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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, February 13, 2012

TRIP REPORT PUNDA MARIA

I had a marvellous birding tour to Punda Maria with a birder Diana at
Punda Maria Camp from Monday 6th-9th February 2012.

We arrived at about 14:00 hours and we drove to Mahonie Loop for
afternoon birding and we saw some special birds and amongst others we
had Grey Headed Parrot,
Bateleur
African Hawk Eagle
Yellow-Billed Oxpecker
Yellow Bellied Greenbul
Red-Billed Oxpecker
Broad Billed Roller
Long Tailed Paradise-Whydah
Black Headed Oriole
Crowned Hornbill
African Grey Hornbill
Southern Yellow-Billed Hornbill
Cinnamon Breasted Bunting
Red-Billed Hornbill
Dusky Indigobird
Sombre Greenbul
Green-Winged Pytilia
Pearl Spotted Owlet
Red Billed Quelea
Purple Roller
Cardinal Woodpecker
Green Wood Hoepoe
Emerald Spotted Wood-Dove
Village Weaver
Blue Waxbill
White Backed Vulture
Purple Crested Turaco
Browned Crowned Tchagra
Marabou Stock
Natal Spurfowl
Swaison's Spurfowl
Violet Backed Starling
Cape Glossy Starling
Southern Grey Headed Sparrow
Red Backed Shrike
Streaky Headed Seed-Eater
Arrow Marked Babbler
African Scops Owl
Lilac Breasted Roller
Red Faced Mousebird
Yellow Billed Kite
Browned Hooded Kingfisher
Helmeted Guineafowl
Grey Go-Away-Bird
Spotted Flycatcher
African Firefinch
Wahlberg's eagle
Tawny Eagle
Fork Tailed Drongo
Crested Francolin
Red Eye Dove
Cape Turtle Dove
Jacobin Cuckoo
Long Billed Crombec
Burchell's Coucal
Rattling Cisticola
Yellow Fronted Canary
Orange Breasted Bushshrike
Brubru
Southern Carmine Bee-Eater

Our second day we drove to Pafuri Picnic Site and Crooks Corner and
from S60 we passed some tall Mopane woodland and the list included
amongst others;
Arnot's Chat
White Crowned Lapwing
Grey Headed Kingfisher
White Crested Helmet-Shrike
Southern Ground Hornbill
Meyer's Parrot
Peregrine Falcon
Namaqua Dove
Pied Wagtail
Yellow Fronted Canary
White Faced Duck
Yellow Breasted Apalis

We Stopped at Klopperfontein for waterbirds and others and we had a
Tropical Boubou
Purple Roller
European Roller
Levaillant's Cuckoo
Black Crowned Tchagra
Three Banded Plover
Little Swift
Red Breasted Swallow
White Rumped Swift
White Bellied Sunbird
Greater Blue Eared Starling
Black Smith Lapwing

From Crooks Corner we saw a pair of African Fish Eagle
White Fronted Bee-eater
Laughing Dove
Cattle Egret
Cape Vulture
White Backed Vulture
Lesser Striped Swallow
Meve's Starling
White Stork
Broad Billed Roller
African Paradise Flycatcher
African Green Pigeon
Red Billed Buffalo Weaver
Fork Tailed Drongo
Egyptian Goose
Natal Spurfowl

3rd day we drove on the junction of the H13 and H1-8 and we saw Senegal Coucal
and at Dzundwini Hill forn morning birding and we saw Verreaux Eagle
Orange Winged Pytilia
Jameson Firefinch
Zitting Cisticola
Diderick Cuckoo
Green Winged Pytilia
Eastern Nicator
Yellow bellied Greenbul
African Goshawk
African Green Pigeon
Lesser Spotted Eagle
Cardinal Woodpecker
Steppe Eagle
Magpie Shrike
Tawny Flanked Prinia
Black Backed Puffback
Crested Barbet
Golden Breasted Bunting
Sombre Greenbul
African Hoopoe
Village Indigobird
Brown Snake Eagle
Southern Black Tit
Purple Crested Turaco
Southern Grey Headed Sparrow


Happy Birding

--
BIRDING SOUTPANSBERG AND VENDA
SAMSON MULAUDZI
Project co-ordinator Mottled Spinetail of SA
LIMPOPO BIRD GUIDE(BIRDLIFE SA Accredited)TRAINED AND ACCREDITED in
general and bird identification through SASOL/BirdLife South Africa
Specialist for Soutpansberg and Venda
Cell:+27(0)83 662 9960
Fax:+27(0)86 217 0006
Email: mulaudzims@googlemail.com
birding.soutpansberg@gmail.com
Operating Areas:Central Soutpansberg & Venda-
Hanglip Forest
Roodewal Forest.
Entabeni Forest,
Muirhead Dams,
Thohoyandou Botanical,
Thathe Holy Forest
Sagole Big Tree(Mottled Spinetail)
North of Kruger Park in Limpopo Province.
BIRDING BLOG: www.samsonbirding.blogspot.com
Registered SABAP & BIRP Observer No:2187

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