SA Rare Bird News Report - 22 November 2012
Trevor Hardaker
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This is the Southern African Rare Bird News Report issued at 20h00 on Thursday, 22 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 COMMON REDSHANK was, once again, showing well at Geelbek in the West Coast National Park yesterday whilst reports also continued to filter through confirming the irruption of LARK-LIKE BUNTINGS into the area as well.
In the Northern Cape, a WESTERN OSPREY at Rooipoort Nature Reserve just outside Kimberley earlier today was a surprise for the province, a rather rare species in this area.
Kwazulu Natal provided a few interesting records in the last few days including a EUROPEAN HONEY BUZZARD at Mhlopeni Game Reserve near Muden on Monday, a EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER at the Umfolozi River estuary on Tuesday and an out of range female SOUTH AFRICAN SHELDUCK at Junction Dam in Phinda Private Game Reserve on Sunday. | ||
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Common Redshank at Geelbek © Basil Boer | European Honey Buzzard at Mhlopeni Game Reserve © Herman Bos | |
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Eurasian Oystercatcher at Umfolozi River © Juan Pinto | South African Shelduck at Junction Dam © Neil Muller | |
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Mpumalanga has continued to produce the goods with the MADAGASCAR CUCKOO near Biyamiti in the Kruger National Park attracting a fair amount of attention and still present until at least yesterday morning. Elsewhere in the province, Mkhombo Dam is also still holding its own with a PECTORAL SANDPIPER and 2 CHESTNUT-BANDED PLOVERS still present there on Tuesday whilst another PECTORAL SANDPIPER, this time at Nsemani Dam west of Satara in the Kruger National Park, was also reported on Saturday.
Limpopo Province also snuck in with a EUROPEAN HONEY BUZZARD being reported from Royal Malewane in Thornybush Game Reserve last week.
And finally, in Botswana, reports have come through of 2 EUROPEAN TURTLE DOVES seen 2 days apart and 25 km apart in the Savuti area. The first bird was report along the Savuti Channel opposite President’s Camp whilst the second individual was noted at a waterhole at Ghoha Hills Lodge. I have asked the locals to provide feedback on whether these birds are seen again at any of these sites and whether they are reliable as I suspect that there would be a number of people potentially interested in twitching these megas. Also of interest was a single EURASIAN CURLEW reported in the Savuti marsh. | ||
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Pectoral Sandpiper at Mkhombo Dam © Johan van Rensburg | Chestnut-banded Plover at Mkhombo Dam © Johan van Rensburg | |
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Pectoral Sandpiper at Nsemani Dam © Josh Engel | European Honey Buzzard at Royal Malewane © Juan Pinto | |
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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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