Satara to Shingwedzi

Posted on by Peter

We changed camps today and it was a 160 km drive. That doesn’t sound long if you think you can travel at 100 or 120 km/h but inside the Kruger that is at least a 6 hour drive (depending on your sightings). We decided to leave at around 6am this morning as we headed north to Shingwedzi (our base for the next 5 nights). It was overcast for the first hour or so of the drive and that definitely affects birding. We did see a number of black-backed jackal which given the length of the grass is quite nice to see. We realised how quickly and easily they disappeared into the grass as they crossed the road and ran off into the distance. We also saw to giraffe fighting which is always fascinating to see.

We stopped at Letaba for breakfast which was at around 8:30am (perfect timing for breakfast) and after a quick visit to the shop, we headed off again north with the idea our next stop would be at Mopani. Mopani overlooks a dam and there usually is good bird life though we were somewhat disappointed today as the dam was very full and the bird life significantly diminished. H did manage to spot and I identified a lifer for M&O though so not an entirely unfruitful stop. It was also 31 degrees at this point and some of us wanted an ice cream so it was also actually a necessary stop. The last section was from Mopani to Shingwedzi which is just over 60 kms. The last section of that road runs along the river so you usually get both good bird life and game viewings. That was the same as today as we saw a Kruger Park rarity – Grey-headed Gull – and then also buffalo on the river banks.

We got to Shingwedzi around 1:30pm and after a long drive we had no plans to do anything but just stay in the camp for the balance of the day. Miss I had an afternoon nap (she did extremely well in the drive today for a 2.5 year old) and then the 4 of them went swimming. I just wanted to stay in the air-conditioned bedroom! Our house at Shingwedzi overlooks the river and it is probably the most water I have seen in the river in all the years of coming here. It is quite relaxing to just sit on a bench and watch the game and birds.

Something is always going on and this evening while we had just started the braai, H came running in to say a crocodile had a waterbuck in its jaws. I got outside just as the waterbuck managed to free itself from the croc and thereafter a standoff ensued. The croc looking straight at the waterbuck and the waterbuck looking straight back and neither doing anything. You would think the waterbuck would have just taken off but no it stayed for the standoff for probably around an hour until when the crocodile went back into the water and then the waterbuck wandered off with a slight limp (not fatal I think). One lucky waterbuck I think.

If you look closely you will see the croc and the waterbuck

Dinner of braai’d chicken and boerewors and potato and butternut done in the fire. At this point the sweat was pouring down everywhere and I desperately needed a shower and to get into the room with the aircon going. A shower definitely did the trick (along with the very cool bedroom) and now ready to sleep.

Until tomorrow …

P, I (because she was such a good girl in the car today), O (feeling sorry for her as she is unwell which isn’t easy in the heat and managing a 2.5 year old), M (for starting the fire today) & H

Satara Day 2

Posted on by Peter

We left again this morning at 5:30am. We decided to head north and then west to the Timbavati picnic spot. It takes you through the open plains north of Satara which are known for large herds of impala, zebra and wildebeest and then because of those, lions are usually nearby. In my family, these sorts of piece of knowledge that I share are often scorned and mocked when neither materialize but this morning wasn’t one of those days. About 10 km out of Satara we came upon a number of cars and very quickly could see why – a pride of 6 lions littering the road. And they were doing anything except to block the traffic. They all looked very healthy and in good condition and the male especially looked in excellent condition. Clearly being well fed from the large herds around. After watching them for some time, we decided to move on but to get past wasn’t easy as you had to navigate past the lions and the cars. We did it successfully without driving over a lion or two fortunately!

We had coffee and hot chocolate at the Timbavati picnic spot which overlooks the Timbavati River and then we drove up to the Ratel Pan Hide. There wasn’t much to be seen at the hide so we headed back south to Satara and back to the camp. We did add a number of birds to the trip list including some lifers for some people (none for me).

