for quality writing

Ken Borland



Ndumo Game Reserve 0

Posted on June 03, 2020 by Ken

I’m sure I speak for most birdwatchers when I say it’s funny how the memory of spotting a Lifer is often permanently seared on the brain with the details of the moment immediately springing to mind.

So much so that when I came across this sightings list from a February 2006 trip to Ndumo Game Reserve in northern Zululand, I could immediately picture in my mind’s eye the little loop off the Paphukulu road that goes around a corner and then crosses a dry river bed before going slightly uphill again and returning to the main road.

As one approaches the dried up river, there is a thorn tree on the other side that hangs over the bank and there, in the gathering gloom of dusk, was a massive owl perched on the edge of the branches, surprisingly exposed.

By its large size I was immediately thinking Giant Eagle Owl and a quick squizz through the binoculars confirmed the diagnostic pink eyelids of the bird now known as Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, annoyingly because those French naturalists had nothing to do with the discovery nor naming of the bird.

The Giant Eagle Owl normally spends its days perched inside a leafy tree along a watercourse and they often begin their nightly hunting forays along an open, dry riverbed.

So perhaps my Lifer Giant Eagle Owl was eager to get going with what would have been its ‘breakfast’. For which I was very grateful and shall always remember my first sighting of what is truly a magnificently impressive bird. Not for nothing are they known as the Martial Eagles of the night sky.

The Paphukulu road runs along the south-western border of Ndumo and is always a very interesting drive as the sand forest and dense thorn thicket of the central regions of the reserve grades into dry savanna woodland, a more bushveld type area dominated by Knobthorn Acacias.

On that steamy February day, there were typical savanna woodland birds present like the Eurasian Bee-Eater, Masked Weaver, Redbacked Shrike, Cardinal Woodpecker, African Hoopoe, Little Bee-Eater, Sabota Lark and Crested Francolin.

The boundary fenceposts along the Paphukulu road are always worth keeping an eye on and Pallid Flycatcher, which is found in the Acacia woodlands of Zululand but is replaced by the Marico Flycatcher in that habitat further west, was spotted as well and then further down the road an interesting-looking raptor was seen perched.

It was a medium-sized brown bird, initial thoughts revolving around a Steppe Buzzard, which often perch on these fence poles. But this bird seemed a bit bigger and then, when it turned around to show its underparts they were all-rufous brown with no hint of white on the breast.

It was an immature Jackal Buzzard, which is not often seen in the tropical north-eastern lowveld, but juveniles do sometimes wander over from the escarpment, in this case probably the nearby (less than 100km) Lebombo Mountains.

An immature Steppe Buzzard was seen later on and Sombre Bulbuls also make their way into this area, on the fringes of the thorn thicket.

Icterine Warbler was also seen in the thorn trees close to the Giant Eagle Owl spot, a good sighting because it is scarce in these parts and sparsely distributed in KwaZulu-Natal as a whole.

The next day, on a small track leading to the NRC Picnic Spot, an even more seclusive but much bigger warbler was spotted. The Olivetree Warbler is a very uncommon and often overlooked Mediterranean summer visitor and I managed to get a glimpse of one foraging in a dense grove of acacias.

Heading back from west-to-east on the Paphukulu-Balemhlanga roads, the more open knobthorn woodlands allowed one to tick other typical bushveld gems like African Cuckoo and both the Eurasian and Lilacbreasted Roller.

It’s an under-rated but always good drive. Ndumo is more famous for the Nyamithi Pan and its guided walks.

But on this occasion in mid-summer, the pan was full to the brim, meaning a much lower waterbird count. There were egrets patrolling the shoreline and Wiretailed Swallows flew overhead along with passing groups of Trumpeter Hornbills.

Closer observation of the fringes of the pan, with bushy cover now right up to the edge of the water, provided sightings of Purple and Greenbacked Heron and Water Dikkop. Where there were some muddy edges, Wood Sandpiper was seen.

African Fish Eagles were seen in the Fever Trees on the other side of the pan, while both Pied and Giant Kingfisher were present, and a Hamerkop came yelping past as Hippopotamus frolicked in the water.

The road back from Nyamithi Pan to camp takes one past the reserve’s vulture restaurant, an open patch in which carcasses of deceased large mammals like Giraffe are dumped. There’s almost always something interesting hanging around and occasionally some real specials wander into this area.

On this occasion a Lesser Spotted Eagle, a Palearctic migrant which, given its preference for savanna and open woodland you wouldn’t fancy seeing at Ndumo, was strolling around on the ground. A real raptor special.

A Reedbuck was also pottering around.

The most famous of the Ndumo guided walks is probably North Pongolo, which takes one through the climax riverine forest of the beautiful dark brown river that has flown from Utrecht in Northern Natal, crossed the Lebombo Mountains and is now close to its confluence with the Usutu and its journey to Maputo Bay.

