around Klopperfontein Drift, where many exciting sightings have been made.

White Helmetshrike is a regular on the slopes of Gumbandebvu, while the grasslands around Klopperfontein produced Western Redfooted Falcon, Dusky Lark, Amur Falcon, Martial Eagle and Browncrowned Tchagra. A Black Crake was pottering around the actual dam, where Diederik Cuckoo were also present.

Beyond Klopperfontein, the undulating tar road (H1-8) takes one towards the sandstone ridges that signal the floodplains of the Luvuvhu and Limpopo Rivers, and Pafuri, probably the most famous birding spot in Kruger Park.

Pafuri is lushly vegetated with acacia woodland grading into fever tree forests and then thickening as one enters the tropical riverine forest.

The area has changed considerably, however, since my first visit in 1998. Since then the 2000 floods and elephant damage have thinned out the taller trees and thicker bushes, and lately the Nyala Drive, heading westwards, has been more profitable than the better-known drive eastwards to Crooks’ Corner.

Redbilled Helmetshrike, Longtailed Starling – a tropical African species that is rare in South Africa but far more common around Pafuri – Redheaded Weaver, Hooded Vulture, Brubru, Woollynecked Stork and screeching Brownheaded Parrots were good sightings along Nyala Drive.

Pafuri picnic site always throws up something interesting though and on this occasion Grey Penduline Tit was with the more common Tawnyflanked Prinia in the undergrowth.

There are some interesting pans north of the Luvuvhu River bridge along the H1-9 and Marsh Sandpiper was in attendance at one of these.

Sightings list

African Black Duck

Little Swift

Common Caco

Egyptian Goose

Leopard Tortoise

Forktailed Drongo

Black Widowfinch

Goldenbreasted Bunting

Redeyed Dove

Blackeyed Bulbul

Blue Waxbill

Cape Turtle Dove

Nyala

Yellowthroated Sparrow

European Swallow

Plains Zebra

Southern Greyheaded Sparrow

Yellowfronted Canary

Redbilled Oxpecker

Rattling Cisticola

Grey Hornbill

Green Pigeon

Lilacbreasted Roller

Paradise Flycatcher

Impala

Laughing Dove

Crested Barbet

Greater Kudu

Crested Francolin

Brown Snake Eagle

Bushbuck

European Bee-Eater

Longtailed Paradise Whydah

Collared Sunbird

Grey Lourie

Redbilled Woodhoopoe

Woodland Kingfisher

Grey Duiker

Blackbacked Puffback

Vervet Monkey

Emeraldspotted Wood Dove

Heuglin’s Robin

White Helmetshrike

Southern Masked Weaver

Blacksmith Plover

Threebanded Plover

Whitewinged Widow

Spotted Flycatcher

Fantailed Cisticola

Western Redfooted Falcon

European Roller

Dusky Lark

Elephant

Yellowbilled Hornbill

Tawny Eagle

Amur Falcon

Swainson’s Francolin

Longtailed Shrike

Melba Finch

Crowned Plover

Cinnamonbreasted Rock Bunting

Bateleur

Whitebacked Vulture

Hadeda Ibis

Wattled Starling

Martial Eagle

Little Bee-Eater

Browncrowned Tchagra

Redbacked Shrike

Greater Blue-Eared Starling

Thicktailed Bushbaby

Burchell’s Coucal

Buffalo

Redbilled Buffalo Weaver

Boomslang

Redbilled Helmetshrike

Natal Francolin

Longtailed Starling

Giraffe

Whitefronted Bee-Eater

Tree Squirrel

Jacobin Cuckoo

Redheaded Weaver

Southern Black Flycatcher

Slender Mongoose

Hooded Vulture

Kurrichane Thrush

Brubru

Striped Cuckoo

Woollynecked Stork

Arrowmarked Babbler

Steelblue Widowfinch

Marabou Stork

Brownheaded Parrot

Whitebrowed Scrub Robin

Cardinal Woodpecker

Warthog

Grey Penduline Tit

Wahlberg’s Eagle

Tawnyflanked Prinia

Yellowbreasted Apalis

Marsh Sandpiper

Black Crake

Chacma Baboon

Carmine Bee-Eater

Wiretailed Swallow

Pied Kingfisher

Wood Sandpiper

Brownthroated Martin

Diederick Cuckoo

Hamerkop

Redbilled Firefinch

Nile Crocodile

Common Scimitarbill

Greenbacked Heron

African Hoopoe

Crowned Hornbill

Purple Roller

Glossy Starling

Monotonous Lark

 

