Birding South Africa 1 — (HORNBILLS, Flamingos, Sunbirds, Weavers, Wildlife, and More)

Birding South Africa 1. The first of our 7 video series highlighting our November 2017 trip to South Africa. The first 4 videos cover our time in the KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces.

The "Cover Bird" and Title Bird for this video is the Trumpeter Hornbill (12:40). We found him enjoying some snacks while visiting the Siyaya Coastal Park in the Umlalazi Nature Reserve near Mtunzini. Black and white feathers and a prominent casque make this bird easy to identify.

The MOST PHOTOGENIC AWARDS for this video in order of appearance:
1. Cape Glossy Starling (03:09). This handsome bird has iridescent feathers which caught the sunlight. Such a stunner! We had never seen such a beautiful starling!
2. African Hoopoe (03:49) An unusual cinnamon, black and white bird. Its long crest gives it the look of a hair band rock star. Handsome at any angle!
3. We have 6 members of the Weaver family in this video. We chose the Southern Brown-throated (24:00 )for the last of our photogenic trio. Good looking and perching well-balanced on a reed not far from its nest.

The Top 3 SKULKERS! This video only features one SKULKER. The Brown Scrub Robin at (19:26) wanted to stay in the shade.

And winning the category for LOOKS MOST LIKE ITS NAME in this video is the Pink-throated Twinspot (24:54)! Rounds of applause for all of the winners!

Some bird species included in this video:

WEAVERS—6 different family members in this video! Southern Masked Weaver (00.09), Spectacled Weaver (02:00), Yellow Weaver (06:39), Thick-billed Weaver (07:49), Village Weaver (13:03) and last but not least the Southern Brown-throated Weaver at (24:03). Their intricate woven nests bobbed in trees and on reeds, moving with the wind. Check out an African Harrier-Hawk at (13:49) raiding nests.
BARBETS—A quartet of Barbets! White-eared (03:02), Black-collared (04:23), Crested (05:01) and Green (11:11).
SUNBIRDS—Jeweled wonders! Collared Sunbirds (06:16), Grey Sunbird (10:08), and the White-bellied (25:09). The White-bellied Sunbird is also our LAST BUT NOT LEAST BIRD of this video.
RAPTORS—Palm-nut Vulture (12:24), African Harrier-Hawk (13:49), African Fish Eagle (14:14), Long-crested Eagle (14:38), Yellow-billed Kite (15:48) and Western Osprey (21:55).
GOLIATH HERON—(16:20) This giant bird is the largest heron at 135-150 cm/53-59' tall. We got some great looks of this one. Note the size comparison of the Goliath Heron versus some of its neighbors.
FLAMINGOS and friends—(23:04) A nice series of Greater Flamingos, terns, and pied avocets. This flamboyance of flamingos entertained us. We're so glad they stopped by for a visit!

ALSO making appearances—bulbuls, flycatchers, indigo bird, tinkerbird, geese and ducks, manakins, Narina Trogan (11:19), Livingston's Turaco (18:53), Pink-backed Pelicans (19:57), Brown-hooded Kingfisher (03:56), Dideric Cuckoo (12:04), sandpipers, Woolly-necked Stork (15:10), Yellow-billed Stork (17:21) and African Sacred Ibis (21:00).

Not just birds:
Red Hartebeests (11:36), Blue Wildebeests, Zebras, Impalas (13:57 & 19:18), Water Monitor (17:45), Ver monkeys (19:34), Waterbucks (21:24) with rare Leucistic Waterbuck (21:39) and Bushbuck (22:56)

Locations visited included: Johannesburg, Eshowe, Durban, Siyaya Coast Park/Umlalaz Nature Reserve, Raphia Palm Forest, St. Lucia, Ngoye Forest, Amatikulu Nature Reserve, Umhlanga Nature Reserve, Gwalagwala Trail, False Bay Nature Reserve, Pongolapoort Nature Reserve, and Isimangoliso Wetland Park. (Our van braked for birds, so we stopped at other places too!)


Equipment used was Canon 70D with a Canon EF100-400mm lens and Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max.

Thanks to Cheepers Africa! for setting up this tour. Our guide and driver for the first half of the trip was Kevin. Kevin was a model of patience. His knowledge of birds, wildlife and nature enriched our trip!