But the fullness of the Nyamithi Pan was a hint to the conditions of the Pongolo floodplain in general and the North Pongolo forest had been flooded and was temporarily off the roster for guided walks.

So instead a guide and I went to Shokwe Pan, an ear-shaped, generally shallower pan nearly seven kilometres long and in the western portion of Ndumo.

This turned out to be an excellent move because we came across, there in the thickets below the majestic Sycamore Fig trees, an African Broadbill, one of the Ndumo specials that is especially challenging to find.

But on this occasion this largely black, grey, brown and white oddity was just sitting on its display perch and allowed us to approach close enough for me to get a photo.

Other typical forest birds seen at Shokwe were Squaretailed Drongo, Collared Sunbird and Blackheaded Oriole, while Samango Monkey were enjoying themselves high in the trees, keeping their distance as they usually do.

A couple of Darter flew over and there were also a few flocks of Whitefaced Duck which passed by.

The route to and from camp, which is in the south-east of the park, to Shokwe takes you right through the centre of Ndumo and the densest, most impenetrable thickets probably anywhere in the country.

Detailed map of Ndumo

Birding is difficult but there are always surprises for the keen-eyed.

On this occasion the biggest surprise was coming around a corner and finding a thorn tree had toppled over and was blocking the road. Refusing to be denied my route through the wonderful sand forest in the middle of the park, prime birdwatching territory and known for the rare birds that are in residence, I was forced to tow the offending tree out of the road with my car!

My determination was partly rewarded with good sightings of Crested Guineafowl, Orangebreasted Bush Shrike, Dwarf Mongoose and Scimitarbilled Woodhoopoe, while little pans secluded in the forest provided Woollynecked Stork, Common Sandpiper and Greenspotted Dove.

The woodlands on the southern, hilly side of the park are also rich in birdlife. In the thickets and rank grass under the trees one gets the beautiful Melba Finch busily going about its business, normally with a Rattling Cisticola shouting the odds nearby. Neddicky (especially where there are fallen trees), Bronze Mannikin and Common and Blue Waxbill share this habitat too and Tawnyflanked Prinia is often around as well.

Bleating Warbler prefers thicker cover and will often call from a perch two-to-three metres up a tree. While looking for this secretive little bird, the likes of Paradise, Spotted and Black Flycatchers, Redfaced and Speckled Mousebird, Longbilled Crombec, Brownhooded Kingfisher, Puffback, Blackbellied Starling, Crowned Hornbill, Southern Black Tit and Purplecrested Lourie can also be spotted in the trees.

Searching carefully in the canopies threw up African Green Pigeon and Eurasian Golden Oriole.

Birding around the main camp, set in typical Maputaland woodland, is also good and the highlights from there on this trip were a Lanner Falcon, a regionally threatened bird that happened to fly by, probably heading to nearby grasslands to forage, while I was patiently watching the sky from my camp chair, and a Grey Sunbird, an Important Bird Area trigger species, that popped in for some nectar from the flowering hedge and a drink from a birdbath.

Where is Ndumo Game Reserve?

