It rained in the mountains of the Eastern Highlands. Quite a lot. But I think only in the last few days after our Chimanimani stop at the Frog & Fern cottages did we have days where it rained almost non-stop. I remember the drive from Chimani to Gona, and the last day from Gona to Beit Bridge as being the rainiest. In Gona we had a rather windy night at the Chipinda Pools campsite. I tried to position my camper to block some wind and Dave erected a groundsheet to block more, but only when Esme put up a second groundsheet did we finally get some effective shelter.
Chipinda Pools campsite
The Rhunde river was really high and it kept rising. Jess and I went to look at the submerged causeway downstream. The next day Dave and Esme went, and the river was about three metres higher!
Rhunde causewaySame causeway one day later
Most of the roads had been blocked off. We really could only traverse up and down the main Chipinda – Chilojo road. We made the most of it, plus the road to the dam and the causeway.
Saw way too little of Gona. A return trip here is a must.
Back to the highways! Jess spotted a flap-necked chameleon on the road. We moved him off the tar.
The Vumba Mountains or The Bvumba – Misty Mountains just SE of Mutare. Our base was the well-known Seldom Seen cottages where the staff did us proud in a large comfy farmhouse with a great view eastwards into Mocambique.
Resident birding guide and everything-else Buluwezi was great. He took us up into the Miombo woodland in search of the very special African Spotted Creeper. One flew in and gave great binocular views but was too quick for the cameras, Then one arrived and sat still for maybe ten minutes! Most un-creeper-like. So we all got pictures.
He’s Spotted – and hard to spotUntil he moves
Also Red-faced Crombec, Purple-crested Turaco, Yellow-streaked Greenbul, Miombo Double-collared Sunbird, Black-eared Seedeater, and yay! at last, a Stripe-cheeked Greenbul sat and looked at me!
On our own walks we saw Black-fronted Bushshrike, Cape Robin-Chat, Lemon Dove, Stone Chat, Long-crested Eagle, Fiscal Shrike, Bronzy Sunbird, Tawny-flanked Prinia.
Buluwezi saved my most-wanted-bird of the whole trip for last. After a big circular walk to various spots in the forest below the homestead, he brought us back to near the garden and had us lying down in the damp soil and leaf litter peering into the gloom. There a male Swynnerton’s Robin sat inches off the ground and preened itself for ages while we got saturation views. I didn’t bother with my camera, just kept my Zeiss binnies glued to him. I hope to get a pic from Dave or Esme to show here. Here’s wikipedia’s pic by Maans Booysen as a place-holder.
Onward! South to the Chimanimani Mountains and Chirinda Forest. Except the latest intel on Chirinda Forest was that the road was simply too bad to be worth it. So Chimanimani and then Gonarezhou.
On the way north to Aberfoyle near the Mocambique border we enjoyed one of Dave’s signature tea stops: Chair and table out under a big tree; hebcooler and Stanley flask out; Soon lovely tea and a snack. While we were enjoying our break, Jess said, Dad there’s a bird. I brought her binocs and she got a good view of a beautiful Pytilia in among the miles of tea plants. Hey, she said, That was actually quite cool! Her first bit of interest in what we had been doing all along. Also her last.
Roadside Cafe DavidMelba Finch -Pytilia – wikipedia
We booked into one of Aberfoyle’s self-catering cottages a couple k’s above the lodge. A great option, quiet and comfy – and Jess could stay on the lodge veranda while we went birding. Here too we had some solid downpours where we were glad we had some solid corrugated iron overhead!
Jess’ lodge stoep waiting station
On the way down to the lodge we got a great view of Swynnerton’s Spurfowl, the local tuxedo-morph of the Red-necked Spurfowl. At the lodge the Red-throated Twinspot posed dutifully so even my sedate, patience-testing little camera could get reasonable shots. Resident birder Morgan Saineti then took us straight to the very rare Lesser Cuckoo he had discovered. I got a good view, but no chance of a picture. It was most certainly a cuckoo, but was it a Lesser? Yes, cos I believe Morgan as he has showed it to a lot of good photographic birders. I got good views of Green-backed Woodpecker,Singing Cisticola and Green Twinspot. The Blue-spotted and Tambourine Wood Doves sat still; My camera tried its best…
Here’s a lone Zambezi Indigobird in miles and miles of tea where there should be grasslands.
Whattapleasure to be taken by Morgan to where he knows his birds hang out . .
