We stayed at Sabi River bungalows resort and used it as a springboard for our trips into Kruger Park in February this year. We usually enter the park through the Phabeni gate which is only 12 kilometres east of the town of Hazyview. Sabi River bungalows is only about four kilometres north west of Hazyview.

Once through the Phabeni gate we often turn right off the S1 onto Albasini road (S3) which takes us down to the H1-1, which is the main road from the Numbi gate to Pretoriuskop rest camp. The road is sand/gravel and is usually highly productive, from a birding point of view. The trick is to get into the park by 6h00 in summer because it is already light and the wildlife is more active before it gets too hot. The temperature can typically reach 35 degrees centigrade in this part of the world around midday.

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” ~ Anonymous

The S14 Fayi Loop exits the S8 just west of Pretoriuskop. The loop is around 13 kilometres long and enters Voortrekker road just east of Pretoriuskop. The loop should take a minimum of a 45-minutes to drive, though with good sightings it could take a couple of hours. This sand road winds through terminalia woodlands and areas of sickle-bush. The start of loop is characterised by granite outcrops and coarse, reddish soil, which supports unique vegetation known as Pretoriuskop sourveld. This is habitat for sable antelope, white rhino and other wildlife.

Just at the start of the Fayi loop we were lucky enough to see an African Cuckoo-hawk in the top of a large tree. This was only the second time I have seen an African Cuckoo-hawk. The first time was in Tembe Elephant Park many years ago.

The African Cuckoo-hawk is so named because it resembles a common cuckoo in terms of shape and colour from a distance. The male is blackish-brown above with a grey mantle and chest with a blackish crest, the underparts are white marked with broad chestnut bars. The tail is black with three grey bars and grey and white tip.

The African Cuckoo-hawk is a shy raptor and little is known about its behaviour as it is not often seen and has secretive habits preferring the edges of evergreen forests and deciduous woodlands. Chameleons are known to be a significant part of the African Cuckoo-hawk’s diet, though it will also go for other reptiles, insects and even small mammals and birds.

There are several large granite outcrops at the start of the Fayi loop. We always look for Klipspringers on the rocks and even a leopard lying in the shade watching over its territory from a high rocky vantage point. At the base of these granite outcrops we found many ‘Pride of De Kaap’ bushes. Pride of De Kaap has characteristic two-winged leaves. The petals of these florescences are oar-shaped and around 40 mm long. During late summer these bushes are adorned with florescences which usually range in colour from salmon to orange and yellow to white.

The Fayi tributary starts close to the H1-1 main road from Numbi gate to Pretoriuskop rest camp. The Fayi tributary flows south for a significant length of the Fayi loop before joining the Nsikazi tributary which flows down along the south west park boundary to join the Crocodile river at the southern end of Kruger.

“I know not how I may seem to others, but to myself I am but a small child wandering upon the vast shores of knowledge, every now and then finding a small bright pebble to content myself with.” ~ Plato

We found this diminutive African Dusky flycatcher hunting insects in a bush next to the side of the sand road.

This looked to be a juvenile with its spotty crown and light brown streaks on its breast. The adult has an almost plain beige crown and similar soft dark smudges on its breast.

Further along the loop we found several Southern African giraffe browsing on the trees. One male giraffe had several Red-billed oxpeckers grooming his neck and mane.

Both Red-billed and yellow-billed oxpeckers primarily feed on ectoparasites like ticks found on large mammals, but their feeding behaviours and preferences differ slightly. Yellow-billed oxpeckers tend to focus on larger ungulates and may consume more ticks and have a higher overall food intake, while red-billed oxpeckers show more flexibility in host choice and may also feed on wounds. The Yellow-billed oxpecker feeds by plucking to remove parasites from its host whereas the Red-billed oxpecker used a scissoring technique.

The Fayi loop crosses the Fayi tributary in two places. These are normally the areas where we see rollers, bishops, canaries and widowbirds and on occasions Malachite kingfishers. We found an obliging male White-winged widowbird in the reeds and bushes along the first tributary crossing. Perhaps the reason this male White-winged widowbird was so obliging was that he was distracted by all the females in the area.

“To live in the world without becoming aware of the meaning of the world is like wandering about in a great library without touching the books.” ~ Dan Brown

He was very busy trying to impress all the passing females, flying back and forth displaying his white and yellow wing coverts and fanning his tail feathers. He was also very vocal calling to all the females.

As we were driving down the hill towards the second tributary crossing we saw this Common buzzard. It was scouring the area from a high vantage point in a dead tree.