Sightings List

Blackeyed Bulbul

Blue Wildebeest

Nyala

Impala

Lesser Striped Swallow

Whitebrowed Robin

Kurrichane Thrush

Yelloweyed Canary

Chinspot Batis

Moreau’s Tropical House Gecko

Giraffe

Crowned Hornbill

Southern Black Tit

Eastern Coastal Skink

Redeyed Dove

Neddicky

Melba Finch

Spotted Flycatcher

African Green Pigeon

Rattling Cisticola

Redfaced Mousebird

Black Flycatcher

Common Waxbill

Blue Waxbill

Warthog

Common Sandpiper

Crested Guineafowl

Orangebreasted Bush Shrike

Hadeda Ibis

Forktailed Drongo

Vervet Monkey

Dwarf Mongoose

Scimitarbilled Woodhoopoe

Woollynecked Stork

Longbilled Crombec

Greenspotted Dove

Tawnyflanked Prinia

Great White Egret

Cattle Egret

Brownhooded Kingfisher

Lesser Spotted Eagle

Paradise Flycatcher

Speckled Mousebird

Bleating Warbler

Puffback

Blackbellied Starling

Wiretailed Swallow

Eurasian Golden Oriole

African Fish Eagle

Reedbuck

Purplecrested Lourie

Bronze Mannikin

Pallid Flycatcher

Jackal Buzzard

Sombre Bulbul

Eurasian Bee-Eater

Masked Weaver

Redbacked Shrike

Cardinal Woodpecker

Icterine Warbler

Giant Eagle Owl

African Hoopoe

Little Bee-Eater

Sabota Lark

Crested Francolin

Fierynecked Nightjar

Spotted Dikkop

Scrub Hare

Lanner Falcon

Squaretailed Drongo

Samango Monkey

Darter

Whitefaced Duck

Collared Sunbird

African Broadbill

Blackheaded Oriole

Goldenbreasted Bunting

Olivetree Warbler

Southern Boubou

Cape Turtle Dove

Burchell’s Coucal

Plains Zebra

Eurasian Swallow

Steppe Buzzard

African Cuckoo

Eurasian Roller

Red Bishop

Lilacbreasted Roller

Trumpeter Hornbill

Egyptian Goose

Sacred Ibis

Purple Heron

Greenbacked Heron

Water Dikkop

Wood Sandpiper

Pied Kingfisher

Giant Kingfisher

Hippopotamus

Hamerkop

Grey Sunbird

Ndumo Game Reserve 0

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Ken

One of the main delights of birdwatching is the thrill of the hunt, tracking down your target, especially if it happens to be a lifer!

Going to Ndumo Game Reserve, on the Mozambique border in northern Zululand, about 60km from the coast is an absolute thrill in itself and something I do every summer. The remoteness is a big plus … even though you are aware there are other people around, you never see them! The last few years have not brought any lifers in amongst the hordes of birds, but this year was different!

While the wife – on her first camping trip with me! – was having a mid-day nap (yes, I wore her out with all the birding), I was pottering around camp, spotting what I could.

The Whitecrested Helmetshrike – one of our fluttery companions on our guided walk … and one of my favourite birds

The scream of a Goldentailed Woodpecker alerted me to its presence in the trees a little way from our camp, but then we had a very special visitor in a Neergaard’s Sunbird in the tree in front of me. He hopped around quite low for a bit, giving me probably my best ever views of this sought-after bird that is restricted to the tropical east coast.

Shortly thereafter, there seemed to be a lot of activity going on up towards the car park so I thought I’d go have a squizz. Four Crowned Hornbill were dashing around in animated fashion so I kept my eye on them … They were mobbing a small raptor and actually chasing it.

I followed the melee for a good 300 metres, from tree-to-tree, the raptor often hiding in thick leaves on top of the trees … before it was eventually driven away from the main camp.

But the telltale grey back, brownish streaks below and heavily banded tail left me in no doubt that I had my first Sooty Falcon. It was a juvenile, but to get it in such exciting fashion also made it a special sighting.

Arriving on April 10, the bush was actually pretty quiet and most of the summer migrants had already left, although I did get a good sighting of a female Diederick Cuckoo sitting on a stump on our way to the main camp on the first afternoon.

The ubiquitous Nyala was the first creature we saw and we had a lovely Pale Flycatcher as our companion at our campsite.

The first morning was spent driving around the acacia woodland in the south-west and we spotted Green Pigeon, Bearded Woodpecker, Crested Guineafowl and Striped Kingfisher, as well as Giraffe, Red Duiker and Kudu among the more common animals.

We had our first look at Nyamithi Pan that afternoon and, although it sounded rather quiet walking down to the hide through the prickly sand forest, accompanied by our ever-present B52 dragonflies, the water levels were receding and there was quite a bit of life around.

Stacks of Yellowbilled Stork were nesting in the Fever Trees on the far side of the pan, while a couple of Pied Avocet, sweeping side-to-side, were a highlight. Wiretailed Swallow had a nest in the hide and there were also Openbilled Stork, Glossy Ibis, Squacco Heron, Woollynecked Stork, Pinkbacked Pelican (sharing the Yellowbilled’s tree) and Purple Heron.

The second morning was spent driving through the sand forest to Red Cliffs, where we had the traditional breakfast overlooking the Usuthu River and Mozambique, at one of the most tranquil spots on earth!

There initially weren’t many birds around though, apart from a White-Eared Barbet sitting high above the river, but then a bird party arrived and Fantailed Flycatcher and Black Saw-Wing Swallow were among the busyness.

On the way back to camp, I finally spotted a Whitebrowed Scrub Robin, which had been calling from hidden lairs for ages, and was interested to note very cinnamon flanks – a bit like the ovamboensis sub-species of northern Mozambique and eastern Zimbabwe.

After the thrill of Neergaard’s Sunbird and Sooty Falcon at main camp, we returned to Nyamithi Pan without adding much except some European Swallows which were still around. We did some night driving to see what we could spot before 6pm and, as I turned the car around to head back to camp, there frozen in the headlights, not much bigger than a cat and standing on spindly little legs, was a Suni! It was only my second sighting of this elusive miniature antelope!

We did a guided walk to Paradise Pan, a north-eastern extension of Nyamithi, on our final morning and, on the drive down, spotted Lesser Blackwinged Plover and Palmnut Vulture where we always get them, at the vulture restaurant.

