SA Rare Bird News Report - 07 February 2022
Trevor Hardaker
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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 | |||||||||
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This is the Southern African Rare Bird News Report issued at 18h00 on Monday, 07 February 2022.
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 http://groups.google.co.za/group/sa-rarebirdnews |
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Obviously, the big news came from the Western Cape with the discovery of a LAUGHING GULL at Santos Beach in Mossel Bay at -34.177, 22.137 late yesterday afternoon (initially identified as a Franklin’s Gull). Fortunately, a number of photos were taken when the bird was relocated there this morning which confirmed the ID beyond a shadow of a doubt and added yet another new species to the Southern African list.
Laughing Gull is a New World species that occurs in North and South America, but is prone to vagrancy and there are records from all over Europe, a number of the Pacific Ocean Islands, Australia and New Zealand and even from the northern part of Africa. I’ve included a distribution map from eBird to show the current known distribution of this species. It is superficially similar to Franklin’s Gull, but is larger with a slightly different shape (appears longer winged and heavier billed), has less obvious eye-crescents which have a wider space between them at the back of the eye and has a different upperwing pattern with no obvious white band separating the grey upperwing and black wingtips and no white mirrors in the outer primaries.
The bird remained in the area today moving between Santos Beach and the harbour quite close by so, hopefully it will stay put for all prospective twitchers in the next few days. | |||||||||
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Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © Estelle Smalberger | Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © Amanda Walden | ||||||||
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Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © Elmarie Brits | Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © Tersia Marais | ||||||||
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Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © Edwin Polden | Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © Justin Ponder | ||||||||
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Laughing Gull distribution map © eBird | |||||||||
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Staying on the Garden Route, there was also plenty of other birds to keep everyone entertained. The BAILLON’S CRAKE with chicks was still near Vleesbaai at -34.248, 21.874 yesterday along with an AFRICAN CRAKE also calling in the same area while other lingerers included the MARSH WARBLER still at Kingswood Golf Estate in George yesterday, the 3 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS still at Bietou Vlei in Plettenberg Bay yesterday, the EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER still on the Keurbooms River estuary in Plettenberg Bay yesterday and at least one EUROPEAN ROLLER still along the Uplands Road near Plettenberg Bay yesterday. Heading inland, the GREY WAGTAIL was still at Rust en Vrede Waterfall near De Rust on Saturday, the COMMON SCIMITARBILL was still at the picnic site in Meiringspoort on Saturday and a EUROPEAN ROLLER was reported along the N12 south of Beaufort West at -32.728, 22.577 yesterday as well.
Closer to Cape Town, a RED-TAILED TROPICBIRD was seen briefly again at Crayfish Factory next to Soetwater, near Kommetjie, on Friday, but didn’t hang around for long leaving a lot of twitchers empty-handed unfortunately. Crazy numbers of FULVOUS WHISTLING DUCKS continue to be reported with 22 birds counted at Wildevoelvlei near Kommetjie yesterday and at least 46 individuals seen on Pan P4 at Strandfontein Sewage Works yesterday as well. Strandfontein also held on to a PECTORAL SANDPIPER and a SAND MARTIN around Pan P1 yesterday while a WESTERN YELLOW WAGTAIL was found at Rietvlei Wetland Reserve on Saturday. Up on the west coast, a WHITE-BACKED VULTURE was seen in St Helena Bay at -32.736, 18.000 on Friday, a GOLIATH HERON and several FULVOUS WHISTLING DUCKS were reported next to the Berg River in Velddrif on private property yesterday and the 2 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES were still at the Kuifkopvisvanger salt pans in Velddrif yesterday as well. An adult BAILLON’S CRAKE was found at Paardevlei at -34.089, 18.813 yesterday afternoon and was still there today where it was joined by an immature bird as well while at least 3 AMUR FALCON were still along the Swartrivier Road near Bot River at -34.273, 19.211 on Saturday and the GREATER SAND PLOVER was still at the Uilenkraals River, east of Gansbaai, this afternoon. The remaining records all concern EUROPEAN ROLLERS with one seen at the entrance to Vrolijkheid Nature Reserve near Robertson this morning, 2 birds seen along the R326 about 3km outside Stanford on Friday and one still there this morning and another individual also seen along the gravel entrance road to De Hoop Nature Reserve on Saturday as well. | |||||||||
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Baillon’s Crake near Vleesbaai © Estelle Smalberger | Baillon’s Crake near Vleesbaai © Amanda Walden | ||||||||
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Baillon’s Crake near Vleesbaai © Tersia Marais | Baillon’s Crake chick near Vleesbaai © Elmarie Brits | ||||||||
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Grey Wagtail at Rust en Vrede Waterfall © Trevor Hardaker | Common Scimitarbill in Meiringspoort © Trevor Hardaker | ||||||||
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Red-tailed Tropicbird at Crayfish Factory © Michael Mandy | Sand Martin at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Garret Skead | ||||||||
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Western Yellow Wagtail at Rietvlei Wetland Reserve © Trudie Crous | White-backed Vulture in St Helena Bay © Jonathan Pepper | ||||||||
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Baillon’s Crake at Paardevlei © Hernus Langeveldt | Baillon’s Crake at Paardevlei © Willem Botes | ||||||||
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Baillon’s Crake at Paardevlei © Regard van Dyk | Amur Falcons along the Swartrivier Road © Charles Britz | ||||||||
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Some interesting sightings have also come through from the Northern Cape with a COMMON BUTTONQUAIL seen yesterday about 7km south of Prieska, a DWARF BITTERN found at New Holme Guest Farm near Hanover at -30.861, 24.638 on Saturday, small numbers of LAPPET-FACED VULTURES seen along the N14 between Pofadder and Kakamas at -28.923, 19.772 on Saturday and a group comprising around 20 LAPPET-FACED VULTURES and 30 WHITE-BACKED VULTURES seen 40km south-east of Pofadder this morning. | |||||||||
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Lappet-faced Vultures between Pofadder and Kakamas © Gigi van Zyl | Common Buttonquail near Prieska © Mariaan Classen | ||||||||
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Dwarf Bittern at New Holme Guest Farm © Itxaso Quintana | |||||||||
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In the Eastern Cape, there was some local excitement when a WAHLBERG’S EAGLE was found in Addo National Park at -33.544, 25.803 on Saturday while another interesting record concerned a GREATER KESTREL seen around Tankatara along the road to the farm house through the dry flat lands on Thursday. There was also yet another LILAC-BREASTED ROLLER found in the province when a single individual was picked up at Amakhala Private Game Reserve at -33.497, 26.126 this afternoon.