Back at Satara, after we had breakfast (French Toast for those wondering made by yours truly), we went for a bird walk and again added quite a few birds. H maintains that you can come to Kruger Park and just stay in the camp and bird watch and you’ll see everything. That is somewhat true but you will still struggle with some categories of birds (like water birds, vultures etc). Her argument was somewhat strengthened today though when M&O added a number of lifers from inside the camp.

M, I & H didn’t come on the evening game drive and instead went for a swim while M & myself headed due south with the aim of going to the Kumala Dam. Shortly after we left camp we saw a lot of cars parked on a road heading east and after a quick chat to one inhabitant we saw the lion (well known around here and named Casper) lying on his back with his paws in the air. We realised he wasn’t planning on going anywhere and given the excellent sighting this AM of the lions on the road, we reckoned it wasn’t worth staying. That proved true because when we returned about an hour later he was still sleeping. We did also get to see buffalo on the evening drive so M & I had a 3 of the big 5 game day.

M & I were worried that by the time we had gotten to the dam and turned around to come back that we hand’t even added one bird to our list for the trip but fortunately on the way back we did add to the trip list. H was in the lead but I am not longer sure she is after M & my trip this evening. I am now on 123 birds for the trip so far. Last year it took us 3 days to get to 123 birds so we are definitely better than last year.

Mandatory braai for dinner – this time Ostrich Steak which we then used to make steak salad and then off to bed as we have an early start and long drive tomorrow as we head north to our next camp. In case you’re wondering what sort of accommodation we have at Satara – pic below – it is a 3-bedroom house with a kitchen, lounge and dining room and a lovely outside veranda.

Until tomorrow

P, M (came on the evening drive with me), H (found some lifers for people today), I (gave grandpa a big hug before bed tonight) & O

Satara Day 1

Posted on by Peter

The gates open at 4:30am in January. We decided that might be a little early so we agreed to leave at sunrise which was 5:25am. Everyone seemed to have a good nights sleep even though one of us was awake at 3:45am and so could easily have done an hours drive by himself before coming back to fetch the rest of the family. It did go through my mind while lying in my bed at that time.

We aimed to do our usual ‘first day at Satara’ route which is to take the the S100 out toward the Mozambique border and then when you get as far east as you can go, we briefly turn north to the Gudzai dam to do some birding and then turn back south to N’wanetzi picnic spot (for coffee) and then Sweni Bird Hide and then back to Satara using the tar road. It is usually rewarding for both game and birds. This morning the birds did not disappoint though the game was a lot more sparse and we are yet to see any predators. The grass is so long and green that I reckon a lion could be lying right next to the road and you wouldn’t see it. We did though see a lifer for all of us (including me) – African Golden Oriole – and then O & M added another – Blue-cheeked Bee-eater. Most impressive is that the bee-eater was on the same road that I saw one last year for the first time and it was a target bird for M&O for the trip.

We did stop for a toilet and coffee break at N’wanetzi. It also has a lovely viewpoint over the Sweni River. We then tried to go to the Sweni Bird Hide only to find it closed and under construction. Quite disappointing as it usually is a great hide. We headed back to camp and got back around 9:45am after just over a 4-hour drive. Little Miss I did very well and was entertained by animals, her parents and only right at the end of the drive by an iPad. The best moment of the morning drive was H getting very excited by a potential bird she had seen only to say (when looking through the binoculars) ‘Oh that is a giraffe’s ears and not a bird’.

We did a short walk around the camp when we got back and added some more birds to the trip list. We are all on slightly different totals at this point as we have at times all seen different things. We are all roughly around the 80s – I am on 87. I think H is currently the one with the most. We all came back so that I could have a nap and then H headed for a nap and then M&O went awol. Only the one who woke at 3:45am was still up at one point as I wasn’t sure when the car delivery would take place and definitely didn’t want to miss that!