We went on foot from the second hide at Nyamithi, almost immediately flushing a Blackcrowned Night Heron. Water was not flowing over the concourse where the crocodiles normally wait but, in the pool below were two African Finfoot who dashed off in great alarm in a splash of wings and big orange feet.

There was also a Goliath Heron nearby and, after passing a quiet, but promising-looking Paradise Pan, we walked along the shore of Nyamithi Pan, passing close to the trees where all the Yellowbilled Stork, Pinkbacked Pelican and Whitebreasted Cormorant were nesting and allowed us a remarkably close approach without kicking up much fuss.

A delightful group of Whitecrowned Helmetshrikes were our fluttery companions for a while, before Joseph, our excellent guide, spotted that the “wood sandpiper” we were looking at didn’t have the white eyebrow extending beyond the eye – making it a very exciting Green Sandpiper. I was thinking it looked quite dark for its more common cousin, which was lurking just a little further along.

Kittlitz’s Plover was also present in the drying mud, while Yellowbilled Egret completed the set of egrets for us and we were able to marvel at the efficiency of dung beetles in turning piles of warthog poo into finely cut slivers of grass!

On the way back, I spotted Bluecheeked Bee-Eaters wheeling about and there was another sighting of Finfoot! Even Joseph was excited.

The final packing up at camp yielded Scarletchested Sunbird and one last look at the trees at the office yielded two favourites – Plumcoloured Starling and Yellow White-Eye.

A Bateleur was a farewell present from one of my favourite places on earth.

Sightings list

Nyala

Blackbacked Puffback

Crowned Hornbill

Impala

Diederick Cuckoo

Southern Black Flycatcher

Kurrichane Thrush

Blue Wildebeest

Forktailed Drongo

Crested Francolin

Pale Flycatcher

Vervet Monkey

Yellowbreasted Apalis

Blackeyed Bulbul

Spurwinged Goose

Chinspot Batis

Green Pigeon

Emeraldspotted Wood Dove

Rattling Cisticola

Southern Greyheaded Sparrow

Bearded Woodpecker

Giraffe

Warthog

Sombre Bulbul

Red Duiker

Crested Guineafowl

Greenbacked Camaroptera

Blue Waxbill

Lilacbreasted Roller

Yellowbilled Hornbill

Blackshouldered Kite

Whitefronted Bee-Eater

Yellowfronted Canary

Spottedbacked Weaver

Striped Kingfisher

Plains Zebra

Redfaced Mousebird

Cardinal Woodpecker

Striped Skink

Yellowthroated Sparrow

Whitebellied Sunbird

Little Swift

Southern Black Tit

Hadeda Ibis

Kudu

Crowned Plover

Greenbacked Heron

Yellowbilled Stork

Whitebreasted Cormorant

Egyptian Goose

Pied Avocet

Nile Crocodile

Blackwinged Stilt

Wiretailed Swallow

Sacred Ibis

Great White Egret

Blacksmith Plover

Whitefaced Duck

African Spoonbill

Openbilled Stork

Grey Heron

Hippopotamus

Glossy Ibis

Squacco Heron

Woollynecked Stork

Pinkbacked Pelican

Pied Kingfisher

Purple Heron

Gymnogene

Common Scimitarbill

White Helmetshrike

African Pied Wagtail

Threebanded Plover

White-Eared Barbet

Collared Sunbird

Fantailed Flycatcher

Paradise Flycatcher

Longbilled Crombec

Trumpeter Hornbill

Black Saw-Wing Swallow

Goldenbreasted Bunting

Whitebrowed Scrub Robin

Common Duiker

Goldentailed Woodpecker

Neergaard’s Sunbird

Sooty Falcon

Redeyed Dove

European Swallow

Suni

Lesser Blackwinged Plover

Palmnut Vulture

Blackcrowned Night Heron

African Finfoot

Goliath Heron

Hamerkop

Black Crake

African Fish Eagle

Redbilled Woodhoopoe

Green Sandpiper

Kittlitz’s Plover

Wood Sandpiper

Little Egret

Yellowbilled Egret

Slender Mongoose

Grassveld Pipit

Nile Monitor

Common Sandpiper

Bluecheeked Bee-Eater

Scarletchested Sunbird

Speckled Mousebird

Plumcoloured Starling

Yellow White-Eye

Bateleur

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Thought of the Day

    Ephesians 4:15 – “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.”

    “When you become a Christian, you start a new life with new values and fresh objectives. You no longer live to please yourself, but to please God. The greatest purpose in your life will be to serve others. The good deeds that you do for others are a practical expression of your faith.

    “You no longer live for your own pleasure. You must be totally obedient to the will of God.” – Solly Ozrovech, A Shelter From The Storm

    The goal of my life must be to glorify and please the Lord. I need to grow into Christ-likeness!



↑ Top