Moving up the coast into Kwazulu Natal, an AFRICAN CRAKE was seen at Saxony Wildlife Estate near Albert Falls this morning while another AFRICAN CRAKE was found in Weenen Game Reserve at -28.860, 30.000 on Saturday. A young SHIKRA found in Southbroom at -30.917, 30.324 was a rather out of range find while other good records included as many as 4 ALLEN’S GALLINULES at Muzi Pan yesterday, at least 2 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS still at Mpempe Pan on Saturday and the LESSER MOORHEN still close to the Wattled Crane hide at Karkloof on Friday. SOOTY FALCON records came through with one seen along the R618 about 16km from St Lucia yesterday, the regular bird still in the trees at the first traffic circle in Mbazwana on Saturday and another individual seen at the bridge over the Imfolozi River in Hluhluwe Imfolozi Park on Friday. | |||||||||
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Wahl;berg’s Eagle in Addo National Park © Aart Verrips | |||||||||
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African Crake in Weenen Game Reserve © Mike Croeser | Shikra in Southbroom © Malcolm Sutton | ||||||||
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Into Mpumalanga where a LESSER JACANA found at Leeupan in the Kruger National Park at -24,837, 31,808 on Saturday was a great find and was still showing there today. | |||||||||
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Lesser Jacana at Leeupan © Gregory Gillespie | Lesser Jacana at Leeupan © Guy Hausler | ||||||||
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Lesser Jacana at Leeupan © Keegan Fraser | Lesser Jacana at Leeupan © Nikita Steele | ||||||||
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Gauteng delivered a couple of RED-FOOTED FALCONS seen both inside Rietvlei Nature Reserve and along the outskirts of the reserve on Saturday.
Across in the North-west Province, several STRIPED CRAKES were heard calling along the Kgomo Kgomo floodplain on Friday and at least one gave visuals on Saturday.
Up in Limpopo, an AFRICAN SKIMMER was found on a dam just outside Tshipise at -22.630, 30.227 yesterday, a SLATY EGRET was reported at Marataba at -24.292, 27.500 on Saturday, as many as 4 CASPIAN PLOVERS were seen along the Tropic of Capricorn Loop in the Kruger National Park at -23.437, 31.435 on Friday and a GREEN SANDPIPER was reported at the Levhuvhu River bridge near Pafuri in the Kruger National Park on Thursday. | |||||||||
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Red-footed Falcon at Rietvlei Nature Reserve © Patrick O’Brien | Red-footed Falcon near Rietvlei Nature Reserve © Dirk Human | ||||||||
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Namibia chimed in with an AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER found at Lovershill in Walvis Bay yesterday, a WOODLAND KINGFISHER seen in a garden in Hochland Park in Windhoek on Thursday, a single FULVOUS WHISTLING DUCK still at Avis Dam in Windhoek on Thursday and an adult EGYPTIAN VULTURE seen at Ozonjuitji m‘Bari waterhole in Etosha National Park on Wednesday. | |||||||||
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Egyptian Vulture in Etosha National Park © Gaby and Heiko Knappe | Woodland Kingfisher in Hoghland Park © Elke Storm | ||||||||
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American Golden Plover in Walvis Bay © Dayne Brayne | |||||||||
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And finally, in Mozambique, it was all happening at The Sanctuary on the San Sebastian Peninsula near Vilanculous yesterday again with at least 3 SAUNDERS’S TERNS still present along with several ROSEATE TERNS and a phenomenal count of over 180 CRAB PLOVERS as well. | |||||||||
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Crab Plovers on the San Sebastian Peninsula © Dave Gilroy | Roseate Terns on the San Sebastian Peninsula © Dave Gilroy | ||||||||
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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 | |||||||||
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TREVOR HARDAKER Cape Town, South Africa |
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