The Common buzzard is a summer visitor to this part of the world. The Common buzzards that migrate typically breed in the colder regions of Europe and Asia and migrate south for the northern hemisphere winter.

This species prefers the higher rainfall eastern and southern areas of southern Africa with grasslands and open savanna with tree cover. The Common or Steppe buzzard can be identified by the pale horizontal band across its breast which separates the streaked upper breast from the banded underparts. Common buzzards exhibit significant colour variations, with plumage varying from very dark to almost completely white.

In certain diffused light the iridescent blue-green sheen on the Greater Blue-eared Glossy starling really shows. The Cape, Blue-eared and Black-bellied glossy starlings are tricky to tell apart as they have a simmar GISS (general impression of size and shape) and all have the glossy iridescent sheen on their plumage and orange eyes. The Cape and Blue-eared glossy starlings occupy the same habitats. The Blue-eared is the most iridescent of all the glossy starling species and has a distinct patch of dark blue feathers on the ear coverts.

In the reedbeds along the Fayi tributary we found several very active Red-collared widowbirds who was also busy chasing females.

Male widowbirds typically display from a prominent position during the breeding season to attract females and establish territories. The displaying male will usually chase any other males away from his territory. This male Red-collared widowbird displayed his scarlet red collar and long black tail feathers to great effect.

Next to the bridge at the second crossing of the Fayi tributary we saw several canaries bathing and drying themselves on the grass stems next to the open water. I am not sure what this species was but I think it was a Streaky-headed seedeater because of its prominent long curved white eyebrow, fine streaks on its brown crown, grey-brown upperparts and beige underparts.

A Striped kingfisher perched in a dead tree next to the sand road. This species is an insect eater not a fisherman. It is identified by its black eye band and broad white collar. It has the kingfisher-type powder-blue upper tail coverts and blue tail feathers. Importantly for identification, this species has a black upper mandible and red lower mandible. It also has a small chubby GISS and a short tail.

As we were driving on the Sand road towards the end of the Fayi loop through the terminalia woodlands we found this slow moving Common flap-neck chameleon. Having just stepped out of the green grass at the edge of the road it had not yet adjusted its camouflage. Chameleons have a laterally compressed body shape with turret-like eyes which can move independently and in opposite directions.

Chameleons are adept climbers with a long prehensile tail which acts as an extra limb and opposable digits for grasping branches and twigs. Chameleons can hear, although they don’t have external ear openings. They have a pterygoid ear, which is most sensitive to sounds between 200 and 600 Hz, so their hearing is limited.

Chameleons feed on insects like grasshoppers, beetles, flies and butterflies. This reptile has many enemies not the least of which is the African Cuckoo-hawk and the Southern ground hornbill.

This young Tree squirrel had found an edible berry next to the road and ignored us as it was trying to break through the hard outer shell.

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” ~ Jawaharlal Nehru

As you might expect along the Fayi tributary, the Waterbuck were never far from water. Waterbuck are highly dependent on water because the drink daily and seek refuge from predators in the water.

We saw a Klipspringer family on virtually every granite outcrop along the Fayi loop. Klipspringers have specially adapted hooves to grip onto rock faces. Their hooves are cylindrical, blunt, and have rubbery, cartilaginous pads on the tips, which act like a suction cup, providing extra grip and shock absorption and in doing so provide excellent traction. They also walk on the very tips of their hooves, which enhances their grip and allows them to navigate rocky terrain with agility and speed.

The Fayi loop must have taken us about three hours to complete mainly because there was so much to see. Not only was there a wonderful variety of mammals, reptiles and birds but the flora is unique around the granite outcrops. The Fayi loop follows the Fayi tributary for a long section which is where you are likely to find mammals coming down to drink and many birds that are attracted by the water and reeds.

“Travel is not reward for working, it’s education for living.” ~ Anthony Bourdain

The next post will show images from Pretoriuskop rest camp which we usually stop at for fuel and because there is a remarkable variety of birds in the camp.

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike

In February this year, Helen and I used some of our timeshare points to spend a week at the Sabi River Bungalows resort operated by Southern Sun.

The resort is bounded on the north and east side by the Sabi river which flows on into Kruger Park. There is a beautiful 18 hole golf course at the resort and several small dams which are water hazards for the golfers and one large dam to test golfers and offer great sightings of its teaming birdlife.

“The goal of life is living in agreement with nature.” ~ Zeno of Citium

A Southern Black flycatcher is mainly insectivorous but will eat beetles, termites worms, spiders and centipedes. This character had been worm hunting, ever the opportunist. This species of flycatcher looks very similar to a Fork-tailed drongo but has a smaller body, a smaller beak and does not have a forked tail. Its eyes are brown not red eye like the Drongo.

