Just to clarify - we took an easy day to drive to Kruger from Pretoria but
stayed there 3 days and drove back on the 4th day. On another occasion we
did do from Maputo (MZ) to Kruger and back in a day, but that was insane!
Martin Butterfield
http://franmart.blogspot.com.au/
On 16 January 2018 at 09:05, Ronda Green <> wrote:
> Yes, there is a lot of car theft, muggings etc. including along the
> stretch between Pretoria and Kruger and between Jo-burg and Kruger, and I
> would never intentionally drive after dark. I felt quite safe in the Park
> - I figured anyone wanting to mug someone wouldn’t choose somewhere he had
> to walk through country inhabited by lions and elephants to do so. I felt
> slightly nervous at first driving myself alone out of the little airport
> towards Hazyview but soon relaxed a lot more than I did when driving in
> Jo’burg and Pretoria (I still made sure all doors and windows were locked
> at all times as a precaution). Driving just for the day from Pretoria
> would really seem a pity. Even after two and a half weeks in Kruger on our
> first visit I didn’t want to leave, still seeing new species every day and
> enjoying repeat sightings of others.
>
> Cheers
>
> Ronda
>
> On 16 Jan 2018, at 7:52 am, Martin Butterfield <>
> wrote:
>
> A friend with relatives in RSA, who has visited the country many times,
> has commented that due to the security situation in South Africa he only
> goes birding in the National Parks. I would certainly get good local
> advice about where it is safe to go and where not.
>
> On our one birding trip to RSA we were staying in Pretoria and drove to
> Kruger in an easy day. After our time there, we misjudged our departure
> time and it was getting dark by the time we got back to Pretoria: a
> *very *nervous end to the drive.
>
> Martin Butterfield
> http://franmart.blogspot.com.au/
>
> On 16 January 2018 at 08:43, Ronda Green <>
> wrote:
>
>> Hi Martin
>>
>> I’ve been three times to Kruger and found it marvellous for birding. It
>> would be best to spend at least a week. I’ve always spent more than that,
>> and we’ve driven ourselves from rest camp to rest camp from the extreme
>> south to the extreme north (varied habitats, very varied birdlife: the
>> further north you go, the less the crowds).
>>
>> In most of the Park you can’t leave the car, but you can still see an
>> amazing variety of birds from your vehicle, often very close to it,
>> especially if you leave the rest camp straight after dawn each morning, but
>> there are plenty of birds visible throughout the day as well. Just parking
>> near a waterhole or river for an hour or so usually produces many sightings.
>>
>> There are also many places where you can leave the vehicle and walk
>> around - e.g. at all the rest camps (you can enter the ones you’re not
>> staying at, for lunch etc. or general wandering), seeing birds within the
>> camps and outside, through the fence, also a number of picnic grounds and
>> occasional long bridges whee you can park in the middle, as you can see any
>> leopard or buffalos entering the bridge long before it reaches you, also
>> some wonderful hides, with at least one (near Mopane) where you can spend
>> the whole night. You can also go on a ranger-led walk into the park
>> (accompanied by two rangers with rifles, just in case).
>>
>> You can’t drive yourself before dawn or after dusk (heavy fines) but the
>> rangers lead some good tours, where you may see owls etc.
>>
>> In most rest camps there are noticeboards where people record their
>> sightings for the day. Most are about the big mammals, but sometimes rare
>> birds like kori bustard, or various other big ones like ostriches, goliath
>> herons, storks or eagles get mentioned. There are also notices asking
>> people to report online if they see various species of the rarer birds.
>>
>> Although I don’t mention most of the birds seen on my most recent visit
>> (concentrated more on mammals here), you may like to scroll through my blog
>> on http://araucariaecotours.com/wordpress/?cat=9 <http://
>> araucariaecotours.com/wordpress/?cat=9> to get some feel of exploring
>> Kruger. I was there alone that time - gave myself a wonderful week and a
>> half there before a conference I was attending in SA.
>>
>> Btw, the first two times I visited (once with son and once with husband)
>> we picked up our hire car from Johannesburg and drove from there, but it’s
>> a long drive, mostly past bare paddocks, and driving back into Jo’burg is a
>> bit of a nightmare. Last time I flew to Neilspruit and hired a car from
>> there - I drove to Hazyview where I spent a couple of nights, and then into
>> KP. Much more relaxing. There’s apparently an airport
>> Neilspruit Kruger, right in the Park, but I don’t know if you can hire a
>> vehicle there. Oh …and don’t put your entire trust in Google Maps. When I
>> had a long drive to a second conference, it led me astray and I found
>> myself driving in the dark on little country roads, thoroughly lost!
