Neil Gray's birds and other wildlife
Atlasville, 01 Jan 2006 Thought I’d get my 2006 list going early with a visit to the Marievale Bird Sanctuary. Marievale is a RAMSAR site and one of the best-known wetland sites in South Africa, probably because of its proximity to the large urban areas of the Witwatersrand which make it easily accessible to a …
Atlasville, 21 Dec 2005 Spent today in the Borakalalo National Reserve. Borakalalo is centred around the Klipvoor Dam in the Moretele district in the north-eastern corner of North West province and is managed by the North West Parks Board. It is within easy reach for a day trip, albeit with an early rise and departure …
Atlasville, 28 Nov 2005 At 06:00 on Monday, 21 November, 2005, an excited group of 200 birders and guides began assembling at the N-shed passenger terminal in the Port of Durban for the “Mega Pelagic” aboard the MV Madagascar. The 6-night trip would take us via the Almirante Leite Bank, Hall Tablemount and Jaguar Seamount, …
Atlasville, 09 Nov 2005 My father has been visiting from the UK so we decided to head down to Cape Town as we have not been to that part of the country in 8 years, although I must admit I had a hidden agenda. Having booked a berth many months ago on the ‘Mega-Pelagic’ Indian …
Atlasville, 04 Oct 2005 Just back with my wife from 3 nights in the Mopani Camp of Kruger National Park. Mopani is the newest of the main rest camps in Kruger, having been established in 1989. We have stayed in all the other rest camps and all of the Bushveld camps over the years and …
Atlasville, 02 Aug 2005 Ever since the birding weekend undertaken by me and fellow members of the East Rand branch of the Witwatersrand Bird Club, when we took the Sani Pass up the Drakensberg into Lesotho, I have wanted to take my wife to see this special place. So we are just back from a …
Atlasville, 20 Jun 2005 Following on from the success of the birding weekend undertaken by me and fellow members of the East Rand branch of the Witwatersrand Bird Club to the Underberg district of KwaZulu-Natal in November last year, another trip was organised. We have just returned from 5 nights in the far northern part …
Atlasville, 08 Jun 2005 Just spent 3 nights at the Mount Sheba Cottages near Pilgrim’s Rest in Mpumalanga, our second visit, having spent the same weekend here one year ago. Mount Sheba has some excellent walks through indigenous rainforest, which boasts some birds which are locally common but scarce elsewhere. I was fortunate enough on …
Atlasville, 08 Mar 2005 After a few days at home it was off with my sons again, this time for 3 nights at Ngwenya Lodge where we have timeshare. Ngwenya is on the banks of the Crocodile River near to Komatipoort in Mpumalanga and the border with Mozambique, only a 12 km drive from the …
Atlasville, 27 Feb 2005 Have just spent 5 nights with my sons, who are visiting from the UK, at the Hotel La Gemma dell’Est on Nungwi beach at the northern tip of Zanzibar. A nice relaxed trip, and it helped that the hotel’s Jetty Bar is one of the best situated bars I’ve seen. It …
