Migrant Birds at Kariega
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Bird Migrants in Eastern Cape Reserve
Kariega ranger Jone Fick shares information about some of the birds you are likely to see at Kariega during the summer months.
For the last few weeks at Kariega Game Reserve we have been seeing some of the annual bird migrants coming back to our neck of the woods. Feathery creatures like White storks (Ciconia ciconia), European rollers (Coracias garrulous) - pictured below, European swallows (Hirundo rustica) and Amur falcons (Falco amurensis) - pictured above.
Summer Birds in the Eastern Cape
When these birds arrive on our side of the world we know summer has arrived. At Kariega Game Reserve this means high temperatures and good rains. This also means huge food sources for the birds like grasshoppers, beetles, worms and other yummy critters. Most European guests visiting South Africa will know some of these bird species especially the white storks as they are known to build nests on top of chimneys where they breed in Europe.
The birds migrate all the way across the world to warmer places and better food. These birds are amazing athletes and fly incredible distances. A bird like the white stork will migrate between Europe and South Africa which is around ±8 000 km or ±5 000 miles one way. Amur Falcons will enjoy the areas of northern China and Siberia in their summers to breed and then make the ±11 200 km or ±7 000 mile journey to South Africa for our summer.
So when visiting us at Kariega, keep an eye out for these incredible birds. They came a long way to see you.
Did you see any of these special visitors while at Kariega? We would love to hear from you. Please post your pictures on our Facebook page or email us on bronwen@kariega.co.za.
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