Waterberg-Nylsvlei Birding Sites

Nylsvley Floodplain

This area covers about 16,000 ha from Modimolle to the west of Mokopane, on the Springbok Flats below the Waterberg. The habitat is dominated by the biggest seasonal flood plain in South Africa surrounded by mainly thornveld and a few patches of broad-leaved woodland. The Nyl River floods every 2 to 3 years and is then one of the biggest water bird breeding areas in South Africa. In the dry years the bushveld birding still makes this a worthwhile stop for birders.

	Bundox
	Bundox Game Ranch lies at the foot of the Swaershoek Mountain range in Mookgopong (Naboomspruit) and is well-placed for a stopover for birders visiting Nylsvley, Doorndraai Dam and Moordrift.

	Dinonyane Lodge
	Dinonyane is situated 1 km from the entrance gate of Nylsvley Nature Reserve. The lodge is situated in thornveld bush and the well-watered gardens with secluded ponds attract a host of bushveld birds, particularly in the drier periods.

	Doorndraai Dam
	This reserve holds a large dam in the foothills of the Waterberg between Mookgophong (Naboomspruit) and Mokopane (Potgietersrus). There is a variety of habitats in the reserve with wooded hills, savannah bushveld, open plains and broad-leaved woodland making up the majority of the habitat other than the dam and its well-vegetated banks.

	Lourie Cottages
	The cottages are a 20 minute drive from the famous Nylsvley Nature Reserve and can act as a comfortable and secure base from which to explore the area. The owners, Ida and Kobus, are nature lovers who attract birds to the complex's gardens and you may see Southern Red Bishops, Cut-throat Finches and Black-collared Barbets at the feeders in the gardens.

	Ndegi Ranch
	4 km from the Nyl River and 20 km from a piece of the Nylsvley, this 900 ha game farm boasts a beautiful bushveld and thornveld habitat as well as various dams and an elevated bird hide over a reeded pan. In the flood years the flat plains become shallow pans and the waders descend in their numbers.

	Nylsvley
	This RAMSAR site is a unique seasonal flood plain that is the largest and most intact in the country. It is surrounded by typical bushveld savannah. The area has over 365 bird species recorded, with 104 of these being water birds.

	Thaba Ya Metsi
	Thaba Ya Metsi is a four-star Birder Friendly Establishment owned and run by the dynamic Hettie Roos. Thaba Ya Metsi is located at the foot of the Waterberg Mountains between Makopane (Potgietersrus) and Mookgaphong (Naboomspruit).

	Moordrift
	This farm is 40 km's from Nylsvley on the banks of the Nyl River near Mokopane. The farm has a large dam that provides permanent water along the Nyl River floodplain. Other than the thornveld woodland around the dam, there is reeded river and marshland habitat.

Waterberg Plateau

This area is defined by the Waterberg Mountains that stretches over a fairly large area and include a very diverse set of habitats that include montane grassland up to 2,000m, bushveld areas, broad-leaved woodland, rocky hills and wooded valleys along permanent rivers. This results in a very diverse bird list and to find specific species it is necessary to get into the micro-habitats within the area. For example the top of Marakele has montane species like Buff-streaked Chat, Gurney's Sugarbirds and Cape Rock-thrush, while the bottom of the same park has bushveld species like Southern Boubou and White-helmet Shrike.

The grassland on the higher parts of the mountains have Blue Crane, Denham's Bustard and a range of Cisticolas. The rivers of the Waterberg are good places to look for African Finfoot, White-backed Duck and African Black Duck. The predominant vegetation of the Waterberg is deciduous broad-leaved woodland. This habitat can be very productive in summer and you should look out for Black Flycatcher, Grey Penduline-Tit, White-crested Helmet-shrike and Yellow-bellied Greenbul.

	Izintaba Game Farm
	Izintaba Game Farm is hidden well into the Waterberg mountains on a 1200 ha bushveld farm punctuated by mountains and dramatic gorges. This owner-run farm offers three luxurious, tastefully decorated chalets (sleeping four, six and eight guests wanting privacy, tranquillity and lazy days next to the pool after a morning's bushveld birding.

	Jembisa and Palala River Reserve
	Jembisa Lodge is situated on the 2500 ha Palala River Reserve and offers a variety of accommodation ranging from an exclusive lodge to various self-catering options and can accommodate between two and ten people per unit. Guests can do their own game drives or book guided game drives and walks.

