In the two days that we were in the Kruger National Park (Day 1 and Day 2) we saw countless bird species. Sometimes they were far away, only a small dot on the horizon, and sometimes they were close to the car, so close that I could sneak in a couple of beautiful photographs. Sometimes the sun on the horizon allowed me only to take some silhouette photographs, other times, the light fell perfectly.

In the end, the Kruger is not just for lions and other big game; in fact, it is a birder's paradise. There are countless opportunities to get the perfect shot of a lovely bird. Some of the species are rare, other are at time just as abundant as Impala and other bucks/deer/antelope.

Here is some of the birds that I captured over our two day journey.

Cape Starling

The Kruger is nothing if not for this bird. When you stop at any of the camping sites, you will be greeted by this bird, in its plentitude, begging for food and attention. This makes for beautiful shots, if you have the patience.

Burchell's Starling

This is a rather new one in my photographing career. I almost mixed it with the Cape startling, until I saw that it had not had that characteristic yellow eye. These ones are also very common wherever there are people.

Red-backed Shrike

There are many shrikes in the Kruger. I think this is the Red-backed shrike but this is one of those cases where my 300mm zoom lens was just a bit on the weak side to capture what bird this was.

Magpie Shrike

The second shrike that I captured was the Magpie Shrike. Sadly, it did not want to turn around for me. But I got this lovely photograph of its back.

Helmeted Guineafowls

There are also many types of fowls/Guineafowls in the Kruger. By far the most visible ones and loudest ones are the helmeted Guineafowls. As we drove along, we saw a rather big family running down the road.

European Roller

This is not a bird that I am familiar with. It seems that it is a migratory bird that comes from Europe, but who spends the winter in South Africa. I guess they also do not like the cold European winters!

African Jacana

This is the first time I have seen this bird. Interestingly, there is a book press/publisher with the name Jacana. Now I see the resemblance! Their logo is the bird.

Egret

This is another bird that was far away. There were a lot of them far away! But this is definitely some kind of Egret. Sadly, it is a bit far away from us.

Eagles and Hawks Etc.

I spotted various eagles and hawks as well. They are relatively common sightings, and I even did a whole post about it yesterday.

I am not 100% sure that this eagle is:

But these two photographs are of fish eagles, the one male and the other one a juvenile bird:

I am also not 100% sure what this eagle/hawk is:

African Woolly-Necked Stork

This is another first sighting for me. In terms of new species for me that I photographed, this was a very productive two days!

African Spoonbill and a Grey Heron

It is always interesting to me when two different species of birds stand close to each other. In some sense, they show a harmony and peace we humans do not show to our fellow people.

Red-billed Oxpecker

By far the most sighted bird is probably this oxpecker. Not because people look for it, but because it sits on most of the big animals most people come to see. So, they are probably the most sighted, which is interesting!

Vulture

The vulture is actually just a sad story with so many of them going extinct. It is thus a lucky find when you see one. I think this is two, but I am not sure what species.

Marabou Stork

Between the Marabou, there is another stork. But this was an interesting puddle with many other bird species in it which I could not immediately capture. It is not like people come to the Kruger for these birds, as they are not the most pretty! But a worthy sighting nonetheless.

Goliath Heron

I think this is the Goliath heron. It is also the last new bird that I saw, and the last bird of this post. It was also, sadly, a bit far away.

Postscriptum, or So Many Birds

In the end, I almost felt like I had an overload of birding experiences. It becomes a lot to take in. But it was such a wonderful moment, or moments.

I hope that you enjoyed the variety of bird species that the Kruger has to offer.

For now, happy birding, and keep well.

All of the musings and writings are my own. The photographs are also my own, taken with my Nikon D300 and 300mm zoom lens.