I am starting a month-long birding trip this weekend (16 May 2008)! Now, 30 days of birding is seen as intemperance by some and privilege by others. I intend sharing my birding fortunes in my blogg by posting sightings regularly (hopefully on a daily basis, depending on signal availability in the bush).

The birding venue is northern Natal and St Lucia town will serve as base. Stay-overs will feature in some places, like Mkuze and Umfolozi Game Reserves, but most of the other targeted destinations, like Mtunzini, Ongoya and Dlinza forest reserves, Richards Bay (from where I want to do a pelagic trip as well) and areas closer to St Lucia will be visited on a day-trip basis. If time allows I want to visit Durban also to find the orange and spotted ground-thrushes.

I hope to list near to 250 birds in Zululand. I have done lots of “homework” in preparation for this trip, targeting 60-odd birds of which I can realistically expect to see at least 20. The targeted birds with most reasonable likelihood of finding include Mangrove kingfisher, Pel’s fishing owl, African finfoot, green barbet, palmnut vulture, eastern bronze-naped pigeon, Narina trogon, white-starred robin, pink-throated twinspot, yellow-spotted Nicator and Southern Tchagra. I am hopeful that the odd unexpected bonus will pop up to bolster lifer numbers a bit.

To round off the month-long birding trip I booked to participate in the Limpopo Honorary Rangers’ birding weekend in Mapungubwe National Park over the long weekend of 13 – 17 June. So, I will again see my old army stomping grounds of 35 years ago... this time as a birder. I wonder if I will spot and remember any of the old landmarks. I was there while Greefswaldt, the old army base, was built back in 1969 and '70, returning a few times up to '73. I never birded in those days and it was a shame as we had plenty of time... if then I had only known of the joys...  

Situated in the Limpopo river valley, the park borders both Zimbabwe and Botswana. The confluence of the Limpopo and Shasi rivers is one of the dominant geographical features. I spent many hours on guard duty in an observation post overlooking this vista.

I expect to list in excess of 150 birds during the four days in the park.

But it will not be ALL birding! My wife, Lillian, and I are very fond of seafood and the first available day with suitable weather I will book a deep-sea fishing trip out at St Lucia to make sure we have fresh fish at least for the first week or so. Mtunzini has a prawn farm and the visit there must double as an opportunity to buy a supply of fresh prawns. I am taking my mountain bike with. With the ban on motorized transport on the beaches this is now the only way for me of getting to the mussel beds north of first rocks. Mussels, prawns and fresh fish spell “paella”!

• 07/01/2009 13:11 - New chicks transmit data
• 18/12/2008 16:48 - Ringing the yellow fellow
• 17/12/2008 11:56 - Engagement party with risky benefits
• 15/12/2008 11:11 - Power cuts, mini-blogs, lifers and early rising
• 02/12/2008 12:40 - Ringing Wakkerstroom
• 21/11/2008 13:06 - #5: Composition
• 30/10/2008 13:28 - #3: Perception
• 25/10/2008 09:44 - #2: Break the mould