We needed a place to stay. Aberfoyle’s cottages were full and we were not going to pay Aberfoyle Lodge prices. Dave, as he usually did, found the solution: You can camp at Pungwe B power station – and only US$5 a head! Boy, I like prices like that.
We had traveled south to get down the mountain. As we headed east across the Honde Vally we saw the falls we’d hiked to a few days prior: Mutarazi Falls and its twin – the Muchururu Falls.
Red arrow = Mutaraziboth falls – waterflow more than we saw
The road to the power station was quite rugged and steep. Beautiful, and – birds along the way. On the way there I got a pair of Red-throated Twinspots. On the way out, Dave got a Black-winged Red Bishop. New to me in southern Africa – I had seen one in Malawi under ‘interesting’ circumstances decades before.
The weather was fair; The weather was foul; We had sunshine and we had a few torrential downpours that got the stream roaring. They’re used to rain in the mountains – check the roof for the outdoor braai.
Once again a communal shelter came to the rescue – we could cook and eat in dry comfort. We did ironically have a little power outage as we sat in the power station, but they soon fixed that.
And outside our loo with a view, Hooligan’s Robin sang his heart out.
Cossypha heuglini – The White-browed Robin-Chat, thanks xeno-canto.org
And here I have to admit the camper canvas seemed to have sprung a tiny leak and the mattress was ever so slightly damp! Jess may dispute my downplayed description of the problem! She was a star as ever, simply getting on with life.
Two nights here and now on to the famous Aberfoyle that every keen southern African birder has read about.
On South-Eastward to Marondera, which Helen Worswick had told me in 1973 was a beautiful place called Marandellas, which we prompty teasingly dubbed Marandeadloss. We were Rotary exchange students to Oklahoma back then. Well, if Gosho Park is anything to go by, she was right. We loved the two nights we camped there, even when the heavens opened on the second evening and a torrential downpour had us sheltering under the high roof of the educational centre and ablution structure. Luckily Dave’s years of outdoor life experience guiding trips down the Groot Gariep (or Orange) River saw him sensing the impending deluge, and by the time the real downpour started we had already relocated!
That night Esme had her own Night at the Museum experience:
If any of the creatures moved around that night, we didn’t notice it. And I think we’d have heard the giraffe’s neck creaking…
New birds for me at Gosho were the long-desired Southern Hyliota, the very special Collared Flycatcher and the Miombo Tit, plus a perfect view of the White-breasted Cuckooshrike. At night I heard Freckled and Fiery-necked Nightjars, Spotted Eagle, Wood and Barn Owls.
The campsites are set among the big rock outcrops in the woodland. We chose a site nearest the education centre. As the only people there we had use of the teachers facilities, much better than the rustic ones for the kids!
Walking in Gosho Park was a joy, across grasslands, past vleis, through woodland – Miombo woodland, 72 tree species recorded – and past high rocky outcrops.
Now we’d trek on to Zimbabwe’s famous Eastern Highlands on the Mozambique border, a must-go destination for anyone wanting to see all southern Africa’s birds. I’d long promised myself I’d get there and here it was about to happen!
What lovely hospitality we were treated to at Crake Cottage near the Monavale Vlei. Dorothy and John adopted and spoilt us, looking after Jess whenever we were out birding, actually ferrying us to the vlei in John’s red fire engine, and producing a big pot of tea on the wide veranda on our return from trampling around vleis, sewage ponds n parks. We booked for two nights but stayed for four. “We” being Dave, Esme and me – three old birders – and young non-birder Jess, driving around Zimbabwe in a 2012 Toyota RAV 4X4 and a 2008 Ford Ranger 2X4, focused on camping but willing to chalet when wet weather dictated such a copout.
Birding spots we visited around Harare:
Monavale Vlei – A RAMSAR wetland and important source of water around the capital city. Our host Dorothy Wakeling has been actively involved in promoting the need for looking after these special places for many years. We didn’t spot any of the famous crakes and flufftails, the vlei had dried out somewhat already, but firsts for me were the Yellow-mantled Widowbird, Red-faced Cisticola singing – cisticolas have to say who they are for me to ID them – and Variable Sunbird. Our birding guide Jimmy Muropa was great.
Mazowe Botanical Reserve in Christon Bank – About 30km north of town we were taken on a lovely walk in the granite hills by birding guide Abel Nzaka. Here we followed bird parties up and down the hills among the boulders, spotting birds, including including these these that were new to me: Miombo Rock Thrush, Cabanis’ Bunting (seen once before, but in Malawi), Eastern Miombo Sunbird, White-breasted Cuckooshrike and Whyte’s Barbet.We glimpsed, but didn’t nail down, the Boulder Chat.
