It’s in Mpumalanga that you will find the rare Pel’s fishing-owl, the highly endangered saddle-billed stork, the rarely glimpsed white-winged flufftail and many of their more common.

There are many rewarding places to see over 800 birds of all shapes and sizes, but if you are after special species and special places then you’ll find the water birds of Mpumalanga particularly fascinating.

You’ll find the water birds of Mpumalanga almost everywhere – at dams, in rivers, foraging along river banks, paddling along streams.

If fantastic water bird destinations you’re looking for, then Mpumalanga has several. Of course, you just can’t beat the Kruger National Park for any kind of bird. Its numerous ecological regions and its bird population – over 500 species – will have you ticking off water birds in no time. Look for Pel’s fishing-owl along the banks of the Kruger’s great rivers, particularly where there are big riverine trees like jackalberry and nyala overhanging deep pools.

Pairs of endangered saddle-billed storks frequent the Kruger’s dams and rivers, as do woolly-necked and marabou storks. Another great water bird destination in Mpumalanga is the Wakkerstroom Wetlands that lie in South Africa’s largest grassland biome, ranked alongside the Russian steppes and North American prairies. It’s a critical wetlands area along bird migration routes so look out for summer migrant waders such as ruffs, sandpipers and stints. Wakkerstroom is the haunt of the blue and crowned cranes as well as that almost legendary bird–- the white-winged flufftail – a mega-tick on any serious birder’s list. The lovely lake district of Chrissiesmeer is where you can find chestnut-banded plovers, thousands of flamingos, the red-chested flufftail (almost as elusive as its white-winged cousin) and lots of migratory waders.

Visit www.birdlife.org.za for birding tour options.

From: southafrica.net

By: Kate Turkington