>>
>> Finally, purchase a Wild Card (more economical that way) and book several
>> months in advance - some of the rest camp accommodation gets booked out
>> months ahead.
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>> Ronda
>>
>>
>>
>> > On 16 Jan 2018, at 3:00 am, wrote:
>> >
>> > Send Birding-Aus mailing list submissions to
>> >
>> >
>> > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
>> > http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding
>> -aus.org
>> > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
>> >
>> >
>> > You can reach the person managing the list at
>> >
>> >
>> > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
>> > than "Re: Contents of Birding-Aus digest..."
>> >
>> >
>> > Today's Topics:
>> >
>> > 1. White-throated Needletails at Ryde, Sydney (Cathy Goswell)
>> > 2. Fork-tailed Swifts in BIG numbers yesterday at Lower
>> > Daintree, FNQ (martin cachard)
>> > 3. Re: White-throated Needletails at Ryde, Sydney (and Canada
>> > Bay) (Philip Griffin)
>> > 4. Rufous Scrub-bird (Alan Gillanders)
>> > 5. Aleutian Terns Old Bar 15/01 (Alan Gillanders)
>> > 6. Lost scope (Joan Wharton))
>> > 7. Lost a Scope (Joan Wharton))
>> > 8. 2017 Plains-wanderer report
>> > 9. RFI South Africa (Martin Woodward)
>> >
>> >
>> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> >
>> > Message: 1
>> > Date: Sun, 14 Jan 2018 22:37:48 +1100
>> > From: Cathy Goswell <>
>> > To:
>> > Subject: [Birding-Aus] White-throated Needletails at Ryde, Sydney
>> > Message-ID: <>
>> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
>> >
>> > On Thursday, 11 January at 8:30am I saw approximately 30 White-throated
>> > Needletails circling around Burrows Park (-33.814229, 151.114767) in
>> > Ryde in the heart of the city slowly heading south towards Parramatta
>> > River. There could have been more, it wasn't possible to tell if the
>> > same birds were circling around or there were more groups moving
>> > through. I couldn't make out any Fork-tailed Swifts in the flock. The
>> > weather was fine but unsettled.
>> >
>> >
>> > Cathy
>> >
>> > --
>> > abc
>> >
>> >
>> > ---
>> > This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
>> > http://www.avg.com
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > ------------------------------
>> >
>> > Message: 2
>> > Date: Sun, 14 Jan 2018 21:07:31 +0000
>> > From: martin cachard <>
>> > To: "" <>, "mike
>> > tarburton (SWIFT records)" <>
>> > Subject: [Birding-Aus] Fork-tailed Swifts in BIG numbers yesterday at
>> > Lower Daintree, FNQ
>> > Message-ID:
>> > <
>> d19.prod.outlook.com>
>> >
>> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>> >
>> > hello all,
>> >
>> >
>> > FINALLY some big numbers of Fork-tailed Swifts have turned up on the
>> Cairns-Port Douglas-Daintree lowlands.
>> >
>> >
>> > as far as I am aware, these are the first seen near the coast up here
>> since early Dec when Marie Tarrant saw a few around Cairns.
>> >
>> >
>> > yesterday's birds were MY first for the season, and their arrival
>> coincided with the first day of gentle northerly influence in the weather
>> here for 2 weeks. it was a clear, VERY hot, & sunny day.
>> >
>> >
>> > from our office on the Daintree River near the car ferry crossing at
>> around mid-morning yesterday, I saw more than just a few hundred
>> Fork-taileds (+/- 1000) wheeling around at a height of about 40-100mtrs
>> above ground. with them were tens of Aust Swiflets too.
>> >
>> >
>> > Cairns resident and close friend of mine, Adam Arnold, spent the day
>> with me and these were his first for the season as well. he and I bumped
>> into my dear friend Del Richards last eve, and he saw what were probably
>> the same birds not long after at Newell Beach. this was Del's first record
>> this season for Forkies on the lowlands around here too.
>> >
>> >
>> > so it seems that these birds were quite likely to have been the first
>> big influx of Forkies up here...
