Birding South Africa Part 5: Mkuze & iSimangaliso Oct 13-15

So, we've now arrived to the coastal area of northern South Africa. It's lush green, and it's raining now and then. Lots of new birds due to the new habitat type, and I forget to use the video camera more and more...
Oct 13 covers our foray in Mkuze Game Reserve plus the late afternoon visit to Muzi Pan where the weather is VERY overcast and dark. In Mkuze I remember to film when we lurk in two diffent hides. As a result I got footage of Lesser Striped Swallow, Egyptian Goose, Black-winged Stilt, Red-chested Cuckoo and a Impala getting groomed by 3 Red-billed Oxpeckers. The second hide was by a large lake, it was very windy and somewhat unproductive. Only footage was on Hippos, sadly I forgot to film when two of them started a bigmouthed stand-off. Only took photos...
We stayed at the lovely Umkhumbi Lodge, where we got a good loot of moths hanging around the Bungalow's outside lamp in the morning.
Oct 14 started with an early walk around the lodge's surroundings, which resulted in some nice new birds and a close encounter with a curious Giraffe. Then it was time for check-out, and I found a Moon Moth on the reception wall. After that waited the appr 100 km long transport south, to St Lucia and Kingfisher Lodge. A short stop was made at the St Lucia Brid, to check out the large Weaver colonies in the large reedbeds along the river.
Just like that we got two new species: African Golden Weaver and Southern Brown-throated Weaver. The males were like small golden suns and very busy building nests. I actually remembered to use the videocam a little! We continued over the river to the St Lucia Estuary, where we got a nice boost to the shorebird section of our bird-list.
Then it was time to check in at Kingfisher Lodge and after that a late afternoon walk along the close-by iGwalaGwala Trail, to secure some important Target Birds like Livingstone's Turaco. After dinner we made a night tour in iSimangaliso Wetland Park that proved to be rather unproductive, seen from a photographer's perspective. Highlight was a baby Flap-neck Chameleon and a un-photographed Swamp Nightjar.
Oct 15 started at dawn with yet another walk along iGwalaGwala Trail, now aiming for Narina Trogon, whith great success.
After a well deserved breakfast brake (which we used partly to hunt butterflies and dragonflies, as well as eat breakfast) we headed to iSimangaliso Eastern Shores for some daytime wetland birding. That was rounded up at Cape Vidal where we transformed into beach-combers. I got closer photo-ops on White-fronted Plover there, which was much appreciated. As a real bonus I spotted breaching Humpback Whales not that far out, which I got OK photos of.
After this nice brake, the driving-and-birding around the park resumed for some time before we headed back to the lodge.

[@b.davis.wildlife]

I really enjoyed this, thanks!

[@Hummingbirder1]

Thank you!

[@prabhabob784]

Wonderful footage any naturalist would enjoy. Birds, butterflies, moth, reptiles, mammals...insects...wide coverage. Thanks

[@Hummingbirder1]

Thank you! You make me so happy with this comment, bcs I'm painfully aware that my videos are short of video coverage. That's mainly bcs the organized trips I've been on are always focused on people seeing the maximum number of birds special for the area, the tempo is high and there's always group members close, usually talking. When I try to wait until they've walked away, to film a little, then I get behind and will miss stuff which I don't want. Life is hard...🙄

[@DrLukeonCall]

Amazing birds and sound, 7:57 but a difficult video to watch. Maybe a tip for next time…. because ghere is no audio description or information on the birds and every name has to be read by the viewer…. Please keep the names on for a bit longer and use a bigger font. Thank you. 😊