SA Rare Bird News Report - 15 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, 15 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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Let’s start with a few scarcity reports first…
EUROPEAN HONEY BUZZARD:
· One at La Mercy (KZN) this morning. · One in a garden in Irene, Centurion (Gauteng) yesterday. · One at Guineafowl Dam at Raptor’s View Estate in Hoedspruit (Limpopo) on Saturday. · One in Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) on Saturday. · One over Lekkerwater Beach Lodge in De Hoop Nature Reserve (Western Cape) on Friday. | |||||||||
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European Honey Buzzard at Guineafowl Dam © Steve Benbow | European Honey Buzzard in Irene © Susan Bouillon | ||||||||
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On to the rest of the news and, starting in the Western Cape, the most exciting and equally most frustrating news was the discovery of a PHYLLOSCOPUS WARBLER in Scarborough yesterday that was still there today. Despite good numbers of birders searching for the bird, only a handful of people have managed to actually catch brief glimpses of it so far and a few others have managed to hear it. It seems to be an incredibly tough bird to lock on to and moves in and out of trees and bushes without anyone locking on to it. At the moment, the specific ID is still under discussion, but the current evidence seems to point to the bird possibly being a GREEN WARBLER. Whatever the final verdict is, it seems to be an incredible find and will no doubt represent a new record for Southern Africa.
Elsewhere, 4 BLUE-CHEEKED BEE-EATERS were found at Strandfontein Sewage Works on Saturday and were still there yesterday while, over on the Garden Route, a EUROPEAN ROLLER was seen at the turn off to White Horse Dam in Plettenberg Bay on Friday, a MARSH WARBLER was found in George at -33.938, 22.465 on Saturday and the AFRICAN PIED WAGTAIL was still at the Knysna Yacht Club this afternoon. Slightly delayed news also came through of a DARK-CAPPED BULBUL seen in a garden in Parklands on Thursday, 4 March 2021, but the bird has not been seen there again since unfortunately. | |||||||||
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Blue-cheeked Bee-eater at Strandfontein Sewage Works © John Graham | |||||||||
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European Roller in Plettenberg Bay © Neil Ebedes | Dark-capped Bulbul in Parklands © Mariaan Vorster | ||||||||
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In the Eastern Cape, the mega SOOTY GULL was still at the Sundays River mouth near Colchester today. Also of interest was a single SOOTY TERN seen in the Tern roost there on Friday, while there were also still several BLUE-CHEEKED BEE-EATERS present in Colchester until at least Friday as well. Elsewhere, a juvenile BATELEUR was seen circling over the Nyathi Section of the Addo National Park on Saturday, 2 TEMMINCK’S COURSERS were found on the Mazeppa Bay airstrip on Friday and were still there on Saturday, the BLACK HERON was still at Perseverance Pan in Port Elizabeth yesterday and a BROWN SNAKE EAGLE was seen in Mountain Zebra National Park earlier today. | |||||||||
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Sooty Gull at the Sundays River mouth © Mike Bridgeford | Sooty Gull at the Sundays River mouth © Fred Kersten | ||||||||
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Sooty Gull at the Sundays River mouth © Mervyn Brouard | Sooty Gull at the Sundays River mouth © Belinda Tudge | ||||||||
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Sooty Gull at the Sundays River mouth © Dave Brown | Sooty Gull at the Sundays River mouth © Willie van Heerden | ||||||||
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Sooty Gull at the Sundays River mouth © Louis du Plessis | Sooty Gull at the Sundays River mouth © Gabriel Jamie | ||||||||
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Sooty Gull at the Sundays River mouth © Patrick Killian | Sooty Gull at the Sundays River mouth © Matthijs Ravensberg | ||||||||
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Sooty Gull at the Sundays River mouth © Rod Green | Black Heron at Perseverance Pan © Patrick Killian | ||||||||
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Sooty Tern at the Sundays River mouth © Mike Bridgeford | |||||||||
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Temminck’s Courser at Mazeppa Bay Airstrip © Foden Saunders | Bateleur in Addo National Park © Christiaan Viljoen | ||||||||
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Moving up the coast into Kwazulu Natal, the popular BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER was still at Mpempe Pan today with the added attraction of a RUFOUS-BELLIED HERON found there this morning as well. Manyoni Private Game Reserve produced a DARK CHANTING GOSHAWK yesterday and a WHITE-HEADED VULTURE at Bayete on Saturday while an immature AFRICAN HAWK EAGLE was seen just before the Mkuze River on the back road to Phinda at -27.677, 32.387 on Saturday as well. Pongola Nature Reserve also held on to some goodies on Friday with a DUSKY LARK seen at -27.339, 31.925 and 5 TEMMINCK’S COURSERS present at -27.336, 31.925. The long-staying EURASIAN CURLEW was still in Durban Bay on Friday and, also still attracting attention, several TEMMINCK’S COURSERS were still at Duzi Turf, next to Darvill Bird Sanctuary, in Pietermaritzburg yesterday. | |||||||||
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Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Mpempe Pan © Pieter Scholtz | |||||||||
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Dusky Lark at Pongola Nature Reserve © Rowan Bartlett | Temminck’s Courser at Pongola Nature Reserve © Rowan Bartlett | ||||||||
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African Hawk Eagle near Phinda © Barry Launder | Eurasian Curlew in Durban Bay © David Allan | ||||||||
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Into Gauteng where a TAWNY EAGLE was seen at the Rhino and Lion Park on Saturday.
Mpumalanga produced an AFRICAN OPENBILL at the Duck Pond in Secunda again on Saturday while the LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was seen again, earlier today, at Leeupan near Leandra. | |||||||||
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Lesser Black-backed Gull at Leeupan © Tobie Pretorius | African Openbill in Secunda © Martin Knoetze | ||||||||
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The North-west Province held on to a STRIPED CRAKE which was still at Kgomo Kgomo on Saturday while a single LAPPET-FACED VULTURE was also reported at Kgomo Kgomo yesterday.
Limpopo chimed in with 2 BLACK COUCALS found at Zelati Safari Lodge, south of Leydsdorp and Gravelott, at -24.056, 30.549 on Friday which were still there yesterday. | |||||||||
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Black Coucal at Zelati Safari Lodge © Henry van Lelyveld | Black Coucal at Zelati Safari Lodge © Jody de Bruyn | ||||||||
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Up in Namibia, a slightly delayed record came through of a NORTHERN GREY-HEADED SPARROW seen in Okaukuejo camp in Etosha National Park on 1 March 2021.
And finally, in Mozambique, a PECTORAL SANDPIPER was found at Macaneta, north of Maputo, at -25.728, 32.702 on Friday. | |||||||||
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Northern Grey-headed Sparrow at Okaukuejo © Iain Guthrie | Pectoral Sandpiper at Macaneta © Justin Nicolau | ||||||||
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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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