SA Rare Bird News Report - 29 March 2021
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, 29 March 2021.
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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As usual, a few scarcity reports to start off with…
EUROPEAN HONEY BUZZARD:
· One at Spanish Farm in Somerset West (Western Cape) yesterday. · One in Haenertsburg (Limpopo) yesterday. · One at Selby Farm in Komani at -17.707, 30.992 (Zimbabwe) yesterday. · One in Lomond Road in Bethlehem (Free State) on Saturday. · One on a farm in Westonaria (Gauteng) on Tuesday. | |||||||||
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European Honey Buzzard in Westonaria © Lizzy Claassen | European Honey Buzzard at Haenertsburg © Jandre Verster | ||||||||
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On to the rest of the news and, starting in the Western Cape, a NORTHERN ROYAL ALBATROSS was seen on a pelagic trip out of Hout Bay on Saturday while news also came through that the/a RED-TAILED TROPICBIRD had been seen briefly again at Soetwater on Saturday as well. Strandfontein Sewage Works also held a few good birds with a PECTORAL SANDPIPER found there on Pan S3 yesterday and a number of SAND MARTINS also present there throughout the weekend and today with the highest count being 13 individuals on Saturday. Close by, the AFRICAN JACANA was also still at Little Princess Vlei on Saturday while, up on the west coast, the BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER was still at Geelbek in the West Coast National Park yesterday. At Velddrif, Kliphoek Salt Pans held on to singletons of GREATER SAND PLOVER and LESSER SAND PLOVER yesterday and RED-NECKED PHALAROPE and GOLIATH HERON this afternoon while there was also a GREAT EGRET reported at De Plaat yesterday. Moving eastwards in the province, a group of more than 20 BLUE-CHEEKED BEE-EATERS were present at Rooisand Nature Reserve yesterday, the EUROPEAN ROLLER was still along the road to Herolds Bay at -34.022, 22.382 yesterday and a small group of 3 WHITE-FRONTED BEE-EATERS were found on the farm Vierfontein in Murraysburg on Saturday. | |||||||||
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Pectoral Sandpiper at Strandfontein Sewage Works © John Graham | Sand Martin at Strandfontein Sewage Works © John Graham | ||||||||
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Northern Royal Albatross on pelagic trip © Trevor Hardaker | Broad-billed Sandpiper at Geelbek © Garret Skead | ||||||||
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Lesser Sand Plover at Kliphoek Salt Pans © Garret Skead | Greater Sand Plover (on left) at Kliphoek Salt Pans © Garret Skead | ||||||||
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Greater Sand Plover at Kliphoek Salt Pans © Joel Radue | Red-necked Phalarope at Kliphoek Salt Pans © Graham Luden | ||||||||
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Goliath Heron at Kliphoek Salt Pans © Graham Luden | European Roller along the road to Herolds Bay © Brian Taggart | ||||||||
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Blue-cheeked Bee-eater at Rooisand Nature Reserve © Myburgh Brink | Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters at Rooisand Nature Reserve © Charlie de Boer | ||||||||
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Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters at Rooisand Nature Reserve © Wendy Prillaid | |||||||||
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Into the Northern Cape where there was some surprize when a large gathering of Vultures were found just outside Brandvlei at -30.307, 20.594 on Saturday and were still around yesterday. The group included as many as 21 LAPPET-FACED VULTURES, 8 WHITE-BACKED VULTURES and a single CAPE VULTURE, all well out of range in this area. Elsewhere in the province, 2 AFRICAN PALM SWIFTS were seen around the church in Loxton yesterday. | |||||||||
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Lappet-faced Vulture at Brandvlei © Gabriel Jamie | Lappet-faced Vulture (left) and White-backed Vulture (right) at Brandvlei © Gabriel Jamie | ||||||||
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Cape Vulture at Brandvlei © Gabriel Jamie | |||||||||
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In the Eastern Cape, the mega SOOTY GULL was still entertaining twitchers at the Sundays River mouth this afternoon while, close by, there were also still several BLUE-CHEEKED BEE-EATERS in Colchester yesterday as well. Also of interest, another single BLUE-CHEEKED BEE-EATER was seen just outside Mathyolweni gate to Addo National Park yesterday as well. | |||||||||
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Sooty Gull at the Sundays River mouth © Maans Booysen | Sooty Gull at the Sundays River mouth © Hans du Toit | ||||||||
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Sooty Gull at the Sundays River mouth © Patrick Killian | Sooty Gull at the Sundays River mouth © Pieter la Grange | ||||||||
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Sooty Gull at the Sundays River mouth © Wilna Steenkamp | Blue-cheeked Bee-eater outside Addo National Park © Bryce Robinson | ||||||||
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Moving up the coast into Kwazulu Natal, an AYRES’S HAWK EAGLE was reported over Clarendon in Pietermaritzburg on Friday, another immature AYRES’S HAWK EAGLE was seen over Mpempe Pan this morning, a BRONZE-WINGED COURSER was found near Green Dam in Tala Game Reserve on Saturday and was still there today and the LESSER MOORHEN with 4 chicks was still at Kumahlala hide in Mkuze Game Reserve today, although there was still no further reports of the STRIPED CRAKE at this site. It would also appear that the BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER at Mpempe Pan has possibly moved off now as well with the last report being on Thursday and nothing further since then, despite a number of people looking for it over the weekend. | |||||||||
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Bronze-winged Courser at Tala Game Reserve © Jenny Stead | Bronze-winged Courser at Tala Game Reserve © Nicole Taylor | ||||||||
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In Gauteng, the TAWNY EAGLE was still present at the Rhino and Lion Reserve yesterday while a COLLARED PRATINCOLE was found at a small roadside pan just south of Alberton at -26.376, 28.105 on Saturday, still a pretty rare bird for the province.
Across in Mpumalanga, there was some surprize when a RED-THROATED WRYNECK was found along the railway line at Singita Sabi Sands at -24.861, 31.427 on Saturday. | |||||||||
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Tawny Eagle at Rhino and Lion Reserve © Charles Wong | Red-throated Wryneck at Singita Sabi Sands © Marc Eschenlohr | ||||||||
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Collared Pratincole (on right) south of Alberton © Dylan Vasapolli | |||||||||
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Up in Limpopo, a single AFRICAN SKIMMER was found at Crooks Corner near Pafuri in the Kruger National Park yesterday and was still there today while the park also delivered 3 GREAT WHITE PELICANS at Shingwedzi yesterday. Elsewhere, the 2 BLACK COUCALS were still at Zelati Safari Lodge yesterday as well. | |||||||||
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African Skimmer at Crooks Corner © Wesley Hendriks | African Skimmer at Crooks Corner © Christine Read | ||||||||
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Namibia produced an immature LESSER MOORHEN on a farm east of Gochas on Thursday, well out of range for this species.
Across in Zimbabwe, a pair of LONG-TOED LAPWINGS were reported at Bomani Tented Lodge in the south-eastern part of Hwange National Park on Saturday. This appears to only be the second record for the park with one previous record in the Sinamatella area in January 2016. This latest record is also quite a bit further south than that and well out of range for this species.
And finally, in Mozambique, in keeping with the LONG-TOED LAPWING theme, another individual was found in the Maputo Special Reserve at -26.405, 32.774 on Saturday as well, also a great record for the area. | |||||||||
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Lesser Moorhen east of Gochas © Izette van Zyl | Long-toed Lapwings at Bomani Tented Lodge © Jenna Booth | ||||||||
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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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