South Africa: Kruger National Park Extension: Oct 21—28, 2009

Kruger National Park is one of Africa's great wildlife reserves, with an amazingly high diversity of plants, invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. It also has one of the largest populations of elephants of any of the African national parks, with over 14,000 of these spectacular giants. Joining this private extension increases your chance of seeing a number of "bushveld" or savannah species which are not normally recorded on our South African itinerary.

The first part of our visit will be in the vicinity of the Sabie River, and our birding will focus on the habitat fringing this vital source of water. Raptors are common, and birds such as Martial and Wahlberg's eagles, Bateleur, and White-backed, Hooded, and Lappet-faced vultures are all possible. Aquatic species may include African Finfoot, Half-collared Kingfisher, and White-crowned Lapwing, plus a variety of herons and storks including Marabou, and the striking Saddle-billed Stork. Several hornbill species—Southern Yellow-billed, Red-billed, African Grey, and Crowned hornbills—are likely. Cuckoos are also usually common in this area and we could see Red-chested, Black, Diderik, Klaas's, Le Vaillant's, and Jacobin (Pied) cuckoos. We may see early arrivals of several Palaearctic migrants such as Willow Warblers, Spotted Flycatchers, and European Bee-eaters. The area is also one of the best in the park for leopard sightings.

The open woodland we'll see during the second part of our visit is great for viewing plains game such as wildebeest and zebra, as well as their predators such as lion, cheetah, and spotted hyena. Spectacular birds in this region include Southern Ground-Hornbill, Verreaux's Eagle-Owl, and Kori, Red- (Buff) crested, and Black-bellied bustards. The area is particularly good for woodpeckers, plus a host of attractive smaller species such as starlings, shrikes, waxbills, and weavers.

Our visit coincides with the southern spring, and rain showers are possible during our stay. Should showers trigger an emergence of termite mounds, our birding is likely to be awesome with virtually every bird species in the area—from waxbills to eagles—feasting on this rich source of food.

Accommodations for our four nights in the park will be in chalets (known locally as huts or rondavels) with private baths or showers.