BIRDING
IN SOUTH AFRICA
Southern Africa is a paradise for birders
with over 900 bird species, of which 179 are full or near
endemic. A bird-watching tour around South Africa affords
the opportunity to see the majority of birds and serves as
a base for birding trips to the neighbouring states of Botswana,
Namibia and Swaziland. South Africa is home to 8% of the world’s
bird species.
Quality accommodation,
generally excellent roads, an active local birding community
and first rate guides ensure that a bird watching trip to
South Africa will be comfortable, stress free and will greatly
increase your bird count. The pleasant climate adds to this
value-for money experience.
Top Birding
Areas
Western Cape
• The coast and marine rich waters support an incredible
variety of sea birds and should be included in your birding
tour.
• The floral kingdom of the Western Cape and semi-desert
regions of the Karoo: A short birding tour, usually with Cape
Town as a departure point, offers about 40 - 60 endemic bird
species.
• North of Cape Town and the Kalahari: A typical birding
tour requires at least 3 days and covers a fairly long distance
if travelling by road from Cape Town.
Kwa
Zulu Natal
• Drakensberg Mountains: Prime destinations such as Sani Pass
and Giants Castle offer a rich diversity of endemic birds
as well as sightings of the rare Bearded Vulture (Lammergeyer)
• Mkuze and Ndumu Game Reserves- bushveld birding
• Dhlinza, Ngoye and Ntumeni Forests: Indigenous forest
birding.
Mpumalanga
• Wakkerstroom, the highest wetland in the Southern
Hemisphere, offers a wide variety of bird species as well
as several endemic birds.
• Kruger National Park and neighbouring private reserves,
offer the biggest diversity of bird species with the northern
areas of the park being the southern most point of many species.
Limpopo Province
• Magoebaskloof/Tzaneen area. Excellent forest birding
can be combined with a trip to the Kruger National Park.
Best
birding seasons
South Africa does not experience the same seasonal extremes
as in Europe and the USA so birding is excellent all year
round.
October through
to January(Spring/Summer) is probably the most productive
period for birding Southern Africa whilst in the Western Cape,
September through to October is the best.
The winter
months (May-August) are cooler and drier in the North and
East of the country for those wanting to combine game viewing
and biding. During this time, the grass is also shorter making
game viewing easier.
Bird Species Count
During the summer months in the Kruger National Park or the
Zululand coastal plain, with the assistance of a good guide,
it should be possible to see about 200 species in three days
or 280 species in 5 days. A two week tour including the major
birding destinations of the country would produce between
400 and 500 species.
The Western and Northern Cape probably
have the highest number of endemics but in a four day birding
trip around the greater Pretoria- Johannesburg area, one could
expect to see about 50 species. The eastern regions of the
country are also good for endemics.
Birding
- Botanical - Conference
- Culture - Diving
- Elephant Back
- Geology - Golf
- Hiking - History
- Honeymoon - Incentives
- Shopping - Spa
- Trains - Walking
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