Driving the 177km from Letaba to Punda Maria in a day is a real test of endurance. The far north of Kruger National Park is often incredibly hot in summer and flat mopaneveld stretches on for miles and miles, with birds few and far between.

Generally the birdlife is concentrated along the alluvial floodplains which are well-wooded, especially in the Shingwedzi region, and the mixed woodland on shale, particularly around Punda Maria.

And so it becomes very important to focus as soon as you hit an area that looks promising for birds because, after an hour on the tar road driving through stunted Mopane grassland, you don’t want to miss the sightings that do suddenly materialise.

March 9 was a case in point. Approaching Mopani camp in the middle of the day with the temperature reading 39°, my mind was definitely straying towards the ice-cold Coke I was so lusting for as I neared the turnoff to one of the newer Kruger Park camps.

The Shipandani stream crosses that turnoff, temporarily running parallel to the H1-6, and late summer rains meant there was a fair bit of water pooled up against the culvert. With long grass on the banks and an overhanging tree, it looked a likely spot for something interesting, so I stopped to scan the area carefully, thoughts of much-needed refreshment being put to the side.

And I’m glad I did. Amidst the other more common birds hanging around, I noticed the unmistakable blue flash of a kingfisher …

There being water around, my initial thought was obviously a Malachite, but this kingfisher was too big as it returned to its perch, a dead stick on the edge of the pool. How about a Halfcollared Kingfisher, which I had never seen before in Kruger Park, but which has been uncommonly recorded … ?

But the head was not blue, but a dirty whitish-grey in colour, and then I saw the chestnut belly and so it could only be the even scarcer Greyheaded Kingfisher, only my second sighting of this beautiful bird.

On such a sweltering day, it was unsurprising that this African migrant was bathing and preening. Suitably inspired, I was soon refreshing myself at Mopani camp before pressing on for Punda Maria.

With the waterholes full, there were sporadic patches of exciting bird activity: An excellent patch of flooded grassland around the N’warihlangari waterhole, 20km north-west of Shingwedzi, provided Orangebreasted Waxbill, a very rare bird in Kruger and a special sighting, just my third anywhere.

Eurasian Golden Oriole was spotted dashing along the tree-lined Nkokodzi River heading towards Shingwedzi, a Tawny Eagle was hanging around Bowkerkop and a Striped Cuckoo was calling and moving along the Tsendze River, providing an exciting close-up sighting at the Mooiplaas picnic site just outside Mopani.

The long day began at Letaba camp, which is an excellent birding spot in its own right because it is on the sizeable Letaba River and the woodland is full of well-established trees.

Blackbacked Puffback, Paradise Flycatcher, Yellowbreasted Apalis, Dusky Flycatcher and Redwinged Starling were all seen while packing up camp, while friendly Bushbuck, Tree Squirrels and Dwarf Mongoose also came by.

Driving north out of Letaba along the H1-6, there are several kilometres of river frontage to enjoy and I was able to add Little and Whitefronted Bee-Eaters, Emeraldspotted Wood Dove, Nile Crocodile, Goliath Heron, Black Stork, African Spoonbill and Yellowbilled Kite to the growing list.

As you cross the Tropic of Capricorn, 16km north-west of Mopani, the S144 turnoff to the north-east takes you into dry Mopane scrubveld. Having seen them before in this exact area, I was thinking Redcrested Korhaan could well be the next bird to tick off and hey presto! one male started his distinctive clicking call and was then found sheltering under a bush.

The beautiful Shingwedzi camp was unfortunately closed due to most of it being washed away in the previous floods (which is why my need for a Coke was so great at Mopani!), but a Southern Black Tit was picked up at the turnoff.

