Bustards Birding Tours

14/11/2024

Snake Eagles are tops!

This species used to be rare in Mozambique, however the road NW of Caia has been producing them regularly in recent years - Western Banded Snake Eagle, a sub adult by the looks of it.

14/11/2024

This species used to be rare in Mozambique, however the road NW of Caia has been producing them regularly in recent years - Western Banded Snake Eagle, a sub adult by the looks of it.

14/11/2024

It is a fairly rough road to get to the site for these Böhm's Bee-eaters - a highly sought after tick for Southern African listers. We had amazing views this morning, thanks to the farm owners for permission to access their property. In spite of the uncomfortable journey there and back, happy clients celebrated tonight!

26/10/2024

Secretarybird is high on any birders wishlist - when we saw the first one the Australians were over the moon. We're now on 5 for the trip, such cool birds!

26/10/2024

Burchell's Courser was reported earlier this month from the Wakkerstroom area. I saw an eBird update on 24th that they were still around! In cold and misty conditions we passed the area they had been seen, the brilliant David Nkosi said he thought they had moved off, but we'll look - and find them we did - two adults and a chick. Fantastic, and an Mpumalanga lifer for me, joining Northern Cape, Kwazulu Natal, Free State and North West as provinces I've seen them in.

25/10/2024

It's always fun photographing these speedy, erratically flying birds. This near Wakkerstroom in Mpumalanga.

24/10/2024

This morning St. Lucia owed us a few - the hornbills had been noisy but non showy - we wound them up on the drive through town. Then Woodward's Batis had been silent the previous day - it eventually gave itself up! It was then on to Mkuze Game Reserve - we spent a while at Kumasinga hide letting the heat of the day die down - carrying on, as I drove out from the hide the call of Neergard's Sunbird rang out - a male in full song in the open! Rounding the next corner a raptor was in the road - plenty of alates around, its favourite food - Lesser Spotted Eagle! Another great day - we head up to Wakkerstroom tomorrow.

22/10/2024

The weather has been chasing us however we have managed to sneak in some hours ahead of the storms - this morning on a misty platform above Dlinza Forest we could hear these Spotted Ground Thrushes calling away - the only one close to the trail started singing "Pretty Georgie!" in its repertoire! Chorister Robin-Chat you mimicky bastard! A little later we returned to another trail and Roksana spotted this adult with a beak full of worms, on its way to feed a rather large chick in a nearby nest. Great end to our walk in Dlinza.

20/10/2024

After our great sightings of this Ground Woodpecker today I couldn't help but post another from our day up Sani Pass into Lesotho.

20/10/2024

The problem with cramming a lot into a 25 day trip of the country is that you race through an area, being at the mercy of whatever the weather throws at you. Today we went up Sani Pass - the forecast was for mist, rain and more rain - we started in misty conditions, with birding being tough at first. They started to trickle in, Malachite Sunbird, Wailing Cisticola, Buff-streaked Chat, Ground Woodpecker, Gurney's Sugarbird. We then ascended a rather quiet and misty pass - getting into Lesotho the mist cleared and we slowly ticked them off - Sickle-winged Chat, a single Mountain Pipit, Sentinel Rock Thrush, Bearded Vulture, Drakensberg Rockjumper, Drakensberg Siskin, African Rock Pipit, Black Stork and more Bearded Vultures. We got better views of the Rockjumpers and then the drizzle started - it didn't stop so we headed back down. Bush Blackcap had given us the slip in the morning - stopping again at a spot near our morning attempt one hopped into view - back to the hotel to warm up!!

18/10/2024

Grey-winged Francolin in full voice early on in West Coast NP, South Africa.

15/10/2024

I love raptors - there are some really iconic ones around the world, our Black Harrier is no slouch in that department - what a good looking beast! This was seen this morning in West Coast NP.

13/10/2024

We saw this cool little tortoise today dashing across the road - the fastest moving tortoise I've ever seen! Speckled Dwarf Tortoise (Padloper).

12/10/2024

It's the first time I've seen Barlow's Lark since the daft lumping of it with Dune Lark - didn't feel right logging it as Dune Lark!

11/10/2024

Looking for birds with a pale iris? Well we found a few today on our Northern Cape leg of the South African tour!

11/10/2024

Stark's Lark braving the windy conditions near Gamoep.

09/10/2024

Some great larks today on our comprehensive South African trip - this Sclater's Lark was the last one, at the same spot I found them in 2021, that upturned bill is classic!