June Holiday – Day 2 -Kaapschehoop

Breathtaking view from Kaapschehoop

We left Nelspruit and bought supplies and breakfast before heading off to spend a few days in Kaapschehoop (see post Birding in Kaapschehoop for more info). Upon arrival we only paused to unpack before setting off on a hike through the plantations and forests. A couple of hundred meters down the road, we noticed a Jackal Buzzard perched in a large tree. We took a few photos before it flew off, but a few seconds later it was attacked by two very ticked off White-necked Ravens. They made sure that the Jackal Buzzard was put in its place and did a victory lap in the sky after chasing it away. Further down the beautiful road we came across a small bird party. It consisted of many Cape White-eyes, but the birds that stood out were a pair of Cape Batises.

Cape Batis

 

We decided to take Barrets Trail up a mountain, but just as we were about to climb on, we noticed a flash of grayish-white out of the corner of our eyes. To our delight, we had stumbled upon a Mountain Wagtail. It bounced around, wagging its long tail and giving us a nice show. We also saw a Dusky Flycatcher before setting off on the trail. Scenic-wise it was spectacular, but bird-wise we were disappointed. After zigzagging through the forest and across a mountain stream, we took another trail through the rocks and bushes on the top of the mountain. It was also quite unsuccessful, but we found a lovely cave to rest in, even though it wasn’t very deep. We found a frog there and the remains of pots, as well as an empty beer bottle. Please do not litter when you are in nature, or anywhere! The rest of the walk was pretty dull as it was the heat of the day and made our way back to the house to rest for a while. We took a short afternoon and night walk but they were both unsuccessful. It was an okay day, but we were just building up for what is to come.

Mountain Wagtail

Back tomorrow with Day 3!

Sunset with all colours