Autumn Adventure: Autumn Birding

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Whenever we’re out exploring South Africa’s wild places, bird-watching is one of the pastimes we most enjoy. In this regard we rate the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park very highly, as both these reserves have a wonderful combination of bird species on offer, several of which are unique to the area in a South African context. During our visit in March, we managed to identify 105 different species at uMkhuze Game Reserve and 89 species on the Eastern Shores of Lake St. Lucia (both part of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park) and 104 species in the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park. These photographs feature just a few of them.

Acacia Pied Barbet
African Darter
African Harrier-Hawk
African Hoopoe
African Jacana (photo by Joubert)
African Marsh Harrier
African Pipit
Ashy Flycatcher
Barn Swallow
Bateleur
Bearded Scrub-Robin
Black-backed Puffback
Black-crowned Night Herons
Female Black Cuckooshrike
Black Flycatcher
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
Blue Waxbill
Brown Snake Eagle
Burchell’s Coucal
Chinspot Batis
Collared Sunbird
Common Waxbill
Crested Francolin
Crested Guineafowl
Crowned Hornbill
Dark-capped Bulbul (photo by Joubert)
Diederik Cuckoo
Dwarf Bittern
Emerald-spotted Wood Dove
European Bee-eater
European Nightjar
European Roller (photo by Joubert)
Familiar Chat
Fiery-necked Nightjar
Golden-breasted Bunting
Golden-tailed Woodpecker
Green-backed Camaroptera
Green-backed Heron (immature)
Green-winged Pytilia
Grey-headed Gull
Grey Heron
Grey Tit-Flycatcher
Grey Waxbill
Hadeda in flight – photo by Joubert
House Sparrow
Jacobin Cuckoo (dark morph)
Jameson’s Firefinch
Little Bee-eaters
Malachite Kingfisher
Martial Eagle
Mocking Cliff-Chat
Mountain Wagtail
Pied Wagtail
Olive Sunbird (photo by Joubert)
Pink-throated Twinspot
Purple-crested Turaco
Rattling Cisticola
Red-backed Shrike
Red-billed Oxpecker (photo by Joubert)
Reed Cormorant
Rudd’s Apalis
Rufous-winged Cisticola
Saddle-billed Stork in silhouette at sunrise
Sombre Greenbul
Speckled Mousebird
Spotted Eagle Owl (photo by Joubert)
Southern Fiscal
Squacco Heron
Southern Black Flycatcher
Thick-billed Weaver female
Village Weaver
White-backed Vulture
White-browed Scrub Robin
White-crested Helmetshrike
White-eared Barbet
White-faced Whistling Duck family
White-headed Vulture (photo by Joubert)
Wire-tailed Swallow
Woolly-necked Stork
Woodward’s Batis (photo by Joubert)
Yellow-breasted Apalis
Yellow-fronted Canary
Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird
Yellow-throated Bush Sparrow
Yellow-throated Longclaw
Tiny Zitting Cisticola with a massive tick on its head

24 thoughts on “Autumn Adventure: Autumn Birding”

    1. de Wets Wild Post author

      Dis geheel en al ons plesier, Ineke, en dankie dat jy deur hulle almal gekyk het! Soos ek vir Anne ook gese het, al is elke individuele soort ook hoe mooi is dit juis die verskeidenheid en gekombineerde getalle wat daar te siene is wat uitstaan!

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    1. de Wets Wild Post author

      Thank you very much, Anne. It really is difficult, impossible even, to cut even one of these beautiful birds from the gallery because, while individually they’re all splendid it is in their diversity and sheer collective numbers that they truly shine together.

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  6. sustainabilitea

    The waxbill and the bee eater are great…but so are all the others. There are just so many beautiful and interesting ones! You both take excellent photos and what an amazing amount of birds from which to choose!!

    Liked by 1 person

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  7. H.J. for avian101

    Wow! What a great collection of extraordinary birds. I’m proud of you two. Father and son. have shot excellent photos. Thank you! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. de Wets Wild Post author

      Thank you very much, Kathy!
      The bee-eaters are very special birds indeed. So beautifully coloured and so streamlined!
      It would be very hard to pick a favourite for there were so many wonderful encounters. The Pink-throated Twinspot is a rarity here and this is by far the best view we’ve ever had of one. The nightjars on the road sitting so perfectly for their photographs. The saddle-billed Stork on top of its tree at sunrise. Vultures soaring on the thermals. The little Cisticola with the massive tick on its head. An immature White-crowned Helmetshrike loadly begging food from its parents. In the end I’ll probably be listing all of the photos included here, so I should rather stop! 🙂

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