SA Rare Bird News Report - 11 December 2025
Trevor Hardaker
| |||||||||
| |||||||||
S O U T H E R N A F R I C A N R A R E B I R D N E W S R E P O R T | |||||||||
|
|
| |||||||
This is the Southern African Rare Bird News Report issued at 18h00 on Thursday, 11 December 2025.
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.
None of the records included in this report have undergone any adjudication process with any of the subregion’s Rarities Committees, so inclusion in this report does not constitute any official confirmation of the particular record. Observers are still encouraged to make the necessary submissions accordingly.
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 https://groups.google.com/g/sa-rarebirdnews |
| SARBN is proud to be associated with the following brands: | |||||||
| |||||||||
| |||||||||
| |||||||||
|
|
| |||||||
| |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
PLEASE CONSIDER FOLLOWING ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY CLICKING ON THE LINKED ICONS BELOW: | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
|
|
| ||||||
| |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
And here we go… my last formal report for 2025. What a year it’s turned out to be, and what a rarity season we are currently having…!! I will still be running SARBN until the end of tomorrow (Friday), and then Garret Skead will take over and run things until Monday, 5 January, after which I will take over again. I will be watching things carefully from Australia and hopefully not be getting too jealous while I am there…J
Anyway, on to the news and, starting in the Western Cape, a number of lingerers remained in place with the WESTERN YELLOW WAGTAIL still at Platboom, near Cape Point, at -34.331, 18.431 this morning, the GOLIATH HERON still at Rondevlei Nature Reserve this afternoon, the EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER still at Seeberg in the West Coast National Park today, the CASPIAN PLOVER and 2 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES still at Kliphoek Salt Pans in Velddrif earlier today, at least one AUSTRALASIAN GANNET still at Bird Island in Lambert’s Bay on Tuesday, the BAIRD’S SANDPIPER was still at Macassar Sewage Works this morning, the GREY WAGTAIL still at Harold Porter Botanical Gardens in Betty’s Bay today and the GULL-BILLED TERN still at Bot River Lagoon this morning. Over on the Garden Route, a EUROPEAN ROLLER was seen along the Bergplaas Road near Wilderness at -33.930, 22.671 on Tuesday, a GREAT EGRET was reported on the Swartvlei Lagoon just south of the N2 yesterday and the 2 AFRICAN GREEN PIGEONS were still at Kwendalo in Plettenberg Bay yesterday while, heading inland, a female GREATER PAINTED SNIPE was found at Beaufort West Sewage Works yesterday. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Eurasian Oystercatcher at Seeberg © Estelle Smalberger | Australasian Gannet at Bird Island © Estelle Smalberger | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Red-necked Phalarope at Kliphoek Salt Pans © Estelle Smalberger | Red-necked Phalarope at Kliphoek Salt Pans © Kyle Dods | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Caspian Plover at Kliphoek Salt Pans © Estelle Smalberger | Caspian Plover at Kliphoek Salt Pans © Tertius Gous | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Grey Wagtail at Harold Porter Botanical Gardens © Sarel Snyman | Grey Wagtail at Harold Porter Botanical Gardens © Hernus Langeveldt | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Grey Wagtail at Harold Porter Botanical Gardens © Denise Vrba | Grey Wagtail at Harold Porter Botanical Gardens © Dylan Schröder | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Grey Wagtail at Harold Porter Botanical Gardens © Pieter Bester | Grey Wagtail at Harold Porter Botanical Gardens © Carin Malan | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Grey Wagtail at Harold Porter Botanical Gardens © Jacques Malan | Grey Wagtail at Harold Porter Botanical Gardens © Johan Croukamp | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
| |||||||||
Grey Wagtail twitchers at Harold Porter Botanical Gardens © Andrew de Blocq | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Western Yellow Wagtail at Platboom © Graham Luden | Gull-billed Tern at Bot River Lagoon © Marieta Foord | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
European Roller along the Bergplaas road © Tim Carr | African Green Pigeons at Kwendalo © Neil Ebedes | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Up in the Northern Cape, 2 SQUACCO HERONS were present at Philandersbron near Rietfontein at -26.808, 20.094 yesterday while a DUSKY LARK was found in Mokala National Park at -29.098, 24.402 yesterday as well.
