Birding Safaris

African Barred Owlet - South African Lowveld. 

During 2018 we kept a rough list of every species of bird seen on our safaris through several African countries. Although we didn’t twitch actively, in other words, seriously attempted to run after as many species as possible we did manage to record no less than 425 bird species. Birding is a most rewarding past time and anyone who have an interest in them would know that they make the bush come alive. Indeed, birders are never bored on safari.  There is great reward in identifying a cryptic species for the first time or catching up with a rare or seldom seen vagrant. Similarly, getting a great photograph or watching birds interacting around the feeding table is equally satisfying. Our approach to birding though is a combination of all of this and during the course of 2018 we added a few new species to our personal lists while spending quality time observing and photographing great bird behavior. Amongst all of these highlights are the time spent with nesting African Barred Owlets and these observation are scheduled to be published in a leading bird magazine sometime in the near future. Keep a lookout for it.

Here are some of our favorite destinations:

The Southern Kalahari. This semi desert region is known for its abundance of raptors of all shapes and forms as well as host of desert adapted birds.  A morning spent at a waterhole will reveal a host of seed eaters ranging from finches to sandgrouse coming in to quench their thirst. Falcons and eagles fall in tow launching attacks on the drinking flocks.

Bateleur taking off after quenching its thirst at a Kalahari waterhole. 

Male Burchell's Sandgrouse taking off with water drenched breast. 

Mariepkop at 200 meters above sea level it rises 1500 meters above the rest of the landscape. 

Mariepskop Mountain on the eastern Blyde River Canyon where one can catch up with seldom seen forest species. There are few other places where one can access three biomes (moist savannah, tropical forest and mountain heathland or Fynbos) within an easy hours drive.

Rare treat when a Golden-rumped Tinkerbird comes in for a closer view 

Female Narina Trogon - unusual to find this species out in the open like this. 

African Wood Owl.

The Pafuri woodlands along the Levhuvhu river.

Pafuri region of the Kruger National Park. The Kruger itself with a staggering 550 + recorded species, is a remarkable birding destination in ots own right but its the far north where the birds peak. Many species reach the limit of their distribution and the great variety of unique vegetation creates habitat for numerous species not easily encountered elsewhere.

Juvenile Pygmy Kingfisher - Pafuri.

Striated Heron chicks - South Africa. 

Orange breasted Pytilia - Pafuri. 

Uganda’s Albertine Rift straddling western Uganda and Rwanda is a hotspot of endemism. Here more than 40 species of birds occur that is found nowhere else on the planet. While the forest habitat makes it difficult to locate birds, the reward is high.

Abyssinian Ground-hornbill. 

The holy Grail of the wetlands. The unique and enigmatic Shoebill.

Hueglin's Francolin. 

Female brown-throated Wattle-eye.

The Okavango Delta – one of the worlds most pristine wetlands. Abundance, visibility and rarity of species works together and makes it clear why this is a globally protected wetland.

Okavango Mokoro trip.

Okavango Special - Slaty Egret

Dickinson's Kestrel

Little Sparrowhawk. 

Lizzard Buzzard. 

Pafuri Birding Safari

A Verraux's Eagle-owl in in one of the Fever-tree Forests. 

Pafuri, together with the Kalahari ( More here and here) is South Africa’s wildest wilderness areas. Tucked away between the lush Levuvhu and Limpopo rivers in Kruger’s northern most reaches it is a land rich in history and legend. It is here where the Levuvhu and Limpopo rivers join and where three countries, South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe meet. In years gone by a band of ivory hunters, poachers, traders and other outcasts made their homes in this remote spot aptly named Crookes Corner.  Strategically this area provided the perfect hideout from the authorities. When officials from the respective countries came to arrest any of the bandits, they conveniently jumped the border out of the jurisdiction of the said official.

Not exactly camping in a pup tent!!! The very luxurious tents at Pafuri Camp. 

Today the exclusive Makuleke concession, one of South Africa’s most successful examples of land restitution where land was returned to the original owners is managed as an exclusive eco-tourism concession by South African National Parks, the land owners and private stake holders.  Low volume tourism ensures that the wild frontier ambiance is still tangible amongst the giant Baobabs, stunning gorges and Kipling’s Limpopo River.  Our quarry this time wasn’t ivory bearing elephant though but something much smaller. Birds!!

Fine Art photographer Oliver Barnett in action. Have a look at his stunning and unconventional photography at: http://oliverbarnett.co.za/

Because of the diverse habitats and vast array of vegetation types, each with its distinct suite of bird species, Pafuri is a must-do destination for any serious birdwatcher visiting Southern Africa. My initial fear of overselling the place soon proved misplaced as within the first few minutes of our first game drive it felt like birds were in total overabundance, both in numbers and species!  We didn’t get halfway to where we were planning to have our sundowners as we had to stop regularly to identify the multitudes of species and before we reached the camp again our total species list were well over 50 already.