We did finally get a new car at around 2:45pm. It is a much better car and the back windows open so that problem is finally resolved. Not that it was an easy task to do as the people simply seemed somewhat disinterested in customer service. My PA harassed them the whole day to get it sorted. After we exchanged cars the lady who dropped the one off called me again and said there was a chip in the windscreen. I went to go and check it and there is no way that anyone would have seen it unless you were purposefully looking for an issue. I would also say it is highly unlikely it came from us though not sure we would have known because the windscreen was dirty when we took it. Word of advice to anyone reading this blog – don’t use Europcar even if they are cheaper – not worth the money.

We headed out for our evening game drive at around 3:30pm. It is a standard loop that H and I do when we are staying at Satara. Game was again sparse except we saw a hyena though we did see all the standard game i.e. elephant, zebra, impala etc. Not sure we have kudu as yet though (or not that I can remember) which is highly unusual. We did have some good birding again though and H & I added to our lifer count. We now have H on 5, O on 4 and M & myself on 2. H crossed the 100 mark for birds on the trip (in just over 24 hours) – the rest of us are behind by around 5-7 (she did a little sneaky walk by herself and added a number of birds).

Back to the camp for our evening braai. While I was just getting the braai going, I look up and right next to the fence is a hyena. Clearly could smell the fire and came to check up on what he/she might be able to obtain. I managed to get a photo but didn’t manage to call M & O in time before it walked off. Dinner was chicken, boerewors, gem squash & potatoes done on the braai along with some broccoli & feta. Then off to bed for hopefully a good nights rest for our 5:30am morning game drive.

Until tomorrow …

P, I (she was an expert driver today), M (spotting a lifer for me), H & O

Home to Satara

Posted on by Peter

Today we embarked on our annual 2 week trip which besides one year, has been to the Kruger Park since our 25th anniversary. This trip hasn’t had the easiest of starts though. Our son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter are accompanying us for the first time for the full trip (last year they did some days in the middle of the trip). At about 10pm last night, M messaged us to say I (granddaughter) was throwing up! That went on to past midnight and so when we picked them up on the way to the airport this morning there were two tired parents and 2.5 year old who seemed in perfect order.

The check in process was smooth and easy and then we went to the lounge. Much to M’s delight, he could take me into a lounge at the airport which I could not get into for this particular flight (I can and do use it when flying other flights). Comments like “Don’t worry Dad I have got this one” and “Can I take my parents into this lounge with me as they don’t qualify by themselves” were flowing freely. It seemingly will be the highlight of M’s holiday. All this because he is Discovery believer and disciple. At least after 27 years and 18 days he has done something for H & I that we benefited from.

When we got to the boarding gate for our flight to Hoedspruit, the gate staff said there was a technical issue with the plane and they were going to have to swap out the plane but the one they would use was still on route from JHB and only landing 30 minutes after we were meant to depart. It was clear that we weren’t going to be on time. In the end we left 90 minutes late. That meant we were starting to run out of time to be able to get to the shops before they closed at 3pm. The gate staff were excellent and told us to go back to the lounge and he would call me when they were ready for boarding. I thought “no chance they are doing that” but sure enough my cellphone rang at just before 10am and they told us to come back to the gate. Then they couldn’t board us because they couldn’t get a bus to take us the plane. But what can you do, it is all out of your hands.

We purposed that I would go and quickly get the car while the rest of them collected the luggage. The problem was ‘quickly collect the car’. One customer in front of me and that took 10 minutes and I arrived mid-transaction. It was clear that quickly was not in their vocab. Then when she started with me, their computer system went down. And then she says, ‘oh I see you’ve booked a car chair but we don’t have one here, do you really need it’. At this point my patience is being tested and when I express that we are in somewhat of a hurry to get to the store before it closes, she offers to let me take the car without paperwork, without taking my credit card details and without a car chair. I accept and they bring the car around so we can pack it and head off. At this point M comes inside and points out that the rear windows don’t open at all of the Ford (basically a panel van) they are renting us. I point this out to the lady who replies “You can’t open your windows in the Kruger Park anyway”. Blood pressure rising quickly at this point. While typing this I am marveling at my own restraint actually. I pointed out to her that I have been going to the Kruger Park my whole life and I never gone and not opened the window. I did get them to agree to find us another car and to do a swap tomorrow. I then managed to contact my PA and she has done a wonderful job of getting them into gear and hopefully tomorrow we will get another car.

