Birders Cottage Bird Photographs: Brendan Ryan
Brendan Ryan has visited Magoebaskloof Birders Cottage several times. These photographs are from his last visit in 2022.
New Agatha Bat Hawk Nest Site UPDATE
A few weeks ago the most recent nest platform and its supporting branch fell down. Ruan Viljoen from the Warriors Academy volunteered to erect a new platorm. The only suitable branch we found is 10m up. We sincerely hope the Bat Hawks accept the new platform. These pictures show Ruan climbing the tree, attaching the … Read more
Roberts Bird books: History of the naming of the Cape Parrot.
Using the Roberts bird books on my shelf I have tried to trace the emergence of the Cape Parrot name, as we know it today. I scanned the maps from the books. The caption on the map indicates which version of Roberts that the map comes from. I have also selected some of the information … Read more
Birding on Dragonwyck Farm.
Walking and Birding Our cottages are surrounded by plants selected to attract birds. This is perfect for the birders who prefer the birds to come to them. Over the years we have developed many trails. Some follow the streams and pass through riverine bush. Others take you into our forest. Concrete benches have been placed … Read more
Bird Guides recommended for Makgobaskloof/Woodbush Forest
Are you looking for bird guides to help you tick more lifers or help you enjoy a days birdwatching in new and unknown surroundings. David Letsoalo and Paul Nkhumane will help you achieve both objectives. They have years of experience guiding in the region and know their birding areas and birds very well. Follow this … Read more
Birders Cottage Bird Photographs: Conrad Visser
These excellent photographs were taken by Conrad Visser in the winter of 2021 in our Limpopo Escarpment Forest. The conditions were cold and mostly overcast. The Yellow-bellied Greenbul is a first for me on the farm. The other birds are typically seen when ever you go out birding. The SABAP2 pentad that covers the farm.
Black Sparrowhawk nesting in giant Eucalypt near Woodbush Forest
This morning, 19 September, I took a drive to the tallest planted tree in the world. David Letsoalo a local bird guide had given me directions to a Black Sparrowhawk nest located just behind the tallest tree. I found the nest without any difficulty but there was no sign of the birds. According to Roberts … Read more
Rain Shadow Birding Route
The Rain Shadow Birding Route, as its name implies, is very dry compared to the Woodbush Forest and Magoebaskloof Birders Cottage only about 15km to the north east. I have assigned the beginning of the route as the point where the Annies Fortune road drops down in the dry Ga-Molepo region. The end of the … Read more
First Forester in Woodbush
The Woodbush Forest is my prime forest birding spot here in Magoebaskloof. The book BETWEEN WOODBUSH AND WOLKBERG Googoo Thompson’s Story by B Wongtschowski, is the story of Googoo Thompsons life. Her father was the first forester assigned to the Woodbush Forest. I have extracted, verbatim, those aspects of Mr Arthur K. Eastwood’s life relating … Read more
Woodbush Forest Birding
The Woodbush Forest is arguably the prime forest birding site in Limpopo Province. It is a short drive from Magoebaskloof Birders Cottage. The best way of accessing the forest for birding is to drive down the Forest Drive. High clearance vehicles are recommended to complete the journey down to the R71. This route passes the … Read more