SA Rare Bird News Report - 08 November 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, 08 November 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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It’s certainly been a busy few days and things definitely seem to be picking up on the rarity front… let’s start with a few scarcity reports first.
EUROPEAN HONEY BUZZARD:
· One near Karatara (Western Cape) at -33.890, 22.870 yesterday. · One at Ilala Lodge in Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) yesterday. · One at the channel between Rondevlei and Langvlei near Wilderness (Western Cape) on Saturday.
GREEN SANDPIPER:
· One still at Polokwane Game Reserve (Limpopo) at -23.959, 29.483 on Saturday.
On to the rest of the news and, starting in the Western Cape, a fishing trip west of Hout Bay on Friday picked up a NORTHERN ROYAL ALBATROSS while a pelagic trip out of Hout Bay on Saturday delivered yet another SPECTACLED PETREL as well as a probable TRISTAN ALBATROSS (the final ID is still under discussion but, at the moment, size, structure and plumage all seems to point to a male Tristan Albatross and excludes a Wandering Albatross as a candidate). Elsewhere, at least one PINK-BACKED PELICAN and a SAND MARTIN were on Pan P1 at Strandfontein Sewage Works yesterday afternoon, another SAND MARTIN was seen on a farm in Darling on Thursday and the PECTORAL SANDPIPER was still at Rooisand Nature Reserve yesterday as well. Other notable records included a GREAT EGRET reported at the Nuwerjaars wetland on the Agulhas Plains this morning and a LONG-CRESTED EAGLE seen near the rest camp in Bontebok National Park yesterday while, over on the Garden Route, no fewer than 5 LARK-LIKE BUNTINGS were found in Hartenbos Heuwels, near Mossel Bay, at -34.129, 22.088 yesterday and a single FULVOUS WHISTLING DUCK was present on the dam at Cornerstone Coffee Shop in Hoekwil at -33.974, 22.619 yesterday as well. | |||||||||
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Probable Tristan Albatross on pelagic trip © Peter Ryan | Probable Tristan Albatross on pelagic trip © John Graham | ||||||||
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Probable Tristan Albatross on pelagic trip © Trevor Hardaker | |||||||||
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Probable Tristan Albatross on pelagic trip © Cliff Dorse | Probable Tristan Albatross on pelagic trip © Pieter Lombaard | ||||||||
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Spectacled Petrel on pelagic trip © Cliff Dorse | Spectacled Petrel on pelagic trip © Pieter Lombaard | ||||||||
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Spectacled Petrel on pelagic trip © Trevor Hardaker | Sand Martin (on left) in Darling © Wilferd Duckitt | ||||||||
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Pectoral Sandpiper at Rooisand Nature Reserve © Keith Hamilton | Pectoral Sandpiper at Rooisand Nature Reserve © Stanislav Novotny | ||||||||
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Pectoral Sandpiper at Rooisand Nature Reserve © Hernus Langeveldt | Pectoral Sandpiper at Rooisand Nature Reserve © Charles Britz | ||||||||
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Long-crested Eagle in Bontebok National Park © Ross Soller | Fulvous Whistling Duck at Hoekwil © Regard van Dyk | ||||||||
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Lark-like Bunting at Hartenbos Heuwels © Regard van Dyk | Lark-like Bunting at Hartenbos Heuwels © Nico Bestbier | ||||||||
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Up in the Northern Cape, there was some surprize when a WESTERN OSPREY was seen at Kij Kij waterhole in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park on Saturday, a rather out of place record indeed. | |||||||||
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Western Osprey at Kij Kij waterhole © Gerbus Vermaak | |||||||||
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In the Eastern Cape, the PECTORAL SANDPIPER was still at Mayfield Sewage Works in Grahamstown until at least Saturday, a RED KNOT was also still present at Hamburg on Saturday and 3 HOUSE CROWS were reported at Klipfontein on Saturday as well. | |||||||||
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Pectoral Sandpiper at Mayfield Sewage Works © Barry Kurten | Pectoral Sandpiper at Mayfield Sewage Works © Lynette Rudman | ||||||||
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Moving up the coast into Kwazulu Natal, a pelagic trip out of Durban on Saturday turned up another fine BARAU’S PETREL while there was also major excitement when Southern Africa’s 28th GOLDEN PIPIT was found at Kube Yini Private Game Reserve on Saturday. Unfortunately, despite extensive effort in searching, the bird could not be found again after that so it appears that it was yet again another “one day wonder”. Elsewhere, a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was seen at St Lucia at -28.389, 32.424 yesterday and at least one RUFOUS-BELLIED HERON was still at Amazibu hide on the Eastern Shores of iSimangaliso Wetland Park yesterday while the EURASIAN CURLEW was still around in Durban Bay yesterday, the RED KNOT also remained there until at least Friday and a HARTLAUB’S GULL was also reported at Wilson’s Wharf in Durban on Friday as well. A LESSER SPOTTED EAGLE seen in Saxony Valley below Hilton on Saturday was another notable sighting. | |||||||||
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Golden Pipit at Kube Yini Private Game Reserve © Digby Cyrus | Golden Pipit at Kube Yini Private Game Reserve © David Taylor | ||||||||
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Barau’s Petrel on pelagic trip © Mike O’Donaghue | Barau’s Petrel on pelagic trip © Roger Hogg | ||||||||
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Lesser Black-backed Gull at St Lucia © Darren van Eyssen | Rufous-bellied Heron at Amazibu hide © Ian Ferreira | ||||||||
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Red Knot in Durban Bay © Bart Fokkens | Eurasian Curlew in Durban Bay © Hennie Jordaan | ||||||||