Off the shops to do our grocery buying (and some alcoholic beverages) and we met a guy in the parking area to give us a car chair (which they found who knows where – probably an employees own one from the looks of it). We had about 40 minutes to do the shopping before the store closed. At one stage we had 4 trolleys amongst the 5 of us – and I didn’t have one! We did remarkably well with a co-ordinated attack on the store and we got everything loaded into the car and headed toward the Kruger Park. We entered the Kruger around 4pm at the Orpen Gate. Our first camp is Satara and that is about 50 kms from the Orpen gate. The speed limit is only 50 km/h and given you’re going to stop for animals and birds, that would usually take around 1.5-2 hours (which is what we did it in).

All the usual game – elephant, giraffe, waterbuck, impala, wildebeest, zebra, steenbok, warthog, baboon and add to that the buffalo we saw from the plane before we landed, it meant a 2 of the Big 5 day. We did however manage to find one lifer for H & O – Banded Martin – which is also actually a Kruger Park rarity so a pretty good spot (I saw it, M identified it).

We got to Satara just before 6pm and I went and fetched our key and the rest went to the shop for some essentials (especially wood for the braai). I had an early supper and headed off the bed (it was a long day for a 2.5 year old but she did remarkably well the whole day but then again of course I’m biased). I (this time representing me not I) started the fire for the braai. We had lamb chops and sweet potato on the braai and H made a salad. A beer watching the fire burn down with the bush in the background and the birds calling … just what you need to forget the difficulties of the day.

I think I am the last one awake now and it is 9:30pm. Everyone is tired and of course we will be up early tomorrow for our morning game drive. My bird list after 2 hours in the park is 37 at this point.

Until tomorrow …

P, I (let’s face it a 2.5 year old putting up with all that today and being pretty good about it deserves 2nd spot on the blog), M (he did take me into the lounge which is worthy of place uplift), H & O

Drakensberg to Colesberg

Posted on by Peter

Breakfast at 7:30am so that we could hit the road as early as possible to start making our long way home. It is about 1400 kms from The Cavern back home. The route back is fairly straightforward as it is all pretty much on national roads which tend to be well maintained. We had 600 kms to cover today and our navigation system said it would be just under 6 hours. We hit the road just after 8:30am and after doing two stops (one to de-fuel and one for fuel), we arrived at our our accommodation for the night. The drive was pretty much uneventful (which is the way we like it!). We did drive past the Sterkfontein Dam (3rd largest dam in SA) and the colours were striking from the burnt bush to the emerald water and blue sky.

Sterkfontein Dam

We are staying at Tzamenkomst which is right on the Orange River. We stayed here last year on our route home and everyone loved it so we decided to do a repeat. B & S found it as they stayed here on their way home after my 50th birthday trip (which was during Covid times) so it is their 3rd visit. The sunset over the river looks exactly as it looks on their webpage.

A bottle of sparkling wine was secured from the bar so that we could celebrate the trip and especially the birding milestones of S (400 lifers), H (450 lifers), B (350 lifers), O (250 lifers). My trip list currently stands at 234 after adding a few more today (including one at a stop & go roadworks!).

