It was Delana's idea to come here & what a good idea it proved to be! We left Malelane mid-afternoon on 16th November winding our way up into the nearby hills. At first we passed through agricultural land but after 12 kilometers the road deteriorated & got much steeper. We also started passing through afro-montane forest. The lodge was set in the forest & looked delightful. We quickly settled in to our chalet within the forest & very comfortable it was too!
I went for a short walk along the access road recording Lemon Dove; Purple crested Lourie; Trumpeter Hornbill; Red chested Cuckoo; Golden tailed Woodpecker; both Red capped & Chorister Robin Chats & a lovely Mountain Wagtail. It is difficult to obtain photos birding the forest as everything is against you. We then enjoyed a lovely dinner by the side of the river.
I had a bad night & consequently woke up late on the morning of the 17th November. We got organized a set out to bird the access road. It proved to be a good mornings birding. We managed 23 species including a lovely Narina Trogon. After an outstanding outdoor breakfast we retired to the chalet & I enjoyed a three hour sleep!
We went birding again in the afternoon but overcast conditions & light rain brought us back to the lodge early. African Emerald Cuckoo gave us the run around, calling all around us but devilishly difficult to spot.
We were up at the crack of dawn on 18th November. I enjoyed a good night rest & was feeling good for the mornings birding. We spent quite a while seeking out a singing Eastern Nicator, but despite our best efforts it remained hidden. We then bumped into Gavin & his wife who were birding. They own the farm where the lodge is situated (but not the lodge). They had spotted a pair of Dark backed Weavers, which were hanging around a nest. We also heard Scaly throated Honeyguide but failed to see it. He proved to be a mine of useful information on the birds found here & gave us a couple of tips for the afternoon.
In the afternoon we drove up into the hills amid spectacular scenery. It really is a beautiful farm & very fortunate to have Gavin & his wife as custodians for all these scarce & increasingly threatened habitats. Birds were scarce but we did see our first Steppe Buzzard of the summer & an out of place Red billed Oxpecker! Plain backed Pipit & Wailing Cisticolas were also recorded. On the way down, we managed to locate a Striped Pipit, which is always a scarce species.
I had a bad night, so we didn't arise until 7 am in the morning of 19th November. We decided to walk the forest closer to the security gate around 4kms further down the hill than the lodge. It was a beautiful morning & we both enjoyed the walk seeing 3 Red Duiker & a Nyala. We managed to entice in a Grey Cuckooshrike & Delana picked up several Purple banded Sunbirds high in the canopy. Both new for our year lists. Otherwise it was more of the same forest species.
In the afternoon we drove a little further down past the security gate. A good variety of birds were seen, but nothing new for the year list.
We packed up early on 20th November & drove home after doing a few chores. It had been a wonderful short stay, with some good afro-montane forest birding. We would definitely visit again.
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