Birding in Southern Zululand
Southern Zululand, a premier forest birding route, is home to a great diversity of bird species. Starting on the warm coast of Zululand between Mtunzini, "place of shade," and Richards Bay, the route moves inland through estuarine swamp forest up to coastal scarp forest in the foothills of Eshowe.
Yellow Streaked Bulbul - Guy Upfold Surrounding Eshowe are a number of forested regions where the endemic Green Barbet of Ngoye Forest is just one of many forest specials which inhabit this region. Further inland are the towns of Melmoth and Nkandla, which, although are in the mistbelt, drop sharply down to dry thornveld habitat providing a range of cliff faces where Lanner Falcons, Rock Kestrels and Bald Ibis breed annually.
This area is also rich in Zulu history and culture. Along with the birding routes are self-guided hiking trails and many historical monuments. For the wildlife enthusiast, this region doesn't host the big five, but on foot, encounters with the diminutive Blue Duiker on the forest floor, and in the canopy, Samango and Vervet Monkeys sharing their meal with Delegorgue's Pigeons and Trumpeter Hornbills, are not uncommon.
This region, which includes swamp forest, dune forest, coastal scarp forest, and the mistbelt forests of Nkandla (at 1200m), are joined by a network of river valleys and rolling grasslands which make for some breathtaking scenery. Whether you're a birding enthusiast or simply enjoy the outdoors, the Southern Zululand birding route is a gold mine of diversity. There are deserted gold mines too, so whatever your quest, prospect here and you're bound to be rewarded! By Gareth Chittenden
BIRDING MELMOTH Route
At the gateway to the Zulu highlands lies the picturesque town of Melmoth. Founded in 1888 as a "gold rush" town on a portion of the farm Golden Reef owned by Reinhold Ortlepp, it was named after Sir Melmoth Osborn, the resident commissioner of Zululand at that time. The town is situated 800m above sea level with an unsurpassed climate. The area offers good forest, riverine, thornveld and grassland birding with a species count of 295.
Weni, to the south of Melmoth, offers numerous grassland and riverine birds. These include Grassbird, Short-tailed Pipit, White-backed Night Heron, Buff-streaked Chat and Mountain Wagtail, to name a few. To the north west lies Sappi Mooiplaas which is a timber farm. Here grassveld and bushveld birds can be seen, namely Black Eagle, Southern Ground Hornbill, African Crowned Eagle, Swee Waxbill and many others. North of Melmoth lies Wintershoek Farm, which straddles the high and low veld and overlooks Emakhosini, the "Valley of the Kings". The varied terrain offers a wide variety of birds including Yellow and Orange-throated Longclaws, Groundscraper Thrush, Southern Ground Hornbill and African Crowned Eagle. Further west of Melmoth lie the Nkandla and Qudeni Forests. These forests are home to sought after forest birds including the Knysna Lourie, Orange Ground-Thrush, Bush Blackcap, Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon, White-starred Robin, Grey Cuckoo Shrike and Forest Canary. Ending up after a drive through the grasslands at Mangeni Falls, a place to see Verreaux's and Wahlberg's Eagles, Lanner Falcon, Common Kestrel and Spike-heeled Lark. .
WENI FARM
DIRECTIONS
UpfoldProceed along the R66 in the Eshowe direction for approximately six kilometres and turn left onto the D256 road. Continue along this gravel road for nine kilometres, then turn left into Weni Farm.
ACCOMMODATION
Nestled in the valley of a National Heritage site, lies a delightfully rustic bush camp, with an open air toilet and cold shower, for adventurous souls! For those seeking a little more comfort, Weni Cottage is a self-catering, three-bedroom cottage, close to the homestead but private.
SPECIALS FOR THE AREA
Please note that Permission is required from Bertus or Caroline De Waal before visiting Weni farm
Tel: + 27 (35) 450 2314
UpfoldFor birders, numerous grassland and riverine birds can be seen, including Grassbird , Short-tailed Pipit, White-backed Night Heron, Shelley’s Francolin, Black Stork , Half-collared Kingfisher, Southern Bald Ibis, Buff-streaked Chat, Blue Crane, Yellow- and Orange-throated Longclaws, Streaky- headed Canary, Violet-backed Starling, Southern Ground Hornbill, Mountain Wagtail, African Finfoot, Green Sandpiper, African Black Duck, Lanner Falcon, African Hawk-Eagle and numerous other raptors. Southern Bald Ibis, Black Storks and Southern Ground Hornbills all breed on the property
ENHANCEMENTS
Horse riding, Dam and river fishing (rowboat available), firewood supplied and small game to view.
BIRDING HLUHLUWE Route
Hluhluwe River photo by Duncan MckenzieHluhluwe derives it's name from a river named after the thorny monkey rope called umHluhluwe. The area is probably best known for the Hluhulwe-Umfolozi park which is internationally acclaimed for it's conservation efforts and is home to the big five: lions, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo. Hluhluwe Game Reserve is also renowned for it's abundance of raptors. In additon to this several top-rated birding spots are also along the Hluhluwe route, amongst them, Bonamanzi which is arguably on of South Africa's top birding spots with a huge variety of birding habitats and over 350 species recored on the property. The reserves on the western shores of Lake Isimangaliso Wetland Park, part of a world heritage site, offer abundant water and forest birding with great walking trails and breathtaking scenery.
