13/06/2026
"The Season That Refused to End"
-Reflections on the Extraordinary 2025/2026 Season at Zaagkuilsdrift
There is still water on Crake Road.
For anyone familiar with Zaagkuilsdrift, that simple observation says more about the 2025/2026 season than any rainfall statistic ever could.
By June, the floodplain is normally settling into its winter routine. The seasonal pans begin to shrink, the dust slowly returns, and conversations shift towards winter birding.
This year, however, the floodplain has other ideas.
Long after the summer rains should have faded into memory, water still remains across sections of the floodplain and Crake Road, while Greater Painted-snipe continue to be recorded in areas that would ordinarily have dried months ago. It is a fitting reminder of a season that continues to defy the usual rules.
The story of how we arrived here began many months earlier.
The rains arrived early and, for long stretches, showed little intention of stopping. Week after week the floodplain changed. Reedbeds expanded, grasslands remained green, seasonal pans filled and overflowed, and habitats appeared in places where many birders were more accustomed to finding dust than water.
For those who spent time on the floodplain, one of the most remarkable aspects of the season was not simply the amount of water, but its consistency.
Doug Newman repeatedly remarked on how dependable the birding remained throughout the season. Productive areas stayed productive. Water persisted. Habitats remained intact. Long after many expected conditions to deteriorate, the floodplain continued to deliver.
At times, the landscape felt almost reminiscent of the Okavango, with extensive wetlands, lush vegetation and an abundance of life stretching far beyond what many expected for a Highveld floodplain.
The birds responded accordingly.
Traditional hotspots continued to produce, but so did countless overlooked corners of the floodplain. The abundance of water created habitat almost everywhere, and birds took full advantage of it.
As Etienne Marais observed, "for those willing to be patient, all the usual warblers were on offer."
That patience was often rewarded.
Niall Perrins noted how quickly birds responded to changing conditions. Areas that had been productive one week could look completely different the next, while newly flooded habitat continually created fresh opportunities for discovery. In a season where water seemed to appear everywhere, predictability was often replaced by possibility.
Perhaps that was one of the defining characteristics of the season.
The floodplain never stood still.
Of course, patience has always been an important part of birding. So too has the phrase, "Let's just check one more spot," a statement responsible for countless delayed lunches and late arrivals throughout birding history.
This season provided plenty of opportunities for both.
The floodplain seemed to delight in reminding birders that birds rarely read field guides and seldom cooperate with carefully prepared itineraries. Target species were found, often after considerable effort, and many visitors returned to the lodge with stories that improved slightly with every retelling.
African Finfoots featured prominently in many trip reports. Striped Crakes generated their usual mixture of excitement and frustration. Raptors thrived under the exceptional conditions, with European Honey Buzzards, Long-crested Eagles and many others taking full advantage of the productivity created by the rains.
Then, just when everyone thought the season had delivered enough surprises, a hippopotamus appeared.
Not many birding season reviews get to include that sentence.
Yet perhaps the most significant discoveries of the season were not always made through binoculars.
During the summer, Dr Jonah Gula and his team conducted waterbird tracking research on the Kgomo Kgomo floodplain. Their work is helping reveal how waterbirds move between wetlands across southern Africa and further highlighted the importance of this remarkable landscape.
It was a reminder that the floodplain is more than a birding destination. It remains a place where new discoveries are still being made.
While researchers were learning more about the birds, many visitors were discovering the floodplain itself for the first time.
One of the most encouraging developments this season was the number of people experiencing the area for the first time. More birders visited the floodplain, more photographers explored its hidden corners, and more people heard their first River Warbler or watched the landscape come alive at dawn. The floodplain was not only attracting visitors; it was creating new advocates for the region.
That growing appreciation for the floodplain was reflected in a milestone that meant a great deal to everyone connected with Zaagkuilsdrift.
During the season, Zaagkuilsdrift Bird Sanctuary & Lodge was voted Birding Accommodation of the Year – Southern Africa in The Birding Life Awards.
What made the achievement particularly special was that it was determined by public vote.
For a small family-run lodge, the recognition was both humbling and encouraging. More than anything, it reflected the support of the many guests, guides, photographers and birders who have visited the floodplain and become part of its story.
Yet the true measure of the season was never going to be found in a species list, a research project or even an award.
It was found in the experiences people took home with them.
For many visitors, the most memorable moments were not necessarily the birds themselves. They were the early starts and coffee flasks, the anticipation of first light on Kgomo Kgomo Bridge, the conversations on muddy roads, the friendships formed over lifers and the simple pleasure of spending time in a landscape that continually rewards curiosity.
Sometimes the moments that linger longest are surprisingly simple.
One of Doug Newman's standout memories from the season was spending nearly half an hour following a Black Stork through the floodplain. Not because it was rare, but because it wasn't. It was simply an opportunity to spend time with a magnificent bird and share that experience with others.
In many ways, that memory captures the season itself.
The story was never really about rare birds.
It was about immersion in a thriving floodplain. It was about sharing experiences, learning together and appreciating a landscape that seemed determined to reveal something new around every corner.
That same spirit was evident throughout the many courses hosted at Zaagkuilsdrift during the season.
Increasingly, the lodge has become a place where people come not only to find birds, but to learn how to see them differently. Participants arrived with an interest in birding and left with something deeper: a greater appreciation for the floodplain, a heightened awareness of the natural world around them and an eagerness to continue learning long after the course had ended.
Perhaps that is why the season feels so difficult to summarise.
Yes, it was a season of exceptional rainfall.
Yes, there were remarkable sightings.
Yes, there was even a hippopotamus.
But those are merely the headlines.
The real story was the floodplain itself.
It was watching an ecosystem respond to water. It was seeing habitats expand, birds spread across the landscape and familiar places transformed in ways that few of us have witnessed in recent years.
It was a season defined not only by abundance, but by reliability. Week after week and month after month, the floodplain continued to deliver.
Most of all, it was a reminder that the Kgomo Kgomo floodplain remains one of those rare places where no two visits are ever quite the same.
And remarkably, the story is not over yet.
As winter settles across the bushveld, water remains on sections of the floodplain and Crake Road. The birds continue to respond, and the landscape still bears the unmistakable imprint of one of the most remarkable seasons in recent memory.
No two years at Zaagkuilsdrift are ever the same.
Every season leaves its mark on the floodplain, its wildlife and the people fortunate enough to experience it.
The story of the 2025/2026 season was one of water, consistency, discovery and connection.
For many of us, it was also a reminder of why we keep coming back.
Because long after the sightings have been entered into notebooks and birding apps, it is not only the birds we remember.
It is the floodplain at sunrise.
The conversations shared along the way.
And the feeling that around the next corner there might be something unexpected waiting to be discovered.
This season delivered that feeling in abundance.
One thing remains certain. The floodplain will eventually dry. The reeds will change colour and another season will take its place.
But for now, there is still water on Crake Road.
And that tells the story better than anything else could.
Acknowledgements
This reflection was shaped by observations, stories and feedback generously shared throughout the season by Etienne Marais, Doug Newman, Niall Perrins, Jandre Vester, Bongani Ngwenya, Anthony Paton and Dave Chadwick. We are grateful for the countless hours they spent exploring the floodplain and for sharing their insights into another memorable season at Zaagkuilsdrift.
We also acknowledge Dr Jonah Gula and his team for their important waterbird tracking research on the Kgomo Kgomo floodplain during the season.
