Zululand: A Winter Birding Wonderland

It's a common misconception among local birders that come the winter months, birding here in South Africa becomes somehwhat non-existent and "boring", however this is almost never the truth. Although both our Palearctic and Intra-African migrants have all moved off by the end of March/April some of our more harder to find resident species become a lot more conspicuous and are in fact best sought after during the colder temperatures.

One such example of a bird is the infamous Sclater's Lark (Spizocorys sclateri) who's centre of distribution occurs in the arid Northern Cape province. Trying to find this species in summer is much like the futile act of finding a needle in a haystack, or make that ten haystacks. Why is this you may ask? Well firstly the Northern Cape has a lot of haystacks and secondly summer in the Northern Cape generally brings with it warmer temperatures and rain, creating an abundance of water sources in which this species can utilize and drink until their tiny hearts are content. However winter is a different story and the lack of water supply finds these birds moving to water troughs in their quest for survival and some of the last remaining water for miles. Therefore your best chances of finding this South African near-endemic is by tackling these dry arid regions during winter and patiently yet painstakingly waiting (often for hours on end) for birds to come and drink at the local water troughs. A fantastic winter birding destination which is in fact one of many we have.  Birding in South Africa whilst braving the cold during our winter months is worth it! And that's where Kwazulu Natal's "Zululand" comes into play. 

"What clothes do you think I should pack?" I asked, assuming my girlfriend would know after having spent ten weeks in the heart of Zululand, to which I got a reply along the lines of "It's Zululand, it should be warm!". So of course into my bag went the shorts, t-shirts and vests with my jacket being a last minute, unwanted item strapped onto my backpack, a comforter really for my parents who I have no doubt were thinking "it's as if he was born in the arctic; slip-slops, shorts and a t-shirt in the middle of winter!". They blame my being reckless, I blame my mothers maternally inherited stubbornness. However my family were not the only ones giving me looks of confusion, concern and genuine fear for as I walked through the security checkpoint at the airport I could have sworn I either had Sylvester Stallone within arms hair length from me or the rest of his Expendables team not too far behind because clearly my fellow passengers awaiting our flight to Durban knew I was in for a cold reception. 

Alas the plane landed (thanks goodness), the road was travelled and Palm-nut Vulture was added to my "Birds seen whilst travelling over 100km/h" list. We eventually pulled up to the gates of Ethlatini Bush Camp, home to one of the countries leaders in field guide training, Bhejane Nature Training, where I was to be based for two weeks of pure Zululand birding bliss. 

With the birding bug itching underneath my skin I had no option but to pick up my binoculars and head out for an afternoon walk and before I knew it Zululand was already showing me why it is one of our countries best birding destnations, whether it be summer, winter, autumn or spring. In among a flock of the more common Yellow-fronted Canary appeared four much less common and more saught after Lemon-breasted Canary's. A fantastic welcome back after an almost five month long absence from this incredible part of our country! 

Red-capped Robin-Chat

General birding around Bhejane was fantastic as usual with species along the likes of Grey-penduline Tit, Dark-backed Weaver, Olive and Grey Sunbirds, African Quailfinch, African Dusky Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Greenbul, Fiery-necked Nightjars, African Wood Owl, Rudds Apalis, Pink-throated Twinspot, Eastern Nicator and not to forget the ever present Red-capped Robin Chat which due to students practicing for their bird call assessments knows the calls of Gorgeous Bushshrike and Southern Banded Snake-eagle to name but two. 

Small (Kurrichane) Buttonquail

Another unexpected visitor to our sand forest camp came in the form of a single, male Small (Kurrichane) Buttonquail, truly remarkable birds, and when in the hand their beauty is but magnified! 

On this particular trip I again had the privilege of returning to some of the local "hot spots" (no reference at all to the temperature; it was in fact "minus...oh darn, the thermometer froze") which included False Bay, Mkhuze Game Reserve and Nibela Peninsula with Nibela undoubtedly being one of the highlights.

There is really only one main reason as to why one targets Nibela and that is for the stunning Rosy-throated Longclaw, although general birding is fantastic, Longclaw or no Longclaw! This particular day saw us encounter no less than eight Rosy-throated Longclaw's as well as its less extravagent cousin the Yellow-throated Longclaw. After getting fairly up close and personal with the Rosy's we decided it was time to stalk them in our quest to get semi-decent photographs, aided by the incredibly long grass and a wind of adrenaline pushing us from behind we moved inch by inch through the knee high grass and were rewarded with a real up-close-and-personal experience with an absolutely stunning specimen of a bird! 

Rosy-throated Longclaw

Mkhuze also didn't disappoint and a full days practical with the Imvelo group from Bhejane saw us connect with a magnificent Pels Fishing Owl, only my second ever sighting of this species and my first for South Africa. One cannot help but admit that there is something hypnotic about looking into an Owl's eyes, in this case seemingly bottomless black pits fitted in among an image of pure rufous beauty. 

Clearly this return trip to Zululand was one full of "first time" experiences as we headed north toward Pongola, more specifically Amakhosi Reserve and even more specifically Ebandla Trails camp, the base for Bhejane Nature Training's Big Five trails walks and trails guide training. However the objective on our visit this time around was not intended to learn the in's and out's of Dylan's stunning .458 Winchester Magnum but instead to explore the reserve and see what species we could turn up. Two species which definitely had the need to be "turned down" were the African Firefinches and Swee Waxbills which seemed to be in almost every shrub and bush however one could not help but admire their bright red rumps and black face masks, almost decorating the bushes they occupied simialar to the likes of a Christmas tree. Grey Cuckooshrike and African Finfoot were top contenders for "bird of the trip" however that slot went to a single Yellow-streaked Greenbul which was initially picked up on call coming from a steep, forested mountain slope. The sight was sadly inaccessible so further exploration would have either resulted in a cardio workout even Arnold would be proud of or a cellphone call to somebody's medical aid requesting a heli-vac, but it just goes to show what one can turn up by exploring unchartered pieces of nature, for this species was a good few houndred kilometers out of its normal distribution. 

All in all my time spent down in Zululand resulted in incredible, high intensity, adrenaline pumping birding a lot similar to that of the birding one can experience in the Kruger National Park's Punda Maria and Pafuri regions in the middle of summer. A lot of the saught after Kwazulu Natal species hang around throughout the year come rain, snow, hail or drought and you are bound to be encapsulated by this provinces world class birding, the bug which has bitten all of us birders, itching under your skin and tempting you to go back at the mere drop of a hat. With a trip list of just over two houndred species for a mere two weeks spent in the area in the dead of winter, one cannot help but agree that Kwazulu Natal's Zuluand is one of South Africa's best! 

Birding Trails: myself and members of the Imvelo's