Bramleigh Manor offers exquisite birding opportunities. Our indigenous forest is home to over 200 species of birds.
Birdsong is the soundtrack to life at Bramleigh Manor, from the territorial call of the Knysna Turaco, the plea of the Narina Trogon, night-time laughter of the Wood Owl, Emerald cuckoo, hornbills, cranes – an idyllic setting to be interrupted only by the sound of birds. Enjoy a soul-restoring walk through the forest, below giant Yellowwood trees, with the shy Samango monkeys swinging above, abundant birdlife and calming streams. Hot, dry grassland trails provide panoramic views of Drakensberg. Or curl up with a book next to the fire, relax on the patio and soak up the fresh country air, be soothed by nature.
Our accommodation supports sustainable tourism, without minimising comfort; powered by the sun, complete with electric blankets, energy efficient lighting and appliances. Wood burning stoves efficiently heat the rooms, using sustainably harvested alien wood. Water is supplied from a forest stream, filtered and ready to drink, cool, straight from the tap. Natural cleaning products provide a fresh fragrance. Sample farm fresh organic produce and eggs. Picnic breakfasts and light dinners available on request.
List of birds found at Bramleigh Manor and surrounding estates:
(Robert’s Bird Book reference number) Compiled by R.Lindie
| Ref | Bird Name | Ref | Bird Name | ||
| 8 | Dabchick | 452 | Redbilled Wood Hoopoe | ||
| 55 | Whitebreasted Comorant | 455 | Trumpeter Hornbill | ||
| 58 | Reed Comorant | 463 | Ground Hornbill | ||
| 60 | Darter | 464 | Blackcollared Barbet | ||
| 62 | Grey Heron | 469 | Redfronted Tinker Barbet | ||
| 63 | Blackheaded Heron | 473 | Crested Barbet | ||
| 65 | Purple Heron | 474 | Greater Honeyguide | ||
| 67 | Little Egret | 480 | Ground Woodpecker | ||
| 71 | Cattle Egret | 483 | Goldentailed Woodpecker | ||
| 81 | Hamerkop | 486 | Cardinal Woodpecker | ||
| 83 | White Stork | 488 | Olive Woodpecker | ||
| 91 | Sacred Ibis | 494 | Rufous Naped Lark | ||
| 92 | Bald Ibis | 518 | European Swallow | ||
| 94 | Hadeda Ibis | 520 | Whitethroated Swallow | ||
| 95 | African Spoonbill | 526 | Greater Striped Swallow | ||
| 99 | Whitefaced Duck | 527 | Lesser Striped Swallow | ||
| 102 | Egyptian Goose | 529 | Rock Martin | ||
| 103 | South African Shelduck | 530 | House Martin | ||
| 104 | Yellowbilled Duck | 534 | Banded Martin | ||
| 105 | African Black Duck | 536 | Black Saw-wing Swallow | ||
| 108 | Redbilled Teal | 538 | Black Cuckooshrike | ||
| 112 | Cape Shoveller | 540 | Grey Cuckooshrike | ||
| 113 | Shouthern Pochard | 541 | Forktailed Drongo | ||
| 116 | Spurwinged Goose | 545 | Blackheaded Oriole | ||
| 118 | Secretary Bird | 547 | Black Crow | ||
| 119 | Bearded Vulture | 548 | Pied Crow | ||
| 122 | Cape Vulture | 554 | Southern Black Tit | ||
| 126 | Yellowbilled Kite | 565 | Bush Blackcap | ||
| 127 | Black Shouldered Kite | 568 | Blackeyed Bulbul | ||
| 128 | Cuckoo Hawk | 569 | Terrestrial Bulbul | ||
| 131 | Black Eagle | 572 | Sombre Bulbul | ||
| 139 | Longcrested Eagle | 577 | Olive Thrush | ||
| 140 | Martial Eagle | 580 | Groundscraper Thrush | ||
| 141 | Crowned Eagle | 588 | Buffstreaked Chat | ||
| 148 | African Fish Eagle | 589 | Familiar Chat | ||
| 149 | Steppe Buzzard | 596 | Stone Chat | ||
| 150 | Forest Buzzard | 598 | Chorister Robin | ||
| 152 | Jackal Buzzard | 601 | Cape Robin | ||
| 155 | Redbreasted Sparrowhawk | 606 | Starred Robin | ||
