Blyde River Canyon

Birds also frequently observed include the Black Eagle, Crowned, Eagle, African Fish Eagle, Gymnogene, Jackal Buzzard, Cape Vulture, Whitebacked Vulture, Bald Ibis, African Finfoot, Narina Trogon, Knysna, Lourie, Purplecrested Lourie, Other species seen are Gurney's Sugarbird, Malachite Sunbird, Cinnamon Dove, Emerald Cuckoo, Redbacked Mannikin, Goldentailed Woodpecker, Olive Bush Shrike and Green Twinspot.

Taita Falcons breed in the gorges and cliffs of the escarpment and are rarely sighted. Cape Eagle Owl, Whitefaced Owl and Wood Owl are among the nocturnal raptors regularly heard. The rocky outcrops of the escarpment are primary perches for early morning raptor spotting.

The Peregrine Falcon is usually seen in the early morning, during windy conditions, as it glides over the edge of the escarpment and heads off to hunt on the upper grassy slopes. African Fish Eagles can be heard vocalising, Gymnogene, Black Eagle, Blackbreasted Snake Eagle, Wahlberg's Eagle, Longcrested Eagle, Jackal Buzzard, Lanner Falcon, Redbreasted Sparrowhawk, and Rock Kestrel are all commonly seen.

The escarpment is well-known for its magnificent birdlife. More than 360 species have been recorded in the area, particularly some 20-odd localised forest birds, such as Knysna loerie, Narina trogon, Blue-mantled flycatcher, Orange thrush and Olive woodpecker. The trails through the canyon are a good place to seek out rare birds, though the Loerie Day Trail above Sabie is conceivably better, passing through several stands of indigenous forest.

The walls of the Blyde River Canyon provide breeding sites for a number of handsome birds of prey, including Black eagle, Jackal buzzard and Lanner falcon, as well as the world's third-largest Cape vulture colony. Endemic to South Africa, and to all appearances similar to the more common and raucous hadeda, the southern Bald ibis, is often seen in the vicinity of Bourke's Luck.

How to get there:

From the zenith of the Escarpment follow R 532 through Strijdom Tunnel and turn right on R 531. Follow the signposts for Aventura Swadini Resort to get into the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve.

To most visitors, the 24 984 ha reserve is a two-level attraction to be approached from either west or east. A public road runs along the long western boundary and there is easy access to beauty spots like The Pinnacle, God's Window with its kloof-framed view of the Lowveld, Bourke's Luck, and a lookout point pointing on The Three Rondavels - unusually shaped hillocks that are also visible from the Aventura Blydepoort Resort, a short distance to the north.

Anyone wanting to explore the upper level more carefully should take to the trails from this resort. The eastern approach, at Lowveld level, is via a road that enters the reserve on the flank of Mariepskop and follows the canyon bottom to the Aventura Resort at Swadini.

Location:

On the Panorama Route in Mpumalanga, Northern South Africa.