	Lindani
	Lindani is a 3500 ha game farm located in the middle of the Waterberg near Vaalwater, only 285 km away from Johannesburg. This spectacular bushveld farm has savannah, mountains and valleys, tranquil dams, wetlands and steep cliffs.

Liv' a Little

Liv' a Little is situated in the small, unique eco-village of Leeupoort in the foothills of the Waterberg Mountain range that forms part of the undiscovered south-western portion of the Limpopo Province. The Nature Reserve encompasses a mixture of habitats including grassland, bushveld and montane vegetation. Golden-tailed and Cardinal Woodpeckers, Southern Black Tit and Verreaux's Eagle have been recorded.

	Marakele National Park
	This wonderful national park is 30 kilometres north-east of Thabazimbi and covers 45,000 ha of the Southern Waterberg. This huge area is not all accessible to the public, but the parts that are hold a fantastic variety of birds.

	Mokolo Dam
	This 2,000 ha conservancy in the Waterberg mountains has a wide range of habitats, from wetlands to cliffs, it can all be found on this property. The majority of the area is covered by broad-leaved woodlands, but there are a number of small streams and two perennial rivers with wetland areas that attract Blue Crane, Secretarybird, Common Quail and a host of other grassland birds.

	Palala River Bridge
	The Palala River can be birded from this point where it is dammed by a weir to the west of the bridge. Keep a look out for Black Crakes, African Pygmy Goose, African Fish-eagle and Giant Kingfisher.

	Alma / Rankin's Pass Area
	This is the over-wintering area of between 40 and 60 Blue Cranes. The area is mainly montane grasslands and besides Blue Cranes you can see Denham's Bustards, White-bellied Korhaan, Short-toed Rock-thrush, Buff-streaked Chat, Wailing Cisticola and many more. The cranes gather on private farms and are monitored by the provincial officials who can organize outing to see the birds.

	Waterberg Montane Grasslands
	This private cattle farm is the breeding area for a pair of Blue Cranes. This vast farm is mainly covered by tall montane grasslands. Other than Blue Crane there is a good chance of seeing Denham's Bustard, White-bellied Korhaan and the Common Quail. There are also three species of pipit and five species of cisticola to be found here.

	Kololo Private Game Reserve
	Kololo Private Game Reserve (3000 ha) is situated in the Waterberg Biosphere next to Marakele National Park and Welgevonden Private Nature Reserve. Kololo has a variety of vegetation, open grass plains, woodlands, savannah and thick bush. Three perennial rivers run through Kololo and this diversity of habitats ensures that there is a good cross-section of bird species.

	Leeuwenhof Country Lodge & Garden Spa
	Leeuwenhof is a romantic and tranquil Country Lodge and Garden Spa situated in the Waterberg Mountains. The lodge lies in the rugged Bushveld where more than 120 bird species have been spotted.

	Bateleur Nature Reserve
	This 2,000 ha conservancy in the Waterberg mountains has a wide range of habitats, from wetlands to cliffs, it can all be found on this property. The majority of the area is covered by broad-leaved woodlands, but there are a number of small streams and two perennial rivers with wetland areas that attract Blue Crane, Secretarybird, Common Quail and a host of other grassland birds.

	Bokpoort Dam
	This small dam, just north of Mookgophong, is covered with water-lilies and so provides a perfect habitat for Pygmy Goose. They have been recorded here a few times.

Waterberg Fringes

This is the area surrounding the Waterberg Mountains to the south and west; an ecotone between the Waterberg broad-leaved woodlands and the drier arid western thornveld. As a result of this crossover of habitats it can be very productive; it is one of the best to look for White-bellied Korhaan and Meyer's Parrot. The south of this area along the PIenaar's River is a great site for River Warbler towards the end of summer and for Pied Babbler and Tinkling Cisticola all year round. The smaller flood plains in the D'Nyala Nature Reserve and at Kgomo Kgomo also hold a good range of breeding waterbirds in wet years. The Mokolo Dam is also a good site to search for the rare White-backed Night-Heron.

	Masabe Community Nature Reserve
	This reserve in the far north-eastern part of the Waterberg has some of the most amazing scenery anywhere in the province. There is a spectacular escarpment of red sandstone cliffs and a host of lone-standing mesas. The reserve is just over 4000 ha and the habitats are mainly deciduous broad-leaved woodland.

