Ken Borland

 

The open country around the Mankwe Dam is bordered by the Tshwene and Kubu drives, two of the four tar roads in the Pilanesberg National Park. I normally try to avoid the tar roads when I’m in the bush, but this area is so peaceful and tranquil, and being the main water source in the reserve, there is also usually lots of game in the vicinity.

But as a very warm afternoon clouded over and a typical Highveld thunderstorm approached, there came a stark reminder that this is wild Africa, red in tooth and claw.

Between the Mankwe and Motlobo drive turnoffs from Tshwene Drive, less than 20 metres from the tar and at the edge of a little bank, an unfortunate Impala took its last breaths. Two Cheetah, still panting hard from the exertions of the chase, soon had blood-stained faces as they tucked into their hard-won meal.

This is Lion and Leopard country as well so the Cheetah, the most lightweight of the big cats, needs to eat quick because there’s nothing like a kill to attract other meat-eaters. While the Cheetahs ripped at the carcass, a sly Blackbacked Jackal was already hanging around waiting for scraps.

Seeing one of the cats on a kill is always a special sighting, but to see Cheetah in the Pilanesberg is an exceptional occurrence because there are only five in the entire 572 square-kilometre park. The open country around Mankwe Dam is probably the best area for them because it allows them the space for their sprint, which is what sets them apart from other predators.

The adrenaline was still flowing from my first Cheetah sighting in the Pilanesberg when my buzz was shattered by an extremely loud, piercing call right next to the car. I was startled and momentarily baffled by what it could be – it was such a high-pitched, pure sound that I thought some sort of emergency alarm had gone off and was wondering if my windshield would crack!

Having regained my senses enough to realise that it was coming from the bushes next to the road, I scanned the vegetation and there the source was, with colours as bright as its song was loud – a beautiful Crimsonbreasted Shrike sitting in an open gap in the bushes.

The Crimsonbreasted is certainly the most brightly coloured of the Laniarius (Boubou) Shrikes and its underparts are a brilliant scarlet colour, heading towards crimson.

 

It provides a real flash of colour particularly when contrasted with the muted tones of the thorny scrub it likes to inhabit.

 

 

This is where the Mankwe River flows out of the dam and Mankwe Way crosses the river just north of the Fish Eagle turnoff. It’s a good spot to stop and scan for birds and, having seen one in the exact same dead tree on a previous trip, it was great to see an Osprey once again sitting up in the highest branches. It was joined by a Hamerkop that came to share its lofty perch and there were Pearlbreasted Swallows flying around and landing nearby as well.

Mankwe Way takes one into an area of open grassland, dotted with termite mounds and boulders as it heads west, past the old farm of General Jan Smuts, Buffelsdrift. Transitional zones where dry plains with short grass meet the longer grasses of the rugged upland areas are excellent for birding as well.

Apart from the White Rhinoceros in the vicinity, there were also Scalyfeathered Finches hopping on the ground and then flying quickly into the small trees when disturbed; Sabota Lark, Crowned Plover, Cinnamonbreasted Rock Bunting and Blackthroated Canary.

But a pair of birds had me a bit confused as they hopped around on the low bushes, behaving much like Capped Wheatears. But the adults of that plains specialist are distinctively marked and these birds were also making some strange, Lark-like calls. With their mottled bands of brown, buff and yellowish colours, they had me thinking of similar-looking rarities.

But discretion won the day and, considering that Capped Wheatears are well-known mimics, I went the most likely route and decided they were, in fact, a pair of immature Capped Wheatears.

Pilanesberg holds good numbers of both the Kalahari and Whitebrowed Scrub Robins and the central part of the

park has both these twitching, insectivorous lovers of thicket and low bushes in close proximity to each other.

Mankwe Dam is by no means the only productive body of water in the park, and if one enters through the south-western gate of Bakubung, after two-and-a-half kilometres on the tarred Kubu Drive, or a bit further if one turns left and takes the more meandering dirt road known as Kgama Drive, one comes to the Lengau Dam.

There are usually large numbers of birds here and on this occasion it was good to see African Darter, Whitefaced Duck, Pied Kingfisher, Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper and Threebanded Plover. There are usually animals about as well, but this time there was just a solitary Warthog snuffling around.

Even the smallest bodies of water can provide something of interest though and as I was exiting through the easternmost gate – Manyane – four Redbilled Oxpeckers were drinking water from a puddle in the road.

Life can be very tough in the beautiful African bush and to survive the residents need to take advantage of every little windfall they can get.

 

Sightings List

Blue Wildebeest

Plains Zebra

Sacred Ibis

Warthog

Egyptian Goose

African Darter

Whitefaced Duck

Laughing Dove

Little Swift

Pied Kingfisher

Greenshank

Blacksmith Plover

Marsh Sandpiper

Threebanded Plover

Waterbuck

Jackal Buzzard

Impala

Greater Kudu

Rufousnaped Lark

Palm Swift

Marico Flycatcher

Greater Striped Swallow

Giraffe

Crested Francolin

Streakyheaded Canary

Great White Egret

Southern Masked Weaver

Pintailed Whydah

Blackeyed Bulbul

Whitebrowed Scrub Robin

Blackchested Prinia

Kalahari Scrub Robin

White Rhinoceros

Scalyfeathered Finch

Sabota Lark

Capped Wheatear

Crowned Plover

Cinnamonbreasted Rock Bunting

Blackthroated Canary

Hamerkop

Osprey

Pearlbreasted Swallow

Natal Francolin

Cape Turtle Dove

Grey Lourie

Glossy Starling

Cheetah

Blackbacked Jackal

Helmeted Guineafowl

Rattling Cisticola

Crimsonbreasted Shrike

African Elephant

Forktailed Drongo

Common Myna

Redbilled Oxpecker

 

 

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