SA Rare Bird News Report - 20 April 2017
Trevor Hardaker
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This is the Southern African Rare Bird News Report issued at 20h00 on Thursday, 20 April 2017. 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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Before we get started with the actual report, this is just to inform everyone that next week will be very quiet here on SARBN with no formal reports going out at all. I will be on the Flock at Sea Cruise next week, as I'm sure a vast majority of you will be too so, hopefully, we'll all be enjoying some megas together anyway, but I'm certainly not going to be putting reports together while at sea. In theory, I should have wifi access most of the time so please continue to email or Whatsapp reports through to me and I will try and share the news if and when I can. Normal business should resume the week after the cruise again.
Scarcity reports are certainly starting to taper off and the only EUROPEAN HONEY BUZZARD report received in the last few days is of a bird seen on Monday just off the R907 near Bronkhorstspruit (Gauteng).
On to the rest of the news and, starting in the Western Cape, the NORTHERN SHOVELER at Oudebaskraal Dam in the Tanqua Karoo National Park remained a big attraction for twitchers and was still in place at the eastern end of the dam earlier today. Elsewhere, Strandfontein Sewage Works continued to entertain with a LESSER CRESTED TERN on Pan P2 and a SAND MARTIN roosting with Barn Swallows between Pans S4 and S6 on Tuesday while the RED-NECKED PHALAROPE was also still present at Kliphoek Salt Pans in Velddrif yesterday (entry through Kuifkopvisvanger farm - www.kuifkop.co.za). Another good record concerned a single WHITE-FRONTED BEE-EATER that was seen at Eagles Rest Private Nature Reserve opposite the main entrance to Cape Point on Tuesday. | |||
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Lesser Crested Tern at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Roy Glasspool | Red-necked Phalarope at Velddrif © Linda du Plessis | ||
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Sand Martin at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Roy Glasspool | |||
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Up in the Northern Cape, the 3rd provincial record of an out of range GREY-HEADED KINGFISHER in the last fortnight was received this week with a bird that was present at Tswalu Kalahari Reserve on Tuesday and Wednesday. Also of interest, although slightly delayed, a juvenile LESSER MOORHEN was seen walking around in Nossob camp in the Kgalagadi Transfronteir Park on 8 April.
In the Eastern Cape, the MANGROVE KINGFISHER was still hanging around the Sandbar Floating Restaurant at the mouth of the Bushmans River yesterday. | |||
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Moving up the coast into Kwazulu Natal, there was big news yesterday with the discovery of Southern Africa's 6th ever CITRINE WAGTAIL on a farm south-east of Melmoth, only 5 days after our 5th individual turned up in Swakopmund in Namibia. Naturally, this news drew a number of twitchers to the area today (one can just imagine all the excuses that were used to not be in the office today!) but, unfortunately, the bird could not be relocated again today, so who knows where it might be now. Not stopping there, news has trickled through of a rather delayed record from 25 March 2017 of a BASRA REED WARBLER in a private conservancy along the Phongola River below Jozini Dam at -27.404, 32.128. The bird was sound recorded and the recordings have been circulated to several birders who have all confirmed the identification of the species. This represents the first confirmed record in SOUTH Africa for a good number of years. Elsewhere in the province, the LESSER JACANA was still present at Darvill Bird Sanctuary in Pietermaritzburg at the second pond near Duzi Turf on Tuesday.
And finally, in Limpopo Province, 2 AFRICAN SKIMMERS were located along the Letaba River in the Kruger National Park yesterday about 5km from the bridge on the Boulders Road. |
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Citrine Wagtail near Melmoth © Nick Livs | |||
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Lesser Moorhen at Nossob © Helena Smuts | Mangrove Kingfisher at the Bushmans River © Jessica Macdonald | ||
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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.
Kind regards Trevor -----------------------------------------------------------------------
TREVOR HARDAKER Cape Town, South Africa
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