worynjay Jane Flowers is the author of two fiction novels and a number of marketing ebooks.Her books and articles are sometimes produced under the pen-name of Woryn jay. She is an accredited journalist with the Australian news Agency and holds a Diploma in Media Studies from the Australian College of Journalism. Jane works from home as a freelancer, author and Webmaster. She was born and raised in Africa, and now lives in New Zealand View all articles | Contact author

Exotic Zululand. Birding By Habitat

Hunting for the Palmnut vulture in the thick forests would be an almost impossible mission, were it not for their reliance on the raffia palm for their survival. Working on the theory that it is easier to find a raffia palm than it is to spot a bird in the forest, we identified three possible destinations before we set off from a freezing New Zealand winter in search of this endangered bird.

 Our choices included the Raffia Palm Monument in Mtunzini town, Khosi Bay further north and Ponto Do Ouro in Southern Mozambique.

Mtunzini proved to be the easiest destination to access, being only an hour and half from Durban with tarred roads all the way. The second location was a little more difficult to reach, but included an enchanting drive through 'real' Africa to the famous Khosi Bay Reserve. A four-wheel drive adventure took us to our final raffia trees in Southern Mozambique.

In Mozambique, just North of Ponta Malongane, near the town of Ponto Do Ouro, about 30 raffia palm trees stick their heads above the forest canopy. A beach walk and a bit of a scramble brought us to the base of the trees where there was much evidence of past nesting activities. However, we spent three frustrating days without so much as a single bird sighting.

Making our way forlornly back to the border we experienced one of those chance encounters so common to bird watching. With cameras packed away, passports in hand and the wind whipping up the sand in the parking lot we accidentally came across two adult birds wandering around a burnt out wetland behind the border post.

We were saddened by the lost photo opportunity but hoped to make up for it further south at Khosi Bay. This Ezemvelo KZN wildlife reserve is ideally situated for the birds with its myriad lagoons and scattered thickets of palms so we were confident in our quest.

 We saw a lot of fish eagles and under normal circumstances; their acrobatic hunting antics and the haunting beauty of their call would have held us enthralled. But we were not in search of fish eagles. Eventually, we spotted what we thought might be a palmnut vulture brooding on a distant tree in a steady drizzle that poured relentlessly for two days.

Mtunzini town and the nearby Umlalazi Game Reserve was undoubtedly the best option. Here, this peculiar bird that looks like an eagle, acts like a vulture and feeds the young on palm nuts, has a perfect raffia forest close to all its favourite haunts. The inquisitive birds love to haunt lagoons and rivers where the adults can consume fish, lizards, crabs and shellfish.

The raffia forest grew from an experiment in the 1800s to produce brushes and brooms using prison labour. The unsuccessful experiment nevertheless ensured a remnant forest of the raffia that probably accounts for the survival of the Palmnut vulture in Southern Africa.

Today, the Mtunzini town council has adopted the bird and the palm as its logo. Raffia palms are given away free to people who wish to plant them on their farms or in gardens. Consequently, there are raffia palms everywhere and the local people are bonkers about their bird, which is good news for bird and watcher alike.

 Down near the sweeping golden beaches lined with mangroves and swamps, is the Raffia Palm monument itself. Entrance is free and conveniently close to the gates of the Umlalazi Game Reserve. A sturdy wooden boardwalk allows for a comfortable walk through the forest.

Once again, the forest floor was littered with the husks of the discarded fruits and other evidence of nesting. It was interesting to be able to access the very heart of their habitat, but forest birding can be very frustrating. From beneath, it is almost impossible to see through the long palm fronds and at a distance; the birds sitting atop their palms are mere white specks against the vista.  

The solution was to visit the picnic site in the nearby Umlalazi reserve. The convenience of the site was not only the picnic tables, toilet facilities and shady trees. To our delight, we discovered it is on the direct flight path of the vultures in search of crabs in the mangroves.  

Alongside a cement bench where anglers can clean their catch, a coral tree dripping in scarlet blooms and sunbirds provided the vultures a convenient resting perch.  

Awaiting the periodic visits of the vultures, we spotted sixty species of birds, including the elusive finfoot, in and around the picnic site. We also managed to consume a number of beers, barbequed vast quantities of delicious South African boerwors and photographed the Palmnut vulture at our leisure.