Bird Safaris: Timbavatis Most Desired Plumage

Home
>
Outdoors
>
Bird Safaris: Timbavatis Most Desired Plumage

Bird Safaris: Timbavatis Most Desired Plumage

Normally when you think Safari you think Big 5. The spotlight or limelight is traditionally on lions, cheetah or elephants. But when do the birds get some of the attention?

With outlandish names like the Chestnut-Vented Tit-Babbler and the Jameson's Firefinch, just imagine what some of these eccentric buzzards actually look like? What strange frequencies dart from their beaks and why is it that people call them by such far-out names?

The Timbavati Game Reserve is perfectly situated in the Lowveld area where more than 500 species of birds are waiting to cripple your eyeballs. Timbavati is part of a migration route for a broad variety of birds flying in from the far reaches of Africa and the tropical regions. Large populations of the Raptor family are there to greet them whenever they land. These raptors include - Wahlberg's Eagle, Black-breasted Snake Eagle and the Bateleur Eagle.

It has been said that overseas visitors may well see more species on their first day in Timbavati than they would have seen in their entire life in their own country.

We are however going to be focusing our lenses on Timabavati's most popular beaks, the likes of which can only be found in this particular area. This grouping of birds represents the bird sightings most desired by Timbavati's visitors. Known around the area as the Big 6 of birding, they are usually found at the top of every birdwatcher's list.

The Most Popular Birds on Timbavati's Sightings List

1. The Kori Bustard
2. Martial Eagle
3. Saddle-billed Stork
4. Lappet-faced Vulture
5. Ground Hornbill and the
6. Pel's Fishing-Owl

If you're looking To Find These Tricky Characters, Remember This:

- You don't look for birds as much as you listen for them.

- You can't be a good birder without developing a little patience.

- "The early bird gets the worm" is a clichéd expression based on fact, so start out early.

If you're intent on spotting all of these birds you'll need to spend at least a day scouting thick riverside forest, open bushveld and the river banks of Timabavati.

Promising areas include the various bird hides designed specifically for birding and especially the picnic sites in the area that attracts birds for obvious reasons.

Tips To Point You In The Right Direction

The Kori Bustard is strictly terrestrial and prefers wooded grassland areas and dry savannas; its feeding time is in the early mornings making it the best time to see one.

The Martial eagle is the largest of the African eagles and is found throughout the African savanna, in any type of terrain from mountains to flat plains, the edge of deserts to wooded country. This bird has been known to take down whole impala.

The Saddle-billed Stork can normally found near rivers. Look for their large stick nests in the tops of tall trees.

The Lappet-faced Vulture also resides in stick nests located at the top of short trees. They prefer open, arid habitats. They can be found fighting over bones near the site of a kill.

The Ground Hornbill prefers steppes and savannas with fairly low grass growth, which makes their search for food easier. They have very large territories of about 100 sq. kilometers.

The Pel's Fishing Owl is the rarest sighting of all because of its nocturnal habits and restriction to large watercourses. A good time to catch this one is during the night, preferably on a night drive. As you know, they are fishing owls so near water is the best place to start looking.

The birds mentioned above are easy to identify but are by no means the least of the birds you will encounter in the Timbavati Game Reserve. More than 500 hundred species offer the discerning eye of an ornithologist and a layman alike. Enjoy the sights and sounds of a Birding Safari in Timbavati. It's worth coming here just for the birdlife.

Umlani Bush Camp offers open-air accommodation located in the Timbavati Game Reserve, which is part of the Greater Kruger National Park. The fences between the Kruger Park and Timbavati have been dropped offering access to a pristine wilderness area of approximately four million hectares, situated in the Lowveld area.

In The News:

New books for travel and outdoors look at beaches, road trips, getting outside ...
Washington Post
NEW YORK — A field guide for beaches, a road trip guide and a couple of books for city-dwellers looking to get outdoors with kids offer inspiration and information for planning adventures this season. —National Geographic's “Field Guide to the Water ...

and more »

Outdoors commentary: Gods of hunting throw one to the Sigma Lambda's aging boys
Corvallis Gazette Times
Some outdoor tales require a bit more background than others so the story of my 2012 bear hunting trip begins back in 1967. That year, as a sophomore at Virginia Tech, I pledged an off-campus fraternity called Sigma Lambda. It is not fair to say, ...

OUTDOORS: Virginia not hog wild over pig population
WSLS
For nearly 500 years, a map of feral hog populations in the United States would have looked much the same. Hernando De Soto and his fellow conquistadors are credited with bringing the first European swine to Florida in 1539. For hundreds of years, ...

and more »

Outdoors: Group stands guard over sturgeon
77Square.com
Grad student Kari Dammerman, from left, research biologist Ed Baker and research technician Nathan Barton show off a 6-foot, 100[pound femaile sturgeon in the Black River near Onaway, Michigan. Scientists are working on ways to keep the sturgeon ...

and more »

Outdoors: Sharing the warmth of a well-placed fire
77Square.com
This rocky point near Ontario's Quetico Provincial Park makes for a well-placed fire and fishing. (Sam Cook/Duluth News Tribune/MCT) QUETICO NATIONAL PARK, Ontario -- We could see the point jutting into the lake up ahead of us.

and more »

OUTDOORS COLUMN: Conservation Advisory Board takes little action
Times-Journal
David Rainer is an outdoors writer for the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Posted: Friday, May 25, 2012 6:25 pm | Updated: 6:28 pm, Fri May 25, 2012. Change was not the prevailing attitude last weekend during the final ...

Florida Sportsman Magazine
FWC: Get Kids Outdoors This Summer
Florida Sportsman Magazine
No wonder so many national programs highlight the fun of getting outdoors. June has the most daylight hours, and the longest day of the year, providing plenty of opportunity for families and friends to enjoy nature and each other.

and more »

Outdoors: 75-year-old twins celebrate backcountry birthday
77Square.com
"Dad loved the outdoors," Bob says. "He communicated that to us by all the hunting and fishing we did. It was an easy thing for kids to grab hold of because it was such a fantastic experience." Since then, they have paddled all over the Canadian Shield ...

WXYZ
Some safety strategies for summer outdoors living
Pocono Record
As we head from spring into summer, there are three basic safety strategies that should be the foundation of your plan for healthy outdoor living: Protect yourself from the sun, stay hydrated and remain visible. According to the National Cancer ...
Consumer Reports Rates Best Sunscreen BuysWebMD

all 49 news articles »

Allentown Morning Call
Steve Carson's 'Outdoors': Lake Oroville full of fish for Memorial Day weekend
Enterprise-Record
By Steve Carson-Outdoors Editor Holiday weekend anglers at Lake Oroville should set their sights on the early AM and early evening hours, reported Fil Torres at Oroville Outdoors. "Avoid the mid-day madhouse. In the early evening, it's very possible to ...
Outdoors for 5/24San Marcos Daily Record
Bob McNally's Outdoors OutlookFlorida Times-Union
Outdoors: Devil's Lake is about much more than trout77Square.com
Long Beach Press-Telegram -The Seattle Times -Tahoe Daily Tribune
all 104 news articles »

Google News