Birding and Dragonfly Videos

South Africa, St Lucia, Kwazulu Natal 27/11-9/12/2011

Getting to South Africa from Melbourne proved to be a real saga. We were diverted via Hong Kong as we failed to make our connection in Sydney due to bad weather in Melbourne. When we did arrive in Johannesburg, our bags didn't! We met our Daughter at Joberg and then flew to Durban, where we picked up our hire car and drove up the coast to St Lucia. Our base for two weeks.

I had briefly been to St Lucia in 2010 as part of South African birding trip. I was keen to return and thought it a great place to combine a family trip with some Dragonfly filming and birding.

Videograbs from my South Africa 2011 and 2010 Trip DVDs. See tab at top of page.

Male Vagrant Emperor
Anax ephipigger

Another draw for me was that it was a good place for Vagrant Emperor Anax ephipigger which I had seen the previous year but not filmed. I had also seen this species earlier in the year in Cornwall but again it eluded the Camera.

We based ourselves at Ndiza Lodge http://www.ndizastlucia.co.za/index.asp in one of their cabanas. Our bags eventually arrived a couple of days later. This place is ideally situated for early morning walks on the Igwalagwala trail as the start of the trail is only a few hundred yards from the lodge.

Livingstone's Turaco

I walked the trail every morning and saw the following species in the area around the Igwalagwala trail (Bold indicates the most sought after species):

Natal Robin-chat

Purple-crested Turaco

Spur-winged Goose

White-faced Whistling-Duck

Long-tailed Cormorant

Goliath Heron

Woolly-necked Stork

Yellow-billed Kite

African Fish-Eagle

African Goshawk

Water Thick-knee

African Jacana

Gray-headed Gull

Lemon Dove

Red-eyed Dove

Tambourine Dove

African Green-pigeon

Livingstone's Turaco

Purple-crested Turaco [

Klaas' Cuckoo

Yellowbill

Little Swift

White-rumped Swift

African Palm-swift

Narina Trogon

Brown-hooded Kingfisher

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

African Hoopoe

Crowned Hornbill

Trumpeter Hornbill

White-eared Barbet

Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird

Brown Scrub-robin

Scaly-throated Honeyguide

Golden-tailed Woodpecker

Barn Swallow

Lesser Striped-swallow

Black Sawwing

Common Bulbul

Sombre Greenbul

Yellow-bellied Greenbul

Terrestrial Brownbul

Eastern Nicator (Nicator gularis)

Klass's Cuckoo

Bar-throated Apalis [sp] (Apalis thoracica)

Rudd's Apalis [sp] (Apalis ruddi)

Green-backed Camaroptera

Ashy Flycatcher

Red-capped (Natal) Robin-chat

Brown Scrub-robin

Woodward's Batis

African Yellow White-eye

Collared Sunbird

Amethyst Sunbird [

Narina Trogon

Black-backed Puffback

Southern Boubou

Square-tailed Drongo

Fork-tailed Drongo

Black-bellied Glossy-starling

Violet-backed Starling

African Pied Wagtail

House Sparrow

Spectacled Weaver

African Golden-weaver

Southern Brown-throated Weaver

Lesser Masked Weaver

Forest Weaver

Grosbeak Weaver

Common Waxbill

Banded Mongoose and Vervet Monkey

Southern Banded Snake-Eagle

Staying at St Lucia meant that we got to drive through the Ismangaliso Park (Previously known as the Greater St Lucia wetlands) many times as the beach at Cape Vidal was Alison and Kirsty's favorite beach.

Greater Kudu

Common Bushbuck

Male Pied Spot
Hemistigma albipunctum

This provided opportunities for mammal watching along the way as well as some great dragonfly Spots. I also managed to catch up with Southern Banded Snake-eagle which I had missed in 2010.

A marsh area with a walking trail near the entrance to the park was also a great place for dragonflies.

Who's been walking on my fresh concrete?

Female Portia Widow
Palpopeura portia

Female Green Hooktail
Paragomphus genei

Dwarf Percher
Diplacodes pumila

Male Robust Skimmer
Orthetrum robustum

I paid a visit to the nearby Monzi golf course where I anticipated there would be some pools to irrigate the course. This proved to a good move, and I found a nice little pool with a number of Dragonfly species present.

Male Blue Basker
Urothemis edwardsii

Male Red Basker
Urothemis assignata

Grizzled Pintail
Acisoma panorpoides

Masai Sprite
Pseudagrion massaicum

We visited Hluhluwe Imfolosi Park on two occasions which is about an hours drive from St Lucia.
The park holds good numbers of White Rhino and smaller numbers of Black. Unfortunately we failed to find the latter and also missed seeing an Lion.