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 bn Gauteng Durban offers vy affordable accommodation, excellent food wonderful friendly atmosphere. Birding enthusiasts fm South Africa overseas enjoy rich varied birdlife. Cavern boasts bird list spiced 20 endemics, se exciting rarities garden 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 forest grassland extensive gardens filled wh happy mix local indigenous flora flowering exotics, boundary garden veld gloriously blurred, perfect spot birds birders alike. resident pair Black Duck included ponds tr territory Giant Kingfishers compete wh fishermen fat trout. dams twinkling mountain stream garden tiny Malachite chance compare elusive Half-collared Kingfisher.

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

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

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

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

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

Bird News

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

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

Migration Birds

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

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

There course ar gp birds id helping trees tr ?children? around. Palaearctic migrants ce he enjoy summer arduous journey Europe Britain breed. European Barn Swallow gd example, wh Willow Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher others. birds mt actually weight he energy flight ahead protein find. bird actually increase weight half wt falling sky! Migrating birds feed sm beef leaving jt wayside cafes scratch. Aerial feeders swallow stand chance finding food en route, bird land feed io kinds trouble.

Winter Birds Cavern

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bird News

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