The open veld north of Shingwedzi has rank grasslands growing and this is perfect habitat for the Whitewinged Widow. Even better habitat was found the following day, 3.5km north of the S59 near Punda Maria, with hundreds roosting in the long grass there.

The wonderful thing about birding in Kruger Park is, of course, the incredible variety of birds that are drawn to the bushveld. The famous reserve is the centre of activity for more than 500 bird species.

And so, just before the tropical lushness of the N’warihlangari waterhole, one drives through an area of dry, stunted savanna grasssland, overgrazed as summer gives way to autumn, and Chestnutbacked Sparrowlark, a fairly uncommon bird to look out for in the eastern half of the park, made an appearance.

Sightings list

Brownbacked Tree Frog

Blackbacked Puffback

Bushbuck

Blackeyed Bulbul

Paradise Flycatcher

Tree Squirrel

Yellowbreasted Apalis

Impala

Little Swift

Dusky Flycatcher

Redwinged Starling

Dwarf Mongoose

Lappetfaced Vulture

Little Bee-Eater

Emeraldspotted Wood Dove

European Swallow

Blue Waxbill

Common Sandpiper

Nile Crocodile

Greenshank

Goliath Heron

Wiretailed Swallow

Whitefronted Bee-Eater

Hippopotamus

Wood Sandpiper

Blacksmith Plover

Egyptian Goose

Threebanded Plover

Black Stork

Redfaced Cisticola

Pied Kingfisher

African Spoonbill

Grey Heron

Yellowbilled Kite

Namaqua Dove

Striped Cuckoo

Southern Black Flycatcher

Cinnamonbreasted Rock Bunting

Carmine Bee-Eater

Blue Wildebeest

Swainson’s Francolin

Greater Blue-Eared Starling

Redbilled Woodhoopoe

Rattling Cisticola

Cape Turtle Dove

European Bee-Eater

Crested Francolin

Forktailed Drongo

Vervet Monkey

Redbilled Quelea

Southern Greyheaded Sparrow

Lilacbreasted Roller

Wahlberg’s Eagle

Bateleur

Greyheaded Kingfisher

Natal Francolin

Tawny Eagle

Redcrested Korhaan

European Golden Oriole

Southern Black Tit

Whitebacked Vulture

European Roller

Whitewinged Widow

Elephant

Buffalo

Lesser Grey Shrike

Sabota Lark

Redbacked Shrike

Yellowbilled Hornbill

Longtailed Shrike

Arrowmarked Babbler

Laughing Dove

Plains Zebra

Greater Kudu

Giraffe

Grey Hornbill

Grey Lourie

Waterbuck

Wattled Starling

Brown Snake Eagle

Woodland Kingfisher

Glossy Starling

Fantailed Cisticola

Marabou Stork

Blackshouldered Kite

Slender Mongoose

Chestnutbacked Sparrowlark

Orangebreasted Waxbill

 

Driving from Lower Sabie to Letaba is one of the lengthiest routes (160km) one can hope to fit into a day in Kruger National Park, but the eastern sweetveld plains you travel through are richly rewarding.

This is prime birding country, travelling through the open savanna grasslands between Lower Sabie and Satara, heading into the Olifants rugged veld and then into the Mopane-dominated woodland around Letaba. Several of the roads also flirt with the Lebombo Mountains in the east, all of which adds up to numerous different habitats and a lengthy bird list.

The central grasslands around Satara are known as big-game country – there is plenty of grazing and therefore plenty of predators, whose kills attract the vultures.

And the king of the South African vultures – the Lappetfaced – is best found in this area and mine was duly spotted on the tar road (H1-4) between Satara and Olifants. It was an archetypal sighting as well – attending a kill, looking like the Red Skull with its featherless head and neck and malevolent, massive bill.

On the other side of Olifants, as the Mopane becomes more and more prevalent, Kori Bustard, another of Kruger’s “Big Five” birds, was spotted and other quintessential grassland birds seen between Lower Sabie and Letaba were Steppe Eagle, Rufousnaped Lark, Pintailed Whydah, White Stork, Wattled Starling (particularly common around Satara), Blackshouldered Kite and Swainson’s Francolin.

