2 September 2023 Woodside Conservancy is a small conservancy nestled in the suburbs of Cowie’s Hill and Woodside. Despite its size, it consists of a patchwork of grassland area, forest mosaic and a section of wetland that’s an absolute hit with the weavers. It’s proved itself to be a very rewarding place to spend a…
Category: Walks
BeKZN walks…Kenneth Stainbank Nature Reserve
Sunday 20th August 2023 A red-backed Mannikin feeding on grass seeds – Robyn Wainwright After a week of terrible winter weather, we were treated to a perfect sunny and windless day for birding. The reserve is still a little tricky to get to as the Coedmore Road bridge hasn’t been repaired but is definitely worth a…
BeKZN Walks…Westville Nature Trail
6th August 2023 Photo 1 Burchell’s Coucal Spring is indeed about to be sprung. I was most surprised to see 2 Lesser Striped Swallows sitting on the power lines in Westbrooke Roadd while on my way to the venue. As arranged, the gates to the Leigh Cocks Sports Field had been opened and a few people were already…
BeKZN walks…Umdoni Park
9th August 2023 Umdoni Park, situated at Umdoni Park Golf Club in Pennington, is one of the KwaZulu Natal South Coast’s best birding destinations. With potential sought-after species such as Green Malkoha, White-starred Robin, Green Twinspot, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, and lots more, this venue is always well worth a visit. We met at the guard station…
BeKZN Walks…Molweni Trail, Everton Conservancy
18 June 2023 We planned to meet at the start of the Molweni Trail at 7:00am. However, I decided to arrive about 10 minutes before, but I was greeted to the sight of some eager birders already prepping themselves for the walk and tuning their ears in to the sounds of the Conservancy. In all,…
BeKZN Walks…Pigeon Valley Nature Reserve
3 June 2023 The day started out with a beautiful sunrise, promising clear skies and sunshine, a great help with forest birding in winter. Unfortunately, the sunshine was not long lived and clouds covered the sun for most of the morning. The Pigeon Valley gate normally only opens at 7h30, but those of us who arrived early…
BeKZN Walks…Ilanda Wilds, Amanzimtoti
13 May 2023 Sixteen eager birders arrived for a chilly start to a walk around the river at the Amanzimtoti Sports Club. The rain that had been forecast luckily held off for a while so that we could start the walk and ‘tick’ some species off for the morning. As birders arrived, those that were…
BeKZN Walks…Vumbuka Nature Reserve
8 April 2023 At 7am, fifteen birders started the painstaking drive through the security check-in at the AECI gates. As we slowly drove through one car at a time we were excited for what possibilities the day could present. Not only would this be a time to see birds, but also to build friendships around…
BeKZN Walks | Krantzkloof Nature Reserve
2 April 2023 Krantzkloof Nature Reserve, managed by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, comprises 668 hectares of coastal scarp forest, sourveld grassland, rugged cliff faces and riparian vegetation. The Natal Group sandstone plateau is cleft by the Molweni and Nkutu River gorges, and these two rivers have scoured the sandstone down to granite bedrock in many places. The grassland is classified as KwaZulu-Natal sandstone sourveld, the…