It's a wrap...
I am back in Rhode Island, but not exactly in the swing of things yet. I contracted Covid on the trip home and that sort of put a monkey-wrench in my getting back to birding in Rhode Island efforts. I hope to be back in it this coming week.
In the meantime I've reviewed and processed all my (and a bunch of Andrew's) photos & videos, done the blog posts and made compilations. All that made me miss the Ramble and the wonderful company I had throughout the trip. We're planning another one next June and a special Kruger safari in August. So this trip is not my last -- in fact -- it looks like some trip with my South African friends will be an annual event as long as I can manage it.
This trip was a little different, trying to find habitat I haven't explored yet -- a bit of Terra Incognita. I started with Vince in the Tankwa - a semi-desert area to the North and East of Cape Town. I'm not sure it was a typical winter there -- not as dry as usual due to unexpected winter rain all around the country. Plus I was only 61 species away from 1,500 when we started.
We stayed at a lovely Guest Farm -- just about the only accommodations available there -- it was pretty isolated and one of the only reliable properties that hosts the Cinnamon-breasted Warbler - and endemic and one that is difficult to find. The food was wonderful and as usual too much! I had a great time catching up and birding with Vince -- my first ever bird guide -- he will always be my OG!
I wasn't planning on doing a trip with Vince next year because of the special Kruger trip, but he tempted me with the Western Cape -- which is fabulous birding and lots of habitat I have never birded... Add that to a trip to Gorongosa in Mozambique -- a national park that was devastated by the 20 year civil war that has been revived and it open to tourists again and we've got a winner.
Although the weather did not cooperate on the final day here, we still finished with 18 birds in the area when I was only expecting @15. Just 43 birds to go... a tall order for the East, but seemed doable. That was until we got started.
The first four days in Kruger we only saw 6 new birds -- the weather didn't help -- of course Andrew got a little frustrated because he is after all a bird guide -- that is what they do -- find birds. That changed on day 6 when we had an 11 bird day! We also had a lovely private (I am spoiled) night drive in the far north of Kruger. Day 7 got us that fabulous Racket-tailed Roller (a Kruger bird for Andrew too) and our night driver introduced us to a birder named Brenda, who spent the rest of the trip in our backseat. I think she might have followed me back to Rhode Island.
On our way back to Punda Maria, we almost ran into a Coqui Francolin on the road -- actually there were three of them. One of my favorite birds of the trip and another lifer. Our next stop was at a private game reserve called Tshukudu - we had good owl luck there the next day and Blyde River Dam boat ride yields a few lifer Eagles & a Kingfisher. Only 18 birds to go, but the confidence is waning -- we have just 4 1/2 days to go.
The good news it all the area we are covering is again Terra Incognita for me. The next morning after a lovely breakfast omelet made by Chef Andrew,
we went for a walk/sit in White River forest -- we crossed off 11 more birds that day. Only 7 birds to go... maybe this is doable? A day in southern Kruger yielded three more birds.
Off to Barberton, a mountainous area south of White River, different habitat that my other South Africa trips. Andrew spotted two Black-bellied Starling when we stopped for a restroom as we came into Barberton. Just 3 to go -- we start to think it is doable. Andrew heard a Gurney's Sugarbird in a valley and we looked for 45 minutes, with no luck. He did spot a pair of Olive Woodpeckers in a tree by the road -- 2 to go. He spotted a few other birds that I initially thought were life birds, but were not. Without internet service, it is hard to keep track.
We drove up the mountain to a breakfast spot and as Andrew was peeling eggs, I spotted a bird I didn't recognize and urged Andrew to take a look -- it was the Sugarbird we had been looking for the last 45 minutes. One bird left.
We drove off to Peddler's Bush, a bit further up the mountain, we overshot it and went in a valley where Andrew mentioned he might have seen a Square-tailed Drongo, but I didn't look because it was too boring a bird to count as number 1,500. We backtracked into Peddler's Bush and found a Gray Cuckooshrike as bird number 1,500. Woohoo!
We went on to find a Yellow-streaked Greenbul in the same spot. Of course, then we had to go back and see the Drongo. In the same spot we found Drakensberg Prinia too! We came home but decided to go out and try to see the Bat Hawk that frequents a spot near Andrew's house (which we had already checked twice) -- Third time is the charm -- it flew in just as we were about the pack it in a few minutes after sundown. 1,504 at the end of that wonderful 8 bird day.
We had a lovely day in Kruger the last full day and a visit to the Botanical Gardens the next morning - 2 more birds.
So I finished at 1,506 and a total of 326 species for the trip and 276 species in the East. Pretty spectacular for a winter trip there. Here's a compilation of the trip...
Until the next Ramble...
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