Today was the day to improve the birding list as we planned to leave at 5:30am and head north to Pafuri as quickly as we could. It is about 45 kms to the Luvuvhu River bridge. We did a stop and scan at the Klopperfontein Dam again (though nothing exciting) and then we headed north. Almost immediately we got into the Pafuri region we started to see birds everywhere. It is just incredible and every time we are here I am blown away by the bird life and the diversity. I think it is the best place I have birded in South Africa so far (though Mkhuze and Hluluwe are not far behind). First bird we saw was a lifer for H & O – Meve’s Starling and the morning just continued in that vain.
Unfortunately the bridge over the river did not yield us any specials – Bohm’s Spinetail and Pel’s Fishiing Owl are the two we were really hoping for – but then we headed east toward the border of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa. This spot is called Crook’s Corner because a crook in the late 1800s and early 1900s would head to this spot. There was a beacon in the middle of the Limpopo River which marks the corner of the 3 countries and the crook used to go there and sit on the beacon and watch the lawmen argue over who had jurisdiction to arrest the crook. Eventually they would abandon the argument and head off home leaving the crook to pick which country he/she wanted to head into.
The bird life in this narrow stretch along the Limpopo River is simply incredible. Things you can’t see elsewhere in South Africa you find in this small strip. We went to Crook’s Corner and on route M hit the big 500 lifers with a Broad Billed Roller. We then headed back to the picnic spot which is on the Limpopo River and probably one of the nicest picnic spots in the Kruger Park. On route some more lifers were picked up by H & O. At the picnic spot someone pointed out another lifer for all of us including me – Black-throated Wattle Eye. This was one the birds that evaded us on our KZN road trip last year. It was sitting on its nest. That was lifer 3 for me on the trip. The lifers just kept coming for H & O yesterday morning including ones as we headed back to Punda Maria. They are both over 20 lifers for the trip now.
We got back just before midday and got Miss I off for her nap and the rest of us went to take it easy as well. Unfortunately the sickness that O had which went briefly to Miss I has now moved to M. So he decided to skip the evening drive and stayed in camp instead. The other 4 of us headed out at 3:45pm and did the Mahonie loop around the camp. It is a 25km circular route and it yielded another lifer for me (and when that happens it is generally a lifer for everyone). Disappointing for M but then he messaged to say he had seen a lifer of his own in the camp. Made us feel less bad. I finished the day on 193 birds for the trip.
We did steak on the braai for dinner which we then sliced and made into a steak salad. It was a nice way to finish off an excellent day.
P, M (he made 500 on a day he was sick so deserves 2nd spot), H, O & I
PS: I know I am behind – signal bad and hoping to catch up soon.