In the Eastern Cape, a YELLOW-BILLED STORK was found at Retreat farm just off the N10, north of Cradock, at -31.917, 25.410 on Monday evening and was still there on Tuesday. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Squacco Heron at Philandersbron © Doug Harebottle | Dusky Lark in Mokala National Park © Elmarie Brits | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Yellow-billed Stork at Retreat farm © Ben Hough | Yellow-billed Stork at Retreat farm © Matthew Collett | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Moving up the coast into Kwazulu Natal, no fewer than 3 RUFOUS-BELLIED HERONS were present on Pan Loop on the Eastern Shores of iSimangaliso Wetland Park at -28.314, 32.432 this morning and a YELLOW-BILLED OXPECKER was seen again this afternoon on the Western Shores, while a GREY-HEADED KINGFISHER was seen at Sungulwane Lodge in Zuka Private Game Reserve earlier today and at least one PECTORAL SANDPIPER was still on the Nibela floodplain at -27.867, 32.431 this afternoon. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Pectoral Sandpiper on the Nibela floodplain © Etienne Hinrichsen | Grey-headed Kingfisher at Sungulwane Lodge © Keenan Houareau | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Over in Mpumalanga, the Kruger National Park surprized us all yesterday delivering an absolutely astonishing record of an AFRICAN OYSTERCATCHER found at Shitlhave Dam near Pretoriuskop yesterday which was still there earlier today. This is the first record not only for the park, but also for the entire province and, fortunately, the bird hung around and a number of locals were able to catch up with it. That’s not all the park had on offer though and a cracking GOLDEN PIPIT was also found along the S114 road at -25.331, 31.587 late yesterday afternoon and yet another GOLDEN PIPIT was found on the flats just before Ntandanyati Bird Hide off the S28 at -25.207, 31.957 earlier today! These are our 39th and 40th records for Southern Africa and, amazingly, the 6th and 7th ones recorded in the Lowveld in the last 8 weeks! Some of these records may refer to the same individuals moving around, but it is impossible to say for sure. The park also held on to the GREEN SANDPIPER which was still along the S3 road at -24.989, 31.467 yesterday while, elsewhere in the province, at least 3 BLUE SWALLOWS were still near God’s Window at -24.854, 30.886 yesterday as well. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Golden Pipit along the S114 road © Samantha de Man | Golden Pipit near Ntandanyati Bird Hide (video frame grab) © Matthew Weaver | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
African Oystercatcher at Shitlhave Dam © Chanan Weiss | African Oystercatcher at Shitlhave Dam © Andrew Averley | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
African Oystercatcher at Shitlhave Dam © Lauren Joubert | African Oystercatcher at Shitlhave Dam © JP le Roux | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Gauteng chimed in with a couple of RED-CAPPED ROBIN-CHAT records with a singleton found at Deales Rock at -25.617, 29.031 on Monday and 2 adults and a juvenile reported along the Wilge River Kloof road at -25.622, 28.974 yesterday.
Into Limpopo where the Kruger National Park produced another GREEN SANDPIPER along the S94 road near Letaba at -23.864, 31.598 on Tuesday which then moved slightly and was present along the S46 road at -23.864, 31.598 yesterday while a THREE-BANDED COURSER was seen again at Marataba Conservation Camps in Marakele National Park on Tuesday evening. However, the most exciting record was Southern Africa’s 35th WHITE-THROATED BEE-EATER which was found earlier today at Selati Game Reserve.
And finally, in Zimbabwe, it was all about WESTERN MARSH HARRIERS with one found at Komani airstrip on Monday and another also reported at Marlborough Sewage Works on Monday as well. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
White-throated Bee-eater at Selati Game Reserve © Alan Webster | Green Sandpiper near Letaba © Dominic Rollinson | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Red-capped Robin-chat at Deales Rock © Klaus Schmid | Western Marsh Harrier at Komani airstrip © Jimmy Kirby | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
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 |
|
|
|
| |||||
| |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
| |||||||||
| |||||||||
