Tim Cockcroft Birding - Guided Birding Tours

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Tim Cockcroft Birding - Guided Birding Tours Updates on local birding tours in and around Port Alfred, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Along with this came an interest in bird calls.

A born and bred Eastern Cape man, Tim has had an enthusiasm and passion for birds since late 1984. He had more of a curiosity as to what sound a bird made, as opposed to which bird was making a particular sound. Fast-forward to more recent times: Tim is probably best known in local circles for my ability to recognise bird calls and, in some cases, calling them out of the bush for people to see. Wh

ether he is leading a private outing, a bird club outing, or just part of the group, his skills are put to good use. Some have even dubbed him the “Bird Whisperer”. He is a registered FGASA guide and is available for tours. Tim is also known for his art, which also started at an early age. His watercolour portrayal of Southern African birds have recently started attracting the attention of birders, and is available.

My two clients from Sweden enjoyed a good morning's birding. Our first stop was at Kleinemonde, where we had good views ...
18/01/2025

My two clients from Sweden enjoyed a good morning's birding. Our first stop was at Kleinemonde, where we had good views of Dark-backed Weaver, Collared Sunbird, Southern Black Tit, Black-bellied Starling, Grey Sunbird and others were seen. We then headed for a private farm. Some of the sightings here were Crowned Eagle, Narina Trogon, Half-collared Kingfisher, Yellow-breasted Apalis and Brown-hooded Kingfisher. At another nearby spot on the farm, we saw Black Cuckoo, Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird, European Honey Buzzard and Spectacled Weaver were seen. Back in Port Alfred, we saw the elusive Knysna Warbler. At our final stop of the morning, we watches a Giant Kingfisher caught a large frog, which took about 15 minutes to pulverise and finish.
Please visit https://timwcroft.wixsite.com/timcockcroftbirding for more information on my local birdwatching tours.

My three clients were very pleased with their morning of birding. Early sightings of Denham's Bustard, European Honey Bu...
17/01/2025

My three clients were very pleased with their morning of birding. Early sightings of Denham's Bustard, European Honey Buzzard (no less than three individuals seen at different spots during the morning), African Olive Pigeon, Black-winged Kite and Rufous-naped Lark. The next road we took produced Narina Trogon, Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Cape Batis, Green-backed Camaroptera and Yellow-breasted Apalis. The estuary wasn't as productive as usual, but we did manage to see Eurasian Whimbrel, Grey Plover, White-throated Swallow and Yellow-billed Kite.
Please visit https://timwcroft.wixsite.com/timcockcroftbirding for more information on my local birdwatching tours.

This morning's two clients had a very good morning's birding along a back route that can be quite productive. The first ...
16/01/2025

This morning's two clients had a very good morning's birding along a back route that can be quite productive. The first few stops in riverine bush and forest produced Collared Sunbird, Black Saw-wing, African Pygmy Kingfisher, Grey Sunbird, Knysna Woodpecker and Dark-backed Weaver. On our way out of the valley, we paused to watch the antics of Yellow-breasted Apalis, European Honey Buzzard and Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird. We made a brief stop at a private farm, where we saw Red-billed Teal, Yellow-billed Duck, South African Shelduck, White-breasted Cormorant and Little Grebe among others. The open grassland yielded Long-tailed Widowbird, African Stonechat and Wailing Cisticola. At another stop, we had sightings of Rufous-naped Lark and White-backed Duck. Some other sightings along the final stretch of road included Jackal Buzzard, White-browed Scrub Robin, Lazy Cisticola and Narina Trogon.
Please visit https://timwcroft.wixsite.com/timcockcroftbirding for more information on my local birdwatching tours.

Here are my paintings that are available. Please contact me for prices, private viewing appointment and other informatio...
15/01/2025

Here are my paintings that are available. Please contact me for prices, private viewing appointment and other information. Strictly no NFTs.