| 157 | Little Sparrowhawk | 625 | Icterine Warbler | ||
| 158 | Black Sparrowhawk | 639 | Barratt’s Warbler | ||
| 160 | African Goshawk | 643 | Willow Warbler | ||
| 165 | African Marsh Harrier | 644 | Yellow Throated Warbler | ||
| 169 | Gymnogene/African Harrier Hawk | 648 | Yellowbreasted Apalis | ||
| 170 | Osprey | 645 | Barthroated Apalis | ||
| 171 | Peregrine Falcon | 657 | Greenbacked Bleating Warbler | ||
| 172 | Lanner Falcon | 661 | Grassbird | ||
| 180 | Eastern Redfooted Kestrel | 666 | Cloud Cisticola | ||
| 192 | Redwing Francolin | 672 | Rattling Cisticola | ||
| 196 | Natal Francolin | 679 | Lazy Cisticola | ||
| 198 | Rednecked Francolin | 681 | Neddicky | ||
| 199 | Swainsons Francolin | 683 | Tawny Flanked Prinia | ||
| 200 | Common Quail | 686b | Drakensberg Prinia | ||
| 203 | Helmeted Guinea Fowl | 690 | Dusky Flycatcher | ||
| 207 | Wattled Crane | 694 | Black Flycatcher | ||
| 208 | Blue Crane | 698 | Fiscal Flycatcher | ||
| 209 | Crowned Crane | 700 | Cape Batis | ||
| 210 | African Rail | 708 | Blue Mantled Flycatcher | ||
| 213 | Black Crake | 710 | Paradise Flycatcher | ||
| 218 | Buffspotted Flufftail | 713 | Cape Wagtail | ||
| 223 | Purple Gallinule | 716 | Grassveld Pipit | ||
| 226 | Common Moorhen | 717 | Longbilled Pipit | ||
| 228 | Redknobbed Coot | 727 | Orangethroated Longclaw | ||
| 231 | Stanley’s Bustard | 728 | Yellowthroated Longclaw | ||
| 255 | Crowned Plover | 732 | Fiscal Shrike | ||
| 258 | Blacksmith Plover | 736 | Southern Boubou | ||
| 260 | Watted Plover | 740 | Puffback Shrike | ||
| 284 | Ruff | 746 | Bokmakierie | ||
| 286 | Ethiopian Snipe | 750 | Olive Bush Shrike | ||
| 298 | Water Dikkop | 759 | Pied Starling | ||
| 349 | Rock Pigeon | 764 | Glossy Starling | ||
| 350 | Rameron Pigeon | 769 | Redwinged Starling | ||
| 352 | Redeyed Dove | 774 | Gurney’s Sugarbird | ||
| 354 | Cape Turtle Dove | 775 | Malachite Sunbird | ||
| 355 | Laughing Dove | 783 | Lesser Doublecollared Sunbird | ||
| 356 | Namaqua Dove | 785 | Greater Doublecollared Sunbird | ||
| 359 | Tambourine Dove | 790 | Olive Sunbird | ||
| 370 | Knysna Lourie/Turaco | 792 | Black Sunbird | ||
| 377 | Redchested Cuckoo | 796 | Cape White Eye | ||
| 378 | Black Cuckoo | 801 | House Sparrow | ||
| 380 | Great Spotted Cuckoo | 803 | Cape Sparrow | ||
| 384 | Emerald Cuckoo | 804 | Grey Headed Sparrow | ||
| 385 | Klaas’ Cuckoo | 807 | Thickbilled Weaver | ||
| 386 | Diederik Cuckoo | 811 | Spottedbacked Weaver | ||
| 391 | Burchell’s Coucal | 813 | Cape Weaver | ||
| 392 | Barn Owl | 814 | Masked Weaver | ||
| 393 | Grass Owl | 824 | Red Bishop | ||
| 394 | Wood Owl | 826 | Golden Bishop | ||
| 395 | Marsh Owl | 828 | Redshouldered Widow | ||
| 400 | Cape Eagle Owl | 831 | Redcollared Widow | ||
| 401 | Spotted Eagle | 832 | Longtailed Widow | ||
| 411 | European Swift | 840 | Bluebilled Firefinch | ||
| 412 | Black Swift | 844 | Blue Waxbill | ||
| 415 | Whiterumped Swift | 846 | Common Waxbill | ||
| 417 | Little Swift | 850 | Swee Waxbill | ||
| 418 | Alpine Swift | 852 | Quail Finch | ||
| 424 | Speckled Mousebird | 857 | Bronze Mannikin | ||
| 427 | Narina Trogan | 860 | Pintailed Wydah | ||
| 428 | Pied Kingfisher | 864 | Black Widowfinch | ||
| 429 | Giant Kingfisher | 869 | Yelloweyed Canary | ||
| 431 | Malachite Kingfisher | 872 | Forest Canary | ||
| 435 | Brown Hooded Kingfisher | 871 | Bully Canary | ||
| 446 | European Roller | 881 | Streakyheaded Canary | ||
| 451 | Hoopoe | 884 | Goldenbreasted Bunting |