Haka Park – Just 10km east of Harare city centre, this park is paradise. Grasslands, my favourite biome, and islands of trees and big boulders, flanked by Miombo woodland. The tree islands have perfect shady campsites. Long-tailed Paradise Whydah and Senegal Coucal.
Mukuvisi Woodland – A midday walk around Mukuvisi was not very productive and we ended up looping around (not ‘getting lost!’) longer than we intended. Another special natural area close to the city. If you started earlier on a good day I’m sure it would hum. We did get a picture of a Guineafowl Butterfly.
We left Harare with great memories of good people, delicious shared meals and enjoyable birding. Roads in the city are lousy, but the highways to and from the city were mostly fine, except for detours.
The report was glowing when I fetched the bakkie from D&B Motorcare in Durban. Fully serviced, “It’s in wonderful shape, ready for your trip to Zimbabwe,” said the reliable father and son team who keep it shipshape.
Um, except one front tyre is wearing skwiff, have the wheels aligned, OK?
So off to Richards Bay where the Tyre Tannies had more to say. Something about wearing skwiff, different tyres, de-laminating, bulging, ens. And why are the Oom, who’s a Swanepoel, speaking English? So four new tyres were needed, not just an alignment, it turned out.
Jessie’s spotting again. We booked a stay in a treehouse at Bonamanzi. Arriving too early for check-in, we took a walk in the camp while waiting for the key.
Dad there’s a yellow frog. Where, Jess? Omigawd Dad, there’s a snake! Where, Jess?
I aim my binocs where she’s pointing on the ground and spot a beautiful, slender green snake. It lunges forward. Now I’m watching a bright green snake with a bright yellow frog in its beak. It makes for a tree, carrying it’s prey like a tiny peeled mango. Now, if there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s that our little yellow frog has croaked.
– Aargh! Didn’t have my camera with me! –
But wait! The unhappy frog is unwilling to die, and with a mighty kick it ruks los and hops off, snake in pursuit. That frog hopped well over twenty times higher than its full 36mm body length, three huge jumps in a row with that frog-catching specialist snake in hot pursuit. Then suddenly, maybe becoming aware of our presence, the snake changed it’s mind, abandoned the chase and beetled off. The frog paused for a breather and let me get close:
– cellphone camera is better for close-ups –
The frog was a Tinker Reed Frog, the snake likely a Natal Green Snake, but could also have been a Green Water Snake. About 600mm long I’d guess.
– the scene of the hunt, the grip and the escape –
Here he is, saying Holy Shit That Was Close!
Actually, I couldn’t find his call, so as a placeholder, I used a frog I hope to hear in the Chimanimani mountains on our upcoming trip to Zimbabwe. Enjoy.
~~oo0oo~~
ruks los – heroically frees himself with a well-aimed kick in the fangs with his one leg the snake didn’t quite secure; or maybe boxed him a left hook with his free fist?
Park, watch and listen. The creatures will come, almost anywhere. That’s my theory (I have many). Take coffee.
See this pic of one of my stakeouts? There are lots and lots of creatures watching me and listening intently, methinks. So I counter-lurk, waiting for them to make a move or a chirp. I do this regularly. The theory hypothesises thus: As you drive or walk in nature, all the creatures think, Hark! A dangerous predator approacheth. The most dangerous one, in fact. So they keep tjoepstil, duck behind a leaf or a branch, a bush or below the grass, depending on where they find themselves and how big or small they are. And freeze. You then hove into view making a helluva racket – and that’s when you’re tip-toeing and not talking. Once you’re safely past they give a giggle (interpreted by ethologists as an ‘all-clear’ signal which correctly interpreted says “intruder’s gone”) and carry on with their daily business. This explains why you can go on a long ‘birding walk’ and see buggerall; then in camp over a cold beer you can be mobbed by flocks.
Phabeni Gate and upper Sabie River area
As Jess was studying for her nature guide course online exam, holed up in our room at Sleepover, where we found good wifi signal, I went for morning drives, entering the Kruger through Phabeni Gate nearby. In the park, Jess prefers to keep moving – ‘it’s called a Game *Drive* for a reason, Dad’ – so this is my chance to practice my gentle lurking skills. By doing one of my patented lurks: Sort of Game ‘Parking.’ Saving diesel.
