Seldom award-winning hotel birding hotspot place. Nestling ag mountains Drakensberg, near beginnings Tugela River, paradise nature lovers called Cavern. family run hotel conveniently situated half Gauteng Durban offers vy affordable accommodation, excellent food wonderful friendly atmosphere. Birding enthusiasts fm South Africa overseas ce enjoy rich varied birdlife. Cavern boasts bird list spiced wh 20 endemics, exciting rarities garden fl avian surprises. Situated head valley, south-facing slopes clothed montane forest, drier north facing aspects offer unspoilt grassland Protea caffra myriad wonderful wildflowers, Acacia sieberiana surprising component warmer hilly folds. hotel sits comfortably bn forest grassland extensive gardens filled wh happy mix local indigenous flora flowering exotics, boundary garden veld gloriously blurred, mg perfect spot birds birders alike. resident pair Black Duck included ponds tr territory Giant Kingfishers compete wh fishermen fat trout. sl dams twinkling mountain stream garden tiny Malachite he chance compare elusive Half-collared Kingfisher.

Flowering Aloes, Calpurnia exuberant nectar feast offered Mountain Bottlebrush me gardens as filled wh sunbirds. April June autumn season, Gurney’s Sugarbirds Malachite Sunbirds jostle ownership aloe spires enjoy cooling drink buffet lunch. Ey morning bird walks begin terrace be leaving reception ?tick? ty species. Mocking Familiar Chats join Redwing Starlings doves thatched roof, swallows swifts provide aerial acrobatics, African Goshawk clicks territorial claims. view dn valley panoramic punctuated tall trees ? jt sitting morning produce bird list proud of. resident flock Arrowmarked Babblers provide comic relief Cape Masked Weavers decorate trees tr woven nests.

A vy short walk takes io Fern Forest Cape Batis, Olive Woodpecker, Yellowthroated Warbler, Olive Bushshrike Bush Blackcap await you. Jt bd garden free roam 3000 ha unspoilt montane grassland tt Cavern nature reserve. Gazing skywards rewarded Lammergeyer, Cape Vulture, Longcrested Eagle, Bald Ibis more. sky limit ts wonderful birding destination.

Rare birds mg news, little lost soul blundering bd usual range rarely significance. Recently (October 2003) Cape White-eye lime-light Cavern. mt common species, especially garden. at half birds resident stock. Ty recognized, ce KZN, mainly dull yellow-green wh uniformly coloured underparts. However, birds Southern Cape bd pale grey belly, arrived numbers. he hundreds kms ay west. White-eyes normally migrate, copying species birds tt kn me eastwards response drought, returning, ss ys later, wetter conditions return normal haunts. garden White-eyes giving sort long-term weather report.

Watching birds, wt ty say, continual source wonder enjoyment me. struck learn birds habits jt noticing little seemingly unimportant things. walk round bird-friendly hotel gardens rewarding morning different. rr weedy rendering Klaas?s Cuckoo fm shrubbery ? Chorister Robin work. robin nr perfect, ss gd fool mere mortals while, listen carefully detect wobble start wh mimic work. Chorister Robin reputed te is; mt reason ne ?chorister?; mr choir, singer. ge renderings or calls tn suddenly switched Crowned Eagle. confused, Crowned Eagle occur Cavern earth robin learn song? Bit lateral thinking he wd Chorister Robin altitudinal migrants KwaZulu-Natal; birds tt hill lower warmer altitude cold winter months. particular bird spent se time dn Karkloof Dargle dg winter learnt cl Crowned Eagle there, brought impress lady robins Cavern. pe explanation pretty pleased detective work. way; alerted look bird tt area, hearing robin mimicking it. Real forensic stuff ts ? vy stimulating exciting.

A common sight dairy beef farming country field filled cattle, eh animal wh Cattle Egret standing close head. fashioned names Cattle Egret, tt grew with, Tick Bird. led people believe tt egrets we eating ticks cattle, birds occasionally hitch ride cow?s easier believe. truth egrets there, ft cow, bt catch grasshoppers delicious insects cows disturb finding tastiest grass clumps. symbiotic relationship cow gs association, cy peaceful partnership, knows, maybe cows enjoy company egrets? attractive job eating ticks left oxpeckers.

Bird News

A week ago wrote Longcrested Eagle expanding range, particularly exciting fd te ?expanded? eagles lt week. he noticed ?frequent flyers? Cavern te Longcrested Eagle lt week, er recorded bird list. things, le flying overhead gt white hand patches; landed nearby tree at comic lg crest; te chance mis-identification here. bird qe hard little haven indigenous forest. ?berg passes th lot flat, mealie country suppose tt plenty telegraph posts ag providing excellent hunting vantage points. stately rows plumed mealies tr fair share vlei rats or tasty morsels bustling leafy avenues. Ar factor consider ?expanding? bird wl yg bird, qualified nest mate territory, tall tree build nest necessity journey, rr reason travel. hh perch wh hunt safe roost night equated restaurant ag N3 adequate B&B! hope bird opposite sex follows route es Cavern.