My two clients had a very satisfactory tour this morning, despite a rather drizzly start. In Bathurst, Black-bellied Sta...
11/01/2025

My two clients had a very satisfactory tour this morning, despite a rather drizzly start. In Bathurst, Black-bellied Starling, African Olive Pigeon, Grey Sunbird and Brown-hooded Kingfisher were seen. On the backroads, we saw Wailing Cisticola, Rufous-naped Lark, Long-tailed Widowbird, African Stonechat and Black-crowned Tchagra. The road beyond the river valley produced White-backed Duck, Jackal Buzzard, Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Yellow-breasted Apalis and Narina Trogon. Along the last road back to Port Alfred, we saw Black Cuckoo.
Please visit https://timwcroft.wixsite.com/timcockcroftbirding for more information on my local birdwatching tours.

My four clients had a good morning birding on a private farm. The grasslands near the entrance yielded Black-winged Lap...
09/01/2025

My four clients had a good morning birding on a private farm. The grasslands near the entrance yielded Black-winged Lapwing and Barn Swallow. The first wooded valley we entered produced Crowned Hornbill, Black-headed Oriole, Green Wood Hoopoe and African Pygmy Kingfisher. At one stop out of the valley, we saw Black-bellied Starling, Brown-hooded Kingfisher and Amethyst Sunbird. The next valley, at various stops, Cape Batis, White Stork, Collared Sunbird and Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird were seen well, but a Narina Trogon only gave fleeting glances.
Please visit https://timwcroft.wixsite.com/timcockcroftbirding for more information on my local birdwatching tours.

My two clients enjoyed some decent birding near Bathurst this morning. Some stops around the village produced Grey Sunbi...
08/01/2025

My two clients enjoyed some decent birding near Bathurst this morning. Some stops around the village produced Grey Sunbird, Collared Sunbird, Lazy Cisticola, Southern Black Tit, Black Cuckooshrike, Dark-backed Weaver and Sombre Greenbul. From there we went on a back route, where White-browed Scrub Robin, Eastern Golden Weaver, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird were seen, as well as fleeting glances of Knysna Woodpecker. Our attention also briefly turned to Blue Riverjack (damselfly) and Eastern Blacktail (dragonfly). The remainder of the route back to Port Alfred wasn't as productive as we would have hoped, apart from Red-billed Teal and Jackal Buzzard.
Please visit https://timwcroft.wixsite.com/timcockcroftbirding for more information on my local birdwatching tours.

My client had a very successful morning's birding near Port Alfred and Bathurst. At the start of our route, we saw Great...
05/01/2025

My client had a very successful morning's birding near Port Alfred and Bathurst. At the start of our route, we saw Greater Striped Swallow, Secretarybird and Denham's Bustard, as well as Rufous-naped Lark and African Stonechat in the grasslands a little further on. The river valley was just as productive, with Knysna Woodpecker, Dark-backed Weaver, Yellow-breasted Apalis and Narina Trogon being seen. Out of the valley, we saw Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird, European Honey Buzzard, Black Cuckooshrike, Black Cuckoo and Olive Bushshrike. At our final stop in Bathurst, a Chorister Robin-Chat posed and sang in front of us.
Please visit https://timwcroft.wixsite.com/timcockcroftbirding for more information on my local birdwatching tours.

My three clients had a fantastic morning of birding the backroads near Bathurst. Our first stop and just beyond was prod...
04/01/2025

My three clients had a fantastic morning of birding the backroads near Bathurst. Our first stop and just beyond was productive indeed, with Grey Sunbird, Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Black Cuckooshrike, Crowned Hornbill and Yellow-breasted Apalis showing well. The grasslands nearby produced Black-winged Kite, Jackal Buzzard, Cape Longclaw and Wailing Cisticola. In the wooded valley, we had fleeting glances of Narina Trogon and Scaly-throated Honeyguide. More open habitat further on yielded Rufous-naped Lark, European Roller and Crowned Lapwing. Another patch of trees was where we had much better views of a somewhat more obliging Narina Trogon. From there, we headed for the estuary, where we saw Grey Plover, Common Ringed Plover, Sanderling and Eurasian Whimbrel.
Please visit https://timwcroft.wixsite.com/timcockcroftbirding for more information on my local birdwatching tours.

