Seldomseen

22/08/2024

This wonderful review was received from recent guests!

Seldom Seen Birding
Debbie and I have just spent 2 days at this Birding paradise!
It is such a delight to see so many birds, and such a lovely forest / montane variety of species in one place... that your head spins to try and catch all the delightful little characters flitting around you in that beautiful patch of Vumba forest! The dawn chorus is awesome... a bird walk with Bulwesi is a must... he has his forest birds on tap , including their nests, with a keen ear and sharp eye for the furtive species that are vocal but hard to see.... on a late walk in the forest he picked up the presence of a precocious little Swynnertons Robin that was investigating us within only a meter or two in the dense, dark, tangeled growth... like a little mouse on the forest floor, giving us only an occasional glimpse of his beautiful front..
Ken and Sue Worsley have done a great job of care taking & managing that patch of beautiful forest (and beyond it too), and making it accessible with a network of well sited, environmentally sensitive and maintained pathways... making it a sheer delight to explore.

13/08/2024

05/06/2024

Hi everyone! Due to the changes in the Zimbabwe Company Tax Regulations we have been forced to register Seldomseen for VAT and therefore have had to increase our prices by the regulated 15%. We very much regret having to do this but do hope you will all continue to support us!! With kind regards, Ken and Sue.

01/02/2024

Twinstreams Cottage 🏡

Fashioned out of the old stables on the original property, this quaint and quiet forest cottage and separate twin bedroom cabin offers everything a mountain nature escape needs.

Peace
Quiet
Forest walks
Solar heating
Outside fire
Self catering kitchen
Comfortable beds
Plethora of bird life right outside your window
🍃

For $30 per person per night and only 4 hours from Harare in the Bvumba Mountains, this could be just what you need from a weekend to reset after the start of a new year 🫶🌍

29/01/2024

Pocket views through fantasy forest scapes 🍃

13/01/2024

Swynnerton Cottage 🏡

Nestled in the heart of the forest gardens of , this bungalow offers a fully self catering kitchen, 1 double and 1 twin room, outside dining & braai area and the ability to immerse yourself in the stunning surroundings 💚

At $30 per person per night this could be your home in the mountains for however long you choose! DM us for details

31/12/2023

Goodbye 2023 🍂 Hello 2024 🍃

Thank you to all the wonderful guests, birders and adventures who have come through our forests and stayed this year! We are so grateful for all the wonderful people who share as much about the passion of nature and wild life as we do and can’t thank you enough for your support in maintaining these precious forest spaces! 🌳🦎🦋

We are so excited for another year of working to conserve our beautiful part of the world, meeting both new and olds guests and the progress to come!

We are also so grateful for our fantatsic staff Buluwesi, Martha & Isaac that work so amazingly behind the scenes and for their support this year too 🐝🐝🐝

💚

30/12/2023

Dark capped yellow warbler 🪶

Also known as the African yellow warbler, this bird moves between environments such as reeds, overgrown waterside vegetation and forest edges such as the Bvumba Mountains.

Climbing up to an exposed perch to sing before diving into cover and prey, the DCYW is to be seen darting between the forest levels in the areas around the cottages.

If you are lucky enough to spot a nest you will find a neat cup made of grass, typically situated in the fork of branches within a bush or between upright stems. 2 or 3 eggs are laid from September to March in southern Africa. After hatching the chicks are fed by both parent.

📸 Ronald Webb

25/12/2023

To all our Seldomseen friends we thank you for your patronage over the last year and wish you all the very best for the year ahead. May we all keep in good health and happiness! Seldomseen looks forward to seeing some of you again, and some of you for the first time in our lovely mountain paradise!! With kind regards from Ken and Sue Worsley.

25/11/2023

The final farewells at Crimsonwing Campsite 🏕️

It is with sadness that this stunning spot which has been privileged to call their campsite for so long will now only be available to book until December.

The unrivalled views of some of the beautiful Bvumba Mountains, forests and dams down into Mozambique have been somewhere all the guests of Seldomseen have found peace and managed to marvel at something which always brings joy.

