Eastern South Africa
Eastern South Africa
Sunbirds, Hornbills and Cuckoos! December 29, 2008 - January 9, 2009
Reservations and prepayment are required on all Ventures. Your place on this Venture will be reserved when your deposit of $300 has been received. Please make your check payable to VENTURES, Inc. and send it to this address or call the office with your VISA or MasterCard #.
Limited to 11 participants.
KwaZulu-Natal, the heartland of the Zulu nation, offers subtropical birding with good mammal watching. We visit coastal forests and bird-rich reserves where specials such as the delicate Pink-throated Twinspot and the mystical Pel's Fishing Owl can be found. We will visit globally threatened grasslands in the Wakkerstroom area to look for the endangered Rudd's Lark, Blue Swallow and Yellow-breasted Pipit, while four species of bustard and three cranes are likely to distract us! Southern Bald Ibis and Bearded Vulture are likely in the Drakensberg's. We'll spend 3 days exploring the Krueger which offers not only good chances of encountering "Big 5" game, including lion, elephant and leopard, but also has a total birdlist of over 500 birds.
With the recent publication of Birds of Southern Africa, there is not a better time to visit this wonderfully diverse, yet safe African nation. Our accommodation will be comfortable and convenient to the best birding spots. The food is excellent and the people very friendly. If you have never been to Southern Africa before, this trip to the Cape will open your eyes to the beauty and diversity that is South Africa.
Leader: Mark Welford
$4399 per person with single room supplement of $350
Price includes: All transportation throughout (with driver), all accommodation, all meals, entrance fees and gratuities (except for leader/guide), trip information, packet & bird checklist, and guide/leader service throughout.
Not included: Round-trip airfare from the US to South Africa, airport departure tax, alcoholic beverages, any meals specified in the itinerary, laundry, and other items of a personal nature.
The maximum group size with 1 leader and a local guide is 11 persons. Deadline for application is 20 October 2008.
List of Birds We Hope to See (in addition to those named above):
Drakensberg Rock-jumper, Cape Parrot, Cape Grassbird, Spotted Ground-Thrush, Narina Trogon, Neergard's Sunbird, African Broadbill, Ground Woodpecker, Bush Blackcap, Broad-billed Roller, African Cuckoo-Hawk, African Pygmy-Goose, Thick-billed Cuckoo, Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Pennant-winged Nightjar, Southern Ground-Hornbill..
Day 1 Durban to Sani Pass
After picking up participants in Durban we will head for our first stop
in Creighton - entrance to the Sani Pass. If we have time we'll search for the
critically-endangered Cape Parrot, and try for the following: Black-rumped
Buttonquail, Knysna Turaco and Southern Bald Ibis. Night in Creighton at
Smithfield or Craignesh Guest House.
Day 2 Sani Pass
The spectacular Sani Pass is an essential stop on any endemic-hunter's
birding tour. Sightings of Drakensberg Rock-jumper, Gurney's Sugarbird and
Drakensberg Siskin are almost guaranteed on a day trip up the pass in summer.
Night in Creighton at Smithfield or Craignesh Guest House.
Day 3 Eshowe
Leaving Creighton we will head 150 km north-east of Durban to Eshowe.
Eshowe boasts excellent forest birding and at Dlinza - the only forest canopy
walkway in South Africa. We will search for the elusive Eastern Bronze-naped
Pigeon and Spotted Ground-Thrush. Moreover, the Green Twinspot, Chorister
Robin-Chat, Grey Cuckooshrike, Cape Batis and Olive Sunbird are all possible in
the forest patches at Dlinza. Night in Eshowe B&B.
Day 4 St. Lucia
Lake St. Lucia is one of the most important breeding areas for water
birds in South Africa, and offers access to the East Coast littoral endemics. We
will search for Great White and Pink-backed Pelicans, Saddle-billed,
Yellow-billed and Wooly-necked Storks, Goliath Heron and Mangrove Kingfisher
along the waterways. In the dune forests we'll look for Southern Banded
Snake-Eagle, Livingstone's and Purple-crested Turacos and Woodward's Batis,
while in the coastal grasslands we'll search for African Pygmy-Goose and
Rosy-breasted Longclaw. Finally we'll bird the western shores looking for
African Broadbill. Night in St Lucia Wetlands B&B.
