Atherstone Nature Reserve is a 23 500 hectare reserve situated close to Dwaalboom, in the Limpopo

Limpopo

Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. The capital is Polokwane, formerly named Pietersburg. The province was formed from the northern region of Transvaal Province in 1994, and initially named Northern Transvaal...

, province in South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. The reserve consists mainly of vast savannah plains with bushveld and Kalahari grasslands eco-systems. Besides antelopes, zebras and giraffes the black rhino and elephants are one of the highlights of Atherstone.

History

Norman Edward Atherstone, who was originally a cattle farmer and become the first game farmer In this area, did a lot to re-introduce some game on his farmland, which was then called the Atherstone Game Reserve. He never had a wife nor children and in his last will, donated his farms to the former Transvaal Nature Conservation Department. In 1990 the Atherstone Nature Reserve was founded and it become the Atherstone Collaborative Nature Reserve in 1994, after some private farms were also incorporated Into the Reserve.

Animals

The following list of animals were taken from pamphlet of the nature reserve.

Common animal species found in the reserve:

Buffalo African Buffalo The African buffalo, affalo, nyati, Mbogo or Cape buffalo is a large African bovine. It is not closely related to the slightly larger wild Asian water buffalo, but its ancestry remains unclear...	Caracal Caracal The caracal is a fiercely territorial medium-sized cat ranging over Western Asia, South Asia and Africa.The word caracal comes from the Turkish word "karakulak", meaning "black ear". In North India and Pakistan, the caracal is locally known as syahgosh or shyahgosh, which is a Persian term...	Cheetah Cheetah The cheetah is a large-sized feline inhabiting most of Africa and parts of the Middle East. The cheetah is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx, most notable for modifications in the species' paws...	Duiker–Grey Common Duiker The Common Duiker, Sylvicapra grimmia, also known as the Grey or Bush Duiker, is a small antelope with small horns found in west, central, east, and southern Africa- essentially everywhere in Africa south of the Sahara, excluding the horn of Africa and the rainforests of the central and western...	Eland Taurotragus Taurotragus, commonly called Eland, is a genus of antelopes of the African savannah, containing two species: the Common Eland and the Giant Eland...	Elephant Elephant Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
Gemsbuck	Genet Genet -Aircraft:*Armstrong Siddeley Genet, aircraft engine*Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major, aircraft engine-Animals and Plants:*Genet , a colony of plants, fungi or bacteria that come from a single genetic source....	Giraffe Giraffe The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...	Hartebeest-Red Red Hartebeest The Red Hartebeest is a species of even-toed ungulate in the Bovidae family. It is found in Southern Africa. There are more than 130,000 individuals left. The Red Hartebeest is closely related to the Tsessebe and the Topi....	Hyena–Brown Brown Hyena The brown hyena is a species of hyena which occurs in Namibia, Botswana, western and southern Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique and South Africa. It is currently the rarest hyena.-Description:...	Impala Impala An impala is a medium-sized African antelope. The name impala comes from the Zulu language meaning "gazelle"...
Jackal-Black-backed Black-backed Jackal The black-backed jackal , also known as the silver-backed or red jackal, is a species of jackal which inhabits two areas of the African continent separated by roughly 900 km. One region includes the southern-most tip of the continent, including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe...	Kudu Kudu The kudus are two species of antelope of the genus Tragelaphus:*Lesser Kudu, Tragelaphus imberbis*Greater Kudu, Tragelaphus strepsiceros- Etymology :...	Leopard Leopard The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...	Monkey-Vervet	Rhino-Black Black Rhinoceros The Black Rhinoceros or Hook-lipped Rhinoceros , is a species of rhinoceros, native to the eastern and central areas of Africa including Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Angola...	Rhino-White White Rhinoceros The White Rhinoceros or Square-lipped rhinoceros is one of the five species of rhinoceros that still exist. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the most social of all rhino species...
Sable Antelope Sable Antelope The Sable Antelope is an antelope which inhabits wooded savannah in East Africa south of Kenya, and in Southern Africa.-Subspecies:There are four subspecies:* H. n. niger which is considered low risk conservation dependent...	Steenbok Steenbok The Steenbok, Raphicerus campestris, is a common small antelope of southern and eastern Africa. It is sometimes known as the Steinbuck or Steinbok.- Description :...	Tsessebe	Warthog Warthog The Warthog or Common Warthog is a wild member of the pig family that lives in grassland, savanna, and woodland in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the past it was commonly treated as a subspecies of P...	Waterbuck Waterbuck The Waterbuck is a large antelope found widely in Sub-Saharan Africa.Waterbuck stand at the shoulder. Males weigh and females . Their coats are reddish brown in colour and become progressively darker with age; they have a white 'bib' under their throats and white on their rumps...	Wildebeest-Blue Blue Wildebeest The Blue Wildebeest , also called the Common Wildebeest, is a large antelope and one of two species of wildebeest. It grows to 115–145 cm shoulder height and attains a body mass of 168–274 kg. They range the open plains, bushveld and dry woodlands of Southern and East Africa, living for...
Zebra Zebra Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...

