Lion And Safari Park birding
Lion And Safari Park for birding are excellent for driving while looking for birds. The park is locted at: R512 Pelindaba Rd, Hartbeespoort, Broederstroom, between Lanseria and Fourways. It is about 40km from Pretoria and about 66km from O.R. Tambo International Airport.
Entry is R225 to drive with your own vehicle without a guide and children under 12 are free. Other packages are also available, such as tours and guided bush walks. For more information, please visit their website: https://lionandsafaripark.com/
Their website does not mention any bird species, but I photographed Abdim’s storks that brought some attention from other birders on social media that also wanted to view them. The reason for the attention is because the Abdim’s stork is on the Red List, the 2015 Eskom Red Data Book of Birds of South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland. A South African checklist in pdf and Excel formats can be downloaded from:
https://www.birdlife.org.za/media-and-resources/bird-checklists/
You can look out for oxpeckers because there are mammals around. Vultures are also in the area.
Here is a link to help you identify birds in Gauteng:
https://www.inaturalist.org/places/gauteng#taxon=3
This specific area is not listed on the Avibase database, therefore I have chosen Gauteng to assist you with a checklist that can be downloaded:
Here is a nice map to show you what to expect when you drive yourself.
Abdim’s Stork
Lion And Safari Park is an interesting park to visit for birding. Please leave a comment for us about your visit there or if you have anything else to share with us. I would also like to know what birds you have seen there.
You might also be interested in this blog post:
https://www.wwbirds.co.za/dir/roodekrans-birding/