Dinner tonight was in their dining hall and over dinner we did our usual reminiscing of the trip and sharing of highlights and lowlights. The general agreed highlights were:
– Mkhuze bird hide (Kamasinga)
– Lodge and bush walk with Siya (at Mpila)
– Drakensberg (The Cavern)
– Hilltop Camp and accommodation (and walk through the camp)

The general agreed lowlights were:
– 4×4 drive up north from Sodwana Bay to Lake Sibaya (we basically saw nothing because of the wind and the road was very enclosed)
– The wind (cold biting wind when we packed up and left Karoo NP, wind in Sodwana, wind as we drove into the Drakensberg and again this morning as we left). It seems August is a windy month in the places we visited.
– Accommodation at Mkhuze (bat in our room didn’t help that rating from H & I)
– Drive from Howick to Umhlanga (the trucks and road works)
– Dirt road from Sodwana to Jozini

One day of driving left tomorrow – 800kms. Breakfast at 7am and on the road as soon as possible after that. Unless something remarkable happens (which I am hoping it won’t!), I won’t likely blog tomorrow so until next time ….

P, H, S, B, A & O (she made the fatal error of trying to suggest I had made a factual error on the blog)


The Cavern

Posted on by Peter

We had breakfast at 8am. On walking back to our rooms after breakfast, S got lifer number 400! The hotel has various organised activities during the day. B, S & A went on an organised walk and H & I decided to do our own walk rather so we could bird. If you elect to do your own thing then you need to inform reception so that they can send out a search and rescue party if you don’t make it back for some reason. Our forest walk was meant to take 2 hours though not entirely sure how that is possible given H and I did a very slow walk as we were stopping for birds all the time and we made it back in an hour and 15 minutes. It was a lovely walk through the forest and up the mountain a bit so eventually you were almost in line with the canopy. We added some trippers and H added one lifer.

We relaxed for the balance of the morning in the room with H sitting on the balcony enjoying the sun before we start making our way back to rainy Cape Town. Lunch at 1pm was a buffet of salads, cottage pie and vegetable bobotie followed by apple pie and custard or ice cream & hot chocolate sauce. I lost track of how many deserts A at lunch today.

The Cavern

B, S, H & I went for an after lunch walk to the dams which are next to and below the hotel. It was on the start of the same route that they took for their organised walk but this time we could stop to do some birding. We all added one lifer and I managed to get another one (which H had actually gotten earlier in the trip already). My trip list is now at 228 birds and I have added 19 lifers. As you would have seen, H passed 450 lifers, S has now passed 400 lifers, B has passed 350 lifers. It has been a productive trip for all of us. I had hoped for 10 lifers on the trip (and thought that might be a stretch) so 19 with a total lifer count now of 579 is definitely way more than I could have hoped for.

Dinner was preceded tonight by drinks and snacks (snacks provided by hotel). 3-course dinner as last night with salad and cheese. The clear favourite on the food side seems to be the ice cream & chocolate sauce which has now been eaten at 3 of our 4 meals here and I reckon if it was served at breakfast then a few people (H & A particularly) would have had it then too.

We all agreed that we could easily have spent another day here.

Until tomorrow …

P, H, S (400 lifers!), B, O & ………………………. A

Sodwana Bay to The Cavern

Posted on by Peter

We packed up and headed toward the Drakensberg at around 8am. We chose not to drive back south to Durban and then west (all on national roads) and rather went with the cross KZN option. What we didn’t realise when selecting the route that the first bit of the route would be on gravel (around about 60kms). The first bit of the gravel road was fine but it did deteriorate later. We all felt for O and her back. What was evident from the others that the Landy handled the gravel much better than B’s Toyota. He was using words like ‘most road ever’ whereas H and didn’t think it was bad (in fact at one point H was doing some online shopping even on her cellphone).