Forgot my coffee the first morning, so bought a cuppa from this mobile caffeine pusher at the gate. Thutty five South African Ront, followed by his salesman patter, ‘It’s usually forty Ront, but you are my first customer this fine morning.’ It was indeed a fine morning, so he got R35 plus a R5 tip.
Soon a Dark Chanting Goshawk started chanting on the uppermost twigs;
a Slender Mongoose stared at me briefly after crossing the road to the left; a Grey Duiker and tiny fawn dashed across the road to the right – I wondered if something was chasing them; nothing appeared; Redheaded Weavers were nesting in the untidy grassy nests, a Sabota Lark started singing.
Goshawk, Weaver & Lark
Brubru, Black Flycatcher, Rattling Cisticola, Southern Black Tit, Fork-tailed Drongo, Cape Turtle Dove, Blue Waxbill, Golden-breasted Bunting, Crested Barbet, Grey Hornbill, Bulbul, Gorgeous Bush-shrike, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove; Here’s a Black-crowned Tchagra, thanks to xeno-canto.org
At my next stakeout, within earshot of the Sabie river, a big Boer Bean Schotia, an Apple-leaf in flower, and a Marula were the trees I could identify. Green Pigeon, Red-eyed Dove, White-bellied Sunbird, Violet-backed Starling feasting on berries, Burchell’s Starling, Greater Blue-eared glossy Starling, Fish Eagle, Black-bellied Starling, Marico Sunbird. And a juvenile Martial Eagle being escorted off the premises by a Drongo.
~~oo0oo~~
Once Jess tagged along and we drove the right bank of the Sabie. We* saw more animals, tis true, including these, plus impala and nyala.
*We – Jess slept for more than half the drive!
~~oOo~~
audio from xeno-canto.org – thank you – a wonderful site
Jess is an amazing spotter. She has spotted two snakes in trees, one snake I had missed on the ground and once in Shingwedzi campsite she said, Dad, a snake just fell out of that tree! If it had been anyone else I’d have laughed and said, ‘Pull The Other One,’ but being Jess, I knew a snake had just dropped out of a tree.
Now she said, Dad, there’s a warthog in that tree! and of course there was, and now she was trying to get me to spot the leopard that had put it up there.
There, Dad! His ear flicked! I stared and stared through my Zeiss binocs. I double- and triple-checked I was looking in the right place. We carefully tracked the rock, the branch and the twig where she was looking, but each ear twitch and each I can see his spots through a gap in the branches had me thinking, the wind has stirred a leaf, or she’s seeing dappled sunlight.
After thirty minutes of focused peering and Jessie’s exasperation at Dof Dad: ‘Omigoodness Jess, a leopard just sat up! Right there where you said!’
Hot days, windy days, rainy days, cooler and even some cold weather. At first we could only snare four nights in the Kruger Park. Letaba, Skukuza, Satara and Pretoriuskop camps. One night each as we were asking for ‘any available space for tonight? ‘ Later we left the park to spend six nights just outside Phabeni gate for strong wifi and aircon for Jess as she wrote online exams; Then back into the park for two nights in Lower Sabie camp and our last night at Crocodile Bridge camp. That was the first time we’d stayed in those lovely camps. Now the only camps we haven’t yet stayed in are Malelane, Orpen and Pafuri Border Camp. We’ll get to them one day.
Lots of eles, huge herds of buffalo, plenty antelope and the most predators I’ve seen over such a short time. Three lion sightings, a dozen hyena sightings including three dens with pups, two leopard sightings, four Slender Mongoose, two Dwarf Mongoose. One hyena was going Hnngnng! then looked at us and said, Do You MInd?!
So we searched for a leopard. ‘I see him, he’s flicking his ear,’ said Jess. Thirty minutes later I finally saw him when he sat up!
At last I also see it!
At Skukuza a last-minute cancellation got us a chalet instead of camping, to Jessie’s delight. AND it was a brand-new bungalow, which Terry Brauer had told us about just a day or so before!
Two days later, 100km south of the first leopard: ‘There! Walking to the right!’ Jess again:
In the shop at PretoriusKop a lovely friendly lady takes my payment and says, “I recognise you guys, you were here two years ago.” Wow! Or did the till show we’d last purchased there two years ago? Anyway, friendly!
‘Pee two-by-two,’ said their teacher, standing at the door, not wanting to enter the gents. They heard, but were too busy staring at the ancient pale fella who had pushed ahead of them with apologies to them and their teacher. I was BUSTING, two coffees over budget.
