Attendees: Stanley & Asothie Gengan, Bob & Hazel van Rooyen, Michelle Pearson
 (Text and photos: Hazel van Rooyen)
Bird count:: 37 (see end)

Kenneth Stainbank is a 230-odd hectare nature reserve next to Yellowwood Park in Durban.  It is well kept and obviously popular with local families on Sunday visits introducing their young ones to nature and the odd mountain biker.
White-eared Barbets
 
We set off from Uvongo in the pitch dark and by the time we arrived at Kenneth Stainbank the birds were beginning to wake up and so were we!  We were a very small band of five birders but the weather was nice and fresh, typical of a KZN winter morning and after scanning the tree canopies surrounding the carpark/picnic area for the usually numerous White-eared Barbets, we took the trail to the left, through grassland interspersed with indigenous forest, especially coral trees coming into bloom  Before we had gone far the trees became busy with birdlife – Black-bellied Starling, Brown-hooded Kingfisher, White-eared Barbet (at last), Sombre Greenbul, Purple-crested Turaco and many others. 
Southern Black Tit
Purple-crested Turaco


Some small grassbirds caught our attention, and a Zitting Cisticola posed uncharacteristically for a short while.
Zitting Cisticola
Zitting Cisticola

Moving further along a herd of impala looked out at us from a splash of bright orange wild dagga, Leonotis Leonurus. 
Impala


Leonotis Leonurus


At the pond, only a Reed Cormorant was interested in doing some fishing while some Yellow Weavers flew back and forth to the dead branches in the middle of the water.  The track passed through more tall grassland where another herd of impala showed their curiosity before sauntering off unconcerned by our presence.


Impala

A forest of stately yellowwood trees led us back to the carpark and some well-earned coffee.  Amongst the yellowwoods we spotted Terrestrial Bulbul, Dark-back Weaver and Southern Black Tit.  

Back at the picnic site Michelle spied a Red-fronted Tinkerbird flitting amongst the thorn trees.  Suitably refreshed, we took the trail down and along the river which proved rather too long and too quiet so we backtracked to the picnic area for a braai. 
Bushbuck
Thanks birders for your good company.

Bird list (37 species)

Barbet Black-collared
Barbet White-eared
Bulbul Dark-capped
Bulbul Terestrial
Canary Yellow-fronted
Dove Red-eyed
Dove Tamborine
Fiscal Common
Flycatcher Ashy
Flycatcher Southern Black
Goose Egyptian
Greenbul Sombre
Ibis Hadedah

Kingfisher Brown-hooded
Mannikin Bronze 
Mousebird Speckled
Oriole Black-headed
Prinia Tawny-flanked
Robin-Chat Red-capped
Scrub-Robin White-browed
Spurfowl Natal
Starling Black-bellied
Starling Cape Glossy
Starling Red-winged
Sunbird Amethyst
Sunbird Collared
Sunbird Grey
Sunbird Olive
Sunbird Scarlet-chested
Tinkerbird Red-fronted
Tit Southern Black
Turaco Purple-crested
Weaver Dark-backed
Weaver Spectacled
Weaver Yellow
White-eye Cape
Woodpecker Golden-tailed

(Photos: property of photographer)