Simply Birding Catalog

Nylsvley Nature Reserve
[VNylsvley]

GPS: -24.65004,28.69215

Nylsvley Nature Reserve is situated in Limpopo Province in South Africa. The area has been declared a RAMSAR site, a Wetland of International Importance and has been identified by BirdLife South Africa as an Important Bird Area (IBA). The Nyl floodplain is South Afica's largest ephemeral floodplain and is surrounded by savannah woodland and grassland that together provide varied habitats which support both large numbers of species and large numbers of birds. A large part of the southern section of the 60km long floodplain has been proclaimed as the Nylsvley Nature Reserve.

Nylsvley Nature Reserve is a Provincial Reserve run by the Limpopo Tourism and Parks Board. It is open to the public every day of the year from 06h00-18h00.

Combining both waterbirds, woodland and grassland species brings the total number species recorded here to around 400. The reserve and surrounding area's become inundated from time to time, on average every seven years. When this happens the results can be truly spectacular with tens of thousands of waterbirds descending on the area to breed.

A number of very special species have been recorded at Nylsvley over the years, including Slaty Egret, Eurasian Bittern, Dwarf Bittern, Rufousbellied Heron, White-backed Duck, Pygmy Goose, Lesser Moorhen, Allan's Gallinule, Striped Crake and Streakybreasted Flufftail. Most of these species are to be found during those years when the plain becomes inundated, this is when the rarer herons species breed on the floodplain. Blackwinged Pratincole can often be seen in the summer months in very large flocks!

There are campsites and a dormitory available for accommodation.
The reserve is very well supported by the wonderful folk who run Friends of Nylsvley.

Memory

For more information, please visit the webpage.

This item was added to our catalog on Sunday 03 August, 2008.

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