27 March 2021
The rain has gone! But it is still a tad chilly in the mornings here in the mountains of the Eastern Cape. We started our day with an “Early” breakfast, did a few household chores and then set off separately for a drive. We met halfway going in opposite directions and then headed back to camp for a cuppa. We then did another drive in the afternoon. Most of the game can be seen on the wide open plains but a few hang out in the mountains too. Birding is good. The views are magnificent. Below are the highlights from both drives.









































Just a final word about the facilities at Mountain Zebra – There are two types of campsite. C indicates a caravan site and T a tent site and the sites are numbered. We are on C32 and 34 with T33 between us. It was not busy when we arrived on Thursday but today (Friday) the weekenders arrived and it is now quite full.
The ablutions are clean and neat but there has been trouble with the water – no water for a few hours on this afternoon (Friday) and the shower in the morning was luke-warm. The Earl is also horrified by the state of the electrics in the camp. He is an electrician! Sadly maintenance is always an issue in South Africa but the beauty that surrounds us makes up for it all. I would still recommend MZNP as a destination.
We usually try to visit during the week, skipping the full weekends. As Burchell’s Sandgrouse do not occur in this region, I think you might find your bird is a Grey-winged francolin – not easy to be sure with the grass in the way 🙂 I have enjoyed your photographs – the park is a lot greener than it was during our last visit!
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Yes Anne I realised after I posted. You’re right it is a grey-winged francolon
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You have seen a lot of birds and animals there Helen. I have not been to this park before!
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MZNP is well worth a visit. If you’re lucky you could get to see the rhino, lion and cheetah too.
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That is amazing!
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