It’s also great raptor country and, apart from the vulture, resident Blackshouldered Kite and the migratory Steppe Eagle (in the Mlondozi/Muntshe area), Bateleur, Brown Snake Eagle, Whitebacked Vulture and Wahlberg’s Eagle were also seen.

But there are enough different habitats on the route to throw up all sorts of interesting things, and Jacobin Cuckoo, Carmine Bee-Eaters dashing around like the Red Arrows, Melba Finch (in the mixed woodland of the Trichardt Road heading into the Lebombo), Namaqua Dove, Natal Francolin and Helmeted Guineafowl were all spotted.

Late summer in the central savannas of Kruger Park are a time of feast and even the smaller birds were cashing in: just north of Lower Sabie there were a handful of Crested Francolin on the tar road, gorging themselves on a swarm of mayfly-like insects.

Aquatic habitats along the route further boost the tally; as you leave Lower Sabie you cross the Sabie River and from that causeway Wiretailed Swallow, Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, Pied Kingfisher and Brownthroated Martin were seen.

Temporary pans on the basalt produce Wood Sandpiper, while there was even water in the watercourse at Tshokwane and a Threebanded Plover in attendance.

The Mazithi Dam on the side of the road just north of Tshokwane was full and a Grey Heron was perched on a half-submerged log of dead tree, with a couple of Hippo for company down below.

Turning off east shortly thereafter, one travels along the Trichardt Road (S37), which takes one through highly nutritious grasslands and mixed woodland as it skirts the Lebombo Mountains, eventually coming to the Sweni River and Sweni Hide, where Malachite Kingfisher was spotted.

There is unsurprisingly plenty of game along the route from Lower Sabie to Letaba as well, with 14 species of mammals, including Hippo, Elephant, White Rhino and Buffalo, seen along the way.

Sightings list

Little Swift

Blackeyed Bulbul

Impala

Blue Wildebeest

Wiretailed Swallow

Greenshank

Common Sandpiper

Pied Kingfisher

Brownthroated Martin

Hippopotamus

Blacksmith Plover

Egyptian Goose

Redbilled Buffalo Weaver

Lilacbreasted Roller

European Roller

Elephant

Lesser Grey Shrike

Sabota Lark

Redbacked Shrike

Yellowbilled Hornbill

Longtailed Shrike

Arrowmarked Babbler

Plains Zebra

Giraffe

Grey Hornbill

Waterbuck

Grassveld Pipit

Woodland Kingfisher

Spotted Flycatcher

Glossy Starling

Marabou Stork

Slender Mongoose

Brown Snake Eagle

Grey Lourie

Laughing Dove

Warthog

Brownhooded Kingfisher

Blue Waxbill

Southern Greyheaded Sparrow

Grey Duiker

Steppe Eagle

Crested Francolin

Jacobin Cuckoo

Whitebacked Vulture

European Swallow

Rattling Cisticola

Carmine Bee-Eater

Bateleur

Rufousnaped Lark

Pintailed Whydah

Wood Sandpiper

White Rhinoceros

Burchell’s Starling

Cape Turtle Dove

European Bee-Eater

Forktailed Drongo

Threebanded Plover

Greater Blue-Eared Starling

Grey Heron

Melba Finch

Malachite Kingfisher

Vervet Monkey

Buffalo

White Stork

Wattled Starling

Marsh Terrapin

Blackshouldered Kite

Lappetfaced Vulture

Namaqua Dove

Kori Bustard

Swainson’s Francolin

Natal Francolin

Wahlberg’s Eagle

Hamerkop

Chacma Baboon

Helmeted Guineafowl

Red Toad

 

–

The open savanna grassland between Crocodile Bridge and Lower Sabie not only provides plenty of game on the sweetveld, pan-dotted basaltic plains, but many of the typical “bushveld” birds of Kruger National Park.

Arriving at Crocodile Bridge at mid-morning in March almost guarantees you a hot welcome and so it was that, upon my arrival from Mlawula in Swaziland, I entered one of the southernmost gates of Kruger in sweltering 35° heat.

Crocodile Bridge is acknowledged as one of the hottest, most humid places in South Africa and arriving towards mid-day meant most birds were keeping quiet trying to conserve energy.

