St Lucia – One Day is not Enough
While sitting at Sunset Jetty admiring a resplendent sunset we met a young Spanish couple. We started chatting and they asked what there was to do in St Lucia – they only had one day. “One day!” (I thought). “How crazy is that, you need a minimum of 3 days”. Oops,...
Mtunzini Conservancy’s Annual Birding Weekend – 5 Good Reasons to Attend
This past weekend I attended Mtunzini Conservancy’s 14th Annual Birding Weekend. Below are five good reasons why you should attend. 1. It's all about the Birds Mtunzini and surrounding forests is the home to spectacular birds. The Majestic Palmnut Vulture, Mangrove...
Yellow-Billed Kites and a Competition with my Father
Each year toward the end of July most South African birdwatchers scour the skies for Yellow-Billed Kites in anticipation of their return to our part of Africa to breed. Facebook is full birders announcing their first sighting for the season. Today I was with a group...
Malagasy Pond Heron – My First Serious Twitch
Birdwatching in South Africa is always exciting. When we received a report that a Malagasy Pond Heron was seen in Mziki Dam, pandemonium once again erupted. Birders stopped what they were doing, cancelled all previous plans and headed for Zululand. I decided to join...
Day 3 – Morning around Nsumu Pan
Just as the sun was rising I found myself making coffee and at the same time packing a picnic basket for breakfast at Nsumu Pan. One of my best moments is sitting in a game reserve, drinking coffee dunking a rusk while listening to the cacophony of birds celebrating...
Day 2 – Enchanting Walk through the Fig Forest in Mkuze Game Reserve
The Fig Forest Walk along the uMkhuze River is truly enchanting. A guided walk through it is a must for any visitor to uMkhuze. The best time to go is in the morning, however all the morning walks were fully booked so we had to settle for the afternoon walk. ...
Day 1 – Weekend in Mkuze Game Reserve
It has been many years since I last visited uMkhuze so this year, instead of visiting Ndumu like I normally do, I decided to spend the weekend in this magical game reserve in Zululand, Kwa Zulu Natal. The drive from the gate to Mantuma Camp where we had booked a...
The Crazy World of Twitchers, a Birdwatcher’s Viewpoint
My dictionary says that a twitcher is “a person or thing that twitches”. The same dictionary states that the meaning of ‘twitch’ is “to give or cause to give a short, sudden jerking or convulsive movement”. Most dictionaries also state that a Twitcher is an...