SA Rare Bird News Report - 09 November 2020
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, 09 November 2020.
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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Wow, where to start…?! It seems like someone decided to flip a switch on the weekend and, suddenly, the rarity floodgates opened…! Hopefully, this is a good sign for the summer season and we will be kept ridiculously busy trying to keep up with all the good birds that are being found…J
Starting in the Western Cape, pride of place goes to Southern Africa’s 16th BAIRD’S SANDPIPER found on Pan S5 at Strandfontein Sewage Works late yesterday afternoon which, much to the relief of many twitchers, was still in place there today as well. 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 Point 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 and, most recently, in October 2018 at the Van Stadens Lagoon near Port Elizabeth.
Not to be outdone, the Cape Point section of the Table Mountain National Park also delivered a mouth-watering list of rarities found yesterday with an AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER at Olifantsbos (still there today), incredibly another AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, this time a juvenile, at Platboom and, for good measure, an ELEGANT TERN at Cape of Good Hope which had many twitchers rushing around from pillar to post in the park trying to catch up with all of these good birds. Elsewhere, a SAND MARTIN was seen in amongst Barn Swallows on the eastern shores of Zeekoeivlei on Saturday and then again, possibly the same individual was seen about an hour later around Pan P1 at Strandfontein Sewage Works. Another SAND MARTIN was also seen at the Bot River lagoon along the edge of Arabella Golf Course on Friday while, keeping with the vagrant aerial feeders, a SOUTH AFRICAN CLIFF SWALLOW was reported between Robertson and McGregor at -33.860, 19.911 yesterday, quite an incredible record for the area!
Over on the Garden Route, the DARK-CAPPED BULBULS were still around Aqua Marina Guest House in Hill Street in Mossel Bay on Saturday, a BROWN SNAKE EAGLE was seen over Rondevlei on Saturday, the GROUNDSCRAPER THRUSH was still at Villa Costallini in Knysna at -34.059, 23.004 on Friday, 2 LESSER STRIPED SWALLOWS were seen in Knysna at -34.022, 22.994 on Friday, a GOLIATH HERON was present on Swartvlei near Sedgefield on Friday, a YELLOW-BILLED STORK was reported in the headwaters of the Knysna Lagoon at -34.030, 22.995 on Thursday and a EUROPEAN HONEY BUZZARD was seen near the Phantom Pass in Knysna on Thursday as well. | |||||||||
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Baird’s Sandpiper at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Garret Skead | Baird’s Sandpiper at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Michael Mason | ||||||||
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Baird’s Sandpiper at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Gaynor Donovan | Baird’s Sandpiper at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Digby Cyrus | ||||||||
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Baird’s Sandpiper at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Hilton Thomson | Baird’s Sandpiper at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Joel Radue | ||||||||
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Baird’s Sandpiper twitchers at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Garret Skead | |||||||||
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Baird’s Sandpiper twitchers at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Graham Luden | |||||||||
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American Golden Plover at Platboom © Joel Radue | American Golden Plover at Platboom © Jacques Malan | ||||||||
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American Golden Plover at Platboom © Cliff Dorse | |||||||||
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Elegant Tern at Cape of Good Hope © Cliff Dorse | American Golden Plover at Olifantsbos © Cliff Dorse | ||||||||
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American Golden Plover at Olifantsbos © John Graham | American Golden Plover at Olifantsbos © Joel Radue | ||||||||
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American Golden Plover at Olifantsbos © Michael Mason | American Golden Plover at Olifantsbos © Garret Skead | ||||||||
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American Golden Plover at Olifantsbos © Jacques Malan | American Golden Plover at Olifantsbos © Graham Luden | ||||||||
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American Golden Plover at Olifantsbos © Pamela Cooper | American Golden Plover at Olifantsbos © Robert Cooper | ||||||||
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American Golden Plover at Olifantsbos © Mike Buckham | American Golden Plover at Olifantsbos © Nick Fordyce | ||||||||
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American Golden Plover twitchers at Olifantsbos © Cliff Dorse | |||||||||
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Dark-capped Bulbul in Mossel Bay © Bryn de Kocks | Brown Snake Eagle over Rondevlei © Bryn de Kocks | ||||||||
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Goliath Heron at Swartvlei © Barbara Storr | Groundscraper Thrush at Villa Costallini © Mark Heysteck | ||||||||
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Into the Northern Cape where 2 AFRICAN PALM SWIFTS were reported at Rondawel Game Farm, about 30km south-west of Richmond, on Friday while a GREY-HEADED KINGFISHER was seen along the Marie se Draai road, south of Nossob, in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, on Wednesday.
