The view from our chalet.
Our chalet
Braving the elements!
We arrived at Giant's Castle mid-afternoon on 20th May. We quickly settled in to our chalet, complete with stunning views! There is no camping here, so we had to take a chalet. As soon as the sun went down the temperature plummeted! It was a very cold night.
The drive up to the hide.
The view from the hide.
Delana re-arranging bones.
Waiting in the hide.
Ground Woodpecker
We booked the Vulture Hide for our exclusive use on 21st May. So after a great breakfast we picked up the hide keys & a container full of bones! It is a steep 4x4 track up to the hide & on the way we saw 4 Ground Woodpeckers, which performed nicely for us.
It didn't take long before the bone stealer arrived.
Black-backed Jackal
As soon as the bones were put out he appeared!
Jackal Buzzard
White-necked Raven
They were the first to arrive.
Ever present throughout the day.
Bearded Vulture
The first birds came in about an hour after the bones
were put out.
Adult.
The best views I have ever had!
Taking off with a bone!
Immature
Cape Griffon Vulture
Southern Bald Ibis
Buff-streaked Chat
Male
They came to glean morsels from the bones.
Female
Sickle-winged Chat
An uncommon bird of the high mountains.
We enjoyed five hours in the hide. We didn't see many species, but what we did see was fantastic! We both agreed that it was a great days birding. Those Bearded Vultures were quite something.
The scenery is pretty special.
Speckled Pigeon
The next two days were spent birding around the camp & gentle walks into the surrounding hills. It was a low key couple of days, which were very enjoyable.