En-route to meeting our guests, a quick stop at Punda Maria restcamp produced an Orange-winged Pytilia, a very rare sighting in South Africa.

One is not limited to Kruger Park gate times and as a result can get to see what happens after dark. Over a few days various species of owls, coursers and nightjars were gradually added to the list bringing it up to a final total of 162 species seen!

Spotted Eagle-owl on the hunt. Not being limited to gate times allows guests to seek out the areas nocturnal inhabitants.

Bird species that stood out was Eurasian Golden Oriole which seemed like flocks just arrived prior to dispersal on the day of our arrival, Black-throated Wattle-eye, Lemon-breasted Canary,  European Hobby and Lanner Falcons, Dwarf Bittern,  Three banded Courser and African Wood Owl. Sadly Pell’s fishing Owl eluded us.  At one point, thousands of winged termites were emerging setting the stage for one of natures wildlife spectacles. Everything from Black-backed Jackals to scorpions were feeding on them.  Hundreds of Amur Falcons could be seen hawking them from the sky while a rock monitor scooped up a few termites as well as a scorpion!!

A very obliging juvenile African Pygmy Kingfisher. 

We recorded two firefinches in the area, Jameson's and this Red-billed Firefinch. Interestingly both of their brood parasites, the Village and Purple Indigobirds were also recorded. 

A very interesting find. Look at the color ring on this Lessed Spotted Eagles left leg. Turns out that this individual comes all the way from Poland!!!

It wasn’t only birds though and in addition to herds of buffalo and small breeding groups of elephant we also encountered a clan of Spotted Hyena’s in the fever tree forest, several Large-spotted Genets  (some of which were in camp), both Four-toed and Rock Elephant-shrews, Nyala, Kudu and a host of other antelope, a Giraffe (which I was forced to stop at!) as well as Hippopotamus and Nile Crocodile.

Referred to as a Cat-eyed snake the beautiful and harmless Marbled Tree-snake. 

Pafuri Camp is situated on the Levuvhu river providing ample opportunities to view the comings and going of a host of wildlife. The riparian forest is never quiet and guests can explore the woodlands at camp from the safety of an elevated walkway that stretches for more than a kilometer along the edge of the forest.  Alternatively a most welcome pool overlooking the river provides a more sedate wildlife viewing post.

Large spotted Genet in the riverine forest. 

Africa Unlocked provides premium private safaris in Pafuri, an area ideal for anyone looking for a wild and non-commercialized safari experience. Birdwatchers and nature photographers will enjoy this un-spoilt region tremendously while adventure seeking families are guaranteed of a most exciting time. Should you wish to get more information on this region do not hesitate to contact us.

One of the most dramatic sundowner spots at Lanner Gorge. 

Next stop, Phinda. All ground handling and logistics were arranged by Africa Unlocked.  

Safari in style. Next stop Phinda. 

Uganda - Murchison Falls

Stunning savannah landscapes in Murchison Falls National Park.

The flight into Entebbe was an unexpected surprise. For some reason the pilot descended quite low over lake Victoria revealing the lake islands with its fishing communities and seemingly lost fishing boats on the vast expanse of the lake.  After effortless custom procedures, courtesy of Premier Safaris, we proceeded to the Boma Guest house only minutes from the airport where safari guests met up at dinner.

Uganda is a fresh, wonderful, clean and friendly destination with some of Africa's most surpizing experiences. It is fast becoming my favorite safari country. A true Ugandan welcome the next morning during breakfast by the likes of Great Blue Turaco, Black and White Casqued Hornbills, Black-headed Gonolek, Splendid Glossy Starlings and even a trio of Ross's Turacos made us all feel very welcome to this verdant country. Rejuvenated we took on the road to our first destination, Murchison falls National Park in the west of the country. After negotiating the back roads of Kampala we  eventually turned onto the superb roads leading past emerald landscapes to the northern sector of the Albertine or Western Rift Valley. Just before the park the road leads through Budongo Forest, this alone being worth the trek. Myriads of butterflies darted across the dirt road leading through the untouched forest while secretive forest birds (most unfortunately unidentified) darted across our path. This forest alone is worth a few days exploring but our itinerary only allowed brief stops.

From a small rocky island in the White Nile one gets a view into the mouth of murchison Falls, The entire White Nile river crashes through a cap only 7 metres wide!!!

The short detour to the top of Murchison falls is really worth the effort as the White Nile River, (yes the one of legend and myth) passes through the seven meter gap and plummets angrily into the valley 45 meters below. Undeniably one of Africa’s most spectacular places.  One has to cross to the northern bank by  ferry. Getting to this point and seeing the vast river only emphasize the extent of the falls. While not the highest in Africa by any stretch, the mere fact that this huge volume has to squeeze through a narrow gap of only seven meters baffles the mind. 

