12 April 2025

For our April bird club day trip, we set out to bird two fantastic venues in one day: Thurlow Nature Reserve and Karkloof Conservancy. The turnout was excellent, with the only challenge being the task of navigating a long line of cars through Thurlow Reserve! The exciting thing about the outing was that we had a mix of both experienced and newer birders in the group—including several people who had never visited Thurlow before.

While waiting for everyone to arrive, we already began ticking off species for the day. A Cape Grassbird was calling close to the entrance, and we had flyovers from both Greater Striped Swallow and Brown-throated Martin, allowing us to help newer birders learn to identify these two aerial species. The “little brown jobs” were also showing well, with non-breeding Southern Red Bishop and Red-collared Widowbirds making early appearances. Some of the group even managed to spot a flock of Red-billed Queleas as we made our way deeper into the reserve.

Due to the size of the group, we made our way to a point along the dam and parked the cars to spend some time birding on foot. This area proved to be productive, with many species seen by our enthusiastic birders. The main challenge was trying to identify and tick off birds quickly enough!

Using a scope, we were able to pick out distant waterbirds, including Cape Shoveler, South African Shelduck, and African Jacana. Closer to the road, a Lesser Swamp Warbler was calling and moving actively through the reedbed. One of the highlights at this spot was a distant flyover from an African Marsh Harrier, giving the group a good look at its distinctive flight pattern over the grassland. Other species seen included African Darter, Pied Kingfisher, Hamerkop, and a close sighting of a young Malachite Kingfisher. We got off to a flying start, with over 50 species on the list by mid-morning! A slow drive along the fence lines produced many sightings of Red-throated Wryneck perched along the wires. We also added Cape Longclaw, Levaillant’s Cisticola, and enjoyed fantastic up-close views of Banded Martin proudly perched on the fence lines.

Unfortunately, we had to turn around sooner than planned, as the muddy roads ahead were too risky for non-4×4 vehicles. So, we decided to head over to our second venue, Karkloof Conservancy.

Upon arrival at Karkloof, there was a bit of excitement—and some nervousness—when we were warned about a Boomslang (tree snake) being seen near one of the hides! After paying entrance fees, we split into two groups, each heading to a different hide on the property.

The first hide was initially quiet, but those who stayed a little longer were rewarded with a fly-by of a Wattled Crane—a special sighting! Meanwhile, the far hide proved to be very productive, with fantastic lighting conditions for the photographers.

A pair of Grey Crowned Cranes were seen near what appeared to be a nesting site. Around them, we observed species such as Blue-billed Teal, Blacksmith Lapwing, White-faced Whistling Ducks, and Spur-winged Geese. Other species seen from the hide included Egyptian Goose, Red-knobbed Coot, Cape Shoveler, Yellow-billed Duck, and Reed Cormorant.

Sadly, some of the group had already left when a Martial Eagle flew over to end off an already fantastic morning of birding on a high note. In total, we managed to record 62 species at Thurlow Nature Reserve and 25 species at Karkloof Conservancy—a great total for a day’s outing! Plenty of birds—and for those concerned—no Boomslang sightings after all!

Text by Adam Cruikshank