November saw a mixed bag of weather in St Lucia with hot, humid days interrupted by cooler, rainy spells. A total of 140mm rain fell during the course of the month. We experienced our first Summer thunderstorms and as is typical afterwards we also experiended our first termite alate emergences. This is always a feast for birds, with large numbers and many species gathering to take advantage of the high-protein food source. It is great when this happens because many of the secretive forest species all of a sudden lose their furtiveness and venture out into the open. Summer migrants have continued to arrive with the first Blue-cheeked bee-eaters arriving towards the middle of the month. Violet-backed starling, African pygmy-kingfisher and Red-chested, Diederik and Black cuckoo are some of the other Summer arrivals.  

Starting in the forest, we have continued to enjoy great Narina trogon sightings with regular sightings of floating leks (one sighting of 6 males calling altogether!)

The Buff-spotted flufftail have been very vocal and we have had some great sightings during the month (and some not so great sightings too!). But in my opinion, any sighting of a flufftail is a good sighting!

Fruiting figs have been attracting a nice variety of frugivorous birds including Livingstone's turaco, White-eared barbet, Trumpeter hornbill, Yellow-rumped tinkerbird, Eastern golden (Yellow) weaver, Yellow-bellied greenbul, Black-bellied starling and African green pigeon. Black-throated wattle-eye also have a tendency to hang around fruiting fig trees (the fermenting figs attract fruit flies) so we have also picked them up regularly in the vicinity of the fruiting trees.    ​

We have also enjoyed some fantastic  Scaly-throated honeyguide sightings throughout the month thanks to them advertising themselves with their loud, repetitive calls.

The estuary mouth has turned up a few nice birds again with regular sightings of Greater sand plover & Bar-tailed godwit being the highlights. Wader numbers continue to rise as we get further into Summer and regulars at the mouth include Curlew sandpiper, Little stint, Common-ringed plover, Common sandpiper, Common greenshank, Kittlitz's plover, Grey plover, White-fronted plover, Wood sandpiper, Eurasian curlew and Sanderling. 

Collared pratincole have nested in the mudflats surrounding the mouth and they can be seen perched amongst washed up beach debris or performing their brilliant 'broken wing display' 

Wetland birding has been great with prolific African pygmy-goose and White-backed duck scattered across the Wetlands. A highlight in the wetlands during the month has been sightings of Lesser jacana. 

On the Eastern shores, the Rufous-bellied heron and Lesser moorhen have been nice and regular at the wetlands surrounding Amazibu hide again.

A Tree pipit was discovered on the Western shores this month (an extremely rare find in KZN) but was only seen once and unfortunately not found subsequently!

It was a drier-than usual October with only approximately 60mm of rain falling during the course of the month. As a result, the wetlands have continued to shrink. The summer migrants have continued to arrive throughout the month with plenty of Barn swallows and European bee-eaters once again hawking insects over the grasslands, a multitude of waders at the estuary and birds such as Violet-backed starling and Broad-billed roller at forest edge.

There have also been many controlled burns in the grasslands surrounding St Lucia and within the Isimangaliso Wetlands Park during October with freshly burnt areas attracting a host of raptors such as Southern-banded snake-eagle, Brown snake-eagle, Black-chested snake eagle, Bataleur, Yellow-billed kite, Black-winged kite and Martial eagle along with Secretarybird and Wooly-necked stork.

The estuary mouth has produced some great birding with the mudflats at the mouth hosting a number of different waders such as Greater sand-plover, Common-ringed plover, Kittlitz's plover, Terek sandpiper, Bar-tailed Godwit, Curlew sandpiper, Little stint, Ruddy turnstone, Marsh sandpiper, Common greenshank, Common sandpiper and Eurasian whimbrel.

More 'Summer' terns have joined the tern roost at the Lake St Lucia estuary mouth again with Lesser crested tern, Little tern and Common tern more regular amongst the many Greater crested tern and Caspian and Sandwich terns.

In the forest we have continued to enjoy fantastic sightings of Narina trogon floating leks. The far-carrying calls of Eastern nicator, Buff-spotted flufftail and African emerald cuckoo are also characteristic sounds of the forest at this time of year. 

