Re: In search of the Scotopelia peli and other Phantoms
Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 6:19 pm
Quack Quack 
Hey, we saw some Tokos too
Hey, we saw some Tokos too
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In search of the Scotopelia peli and other Phantoms*
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Re: In search of the Scotopelia peli and other Phantoms
Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 7:10 pm
Welcome back!
Re: In search of the Scotopelia peli and other Phantoms
Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 8:42 pm
I'm opting for Gaboon Viper because it's on my wish list.
Re: In search of the Scotopelia peli and other Phantoms
Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 2:03 pm
Pfhui!!! Here I have been washing all the time and you don't even tell me that you are back 
Re: In search of the Scotopelia peli and other Phantoms
Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 3:20 pm
You are the closest Rp
Dewi,
Gaboon Viper 
Liz, thank you
We arrived in Mtunzini at about 3.00PM and the forest lodge was exactly that, set in a coastal forest and on huge grounds - Mtunzini Forest Lodge
This is a well managed lodge with friendly staff that cater for birders. Plenty of birds on the lodge grounds but difficult to get photos in the forest.
Our Unit
Neighbours are far so very private
Interior of Cabin
Swimming pools
The lodge manager personally welcomed us and gave us a lot of pointers to finding the birds we were looking for. He told us to always check out two dead tress opposite the reception area as a Palm Nut Vulture sometimes roost in those trees.
Dewi,
Gaboon Viper Liz, thank you
We arrived in Mtunzini at about 3.00PM and the forest lodge was exactly that, set in a coastal forest and on huge grounds - Mtunzini Forest Lodge
This is a well managed lodge with friendly staff that cater for birders. Plenty of birds on the lodge grounds but difficult to get photos in the forest.
Our Unit
Neighbours are far so very private
Interior of Cabin
Swimming pools
The lodge manager personally welcomed us and gave us a lot of pointers to finding the birds we were looking for. He told us to always check out two dead tress opposite the reception area as a Palm Nut Vulture sometimes roost in those trees.
Re: In search of the Scotopelia peli and other Phantoms
Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 6:37 pm
We unpack. I had to get all the stuff up those stairs but it was lovely to be at canopy level. At 5.00pm we decided to walk to reception, about half a kilometer away, to check out the trees. We see a red duiker on the way and also purple crested turacos. Sharifa is lagging behind trying to get a photo of the turaco when I excitedly call her. Perched at the top of the dead tree like a spectre (or should that be phantom) in the twilight 
is a Palm Nut Vulture
is a Palm Nut VultureRe: In search of the Scotopelia peli and other Phantoms
Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 7:52 am
Why Lis, now that you gone she is doing the washingLisbeth wrote:Not bad for a bird start
I thought that you were only driving Miss Sharifa, but obviously she also makes you carry the luggage.....rightly so
BTW where is Sharifa, I have not seen her for agesI miss her
Sharifa says Hi 
Re: In search of the Scotopelia peli and other Phantoms
Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 8:44 am
If you going to do birding in the Mtunzini/Eshowe area I strongly recommend that you get a birding guide. We had one of the best and I will start a topic in the Birding Forum about Birding Guides as a refernce for people interested in all the specials to seek out in Zululand. We had an excellent guide at uMkhuze too 
Anyway we met the guide at 6.30am and we were going to do the Umlalazi Reserve first -Link
Next was the Ongeye forest - link
and finally return to Mtunzini for a walk through the Raphia Palm Monument - link
The specials at Umlalazi are Mangrove Kingfisher, African Finfoot, Palm Nut Vulture, Narina Trogon, Spotted Ground Thrush and Grey Sunbird. We started the walk through the Mangrove Swamp
About 5 minutes into our walk our guide tells us to keep quiet and point out a mangrove kingfisher
. Would we have found it on our own - maybe, maybe not
A motor boat breaks the silence and the Kingfisher flies off. Our guide hurries us and we are suddenly running around a bend in the river and then he pooints out another special or 3 to us
as a refernce for people interested in all the specials to seek out in Zululand. We had an excellent guide at uMkhuze too Anyway we met the guide at 6.30am and we were going to do the Umlalazi Reserve first -Link
Next was the Ongeye forest - link
and finally return to Mtunzini for a walk through the Raphia Palm Monument - link
The specials at Umlalazi are Mangrove Kingfisher, African Finfoot, Palm Nut Vulture, Narina Trogon, Spotted Ground Thrush and Grey Sunbird. We started the walk through the Mangrove Swamp
About 5 minutes into our walk our guide tells us to keep quiet and point out a mangrove kingfisher
. Would we have found it on our own - maybe, maybe not A motor boat breaks the silence and the Kingfisher flies off. Our guide hurries us and we are suddenly running around a bend in the river and then he pooints out another special or 3 to us
Re: In search of the Scotopelia peli and other Phantoms
Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 12:24 pm
Between the first two trees (yellowish)
(yellowish)Re: In search of the Scotopelia peli and other Phantoms
Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 12:37 pm
look at base of the fallen tree