The Guide's Tale Blog. - Page 2

In November we hosted seven clients on our inaugural 'Tanzania's Northern Circuit' Safari. It was an untested itinerary, set up during the dark days of the global lockdown, so it was definitely a pioneering tour for us, but it's really hard to go horribly wrong when dealing with one of Africa's top wildlife destinations, right?

And as it turned out, it was a roaring success. The itinerary was solid (though we are changing it slightly for 2023 and beyond to make it even better), our local guides Wilfred and Arnold were both excellent in every way, the two stretched Land-Cruiser safari vehicles were also excellent, the accommodations proved to be wonderful, and of course the game viewing was just incredible. Indeed, it was one of the highlights of 2022, and we're looking forward to returning again soon!

Read more about it and see some images in this safari trip report!

If you are coming on a South African birdwatching trip, be prepared to see a lot of Larks!

Larks have featured in the writings of playwrights and philosophers throughout written history. And while they are generally not much to look at (for the average person that is), their beautiful calls are perhaps what has given them a place in the mind of man. Southern Africa is generously endowed with Larks (Family Alaudidae), sporting no fewer than 31 species, with 16 of them endemic to the region and 10 near-endemic (Chamberlain's Guide to LBJ's by Faansie Peacock). Now for beginners especially, and those on their first African birding trip, Larks can be a bit of a daunting group to get to grips with, though in reality they aren't too challenging (or at least not as challenging as the Pipits and Cisticolas!). So let's take a look at some of the Larks one may see on a typical birding tour to South Africa.

Raptors of Kruger.

What raptors can you see on a Kruger National Park Birding Safari?

For many a birder, the raptors are a firm favorite, embodying power, grace and beauty, and seeing a new species of raptor is sure to get the pulse rate up for a few minutes. They make great photographic subjects and, when on an African birding safari, new species of raptor are bound to be seen pretty regularly, adding up to an exciting experience indeed...

With an abundance of food, there are few places that offer such a number and variety of birds of prey as the savannas of Africa. And there are few large, savanna-dominated parks that are as affordable and easily accessible as the Kruger National Park of South Africa, which offers some superb raptor viewing indeed...

Above: African Rock Pipit, Wakkerstroom

Eastern South Africa Endemics set-departure tour trip report, November / December 2021.

Last year we hosted Volkert van der Willigen on our epic Eastern South Africa Endemics serious birding tour from 19 November to 4 December. With international travel still in the doldrums, Volkert was the only participant, which was to his advantage as we could then also concentrate on the birds he's missed on previous trips to Southern Africa. And of course, the itinerary is designed around the endemics and other special birds found in eastern South Africa (which, together with the Western South Africa Endemics tour gives participants a real chance of bagging most of South Africa's endemics and near-endemics). All in all it was a very successful tour, delivering 408 bird species seen overall, and 58 of Volkert's 77 target species.

Southern Africa has an amazing number and variety of birds. From the biggest living bird to ocean-going pelagic species, an array of raptors and a plethora of tiny Passerines, the 971 recorded species are enough to keep any birder busy for a lifetime. And, while some are rare or require tremendous effort to see, there are plenty of common birds that are pretty spectacular, or at least very interesting in their biology and behavior. So, rather than examine the rare birds of Southern Africa, in this blog we're going to look at five common (or relatively common, at least) species that are actually pretty amazing for some or other reason. And the stipulation for inclusion is that they can't just be awesome to look at, such as the Turacos and Rollers, but that they actually need to do something awesome, or exhibit some kind of awesome behavior...