SA Rare Bird News Report - 19 November 2012
Trevor Hardaker
| ||
| ||
This is the Southern African Rare Bird News Report issued at 20h00 on Monday, 19 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 | ||
|
| |
Well, there is no doubt that the headline bird of the last few days was the MADAGASCAR CUCKOO discovered near Biyamiti in the Kruger National Park on Friday afternoon. After the initial finders relocated it on Saturday morning, they sent word through of their find and the first alert went out at around 10h30 on Saturday morning.
Immediately, some twitchers put plans into motion to get there as quickly as possible and the bird remained on view being reported again late on Saturday afternoon. This bode well for others and, throughout Sunday, the bird was picked up intermittently as it moved along a roughly 2km stretch of the Biyamiti access road always giving itself away with its loud call. It has continued showing and was still present late this afternoon when the most recent of the twitchers connected with it.
So, why is this bird causing such excitement…? Well, from what I have been able to ascertain, this is only the 8th confirmed record of Madagascar Cuckoo for the Southern African subregion. The first confirmed record of this species was from Mala Mala in Mpumalanga in November 1986 where it returned for several seasons (there is an unconfirmed report of a bird collected in Durban in the late 1800's). Thereafter, it was recorded in December 1995 in Chinizuia in Mozambique, December 1998 in the Vumba in Zimbabwe, August 1999 in Chinizuia again, October 2006 in Phinda Game Reserve in Kwazulu Natal (this bird also returned to this site for several successive seasons), December 2008 near Biyamiti in the Kruger National Park (very close to where this current bird is) and finally in March 2010 in Catapu in Mozambique. On all of these occasions, the bird was heard calling which helped to confirm the identification.
There have also been a number of other potential records of this species where Lesser Cuckoo (an equally rare bird!) could not totally be eliminated as a possibility, so they remain as unconfirmed. |
| |
Madagascar Cuckoo near Biyamiti © Johann Grobbelaar | ||
|
| |
Mpumalanga had plenty of other goodies on offer too. The Nelspruit area produced records of both AYRES’ HAWK EAGLE and EUROPEAN HONEY BUZZARD over Penryn College recently whilst, out at Mkhombo Dam, at least 2 CHESTNUT-BANDED PLOVERS and 2 WHIMBRELS entertained many local listers over the weekend. | ||
|
| |
|
| |
Ayres’ Hawk Eagle in Nelspruit © Mike Meidlinger | European Honey Buzzard in Nelspruit © Mike Meidlinger | |
|
| |
|
| |
Chestnut-banded Plover (with Kittlitz’s Plover) at Mkhombo Dam © Michael Taljaard | Chestnut-banded Plover at Mkhombo Dam © Dylan Vasapolli | |
|
| |
|
| |
Chestnut-banded Plover at Mkhombo Dam © Sue Oertli | Whimbrels at Mkhombo Dam © Matthew Axelrod | |
|
| |
In the Western Cape, a JACOBIN CUCKOO was reported near the camp site in the Karoo National Park over the last week or so whilst there also seem to have been a little irruption of LARK-LIKE BUNTINGS into the south-west of the province with numbers of birds reported over the weekend from several sites in the West Coast National Park as well as in farmlands around Philadelphia. And just for completeness sake, I have included a shot of one of the 3 AUSTRALIAN GANNETS reported from Malgas Island last week.
Moving into the Northern Cape, a surprising record on Friday was that of a GREY TIT-FLYCATCHER at Augrabies Falls National Park, seemingly well out of range in this area.
And finally, in Namibia, it seems to be wader heaven there at the moment with an AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER at Mile 4 Salt Works north of Swakopmund whilst the weekend in Walvis Bay around the lagoon and salt works also turned up an AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER along with the full suite of phalaropes including about 60 RED-NECKED along with a single RED and a single WILSON’S as well. One can just imagine what other exciting goodies are there at the moment just waiting to be found… | ||
|
| |
|
| |
Jacobin Cuckoo in Karoo National Park © Johan de Klerk | Australian Gannet (on left) on Malgas Island © Bruce Dyer | |
|
| |
|
| |
Grey Tit-flycatcher at Augrabies Falls © Japie Claassen | American Golden Plover at Walvis Bay © Eckart Demasius | |
|
| |
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. | ||
| ||
|
| |
| ||
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. | ||
| ||
Kind regards Trevor | ||
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TREVOR HARDAKER Cape Town, South Africa
Follow our local exploits in the field at: http://hardakerwildlife.wordpress.com/
See our photos and trip reports at:
ZEST for BIRDS Pelagics, rarity photos, listing clubs and more:
SA RARE BIRD NEWS Get the latest rarity news by joining at: http://groups.google.co.za/group/sa-rarebirdnews
SOUTHERN AFRICAN RARITIES Online database of all SA rarities ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||
| ||