A demure White-fronted bee-eater perched on the edge of a Natal Mahogany next to a fairway on the golf course. It was hawking insects from this perch in the heat of the late afternoon. The white front is its forehead and white throat band under its beak and black eye mask. It’s lime green upper parts, red throat, buff orange breast and powder blue undertail coverts make it unmistakable.

This Kurrichane thrush was busy flicking its beak through the leaf litter looking for worms, insects or small fallen fruit. This species of thrush has grey upper parts, a white belly, buff-orange flanks, a distinctive bright orange bill and eye-ring, and a pale throat with a broad black moustache.

A female Broad-billed weaver close to her nest in the reeds at the edge of the main dam in the resort. The female of this species has a yellow beak and heavy brown stripes on her buff coloured throat and breast.

A demanding Broad-billed weaver chick hanging on to a reed in a prominent place so that its parents would notice it.

One of two Woolly necked storks foraging for insects along the edge of one of the fairways on the resort’s attractive golf course. This stork has a dark brown body and wing plumage which in certain light has a green-bronze iridescence on the wings and breast. It has a distinctive white ruffled neck, a white tail, red eye and a dark salmon-tipped bill. These two individuals were fully habituated to all the human activity around them.

“A walk in nature walks the soul back home.” ~ Mary Davis

A male Pied kingfisher hovering over the dam zeroing in on a fish he had seen just below the surface of the water. The male is identified by his double black breast band, a thin continuous black band below and a thicker broken black band across his chest.

A special sighting of a male Half-collared kingfisher in the deep shade of a tree overhanging the edge of the main dam. The main difference between male and female Half-collared kingfisher lies in their beak. Males have an entirely black bill, while females have some red at the base of their lower mandible. Both sexes otherwise have similar vibrant blue upperparts, a white throat, and pale orange underparts, making them difficult to distinguish at a glance. The dark blue patches on either side of the neck form a half collar. The legs and feet are bright red. 

A Groundscraper thrush on a dead branch in the thickly wooded edge of the golf course in the section that follows the course of the Sabi river on the northern side of the resort. Given its indistinct black facial markings and black teardrop shaped spots that did not extend fully under its belly, so I presumed it was a juvenile.

A Green-backed heron perched on a horizontal branch overhanging the water in the main dam.

A Green-backed heron hunting from a support at the bottom of the weir at the northern end of the main dam.

Green-backed herons diet consists of small fish, frogs, and aquatic insects but will also eat small vertebrates, molluscs, crabs, and worms when they can find them. The main dam and the weir below it are ideal hunting areas for this species.

A Purple heron hunting from the edge of the lawns leading down to the river that feeds into the main dam. It was early in the morning which is why there was plenty of moisture on the grass. All herons have striking plumage, and the Purple heron is no exception with its distinctive reddish brown plumage, a black crown and reddish face with a black stripe below the eye and a white upper throat band.

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” ~ Rachel Carson

The Purple heron prefers hunting in dense vegetation, especially thick reedbeds. It, like most herons, is a stealth hunter which spears its prey with a strong jab using its long neck and sharp dagger-like beak.

A male Broad-billed weaver perched in the reeds close to his female and his nest at the edge of the main dam in the resort. The male is brown with a dark bill and a white dash on its forehead either side of its top mandible and a white sash on first few primary wing feathers on each wing.

The male makes a nest which is beautifully compact and globe-shaped. The nests are woven from thin reed strips and suspended between upright reed stems. The entrance is uniquely positioned near the top unlike most weavers which have the entrance to their nests on the underside. This particular character was stealing fibres from another nest to weave his latest creation.

A male Cattle egret flying into a heronry in a large acacia tree in the island in the middle of the dam. There were many egrets and herons in the three large acacias and of course a heronry is never quiet.

It amazes me how these regrets negotiate the huge acacia thorns as they fly in to land and feed their chicks, and manage to not impale themselves.

“The world will never starve for want of wonders; but only for want of wonder.” ~ G.K. Chesterton

The instantly recognisable summer visitor, the Woodland kingfisher, with its white underparts and black wing coverts and cobalt blue primary wing feathers and back. It also has a distinctive red upper mandible and black lower mandible. This species of kingfisher feeds mainly on insects. Its frequent trilling is a familiar sound of summer.

A Black crake negotiating the reeds below the weir at the northern end of the main dam. It’s all black plumage, red eyes and pink-red legs and vibrant yellow beak make this species instantly recognisable. The red is particularly vibrant in the breeding season.

