Pages

Getaway to Punda Maria and Pafuri Gate

GETAWAY TO KRUGER PARK FROM PUNDA MARIA AND PAFURI GATE

Central Soutpansberg is close to Kruger National Park especially Punda Maria and Pafuri.Enough habitat types within a short distance of each other.Birders can stop to do some birding on their way to Kruger Park and in the Central Soutpansberg sites like Hanglip Forest,Roodewal Forest,Muirhead Dams,Entabeni Forest and Thohoyandou Botanical Garden.Birders can be rewarded with birds like African Finfoot,White Backed Night-Heron,Blue Spotted Wood-Dove,African Broadbill,Mottled Spinetail,Bat Hawk,Scaly Throated Honeyguide,Narina Trogon,Pink Throated Twinspot,African Wood Owl.etc
Birders can stop for whole day before leaving to Punda and explore one of the sites in the Soutpansberg or Venda.
We can plan a day outing to Pafuri Picnic site or Punda Maria which can be a full day outing around the park.


Birding Trips and Tours

BIRDING TOURS AND EXCURSIONS

I specialise on birding trips throughout Soutpansberg and Venda areas in the Limpopo Province.Soutpansberg Mountain is a wonderful place with lots of endemic birds and beautiful scenery lots of fauna and animals.
While staying in Louis Trichardt a specialised birding trip can be organised to Hanglip Forest,Ben Lavin Nature Reserve,Sewarage Dams,Roodewal Nature Reserve,Albasini Picnic Site,Entabeni Forest,Luvuvhu River and Thohoyandou Botanical Garden

BIRDING TOURS

Morning birding walk.

A morning birding walk can be arranged from where you will be staying for about 2 and half hours.Birds you will likely to see include special birds Gorgeous Bushshrike,Crested Guineafowl,Olive Bushshrike,Red Faced Cisticola,Cape Grassbird and the resident African Wood Owl.

Half Day Birding Tour

Time is about 5-6 hours in the escarpment of Soutpansberg mountains.I can lead you to Roodewal Nature Reserve which is best done early morning,and then to Muirhead Dams.Roodewal Nature Reserve the only place to see the African Broadbill in the Central Soutpansberg.other birds common are Eastern Nicator,Narina Trogon,Scaly Throated Honeyguide,Green Twinspot and the resident African Crowned Eagle.

Full Day Birding Tour

Time 8-9 hours of birding under toe canopy of Afro-Montane Forest.Entabeni Forets and Hanglip Forest is an ideal sites for full day.Entabeni Forest birds that are common are Bat Hawk,Orange Ground Thrush,Yellow Streaked Greenbul.Other places we can visit for the day include Thohoyandou Botanical Garden and birds easily located is Blue Spotted Wood-Dove.This is the only reliable place to get the Blue Spotted Wood-Dove in South Africa.Other resident birds are Pink Throated Twinspot,Green Twinspot,Gorgeous Bushshrike,Red-Capped Robin-Chat and Eastern Nicator.

Weekend Birding Tour.

We can organise a birding weekend tour to various camp sites around Venda.Gundani Camp site,the only patch of Miombo woodland in South Africa.Two tent that can accomodate 4 people and a camping site is available for extra people.Birds that we are likely to see are White Breasted Cuckooshrike,Pink Throated Twinspot,Southern Hyliota,Narina Trogon,Scaly Throated Honeyguide.While staying at Gundani camp we can also visit Sagole Big tree a 25 minutes drive from the camp.Birds to see there include Mottled Spinetail that roosts in the cave inside the biggest Baobab tree in South Africa.

A day or weekend birding at Punda Maria or Pafuri Picnic Site.I can accompany you for a day visit to either Punda Maria or Pafuri Picnic Sites to look for birds like Pel's Fishing Owl,Black-Throated Wattle-Eye,Arnot's Chat,Southern Hyliota,Grey-Headed Parrot,Senegal Coucal,Tropical Boubou etc

ABOUT SAMSON AND THE GUIDING

My photo
Louis Trichardt & Thohoyandou, Central Soutpansberg Venda Limpopo RSA, South Africa
Limpopo Specialist Birdguide.Trained and accredited in general guiding and bird identification through the SASOL/Birdlife South Africa.An expert in leading any birding focussed excursions through-out Soutpansberg,Venda and Northern Kruger.Tours arranged to fit in with your needs and plans-anything from 3 hours or half day to a full day even weekend birding tour. Cell:083 662 9960 Fax:086 217 0006

RECENT SIGHTINGS AND TOP BIRDS SEEN IN THE CENTRAL SOUTPANSBERG & VENDA


TOP BIRDS SEEN SOUTPANSBERG AND VENDA

1.Blue Spotted Wood-Dove
2.African Broadbill
3.Pink Throated Twinspot
4.African Finfoot
5.Whte Backed Night Heron
6.Orange Ground Thrush
7.Bat Hawk
8.White Starred Robin
9.Scaly Throated Honeyguide
10.Green Twinspot
11Half Collared Kingfisher
12.Eastern Nicator
13..Crested Guineafowl
14African Crowned Eagle
15.Allen's Gallinule
16.Lesser Jacana
17.African Pygmy Goose
18Yellow Throated Woodland Warbler
19.Red faced Cisticola
20.Yellow Streaked Greenbul


CONTACT DETAILS AND AVAILABILITY

My Contact details

Cell No:083 662 9960
Fax:086 217 0006
Email:mulaudzims@gmail.com
Email:samson@birdingsoutpansberg-venda.co.za

Availability.

