Golden-breasted Bunting

One of the most rewarding spots for bird photography that I have ever been to is the Kamasinga hide in the 40 000-hectare uMkhuze Game Reserve in northern Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal. This particular hide was upgraded and virtually rebuilt a short while before our visit, and it was unquestionably designed with the wildlife photographer in mind.

- Koos Pieters

We were there during the month of July, when the park was in the midst of a dreadful drought. In fact, it was so bad that all the waterholes had dried up, and the park management was carting water to this particular hide so that animals and birds had at least one waterhole where they could drink. The upside of this was that almost all living creatures in the park had to come to this particular spot to drink, and all the onlooker had to do was to sit and watch, and enjoy one great sighting after the next.

It was encouraging to see how many rhino came to drink; but at the same time one couldn’t help thinking how long it would be before they, too, became a statistic on the poachers’ list. Several troops of baboons pitched up to drink, and, as usual, their characteristic performances were nothing short of hilarious entertainment. Warthogs riddled with Oxpeckers lined the edge of the waterhole while small herds of Impala had to squeeze their way into the circle.