The route took us through places like Jozini, Dundee and Ladysmith. We stopped at Jozini for refuel at the BP. That was a mistake. It was right next to the taxi rank and the filling station was just a mess of cars and trucks. To make matters worse, a delivery truck decided to reverse from the pump next to me and almost took out my mirror and left side of the car. I hooted, H thumped on the side of the truck but the driver just persisted. He stuck his head out and said he could see he was fine but either his vision was distorted or he wasn’t looking properly because he was definitely going to hit my car. Eventually he stopped briefly when everyone was shouting at him and I reversed and got my car nearer the pump because he would have otherwise hit it. H found the company contact details and wrote to them but of course no response whatsoever. We had stopped at BP because A wanted to use them for his Discovery points and then in the whole mess he decided to go to the Total instead. If there was somewhere further to move him on the blog order I would.

After Jozini we were back on tar roads but lots of potholes. Fortunately using Waze for navigation and it warns you every time you hit a pothole section. That was quite helpful and allows you to slow down before you hit the poor section. While the roads were potholed in places, they were still far better than the roads we have experienced in the past in the Free State and in the Eastern Cape.

As we approached the Drakensberg we could see the air absolutely covered in smoke. The wind was blowing strongly too and we could see what looked like a runaway veld fire. It was somewhat concerning in that there is only one road in and out of where we are staying. Fortunately it seems to away from the area where we are or they managed to extinguish it. Either way it doesn’t seem to be an issue.

We arrived at The Cavern at 4pm and once we had checked in and had a guided tour of the place, we offloaded our luggage and then had to take the car to the parking area (which is at the bottom area). The parking spots and turns are so small that the only way I could actually turn one corner was to reverse into the fence and push it back slightly. Fortunately no damage to the Landy because it has a spare tyre on the back so that gives some protection.

The accommodation is very nicely appointed with a large bathroom and lovely balcony overlooking the Drakensberg. The rates are fully inclusive (3 meals, 2 teas and all activities). We only paid R1710 per person per night (less than $100 per person per night). It absolutely is good value for money. Dinner last night included a choice of 3 starters, 3 mains and 2 deserts and in addition there was a buffet salad, bread and cheese board (with multiple cheese choices). They also have their own wine cellar where you can go choose your wine and pay for it and then drink it with the meal. The prices were very reasonable for good bottles of wine.

The only noteworthy part of dinner was when O came back from the salad bar and complained that she had a ‘granny’ in front of her. I said ‘oh you mean like a granny like H?’. If A wasn’t entrenched at the bottom of the blog order already, O would have been moved there.

Until later today (I had hoped to send yesterdays earlier but was just too tired after the 7-hour drive yesterday).

P, H, B, S, O & ………… The one who should remain nameless after his Green Twinspot

Sodwana Bay

Posted on by Peter

The runners (barring O due to her back issue) decided to run down (down being the operative word) to the beach this am and then I had to go and pick them up so they didn’t have to run up again. When I found them near the end of the road, there was a lot of complaining how the ‘down’ run was actually not down at all and that there was lots of up. Also complaining about the humidity. One can avoid that sort of complaining by not running at all – just saying.

View from our house in Sodwana Bay Lodge

After breakfast, we had decided to do some proper 4×4 on sand and head north to Lake Sibaya. It is designated an IBA (Important Bird Area) and is the largest fresh water lake in South Africa. What makes it additionally fascinating is that the fish that inhabit the lake are actually salt water fish but have adapted to live in the lake even though it is fresh water. When the lake is full, it causes a fresh water spring to form on the beach nearby. It is part of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The birding sites said up to 20000 herons can sometimes be seen on the lake at one time. We had high expectations of the day ahead.

The road within meters from the lodge quickly became a single track very sandy road and B and I (the drivers) decided to let down the tyres of our vehicles to ensure we had adequate traction. This was the first time for the Landy doing proper 4×4 and so it took me awhile to find the right settings and get it into Sand mode. Once I got that sorted, it was clear to me how well the Landy would do in sand and that it was highly unlikely I would be getting stuck any time. The bigger issue was the narrowness of the road as we drove through the forest. The car is now thoroughly scratched in one both sides and the roof. I long since learnt that if you want to 4×4 then you should expect the car to be scratched.

