24 February 2024

On Saturday 24th February, 18 members of BEKZN met up for a morning of birding at the Msinisi Reserve at Inanda Dam. Half of us met up at Waterkloof Mall and traveled down in convoy enjoying the scenic route into the valley and the other half met us there for a 6am start. The roads are fairly potholed but doable in an ordinary sedan.

Our visit unfortunately coincided with a bass fishing competition and when we got there about 40 vehicles, and their speedboats were already there setting up for a day’s fishing. It was a bit noisy at first but calmed down once the boats were on the water and disappeared to all parts of the extensive dam.

The weather was sunny and mild with the predicted heat wave of 38 degrees thankfully not occurring although it did become quite humid by the time, we finished at 10h30.

The dam water levels were very high and there is a major problem with Water Hyacinth which has destroyed much of the reed beds, so the number of waterfowl, waders and wetland birds was low which was very disappointing. The only good sightings we had were Purple Heron and Great Egret.

The surrounding bush, however, was in very good condition with forest, acacia bush veld and grasslands supporting a good number of bird species. The number of butterflies and the variety of species was really fantastic. We split into two groups with the very knowledgeable Garth Aiston helping out and leading one of them.

Some of the highlights included Pygmy Kingfisher, Spotted Flycatcher, a few Southern Tchagras and a group of five Orange-breasted Bush-Shrikes. Willow Warblers were commonly seen. Garth also picked up a Garden Warbler but not photographed.

In total we saw 82 species between the two groups, a little low perhaps because of the number of people visiting the reserve for the fishing competition.

The Msinisi Reserve is well worth a visit and quite safe. If you go during the week, you will often be the only one there and can enjoy the beautiful scenery in the valley and around the dam. The entrance fee is minimal at R47 pp and they do take Wild Cards.

Report by Rob McLennan-Smith