photograph by Earl Fenwick

European Roller

Monday 26 December 2005 - Umfolozi

The weather was overcast but warm and we were delighted to see rhinoceros within the first few minutes. The beautiful Nyala were also prolific in the park
Earl and I being from Cape Town were looking forward to seeing our favourite - the Lilac breasted Roller but saw only one! Instead the European Roller popped up over and over again.
We stayed overnight at Mpila Camp in a comfortable two-bedroom, fully equipped cottage. We could not buy wood in the park, so had to settle for a charcoal braai - not nearly as satisfactory!

Tuesday, 27 December 2005

Morning Drive Umfolozi to Hluhluwe
There were impala grazing outside the bungalows when we woke up at 5 o'clock this morning. The wind was blowing and it looked like we would have another cool day but by 9h30 it was hot. We had some good birding and saw rhino, an elephant with a family of warthog nearby and a little further on, we saw another bull on its own, flapping its ears and giving itself a mud bath.
We got to hilltop at about 2 o'clock, settled into cottage 9, had lunch and a rest and then set off for another drive at about 4 o'clock.

photograph by Earl Fenwick

Red backed Shrike

Hluhluwe
Our afternoon drive was exciting. We saw some different birds including Black-collared Barbet, Black-bellied Starling, Red-billed Fire Finch, Blue Waxbill, Chinspot Batis and Puff backs. Towards the end we nearly jumped out of the car with excitement when a hyena came walking along the road toward us. It detoured into the bush instead of passing the car and Earl reversed so we could get a photograph. Suddenly, however, he shoved the car back into first and roared forward at great speed when he spotted a rhino crossing the road. We had good views of the rhino before it disappeared into the thick undergrowth.

Wednesday, 28 December 2005

  Hluhluwe to Memorial Gate
I woke to the cheerful sound of birdsong and went upstairs to look out from the deck. The birds were elusive but there were two little female bushbuck silently browsing on the leaves just outside our bedroom window.
En route to the exit gate Baboons were sitting on the road behaving like car guards and they gave us a good giggle. At the waterhole we saw two rhino and a baby enjoying the mud. A little later we came across a Nyala family browsing together at the side of the road. There was a small baby close to the mother and a mature and young male playfully butting each other.
Exciting birds were a Goliath Heron standing dead still in the water next to the bridge we were crossing and a white-bellied sunbird. Andrew spotted a "dove" in a tall dead tree and was about to dismiss it as a Red-eyed Dove when Barbara insisted it was a Green Pigeon. We all trained our binoculars onto it and were delighted to see that she was right!

photograph by Earl Fenwick

Goliath Heron

We stopped to see White-backed Vultures in the trees and as Earl was about to drive off thinking we'd seen enough, I noticed a tree full of large black and white birds. They were Trumpeter Hornbills but their calls sounded more like an irritable child crying than a trumpet!
Ndumo
We arrived at about 11 o'clock, checked in and got settled in our lovely little huts - No1 and No 2. Each is equipped with a microwave and fridge and all necessary appliances. It is air conditioned and the camp is powered by Escom 24 hours a day. Cooks are available to cook your food free of charge but we chose to do our own.
I went for a stroll around the beautiful wooded garden - full of interesting little birds but I did not expect to see a Lizard Buzzard drinking at the bird bath! I yelled for Earl which alerted some birding neighbours. They saw it but Earl was a tad too late!
We took an afternoon drive and went to two different hides. It was a fairly long walk to the first hide and when the path started going through some tall reeds I was a bit nervous that we might bump into a hippo or worse! Barbara and I were ahead of Earl and Andrew who'd stopped to take a leak. They caught up with us and took us back to a section where they had a good view of the lake. There were a variety of water birds on the mud flats, in the reeds and in the shallows. The normally shy Purple Swamp-hens were quite conspicuous, Yellow-billed Storks fished for frogs, Spoonbills swished their bills from side to side and many waders were enjoying the bounty of the lake. We then braved the walk through the reeds to the hide. We had to walk along a board walk to reach it. As I was about to put my foot on the bridge I hesitated when I heard a grunt and a rustle. Suddenly a huge warthog struggled out from under the board walk frightening the living daylights out of me. I turned tail and ran! She was a mother with 4 or 5 piglets and she was hiding them under the boardwalk. She ran into the reeds with the infants close at her heels, little tails sticking up like aerials. I pushed Earl in front, and Andrew, Barb and I tentatively followed. The warthog was not far off and gave us a warning look as we tiptoed past to the safety of the hide!

photograph by Earl Fenwick

Squacco Heron

We spent a short time there and were thrilled to see a Squacco Heron right in front of us. A Great white Egret also made a brief appearance and so did the little Malachite Kingfisher.
We then walked on to the next hide using the road instead of the marked trail, halving the distance of the walk. Every rustle in the bush had me alert, nervously anticipating the pounce of some wild creature.
The hide looked over a bigger part of the lake and we saw Goliath Heron, Saddle billed Storks, Black Egret and a variety of other water birds. Although there was a variety, the birds were not there in the great numbers that we expected.