Our 2 forest cottages and Witchwood Lodge are very much still open and have lovely opportunities to enjoy nature and the views and we look forward to welcoming you 🍃

18/11/2023

Orange Ground Thrush🪶

Pictured here not actually on the ground 🤪 this beautiful little bird is one of our ‘specials’ . It is generally found in the undergrowth of middle and high-elevation forest areas.

Buluwesi, our fantastic bird guide will give you a hand spotting this mimicking their sound to attract them as they are generally shy.

Come and find us in the forest 🍃🪺🦜

🐦‍⬛📸 Ron Webb

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09/11/2023

Creatures in comfort 💚

As gatekeepers of land and therefore the natural environment, we make it our business to understand and make space for the unique and wonderful worlds outside of our own the need their habitats to survive & thrive.

Montane forests are home to enormous amounts of ecosystems that we have a responsibility to protect and take huge pride doing so.

Right now, the rain is bringing moisture and new life to the stunning forests and we can’t wait to show you what beauty lies within them.

Book now ☎️ +263 71 260 4849

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02/11/2023

Witchwood Lodge 🏡

So many comfortable and cosy corners to appreciate the forest views and subtle sounds of nature within.

This cottage sleeps up to 9 guests, is self catering, on the doorstep of Zimbabwe’s most beautiful forests in the Bvumba Mountains and is $40 per person per night with soecial rates for children! Catering and menus can also be included on request 💚

Come and find some peace in the forest 🌳

29/10/2023

Cape Robin Chat 🪶

You will likely see this cheerful chap flirting around the undergrowth of the forest floor as you wander through the natural pathways .

It often perches in prominent positions and hops about, foraging for food. It also likes to roost in dense cover which the Bvumba forests provide perfectly. Having said that, this bird has a diverse habitat range frequenting both drier and high altitude settings between South Sudan and South Africa.

An interesting fact is that it bathes daily, even in tide pools💧🍃

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21/10/2023

Cardinal Woodpecker 🪶

A more common species found in many habitats from dense forest to thorn bush in Sub-Saharan Africa.

This bird is fairly vocal and is easily identified by its call notes. The sexes are distinguishable by their red head patterns with the one above identifying as a female for her lack of a coloured crown ♥️ It does not however make her less beautiful, captured by Ron Webb at our very own price of paradise

Come and visit soon 🍃

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09/10/2023

Our star of the show the Swynnertons Robin 🪶

This species exists in a limited habitat the extent and quality of which is declining, sadly along with the population numbers of this beautiful bird which is now considered to be Vulnerable. Found only in the moist lowland and montane forests of Tanzania, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, it is threatened by habitat loss.

In Zimbabwe this species is found in our montane forests in the Eastern Highlands. It is protected in the Bunga and Chirinda Forest Botanical Reserves which are in the same area. Within these special forests, although shy, it thrives in high numbers and almost always nests in the small indigenous Dracaena plants.

Captured beautifully in the forest undergrowth by Robin Webb 📸

03/10/2023

Luminous Mushrooms 🍄

A fantastical evening activity is to take a night walk in the forest to see what you can find. If you are looking around January in peak rainy season you may spot these tiny and bioluminescent mushrooms! They live high in the trees and are found on fallen twigs.

There are only a few species of bioluminescent fungi in the world so we are very lucky to have these ones which are not edible.

The glowing fungi make light through a chemical reaction in a similar manner to fireflies.

Scientists are not sure why the fungi emit light, it may be in order to attract insects that disperse the spores.

Definitely worth looking for at the right time of year 💚

25/09/2023

Chirinda Apalis 🪶

One of our ‘special species’ at Seldomseen, the Chirinda Apalis is a shy and overlooked bird found in canopies of moist evergreen forests 🍃

Endemic to the Manica Highlands along the Zimbabwe/Mozambique border, it sadly also has IUCN Red Data List status and is labelled vulnerable due to the destruction of forests.

For now, we get to enjoy them consistently at Seldomseen as we strive to protect the part of their environment that we can control!

Come and see them in their beautiful natural habitat for yourself 💚