Kruger National Park. November 2018
5. Kruger -Birds.
Without an interest in birds doing a self-drive safari could be very boring as it can sometimes be hours between animal sightings whereas there are often birds to be seen. I also like to look out for birds at the campsites that we stay at. I often keep a list of the birds that I can identify and in the 3 weeks in Kruger saw over 100 different birds.
Raptors
I find many of the raptors difficult to identify as they are often far away or flying.
Fish Eagles are one of the easiest to spot as they spend a lot of time sitting in trees and have a distinctive call.
Fish Eagles are often seen in pairs. The female is slightly larger than the male.
I think this is a Tawny Eagle. It was being harassed by a couple of starlings and eventually it flew away.
This Martial Eagle had killed a monitor lizard and taken it to a low branch to eat, giving us a great view.
Owls
Being night birds owls are difficult to spot during the day.
A Pearl-Spotted Owlet. They call during the day so are more easlily found that other owls.
This Scops Owl was sitting high up in a tree at one of the picnic spots.
Water Birds
Water birds tend to stay put unless you get too close so I usually have more time to identify them!
A Spoonbill.
2 Saddled-Billed Storks ansd a Great Egret.The storks walk about in the river hoping to disturb fishes.
A Common Greenshank.
A Goliath Heron and a large Egyptian Geese family. This is the largest of the herons in South Africa, they are up to 1.5m tall.
Other Birds
A White-Fronted Bee-Eater. They are often seen perching on branches on the lookout for food.
Ground Hornbills are quite rare. They are the largest of the hornbills and rarely fly. Mostly they are to be found in family groups of 2 to 5 birds.
An African Green Pigeon feeding on fruit.
Brown-Hooded Kingfishers actually feed on insects so are not always seen near water.
This is a Crested Guinea-Fowl (much less common than the Helmeted Guinea-Fowl), one of a group that were at the Punda Maria campsite.
The call of a Grey Lourie is unmistakable and perfectly described by its original name - the Grey Go-Away Bird.
Last updated: January 2021