Green twinspot have been plentiful this past month and we have enjoyed many great sightings of them along with other seedeaters such as Grey waxbill and Red-backed mannikin. 

On the Eastern shores of Isimangaliso Wetlands Park highlights have included regular sightings of Rufous-bellied heron as well as Rosy-throated longclaw.

The wetlands continue to hold good numbers of African pygmy-goose and White-backed duck with the odd sighting of Lesser moorhen.

Spring has arrived in St Lucia with hot temperatures, plenty of bird activity and more mosquitoes! Rainfall was low compared to the past couple of years so the wetlands have shrunk quite substantially during the month. We have also seen a few fires over the course of the month in the grasslands surrounding St Lucia and within the Isimangaliso Wetlands Park which are always interesting from a birding perspective with many raptors (such as Southern-banded, Brown and Black-chested snake-eagle) staking out burnt areas where prey is easier to spot. Strangely, we haven't seen the same eruption of Celtis leaf beetle larvae on the White stinkwood trees this year (as has happened the previous 4 Septembers). The past 4 years all the action was happening around the White stinkwood trees in September whereas this year bird parties are more scattered. 

As usually happens during September, we have had an influx of African emerald cuckoo into the forests surrounding St Lucia and have enjoyed regular sightings of this spectacular bird. They are one of the more generous forest birds, often calling from a conspicuous perch out in the the open. They also broadcast their location from afar with their loud 'Pretty-Georgie' call.

Also typical of September, the Narina trogon males have been very vocal. We have enjoyed a few sightings of floating leks, consisting of multiple males calling and flying conspicuously between trees as they move through the forest. There are usually a few females in attendance too. Seeing 5 Narina trogon in a single tree is always an impressive sight!

The foghorn-type calls of male Buff-spotted flufftail are also a feature of the forest at the moment. They can be heard at night time, dusk, dawn and overcast days. It is always amazing to hear just how many of these elusive little birds there actually are in the forest! We have also enjoyed regular good sightings of both male and female Buff-spotted flufftail during the month.

Seeding Casuarina trees have still been attracting a nice selection of seed-eaters such as Green twinspot, Red-backed mannikin, Grey waxbill and Yellow-fronted canary.

A few great birds have shown up at the Lake St Lucia estuary mouth during the month. Firstly, a single Damara tern was seen at the tern roost. This is the third consecutive September that Damara tern have showed up at the estuary mouth. They have always only stayed for a day or two as they are in passage. The other unusuals were sightings of Greater sand plover and Chestnut-banded plover. ​

Other birds regularly seen at the mouth include Eurasian whimbrel, Grey plover, Pied avocet, Common greenshank, Common sandpiper, Common-ringed plover, Kittlitz's plover, Curlew sandpiper, Little stint, Sanderling, Ruddy turnstone, White-fronted plover, Little egret, Caspian tern, Greater crested tern, Sandwich tern, Common tern, African oystercatcher and Western osprey.

A strange sighting during the month was that of a Eurasian chaffinch at Cape Vidal! It is a mystery where this bird may have come from as Cape Vidal is pretty isolated from towns and Cities. The Eurasian chaffinch is not a migratory species so the most likely explanation would be an escaped cage bird or a bird bought to one of the harbours along the coast by ship. 

In the wetlands, the Rufous-bellied heron have continued to show nicely on the Eastern shores of Isimangaliso Wetlands park along with African pygmy-goose, White-backed duck, Squacco heron, Lesser moorhen, Intermediate egret, Purple heron, Rufous-winged cisticola, Black crake, Yellow-billed duck and White-faced whistling duck.

Lastly, nocturnal birding has rewarded us with great sightings of Swamp nightjar this month along with Fiery-necked nightjar, African wood-owl, Western Barn owl and Marsh owl. 

August certainly lived up to its reputation as the windy month with the 'Beasterly' winds (the North-Easterly) blowing a gale for a large proportion of the month. This has made beach and grassland birding a bit of a challenge at times but luckily the forests are quite well buffered from the wind. It has been a typically dry month and as a result the wetlands have receded a little bit again. There is a definite feeling of Spring in the air with many birds becoming more active and vocal again. The different cisticola species have started displaying and calling in the grasslands more frequently and in the forest we have started hearing the first Narina trogon males calling. The 'September bells' started flowering early this year and the edges of the Igwalagwala trail have been lined with the beautiful, fragrant flowers of this plant.