Unfortunately it was very windy and slightly overcast so the birds were just not easily to be found. At one point on our drive, we stopped and H had a swallow next to her trying to fly into the wind and it was basically stationary next to her window in the air (which made for easy identification). We had hoped for lunch at a picnic spot listed on the map we had from KZN Wildlife but it turns out that the picnic might have been wishful thinking. We finally just made our own picnic spot on the side of the lake. H says that she had a workout of her core muscles trying to stay in her seat and was complaining how tired she was when we got back. B & I enjoyed the drive though we were all thoroughly disappointed with the birding as we hardly saw anything new at all. We did see 1 lifer for most of the others (wasn’t for me) and my trip list is now at 213 so that is now a new record for any road trip.

Lunch on Lake

The afternoon was spent catching up with emails and just relaxing and then we went to the Leatherbacks restaurant that is part of the Sodwana Bay Lodge for dinner (in order to enjoy some fish). The owner was described as Mr Personality by H. A managed to get him engaged in somewhat of a conversation but it was more like two word answers to anything A asked. It became more and more amusing talking to him as the evening progressed.

After dinner A decided to download the BirdLasser app so he could record his Green Twinspot as his first lifer. Needless to say he offered to show us a photo of the bird as well. I am now leaving a gap between him and the rest of us as I sign off todays blog!

Until tomorrow …

P, H, B (the Toyota managed to not get stuck in the sand today), S, O & A

Mkhuze to Sodwana Bay

Posted on by Peter

Another night, another battle with a bat. This time it started much earlier (11pm ish). H had already put the mosquito net down around her bed to keep the bat away and so now it used her net to hang on when it decided to stop its laps around the room. We left the light on in the hope it would go away and once again it did. But then I was getting buzzed my mosquitoes and as the bat hadn’t re-emerged for some time (it was now around 1am), I decided to turn the light off in the hope the mosquitoes would go away. Mistake … at 2am the bat was again doing Olympic loops in the room and so light on again and bat vanished shortly thereafter. A quick trip to loo and I could hear a noise in the bathroom next door and sure enough the bat is now in the bath and seemingly couldn’t get out. O was telling me the previous day about a bat not being able to get out of a bath and so I thought now is the opportunity for my capture and release skills to spring into action. Fetched some implements from the kitchen and headed back to bath but as I tried to capture it, the bat flew out of the bath (contrary to what O said). I managed to hit it with a towel and shut the door and decided to deal with the issue in the morning.

The balance of the evening was then spent dealing with the mosquitoes flying around in the bedroom. I eventually managed to get that problem under control and finally managed to get to sleep properly at about 2am. When I gingerly went to open the bathroom door to see where the bat was, it had done a houdini act and vanished. H was concerned it was in the depths of her vanity bag but I dealt with that concern. No idea what happened to it but maybe the next occupants will be lucky and not have to deal with it in the bedroom. The accommodation (besides the bat issue) at Mkhuze does need some updating. It is pretty dated and in need of maintenance. The beds/linen, fridge, stove were all fine but the actual building and the bathrooms need to be renovated.

We decided to get back to the Kamasinga hide for a morning visit and we were not disappointed with that decision. Lots of birds and animals coming to drink. We also saw 2 rhino on the way to the hide and they were right next to the road. At one point while at the hide we had giraffe, nyala, wildebees and zebra all drinking at the same time. The bird life was also just ridiculous again with it being hard to know where to look. A KZN local (who was actually at the hide when we were there midday the previous day) started speaking to A and telling him about what he was seeing and A was taking photos of some of the birds as well. Not until later did A say, ‘Did you guys see the Green Twinspot? The guy pointed it out to me and I just assumed you guys had all seen it.’ Of course, we hadn’t and it was one of the birds we were at the hide to see. A automatically going to end of the blog especially since he keeps going around showing us the photo he took on his camera and saying he is going to download the BirdLasser app and just start his list with 1. Green Twinspot!