The Black crake prefers marshes, swamps and wetland areas so it’s long toes are ideal for navigating reeds, mud and floating vegetation. This species of crake is omnivorous so its diet varies from earthworms and insects to small fish, frogs and seeds and parts of water plants.

The heronry in the large acacia trees and one Natal Mahogany on the island in the middle of the main dam is the nesting site for egrets and herons alike. We saw a few Black-headed heron families in trees on the island.

It was amazing to watch how aggressive the siblings of both the egret and heron species got with their own species. The Black-headed heron chicks had not yet fledged and vied for food from the parents. Even when the chicks had finished the food the parents brought the sparring went on.

A young African jacana walking over the reeds and long grass using its long toes in a similar manner to the Black crake.

We saw many Reed cormorants and African darters in the main dam. This particular darter was fishing near the edge of the dam where we were sitting. It came up for air and all we could see was a small section of its neck and head. An African darter can hold its breath for up to around 100 seconds. This species, also called ‘the Snakebird’ because of its its distinctive swimming behaviour, where it swims with only its long, slender neck and head above the water, resembling a swimming snake. It is a fast underwater swimmer which spears fish with its beak. Once the fish is speared the darter surfaces to toss the fish into the air to reposition it so it can catch it and swallow the fish head-first. This makes swallowing easier and avoids the dorsal fin spines jamming the fish in the bird’s throat.

“Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder.” ~ E.B. White

We saw many more birds around the golf course and around the small dams. There was also the north and eastern boundary of the resort which followed the Sabi river. The vegetation was thick and the light dappled making the bird photograph tricky but we could hear many birds in the dense vegetation.

“The earth has music for those who listen.” ~ William Shakespeare

We have been to the Sabi River bungalows resort several times because not only is a wonderful place to stay but is an ideal springboard to get into the Kruger Park from the Phabeni gate. The next few posts will show images and stories from our travels around Kruger Park on this trip.

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike

This is the last post from our wonderful few days in the vulture hide in Giant’s Castle Reserve in the Drakensberg in November last year.

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

We saw two types of vulture during our time in the hide, the Bearded and the Cape. In 2015, the Cape vulture had been classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, but was down-listed to Vulnerable in 2021 as some populations increased and have been stable since about 2016. A few factors are thought to contribute to its vulnerable status. It is facing habitat loss and disturbance of nesting sites which is problematic because it is a slow breeder. It also faces human threats like poisoning because it only feeds on carrion.

“May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks.” ~ J. R. R. Tolkien

The Cape vulture has a low aspect ratio wing. This means its wingspan, relative to its width, is comparatively low, which is ideal for soaring. Their wingtips feature slotted or separated primary feathers which reduce wingtips vortices, lowering drag and stall speed which facilitate circling in thermals. The large wingspan allows them to glide long distances, catch thermals and ride updrafts. These vultures are known to fly at altitudes of up to 8000 metres and use their superior eyesight to look for food.

The Cape vulture’s plumage is cream-white to pale russet. It has a collar of fluffy white feathers on the back of its neck. It has a long bluish-grey neck which is mostly bare skin with a small tufts of white feathers on it. Its head and face are blue-grey and covered with short white, hair-like feathers.

The Cape vulture has pale yellow eyes and a dark black beak (which grows throughout its life). White-backed, as well as Cape Vultures, have a unique groove and serrated tongue which allows them to access soft flesh which may not be accessible with their beaks. The nostrils of a Cape vulture, like those of other vultures, are adapted for an acute sense of smell, crucial for locating food. They lack a septum (the dividing wall between nostrils), allowing air to pass straight through and enabling them to detect scents from a distance, even from high altitudes. Their sense of smell is not as acute as other vulture species especially when soaring at high altitudes, but it is still a valuable sense when scavenging for their meals.

According to Operationmigration.org, the Cape vulture is southern Africa’s only endemic vulture species. It does not migrate but can travel up to 100 kilometres looking for food. This species is one of the largest vultures in southern Africa with a wingspan of up to 2.6 metres and weighing up to 11kg. It is smaller than a Lappet-faced or Griffon but larger than a White-backed vulture. The female Cape vulture is typically larger than the male.

The Cape vulture is much easier to photograph than the Bearded vulture or the Jackal buzzard. The reason for this is that it is a slow flier, and flies in from above rather than using the updraft to fly in from below the feeding terrace like the Jackal buzzard and the Bearded vulture.

It is always a thrill when these raptors fly onto the feeding terrace. They are large and have “full flaps down” with extended wings to slow themselves when coming in to land. This action can produce dramatic images.