My three clients had a successful morning's birding near Port Alfred. Sightings of Cape Longclaw, Rufous-naped Lark, Wai...
03/01/2025

My three clients had a successful morning's birding near Port Alfred. Sightings of Cape Longclaw, Rufous-naped Lark, Wailing Cisticola and Cape Batis got things off to a good start. In the river valley, Black Cuckooshrike, Knysna Woodpecker and Narina Trogon were seen. Further on, we saw Collared Sunbird, Black Cuckoo, Long-tailed Widowbird and Pin-tailed Whydah. The next valley produced Yellow-breasted Apalis and brief sightings of Olive Bushshrike. By now it was quite hot, sending severe of the birds into hiding, except for White-backed Duck and European Honey Buzzard. Our final stop of the morning was at the estuary, where Common Ringed Plover, Common Greenshank and Yellow-billed Kite were seen.
Please visit https://timwcroft.wixsite.com/timcockcroftbirding for more information on my local birdwatching tours.

My five clients had a good morning's birding near Bathurst and Port Alfred. Our first stop brought sightings of Black Sa...
02/01/2025

My five clients had a good morning's birding near Bathurst and Port Alfred. Our first stop brought sightings of Black Saw-wing, African Green Pigeon and Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher. The river valley bush and the route on from there yielded Knysna Woodpecker, Dark-backed Weaver, Grey Sunbird, Black Cuckoo and Narina Trogon. A brief stop at a private farm was where we saw Grey Crowned Crane, Whiskered Tern and Reed Cormorant, among others. Long-tailed Widowbird, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Yellow-fronted Canary and Wailing Cisticola were present in the grasslands. Some of the birds seen along the last part of the last road we took included Lazy Cisticola, White-backed Duck, Blue Crane and Grey-backed Sparrowlark. The estuary had somewhat fewer waders than usual, but we did see Whimbrel, Grey Plover, Common Ringed Plover and Common Sandpiper.
Please visit https://timwcroft.wixsite.com/timcockcroftbirding for more information on my local birdwatching tours.

The first tour of 2025 was enjoyed by four "amateur birder" clients. We started on backroads near Port Alfred, where we ...
01/01/2025

The first tour of 2025 was enjoyed by four "amateur birder" clients. We started on backroads near Port Alfred, where we had a close encounter with a Long-tailed Widowbird. We had sightings of Narina Trogon in the wooded valleys, while Grey Sunbird, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Red-billed Teal, Spur-winged Goose, White-breasted Cormorant and Whiskered Tern were seen further along. Another wooded valley led to another road, where Blue Crane, Black-chested Snake Eagle (a rare sighting here in my part the Eastern Cape) and Crowned Eagle were seen. We ended the morning at the estuary, to see Greater Sandplover, Whimbrel, Grey Plover, Common Ringed Plover and more.
Please visit https://timwcroft.wixsite.com/timcockcroftbirding for more details on my local birdwatching tours.

My two clients had a very satisfactory morning of birding on one of my usual routes. Some of our early sightings include...
31/12/2024

My two clients had a very satisfactory morning of birding on one of my usual routes. Some of our early sightings included Pin-tailed Whydah, Red-Collared Widowbird and Lazy Cisticola. Our next couple of stops produced Narina Trogon, Collared Sunbird, Cape Batis and Yellow-breasted Apalis. The more open habitat and small dam nearby yielded Cape Longclaw and Whiskered Tern, while European Honey Buzzard and Black-winged Kite were seen as we passed through the river valley. In the stands of exotic trees, we saw Yellow-throated Bush Sparrow, Dark-backed Weaver and Cardinal Woodpecker. Several Long-tailed Widowbirds were seen in the grasslands, as well as a very vocal Rufous-naped Lark. At the estuary, we finished off the tour with sightings of Little Stint, Common Greenshank, Common Ringed Plover and Greater Sandplover.
Please visit https://timwcroft.wixsite.com/timcockcroftbirding for more information on my local birdwatching tours.

