Firstly, thanks to those who replied to my call for help on species
lumping/splitting about two weeks ago. I think I have sorted out most of
the problem species except for the present status of the hoopoes (is the
African a separate species?)
I was on a family holiday which was partly organised by Africa Travel in
Melbourne and partly by myself. I booked accommodation in Tsitsikamma and
Kruger National Parks through the Internet Kruger Park Home Page organised
by Africa Alternatives, and paid by faxed credit card numbers. This worked
very well and the huts were good. There is just a word of warning for
visitors to Kruger from outside southern Africa namely that most of the hut
accommodation in Kruger and possibly other NPs does not include crockery,
cutlery and cooking utensils.
We hired cars to travel from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town and for
Joburg/Kruger/Joburg. We had about 25 days in South Africa and 5 each in
the Okavango Delta at Oddballs and on the Zambian side of Victoria Falls.
We travelled by air in between.
Brief highlights were:
Jackass Penguins at Boulders Beach, near Cape Town
All of the cormorants except Bank Cormorant
Black Egret (Heron) at Okavango
White-backed Night Heron at Lower Sabie in Kruger
All of the storks, including the beautiful Saddlebilled, but not Black Stork
A male Pygmy Goose in Okavango
A Gymnogene (Polyboroides typus) circling low over the historic part of
Swellendam
Ground Hornbills in Kruger and Okavango
African Finfoot in the Zambezi upstream from Vic. Falls but no Skimmers
Wattled and Blue Cranes
Kori Bustards in Kruger
Rock Pratincoles in the Zambezi upstream from Vic. Falls
Knysna, Purple-crested and Grey Louries (my daughter saw Livingstone's at
Vic Falls, Zim. side)
Pel's Fishing Owl at Oddballs camp
Breeding male Pennant-winged Nightjar on a night drive at Punda Maria in
Kruger
All of the kingfishers except Half-collared and Mangrove
Red-billed (Green) Woodhoopoes trying to mimic Kookaburras
The long-tailed passerines such as African Paradise Flycatcher, Long-tailed
(Magpie) Shrike, Cape Sugarbird, Paradise and Pin-tailed Whydah
Tropical Boubous with amazing calling duets
Just one more request for information. I saw two species with the specific
name melba, the Alpine Swift, Tachymarptis melba and the Melba Finch,
Pytilia melba. Can someone tell me if these are named after Dame Nellie
Melba (1861-1931), the Australian born opera singer ?
Please contact me if you need more detail on any of the above.
Regards,
Gil Langfield
Melbourne, Australia
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