Its worth a visit


Thursday 24/03/11 A morning at Brufoot Woods

07/04/2011 19:28

 

A good start this morning after stoppng for sandwiches and bottled water at Brufoot village.

After parking our vehicle in the usual spot we cgot off to a good start when 2 African Pied Hornbills began displaying and calling loudly in the first large Fig Tree on the track.After watching these for about 5 minutes we entered the first copse and came across a male Klaas's Cuckoo foraging on the ground.barely had we glassed this when both Slendid and 2 beautifull sunbirds began feeding before us (all 3 males).These were quickly joined by 3 Scarlet Chested Sunbirds a male and 2 females all buisily feeding away.

This first patch of the woods appeared busy with feeding birds and it was only about 10 minutes before we had our first(3 birds)African Golden Orioles with 2 males pursuing a single female.

We arrived at the water feeders after about half an hour and we were surprised to find another Klaas's Cuckoo this time a female hanging around by the yellow feeding pot.A quick look at the main hide proved disapointing as even though the pond was well filled there was only 4 Laughing Doves and 3 Blue Spotted Wood Doves coming to the pond to drink.

A return to the drinking pot was more rewarding with our first visitor being a Yellow Throated Leaflove which stayed for around 15 minutes occassionaly being driven away by a ground squirrel which returned on 4 occassions for a drink.

Our list for the drinking pot over the next half hour read

8 Bronze Winged Mannikin,2 Red Billed Hornbill,single Yellow Fronted Tinkerbird,4 Yellow fronted Canary,1 Snowy Crowned Robin Chat,7 Orange Cheeked Waxbills and 5 Lavender Waxbills.

A quick excursion into the nearby copse produced 2 Long Tailed Nightjars 8 Stone Partridge,single Double Spurred Francolin,2African White Eye,2v Grey Backed Cameropters and excellent views of Verreaux Eagle Owl which for once was sat in a spot were some fairly good pictures could be taken(see picture gallery).

Overhead we had 6 White Pelican and single Osprey with 8 Palm Swift 5 Fanti saw wing.Western Plantai Eaters were again most common with at least 9 birds noted and 3 Yellow Crowned Gonoleks were calling around the drinking pots.

2 Oriole Warblers were singing near the Restraunt site were fortunately no work was going on today.There was 2 White Faced Scops Owls showing well near the entrance to the drinking pond area

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