Hluhluwe–iMfolozi birds

The birdlife in Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park was excellent and added something special to almost every drive. One of the highlights was getting unusually close views of a White-fronted Bee-eater and a Brown-hooded Kingfisher, allowing for some of the best photos of the trip. Other memorable sightings included Fiscal Flycatcher, Mocking Cliff Chat, African Hoopoe, Yellow-throated Longclaw and Speckled Mousebird. The flashes of colour from the Greater Blue-eared Starling were also hard to miss in the sunlight.

The larger birds were equally impressive. We regularly saw White-backed Vulture soaring overhead, along with a magnificent Tawny Eagle perched out in the open. An African Woolly-necked Stork also gave wonderful views. One of the more entertaining sights was seeing Red-billed Oxpecker riding around on warthogs, constantly moving over them searching for ticks.

White-fronted Bee-eater

Fiscal Flycatcher

Mocking Cliff Chat

African hoopoe

Yellow-throated Longclaw 

Brown-hooded Kingfisher

White-backed Vulture

Tawny Eagle

African woolly-necked stork

Red-billed Oxpeckers

Speckled Mousebird

Greater Blue-eared Starling

Mkuzi birds

For a bird lover, Mkuze Game Reserve feels almost magical. Everywhere we went there was movement, colour and birdsong woven into the atmosphere of the reserve. We watched kingfishers flashing brilliant colour along the water, hornbills moving noisily through the trees, oxpeckers clinging to grazing animals, a Burchell’s coucal slipping through the undergrowth, storks circling above the pans, and glossy starlings shimmering in the sunlight with impossible metallic colours. As an avid twitcher, what stayed with me most was that constant feeling of anticipation — the sense that every road, hide and patch of bush might reveal something extraordinary.

Highlights

• Trumpeter hornbills in the beautiful morning light near the pan.
• Getting photos of Pied kingfishers in flight.
• The stunning glossy starlings, iridescent in the sunlight.
• Getting photos of cormorants flying low over the pan, creating incredible reflections.
• Getting good photos of Burchell's coucal in good light. They have great nostalgic significance for me - one of my favourite birds from my early birding days.
• Close views of Crested Guineafowl. They are so delightfully comical in appearance.
• Getting photos of Oxpeckers on the back of zebra and warthog. Another of my favourite birds.
• A beautiful Yellow-billed Stork that flew in for a drink at the hide and showed us some of its distinctive behaviour.

Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk

Trumpeter Hornbills

African Pied Wagtail

Greater Blue-eared Starling

Southern Ashy Flycatcher

Fork-tailed Drongo

Three-banded Plover

Pied Kingfisher

White-breasted Cormorant

Crested Barbet

Burchell's coucal

Redbilled Oxpecker

Crested Guineafowl

Three-banded Plover

Common Waxbills

Yellow-billed Stork

Ring-necked dove