|
BIRDING
Province: Zululand
Route: Melmoth
At the gateway to the Zulu highlands lies the picturesque town of Melmoth.
Founded in 1888 as a "gold rush" town on a portion of the farm
Golden Reef owned by Reinhold Ortlepp, it was named after Sir Melmoth
Osborn, the resident commissioner of Zululand at that time. The town is
situated 800m above sea level with an unsurpassed climate.
The area offers good forest, riverine, thornveld and grassland birding
with a species count of 295.
The birding spots are:
Weni Farm
KwaNzimela
Sappi - Mooiplaas
Wintershoek Farm
Nkandla Forest
Qudeni Forest Reserve
Weni, to the south of Melmoth, offers numerous grassland and riverine
birds. These include Grassbird, White-backed Night Heron, Buff-streaked
Chat and Mountain Wagtail, to name a few.
To the north west lies Sappi Mooiplaas which is a timber farm. Here
grassveld and bushveld birds can be seen, namely Black Eagle, African
Crowned Eagle, Swee Waxbill and many others.
North of Melmoth lies Wintershoek Farm, which straddles the high and low
veld and overlooks Emakhosini, the "Valley of the Kings". The
varied terrain offers a wide variety of birds including Yellow- and
Orange-throated Longclaws, Groundscraper Thrush, Southern Ground Hornbill
and African Crowned Eagle.
Further west of Melmoth lie the Nkandla and Qudeni Forests. These forests
are home to sought after forest birds including the Knysna Lourie, Orange
Ground-Thrush, White-starred Robin, Grey Cuckoo Shrike and Forest Canary.
Ending up after a drive through the grasslands at Mangeni Falls, a place
to see Verreaux's and Wahlberg's Eagles, Lanner Falcon, Common Kestrel and
Spike-heeled Lark.
|
|
|
IN THE AREA:
RECOMMENDED ACCOMMODATION
RECOMMENDED ACTIVITIES
RECOMMENDED ATTRACTIONS
RECOMMENDED RESTAURANTS
RECOMMENDED BIRDING GUIDES
RECOMMENDED TOUR OPERATORS OFFERING BIRDING SAFARIS
RECOMMENDED BIRDING BOOKS
|
|