Hordes of preschoolers in green t-shirts on a Kruger Park outing, each one cuter than the next. The girls were queueing next door. Three could finish pee-ing, staring at me from knee-height while I stood sighing with relief. One engaged me in earnest conversation while we both aimed at the porcelain. I caught ‘granpa’ mkhulu and ‘elephant’ ndlovu, so I just nodded and agreed. I’m sure it was complimentary.
You’re a star, well done! I said to teacher as I left. She grinned and told the next four to go in, trying in vain to get them to pee duets, but they carried on going one at a time. Obviously soloists.
As I left another teacher was taking their pics one by one in front of the huge bronze bust of Oom President Paul Kruger!
Teachers are under-rated.
~~oo0oo~~
The image is kids from Skukuza primary school on a litter cleanup day – thanks, Citizen newspaper
This time we must remember to take photos, Dad! Especially one of us in a recognisable place – a nice backdrop. Right, Jess.
Lots of eles, including one herd heading north in a long straggling line through the bush, crossing in front of us twice, thanks to a dogleg in the road. I counted fifty, but Jess, who hadn’t counted, said, No Dad, there were about fifteen! So I said OK there were forty. Luckily I took a video of one of the batches moving past – added below.
We give eles lots of room, as Jess is very cautious of them. Even at a good hundred metres a few of the young males gave us the Hey! Watch Yourself! ear shake.
Lots and LOTS of warthogs, all happily covered in mud. One sounder had longer crests/manes than usual – and light, like blonde – looked like Rod Stewart as a quintuplet. Seven square-lipped rhino; One mama with a small calf crossed right in front of us – no photo!
Surprisingly, a number of birds considering the stiff breeze that blew all day. We considered taking lunch in the car, but Sontuli picnic site is sheltered, so we used the last available table. Good to see a number of people having lunch there, parking an assortment of very capable and well-modified 4X4 vehicles with raised suspension and knobbly tyres next to the Fiat Unos that keep them humble.
Another photo missed by staring-in-awesome-wonder was a gathering of vultures on a wide sandy beach on a bend in the Black Mfolosi River, sunning and sand-bathing. Joined by Woolly-necked Storks, Pied Crows, Blacksmith Lapwing and Yellow-billed Kites.
– same stretch of river, different visit –
Also saw buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, giraffe banging heads, baboon, impala, nyala and kudu (only one); Went on a detour in search of cheetah, sent by an excited lady on her own in a bakkie who said we couldn’t miss them. The spot she thought the group of four cats would obligingly wait for us was about twenty minutes away. But Jess wanted to go so of course we did. The friendly lady hadn’t nailed them down so they’d felt free to wander off. Still, nice drive on a road we don’t usually use as it’s an entrance route from the western Gengeni gate which we have only exited twice to explore the interesting Ulundi to Melmoth road.
We took the eastern vlei route northwards, from before Mopane camp – the road less travelled. Lemme check the map: It’s the Nshawu waterholes route and leads past the Grootvlei dam and Shibavantsengele viewpoint on the Mocambique border. I loved it. Some open plains and vleis for a change from dense Mopane trees and Mopane scrub. Many herds of zebra and wildebees, some waterbuck, a few impala, and a few huge ele bulls…
Also Chestnut-backed Sparrow-lark on the gravel roads and flocks of Wattled Starling (some in full wattle).
At Shingwedzi, a Hamerkop, a juvenile Little Sparrowhawk hunting, Green Woodhoopoe, Golden-tailed & Bearded Woodpecker, Red-billed & Yellow-billed Hornbill, Arrow-marked Babbler, and a noisy early morning Hooligan’s Robin (actually White-browed Robin-chat),
A Rock Monitor Lizard came to visit Jess at the chalet. She told it to footsack in ruder language than that.
Rescued! After eight days of blissful peace I started worrying. I remembered the long spanner I need to free my spare wheel from under the bakkie is in the camper in Pretoria. A flat would leave me stranded. I approached a sensible fellow Ford Ranger driver who is headed out on a wilderness walk tomorrow and he rescued me in a jiffy. Now I have a dusty spare wheel inside the cab where I can get to it, the nuisance of its bulk almost guaranteeing I won’t have a flat.
Jessie followed the route of this weevil, calling me across to photograph it. She then bravely also took pics with my camera’s super-macro. In my pic you may notice the bugs eyes are wider cos there was a lot of wheezing in getting down on my knees.
A pair of Bennett’s Woodpeckers foraged right outside our chalet.
That’s it. After ten lovely nights in Kruger we’re on our way home.