We did see a whole lot of other birds which were lifers for some of the others. We had planned on being there for only an hour but we ended up being there for close to 2 hours so we had to head back quickly to the camp to back up before the 10am checkout time. The cleaning staff were already in our rooms starting to change linen etc. We packed up quickly and then headed out of the west gate at Mkhuze. Just after the gate there is a forest of Fever trees and a river crossing and B stopped on the river to have a look for birds. As we stopped behind him H spotted a Green Malkoha in the trees. It is a very secretive bird and another special from the area. Very hard to see generally and so really pleased we saw it. H also saw another lifer at the same time (which would have been one for me too but it had flown by the time I was able to look for it).

We then headed to Sodwana Bay with a quick stop at Mbazwana at the SuperSpar. That was another experience and shows that what we are used to at our supermarkets is not what everyone else buys. There were 5 kg packets of frozen chicken feet and 5 kg packets of frozen russian sausages.

On to our accommodation for the next 2 nights which is at Sodwana Bay Lodge. We have a private 4-bedroom house. It is very nicely equipped with everything (besides a dishwasher). Dinner last night was our first meatless night (except for A who had a steak) since we left home. We had pasta.

My trip list is now on 209 birds. Our best trip so far has been 210 birds so just one more to equal our best trip ever.

Until later today …

P, H, B (for stopping on bridge otherwise we wouldn’t have seen the green malkoha), O (feeling sorry for her because her back issues continue), S, A (he is likely to remain here for balance of the trip … see above)

Mkhuze

Posted on by Peter

Our (being H & I) first night was somewhat interrupted around 2am when a bat decided to do laps in our bedroom. It liked getting particularly close to H for some reason. I’m not a bat catcher so the only alternative was to turn the light on and hope it wouldn’t like that and go away (from wherever it came). It was a good strategy but that did mean that the rest of the night we had to sleep with the light on (which fortunately both of us managed to do).

We had decided to head out at sunrise (6:30am) and do a drive to the Nsumo pan which was about 20 minutes away and have coffee and rusks there and then head back to camp for breakfast. I was expecting a dry pan but it turned out to be more like a lake and definitely wasn’t dry. It was still fairly cool (around 15 degrees C) when we got to the picnic spot but we managed to enjoy our coffee standing in the spots of sun. I also fetched my scope as there were some birds on the pan that were too far away to ID just using binoculars.

After coffee, we visited one of the two hides that are on the pan. The hides at Mkhuze are absolutely beautifully done and in great condition. Definitely some of the best bird hides I have been to actually. Some more birds added to the trip list plus some lifers for some of the people. On the way back to camp we did a quick detour down the landing strip as my one bird app said it was a good place to find some rarities. We did again see a few birds (though not the ones the app suggested) and one of them was a lifer for all of us.

We got back late morning (a bit later than we had expected). There are a few bird hides nearby which I wanted to go to and so H, S and I ventured out. The first one which was only 2 kms from the camp, while the hide itself was nice, there was very little bird action. We decided to go to the other one which was 7 km from the camp. What a good decision that was. Birds everywhere, game coming down to drink. You honestly didn’t know where to look at times with all the action. I would be looking at something and then S or H would say they have seen something else. It was a battle to keep up. More lifers for all 3 of us and I passed the 200 birds for the trip point as well. Our short trip out turned into 2 hours out. It was so good that we suggested we go again at 4pm before the sunset. When we arrived with the others there was far less action and relatively disappointing compared to midday.

Our last braai in the bush was last night as we were leaving the game parks and returning to some level of civilization from now until the end of the trip. H and I were just hoping for a bat-free night …

Until later today

P, H, A (he did the braai 2 nights running on interesting wood), S (for joining us on the midday bird excursion), B & O

Nsumo Pan