“One learns from books and example only that certain things can be done. Actual learning requires that you do those things.” ~ Frank Herbert

As with most raptors, the Cape vulture will land on the rocks at the far end of the feeding terrace. It will then look around to ensure that it is safe to walk into the middle of the feeding terrace. By standing on the rock at the far end of the terrace, the vultures have a quick get away as the rocks create a sharp ledge from which it launch themselves in the Bushman’s river valley below.

The Cape vulture nests on cliffs and lays only one egg each year, which must contribute to its vulnerability. This is unusual as all other vultures lay multiple eggs. This species is monogamous and so forms pair bonds for many seasons. Both parents take responsibility for incubating the egg for just under 60 days and feed the chick once it hatches. The chick usually fledges after four to five months but remains dependent on its parents for food for several months thereafter.

One of the features of the Giant’s Castle hide is that you can often see interactions between one or a few Cape vultures and the Black-backed jackals. The jackals visit the feeding terrace in front of the hide multiple times a day to steal the bones we put out for the vultures.

“Time spent outdoors reminds us that we’re part of something larger: a beautiful universe brimming with endless possibilities” ~ Unknown

The jackals are brazen when there is only one Cape vulture on the terrace and will usually intimidate the vulture by running toward it with its head down in a menacing manner. It is not so one-sided when there are a few vultures on the bones. The vultures have been known to nip the jackal’s face when it gets too close. That is where their long neck comes in handy!

I was surprised by the interaction between the Cape vulture and Yellow-billed kite. The vulture walked up to within about two metres of a large bone with plenty of flesh and fat on it and then just stood and looked around. In the meantime, the Yellow-billed kite flew straight onto the bone and began eating. For about five minutes the Cape vulture did nothing showing no aggression towards the kite.

Eventually the Cape vulture decided it wanted to eat and used its large size to push the kite away from the bone it was feeding on. The kite did not seem scared of the much larger vulture, perhaps because of its flying agility.

‘Coming in hot on finals’. This Cape vulture descended rapidly from a thermal which had carried it high above the Bushman’s river valley and the feeding terrace in front of the hide. I love seeing some of the covert feathers on top of its wings lift when landing, suggesting stall speed above sections of the wing.

“Going outside lets us appreciate life’s precious moments that pass too quickly indoors” ~ Anonymous

During a stall or high angle of attack manoeuvres, a raptor’s covert feathers, particularly the upper-wing coverts, can passively deploy, acting as aeroelastic flow control devices. This deployment helps mitigate flow separation, improve lift, and potentially delay or prevent stall, especially during landing or when encountering gusts.

On our last morning in the hide it was moody with intermittent sunlight between the rapidly moving clouds. On previous occasions we usually only saw one Cape vulture land on the feeding terrace at a time, and very occasionally two. On this particular morning we saw 12 Cape vultures progressively fly in and land in front of the hide.

The Black-backed jackal must have seen all the Cape vultures flying on the feeding terrace. The thief inevitably gate crashed the Cape vulture party. Surprisingly, this young Black-backed jackal ran in among the vultures and stole one of the larger bones.

According to Project vulture, there are about 2 900 breeding pairs in southern Africa, of which around 1 450 pairs reside in the Maloti-Drakensberg mountains- about 20% of the population.

Giant’s Castle is a spectacular reserve with vast vistas, big skies and an imposing sandstone and basalt buttresses as a backdrop. The vulture hide is positioned on the western side of a ridge on the east side of the large deep Bushman’s river valley. The views are incredible, and the moods constantly changing because of the weather.

“Adventure is the bridge between dreams and reality. When we walk across that bridge, we can explore the unknown and uncover hidden wonders. With every step, we move closer to our ambitions, passions, and goals. Adventure gives us the courage to take risks and make bold decisions – decisions that help shape our destiny.” ~ Unknown

We have always had superb avian sightings from the hide with fly-bys by Bearded and Cape vultures, Jackal buzzards, Lanner falcons, Rock kestrels and Yellow-billed kites. I am still waiting to see a Black eagle from the hide. We saw Bald ibises, White-necked ravens, Red winged starlings, Buff-streaked and Familiar chats, Yellow bishops and Cape canaries, Malachite and Greater double-collared sunbirds, Cape longclaws and so many more.

“Wherever you go, go with all your heart” ~ Confucius

You will also see Eland, Mountain reedbuck, Chacma baboons and Black-backed jackals. The White-necked ravens and Black-backed jackals will test your patience as they are consummate bone thieves.

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its inter=connectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike