Elephants at Pilanesberg National Park

We took a group of Americans to Pilanesberg National Park on Sunday, 11 April 2010 and – although they were not birders – we had some fabulous birding and wildlife experiences nevertheless.  The day was cool and overcast mostly but seemed to be perfect for seeing birds and animals.  The elephants are very active in the Park at present and we see a lot of evidence of these enormous creatures – in the form of dung or broken trees and branches.  One of the picnic areas in the Park also showed signs of elephant damage as the animals simply pushed down the fences to get at the trees inside! 

The first birds we saw as we entered the Park included a Familiar Chat, African Hoepoe and several Grey Go-way Birds as well as small flocks of Blue Waxbills.  We also saw several White-backed Helmet Shrikes – a bird we do not often see and they rather took us by surprise.  As we continued on, we came across two or three elephants, which disrupted the Park’s Sunday drivers, all of which had to wait while they demolished the Rhus trees on either side of the road!  We saw more elephants moving up a hillside before continuing on to find herds of wildebeest as well as various giraffes and impala herds. 

Malachite Kingfisher

We circled Mankwe Dam and found an African Fish Eagle, as well as African Darters, Reed Cormorants, Great Egrets and the colourful White-fronted Bee-eaters (which are not migratory but resident throughout the year in South Africa).  At the hide, we found both Pied and Malachite Kingfishers, a small flock of five Egyptian Geese, Great Egret and a bevy of Reed Cormorants and African Darters.  We also saw a Green-backed Heron, which we have not seen at that locality before.  Near the hide, we found herds of female impala, some still suckling young.

Moving on in search of rhino, we discovered Fork-tailed Drongos – black birds with squeaky calls, forked tails and a propensity to follow wildlife, people and even cars to opportunistically take advantage of the insects these stir up.  We found our rhino in a wide, heavily grazed area.  In the valley, we spotted herds of wildebeest and zebra, together with giraffe, baboons and springbuck.  We also found a herd of zebra, who were young but very relaxed, coming right up to the vehicle and posing for tourist photographs.  A passerby alerted us to the presence of lions and we decided to see whether we could find the “big male lying in the grass”. 

Crimson-breasted Shrike

We did not find the lion but as we headed into the southern part of the reserve, we noticed that the birdlife was quite prolific.  In a relatively short space of time, we saw Common Waxbill, Crimson-breasted Shrike, Cape Glossy Starling, Hamerkop, Cape Weaver Bird, more Blue Waxbills, Brown-crowned Tchagra, Black-shouldered Kite, Scaly-feathered Finch, and several more species.  We also found a rhino unexpectedly, supporting a group of three Red-billed Oxpeckers.

As we left Pilanesberg National Park, we reflected that it had been an excellent day for both wildlife and bird sightings.

A two-day excursion is available to the Park as well as a day trip option for groups of up to 8 people.