With over 240,000 hectare of wilderness lying at its feet, the Drakensberg offers a birdwatching experience that is hard to beat.

Birdlife in the Drakensberg

The Drakensberg is home to a host of natural terrains – sprawling wetlands, vast forests, rolling valleys, steep cliffs… By default, it’s also home to a wide variety of indigenous bird species (over 300, in fact), making it the perfect location for sightings. Some of our feathered friends include grey crowned, wattled and blue cranes; bearded vultures; and the Rudd’s lark.

Take your Family Birdwatching

Imagine getting your family to exercise, learn and have fun all at the same time? Birdwatching achieves these three with ease… And it’s inexpensive, too; which means you can bring the kids’ friends along for the adventure!
Taking a walk through the wilderness is bound to make your troupe break in a sweat. The great part is, they’ll be so busy on their birding quest, they won’t even notice. The achievement of potting a feather friend is also quite exciting. Fun factor? Check!

But the most important part of the birdwatching experience is the learning that goes with it. It’s interactive, so the kids will get far more out of it than they would any textbook. They’ll also have some really cool pictures to take back to school for show and tell.

Endangered Bird Species Worth Seeing

To our dismay, there are 30 birds in the Drakensberg that are currently on the endangered species list – another reason why you’d want to get a pair of binoculars in your children’s hands. While Oaklands Country Manor is doing our best to improve the situation, the sad reality is we don’t know how much longer these magnificent species will last.
Hopefully, after seeing them in action in their natural habitats, you too can join the fight to save them. Some of the bird species that need your help are the severely endangered wattled crane (about 140) and bearded vulture (approx. 400), as well as, the Rudd’s lark, Cape Griffon and the Crowned crane. The kids would simply adore the colourful plume of the last one!

So what are you waiting for?! Head to the Drakensberg before these birds take flight for good. They might not (but we hope they will) be here forever…