Dear Malcolm and Gail, Bev and I wish to thank for most sincerely for an outstanding stay at your guest house. From the moment we arrived with a royal welcome and thereafter everything was great. It was very pleasant to meet with your other guests for pre-dinner drinks and a great dinner, which is greatly appreciated. In addition, we wish to thank you both for going out of your way to make to make our stay so great. Breakfast was … Read More
Hi Gail & Malcolm On behalf of the club I have to say a BIG thank-you to you & your team. It was one of the very nicest, and most productive of birding outings that we have ever done. The accommodation was really beautifully done, the food delicious, & number of new specials and lifers for most of us was phenomenal, and appreciated by all. We realised that we are in great danger of becoming twitchers! Our motto may have … Read More
Dear Malcolm and Gail, it has been a special pleasure to spend time with you, a highly professional and pleasant birding guide and also enjoying the hospitality of your guest house and kitchen, ably run by Gail. It is clear to see why many serious birders from all over the globe would choose Creighton as a destination to find the uncommon and rare species to add to their life lists. Seeing the Blue Swallow, Black-rumped Button Quail, Red-throated Wryneck, Crowned … Read More
Malcolm & Gail: Ann and I want to thank you for your hospitality last month – we thoroughly enjoyed our visit with you folks. It was a very relaxing way to end our visit to South Africa and Botswana. It was a long way back home after Malcolm dropped us at the airport (35 hours until we stepped off of the plane in Reno) — we are now pretty much back to normal here. Malcolm: the birding was outstanding – … Read More
Dear Malcom and Gail, I was a marvellous impulse which prompted Graham and Jill Cox to take up to Smithfield to sample your multi-layered hospitality information and entertainment. You provided us with a marvellous and memorable experience which we will not readily forget – comfort, friendliness, super food, splendid birds and a host of impressions, insights and education, all delivered with such fun and grace. We are very grateful and shall certainly pass your webpage to friends and our skilled … Read More
Day 4. The weather hasn’t really improved. It has been dull and rainy since we arrived and so a trip to Marutswa Forest for Cape Parrot, Bush Blackcap and Ground Thrush is abandoned as the forest will be shrouded in cloud. Just as well I saw them in October. We decide to head North towards Bonamanzi earlier than planned. We make good speed and do a quick call at a small reserve on the N2 north of Stanger to look … Read More
Gill and I spent this past Monday and Tuesday at Smithfield Guest House run by Malcolm and Gail Gemmel. Malcolm is an entusiastic and helpfull guide. With little dificulty we flushed 2 male Black-Rumped Buttonquails. We had an unsuccesfull attempt to see Striped Flufftail, but we did have excellent views of 2 Blue Swallows. On Tuesday evening we had great views of Cape Eagle-Owl. I can highly recommend a stay at Creighton. Gail’s food is worth a visit in itself. … Read More
Hallo almal Ek en my vrou, Louise, het ‘n wonderlike week in die Suidelike Drakensberg deurgebring ter viering van ons 21ste troudagherdenking. By Boesmansnek waar ons gebly het, het die bokmakieries byna daagliks in die plante voor ons huisie gesing, Kaapse kanaries het ‘n draai kom maak, gebande oewerswaels was gereeld daar rond en ons kon elke dag kyk hoe die witooievaars in die veld voor ons wei. Die groot voëlkykuitstappie van die week was ‘n oggend saam met Malcolm … Read More
Before Christmas, Lauren read about Creighton in the December issue of Getaway, which I’d brought up from Cape Town. The cover feature was on South Africa’s favourite ‘dorps.â€? “Creighton is just up the drag,â€? she said. “and there’s a place there that does birding tours. Perhaps you could pop up there for a visit.â€? We doubted we would get in at such short notice but we were in luck. Button Birding Tours is Malcolm’s side of the business while his … Read More
Sometimes, memorable birding experiences come not from the sightings themselves, but rather from the signs that your elusive target is, or has been, present nearby. Often, a trogon calling from dense forest can elicit the same amount of excitement as finding the bird itself, and it’s moments such as these that can make our hobby that much more exciting… Which brings me to the time an intrepid group of Creighton Buttonquail hunters exited their vehicles to an unmistakable hooting coming … Read More
(EXCERPTS FROM A KWAZULU-NATAL BIRDING TRIP) Greetings, All! Before the joys of our recent KwaZulu Natal birding trip are completely submerged in the pre-Christmas rush, I thought I`d drop you a line to tell you of fresh wonders awaiting you all out there … in case any of you are looking for new places to visit. We had been invited by our good friends, Anne & Ant Salusbury, to join them at Mkuze Falls Lodge near Pongolo for a celebration … Read More
Hi All, On Thursday the 27th of May a morning’s birding in the Creighton area in the hope of finding the endangered Cape Parrot proved highly successful, and began with one of the finest starts one could ever wish to have for a day’s birding. In the company of Malcolm Gemmell, we set off at 6am with the aim of reaching the proposed parrot stakeout in time to see the birds arriving from their overnight roosts. I was informed by … Read More
(EXCERPTS FROM THE CAPE TO KWAZULU-NATAL BIRD TRIP) We took a leisurely drive from Underberg to the beautiful Creighton Valley with a stop at the Nxumeni Forest in Donnybrook. This is a stunning afro-montane forest just outside the town of Donnybrook and despite our short time there it was easy to tell that is would be well worthwhile. We were there at mid-day which was not ideal but there were still so many calls emanating from the forest canopy including … Read More