My five clients enjoyed their afternoon of birding, despite the heat causing most birds to take shelter. We were, howeve...
30/12/2024

My five clients enjoyed their afternoon of birding, despite the heat causing most birds to take shelter. We were, however, able to spot Green-backed Camaroptera, African Firefinch, Chorister Robin-Chat and brief views of Black Cuckoo. Another stop produced decent sightings of Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher and Dark-backed Weaver. Back in Port Alfred, we saw Knysna Warbler and Burchell's Coucal.
Please visit https://timwcroft.wixsite.com/timcockcroftbirding for more information on my local birdwatching tours.

My client enjoyed his morning out birding near Bathurst and Southwell. Black Saw-wing, Lesser Striped Swallow and Olive ...
30/12/2024

My client enjoyed his morning out birding near Bathurst and Southwell. Black Saw-wing, Lesser Striped Swallow and Olive Bushshrike got things off to a good start. In the river valley, we saw Yellow-breasted Apalis. The birding then went into a bit of a lull until we reached the grasslands, where Cape Longclaw, Yellow-billed Kite and Long-tailed Widowbird were seen. The next river valley produced two male Narina Trogons in neighbouring trees, having a territorial "discussion" of sorts. One last stop on our way back to Port Alfred yielded Knysna Woodpecker and Black Cuckooshrike.
Please visit https://timwcroft.wixsite.com/timcockcroftbirding for more information on my local birdwatching tours.

My four clients had an enjoyable morning's birding. Bathurst was a bit quiet at first, but we soon started seeing birds....
29/12/2024

My four clients had an enjoyable morning's birding. Bathurst was a bit quiet at first, but we soon started seeing birds. Burchell's Coucal, Chorister Robin-Chat, Cape Batis, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Grey Sunbird, Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher and Terrestrial Brownbul were seen along the route here. From there we headed for a river valley, where we had excellent sightings of African Dusky Flycatcher and Narina Trogon. From there, we headed for the road to the grasslands, where Whiskered Tern, African Stonechat, Long-tailed Widowbird and Common Buzzard were seen.
Please visit https://timwcroft.wixsite.com/timcockcroftbirding for more information on my local birdwatching tours.

My client from Scotland returned for another morning of birding near Port Alfred. We visited a private farm in the area,...
28/12/2024

My client from Scotland returned for another morning of birding near Port Alfred. We visited a private farm in the area, which was quite productive. The bush and forest where we began, produced Burchell's Coucal, Chorister Robin-Chat and Knysna Turaco, all in the same tree at different times. On our way down into a valley, we paused to see Common Buzzard and Knysna Woodpecker. At different spots in the valley, we saw Black Cuckoo, Narina Trogon, Brown-hooded Kingfisher, Crowned Hornbill and Black Cuckooshrike. Up and out of the valley, we had some different birds. Denham's Bustard, Plain-backed Pipit, African Pipit, African Jacana, Black-winged Lapwing and Crowned Lapwing.
Please note that additional photos in this post are courtesy of my client, David Duncan, who has graciously filled the gap with photos of some species my camera missed.
Please visit https://timwcroft.wixsite.com/timcockcroftbirding for more information on my local birdwatching tours.

My three clients' morning of birding was an enjoyable one indeed. Despite the heat and humidity, we saw quite a bit. We ...
27/12/2024

My three clients' morning of birding was an enjoyable one indeed. Despite the heat and humidity, we saw quite a bit. We started in Bathurst, then headed for a scenic river valley. Lesser Striped Swallow, Brown-hooded Kingfisher, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Black-bellied Starling, Black-collared Barbet and Olive Bushshrike showed well near the start of our route. In the river valley, we saw Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Dark-backed Weaver and a brief fly-past view of Knysna Woodpecker. An attractive distraction from the birds came in the form of Blue Riverjack, an endemic damselfly. Out of the valley, we had good sightings of Cape Starling, South African Shelduck and Rufous-naped Lark, while Fan-tailed Widowbird and Wailing Cisticola showed well, but kept their distance. One last detour into another river valley was where seven year old Chris got to see his most wanted bird, Narina Trogon. That made a good ending for the tour.
Please visit https://timwcroft.wixsite.com/timcockcroftbirding for more information on my local birdwatching tours.

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