The antics Pintailed Whydah continue fascinate beginning tt tr behaviour real wild situation definitely tt suburban gardens. garden, ?The Punk? bn named, continues chase harry ae brave ce feeder sl steadfastly ignores couple lady whydahs tt feed there. Size matter Speckled Mousebirds Blackcollared Barbets left ae devour apple, ts takes se swinging feeder. Cavern. There, patch damp grassland, watched smart male whydah primped pranced exhausted, retired nearby telegraph wire rest. waving grasses held assortment lady widows bishops whydahs males appeared intent attracting ladies trying chase ae ee away. dance routine length tail tn ability duff innocent bystander. Pintailed Whydah?s favoured host Common Waxbill he noticed bird getting special attention either. life brood parasite qe hit miss affair instance!

Migration Birds

As Summer slowly quietens io Autumn, birds slide gently fm frantic frenzy bg parent decorous grandparent-hood. season?s he packed fend ts can, parents potter satisfying simple needs. nest fl hungry chicks, nearly bird species driven at unending supply insect food; protein fast growing youngsters. chicks fledged self sufficient, pressure protein-rich food gone exhausted parents earned break bug-hunting. vegetarian diet fruit berries occasional nutritious worm body soul together.

As winter approaches note my local trees choose seemingly inhospitable time fruit. gd explanation phenomenon tt trees fruited summer insects abound, birds second-class food berries, trees benefit dispersal stakes.

There course birds helping trees me ?children? around. Palaearctic migrants enjoy summer arduous journey bk Europe Britain breed. European Barn Swallow example, Willow Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher others. Te birds mt actually weight energy lg flight ahead protein ty find. bird actually increase weight half falling sky! Migrating birds feed beef leaving wayside cafes scratch. Aerial feeders le swallow stand chance finding food en route, bird tt land feed io kinds trouble.

Winter Birds Cavern

Everyone summer bt time birds. Migrants ce fm world join hardy residents. Winter, comparison, ss birdless, especially local birds he singing. dry cold sm daunting, actually brings birds fm as winters worse. Winter brings local birds me io public eye.

The Fairy Flycatcher breeds vy Berg, moves lower altitudes cold weather, especially snow. South African birds. plumage delicate blend black grey, pink tinge white underparts. seen flitting bn bushes formal garden. winter flycatcher comes Karoo. Ts Fiscal Flycatcher, larger bold black white, mistaken Fiscal Shrike. perches protruding branch, watching insects fly it, drops ground or prey.

Summer species swallow martin here, winter one. Ts Rock Martin, plain brown. nests rock overhangs Little Berg. Oy frequent Cavern summer, common winter wn mt martins fm hr congregate lower altitude.

The Black Stork ar winter special. pt year-round, breeds winter. Ss crazy, why. nest pile sticks remote ledge. parent looks nest, seen flying hh favourite feeding ground surrounding grassland.

The mt famous birds round Bald Ibis. resident, winter time it. be forages ground, ibis, especially likes freshly burnt grass. Fried grasshoppers doubt delicious, insects tt escape me easily burnt areas. winter fires bt thing. bird?s fame rests bg endemic sl centred Drakensberg. nearest relative lives mountains Morocco. strange distribution dates bk million wn Africa drier colder, ancestor bh species ranged highlands. climate warmed, cold-loving bird retreated refuges opposite Africa. Ty he bn separated evolved distinct species.

Amazing wt learn visiting Cavern????????.

Bird News

The month June ss filled shivery winter days ? glad mid-winter passed te distant future lurks wonderful season called spring! wonder birds feel bite cold ty hop at frozen spindly legs, searching hardy bugs tt ts succumbed. definitely time fewer birds watch, mentioned House Sparrow story, time concentrate see. fm brief visit warm Kruger Park, happy intra-South-African migrant winged Cavern Drakensberg oe more. chilly indeed, cr sunny skies dg day winter birding good. banks Aloe arborescens holding tr spires flaming flowers Gurney?s Sugarbirds, Malachite Doublecollared Sunbirds enchanted te guests consider ts bird-watchers. impossible tired Gurney?s Sugarbirds, bird endemic narrow stretch Eastern South Africa common Cavern gardens aloe flowering time. Protea roupelliae, tree proteas area, wt ry hanker ar soon begin flower, sugarbirds wl leave gardens attend these, favourite plants. time male Malachite Sunbirds lost tr incredible green-ness little shiny green shoulders spots he te chest tt remains. easily told tr lady friends tr mightily elongated central tail feathers. le slashing red collar male Gr Doublecollared Sunbird as alert presence. Oh dear, tt female definitely drab bird? Afraid true ts instance ts makes identifying tm difficult. kw tt birds rt left-winged, tt left-handed? grassy formal Cavern garden pretty cn seeing Groundscraper Thrushes. pt family Mom Dad plus teenagers brood. noticed habit moving tn ?saluting?. Sort Familiar Chat actually flicks wings time lands, giving wonderful identification handle, vy plain little bird as think. Well, Groundscraper Thrush salutes wing, ty ?right-winged?. be bemused watching rushing at demonstrating tr left-or-right-wingedness ? don?t ambidextrous either! Ts added dimension bird watching.