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South Coast Kwazulu Natal Holiday & Travel guide Margate & Surround Towns, Southcoast KZN |
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Out & About
News & Events ●Arts & Crafts
●Birding & Nature ●Where to Shop & Services
●Nightlife & Restaurants
Animal Farms, Birding & Reptiles
Granny Goose
Cragsview Wildcare Centre
Crocworld Scottburgh
Pure Venom Reptile Farm
Riverbend Crocodile Farm
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Southern KwaZulu-Natal is one of South Africa's best-known holiday destinations. Much of the natural beauty of this region has been compromised by development but examples of the original wonders of this former paradise persist in quiet corners. In these hidden places, and less well known to the casual visitor, are some of the best bird watching spots to be experienced in southern Africa.
Bird watching is one of the most popular and fastest-growing hobbies in the world. Unlike most other forms of life, birds lend themselves to human observation. They are largely diurnal, noisy, relatively easy to identify and occur virtually throughout the landscape. Their perky habits, melodious songs and the magic of flight render them objects of human fascination.
Southern KwaZulu-Natal is truly a birding heaven, with marvels to entice both the experienced birder and newcomers to this rewarding pastime.
One of the best things about birding is that one can do it anywhere, anytime, for birds have mastered the art of adapting to almost any environment. On the South Coast they have an environment made in heaven with many different habitats from beaches to lagoons and estuaries, wetlands forests, gorges and open grassland. The nine nature reserves situated on the South Coast boast a combined bird list of 386 species, while over one third of the total number of birds recorded in the southern African sub-region.
But it is the forest birds with their brilliant coloring and secretive habits that provide the greatest challenge. The two distinct forest types in southern Africa - the Afromontane forests and the rich tropical forests - overlap in the South Coast regions, resulting in a great variety of bird species.
For example you can see coastal forest birds such as Green Coucal, Golden Remped Tinkerbarbet in the same forest as Alfromontane species such as Knysna Loerie, Olive Bush Shrike and Forest Canary.
Cape Vulture, Knysna Woodpecker: Oribi Gorge and Umtamvuna Nature Reserve-
Black-rumped Buttonquail, Grass Owl, Broad-tailed Warbler, Pale-crowned Cristicola, Short-tailed Pipit: Vernon Crookes Reserve
Cape Parrots, Orange Thrushes, Bush Blackcaps, Forest Buzzard: Weza Ngele Forest
Blue Swallow: the grasslands near the Weza-Ngele forest
Spotted Thrush (endangered species): in forests in winter months
Green Coucal, Narina Trogon, Green Twinspot, Grey Waxbill: common forest residents
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