BeKZN WALKS… | SPRINGSIDE NATURE RESERVE

19 April 2025

The Springside Nature Reserve walk started out nice and hot. Unfortunately a later start than we would have liked, since we had to wait until the gates had opened. Birding from the car park yielded a shy but present Little Sparrowhawk (but potentially might have been an African Goshawk) at the canopy, as well as a pair of Brown-hooded Kingfisher, ever watchful Fork-tailed Drongo, and a pair of Amethyst Sunbird buzzing about.

We opted for the walk up the gentle slope and towards the forest lining the trickling river, which is usually a hotspot for many bird species at any given time. Unfortunately, they’d caught wind of the group of birders there to see them and had made themselves scarce! We were lucky to hear the distant calls of Natal Spurfowl and Sombre Greenbuls, but only began to see birds as we walked along the perimeter – Southern Fiscal, Village Weaver, Yellow-fronted and Brimstone Canary, Bronze Mannikin and Dark-capped Bulbul had all congregated and were making a fuss.

An odd call in the bracken below lead us to unearth a surprising Cape Grassbird singing his song. Walking further along flushed out a magnificent sighting of a Crowned Eagle that swooped past us, low and close. Heading further down turned up Neddicky and Tawny-flanked Prinia.

While we were there for the birds, the butterflies, dragonflies and other interesting insects were making a good attempt at making themselves known. Mongoose were also seen, albeit briefly, and we were able to track down one of the key species of the reserve – a handful of Holub’s Golden Weavers. In the skies, Long-crested Eagle, Black Saw-wing and White-necked Ravens were also present. Despite already having seen an interesting array of sunbirds – Amethyst, Greater Double -collared, White-bellied, Collared and Olive Sunbird calling from the forest – we were treated to a fantastic sighting of a female Malachite Sunbird, singing at the top of a tree. An uncommon sight in the greater Durban area!