3rd September. We birded the acacia scrub with Keith at Nylstroom and picked up some classic acacia birds including Gray Go-away-bird, Crimson-breasted Gonolek, Meyer’s Parrot and Violet-eared Waxbill.  We bade farewell to Keith who returned to Jo’burg while we continued on to Polokwane.  Staking out a waterhole, we watched Scaly-feathered Finches and Black-faced Waxbills coming in to drink, as well as Shaft-tailed Whydah and Black-chested Prinia, along with two White Rhinos and a family of Warthogs.  We searched the surrounding savannah for a particularly rare lark, but no luck, though we did have fine views of Magpie Shrike.  Just as we were about to give up, we finally did see Short-clawed Lark.  Our destination that night was the beautiful Kurisa Moya Nature Lodge in Northern Limpopo Province.  Run by Ben and Lisa de Boer, the Lodge is an eco-hotel set in the beautiful Kudu River Valley, with excellent birding trails all around and some wonderful range-restricted birds right on the doorstep.  Check out www.krm.co.za to learn more about it.
Bird species total: 3105