Birds, Kruger National Park

These colorful birds are bee eaters. The park is full of exotic and coloful birds, Unfortunately the safari group was primarily interested in the big mammals and we did not stop for many of these birds

Finding birds or birding in the Kruger Park is a relatively simple matter. On arrival, one is immediately impressed by the sheer number of birds and variety of species. With a potential bird list of over 500 bird species -- more than half of Southern Africa's 900 species!

Depending on the season, a competent birder could expect to find between 150 and 250 species on a one to two week visit to the Kruger National Park. In general, the denser vegetation and variety of habitats in the south and far north are the most productive birding areas. Punda Maria and Pafuri are particularly good for specials.

The Kruger National Park is, without doubt, the finest birding locality in southern Africa. It provides a unique combination of wilderness areas, varied habitats, easy road access, and comfortable amenities, together with a wide variety and concentration of bird species and big game animals.

The park is situated in the north-east of south Africa, bordering Mozambique and Zimbabwe, in an area known as the Transvaal Lowveld. As one of the largest parks in Africa, it covers an area of almost 20 000 square kilometres, and is roughly 350 km long and 60 km wide.

For the birder, the high diversity and density of bird species is the great attraction. The wide range of habitats is responsible for a bird list of over 500 species, while the productivity of these habitats is such that many species occur in abundance. The Park is especially good for large raptors which are rare outside of extensive conservation areas, while many other scarce and migrant species are attracted to it's unspoilt wilderness.

I can only recommend a night drive that is offered by the various camps, since one has the option to see a lot more of the game that is only active at night, such as the owl spotted in the early evening.

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Be VERY quiet in bird hides. If there is a noise, this will unsettle the animals and birds and they will move on, away from your view!

Most hides are made of timber, too... so you should even walk as quietly as possible. Be considerate... and as quiet as possible.

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When you arrive at a waterhole, if there are quite a few cars there already, it might be because one of the Big 5 has been spotted there. If you cant see anything, drive on. Traffic jams are not a good idea as most of the roads are very narrow.

Whenever you see a sign pointing to a bird hide... take that dusty road! There will be superb birds to view, plus other wildlife too... probably some crocodiles and hippos too. This is because the hides are usually near water holes.

One good thing about being a birdwatcher is that you don't need large animals to keep you amused! As we made our slow tours around Kruger, I was constantly on the alert for the more elusive bird life that inhabited the area. We started off the first morning with a flock of Helmeted Guinea Fowl ouside our rondavel. While on our first drive, we came across a Black and White Hornbill, then an impressive Saddle-Billed Stork in a waterhole, followed by a colourful Lilac-Breasted Roller perched on a dead branch. Of course, both the Cape Buffalo and Giraffe that we came across had Oxpeckers clearing them of parasites! I was also really happy to have two great sightings of Ostriches, not to mention some Spoonbills scything for fish in a water-hole, while a crocodile watched them! We finally finished things off with a very impressive long-tailed Shrike at Mopani followed by the White-Backed Vultures that gave the lioness away as we left Kruger on our final morning in the Park. After seeing amazing Papuan Hornbills during my time in Papua New Guinea, I have always since been interested in this species - and here we came across a Yellow-Billed Hornbill between Letara and Mopani Camps!

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The park is amazing place for birds watching, I added here few images and more will be later on South Africa page as travelogue.