>> >
>> >
>> > cheers,
>> >
>> > martin cachard
>> >
>> >
>> > solar whisper wildlife cruises,
>> >
>> > Daintree River
>> >
>> >
>> > & trinity beach, cairns
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > ------------------------------
>> >
>> > Message: 3
>> > Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2018 14:13:45 +1000
>> > From: Philip Griffin <>
>> > To: birding-aus <>
>> > Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] White-throated Needletails at Ryde, Sydney
>> > (and Canada Bay)
>> > Message-ID:
>> > <CAPxD7_+DkP0pcXNSOM=
>> gmail.com>
>> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
>> >
>> > Around the time (probably 0820hr) and on the same day (Thursday, 11th
>> > January), that Cathy was seeing her needletails in Ryde, I was driving
>> > through the Sydney suburb of Canada Bay with around 40 needletails
>> swirling
>> > around on either side of the road and overhead.
>> >
>> > Always good to see them!
>> >
>> > Philip Griffin
>> >
>> > *To*: "
>> > <https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=birding-
>> >"
>> > <
>> > <https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=birding-
>> >
>> >>
>> > *Subject*: White-throated Needletails at Ryde, Sydney
>> > *From*: Cathy Goswell <
>> > <https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=cathycrg
>> @bigpond.com>>
>> > *Date*: Sun, 14 Jan 2018 11:37:48 +0000
>> >
>> > On Thursday, 11 January at 8:30am I saw approximately 30 White-throated
>> > Needletails circling around Burrows Park (-33.814229, 151.114767) in
>> > Ryde in the heart of the city slowly heading south towards Parramatta
>> > River. There could have been more, it wasn't possible to tell if the
>> > same birds were circling around or there were more groups moving
>> > through. I couldn't make out any Fork-tailed Swifts in the flock. The
>> > weather was fine but unsettled.
>> >
>> >
>> > Cathy
>> >
>> > --
>> > abc
>> >
>> >
>> > ------------------------------
>> >
>> > Message: 4
>> > Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2018 14:31:44 +1000
>> > From: Alan Gillanders <>
>> > To:
>> > Subject: [Birding-Aus] Rufous Scrub-bird
>> > Message-ID:
>> > <>
>> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
>> >
>> > Greetings,
>> > Can anyone provide me with recent information on the Rufous Scrub-bird
>> > and Barrington Tops?
>> >
>> > TIA,
>> > Alan
>> >
>> > --
>> > Alan's Wildlife Tours
>> > 2 Mather Road
>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=2+Mather+Road+%3E+Yungaburra+4884&entry=gmail&source=g>
>> > Yungaburra 4884
>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=2+Mather+Road+%3E+Yungaburra+4884&entry=gmail&source=g>
>> >
>> > Phone 07 4095 3784
>> > Mobile 0408 953 786
>> > http://www.alanswildlifetours.com.au
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > ------------------------------
>> >
>> > Message: 5
>> > Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2018 14:34:44 +1000
>> > From: Alan Gillanders <>
>> > To:
>> > Subject: [Birding-Aus] Aleutian Terns Old Bar 15/01
>> > Message-ID:
>> > <>
>> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
>> >
>> > Greetings,
>> > This morning one could have driven to the terns but the tide was a bit
>> > high for me. I walked. There were five Aleutians on bank inland of the
>> > fenced area and a little south. Opposite the end of the fence there were
>> > eight more. When they all took off at7 am, crossing the bar out to sea,
>> > they were joined by other terns at least some of which were Commons. I
>> > could not see that any of the new terns were Aleutian but could not rule
>> > that out. My on ground count was 13 Aleutian Terns.
>> >
>> > Most of the Common Terns returned to the inlet and fished with pelicans,
>> > a pied Cormorant and one human in a deeper gutter. Two Aleutians
>> > returned and sat on the sandbar slightly north of the end of the beach
>> > and were still there when I left in the pouring rain and 15*C.
>> >
>> > When is it safe to visit southern Australia!? 34*C when I left Brisbane,
>> > 21*C when I arrived in Taree and 15*C, wet and windy this morning.
>> > Fortunately the wind was not as strong as yesterday but still not
>> pleasant.
