BIRD WATCHING
I am not a great bird-watcher although I never stop being amazed at the diversity of shapes, sizes and colours of the birds of our country, never mind those of more distant lands. They are almost as diverse as the fish on coral reefs, one of which I once had the briefest of opportunities to experience and wonder at!
I’ve spent a large part of my life ‘in the bush’ and I have always been quite content to simply look at the birds, and other aspects of nature, and enjoy everything about them without needing to know their names. A friend of mine from long ago told me that the birds don’t know their names, especially not the scientific Latin ones, and yet they sing as sweetly as ever. On this point, however, I would like to mention that, in my younger days, our common and much-loved hadeda ibis had the name Hagedashia hagedash hagedash, a name which this bird did know and did not much like. As a result, it retaliated with that raucous call that echoes across our gardens so frequently and often at inappropriate times – like the early morning. The biologist tried to rectify things by re-naming it Bostrychia hagedash, a name that the bird still didn’t entirely approve, so it decided not to change its call. Quite understandable, I trust you will agree?
Now, bird-watchers will go almost anywhere to get a glimpse, however fleeting, of some rare species to add to their list of ‘lifers’. I think this is highly commendable and I applaud and I am full of admiration for those ‘twitchers’ who wake long before dawn and move as silently and stealthily as wraiths or little field mice through the forests and across the savannah in search of these much-prized sightings.
What has this all to do with the Mountain?
Well, let me say that the Woodbush Forest, which covers a high percentage of the slopes of Magoebaskloof, as well as many other parts of the mountains and valleys in this area, is regarded as prime birding country.
There are guest houses catering especially for birders – no, you don’t perch overnight up in the rafters – and one of South Africa’s top birding guides is resident here. This amazing man, who can imitate almost every chorister in the leafy canopies, will lead you to the most rewarding avifaunal experiences of your life! He can also imitate the hadeda!
I won’t attempt to list all our local birds except to make mention of our very special Cape Parrot that comes and goes depending on the availability of its favourite foods. You can hear them coming from far off as they screech about like squadrons of Spitfires.
On a short hiking trail at Makgeng, just 17kms from Haenertsburg towards Polokwane along the R71, a preliminary count has yielded about 70 species. The highlight is the early winter when the nectar feeders arrive to enjoy the Aloe marlothii that grow in great abundance along the hill-sides.
We haven’t seen a Blue Swallow on our grasslands for many long years but, on a hike up towards the Iron Crown – highest peak in Limpopo – there are still some rare sightings. And, if you come around Christmas time, you may be told where to find the Wolkberg Zulu. No, it is not a bird but our own endemic and very rare butterfly. Check out the web-site for much more professional information.
Louis Armstrong quite simply summed it all up when he sang, ‘What a wonderful world! Oh, yeah!’
And them’s my sentiments!
Fred Bullock.