Common bird species found in the reserve:

Ostrich Ostrich The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...	Hamerkop	Hadeda Ibis	African Spoonbill African Spoonbill The African Spoonbill is a long-legged wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae. The species is widespread across Africa and Madagascar, including Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. It lives in marshy wetlands with some open shallow water and...	Whitefaced Duck White-faced Whistling Duck The White-faced Whistling Duck, Dendrocygna viduata, is a whistling duck which breeds in sub-Saharan Africa and much of South America.This species is gregarious, and at favoured sites, the flocks of a thousand or more birds arriving at dawn are an impressive sight...	Knobbilled Duck
Egyptian Goose Egyptian Goose The Egyptian Goose is a member of the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae. It is in the shelduck subfamily Tadorninae, and is the only extant member of the genus Alopochen...	Secretary Bird Secretary Bird The Secretarybird or Secretary Bird is a large, mostly terrestrial bird of prey. Endemic to Africa, it is usually found in the open grasslands and savannah of the sub-Sahara...	Cape Vulture Cape Vulture The Cape Griffon or Cape Vulture , also known as Kolbe's Vulture, is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is endemic to southern Africa, and is found mainly in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana and in some parts of northern Namibia...	Lappet-faced Vulture Lappet-faced Vulture The Lappet-faced Vulture or Nubian Vulture is a mostly African Old World vulture belonging to the bird order Accipitriformes, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is the only member of the genus Torgos. A distinct subspecies T. t. negevensis occurs in the Sinai, the Negev...	White-backed Vulture White-backed Vulture The White-backed Vulture is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is closely related to the European Griffon Vulture, G. fulvus...	Tawny Eagle Tawny Eagle The Tawny Eagle is a large bird of prey. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. It was once considered to be closely related to the migratory Steppe Eagle, Aquila nipalensis, and the two forms have previously been treated as conspecific...
Wahlberg's Eagle Wahlberg's Eagle The Wahlberg's Eagle is a bird of prey. It is about 55–60 cm in length and has a wingspan of 130–160 cm. Body mass is 1.04 kg for males and 1.3 kg for females on average. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae.Wahlberg's Eagle breeds in most of Africa south of...	Martial Eagle Martial Eagle The Martial Eagle , is a very large eagle found in open and semi-open habitats of sub-Saharan Africa. It is the only member of the genus Polemaetus.-Description:...	Brown Snake Eagle	Black-breasted Snake Eagle	Bateleur Bateleur The Bateleur is a medium-sized eagle in the bird family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as buzzards, kites and harriers...	African Fish Eagle African Fish Eagle The African Fish Eagle or – to distinguish it from the true fish eagles , the African Sea Eagle – is a large species of eagle that is found throughout sub-Saharan Africa wherever large bodies of open water occur that have an abundant food supply. As a result of its large range, it is known in many...
Dark Chanting Goshawk Dark Chanting Goshawk The Dark Chanting Goshawk is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. The Accipitridae also include many other diurnal raptors such as kites, eagles and harriers....	Gabar Goshawk Gabar Goshawk The Gabar Goshawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family.It is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana,...	Crested Francolin Crested Francolin The Crested Francolin is a species of bird in the Phasianidae family.It is found in Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe...	Swainson's Francolin Swainson's Francolin The Swainson's Spurfowl or Swainson's Francolin is a species of bird in the Phasianidae family.It is found in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.-References:...	Common Quail Common Quail The Common Quail, Coturnix coturnix, is a small bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is widespread and is found in parts of Europe, .- Description :It is a small rotund bird, essentially streaked brown with...	Melba Finch Estrildid finch The estrildid finches are small passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. They can be classified as the family Estrildidae , or as a sub-group within the family Passeridae, which also includes the true sparrows....