Thursday, 29 December 2005

Morning Walk
Our guide, Sonto led us on a three hour walk starting at 05h00 this morning. Two other guests, Cliff and Angie joined Andrew, Barbara Earl and me. We wondered through forests that had us expecting to see a house made of biscuits, sweets and cake at every turn. We did find some delicious snacks in the form of mangoes, fallen from the many trees that are now too plentiful in the reserve. Many have been ring-barked to bring down the numbers. The monkeys, of course, love them and we saw lots of half eaten fruit on the forest floor. Sonto is a good mimic of bird calls and this talent helped in attracting birds into view. We saw a number of interesting birds including Forest Weaver, White collared Barbet, Grey Sunbird, Green Pigeon and Fish Eagle.
The Pel's Fishing Owl remained conspicuous by its absence!
A much sort after bird for any serious birder is the Narina Trogon. a brightly coloured green and red bird that always manages to hide itself in the foliage making it difficult to spot. We heard its low growling hoot and Earl and I saw it flit by briefly and thought that would be that but Sonto persevered with his excellent imitation of the call and eventually encouraged the bird onto an open branch. We actually got to see two of them but one obligingly faced us although very high up in the tree. It was a long, walk but worth every bit of effort to see this amazing bird.

photograph by Earl Fenwick

Water Thick knee

Evening Drive
Joseph and Bernard were our guides on an open landrover drive at 4 o'clock this afternoon.
We'd commented at the lack of small buck in evidence in the Natal parks but this afternoon we saw a red duiker, several blue duiker and a couple of reed buck. We also saw giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, nyala, monkeys and impala.
It was overcast and cool but we only needed to put on warm jackets half way through the drive when it started to get a bit windy and a light drizzle fell. Our route took us around the lake and we saw a good variety of water birds, crocodiles and hippo. Highlights were Water Thick-knees, Broad billed Rollers, Goliath Heron, Saddle billed Storks, Yellow-billed Storks, Open billed Storks, Black Egrets, Spoonbills, Great white Egrets, Little Egrets and many waders like Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper and Kitlitz Plovers.

photograph by Earl Fenwick

Brown-hooded Kingfisher 

Friday, 30 December 2005

Mkuze
On entering the gate we spotted a Cuckoo Hawk which is a lifer for us. We checked into our cottage, comfortable but not as well appointed as in the other camps, and then went for a game drive at 14h30, visited three hides and saw a few interesting birds but there was not much game about. It was cool and overcast and the animals did not come to the water holes to drink. On our drive we saw European Bee-eaters and other little birds that kept our attention. A couple gave us a problem with identification but after careful checking of bird books and conferring with each other we realised that we had a Black Flycatcher and an African Broadbill to add to our list. On our way back we saw a few little duiker, both red and grey and were sorry to see one with something in its leg. It tried desperately to pull it out with its teeth but the poor thing will probably be at a disadvantage and become prey to a predator. The rangers in the park let nature take its course.

photograph by Earl Fenwick                                  photograph by Earl Fenwick

Whitefronted Bee Eater                          Malachite Kingfisher

Saturday 31 December 2005

Morning Drive
One of our stops was at a beautiful picnic place next to the lake where was a whole pod of hippos close to the bank and an activity of various water birds - Yellow-billed Storks, Goliath Heron, Stilts, Saddle-billed Storks, Egyptian Geese and some smaller waders like Common Sandpiper and Greenshank.

photographs by Earl Fenwick

Woolynecked Stork

Afternoon Drive
We went into a few hides and observed terrapins and water birds but nothing of great interest. Leaving the last hide was probably the highlight of the trip when we were right up close to a herd of giraffe. They stood tall and elegant like models on a ramp observing us silently.
It was a wonderful way to end 2005.

Sunday, 01 January 2006

New Year Walk
We met our guides Nyama and Emmet at 6 o'clock and they drove us and two other guests to the start of our walk in the fig forest which is at the far end of Mkuze Game Reserve. Nyama carried a rifle and Emmet warned us that there were elephants and rhino in the forest. The guides were good, knowing the birds well and talented at imitating their calls.
It's amazing how animals including huge elephant and rhino can walk in the bush soundlessly, yet when humans enter you hear each heavy footfall, snap of twig and crackle of dry leaves. It was still in the forest and the air was filled with the gentle cacophony of bird calls - the cry of the Green-backed bleating Warbler, the clicking of the puff back and now and then the shriek of the Trumpeter Hornbill. The warbler attracted our attention with its distinctive, loud call but in spite of this was difficult to locate as he skulked under the green leaves. I was lucky enough to get a good view of him with the patient help of Emmet. The others had already been alerted to the Narina which Nyama had heard and located. For the second time in a week we had the good fortune of seeing this wonderful bird. We got good views of it first facing us and showing its beautiful green and red feathers. It then flew off and settled on a branch with its back to us. It called in its low tone grumble but just showed its green back which camouflages it so well in the foliage.
We saw no mammals other than baboons who barked nastily at us, keeping a close eye on our every move and warning us that they would not tolerate a close encounter.
Forest walks are usually frustrating as you hear the birds but struggle to see them. Today, however, we were delighted to see Forest Weaver, Yellow-bellied Eromemola, Grey Sunbird, Natal Robin, Crested Francolin and of course the Green-backed bleating Warbler and Narina Trogon among others.

photographs by Earl Fenwick

Narina Trogan

Hluhluwe Drive
We were reluctant to hit the tar road back to the Mackenzie's farm in Kokstad so decided to travel through Hluhluwe and so stretch out our enjoyment of the safari. The first thing we saw on entering the park was a flock of White-backed Vultures on a kill. The rest of the trip was rewarding with sightings of rhino, buffalo, wildebeest, zebra and as we left a bull elephant.
So ended a most enjoyable Natal Safari.

Helen Fenwick.