“The “Big 6″?”, you may be asking yourself.

We didn’t accidentally tally up one extra for good measure. There are a number of lists that have arisen throughout the safari industry. This one includes the following:

• Martial Eagle
• Lappet-faced Vulture
• Kori Bustard
• Saddle-billed Stork
• Southern Ground Hornbill
• Pel’s Fishing Owl

The Big 6 birds list was established to rival the Big 5 animals that everyone traditionally aims to see on Safari. It is a group consisting not only of large birds, but individuals that are also striking in appearance and that can be relatively difficult to find.

In addition to the Big 6, we set out on our 10 day adventure to see the traditional Big 5 animals, while ticking off as many bird species as we could, attempting to get photographic evidence of as many as possible. This was no easy task we set ourselves, however we knew we had time, and we felt confident that the wilderness would deliver. And it did!

The magnificent martial eagle. This was the first of the Big 6 birds that we saw. We found one on our first day and one on our very last evening! The piercing yellow eyes and massive talons are quite a sight.

Our first few drives were slow from a mammal perspective, but our bird count flew through the roof. This is typical of many species counts as one will encounter many of the common individuals quickly, then the rate of new additions slows. Our constant birding did mean that the vehicle was switched off a lot and we were able to hear animals around us that we would otherwise have missed.

A Southern ground hornbill calls from a branch on a fallen tree. Second of the Big 6 ticked off.

During coffee one morning in the northern parts of Londolozi, deep booming calls echoed across the hills close-by. I ran up a small mound behind us and the red throat patch of a Southern ground hornbill caught my eye. Coffee was ditched and we rushed across in the vehicle to get the view and the shots that we needed!

A white rhino walks across a clearing as zebra feed in the background. We had not forgotten about the birds’ larger counterparts. That took our Big 5 tally to one out of five.

We went for a walk between drives along the Londolozi camp path one day, in an effort to seek out some of the more elusive thicket species in the riverine vegetation. We excitedly passed the 150-bird mark on this walk. Some highlights from the walk were scarlet-chested sunbird and a pair of ashy flycatchers.

A breeding herd of elephants marching towards us in close formation, with the youngest kept in the middle for safety. This was early one afternoon as we set off for the open grasslands to try and find ostrich and the kori bustard.

A Kori bustard. Probably my third sighting in my career at Londolozi ever. This bird is a World record holder as the heaviest of all birds that is still able to fly, weighing in between 5 (females) and 12 (males) kilograms.

Our search for the Kori bustard was successful in the open grasslands. We also ticked off a family of Ostriches that afternoon and many elephants… We did experience a sense of failure though as our search for a cheetah led us to a patch of flattened grass on which the cheetah had slept that morning, with no further sign anywhere around!

Hard at work in the open grasslands.

A relatively uncommon summer migrant – a Great Spotted Cuckoo. I have never been able to observe one for long enough to get a photo. These birds migrate from North Africa each year, laying their eggs mostly in the nests of starlings, who raise the chicks in the belief that they are the starlings’ own.

We did realise that it was only fair for everyone to not focus entirely on birds. Especially as one of the four guests on the vehicle was not as serious as everyone else about our feathered counterparts. We put in some serious hours in search of lions, and were duly rewarded. Not only did we find the lions we had been searching for, but we also found a lappet-faced vulture! A real rarity, especially as their numbers are dwindling across Southern Africa.

Not the prettiest of all birds, but a formidable species, capable of tearing through flesh with the heavy-set bill.

A herd of buffalo was also in the vicinity. Judging by the tracks of the lions and where they had moved overnight, they had been hunting the herd of buffalo but had been unsuccessful.

By this stage, we had seen four of the Big 6 birds, and had been lucky enough to see all members of the Big 5 mammals. Two of the Big 6 remained: Pel’s fishing owl, and Saddle-billed stork. We had assumed the stork would be an easy find as a breeding pair had been seen at Finfoot crossing in the Sand River for weeks on end. However, as fate had it, the Sand River had flooded and the storks had flown off for the duration of our challenge.

The Pel’s fishing owl on the other hand… For those of you that are unfamiliar with this species, birders will travel across Africa to major river systems where the birds are known to occur, then still track for days to try and get a single glimpse of one. It’s basically the Holy Grail of Southern African birding. I personally have only ever seen one, and it immediately flew away from us across a river to disappear from sight. I did some research and found out that John and Dave Varty have only ever seen one here at Londolozi. Reports from our distant neighbours in the western Sabi Sands filtered in that there had been sightings along the Sand River in the past few years. We considered as a team that maybe we should take a day trip four hours north to the Olifants River in search of this majestic species. We didn’t end up going…

Distractions like the Finfoot female leopard lying in an open marula tree did slow us down from time to time…

We were now desperate to tick off the Saddle-Billed Storks. We kept our efforts close to rivers and waterholes as we knew that they are typically found feeding in these areas. One afternoon on our second last day, we had found lion tracks that led towards the open banks of the Sand River. As we emerged from the trees, we couldn’t believe our eyes. We had found them!

A beautiful male saddle-billed stork wades through the shallows of the Sand River. Listed as endangered in Southern Africa, every sighting of these stunning birds is a special one.

Not only had we found the pair of saddle-billed storks, but the pride of lions was lying on the sandy banks of the Sand River in the foreground. Two at once… We must have looked crazy as our whole vehicle was madly photographing the storks, with our backs turned to the pride of lions!

The lions we had been searching for, staring towards the storks that we had also been searching for… A wonderful moment in time, and a fantastic way to tick off the fifth of the Big 6 birds.

Our tally for the ten days:

• 186 bird species
• Big 5 twice over (including a lifetime goal achieved for one guest – the Big 5 in one game drive)
• Five of the Big 6 birds.

The one that got away… A picture of the elusive Pel’s fishing owl. I searched the Londolozi archives but couldn’t find a picture of one from here. Image from Wikipedia.