Birding heaven at Sodwana Bay Lodge

For birders, Sodwana Bay is just the ticket. Prepare to delight in precious sightings of our feathered friends along the Ngoboseleni Trail: from Livingstone’s and Purple-crested Turacos, Brown Scrub-Robin and Yellow-bellied Greenbul, to Terrestrial Brownbul, Green Twinspot, Woodward’s Batis, Green Malkoha and Black-bellied Starling – to name a few.

Our flexible tour guide will take you on a 3-hour walking tour along the Ngoboseleni Trail, which starts and ends at the Ezimvilo Wildlife reception office inside the Sodwana Bay National Park,. Neergaard’s Sunbird is a regular visitor to the forest canopy and is best detected by its distinctive call. Around the camp you’ll note a wide variety of coastal scrub birds. These include the Southern Boubou, Green-backed Cameroptera, the Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Bearded Scrub-Robin, Collared, Grey and Olive Sunbirds; Red-backed Manikin, Tambourine Dove and African Pied Wagtail.

At Ngoboseleni Lake it’s a delight to watch the African Pygmy Goose, Goliath Heron, Woolly-necked Stork and the White-faced Whistling Duck.

Lake Sibaya and Muzi Pan are the other popular birding sites. Situated between St Lucia to the south and Kosi Bay to the north, the Sodwana Bay sub-route encompasses a wide range of habitats - from sand forest, thornveld and subtropical forests to palm savannah. The near-endemic Neergaard’s Sunbird, Rudd’s Apalis, Pink-throated Twinspot and Lemon-breasted Canary are special sightings. Also on the list are African Broadbill, Swamp Nightjar, Pel’s Fishing Owl, Saddle-billed Stork, Black Coucal and Collared Pratincole.

We recommend several trips to fully immerse yourself in the beauty of this avian-rich area. Contact the Sodwana Bay Lodge reception to book your birding tour.

Ref: https://gobirding.birdlife.org.za/