SA Rare Bird News Report - 16 January 2017

[Trevor Hardaker]

 

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This is the Southern African Rare Bird News Report issued at 20h00 on Monday, 16 January 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
Let's start with the scarcities first:   EUROPEAN HONEY BUZZARD:   * One in a garden in Meyerville, Standerton (Mpumalanga) on Thursday. * One in a garden in Middelburg (Eastern Cape) on Friday. * One over Klein Windhoek (Namibia) on Friday. * One at Luxury Hill, Windhoek (Namibia) on Friday. * One in Pretoria Botanical Gardens (Gauteng) on Saturday. * One around the inselsbergs in Madikwe Game Reserve (North-west Province) on Saturday. * One at Leeuwfontein Estate near Roodeplaat Dam (Gauteng) on Saturday. * One at Makotopong, 20km north-east of Polokwane (Limpopo) on Saturday. * One below Zaaihoek Dam wall in Wakkerstroom (Mpumalanaga) on Saturday. * One over Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens (Western Cape) yesterday. * Two birds over Van Staden's Gorge (Eastern Cape) yesterday. * One in a Centurion garden (Gauteng) today. * One at Vaal River Country Lodge (Gauteng) today.   GREEN SANDPIPER:   * One along the northern fence of Madikwe Game Reserve (North-west Province) on Saturday. * One at the Biyamiti lowwater bridge in the Kruger National Park (Mpumalanga) on Saturday.
European Honey Buzzard at Vaal River Country Lodge © Jo Dreyer			European Honey Buzzard in Centurion © Etienne Marais
European Honey Buzzard in Meyerville © Tobie Pretorius			European Honey Buzzard in Middelburg © Tino Herselman
European Honey Buzzard at Makotopong © Geoff Goetsch
On to the rest of the news and, starting in the Western Cape, Strandfontein Sewage Works kept its appeal throughout the weekend where the TEMMINCK'S STINT, AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, PECTORAL SANDPIPER, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE and SPOTTED CRAKE were all reported fairly regularly while the AFRICAN JACANA and a couple of SAND MARTINS were also intermittently reported on the weekend (most birds were still in place today as well). As if that wasn’t enough, at around 7pm this evening, a single ELEGANT TERN was discovered in the tern roost on Pan P2 and it will be interesting to see whether it is still around tomorrow or not. Just next door at Rondevlei Nature Reserve, the SPOTTED CRAKE at the Wheeler hide also remained present throughout the weekend although sightings were a little erratic. Up on the west coast, at least 2 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES and 2 CASPIAN PLOVERS were also still in attendance this morning at Kliphoek Salt Pans in Velddrif.   Moving eastwards, the RED-NECKED BUZZARD was also still drawing twitchers in from all over the country as it remained available in the vicinity of the old stone church at Melkhoutfontein close to Stilbaai throughout the weekend and was also still there today. Other good records concerned a LONG-CRESTED EAGLE seen at Grootvadersbosch Forest on 7 January at -34.001, 20.829 while the EUROPEAN ROLLER was still just off Morrison Road near Glentana on Friday afternoon. Delayed news of a BLACK HERON seen on 14 December 2016 at the Rondevlei hide in Wilderness has also trickled through today – I have no idea whether the bird is still around or not, but it may be useful for locals to go and have a look for it anyway and then let me know whether they find it or not, so that I can post further updates on it.
Temminck’s Stint at Strandfontein Sewage Works © David Hall		Temminck’s Stint at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Wim de Klerk
Temminck’s Stint at Strandfontein Sewage Works © John Fincham		Temminck’s Stint at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Freddie Strauss
American Golden Plover at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Wim de Klerk		American Golden Plover at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Freddie Strauss
Spotted Crake at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Wim de Klerk		Spotted Crake at Rondevlei Nature Reserve © Linda McIntosh