Action in the forest has been centred around blossoming White stinkwoods with trees attracting impressive bird parties usually consisting of Dark-backed weaver, Black-backed puffback, Square-tailed drongo, Olive bush-shrike, Green malkoha, Rudd's & Yellow-breasted apalis, Black cuckooshrike & Yellow-rumped tinkerbird. 

Flowering Coral trees and Cape honeysuckle are still attracting 4 sunbird species- Collared, Olive, Grey & Purple-banded along with Eastern golden weaver and Cape white-eye.

Fruiting Natal figs, Wild plum and Sand apricot vine are attracting Livingstone's turaco, Purple-crested turaco, African green pigeon, Trumpeter hornbill, Yellow-bellied & Sombre greenbul, White-eared barbet, Yellow-rumped tinkerbird and Black-bellied starling. Fruiting Forest cabbage trees have been attracting both Trumpeter & Crowned hornbills.

On the forest floor we have enjoyed some fantastic sightings of Spotted ground-thrush, Chorister robin-chat, Brown scrub-robin, White-starred robin, Buff-spotted flufftail and Red-capped robin-chat during the month. 

The tern roost at the Lake St Lucia estuary mouth has consisted predominantly of Greater crested, Common & Caspian terns with one surprise sighting of Lesser crested tern (unusual for this time of year). Other birds regularly seen at the mouth include African oystercatcher, Sanderling, Eurasian whimbrel, Common greenshank, Kelp gull, Cape Gannet, White-fronted plover and Western osprey. We have also enjoyed the occasional sighting of Greater flamingo.

The Mangrove kingfisher have continued to show well at the estuary edges.

Wetland birding has started to improve again as the wetlands have dried up and birds are concentrated into the more permanent wetlands again. We have enjoyed regular sightings of Rufous-bellied heron, Squacco heron, African pygmy-goose, White-backed duck, Rufous-winged cisticola, Yellow-billed (intermediate) egret, Malachite kingfisher & Great white egret. We also enjoyed an uncommon sighting of Lesser moorhen. 

Birding on the Eastern shores of Isimangaliso Wetlands Park has been great this month with regular sightings of Southern-banded snake-eagle, African cuckoo-hawk, Senegal lapwing, African marsh harrier and Collared pratincole.

Also of interest, a trip to the Western shores of Isimangaliso produced a lucky sighting of the rare Strawberry leopard.

It has been an uncharacteristically wet month for July with close to 200mm of rain falling during the course of the month. This has kept the wetlands topped up and the estuary mouth wide and deep. It has also once again flooded some sections of road on the Eastern shores of Isimangaliso Wetlands Park. Winter has arrived properly this month with regular (and stronger) cold fronts hitting us and very cold (for Zululand) temperatures.  The elephant herd spent the early part of the month  on the Eastern shores of Isimangaliso Wetland park, causing regular road blocks. 

Birding has been fantastic in all habitats. Starting in the forest we have continued to enjoy regular sightings of Spotted ground thrush during the course of the month- always a real treat considering how few of these birds there are! Other ground-dwellers seen during the month included Brown scrub-robin, White-starred robin, Red-capped robin-chat and Lemon dove.

The Buff-spotted flufftail have been very active with many great sightings during the course of the month. This could also be due to the sparser Winter undergrowth making them easier to see. 

Bird parties in the forest have included an impressive variety of birds, typically holding Dark-backed weaver, Rudd's apalis, Black-backed puffback, Green malkoha, Olive bush-shrike, Yellow-rumped tinkerbird, Terrestrial brownbul, Blue-mantled crested flycatcher, Square-tailed drongo, Woodward's batis, Yellow-breasted apalis and Collared sunbird.

Fruiting Natal and Large-leafed figs continue to attract large flocks of Trumpeter hornbill, Black-bellied starling, White-eared barbet, African green pigeon, Livingstone's turaco, Yellow-bellied greenbul and Sombre greenbul. The Coral trees and Cape honeysuckle have all come into flower attracting a nice variety of sunbirds including: Eastern olive, Grey, Collared, Scarlet-chested and Purple-banded along with Eastern golden weavers. 

Areas with seeding Casuarina trees are attracting seedeaters such as Green twinspot, Yellow-fronted canary, Red-backed mannikin, Grey waxbill and the odd Pink-throated twinspot .

The Eastern shores of Isimangaliso Wetlands Park has produced some great birds during the month. The Rufous-bellied heron has continued to show nicely in the wetlands as well as occasional sightings of Little bittern.

Other special sightings on the Eastern shores during the month have included Collared pratincole, Harlequin quail and Yellow-billed oxpecker.

The estuary mouth has also produced some great birds during the month, the highlight being a Chestnut-banded plover- a rare bird for Kwazulu-Natal. The Chestnut-banded plover has been in the company of Kittliz's, White-fronted and Three-banded plovers on exposed muddy sections of the beach. 

The tern roost has consisted predominantly of Greater crested, Sandwich, Caspian, Common and Little tern with a couple of reports of Antarctic tern too. The terns are usually accompanied by an assortment of other shorebirds including Eurasian whimbrel, African oystercatcher, Grey-headed gull, Kelp gull and Sanderling. We also enjoyed a few sightings of Greater flamingo at the mouth during the month. 

As is typical during the Winter months there have been plenty Cape Gannet flying beyond the waves at the mouth as well as the odd White-chinned petrel.  At the estuary edges, the Mangrove kingfisher has treated us to some fantastic sightings during the month again.

Nocturnal birding has produced regular sightings of Swamp nightjar, Fiery-necked nightjar and African wood-owl as well as a few sightings of White-backed night-heron during rainy spells.

It was a beautiful weather month in St Lucia with predominantly warm, windless conditions interrupted by a cold front or 2. The chilly mornings and dew have made for some great birding with many secretive forest species such as Green malkoha and Livingstone's turaco sunning and drying themselves conspicuously in the warm early morning sunshine. 

The Southern-banded snake eagle has been very regular on walks this month and treated us to some fantastic sightings. 

Another treat this month has been regular sightings of Spotted ground-thrush. They can be very scarce some years so it's great to have a few individuals present this Winter. 

Fruiting figs have continued to attract large numbers of frugivorous birds including Livingstone's & Purple-crested turaco, Trumpeter hornbill, White-eared barbet, Yellow-bellied greenbul and African green pigeon.

It has been a great month for Kingfishers! The Mangrove kingfisher has been treating us to great sightings at the edges of the estuary. We also enjoyed a rare sighting of Half-collared kingfisher.

The highlight though was a Grey-headed kingfisher sighted on the Eastern shores of Isimangaliso Wetlands Park. 

At the estuary mouth, sightings during the month have included Caspian, Greater crested, Sandwich and Common tern, Greater flamingo, African oystercatcher, Sanderling, Eurasian curlew, Kittliz's plover, Western osprey, Palm-nut vulture, African fish-eagle, Cape Gannet, Kelp gull and Pied avocet to name a few. 

Wetlands surrounding St Lucia and on the Eastern shores of Isimangaliso are holding African pygmy-goose, White-backed duck, Yellow-billed duck, Red-billed teal, White-faced whistling duck, Intermediate egret, Malachite kingfisher, Squacco heron, African jacana, Striated heron, Purple heron, African marsh harrier and Black crake to name a few. 

On the Eastern shores, the Rufous-bellied heron has continued to show erratically in the Wetlands surrounding Amazibu hide during the month. There have also been a couple of sightings of African crake on the road verges on the Eastern shores. An unusual sighting on the Eastern shores during the month was that of a Rock kestrel hunting small birds over the grassland. Very strange habitat for a bird synonomous with mountainous/hilly & rocky habitats! 

The weather this month has been very different to April with beautiful, warm days, plenty sunshine and very little rain. As a result, flooded areas have dried and it is possible to reach Cape Vidal in a sedan car once again. The Pan and Vlei loop on the Eastern shores and uMphate loop and uMdoni loop on the Western shores, however, are still not passable due to deep sections of water over the road. Another big obstacle on the Eastern shores this month has been the large herd of elephants which have regularly blocked the road for hours at a time! 

Birding has been fantastic again this month with the full compliment of Winter visiting species now present. In the forest we have enjoyed sightings of Winter-visiting: White-starred robin, Chorister robin-chat, Spotted ground-thrush, Black cuckooshrike, and Olive bush-shrike along with great sightings of the many forest residents including Narina trogon, Green malkoha, Rudd's apalis, Woodward's batis, Black-throated wattle-eye, Eastern nicator, Gorgeous bush-shrike, Green twinspot, Grey waxbill, Livingstone's turaco. 

The Narina trogon have-quite strangely- been very vocal in  the forest this month. Very unusual to hear them calling this time of year as they usually only call during the Spring and Summer breeding months. ​

Much of the action in the forest has still been centred around the fruiting Natal fig trees which are attracting noisy flocks of over 30 Trumpeter hornbill at times along with Livingstone's turaco, Purple-crested turaco, White-eared barbet, Black-bellied starling, Yellow-bellied greenbul, Sombre greenbul and Yellow-rumped tinkerbird.

We have also enjoyed regular sightings of Buff-spotted flufftail during the course of the month.

Wetland birding has continued to improve with African pygmy-goose becoming more abundant on the waterlily-clad wetlands as the month progressed.

Other waterfowl present on the wetlands include Red-billed & Blue-billed teal,  White-faced whistling duck. Yellow-billed duck, White-backed duck, Common squacco heron, Intermediate egret, Purple heron, Great white egret, African jacana and Black crake.  On the Eastern shores, the Rufous-bellied heron has been seen a few times this month hunting in the Wetlands along side the road just past Amazibu hide.

At the estuary, we have enjoyed great sightings of Mangrove kingfisher during the course of the month. The tern roost is still holding 4 to 5 species of tern including Greater crested, Lesser crested, Sandwich, Common and Caspian. Other birds regular at the mouth included Sanderling, White-fronted plover, Eurasian whimbrel, African oystercatcher, Goliath heron, African fish-eagle and Kelp gull to name a few.   

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The Palm-nut vulture have also treated us to some great sightings on the beaches surrounding the estuary mouth during the course of the month.

The Eastern shores has delivered some great sightings during the month with regular sightings of Southern-banded snake-eagle, African cuckoo-hawk & Senegal lapwing the highlights. An unusual and special sighting at the end of grassland loop during the month was African cuckoo finch.

April is always an interesting birding month in St Lucia, with some of the Summer migrants still lingering during the early parts of the month and the Winter visitors starting to arrive towards the end of the month.  April is typically still very wet in St Lucia and this year has been no exception with heavy bouts of rainfall falling regularly throughout the month and approximately 400mm of rain recorded during the month. This has filled up the wetlands to the brim again and flooded sections of road around St Lucia and within the nearby Isimangaliso Wetlands Park (as in the previous few years). 

A benefit of the heavy rains and flooded road sections is that they provide ideal hunting conditions for the elusive White-backed night-heron which are able to spot prey (such as barbel and frogs) more easily than in wetlands. We have therefore enjoyed several good sightings during the month during or shortly after bouts of rain  ​

Waterfowl numbers are increasing in the Wetlands once again with plentiful White-faced whistling duck, Red-billed teal, Yellow-billed duck, Little grebe, Black crake and African jacana accompanied by the odd White-backed duck, African pygmy-goose, Blue-billed teal and Squacco heron. Flooded grassland at wetland edges is attracting Black-headed heron, Saddle-billed stork & Intermediate egret. 

Winter-visiting African stonechat are once again abundant in the coastal grasslands surrounding St Lucia along with winter-visiting Pale-crowned cisticola. Interestingly, the Blue-cheeked bee-eater lingered long this year with the last stragglers still around until the last week of April. At the forest/grassland ecotone we have started seeing Fiscal flycatcher (also a Winter altitudinal migrant)

Raptor-viewing has been great with regular sightings of Southern-banded snake eagle, African crowned eagle, African cuckoo hawk ,African goshawk, African Harrier-hawk, Brown snake-eagle, Black-chested snake-eagle and the odd Martial eagle. 

In the forest, many of the trees have started shedding their leaves for the winter which means more light is infiltrating the forest and making it easier to spot birds. 

Seeding grass patches have continued to attract Red-backed & Bronze mannikin, Common & Grey waxbill and the occassional Green twinspots.

It has been great to see the return of Winter-visiting White-starred robin, Spotted ground-thrush, Olive bush-shrike, African dusky flycatcher and African paradise flycatcher in the forests. Also looking forward to sightings of Chorister robin-chat, Grey cuckoo-shrike and hopefully the odd surprise visitor this winter! (Eastern bronze-naped pigeon, Olive woodpecker, Bush black-cap and Yellow-throated woodland warbler have all been seen the past couple of Winters)   

At the Lake St Lucia estuary, most of the migratory waders have now left with the odd Curlew sandpiper and Little stint still present. There was also a Greater sand plover present amongst the White-fronted plovers towards the end of the month.  The terns have been roosting quite far South of the mouth for much of the month making viewing tricky. The roost is still holding Greater crested, Caspian, Common and Little terns. Other birds seen regularly at the mouth during the month included Eurasian whimbrel, African oystercatcher, Palm-nut vulture, Southern brown-throated weaver, Blue-cheeked bee-eater,  Sand martin  and Western osprey.

On the Eastern shores of Isimangaliso we have continued to enjoy consistent sightings of Senegal lapwing.

Nocturnal birding has delivered sightings of Spotted eagle-owl, African wood-owl, Swamp nightjar, Fiery-necked nightjar, Water thick-knee and White-backed night-heron. 

It's been another great birding month in St Lucia. The month started off and ended with a fair amount of rain with just over 200mm recorded for the month. The first signs of the change of season are happening. The mornings and afternoon temperatures are a bit cooler and the sapping Zululand humidity also tapered off as the month  progressed. Many of the Summer visitors have already started to leave. Strange to peer up at the sky ​and not see any soaring Yellow-billed kites anymore! Have also had the first sighting of African stonechat in the grasslands- usually the first hint that Winter is upon us! 
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It was a wet February with over 350mm of rain falling during the course of the month. As a result the bush is lush and green and wetlands have topped up nicely after almost drying out by the end of January. 

The Wetlands have continued to produce some great birds with regular sightings of Saddle-billed stork, African pygmy-goose, White-backed duck and the odd Lesser moorhen and Lesser jacana.

With the plentiful rainfall in St Lucia and catchment areas, the umfolozi river has been in flood for most of the month washing up plenty debris on the beach. This has continued to attract beach scavengers such as Yellow-billed stork and Palm-nut vulture which scavenge on the remains of washed up freshwater fish pulled into the ocean by the flooding river.

The tern roost has grown in numbers and has been holding good numbers of Lesser crested tern (over 20 at times) along with large numbers of Little, Greater crested & Common tern as well as smaller numbers of Caspian and Sandwich tern.

The 3 African skimmer have remained throughout the month, providing birders with fantastic sightings. Interestingly an African skimmer was also seen at Cape Vidal- possibly one of the 3 that ventured up the coast.

Other birds regular at the mouth and surrounding beaches have included Common-ringed, White-fronted & Kittlitz's plover, Sanderling, Curlew & Common sandpiper, Little stint, Ruddy turnstone, Eurasian whimbrel, African oystercatcher, Wooly-necked stork, Kelp & Grey-hooded gull, Sand martin, Southern brown-throated weaver, Brimstone canary, Western osprey, Rufous-winged cisticola.

Birding has been more challenging in the forest due to the lush growth and resulting gloomy conditions. Breeding has also started to taper off with birds much less vocal. Nevertheless, we have enjoyed fantastic forest birding during the course of the month with regular Buff-spotted flufftail sightings, Green malkoha, Black-throated wattle-eye, Red-backed mannikin, Livingstone's turaco, Narina trogon, Blue-mantled crested flycatcher, Woodwards batis and Grey waxbill. Interestingly we observed 2 seperate abandoned Dark-backed weaver nests being used by Grey waxbill for their nesting. 

Raptor-viewing has been great on the Eastern shores of Isimangaliso with regular sightings of Southern-banded snake-eagle, Brown snake-eagle, Black-chested snake-eagle, Common buzzard, African cuckoo-hawk, African marsh harrier, African crowned eagle, Western osprey, Long-crested eagle, African harrier hawk and African fish-eagle.

Nocturnal birding has produced sightings of African wood-owl, Swamp nightjar, Fiery-necked nightjar and White-backed night-heron