SA Rare Bird News Report - 26 November 2012
Trevor Hardaker
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This is the Southern African Rare Bird News Report issued at 20h00 on Monday, 26 November 2012. Information has been gleaned from various websites, email groups as well as from individual observers who have passed on their sightings. This report cannot be taken as being totally comprehensive as it is based only on information made available at the time of writing. All bird sightings reported here are reported in good faith based on information as provided by the observers. Any inaccuracies are totally unintentional and the writer cannot be held liable for these. For those who may have only joined the group recently and are interested in finding out what has been seen in the past, previous reports can be viewed at http://groups.google.co.za/group/sa-rarebirdnews | ||
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Starting in the Western Cape, the only report worth mentioning is the continuing irruption of LARK-LIKE BUNTINGS into the south-west of the province with good numbers reported again from the West Coast National Park over the weekend and birds recorded as far south as Koeberg Nature Reserve.
In the Eastern Cape, a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE was located yesterday in the Kaba Valley adjacent to the Woody Cape section of Addo National Park. | ||
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Moving into Kwazulu Natal, the SOOTY TERN was, once again, present at the mouth of the Umfolozi River yesterday along with a single EURASIAN CURLEW whilst other good birds from the province over the weekend included 5 CASPIAN PLOVERS and a YELLOW WAGTAIL at Mpempe Pan, LEVAILLANT’S CUCKOO and BENNETT’S WOODPECKER at Pongola Nature Reserve and 4 CHESTNUT-BANDED PLOVERS at Nibela Peninsular.
Perhaps the most bizarre record was of a SOUTHERN GROUND HORNBILL reported this morning in Umhlanga in a park on the corner of William Campbell Drive and Old Bush Road, surely not your typical suburban species!
Heading into Mpumalanga, numbers of twitchers traversed the Biyamiti road in the Kruger National Park looking for the MADAGASCAR CUCKOO this weekend without any success, but I have just, this evening, received a report that the bird was seen early yesterday morning about 3km east of the junction between the S114 and S139. Elsewhere in the province, it was Mkhombo Dam that produced a juvenile CHESTNUT-BANDED PLOVER as well as the 2 WHIMBRELS still being around as well. |
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Lark-like Bunting in the West Coast National Park © Frans-Hendrik Joubert | ||
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Red-necked Phalarope in the Kaba Valley © Dylan Weyer | Chestnut-banded Plover at Mkhombo Dam © Juan Pinto | |
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In Gauteng, a EUROPEAN HONEY BUZZARD was reported from Walkerville on Saturday.
The North-west Province also produced a few birds of interest including a PECTORAL SANDPIPER reported from the Kgomo Kgomo area on Friday afternoon. The following directions have been provided to the site:
If you're coming from the Kgomo-Kgomo bridge, then you turn right at the Kgomo-Kgomo t-junction and after a few hundred metres there are some water holes on the left-hand side of the road, and it was in there. The co-ords are roughly -25.155841, 28.095163.
The province also turned up another out of range species when an AFRICAN WOOD OWL was located at Madikwe Gardens, a private property bordering the Madikwe Game Reserve and seemingly about 300km out of range.
And lastly, in Namibia, at least 4 WOODLAND KINGFISHERS have returned to Monte Christo about 30km north-east of Windhoek, this for the 4th successive season now and well south of their normal range. | ||
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Pectoral Sandpiper at Kgomo Kgomo © Matthew Axelrod | African Wood Owl at Madikwe Gardens © Ross Hawkins | |
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Please remember to send through your details to be included on the various listing clubs that are hosted at www.zestforbirds.co.za. This website also has an extensive rarities gallery that has many additional photos of a number of rarities that are mentioned in these reports. | ||
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Thank you to all observers who have contributed their records. Please continue to send through any reports of odd birds as well as continued updates on the presence of rarities already previously reported, no matter how mundane you think they may be. Even if you think someone else has probably sent in a report, rather send the report yourself as well. The only way to improve this service and to make it as useful as possible to everyone is if it can be as comprehensive as possible. | ||
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Kind regards Trevor | ||
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TREVOR HARDAKER Cape Town, South Africa
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SOUTHERN AFRICAN RARITIES Online database of all SA rarities ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||
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