Booking is very essential either by calling 083 662 9960 or send an email to mulaudzims@gmail.com OR samson@birdingsoutpansberg-venda.co.za

Monday, October 19, 2009

Trip Report Soutpansberg and Venda 14th-15th October 2009

Hi All.

I spent the long 3 days doing some birding with my clients from France
a dedicated birder Stephans and Rene and thought I would share some of
the nice sightings we had.
Day one 14th October we drove to the top of the central Soutpansberg
and Hanglip Forest and we ticked Vereaux's Eagle
Mocking Cliff Chat
Forest Buzzard
Lemon Dove
Crested Guineafowl
Cape Canary
Jameson Firefinch
White Starred Robin
Yellow Streaked Greenbul
Olive Bushshrike
Striped Pipit
Knysna Turaco
Purple Crested Turaco
Olive Thrush
Kurrichane Thrush
Red-Faced Cisticola
Rock Martin
Red Winged Starling
African Olive Pigeon
Yellow Fronted Tinkerbird
Cape White Eye
Lesser Striped Swallow
Amethyst Sunbird
Greater Double Collared Sunbird
Southern Double Collared Sunbird
White Bellied Sunbird
African Stonechat
White Browed Scrub Robin
White Throated Robin Chat
Green Winged Pytilia
Black Backed Puffback
Speckled Mousebird
Yellow Bellied Greenbul
African Dusky Flycatcher
White Necked Raven
Brubru
Steppe Buzzard
Golden Breasted Bunting
Dark Capped Bulbul
Terrestrial Brownbul
Little Bee Eater
European Bee Eater
Cape Batis
Black Collared Barbet
Bar Throated Apalis
Yellow Breasted Apalis

On Thursday 15th October we went to Muirhead Dams and Entabeni Forest
and we picked up some special birds.
The list included sought after species like
Buff Spotted Flufftail
Bat Hawk
Orange Ground Thrush
Scaly Throated Honeyguide
Olive Woodpecker
Gorgeous Bushshrike
African Pygmy Goose
Dark Capped Yellow Warbler
Grey Headed Parrot
Eastern Nicator
Mountain Wagtail
Narina Trogon
African Wood Owl
Green Twinspot
Brimstone Canary
Golden Bishop
Olive Bushshrike
Forest Buzzard
African Emerald Cuckoo
Red Chested Cuckoo
Yellow Bellied Greenbul
Bar Throated Apalis
Sombre Greenbul
Green Backed Camaroptera
Yellow Fronted Canary
Familiar Chat
Croaking Cisticola
Lazy Cisticola
Rattling Cisticola
Wailing Cisticola
Zitting Cisticola
Levaillant Cisticola
Red Faced Cisticola
Burchell Coucal
Black Crake
Little Grebe
African Darter
Red Eyed Dove
African Fish Eagle
Brown Snake Eagle
Black Chested Snake Eagle
Long Crested Eagle
African Firefinch
Blue Mantled Crested Flycatcher
African Hoopoe
African Jacana
African Pygmy Kingfisher
Giant Kingfisher
African Pied Kingfisher
African Darter
Reed Cormorant
Yellow Throated Longclaw
Purple Crested Turaco
Speckled Mousebird
African Olive Pigeon
Tawny Flanked Prinia
Blacked Backed Puffback
White Throated Robin Chat
Red Capped Robin Chat
Black Saw-Wing
White Browed Scrub Robin
African Stone Chat
Scarlet Chested Sunbird
Collared Sunbird
Common Waxbill
Thick Billed Weaver
Cape White Eye
Long tailed Widowbird

On Friday 16th October we drove some extra miles to the eastern Venda
the less travelled birding Sites to look for Pink Throated Twinspot
and Mottled Spinetail.
Our first destination was Gundani Mutsiwa Campsite and then Sagole Big Tree.
We started our bird watching in the Campsite early morning as it gets
warm early morning
Here is the list of the birds we spotted;
Pink Throated Twinspot
White Breasted Cuckooshrike
Narina Trogon
Retz Helmet Shrike
White Crested Helmet Shrike
Grey Backed Camaroptera
Lesser Honeyguide
African Hoopoe
Golden Breasted Bunting
Yellow Fronted Tinkerbird
Little Bee Eater
Yellow Bellied Greenbul
Diderick Cuckoo
Klaas's Cuckoo
Brown Hooded Kingfisher
Emerald Spotted Wood Dove
Purple Crested Turaco
Black Backed Puffback
Tawny Flanked Prinia
White Browed Sparrow Weaver
Southern Black Tit
Willow Warbler
Collared Sunbird
Amethyst Sunbird
Violet Backed Starling
White Browed Scrub Robin


We finished our afternoon at Sagole Big Tree with the following
specticular sightings;
Mottled Spinetail
Orange Winged Pytilia
Grey Headed Bushshrike
Orange Breasted Bushshrike
Acacia Pied Barbet
Laughing Dove
Grey Go Away Bird
Broad Tailed Paradise Whydah
Shaft Tailed Whydah
Cardinal Woodpecker
Blue Waxbill
Common Waxbill
Speckled Mousebird
Cape White Eye

Regards,


--
Samson Mulaudzi
Cell:083 662 9960
Tel:015 556 3406
Site Birdguide for Central Soutpansberg and Venda
Sites:Hanglip Forest
Entabeni Forest
Roodewal Forest
Muirhead Dam
Discover the birds of Soutpansberg.
BIRDING WITH SAMSON!
Im also available to guide birders through VENDA 4X4 TRAIL.
Registered SABAP & BIRP Observer No:2187

Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)