 Yet another special - Uganda Kob. Every single image from this park has the most amazing luminous green background!! 

Murchison Falls is certainly now my “flavor of the month”. The first game drive revealed Hippo returning to their watry beds, Patas Monkey (a new species for all of us), dozens of Oribi, Buffalo, Rothchilds Giraffe, Uganda Kob and a host of others. But top of the list must be the birds. Murchison is one of the best places to see the enigmatic Shoebill and our first morning produced two individual sightings as well as Abysinian Ground hornbill and a glut of other avian jewels too many to mention.  

In the afternoon we found ourselves ploughing our way upstream against the current past herds of Elephant amongst the pristine riverine forests. Ubiquitous herds of Hippo are scattered throughout although seeing some of the monster crocs proved more difficult than anticipated. An interesting stop was at the red – throated bee-eater colony. Although common with the park these resplendent birds are a Murchison-Falls special and it was great getting close up views and pics of them.

The following morning had us heading downstream towards the delta where the Nile enters Lake Albert. Up until this point this section of the White Nile is known as the Victoria Nile. Once it leaves Lake Albert is is known as the Albert Nile. Top of our hit-list was close up images of Uganda’s prime  avian resident – Shoebill stork.

One of Africa's most sought-after bird. An African Shoebill filling our frames. Even the non-birders gets excited about this one.

And the combination of great local knowledge (and incredible eyesight) from Eric our premier Safaris guide and the boating skills of James who navigated the shallow side channels resulted in more than frame filling images of one of the worlds most bizarre looking and most sought after birds. I would like to think that the above image would go some way toward illustrating our total awe at this sighting.  

Part of the Nile landscape - local fisherman on Lake Albert.

The big cats eluded us thus far though so our last game drive was aimed at finding the big cats. One can be forgiven for thinking Uganda is not a predator destination, yet surprisingly some of the Parks, including Murchison offers great predator viewing.

There are some great lion viewing within the park if time allows you to look for them.

Mission accomplished as we encountered two adult lionesses and six cubs on our last drive, again in the most brilliant green scenery an out in the open – posing beautifully for photographs.

Abysinian Ground Hornbill - another local birding highlight.

Murchison falls national park is wild, big and offers some of the most diverse habitats and activities within a short distance. Dedicated birders, specialist wildlife enthusiast, wildlife photographer or even fisherman. Its all there. Now off to Kibale.

Revisiting Mashatu

We managed to link up with these two cubs just as it got dark, a time when they start getting active. Just as the light from our spotlights and the last remaining ambient light balanced out the male yawned.

The year seems to rush past and its amazing to think that this would have been the fourth time that I visited the Tuli Block this year already. What was amazing for me was the fact that I got to see all its drama's from drought to heavy rains and the worst floods in 25 years (which nearly washed my car into Mozambique!!) to a spectacular verdant bush teeming with life. All of this during the first four months of the year. What made our last visit so spectacular was not only the quality of the sighting but also the quantity of creatures, something rarely found on a photographic trip. Here are a few images that I chose with a few ideas of why it stood out for me. As always a bug thanks to Shem for a fun time guiding together and not least a great group of people joining in the photography.

One my favorites form the trip. I chose this image as it epitomize the Tuli area as well as the social life of elephant. I love the comforting touch of the older calf, possibly a sister, on the back of the second

youngest one in the group.

We had some Crazy Leopard encounters!

During the course of our time there, no less than 6 individual leopards were seen. We managed to spend quite a bit of time with the two, seven month old cubs. Because I already had a great shot of both of them in the same frame in the bag, I went for the trickier motion blur image.

Our first sighting of lions were quite tricky photographically as all twelve of them were in dense vegetation. As the light faded some (mostly youngsters such as this one) crept into the sun.  

This is just a fun shot of a Saddle billed Stork loosing its meal. "Lucky Fish" :)

Lions interacting in golden Light! What more can a photographer ask for?

C4 Images and Safaris - Lake Nakuru Private Photographic Safari

Thousands of relaxed Great White Pelicans epitomise Nakuru and presents lots of fun photographing them. Here Jean gets close enough to a few hundred Pelicans to get some wide angle shots. 

Before starting the Mara predator safari I met up with an old friend and regular C4 guest Jean Manson for a four day private safari to Lake Nakuru. Seeing we were headed to the predator rich Maasai Mara we were more focussed on the birds of Lake Nakuru. Although focussed on the birds we did manage to catch up with three black rhinos, a couple of Lions and a Leopard during our time there. 

The sheer numbers of birds are overwhelming. Here a mixed flock of Ruff and other waders fly part in the late afternoon sun. 

Buffaloes against the Acacia forests on the lake's shoreline. 

The dry, dusty conditions this time of year created stunningly dramatic moods and the sheer abundance of birds kept the shutters clicking.   


If you would like to arrange a private photographic trip contact C4 Here.