SA Rare Bird News Report - 20 January 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 Thursday, 20 January 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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This will be the last formal report for a couple of weeks as I am joining the Flock to Marion cruise which leaves on Monday and only gets back the following Monday and virtually everyone that I would have asked to run SARBN in my absence will also be on the cruise. So, the next formal report will only be on Thursday, 3 February. I look forward to hopefully bumping into many SARBN subscribers on the cruise as well…J
Alright, on to the news and, starting in the Western Cape, there was some surprize when an immature PALM-NUT VULTURE was seen circling over the car park at Cape Point this morning before it turned and headed off back north again. Elsewhere, a large group of FULVOUS WHISTLING DUCKS was seen at Wildevoelvlei near Kommetjie this morning, the COMMON CUCKOO was still entertaining birders at Bel Ombre Meadow in Constantia today and Strandfontein Sewage Works also remained popular with 3 FULVOUS WHISTLING DUCKS seen on Pan P4 today, 3 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS still on Pan P1 on Tuesday (and at least 2 still there today) and a single SAND MARTIN seen in amongst Barn Swallows on Tuesday as well. A EUROPEAN ROLLER was reported on a farm between Durbanville and Paarl yesterday while other lingerers included the AFRICAN PIED WAGTAIL still at Postcard Café in Jonkershoek yesterday, the RED-NECKED PHALAROPE still at Kliphoek Salt Pans in Velddrif today and a number of FULVOUS WHISTLING DUCKS still at Paardevlei near The Strand today. Two ROSEATE TERNS were reported at Rietfontein in Agulhas National Park on Monday, 5 FULVOUS WHISTLING DUCKS were found at the dam at Earth Padstal in Struisbaai on Tuesday and were still there yesterday, another 2 FULVOUS WHISTLING DUCKS were reported this morning between Bredasdorp and De Mond Nature Reserve at -34.671, 20.110 and a single CASPIAN PLOVER was found at De Mond Nature Reserve at -34.712, 20.117 on Monday and was still present earlier today.
The Garden Route continues to have plenty on offer with the MARSH WARBLER still at Kingswood Golf Estate in George today, another MARSH WARBLER recorded north-west of Mossel Bay at -34.125, 21.835 this morning, a EUROPEAN ROLLER seen along the road to Brenton at -34.063, 23.016 yesterday, the GOLDEN-BREASTED BUNTINGS and EUROPEAN ROLLERS still along the Uplands Road near Plettenberg Bay on Tuesday, 2 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS still at Bitou Vlei in Plettenberg Bay yesterday and the EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER still at the Keurbooms River estuary in Plettenberg Bay today as well while the Great Karoo region has also started shining with a GOLIATH HERON seen at Roam Private Game Reserve, south of Beaufort West, on Tuesday, a EURASIAN GOLDEN ORIOLE reported on the farm Vierfontein in Murraysburg at -32.18, 23.527 on Saturday, a LESSER GREY SHRIKE also seen on the farm Vierfontein in Murraysburg at -32.18, 23.528 on Sunday, an incredible 55 ABDIM’S STORKS seen on the farm Louwsbaken in Murraysburg at -32.155, 23.412 on Monday afternoon and 2 WOOLLY-NECKED STORKS found at Brakvlei near Murraysburg at -31.826, 23.57 yesterday (and still there today) along with 4 ABDIM’S STORKS as well. | |||||||||
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Palm-nut Vulture at Cape Point © Jos Stratford | Common Cuckoo at Bel Ombre Meadow © Mike Buckham | ||||||||
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Common Cuckoo at Bel Ombre Meadow © Daryl de Beer | Common Cuckoo at Bel Ombre Meadow © Robert Cooper | ||||||||
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Fulvous Whistling Ducks at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Daryl de Beer | European Roller near Paarl © Deon Kotze | ||||||||
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Fulvous Whistling Ducks at Paardevlei © Charles Britz | |||||||||
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Fulvous Whistling Ducks at Paardevlei © Stanislav Novotny | African Pied Wagtail at Postcard Cafe © Charles Britz | ||||||||
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Caspian Plover at De Mond Nature Reserve © Dean Boshoff | Caspian Plover at De Mond Nature Reserve © Stanislav Novotny | ||||||||
