Fish Eagle at sunset

 

Some migrants have returned and birding has officially taken off in a big way! The Red-breasted Swallows have once again become a common sight in the bush, five or six Ruff have taken up residence at Main dam and the first Wahlbergs Eagle has come home to start mating and nesting.

This is definitely the best time in the Lowveld for birding. With the return of the migrants the bird list almost doubles! Breeding has already started for most species and almost completed for most raptors. A number of species have become noticeably more vocal trying to attract a mate (or several) and the bush is fast becoming a cacophony of song first thing in the morning.

 

Brown Snake-Eagle

Raptors

Most of the birds of prey are still nesting at the moment and several Eagle nests have been found. I have a close look at every opportunity I get! A pair of Hooded Vultures decided to nest right in front of the lodge and regularly soars down to drink from the small pool in the river bed in front of the main deck.



Bateleur having a drink

Plenty of White-backed and Hooded Vulture nests are spread all along the drainage lines. As yet I have only noticed adults still incubating the eggs but should hatch soon. A bit of very early rain has fallen this week and only time will tell how this will affect the success rate of the chicks.
 

Tawny Eagle

 

An African Hawk-Eagle nest was found close to the lodge and a Tawny Eagle nest was found by Fritz not too long ago. We will continue to monitor these sites. Due to the Eagles habit of Cainism they should only yield 1 chick each. Cainism is where the older chick kills the younger chick to avoid competition for food and attention all together.

With all this nesting activity the raptor sightings have been spectacular.
 

White-backed Vulture on a nest

 

 

 

 

 

Birders Big 6

Ground Hornbill

Charismatic not colourful. These interesting birds are undoubtedly the biggest stars in our birding show. We had two sightings this week, both in the same general area around S7 and Pod Mahogany. Because there is only an estimated 900 Ground Hornbill in the greater Kruger National Park area, it is important to keep an eye on them as they will hopefully also start nesting in the near future.

 

Saddle-billed Stork

 Saddle-billed Stork and a herd of Buffalo

 

We also had two sightings of these striking birds this week. It seems to be the same pair and have been seen around the Main dam and Ntzaka sewerage area. We had a particularly beautiful sighting with two Saddle-billed storks and a herd of 600 or more buffalo at Main dam.
 

 

Martial Eagle

 

We had several sightings throughout the reserve and found a nest close to Rhino quarry. By far the most powerful Eagle in the area, with a wingspan of up to 2.6 meters, it is an incredible bird to see. It has a war-like look hence the reference to Mars, the Roman god of War.

Specials

A number of good birds have been seen in the last while. Main dam has lived up to its reputation in delivering White-fronted Plover and a Black Heron, among the regular African Spoonbills, Green-backed Herons and Grey Herons.

A Narina Trogon was again sighted by an enthusiastic guest at the lodge. I, myself, can only say I’ve heard it calling from the riverine forest at the lodge. Hopefully this season I will be blessed to have an opportunity to see, and hopefully photograph, this beautiful and elusive bird.

Hamerkop

 

 Lilac Breasted Roller
 

Photographs taken with a Nikon Coolpix P510