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I'd just sat down underneath the tree when an elderly couple I'd chatted to the day before showed me he was sitting on one of the lower branches.
I've now ticked all the hornbill species to be found in KNP that I know of:

Trumpeter, Grey, Crowned, Yellowbilled and Redbilled and of course the Ground Hornbill.

Before our last trip to Kruger (Jan-Feb 06) we have never seen Trumpeter Hornbill in Kruger before. During our last trip however we had numerous sightings in the Pafuri area as well as hearing them calling all over that area.

This is the only photo I have of this bird (not taken in a SANPark though). I am sure there are some of you with better photos than this one! Please post it.

The only good shots I have are video unfortunately. But it was one of the first bird calls I had to identify 19 years ago - though haunting babylike braying call, drifting around Parfuri. I even sent a video tape to the Kruger Park - and they kindly identified it!

Can see them throughout the Park by riverine forest. Parfuri frequently - there used to be (before 2000) a huge fig tree opposite the picnic spot, often full of them! Along the Olifants, frquently along the stretch where the H8 joins the H1-4. Inside Skukuza camp by the river. And in Berg en dal, along the dam - again frequently seen there.

Richard

I saw one of my first ones at Sabie river when I was staying at Lower Sabie. It was being bullied by the monkeys and then it flew into a tree close to me, but as I tried to get a little closer, it got frightened. Don't fret, it only climbed higher in the tree. I stopped and, don't you ever get that feeling when you want to talk to a bird?, watched it. It began cleaning it's beak on the branch for about 5 mins and then flew off. I'll post pics later...

Seen them 2x at Skukuza, 1x at Olifants and also in a park next to KNP. The only pics I have managed to get to far are not great

Trumpeter hornbills are common in the north of KZN. I got my wake-up call from a pair that roosts in a huge tree in our garden in St Lucia every morning during our holidays in March. Got a nice digiscoped pix of the female bird.



The pair "played" a syncronised duet from early dawn until it was light enough for them to move on to their daily feeding grounds - this often lasted up to 45 minutes!

Wherever they congregate one can be sure to find a jolly bird party with more than twenty species participating!

Pafuri is great for them , they even come around the picnic site .

Heard them on Sunday @ Pafuri picnic spot... They can also be found on the Mahonie loop.

We saw them a few years ago on the Nyala loop, (that's the loop to the left, opposite the road that takes you to the Pafuri picnic spot.)

We have just been to that area again in August, but did not see them again?

I heard one calling on the H4-1 LS to Skukuza highway, totally distinctive once you know what they sound like.
I tried to locate it in the trees without success but unfortunatly we didn't have too much time to hang around.

September 2007 - Lebombo Eco Trail - Pafuri region

Heard them calling and was lucky to see a pair flying along the river bank - and even more lucky to be allowed out of our vehicle by the ranger to take pics :D

Saw this one on the S8 loop network, just south of Pretoriuskop. Amazing how several birds pop up in the least expected places lately.

Here are some nice portrait shots showing the difference between the trumper hornbill sexes:

Female


Large view

Male


Large view

I went to St Lucia for 2 weeks in Dec 2006, Stayed near the main reception area, which Is in a well forested area, not sure if it's the same place you are talking about....But the birding was great, as were the presence of snakes, I picked up something like 24 lifers(Birds) With Woodwards Batis, Rudd's Apalis with Juveniles, Square-Tailed Drongo, Pink-Backed Pelican, Blue-Mantled Crested Flycatcher, Livingstones Turaco, White-Eared Barbet, Grey Waxbill, 3 New Weaver Species, 2 tern species, 2 New sunbirds, Collared Pratincole and GREEN COUCAL to name some I was impressed by birds like this being present IN town , also got 3 Lifers(Snakes) and 2 lifers(Both Tree Frog Species) and the Red-Duiker.

Also went to Mkuze GR (4 days) as well as Hluhluwe(2 days) and picked up so many more new birds, aswel as a pack of Wild Dogs, with what I can only guess as the Alpha pair mating.....I really can't wait to get down to the Northern KZN again!!