>> >
>> > Regards,
>> > Alan
>> >
>> > --
>> > Alan's Wildlife Tours
>> > 2 Mather Road
>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=2+Mather+Road+%3E+Yungaburra+4884&entry=gmail&source=g>
>> > Yungaburra 4884
>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=2+Mather+Road+%3E+Yungaburra+4884&entry=gmail&source=g>
>> >
>> > Phone 07 4095 3784
>> > Mobile 0408 953 786
>> > http://www.alanswildlifetours.com.au
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > ------------------------------
>> >
>> > Message: 6
>> > Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2018 15:52:23 +1100
>> > From: "Joan Wharton)" <>
>> > To: "" <>
>> > Subject: [Birding-Aus] Lost scope
>> > Message-ID: <>
>> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>> >
>> > Hello
>> > A Townsville birder, Ivor Preston, accidentally left his Scope on
>> Morris Rd, Giru, Nth Qld recently and when he went back for it the same day
>> it was gone. Just wondering if anyone going along that road may have
>> picked it up? He would love to get it back.
>> > Many thanks, Joan Wharton
>> >
>> > Sent from my iPad
>> >
>> >
>> > ------------------------------
>> >
>> > Message: 7
>> > Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2018 16:01:15 +1100
>> > From: "Joan Wharton)" <>
>> > To:
>> > Subject: [Birding-Aus] Lost a Scope
>> > Message-ID: <>
>> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>> >
>> > Hello
>> >
>> > These are the details of Ivor's lost scope.
>> > I lost my scope on Morris Ck Road, Giru. It was a VORTEX Razor HD
>> 11-33x50 on an aluminium tripod. Forgot to put it back in the car and when
>> I returned it was gone. I tell you this in case someone contacts you about
>> finding it.
>> >
>> > Thanks, Joan Wharton
>> >
>> > Sent from my iPad
>> >
>> >
>> > ------------------------------
>> >
>> > Message: 8
>> > Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2018 03:11:45 -0500
>> > From:
>> > To:
>> > Subject: [Birding-Aus] 2017 Plains-wanderer report
>> > Message-ID:
>> > <
>> eralpha.com>
>> >
>> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed; DelSp=Yes
>> >
>> > Hello birders
>> >
>> > For those interested in how plains-wanderers fared in 2017 on the Hay
>> > Plain, our annual plains-wanderer report can be found at
>> > http://www.philipmaher.com/plains-wandererreportmainpage.html
>> >
>> > All the best
>> >
>> > Philip Maher
>> > Deniliquin, NSW.
>> >
>> > Australian Ornithological Services P/L
>> > P.O. Box 385
>> > South Yarra 3141
>> > Victoria
>> > Australia
>> > Telephone: 0417310200
>> > _http://www.philipmaher.com_
>> >
>> >
>> > ------------------------------
>> >
>> > Message: 9
>> > Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2018 20:44:56 +1100
>> > From: "Martin Woodward" <>
>> > To: <>
>> > Subject: [Birding-Aus] RFI South Africa
>> > Message-ID: <>
>> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>> >
>> > Hi Everyone,
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > My wife and I are travelling to South Africa at the end of June this
>> year
>> > for the first time.
>> >
>> > I'd appreciate any advice on birding hotspots, guides and accommodation
>> for
>> > east and southern parts of South Africa.
>> >
>> > In particular, within Kruger NP, Pretoria and the Garden Coast from
>> Capetown
>> > and Port Elizabeth.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Thanks
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Martin Woodward
>> >
>> > 0408 805 179
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > ------------------------------
>> >
>> > Subject: Digest Footer
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > Birding-Aus mailing list
>> >
>> > To change settings or unsubscribe visit:
>> > http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
>> >
>> >
>> > ------------------------------
>> >
>> > End of Birding-Aus Digest, Vol 51, Issue 15
>> > *******************************************
>>
>> Ronda Green, PhD
>>
>>
>> Proprietor, Araucaria Ecotours
>> http://www.learnaboutwildlife.com <http://www.learnaboutwildlife.com/>
>>
>> Chair, Wildlife Tourism Australia
>> http://www.wildlifetourism.org.au <http://www.wildlifetourism.org.au/>
>>
>> Chair, Scenic Rim Wildlife
>> http://scenicrim.wildlife.org.au <http://scenicrim.wildlife.org.au/>
>>
>> Adjunct Researcher, Griffith University
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> <HR>
>> <BR> Birding-Aus mailing list
>> <BR>
>> <BR> To change settings or unsubscribe visit:
>> <BR> http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
>> </HR>
>
>
> Ronda Green, PhD
>
>
> Proprietor, Araucaria Ecotours
> http://www.learnaboutwildlife.com
>
> Chair, Wildlife Tourism Australia
> http://www.wildlifetourism.org.au
>
> Chair, Scenic Rim Wildlife
> http://scenicrim.wildlife.org.au
>
> Adjunct Researcher, Griffith University
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
<HR>
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