THE BIRDS: KRANZKLOOF AND SURROUNDS

KRANTZKLOOF NATURE RESERVE AND SURROUNDS

These species are those we spotted in and around the Krantzkloof Nature Reserve, this will include the areas immediately in and around our houses in Kloof and Waterfall respectively.

The reserve conserves coastal scarp forest, sourveld grassland, a cliff face biotope, and aquatic environments along its rivers. Scarp forest is a threatened forest type, protected by South Africa's forests act of 1998, while the grassland is classified as KwaZulu-Natal sandstone sourveld, the most threatened terrestrial habitat in the Durban metropole. The reserve was established in 1950 and was augmented by land donations as late as 1999.Most of the reserve’s 584 hectares is covered by dense forest and vegetation and is a fine example of coastal forest and grasslands. It affords spectacular views across the well forested gorge cut by the Molweni River. The Reserve boasts an abundance of wildlife, including zebra, bushbuck, blue, red and grey duiker, vervet monkey, rock hyrax, slender mongoose, white-tailed mongoose, Egyptian mongoose, banded mongoose, water monitor and genet. Birdlife is abundant, with over 230 species on record.

PLEASE NOTE THAT WHEREVER POSSIBLE I HAVE USED OUR OWN PICS, IN SOME PLACES I HAVE USED 3^RD PARTY PHOTOGRAPHS INCLUDING THE OWNERS NAME WHERE POSSIBLE. ILL REPLACE THESE AS WE GET MORE STUFF. We are not photographers and do not have anything resembling decent photographic kit so we make do with point and shoot cameras and wit.

African Goshawk

African Paradise Flycatcher

Barn Swallow

Black Headed Oriole

Black-Collared Barbet

Booted Eagle

Broad-Tailed Warbler

Brown Hooded Kingfisher

Cape Batis

Cape Glossy Starling

Cape Robin-Chat

Cape Turtle Dove

Cape White-eye

Cardinal Woodpecker

Collared Sunbird

Crested Barbet

Crowned Eagle

Crowned Hornbill

Dark-capped Bulbul

Dideric Cuckoo

Fan-tailed Widowbird

Fiery-necked Nightjar

Fiscal Flycatcher

Fork Tailed Drongo

Greater Double-collared Sunbird

Green Wood Hoopoe

Hadeda Ibis

Hammerkop

Lazy Cisticola

Lemon (Cinnamon) Dove

Little Bee Eater

Little Rush Warbler

Little Sparrowhawk

Livingstone’s Turaco

Narina Trogon

Olive Sunbird

Olive Thrush

Pied Crow

Purple-crested Turaco

Red-Capped Robin-Chat

Red-Faced Cisticola

Red-winged Starling

Scarlet-chested Sunbird

Sombre Greenbul

Southern Black Flycatcher

Southern Black Tit

Speckled Mousebird

Square Tailed Drongo

Tamborine Dove

Tawny Flanked Prinia

Thick-billed Weaver

Trumpeter Hornbill

Village Weaver

Violet-backed Starling

Wahlberg’s Eagle

While-necked Raven

White Stork

Wooly-Necked Stork

Yellow Throated Longclaw

Yellow-billed Kite

THICK BILLED WEAVER (F) MARKWELL

BROWN HOODED KINGFISHER (M) MARKWELL

BROWN HOODED KINGFISHER (F) MARKWELL

CRESTED BARBET (M) MARKWELL

NKUTU FALLS, KRANTZVIEW, MARKWELL

MOUNTAIN WAGTAIL (M) MARKWELL

GRASSLAND, WATERFALL, MARKWELL

SPECKLED MOUSEBIRD, (M) MARKWELL

GREY RUMPED SWALLOW, MARKWELL

COLLARED BARBED (M/F) MARKWELL

VIOLET BACKED STARLING (M) MARKWELL

VIOLET BACKED STARLING (F) MARKWELL

VIOLET BACKED STARLING (M) MARKWELL

GREY CUCKOO SHRIKE,(M) MARKWELL

PARADISE FLYCATCHER (M) MARKWELL

TRUMPETER HORNBILL (M) MARKWELL

CROWNED HORNBILL (M) MARKWELL

TAMBOURINE DOVE (M) MARKWELL

KNYSNA TURACO, MARKWELL

LITTLE SPARROW HAWK, MARKWELL

KRANTZKLOOF NATURE RESERVE FROM UVE, MARKWELL

FOREST VIEW FROM UVE, MARKWELL

When departing on this walk we literally walked into an amazing scene.. i was actually eyeing up a mushroom on the side of the path when this movement caught my eye and it was mind blowing.. this incredibly camouflaged Vine Snake was in the process of trying to fit a very large chameleon into his mouth. This tussle went on for a few minutes until it seemed our attention was stressing the snake out, so we left. We managed to get a video and its truly one of the most amazing sights ive seen. The snake is so well camouflaged that it actually has odd, loose scales to imitate bark.

A VINE SNAKE (THELOTORNIS CAPENSIS) EATING A CHAMELEON, MARKWELL

KRANTZKLOOF, UVE CROSSING, MARKWELL

KRANTZKLOOF, UVE, MARKWELL

INTERESTING FUNGUS, MARKWELL

ERACHTHEUS LUTULENTUS, MARKWELL

GREEN WOOD HOOPOE, MARKWELL

WOOLY NECKED STORKS, MARKWELL

The reserve has an interesting variety of indigenous flora. The reserve is home to a high diversity of plants including various rare species. These include cycads of the Encephalartos and Stangeria genera. The E. natalensis cycads of Krantzkloof represent one of several distinguishable varieties. A few specimens of the very rare Natal sandstone quince, Dahlgrenodendron natalense, are present. A relict population of Brachystelma natalense is conserved here, besides the only South African population of the red sunbird bush, Metarungia pubinervia. The vulnerable aquatic plant Hydrostachys polymorpha is found on one of the Molweni's waterfalls, while the Bootlace lily, Drimia flagellaris, discovered in 2005, is endemic to the reserve's cliff faces. The distinctive race floribunda of Crassula multicava is endemic to scarp forest and gorge bottoms of this area. It is home to several species of African violet of the genus Streptocarpus, and includes the core range of the nominate race of S. molweniensis, a vulnerable and declining species only described in 1996. Besides the latter,S. haygarthii, S. grandis, S. prolixus and the nominate race of S. polyanthus are also to be found.

ALL FLORA PICS COURTESY OF THE GOOGLE AND THEIR RESPECTIVE PHOTOGRAPHERS, I HOPE TO ADD OUR OWN SOON.

LEPTOPELIS NATALIENSIS, MARKWELL

On the 21^st we took a little stroll East down the Uve road side of the reserve. Wasn’t a long one as the weather was a bit dodgy.. Nontheless, instead of taking the planned route down to the forest in search of Green Malkoha and Twinspot we stuck to the high ground which offers good grassland and rank grassland/vlei.