SA Rare Bird News Report - 09 October 2025
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, 09 October 2025.
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 https://groups.google.com/g/sa-rarebirdnews |
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Starting in the Western Cape, one COLLARED PRATINCOLE was still on Pan S6 at Strandfontein Sewage Works until at least Tuesday while 2 KNOB-BILLED DUCKS were found at some dams in Champagne Street in Wellington at -33.646, 18.973 on Tuesday as well. Up on the west coast, at least 2 LESSER STRIPED SWALLOWS were seen along the Darling Hills road in amongst Greater Striped Swallows on Sunday, the EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER was still at Seeberg in the West Coast National Park this afternoon, 2 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES were still at Kliphoek Salt Pans in Velddrif this morning and one AUSTRALASIAN GANNET was still at Bird Island in Lambert’s Bay earlier today as well. Further east in the province, the EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER was still around Knysna yesterday visible around the turn off to Leisure Isle from George Rex Drive. | |||||||||
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Collared Pratincole at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Marieta Foord | Knob-billed Duck in Wellington © Tarry Butcher | ||||||||
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Lesser Striped Swallow along the Darling Hills road © Dana Goldberg | Red-necked Phalarope at Kliphoek Salt Pans © Tania Janse van Rensburg | ||||||||
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Eurasian Oystercatcher in Knysna © Dylan Merryweather | |||||||||
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In the Eastern Cape, a single COLLARED PRATINCOLE was seen just outside Coffee Bay at -31.991, 29.142 on Tuesday while there was also some local excitement when a female VIOLET-BACKED STARLING was seen in a garden in Kleinemonde East this morning. | |||||||||
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Collared Pratincole near Coffee Bay © Rhys Gwilliam | Violet-backed Starling in Kleinemonde East © Jo Outram | ||||||||
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Into Kwazulu Natal where a BAILLON’S CRAKE was seen on the Phinda floodplain yesterday.
In Mpumalanga, a PINK-BACKED PELICAN was present at Mlondozi Dam in the Kruger National Park yesterday whilst the park also produced a single AFRICAN SKIMMER along the Sabie River south of Lower Sabie at -25.141, 31.941 this morning. The big news, however, was the discovery of a GOLDEN PIPIT near Chimanimani Camp in Timbavati Private Game Reserve at -24.377, 31.194 this morning. To the best of my knowledge, this is only the 34th record of this species ever in Southern Africa.
Over in Gauteng, the SLATY EGRET was still at Gnu Valley farm at -25.996, 27.868 this afternoon.
Limpopo chimed in with a EURASIAN WHIMBREL reported at Engelhard Dam near Letaba in the Kruger National Park on Tuesday. | |||||||||
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Golden Pipit in Timbavati Private Game Reserve © Henry Parsons | Slaty Egret at Gnu Valley farm © Danny Hitge | ||||||||
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Up in Namibia, the TIBETAN (LESSER) SAND PLOVER was seen again at Lovers Hill in Walvis Bay yesterday while the long-staying ROSS’S TURACO was still at Taranga Safari Lodge, west of Rundu, until at least Monday. Several PALE-THROATED GREENBULS (aka YELLOW-THROATED LEAFLOVES) were still around Caprivi River Lodge in Katima Mulilo this morning as well. | |||||||||
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Ross’s Turaco at Taranga Safari Lodge © Eckart Demasius | Tibetan (Lesser) Sand Plover in Walvis Bay © Dayne Braine | ||||||||
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And finally, in Mozambique, it was all happening again at The Sanctuary on the San Sebastian Peninsula near Vilanculous with Tuesday’s birding there producing 1 EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER, 1 AFRICAN OYSTERCATCHER, 17 CRAB PLOVERS, 1 RED KNOT, at least 7 SAUNDERS’S TERNS and 2 ROSEATE TERNS while yesterday’s haul included 2 CRAB PLOVERS, 6 RED KNOTS, 12 ROSEATE TERNS and the LITTLE (DIMORPHIC) EGRET which was seen again earlier today as well. | |||||||||
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Little (Dimorphic) Egret at The Sanctuary © Etienne Marais | Roseate Tern at The Sanctuary © Etienne Marais | ||||||||
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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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