South Africa

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.

An African safari is mostly about seeing incredible mammals. And, if you’re thinking about a safari, your first decision is which park to visit. The Masai Mara, the Serengeti, South Luangwa, Etosha, Moremi, Hwange, or Kruger National Park? All have an exceptional array of large mammals.

Well, there are lots of factors that play a role in deciding which one suits you – cost, ease of access, time of year, length of stay, etc. And all of Africa’s parks have relative strengths and weaknesses. Some are fantastically wild but very hard to get to - and hard to get to usually means expensive as well – while some are easier to get to and much more affordable.

The Kruger National Park in South Africa falls into the latter group, as it’s easily accessible and also one of the more affordable of Africa’s great parks. But there’s another ace in Kruger’s hand, and that is its diversity.

The idea for a blog on the birds of Nelspruit gardens and parks came when I needed to add in a day in Nairobi to our Birds & Wildlife of Kenya itinerary, as the clients wanted to come in a day early and relax at the hotel. So I wanted to mention some of the birds they may see in the hotel grounds. I did a Google search, consulted eBird, and did some digging on the internet, and in the end it wasn't too hard to thrown in a few common species that one could find in gardens in Nairobi, with the caveat that I didn't want to mention very common species such as Dark-capped Bulbul and Speckled Mousebird that are common garden birds here in eastern South Africa (which the clients would already have seen). And then I had the thought that there may be birders out there searching for common garden birds of my town (for some reason!), which is Nelspruit (also known as Mbombela), in Mpumalanga, South Africa....

If you are planning for a safari in South Africa, you may be having some difficulty choosing where to go. Indeed, making your final choice is probably the most difficult part of the whole process! Let us help you with our advice on the top safari destinations in South Africa!