Spotted Crake at Rondevlei Nature Reserve © Alice Moller		Spotted Crake at Rondevlei Nature Reserve © Andy Bullmore
African Jacana at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Freddie Strauss		Red-necked Phalaropes at Velddrif © Eddie du Plessis
Red-necked Buzzard at Still Bay © Gerhardus Malherbe		Black Heron in Wilderness © Rousseau Lotter
From the Northern Cape comes a slightly delayed record from 1 January where a THRUSH NIGHTINGALE was photographed on a farm about 40km north of Carnarvon, well out of this species' known range.   In the Eastern Cape, the biggest news was the discovery of a NORTHERN ROCKHOPPER PENGUIN at The Willows in Port Elizabeth on Saturday. Unfortunately, this bird was in an exhausted state and was taken into care at SAMREC where it will now be nursed back to health hopefully. Also creating much local interest, a BLACK HERON was discovered at Quinera Lagoon in East London on Saturday, a great record for the province, while a BROWN SNAKE EAGLE was located about 15 km south of Graaff-Reinet on the Kendrew dirt road on Friday and another BROWN SNAKE EAGLE was reported from Rockwood farm south of Queenstown on Saturday.
Black Heron at the Quinera Lagoon © Foden Saunders
Brown Snake Eagle near Graaf-Reinet © Alan Collett		Northern Rockhopper Penguin taken into care © SAMREC
Thrush Nightingale near Carnarvon © Ryan Tippett
Moving up the coast into Kwazulu Natal, the PECTORAL SANDPIPER and WESTERN YELLOW WAGTAIL were still present at Sappi Stanger yesterday while at least one SPOTTED CRAKE was still being reported from there on Friday. At least one SOOTY FALCON was also still present at Mbazwana on Friday while, also of local interest, a CORN CRAKE was flushed on a small holding at The Country Nursery in Greytown this morning.
Spotted Crake at Sappi Stanger © Richard Grant		Pectoral Sandpiper at Sappi Stanger © Richard Grant
Pectoral Sandpiper at Sappi Stanger © David Taylor		Pectoral Sandpiper at Sappi Stanger © Margie Taylor
Over in Mpumalanga, the female WESTERN MARSH HARRIER was also still present in Wakkerstroom until at least Saturday while 7 PINK-BACKED PELICANS were reported along the H4-1, about 500m west of Nkhulu in the Kruger National Park, on Friday and the BRONZE-WINGED COURSER at Secunda was also still around on Saturday.   Across in Gauteng, the popular male YELLOW-THROATED SANDGROUSE was still hanging around in the open fields near Centurion this morning after having attracted a good number of Gauteng's finest over the course of the weekend to look for it. Also still attracting local attention, the CORN CRAKE at Delta Park was also still present yesterday and was seen around the small dam in the grassland below Delta Park School.
Yellow-throated Sandgrouse in Centurion © Neil Ebedes		Yellow-throated Sandgrouse in Centurion © Wayne Fegen
Yellow-throated Sandgrouse in Centurion © Fiona Butchart		Yellow-throated Sandgrouse in Centurion © Bill Richter
Yellow-throated Sandgrouse in Centurion © Tjaart van Wyk		Yellow-throated Sandgrouse twitchers in Centurion © Kevin Mileham
In Namibia, at least one CASPIAN PLOVER and an immature LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL were present at Gemsbokvlakte in Etosha National Park on Thursday afternoon while a single WHITE-BACKED DUCK was located at Gammams Waste Water Treatment Works in Windhoek on Saturday.   And finally, in Mozambique, a single PECTORAL SANDPIPER was discovered in Maputo on Saturday. As hard as it may be to believe, it would appear that this might well constitute the first record for the country of this species as no previous records can be found after a quick search through the relevant literature and databases. If anyone out there is aware of previous records, please do let me know about them.
Pectoral Sandpiper (centre) in Maputo © Gary Allport
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: www.hardaker.co.za     ZEST for BIRDS Pelagics, rarity photos, listing clubs and more: www.zestforbirds.co.za     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 www.rarities.co.za -------------------------------------------------------------