South Africa – Zaagkuilsdrift Road & Kgomo-Kgomo floodplain [1]

Atlasville, 11 Mar 2006

I have been urged by some of my birding friends to visit this area, so today I took a drive along the Zaagkuilsdrift Road to the Moretele River floodplain at Kgomo-Kgomo, an area that combines both Bushveld and wetland birding.

I was not disappointed, chalking up 3 lifers, Black-winged Pratincole, Common Whitethroat and Cuckoo-finch. Some of the typical Bushveld species seen were White-backed Mousebird, Blue Waxbill, Green-winged Pytilia, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Pin-tailed Whydah, Burnt-necked Eremomela, Golden-breasted Bunting, Village Indigobird, Crimson-breasted Shrike and Chestnut-vented Warbler. The wetland yielded Lesser Swamp Warbler, Kittlitz’s Plover, Common Ringed Plover, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Glossy Ibis, African Sacred Ibis and White-throated Swallow among others, while the telephone lines along the road had Pied Kingfisher, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Greater Kestrel and Pale Chanting Goshawk. Although I’d added 3 lifers, sighting of the day had to be a Thrush Nightingale – only my 2^nd ever sighting of this one.

On the way home in the Rust de Winter area I encountered a pair of circling Wahlberg’s Eagle, one the dark brown form of this very variable species, the other a rather blotchy brown form bird with an unusually pale head. The latter also demonstrates the classic ‘crossed planks’ outline of the Wahlbergs, the long tail held tightly closed and the broad non-tapering (parallel-sided) wings held perpendicular to the body.

An impressive 108 species for the day might just make me come back to this area.