SA Rare Bird News Report - 14 April 2022
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 19h30 on Thursday, 14 April 2022.
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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Given that it’s a long weekend, there won’t be a report going out on Monday as I am away and am not sure what time I will be getting back. Have a great long weekend anyway and I hope you all get to do some awesome birding…!
On to the news and, starting in the Western Cape, there were still at least 30 FULVOUS WHISTLING DUCKS on Pan P4 at Strandfontein Sewage Works on Monday. The west coast also seems to be lifting the bar a little with a GREY-HEADED KINGFISHER found at Abrahamskraal Cottage in the West Coast National Park on Monday afternoon (and, unfortunately, not seen since) while there were 2 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES at Kliphoek Salt Pans in Velddrif this afternoon. Even better was the discovery of a GULL-BILLED TERN at the pans this afternoon as well, a really awesome bird for the province. The single FULVOUS WHISTLING DUCK was still at Willem Appel Dam in Stanford until at least Tuesday and a MARABOU STORK was seen over Op die Berg on Tuesday as well while, over on the Garden Route, the popular EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER was still present on the Keurbooms River estuary in Plettenberg Bay and the same area also delivered what certainly looks spot on for a “STEPPE” WHIMBREL yesterday. This is still currently considered a subspecies of Eurasian Whimbrel, but who knows what might happen in the future. | |||||||||
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Grey-headed Kingfisher at Abrahamskraal © Zoë Lunau-Johns | Red-necked Phalarope at Kliphoek Salt Pans © Zoë Lunau-Johns | ||||||||
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Gull-billed Tern at Kliphoek Salt Pans © Dominic Rollinson | “Steppe” Whimbrel at the Keurbooms River estuary © Mike Bridgeford | ||||||||
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Eurasian Oystercatcher at the Keurbooms River estuary © Ian Pletzer | |||||||||
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In the Eastern Cape, lingerers included the PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER still on the Keiskamma River estuary in Hamburg yesterday and the WOODLAND KINGFISHER still at Camdeboo National Park on Tuesday while a BROWN SNAKE EAGLE was seen in the Belmont Valley near Grahamstown at -33.325, 26.633 on Tuesday as well. | |||||||||
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Pacific Golden Plover at Hamburg © Foden Saunders | Brown Snake Eagle in Belmont Valley © Lynette Rudman | ||||||||
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The Northern Cape turned up a CASPIAN TERN at the Karoo Gariep Conservancy near Hanover earlier today.
In Mpumalanga, a BLACK STORK was reported south-west of Dullstroom at -25.541, 29.984 yesterday.
And finally, in the North-west Province, a WHITE-BACKED NIGHT HERON was seen at Wimbledon Bridge on Kubu Drive in Pilanesberg National Park this morning. | |||||||||
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Caspian Tern at Karoo Gariep Conservancy © Ronelle Viljoen | White-backed Night Heron in Pilanesberg National Park © Jann Rick | ||||||||
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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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