Day 5 St. Lucia to Mkhuze
After an early morning picking up birds we missed yesterday, we'll be
off to Mkhuze - the mecca of southern African birders. Not only are the birds
relatively easy to see - yet Mkhuze boasts a list of 450 bird species. Its
specialties include Pel's Fishing Owl, Neergaard's Sunbird and Pink-throated
Twinspot. Night in Mkuze Game Reserve. We'll bird their Sand Forest the home of
Narina Trogon, Sombre and Yellow-bellied Greenbuls, and the Twinspot. Night in
Mkuze Game Reserve.
Day 6 Mkhuze
We'll explore the famous Fig Forest Walk looking for Eastern Nicator,
Rudd's Apalis, and if we're lucky locate the White-eared Barbet and its
brood-parasite - the Scaly-throated Honeyguide. Mixed-species flocks also occur
along the trail and hopefully we'll be treated to Square-tailed Drongo,
Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher, Grey Tit-Flycatcher and Collared Sunbird. In
Mhkuze's open savannah known as 'bushveld' we will search for vultures, Bateleur,
and Martial Eagle, as well as, Black-bellied Bustard, Grey-headed Bush-Shrike
and Bushveld Pipit. Before retreating to bed - we'll participate in a night
drive and look for African Scops-Owl, Spotted Eagle-Owl, Pearl-spotted and
Barred Owlets, and Fiery-necked Nightjar. Night in Mkuze Game Reserve.
Day 7 Drive to Wakkerstroom
Today we will drive to Wakkerstroom to try and locates its famous larks
and pipits. As we approach the sleepy village we search for Barrow's Korhaan,
Black-bellied and Denham's Bustards and Black-winged Lapwing. Night in
Wakkerstroom at Beautiful Just B&B.
Day 8 Wakkerstoom
We will spend all day looking for francolins, korhaans, chats, larks,
pipits and wheatears, and hopefully locate the endemic Yellow-breasted Pipit and
Rudd's and Botha's Lark. In the early evening we'll look for African Grass-Owl.
We should also find Ground Woodpecker, Sentinel Rock-Thrush, Amur Falcon, Banded
Martin and Bush Blackcap. Night in Wakkerstroom at Beautiful Just B&B.
Days 9, 10 and 11 Kruger NP
We will drive to Kruger National Park and begin our four-day,
three-night exploration of this incredible park. Nights in Kruger National Park.
Apart from its impressive mammal list (it has the big five), Krueger boasts a bird list in excess of 500 species. The park is a safe haven for a number of the region's larger birds including; Saddle-billed Stork, Hooded, White-backed, Lappet-faced and White-headed Vultures, Tawny and Martial Eagles, Bateleur, Kori Bustard and Southern Ground-Hornbill. Other species with a limited distribution in southern Africa that occur here include; Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Greater Blue-eared Starling, Meves's Starling, Retz's Helmet-Shrike, Bearded Scrub-Robin, Thick-billed Cuckoo and African Finfoot. Birds common in the bushveld include Golden-breasted Starling, Lilac-breasted Roller, Woodland Kingfisher, Senegal Lapwing and Burnt-necked Eremomela. In the mesic broad-leaved woodland we can expect to find Grey Penduline-Tit, Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird and Groundscraper Thrush. Around the koppies we might locate Gorgeous Bush-Shrike and White-throated Robin-Chat. In the open savannah we'll look for Ostrich, Secretarybird, and palearctic visitors such as Montagu's and Pallid Harrier, Steppe and Lesser Spotted Eagles. Along the river floodplains and river banks of the reserve we might find Horus Swift, Mottled and Bohms Spinetail, African Crowned Eagle, Common Scimitarbill, Purple Indigobird and its host, Jameson's Firefinch. This is in addition to Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Mosque Swallow, White-breasted Cuckooshrike and Grey-headed Parrot. A night drive anywhere in the park may also produce Fiery-necked, Square-tailed and European Nightjars. In the rocky areas, night drives may produce Freckled and Pennant-winged Nightjars. Furthermore, Verreaux's and Spotted Eagle-Owls are common throughout the park.
Day 12 Kruger to Johannesburg
We will drive to Jo'burg and connect with US bound flights.
Due
to weather and other conditions, this itinerary is subject to change.