10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2021

One in November 2018 included a one-day birding trip in the Drakensberg area, a mountain range in the border area between South Africa and Lesotho. Pretty pointless, I guess, if it wasn’t for the birds – though it seems some tourists take the same tour just to get the Lesotho stamp into their passport.

South Africa 222

South Africa Africa Lesotho Nigeria 222

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 19, 2020

Before that, while you all know what South Africa is, what exactly is Southern Africa? And so, back to political entities, this field guide covers Namibia , Botswana , Zimbabwe , the southern half of Mozambique (south of the Zambezi River), South Africa , Lesotho and Eswatini ( Swaziland ).

Africa 264

Africa South Africa Swaziland Lesotho 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2013

What a way to sum up what is undoubtedly one of the world’s greatest birding sites and certainly my favorite in southern Africa. Albeit currently a rugged 4×4-only road, Sani Pass is the most accessible route from KwaZulu-Natal into the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho. Photo by Adam Riley. Photo by Adam Riley. Image by Adam Riley.

Lesotho 164

Lesotho Africa Birds Rats 164

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2012

Africa has more than its fair share of storks, with 8 of the world’s 19 species gracing the continent. Furthermore we have another very special stork-like bird, the regal Shoebill , previously known as the Whale-headed Stork but now placed in its own family.

Africa 233

Africa Tanzania South Africa Uganda 233

10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2012

This image shows Sani Pass, a rough 4×4 track leading into the mountain kingdom of Lesotho. With this quote I have the pleasure of introducing my home province (state) for this month’s 10,000 Bird’s Africa Beat. They discovered Gurney’s Sugarbird during their time in South Africa. Image by Adam Riley. At 36,433 sq.

Mozambique 182

Mozambique South Africa Africa Collecting 182

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 13, 2011

My home country of South Africa can only be described as a birding paradise! Drakensberg (or Orange-breasted) Rockjumper is a Drakensberg Mountain species whose range is shared with the tiny landlocked kingdom of Lesotho. An image of a male can be found in my African Birding Beat intro post [link].

South Africa 215

South Africa Lesotho Africa Swaziland 215

10,000 Birds

MAY 31, 2011

This was tough because this excluded species that occur in two countries within South Africa’s geographical area, Lesotho and Swaziland. I then had a list of 20 or so favorites and decided that, in order to get down to 10 birds, each bird needs to be in a different family. This is what came up: 1.

South Africa 225

South Africa Africa Parrots Swaziland 225