Helmeted Guineafowl Helmeted Guineafowl The Helmeted Guineafowl is the best known of the guineafowl bird family, Numididae, and the only member of the genus Numida...	Blue Waxbill	Violet-eared Waxbill	White-browed sparrow weaver	Paradise Whydah Paradise Whydah Five species of indigobird are known as Paradise Whydah:* Togo Paradise Whydah, Vidua togoensis* Long-tailed Paradise Whydah, Vidua interjecta* Eastern Paradise Whydah, Vidua paradisaea* Northern Paradise Whydah, Vidua orientalis...	Kori Bustard Kori Bustard The Kori Bustard is a large bird native to Africa. It is a member of the bustard family. It may be the heaviest bird capable of flight....
Lesser Masked Weaver Lesser Masked Weaver The Lesser Masked Weaver is a species of bird in the Ploceidae family.It is found in Angola, Botswana, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland,...	Black Korhaan Black Bustard The Southern Black Korhaan or Black Bustard is a species of bird in the bustard family Otididae.It is endemic to South Africa.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 24 July 2007....	Redcrested Korhaan Red-crested Bustard The Red-crested Bustard or Red-crested Korhaan is a species of bird in the Otididae family.It is found in Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.-References:...	Crowned Plover	Blacksmith Plover	Spotted Dikkop Spotted Thick-knee The Spotted Thick-knee, Burhinus capensis, also known as the Spotted Dikkop or Cape Thick-knee, is a stone-curlew in the family Burhinidae.- Description :...
Double-banded Sandgrouse Double-banded Sandgrouse The Double-banded Sandgrouse is a species of bird in the Pteroclididae family.It is found in Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.-References:...	Rock Pigeon Rock Pigeon The Rock Dove or Rock Pigeon, is a member of the bird family Columbidae . In common usage, this bird is often simply referred to as the "pigeon"....	Red-eyed Dove Red-eyed Dove The Red-eyed Dove is a pigeon which is a widespread resident breeding bird in Africa south of the Sahara. It is a common, if not abundant, species in most habitats other than desert....	Cape Turtle Dove	Laughing Dove Laughing Dove The Laughing Dove is a small pigeon which is a resident breeding bird in the tropics in Africa south of the Sahara, the Middle East and southern Asia east to India. In India it is also known as the Little Brown Dove...	Namaqua Dove Namaqua Dove The Namaqua Dove is a small pigeon. It is the only species in the genus Oena. .-Description:The Namaqua Dove is a tiny sparrow-sized pigeon, typically 22 cm in length with a 28–33 cm wingspan, and weighing 40g. It has a very long black tapered tail, and the size and shape have led to...
Green-spotted Dove Emerald-spotted Wood Dove The Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Turtur chalcospilos, is a pigeon which is a widespread and often abundant resident breeding bird in eastern Africa from Ethiopia to South Africa. It also occurs in a belt from northern Botswana west to northern Namibia, and in a narrow coastal strip through Angola to...	Grey Lourie Grey Go-away-bird The Grey Go-away-bird , also known as Grey Lourie, Grey Loerie, or Kwêvoël, is a southern African bird of uniform grey with black beak and strikingly pink gape. It is widespread in savanna woodland, a clumsy flier though extremely agile in clambering through tree crowns. It has a distinctive loud...	Jacobin Cuckoo	Diederik Cuckoo	Burchell's Coucal	Barn Owl Barn Owl The Barn Owl is the most widely distributed species of owl, and one of the most widespread of all birds. It is also referred to as Common Barn Owl, to distinguish it from other species in the barn-owl family Tytonidae. These form one of two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical...
White-faced Owl Ptilopsis Ptilopsis is a genus of African owls. Its members are:*Northern White-faced Owl Ptilopsis leucotis *Southern White-faced Owl Ptilopsis granti...	Pearl-spotted Owlet Pearl-spotted Owlet The Pearl-spotted Owlet is an owl which breeds in Africa south of the Sahara. This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, Strigidae, which contains most species of owl. The other grouping is the barn owls, Tytonidae.Pearl-spotted Owlet is a common and easily seen...	Flernecked Nightjar	Rufous-cheeked Nightjar Rufous-cheeked Nightjar The Rufous-cheeked Nightjar is a species of nightjar in the Caprimulgidae family.It is found in Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.-References:* BirdLife International...	European Bee-eater European Bee-eater The European Bee-eater, Merops apiaster, is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family Meropidae. It breeds in southern Europe and in parts of north Africa and western Asia. It is strongly migratory, wintering in tropical Africa, India and Sri Lanka...	Little Bee-eater Little Bee-eater The little Bee-eater, Merops pusillus is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family Meropidae. It is resident in much of sub-Saharan Africa. It should not be confused with the Little Green Bee-eater, Merops orientalis. Migration is limited to seasonal movements depending on rainfall...