	Telekishi Trail
	Telekishi Community close to Masebe have started a three hour trail that takes in various archaeological sites and traverses the escarpment. The guides have been FAGASA trained as site cultural guides and are going to be trained in birding as well.

	Leeupoort Town / Leeukrans Restaurant
	This little town is run as a suburb of Thabazimbi but is located in the bushveld, 40 km from the town, surrounded by a game reserve. It is freely accessible to the public through a manned gate. A network of roads, which get you off the main road and into great bushveld habitat and good birding, can be explored.

	The Mabula Ground Hornbill Research & Conservation Project
	This project was set up in 1999 on Mabula to harvest wild second chicks, that always die in the nest, for hand-rearing, and on fledging release them with the existing group to learn to forage, about predators and the complicated social structure of these co-operative breeders, before released into areas where this important flagship species of the savannah biome is now extinct.

Arid West

The habitat in this area is mainly mixed bushveld with a distinct Kalahari flavour to it, and many of the bird species reflect this as well. Kalahari Scrub-Robin, Pied Babbler, Yellow-throated Sandgrouse and Marico Flycatchers are all found in this area. The major feature of the area is the Limpopo River and its tributaries. This area has not been extensively birded but many raptors like Lappet-faced Vulture, Tawny Eagle, African Hawk-Eagle and Wahlberg's Eagle are known to breed here. There are also reports of Pel's Fishing Owls and White-backed Night-Heron along the Limpopo. Burchell's Sandgrouse are common here and other birds like Great Sparrow, Black-cheeked Waxbill and Violet-eared Waxbill can be found here as well.

	Madeline Robinson
	This small reserve, that is owned by the Anglo-Platinum mine, is one of the best places in the country to see the Yellow-throated Sandgrouse. Access is arranged via a mine employee, Jannie Willemse, who guides visitors to a waterhole where the birds come and drink.

	Koedoeskop
	The farm roads around the Koedoeskop between the R510 and the R511 up to Thabazimbi offer some excellent birding. Yellow-throated Sandgrouse can be seen in this area from the roads by scanning the black cotton soils. There is good general birding along this road with White and Abdim's Storks, African Quail Finch, Amur Falcon and many more.

	Rust de Winter Dam
	This is the closest part of the province to Gauteng being only 90 km from Pretoria. It offers good bushveld and broadleaved woodland birding as well as a good diversity of water birds.

	Wolfhuiskraal Bush Camp
	This bush camp is on a large cattle and game farm, 14 km along the Zaagkuildrift road, which follows the Pienaarsriver. The thornveld and riverine habitats in this area hold Tinkling Cisticola, Pied Babbler and Crimson-breasted Shrike. This area is also well known for the variety of warblers that can be seen. Bird life is varied and up to fifty species can be seen in one morning session.

Zaagkuildrift and Kgomo Kgomo

This dirt road follows the Pienaars River and after about 15 km end at the Kgomo Kgomo floodplain where the Pienaars, Plat and Tshwane rivers meet. The habitat along the road is mostly Acacia woodland with areas of grasslands. This area is renowned for the variety of warblers that can be found here, Barred-, Wren-, Olive-tree-, Marsh-, Great-reed and Icterine Warblers are found here as well as Common White-throat, River Warbler and even Thrush Nightingale.

	Buffelsdrift-Rust der Winter Conservancy
	Buffelsdrift-Rust der Winter is a 430 ha game farm with hiking trails, river and bushveld terrain offering a variety of habitats ranging from typical acacia thornveld, mixed acacia/broad-leaf woodland and riverine vegetation along the Pienaars River as well as cultivated lands and fields.

	Atherstone Game Reserve
	This 23,500 ha reserve is in the south western corner of the province. There is a good mix of habitats and the reserve has a bird list of over 300 species. This is also one of the few places where Bateleur have been recorded to breed outside the Kruger National Park.

	D'Nyala Nature Reserve
	This 8,000 ha reserve is 10 km out of Lephalale and has a small floodplain of the Tambotie River. The rest of the reserve is made up of broad-leaved woodland and acacia bushveld. In wet years, the flood plain attracts a host of water birds with the Comb Duck, Little Bittern, Lesser Moorhen and Painted Snipe being recorded.

	Matlabas Game Lodge
	Matlabas Game Lodge is almost on the banks of the Matlabas River just a few kilometres upstream from the confluence with the Limpopo River. This is typical bushveld country: game rich and covered with camelthorn, knobthorn, black monkey thorn, red bushwillow, leadwood and many others.