There was a huge thunderstorm during the night, and I was afraid that the outing was going to have to be cancelled, but luckily the weather cleared in time and on Wednesday 18 November we all met at Café Umfula which is more or less half-way between the main entrance and the waterfall, so not too far and the path is quite flat which makes for easy walking.
Birders at Giba – Terry Walls
The birding was not as good as I am used to at Giba, probably because of the previous night’s storm. Near the start of our walk we heard the Knysna Warbler which is a highly sought-after bird and I’m not sure if anyone actually saw it (I’ve only seen it there twice before) although it is often heard in the bushy tangles along the path.
The usual forest birds were seen or heard , such as Southern Boubou, Green-backed Camaroptera, Yellow-fronted Canary, Red-chested Cuckoo, Brown-backed Honeybird, Dusky and Paradise Flycatcher, Sombre Greenbul, Black-headed Oriole, Red-capped Robin-Chat, Olive Thrush, Southern Black Tit, Purple-crested Turaco. We also had a lovely view of a Tambourine Dove.
Umfula River – Dave Rimmer
The little stream that runs down from the waterfall and alongside the walking path is often a mere trickle but today it could almost be described as a torrent, and when we got to the waterfall I really could not believe what we were seeing. It’s usually a gentle flow of water, but it was transformed into a massive, beautiful cascade, and our special Mountain Wagtail was running around on the rocks.
Dragonfly – Dave Rimmer
Waterfall – Dave Rimmer
river or freshwater potamon crab – Dave Rimmer
At the two small dams near the waterfall we saw African Black Duck flying over, Egyptian Geese,
Egyptian Geese – Dave Rimmer
Half-collared Kingfisher – Dave Rimmer
and Malachite Kingfishers, Thick-billed Weaver with a chick on the nest (so cute!)
Thick-billed Weaver Male on nest – Terry Walls
Photo 7
Thick-billed Weaver Chick –Peter Farrington
Thick-billed Weaver Chick – Dave Rimmer
and Eastern Golden Weaver.
Eastern Golden Weaver – Dave Rimmer
Photo 10
Eastern Golden Weaver – Terry Walls
A fw raptors were seen – Common and Jackal Buzzard, Yellow-billed Kite and then we were off to Café Umfula for our refreshments/lunch. No outing to Giba Gorge is complete without a meal there!! Various butterflies and a moth were also seen.
Green-banded Swallowtail – Terry Walls
Photo 12
Common Sailor – Dave Rimmer
Oblique Peacock – Terry Walls
A beautiful fungus was seen decorating a branch.
Fungi – Dave Rimmer
The bird species count for the morning was 61.
Many thanks to Terry Walls, Dave Rimmer and Peter Farrington for the photos.
Sandi du Preez
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