The Hluhluwe area must be one of KwaZulu-Natal's busiest tourism areas and has an abundance of top quality accommodation facilities, from peaceful campsites to five-star game lodges. The roads are all in good condition and all birding spots can be accessed with a sedan car. Hluhluwe town has all the supplies that one may need when travelling including banking facilities.
The variety of bushveld and woodland birding found in Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park, combined with the natural wonders of the Lake Isimangaliso Wetland Park system and it's central position to the rest of the Zululand Birding Route make this an excellent area for the keen birder to spend time.
Write-up by Duncan Pritchard
HLUHLUWE GAME RESERVE
The Hluhluwe Game Reserves were procalimed in 1897 making this complex one of South Africa's oldest reserves, the birthplace of conservation in KwaZulu-Natal. Hluhluwe consists mainly of steep wooded hills, grass covered slopes and riverine woodland along the many rivers and streams.
Entry to the park is via Hluhluwe or Mtubatuba. The Memorial and Nyalazi Gates are both well signposted off the N2.
There are a variety of self catering or catered facilities available within the reserve but no provision is made for camping in Hluhluwe. Outside the park there is a host of various luxury or basic accommodation in Hluhluwe, Isimangaliso Wetland Park and Mtubatuba.
SPECIALS
At the Siwasamakozikazi picnic site look out for:
Southern Bald Ibis, (up to four birds roost irregularly on the cliffs), Black Duck and African Finfoot which occur around here. Lanner Falcon occasionally roost on the cliff along with Mocking Cliff-Chats, African Pied Wagtail and Red-winged Starlings. Keep and eye open for Lesser Masked-Weavers and in summer, on the drive to this site, watch for Dusky and Village Indigobirds on exposed perches.
At Muphumulo picnic site:
A pair of African Finfoot frequent the area opposite the launch site along with Black Crake, African Jacana, Green-backed Heron, Grey Tit-Flycatcher and Violet-backed Starling. African Marsh, Sedge and Cape Reed Warblers, Thick-billed and Lesser Masked Weavers can be found in the reedbeds.
A boat cruise on the dam (when available) is worthwhile to see African Darter, African Finfoot, Green-backed, Grey, Black-headed and Goliath Herons. African Fish-Eagle, Water Thick-knee, African Jacana, Black Crake, Moorhen, Spur-winged Goose, Yellow-billed Duck, Pied, Giant and Malachite Kingfishers also occur here. Occasionally seen are Eastern White and Pink-backed Pelicans, and Open-billed Stork.
Night drives which can be arranged from Hilltop Camp should give you a chance of seeing Spotted and Water Thick-knee, Spotted Eagle and Verreaux's Eagle-Owls. Fiery-necked and Eurasian Nightjars are around in summer (November-April). After heavy rains when the streams flow, Whitebacked Night-herons can be found. African Wood-Owl, African Scops-Owl and Marsh Owls are also occasionally observed.
Around Seme a few specials such as a pair of breeding Secretary Birds, Bateleur, Tawny, Wahlberg's and Martial Eagles can be found. White-backed, White-headed and Lappet-faced Vultures are also regularly seen as are Black-bellied Bustard, Crowned Lapwing, Red-throated Wryneck and African Pipit. Summer visitors include Amur Falcons and Harlequin Quails.
At the Memorial Gate wetlands (northwest of the gate) look out for Wooly-necked Stork, Hadeda Ibis, Burchell's Coucal, Red-collared and Fan-tailed Widowbirds, Red Bishop, Rufous-naped Lark, Yellow-throated Longclaw and Common Waxbill. Occasionally Yellow-billed Ducks, Spurwinged Geese, African Marsh-Harrier, Cape Wagtail and Parasitic Weavers are also seen. The nearby Manzibomvu Stream has Black Duck, African Finfoot, Mountain Wagtails and Malachite Kingfisher. The hills of Mangangeni have Jackal Buzzard, Cuckoo Hawk, Flappet Lark and Croaking Cisticola.
Birding around the Hilltop camp area:
The Umbombo Trail in the camp is excellent for forest birds with African Goshawk, Trumpeter and Crowned Hornbills, Lemon and Tambourine Doves, Narina Trogon, Green Malkoha, Klaas, Red-chested and Emerald Cuckoos, Black-backed Puffback, Gorgeous, Olive and Orange-breasted Bush-Shrikes, Red-capped Robin-Chat and Cape Batis can easily be found. Chorister Robin-Chat and Starred Robin-Chat are winter visitors to the forests. Yellow-breasted and Bar-throated Apalis occur in the forest while Rudd's Apalis can be found in thickets . Various sunbirds, barbets, bulbuls, and shrikes can be seen around the chalets as well as Eastern Nicator and Black-bellied Starling. African Crowned Eagle and White-naped Raven patrol overhead. Listen for the AfricanWood-Owl and Spotted Eagle-Owl calling at night and on summer evenings the call of Buff-spotted Flufftail can be heard at many localities around the camp. Jackal Buzzard, Lazy Cisticola and Striped Pipit can be found on rocky hillsides near Hilltop.
By Erik Forsythe and Duncan Pritchard
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