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Blue-cheeked Bee-eater The Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Merops persicus, is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family, Meropidae. It breeds in Northern Africa, and the Middle East from eastern Turkey to Kazakhstan and India. It is generally strongly migratory, wintering in tropical Africa, although some populations breed...	European roller European Roller The European Roller, Coracias garrulus, is the only member of the roller family of birds to breed in Europe. Its overall range extends into the Middle East and Central Asia and Morocco....	Purple Roller Purple Roller The Purple Roller , also called the Rufous-crowned Roller, is found over sub-Saharan Africa to as far south as Namibia and the Transvaal. Compared with other rollers its colours are rather dull and its voice rather harsh and grating...	Lilac-breasted Roller Lilac-breasted Roller The Lilac-breasted Roller is a member of the roller family of birds. It is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula, preferring open woodland and savanna; it is largely absent from treeless places...	Hoopoe Hoopoe The Hoopoe is a colourful bird that is found across Afro-Eurasia, notable for its distinctive 'crown' of feathers. It is the only extant species in the family Upupidae. One insular species, the Giant Hoopoe of Saint Helena, is extinct, and the Madagascar subspecies of the Hoopoe is sometimes...	Grey Hornbill Grey Hornbill Gray Hornbill may refer to one of several distinct species of Hornbills:* African Grey Hornbill, Tockus nasutus* Malabar Grey Hornbill, Ocyceros griseus* Indian Grey Hornbill, Ocyceros birostris* Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill, Ocyceros gingalensis...
Yellow-billed Hornbill Yellow-billed Hornbill Yellow-billed Hornbill refers to one of the following:* Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill* Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill...	Red-billed Hornbill Red-billed Hornbill Red-billed Hornbill is a relatively small species of hornbill found in savanna and woodland of sub-Saharan Africa. It is sometimes split into five species, the Northern Red-billed Hornbill , Western Red-billed Hornbill , Tanzania Red-billed Hornbill , Southern Red-billed Hornbill Red-billed...	Pied Barbet Pied Barbet The Acacia Pied Barbet or Pied Barbet is a species of bird in the Lybiidae family. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.-References:...	European Swallow Barn Swallow The Barn Swallow is the most widespread species of swallow in the world. It is a distinctive passerine bird with blue upperparts, a long, deeply forked tail and curved, pointed wings. It is found in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas...	Fork-tailed Drongo Fork-tailed Drongo The Fork-tailed Drongo, Dicrurus adsimilis, also called the Common Drongo, African Drongo or Savanna Drongo, is a drongo, a type of small passerine bird of the Old World tropics. The species was earlier considered to cover Asia, but the Asian species is now called the Black Drongo...	Pied Crow Pied Crow The Pied Crow is a widely distributed African bird species in the crow genus.Structurally, the Pied Crow is better thought of as a small crow-sized Raven, especially as it can hybridise with the Somali Crow where their ranges meet in the Horn of Africa...
Brown-hooded Kingfisher Brown-hooded Kingfisher The Brown-hooded Kingfisher is a species of bird in the Halcyonidae family.It is found in Angola, Botswana, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.-References:* BirdLife...	Titbabbler	Puffback	Long-billed Crombec	Wattled Starling Wattled Starling The Wattled Starling is a nomadic resident in eastern and southern Africa. It is a species of grassland, open woodland and cultivation....	Burchell's Starling
Groundscraper Thrush Groundscraper Thrush The Groundscraper Thrush is a passerine bird of southern and eastern Africa belonging to the thrush family Turdidae. It is the only member of the genus Psophocichla....	Marico Sunbird	Red-billed Oxpecker Red-billed Oxpecker The Red-billed Oxpecker, Buphagus erythrorhynchus, is a passerine bird in the starling and myna family Sturndidae; some ornithologists regard the oxpeckers to be in a family by themselves, the Buphagidae. It is native to the savannah of sub-Saharan Africa, from the Central African Republic east to...

External links

• Limpopo Tourism & Parks