PG Beukes a friend of mine relocated to Hartenbos in the Cape. He phoned and we decided to do a trip to Ndumo. He started six months earlier doing birding.
Alen Viljoen, Myself and Pg planned and booked chalets. Ndumo recently upgraded their chalets with on suite showers.
The trip was uneventful with many stops to look at birds next to the road.
I recently joined Inaturalist. It is free and brilliant website to join for nature lovers. You just add your detail, create a password and you ready to go. On this website you can submit any living species and it will be identified by three people across the world. Now we hunting not just birds but all species.
Just travelling past Ndumo you turn off to Ndumo Game Reserve. It was amazing. Butterflies were hovering over the bushes next to the road in vast numbers. It is a long time since I have seen so many butterflies.
The Saturday morning, we asked Joseph to take us to the hide at Ndumo Pan. What an awesome experience. We saw most of the waterbirds with highlights like the White-backed Pelican, Storks, Herons and Waders.
I was keen to hunt dragonflies. Joseph walked next to me with his rifle. I worked all along the water’s edge keeping an eye open for crocodiles and Hippo`s.
In the evenings we braaied and enjoyed the camaraderie of great friends.
Pg loved the birding and we saw Common Scimitar bill, White-crested Helmetshrike, the Grassveld Pipit and the Golden Breasted Bunting. He added many new bird species on his list.
We all love Ndumo, it is a little piece of heaven.
Some Highlights.
Bird Species: (80)
Butterflies Species: (19)
Dragonflies Species: (4)