St Lucia birding club invited the birders to join them at Zimanga Game Reserve to do some birding. It is a private game reserve and has the biggest collection of Aloes in Africa. Once a year the owner and his wife open their Aloe Garden for the public. It is an amazing experience. This time of the year the aloes are in bloom and various bird species are attracted to the flowers. Various Sunbirds can be seen here.
My wife and I decided to stay over at Bahati Caravan Park for the weekend. It is one of our caravan parks. The evenings were cold. Early Saturday we were up and drove to Zimanga. (The route from Richards Bay). The chairman of St Lucia Bird Club John and his wife met us there. We were introduced to the owner and his wife and had a great time. Birders and photographers were walking around in this massive garden snapping away. Specials for me and my wife were: Marico Sunbird, White-bellied Sunbird, Collared Sunbird, Purple Banded Sunbird and the Black-headed Oriole. Later the afternoon when leaving the farm, I took some photos in a hurry of a Black-shouldered Kite. I only saw at home that it caught a rodent.
- Bird Species seen: 16
- Butterfly Species: 5
- Aloe Species: 25
A few highlights of the day: