In December I had a short break from safaris and had arranged to go on a birding course in the far north of Kruger. I had three objectives for that week– 1) to learn more about birds plus see some of the unique species of the area; 2) to have a holiday in Kruger Park which involved a lot of walking; and 3) to have that holiday in the Parfuri / Makuleke region which is relatively inaccessible to the general public. So on the 8^th December I travelled to the far north of Kruger, the Parfuri region, to a training camp located on the southern banks of the “great, green, greasy” Limpopo River for a wonderful week of birding. I saw many new (for me anyway!) birds and learnt a huge amount more about their calls and habits. There were 15 of us on the course with 2 instructor guides and we walked for 3-4 hours every morning while it was still relatively cool and drove every afternoon when it was generally too hot to walk.

Bird watching in the Kruger National Park is without a doubt one of the most rewarding experiences awaiting any avid or social birder. When last counted the Kruger Park’s bird list was standing on 517 species, and since then several more new species have been recorded.

Birding can be good in both the summer and winter months although most would suggest a vist in the summer months of October to March when migratory birds arrive increasing the species diversiy. The joy of birding in the winter are the ‘bird parties’ traveling together. Once located one of these bird parties can contain as many as 20 different species, and with food being more scarce birds are also more likely to tolerate human presence, coming closer and allowing for better views and photographic opportunities.