In the Eastern Cape, an adult pale morph RED-FOOTED BOOBY was found on Bird Island in Algoa Bay yesterday. Unfortunately, the bird was not well and was taken into care at a rehabilitation centre where it subsequently died. | |||||||||
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Grey-headed Kingfisher along Marie se Draai © Gerda Stofberg | Red-footed Booby on Bird Island © Henvik Visser | ||||||||
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Moving up the coast into Kwazulu Natal, a PECTORAL SANDPIPER was found on a private farm near Harding at -30.555, 29.917 on Friday and was still there yesterday while the same area also delivered 2 TEREK SANDPIPERS, unusual inland, and a juvenile EUROPEAN HONEY BUZZARD yesterday as well. Elsewhere, a LESSER FLAMINGO was present along the Umgeni River in Durban at -29.811, 31.005 today, a KNYSNA WARBLER was reported along the main Giba Gorge path at -29.805, 30.779 yesterday, an AFRICAN CRAKE was still present in grasslands outside Mtunzini on Friday while a RUFOUS-BELLIED HERON was still in place at Nsombiza Pan on the Eastern Shores of iSimangaliso Wetland Park yesterday and the same site also produced a LESSER MOORHEN on Saturday. | |||||||||
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Pectoral Sandpiper near Harding © Zach Simpson | Pectoral Sandpiper near Harding © Tyron Dall | ||||||||
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African Crake in Mtunzini © Karin Jacobs | Lesser Moorhen at Nsombiza Pan © Ian Ferreira | ||||||||
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Rufous-bellied Heron at Nsombiza Pan © Ian Ferreira | Rufous-bellied Heron at Nsombiza Pan © Ian Gordon | ||||||||
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Into the Free State where a male VIOLET-BACKED STARLING seen in a garden in Bethlehem on Saturday was an interesting record.
Over in Gauteng, a EUROPEAN HONEY BUZZARD was seen this afternoon flying over Kimiad.
In the North-west Province, a group of 5 SWALLOW-TAILED BEE-EATERS were seen in Borakalalo National Park on Saturday. | |||||||||
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Violet-backed Starling in Bethlehem © Muller van Rensburg | Swallow-tailed Bee-eater at Borakalalo National Park © Johan van der Walt | ||||||||
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Across in Mpumalanga, Mkhombo Dam was starting to fire on a few cylinders yesterday producing a SANDERLING at -25.099, 28.893 and a EURASIAN WHIMBREL at -25.102, 28.886 yesterday while there were also several COLLARED PRATINCOLES still present and a single MARABOU STORK was reported there as well. Elsewhere, a BLACK HERON was seen along the Sabie River at -25.141, 31.942, just south of Lower Sabie camp in the Kruger National Park, on Saturday. | |||||||||
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Sanderling at Mkhombo Dam © Thea Jenkins | Collared Pratincole at Mkhombo Dam © Thea Jenkins | ||||||||
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Limpopo chimed in with a proper provincial mega when a EURASIAN CURLEW was found at Makotopong wetland at -23.803, 29.663, about 20km east of Polokwane, yesterday while other good birds included a EUROPEAN HONEY BUZZARD at Crookes Corner near Pafuri in the Kruger National Park on Saturday and a BLACK HERON at a pan in the Makuleke Concession, also near Pafuri, on Saturday and, assuming it is the same individual, at Crookes Corner this morning. | |||||||||
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Eurasian Curlew at Makotopong © Jody de Bruyn | Eurasian Curlew at Makotopong © Geoff Goetsch | ||||||||
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Up in Namibia, 2 EUROPEAN HONEY BUZZARDS were seen in Klein Windhoek this morning while the SWAMP BOUBOU was seen in a garden in Swakopmund again on Saturday.
Across in Botswana, a GREEN SANDPIPER was found at Gaberone Game Reserve on Friday.
Moving into Zimbabwe, there was some surprize when a WATTLED CRANE was found 4km downstream of Chikwenya camp along the Zambezi River on Saturday, well out of range for this species.
And finally, in Mozambique, the pair of out-of-range LONG-TOED LAPWINGS and their 3 chicks were all still present this morning at the lagoa near Casa de Cocos in Coconut Bay. | |||||||||
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European Honey Buzzard in Klein Windhoek © Benjamin Ulrich | Swamp Boubou in Swakopmund © Buzzy Joell | ||||||||
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Green Sandpiper at Gaberone Game Reserve © Ian White | Wattled Crane on the Zambezi River © Shaun Torr | ||||||||
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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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