But just two kilometres from the entrance gate there are two significant spots that provide reward.

The first is the Gezantfombi Dam (more on that later) and the second is the turnoff for the Nhlowa Road (S28), one of the best birding drives in Kruger Park, particularly in late summer when the relatively water-impervious basalt allows numerous pans to survive around the stunted Knob-thorn and Marula trees.

Turning east on to the Nhlowa Road, towards the Lebombo Mountains, both Lilacbreasted and European Rollers were quickly seen, followed by another pleasing migrant in the Lesser Grey Shrike.

Most of the typical Bushveld birds were all there, with the long grass and numerous perches proving ideal habitat for Shrikes, which included Redbacked and Longtailed as well as the Lesser Grey.

Sabota Lark, Yellowbilled and Grey Hornbill and Arrowmarked Babbler were all there too.

After travelling 17 of the 24km towards Lower Sabie, you reach the Ntandanyathi Hide, a spacious, solid wooden structure that overlooks a section of the Nhlowa River.

Three Bushveld beauties were waiting there for me in Woodland Kingfisher, Greenbacked Heron and Crested Barbet.

In temperatures around 35°, birding around water is one of the better options and Gezantfombi Dam had earlier produced European Bee-Eater, Redbilled Buffalo Weaver, Common Scimitarbill and Cardinal Woodpecker, while crossing into Kruger over the Crocodile River bridge had thrown up a Redfaced Cisticola, locally common and always good to see, as well as Southern Red Bishop and Brownhooded Kingfisher.

The thorn trees around the parking lot where you complete the formalities of getting into Kruger had some friendly Blue Waxbill, tame Southern Greyheaded Sparrows and, surprisingly, a Steelblue Widowfinch, which is an uncommon resident in the park.

Between the gate and Gezantfombi Dam, one gets a taste of the thick thorn thicket known as Gomondwane Bush that characterises the tar road between Crocodile Bridge and Lower Sabie, and this is prime habitat for the Whitecrowned Shrike, another localised bird, which was sharing a tree with the ubiquitous Rattling Cisticola.

A pod of Hippopotamus was keeping cool in Gezantfombi Dam, while Elephant, Plains Zebra, Greater Kudu, Giraffe, Waterbuck and Slender Mongoose were all spotted along the open grassland savanna of the S28.

Nearing the tar road, and with the temperature now up to 37°, Marabou Stork were soaring on the thermals and there was also a Brown Snake Eagle flying about. Fantailed Cisticola were chip-chip-chipping at lower levels above the grassland.

All that hot air had to lead to something and, sure enough, a huge storm hit while I was setting up camp at Lower Sabie. Trying to hammer your tent pegs into the concrete-like hard ground of the badly redesigned campsite while a deluge is falling from the heavens is not the ideal way to end your first day of birding in Kruger Park, but it could not detract from the thrill of being back in the bushveld.

Sightings list

Southern Red Bishop

Redfaced Cisticola

Brownhooded Kingfisher

Blue Waxbill

Southern Greyheaded Sparrow

Steelblue Widowfinch

Impala

Blue Wildebeest

Whitebacked Vulture

European Swallow

Whitecrowned Shrike

Rattling Cisticola

Burchell’s Starling

Cape Turtle Dove

European Bee-Eater

Forktailed Drongo

Hippopotamus

Blacksmith Plover

Egyptian Goose

Redbilled Buffalo Weaver

Common Scimitarbill

Cardinal Woodpecker

Lilacbreasted Roller

European Roller

Redbilled Quelea

Elephant

Lesser Grey Shrike

Sabota Lark

Redbacked Shrike

Yellowbilled Hornbill

Longtailed Shrike

Arrowmarked Babbler

Plains Zebra

Greater Kudu

Giraffe

Grey Hornbill

Waterbuck

Grassveld Pipit

Woodland Kingfisher

Greenbacked Heron

Crested Barbet

Spotted Flycatcher

Glossy Starling

Marabou Stork

Slender Mongoose

Brown Snake Eagle

Fantailed Cisticola

Grey Lourie

Laughing Dove