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Fulvous Whistling Ducks at Earth Padstal © Steve James | European Roller near Brenton © Pat Nurse | ||||||||
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Eurasian Oystercatcher on the Keurbooms River estuary © Mike Bridgeford | Woolly-necked Storks near Murraysburg © Nic Grobler | ||||||||
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Abdim’s Storks in Murraysburg © Stefan Theron | |||||||||
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Up in the Northern Cape, things also seem to be going a little crazy with out of range birds at the moment. The Brandvlei area has produced several out of range birds in the last few days, all within 20km of town, including 2 MONOTONOUS LARKS, 3 RED-BACKED SHRIKES, a crazy 29 LESSER GREY SHRIKES and an AMUR FALCON. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park doesn’t want to be left out and delivered both a LESSER MOORHEN and an ALLEN’S GALLINULE at Samevloeiing waterhole near Twee Rivieren on Tuesday (with the LESSER MOORHEN still there yesterday), a DWARF BITTERN at Kwang waterhole last Thursday and also numbers of AMUR FALCONS seen along Marie se Loop near Nossob on Friday and Saturday. Elsewhere in the province, a DWARF BITTERN was seen at Tswalu Kalahari Reserve at -27.250, 22.391 on Monday and a second individual was then found at -27.220, 22.467 on Tuesday while a single CASPIAN PLOVER was still at New Holme Guest Farm near Hanover at -30.891, 24.632 yesterday. | |||||||||
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Lesser Moorhen at Samevloeiing waterhole © Eugene du Toit | Lesser Moorhen at Samevloeiing waterhole © Danie le Roux | ||||||||
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Allen’s Gallinule at Samevloeiing waterhole © Eugene du Toit | Dwarf Bittern at Kwang waterhole © Tracey Slaven | ||||||||
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Amur Falcons along Marie se Loop © Lynda Downing | |||||||||
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Monotonous Lark near Brandvlei © Gabriel Jamie | Amur Falcon near Brandvlei © Gabriel Jamie | ||||||||
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In the Eastern Cape, the SOOTY FALCON was still near Assegaai Trails yesterday while the LILAC-BREASTED ROLLER remained at Cove Ridge, west of East London, until at least Tuesday. There also seems to be some ABDIM’S STORK records trickling through with a couple of birds seen today between Beaufort West and Aberdeen and several also present between Graaff-Reinet and Pearston today. | |||||||||
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Sooty Falcon near Assegaai Trails © Lynette Rudman | Sooty Falcon near Assegaai Trails © Tim Cockcroft | ||||||||
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Lilac-breasted Roller in Cove Ridge © Barry Kurten | |||||||||
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Moving up the coast into Kwazulu Natal, the popular EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER was still around Peace Cottage at Umdloti this morning while other good birds included 2 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS still at Mpempe Pan yesterday, the SOOTY FALCON seen again in the trees at the first traffic circle in Mbazwana yesterday, a LESSER MOORHEN found close to the Wattled Crane hide at Gartmoor, Karkloof on Tuesday (and still there yesterday), 2 HOODED VULTURES seen at Manyoni Private Game Reserve on Tuesday and an AFRICAN CRAKE found at a private farm dam in Port Edward on Tuesday and still there yesterday.
The Free State held on to the mega MADAGASCAN CUCKOO which was still at Soetdoring Nature Reserve earlier today while as many as 9 DWARF BITTERNS were reported at Soutpan on Tuesday as well.
And finally, in Mpumalanga, a PALM-NUT VULTURE was seen near Komatipoort on Tuesday. | |||||||||
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Lesser Moorhen in Karkloof © Norman Freeman | African Crake in Port Edward © Stan Culley | ||||||||
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Eurasian Oystercatcher at Umdloti © Bart Fokkens | |||||||||
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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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