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For a change, Gauteng stole the limelight when it delivered Southern Africa’s 17th BAIRD’S SANDPIPER at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve at -25.902, 28.681 on Saturday which was still showing well there today at -25.901, 28.685. It was originally added to the Southern African list based on a specimen collected in Walvis Bay in Namibia in October 1863! (The specimen is now in the St. Petersburg Museum). There was then a wait of more than 100 years before the next one was found in October 1984 at Olifantsbos in the Cape of Good Hope section of the Table Mountain National Park. Subsequent records have been in October 1985 on the Berg River in Veldrif, December 1992 in Mkhuze Game Reserve, September 1997 in Matusadona National Park in Zimbabwe, May 1998 at Geelbek in the West Coast National Park, September 1998 in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, December 1999 at Strandfontein Sewage Works, September 2000 in Sossusvlei in Namibia, December 2000 in the Kruger National Park, December 2001 at Marievale Bird Sanctuary (this bird returned for several seasons), September 2002 at Kenhardt Sewage Works, October 2004 on the Berg River at Veldrif, December 2008 at Wadrif Salt Pan, October 2018 at Van Stadens Resort near Port Elizabeth and, most recently, in November 2020 at Strandfontein Sewage Works.
The PECTORAL SANDPIPER was also still at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve today, the SLATY EGRET remained in place moving between Walkhaven Dog Park and Gnu Valley farm in Muldersdrift yesterday and another rather surprizing record concerned a young SOUTHERN BALD IBIS seen in the gum trees at Marais Dam in Rietvlei Nature Reserve on Saturday. | |||||||||
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Baird’s Sandpiper at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Richard Montinaro | Baird’s Sandpiper at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Johan van der Walt | ||||||||
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Baird’s Sandpiper at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Matthew Axelrod | Baird’s Sandpiper at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Alan Bedford-Shaw | ||||||||
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Baird’s Sandpiper at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Dewald Swanepoel | Baird’s Sandpiper at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Hamman Prinsloo | ||||||||
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Baird’s Sandpiper at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Jandre Verster | Baird’s Sandpiper at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Rolf Wiesler | ||||||||
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Baird’s Sandpiper at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Dirk Human | Baird’s Sandpiper at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Andrew Buitendach | ||||||||
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Baird’s Sandpiper at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Norman Lok | Baird’s Sandpiper at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Lloyd Nelson | ||||||||
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Baird’s Sandpiper at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Tjaart van Wyk | Baird’s Sandpiper at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Ian Grant | ||||||||
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Baird’s Sandpiper at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Samantha Bradley | Baird’s Sandpiper at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Simon Vegter | ||||||||
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Baird’s Sandpiper (with Little Stint) at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Mark Tittley | Baird’s Sandpiper at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Rob Cliff | ||||||||
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Baird’s Sandpiper at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Annemarie Dressler | Baird’s Sandpiper at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Don Reid | ||||||||
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Baird’s Sandpiper twitchers at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Ian Grant | |||||||||
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Baird’s Sandpiper twitchers at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Rena van Wyk | |||||||||
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Pectoral Sandpiper at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Lloyd Nelson | Pectoral Sandpiper at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Tjaart van Wyk | ||||||||
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Pectoral Sandpiper at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Mark Tittley | Pectoral Sandpiper at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Samantha Bradley | ||||||||
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Pectoral Sandpiper at Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve © Norman Lok | Southern Bald Ibis at Rietvlei Nature Reserve © Pieter Cronje | ||||||||
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Into Mpumalanga where Mkhombo Dam held a few surprizes yesterday with a EURASIAN WHIMBREL seen at -25.112, 28.876, a CHESTNUT-BANDED PLOVER seen at -25.128, 28.853 and a WHITE-FRONTED PLOVER also close by while a pair of AFRICAN SKIMMERS were also seen at Argyle Dam in the Timbavati on Friday.
Limpopo delivered some interesting local records as well with a female CAPE SHOVELER seen at Raptors View in Hoedspruit yesterday, a SANDERLING reported at Hout River Dam on Saturday and as many as 5 AFRICAN SKIMMERS seen on a large farm dam east of Weipe at -22.166, 29.621 on Friday.
Up in Namibia, as many as 4 YELLOW-THROATED LEAFLOVES were reported near Caprivi Houseboat Safari Lodge this morning.
And finally, in Botswana, a SANDERLING was reported at Gaborone Dam at -24.718, 25.916 yesterday. | |||||||||
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Chestnut-banded Plover at Mkhombo Dam © Jandre Verster | Chestnut-banded Plover at Mkhombo Dam © Viandre Delport | ||||||||
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White-fronted Plover at Mkhombo Dam © Viandre Delport | Eurasian Whimbrel at Mkhombo Dam © Viandre Delport | ||||||||
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African Skimmer at Argyle Dam © Matthew Axelrod | |||||||||
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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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