Say you might be in Johannesburg for enterprise, and you might be actually bored with sitting at nighttime in the course of the inevitable South African load shedding. What higher treatment than driving an hour north for some critical birding? A lot richer than the Cape by way of species and with a wide range of landscapes, Zaagkuildrift Street is an wonderful place to go to for one or two days. The street meanders by way of generally very dense thornbush alongside the Pienaarsrivier stream. There are certainly one of two smallish wetlands, entry roads to the river, some bigger timber and some open fields. Within the latter, we’ve seen a pair of Desert Cisticola feed a Diederik Cuckoo chick – apparently one thing particular. Driving all over for 30 one thing kilometers you’ll attain Kgomo-kgomo, a small village on the floodplain. When flooded this wetland is price a go to by itself. A lot so, I’ll dedicate a separate submit to it in 2025, I promise. Yet one more New 12 months’s decision: I’ll take extra of my very own footage. For this submit, I’ve relied as soon as extra on the 10000birds archives.
Zaagkuildrift Street is effectively birded and though there’s a little bit of the Patagonia Picnic Desk Impact the place is actually very birdy – anticipate at the least 50 to 100 species in a day. Living proof: my South African record incorporates greater than 600 species, so I’m dealing with diminishing returns.  Regardless of the ever-increasing likelihood of not seeing a lifer, I’ve scored new species each time I visited (been six instances). That is the place I’ve first seen Bennett’s Woodpecker, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Scaly-fronted Weaver, Barred Wren-Warbler, Cape Penduline Tit and Nice Sparrow. Through the European winter months the street is nice for northern migrants and whereas I’ve by no means seen an Olive-tree Warbler in Europe, I’ve seen it on this street – deep inside an Acacia shrub. My Capetonian birding buddy Bas and I watched a relaxed Harlequin Quail strutting its stuff for minutes. It behaved so opposite to the same old quail deportment that we doubted the identification!
In most locations world wide, anywhere with common guests like this street – even sometimes turning into a bit crowded – would characteristic a café or small restaurant. Not so in South Africa, so deliver your personal meals and drinks. It’s price your whereas to spend an evening within the space. I’ve by no means been to the upmarket lodge close by however present a remark if in case you have one thing to share. For lodging in genuine bush fashion, I choose to remain at Wolfhuiskraal Farm bush camp. This camp is a working cattle farm, it oozes an environment of wilderness, it’s clear and strategically situated. At evening, after a braai and a superb glass of South African wine you’ll be able to pay attention for owls and nightjars, with Pearl-spotted Owlet nearly assured.
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