Eastern Shores

Categories: accommodation; camping; trails; guide

The iSimangaliso wetlands reserve is a recently proclaimed world heritage site and one of South Africa's oldest reserves established back in 1895. The lake itself covers an area of about 38 000ha and is one of South Africa's most important waterbird breeding areas. The habitats are quite varied from the estuary and it's floodplains to dune forest, sand forest, coastal thickets, mangroves and grassland (with flooded areas in the summer)- all this allows for a wonderful selection of birdlife with over 420 species recorded in the area. One of the great things about birding around St Lucia are the self guided trails and hides. Birding on foot with waterbuck and reedbuck grazing in the background and hippos snorting from the pans makes for an extra special birding experience.

The main birding areas on the Eastern shores are:

St Lucia Village and Estuary: Saddle-billed Stork is uncommon although this is the best place in KZN for this species. Yellow-billed Stork and Woolly-necked Stork, Caspian Tern, and a variety of waders including Ruff, Ruddy Turnstone, Grey Plover,Pied Avocet and Mangrove Kingfisher in the winter months. From this same bridge also keep a lookout for Banded Martins and Wire-tailed Swallow. Yellow-billed Storks and Goliath Herons can normally be found here as well as big flocks of pelicans and terns.Birds such as White-eared Barbet, Trumpeter and Crowned Hornbills, African Dusky Flycatcher and Black-bellied Starling are easily seen in the big trees around town as well as the usual Collared and Olive Sunbirds, Red-capped Robin-Chats etc....
Iphiva Campsite and trail: On the road in, look on the telephone lines for Blue-cheeked Bee-Eaters which are common in summer as well as Grey Waxbill which is often found foraging on the roadside. The grassland areas are normally good all year round for Croaking Cisticolas, Yellow-throated Longclaws, Red-breasted Swallows and Grey-rumped Swallows. In the more moist summer months Rosy-throated Longclaws can be flushed from the shallow grassy edges of pans. Swamp Nightjar calls as well as African Wood-Owls which are fairly common around the campsite.Southern Banded Snake-Eagle perching in one of the bigger trees, (this is probably one of the best areas in South Africa to see this bird).look for African Pygmy-Goose, White-backed Ducks and Lesser Jacana, often with big mixed flocks of herons, egrets, storks and lapwings. Narina Trogon,Green Malkoha , Rudd's Apalis,Woodward's Batis, Square-tailed Drongo, Dark-backed Weavers, Livingstone's Turaco, Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher, Black-Throated Wattle-eye, Eastern Nicator Crested Guineafowl and Green Twinspots.
The road to Cape Vidal: Look out for Brown and Black-chested Snake-Eagles,Southern Banded Snake-Eagle , Narina Trogon, Rudd's Apalis, White-starred Robin,Olive Bush-Shrike and Rosy-throated and African Broadbill.
iGwala Gwala Trail: Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher, White-eared Barbet, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Goldentailed Woodpecker, Trumpeter Hornbill, Scalythroated Honeyguide (listen out for it calling at the first T-junction of the trail as it has a calling perch nearby) Yellow-breasted Apalis, Rudds Apalis, Livingstone's Turaco, Dark-backed and Yellow Weaver, Narina Trogon, Grey, Olive and Collared Sunbirds, Green Malkoha, Black-throated Wattle-eye, Emerald Cuckoo, Woodwards Batis and Southern Boubou. Red-capped Robin-Chat, Brown Scrub Robin, Buff-spotted Flufftail, redbacked Mannikin, Grey Waxbill, Green Twinspot and Terrestrial Brownbul can be spotted on or near the ground.

Directions

Access to St Lucia is only via Mtubatuba just off the N2. Follow the R618 for approx. 30km. After crossing the Estuary, follow the signs left to Cape Vidal. Just before the Cape Vidal gate, apposite the crocodile farm is a small road to the right, head down here for about 1km for the access road to the Iphiva Trail. Alternatively to reach the estuary and Gwalagwala Trail, make a left turn at the traffic circle and head through town following the signboards to Sugarloaf Campsite and KZN Wildlife offices.