A little more of the birds in a birding paradise. Part II

It is easier to show a photo essay than talk about what I saw .........

Pink-backed pelican

African jacana

 Malachite kingfisher

 Water stone-curlew

 Open-billed stork

 Chinspot batis

 Emerald-spotted dove

 Red-billed oxpecker

 Purple-crested turaco

 Golden-breasted bunting

 White-crested helmet-shrike

 Brown-hooded kingfisher

I saw over 90 species in just over 24 hours! I always threaten to go back for longer - oh well, next time!!

A little bit of birding paradise! Part I

I very seldom get there, but when I do I enjoy it immensely! The reserve is a little off the beaten track and the final 12 kilometres of road can be a little rough at times. However, Mkhuze Game Reserve is a place of great beauty and is well known to birders as there are more than 420 bird species in the reserve. The reserve has a good diversity of natural habitats that include mountains along its eastern boundary, acacia savannah, swamps, a variety of woodlands and riverine forest. In addition to the birds, there are a wide range of animals (including the big five). Just a beautiful place to feed to soul and re-energize.

 

 
When it has rained (this region is often desperately dry) the pans are full of birdlife and hippos. A beautiful place, even without the wildlife.

 
Although I only spent a day in the reserve, here are some of the birds I saw:

 
Well that is just a sample and you will just have to wait for the next instalment ..........

Enseleni Nature Reserve: a wonderful place for a stroll.

In July this year I went back to South Africa for a couple of weeks to catch-up with family primarily but also managed to see a few friends. There is never enough time to do everything!! While there I managed a few short days in various parks and reserves. I realised today that I have no idea why I have not shared some of the resulting images with you .........

A lovely small reserve I visited was the Enseleni Nature Reserve and it is only 293 hectares in size. This reserve is about 10 km north of Empangeni on the N2 - there is a nominal entrance fee and it is managed by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. There are two walking trails of 5 and 7 kilometres each that cover a number of different habitats and safe as there are no cats, elephant or rhino. However, there are crocodiles in the Nseleni River, so beware!!

I arrived soon after the gates opened and spent most of the morning there. It was great to get close to a few zebra ...... such beautiful animals.

However, the real attraction for me was the birds - some unusual birds can be found here e.g. Pels Fishing Owl and African Finfoot. I dipped on the owl but did get a reasonable view of the finfoot (and a very poor picture or two). Some of the photography was within the forest and was challenging. However, here are a few of the images I did manage - birds and otherwise.

If you are ever in the area and have some time, think about stopping here - there are some great picnic spots as well.