Leaving Kruger behind we spent the night at Gecko Lodge, www.geckolodge.net,  in Hazyview, Mpumalanga.  This is a beautiful and tranquil place surrounded by exotic gardens where the running channels of water attracted plenty of birds.  An ideal place to break the journey to or from Kruger, with very comfortable accommodation and excellent meals in the dining room.
From here we set off north through the rugged dramatic scenery of the Blyde River Canyon.  We stopped briefly at God’s Window to admire the stunning vista and sheer drop from the escarpment and saw a few birds at the same time including Yellow-streaked Greenbul, Black and Alpine Swifts.  Continuing along the canyon we stopped for roadside birds including Buff-streaked Bushchat and Cape Rock-Thrush which showed off in the boulder-strewn landscape.  Late morning we reached Abel Erasmus Pass and looked for the curio stall.  This was easily found on the right-hand side on the road, and just to let us know we were in the right place, on the left-hand side of the road a hand-painted notice on a large rock declared this to be the ‘place of birds’.  We scanned the impressive tall cliffs towering over the road looking for our target bird but no luck.  We walked back to the curio stall and enlisted the help of one of the ladies there who was manning her stall.  She was able to point out some of the favourite perches but still no sign of the bird.  With the temperature now climbing rapidly, it was pretty uncomfortable at the base of the cliff with very little shade in which to hide.  Our scanning did produce a magnificent perched Verraux’s Eagle.  The three of us continued to scan and sweat until at last our new friend said she could see the bird.  After a frustrating few minutes, she was able to get onto it.  At last, Taita Falcon!  What a great looking bird.  Through the scope at 60x we were able to see this small Peregrine-like bird very well and admire its blue, grey, orange and black plumage.  As we watched, the falcon flew from the cliff, did a circuit around over our heads and then land back in a shaded area where the view was even better.  A wonderful addition to our year list (and life lists)!
Very pleased with our sighting, we headed back to the welcome relief of the air-conditioned car and drove on south towards Misty Mountain Lodge in Long Tom Pass, our destination for the night.
Tomorrow we head back to Johannesburg and fly out to Zambia for a couple of weeks which will give us a whole host of new birds that we wouldn’t otherwise encounter.  This is a real bonus for us, and one that we owe to two fantastic friends, Oz and Gail.  We met this incredibly generous couple on a Tropical Birding tour in Ethiopia and shared many amazing experiences together.  Hearing that our budget was running out and that we were having to cut back our tour to reduce our costs, they made a very generous donation which has made it possible for us to visit Zambia.   So thanks very much, Oz and Gail, and every new bird there we see will have your name on it!
Bird species list: 3123
Posted 10th September, Misty Mountain, Long Tom Pass, South Africa