In search of the Scotopelia peli and other Phantoms*

[Duke]

Quack Quack

Hey, we saw some Tokos too

[Richprins]

Welcome back!

[Dewi]

I'm opting for Gaboon Viper because it's on my wish list.

[Lisbeth]

Pfhui!!! Here I have been washing all the time and you don't even tell me that you are back

[Duke]

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.

[Duke]

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

[Duke]

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 ages I miss her

Why Lis, now that you gone she is doing the washing Sharifa says Hi

[Duke]

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

[Lisbeth]

Between the first two trees (yellowish)

[Duke]

look at base of the fallen tree