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South Africa’s endemic birds

10,000 Birds

Drakensberg (or Orange-breasted) Rockjumper is a Drakensberg Mountain species whose range is shared with the tiny landlocked kingdom of Lesotho. One of the Drakensberg Rockjumper ’s most reliable stake-outs is Sani Pass, a winding 4×4 track from the village of Himeville into the mountain kingdom of Lesotho.

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Sani Pass – a Drakensberg birding gem

10,000 Birds

Albeit currently a rugged 4×4-only road, Sani Pass is the most accessible route from KwaZulu-Natal into the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho. A family of endangered Wattled Cranes might be a highlight of the lower sections of the Sani Pass road, by Adam Riley. Photo by Adam Riley. A lovely male Cape Rock Thrush by Adam Riley .

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Birding the Drakensberg, South Africa

10,000 Birds

One in November 2018 included a one-day birding trip in the Drakensberg area, a mountain range in the border area between South Africa and Lesotho. Pretty pointless, I guess, if it wasn’t for the birds – though it seems some tourists take the same tour just to get the Lesotho stamp into their passport.

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Top 10 from Home

10,000 Birds

This was tough because this excluded species that occur in two countries within South Africa’s geographical area, Lesotho and Swaziland. I then had a list of 20 or so favorites and decided that, in order to get down to 10 birds, each bird needs to be in a different family. This is what came up: 1.

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Sasol Birds of Southern Africa, 5th edition

10,000 Birds

And so, back to political entities, this field guide covers Namibia , Botswana , Zimbabwe , the southern half of Mozambique (south of the Zambezi River), South Africa , Lesotho and Eswatini ( Swaziland ). Yet, unless you live in the region, you are likely to have a vague idea where the Zambezi flows and no idea where Kunene is.

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KwaZulu-Natal

10,000 Birds

This image shows Sani Pass, a rough 4×4 track leading into the mountain kingdom of Lesotho. The famous Verreaux family who made several expeditions into the province through the 1820’s and 1830’s procuring specimens for rich collectors. Image by Adam Riley. Image by Hugh Chittenden.

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The Storks of Africa

10,000 Birds

Furthermore we have another very special stork-like bird, the regal Shoebill , previously known as the Whale-headed Stork but now placed in its own family. This colossal bird is now placed in its own family Balaenicipitidae and it forms an ancient link between storks and pelicans.

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