Mega birds and mammals in Mkuze National Park! As soon as the gates of Mkuze National Park opened we burst through and headed straight for the hides. Our first bird was a critical milestone, Bird Number 3000, and we were rewarded with a stunner: Violet-crested Turaco. Flying into a tree directly opposite us, we enjoyed excellent views of this colourful bird, though our photo in the early morning light doesn’t do it justice. This was quickly followed by another mega: Pink-throated Twinspot in a small bush in the carpark. Three females were nice, but when the male flew in, wow what a fantastic sight. This set the tone for the day as we had what must have been one of our most productive and enjoyable days of the year. We picked up top target birds thick and fast, such as Neergaard’s Sunbird, African Penduline Tit, Senegal Lapwing, and Black-backed Puffback. And mammals too: close encounters with White Rhinos, Wildebeest and Warthogs. Next day saw us target birding again around the St Lucia area and once more we saw some amazing birds: Fasciated Snake Eagle, Trumpeter Hornbill, African Crested Flycatcher, Woodward’s Batis, Lesser Jacana and White-backed Duck. Keith’s promised us a 4.00am start tomorrow so sorry it’s only a brief blog for an early night tonight. We’re not sure how good internet access will be for the next couple of days as we head off into the wild but we’ll do our best.
Bird species total: 3040 species
Posted 30th August, St Lucia, South Africa