SA Rare Bird News Report - 25 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 18h00 on Monday, 25 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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Starting in the Western Cape, a white-backed Albatross thought to possibly be a young SOUTHERN ROYAL ALBATROSS was seen on a fishing trip out of Hout Bay earlier today. A number of FULVOUS WHISTLING DUCKS were still on Pan P4 at Strandfontein Sewage Works yesterday while there was also some local excitement when a BLACK-THROATED CANARY was discovered at Strandfontein Sewage Works at -34.077, 18.512 on Friday and was still moving around in the same general area yesterday. Up on the west coast, Kliphoek Salt Pans in Velddrif remained popular with the GULL-BILLED TERN still there on Friday although it frustrated twitchers no end by doing a disappearing act on the weekend. The 2 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES, however, were far more reliable and were still there today while a single GREATER SAND PLOVER was also found there at -32.824, 18.201 on Saturday. The lone FULVOUS WHISTLING DUCK was still at Willem Appel Dam in Stanford until at least Friday while, over on the Garden Route, the 2 GOLDEN-BREASTED BUNTINGS were still present at the Witfontein plantation above George yesterday. | |||||||||
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Black-throated Canary at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Cliff Dorse | Black-throated Canary at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Karin Wilson | ||||||||
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Black-throated Canary at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Otto Schmidt | Black-throated Canary at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Rob Bowie | ||||||||
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Gull-billed Tern at Kliphoek Salt Pans © Stanislav Novotny | Gull-billed Tern at Kliphoek Salt Pans © Pieter le Roux | ||||||||
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Red-necked Phalarope at Kliphoek Salt Pans © Stanislav Novotny | Red-necked Phalarope at Kliphoek Salt Pans © Gaynor Donovan | ||||||||
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Red-necked Phalarope at Kliphoek Salt Pans © Wessel Uys | Golden-breasted Buntings at Witfontein plantation © Pieter Uitenweerde | ||||||||
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Fulvous Whistling Duck in Stanford © Daryl de Beer | Fulvous Whistling Duck in Stanford © Lynette de Beer | ||||||||
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In the Eastern Cape, a SQUACCO HERON was found along the N9, south-west of Aberdeen, at -32.580, 23.929 on Friday while there was also some excitement when a LAPPET-FACED VULTURE was seen near Kuzuko Lodge at -33.178, 25.436 this afternoon. | |||||||||
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Squacco Heron near Aberdeen © Josef van Wynguard | Lappet-faced Vulture near Kuzuko Lodge © Angelique de Lange | ||||||||
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Moving up the coast into Kwazulu Natal, a LESSER JACANA was found at Amatikulu Pan on Saturday, a juvenile LESSER MOORHEN was reported in flooded grassland to the west of the tar road about 500m north of the Vlei Loop entrance on the Eastern Shores of iSimangaliso Wetland Park on Saturday and was still there yesterday, no fewer than 6 TEMMINCK’S COURSERS were found opposite the entrance to Zulu Croc, north of Hluhluwe, at -27.928, 32.320 on Saturday and the popular RUFOUS-BELLIED HERON was still at Umbogovango Nature Reserve in Amanzimtoti until at least Thursday. | |||||||||
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Lesser Jacana at Amatikulu Pan © Paul Goslin | Lesser Moorhen on the Eastern Shores © Ian Ferreira | ||||||||
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Into the Free State where a DWARF BITTERN was found just south of Springfontein at -30.318, 25.693 today.
Mpumalanga delivered a CROWNED EAGLE in the Wilge River Valley at -25.607, 29.086 on Saturday.
Over in the North-west Province, an AFRICAN CRAKE was seen this morning around the junction of Kukama and Ntswe Drives in Pilanesberg National Park.
Into Limpopo where there was major excitement when 4 WHITE-THROATED BEE-EATERS were reported at Nylsvlei Nature Reserve camp site on Saturday. Unfortunately, as is often the case with this species, they didn’t hang around for long and proved wholly untwitchable and were gone before anyone else could even get there. This would constitute only the 29th record of this species in Southern Africa. | |||||||||
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Dwarf Bittern near Springfontein © Patrick O’Brein | African Crake in Pilanesberg National Park © Jann-Rick Louw | ||||||||
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Up in Botswana, a slightly delayed record has been received of a GREY WAGTAIL seen at the pan in front of Tau Pan Camp in the Central Kalahari Reserve on 13 April.
Across in Zimbabwe, 3 RUDDY TURNSTONES were found yesterday on Fothergill Island in Lake Kariba and were still present there earlier today.
And finally, in Mozambique, around 50 CRAB PLOVERS were present on the northern tip of Bazaruto Island on Friday while a research trip returning into subregion waters overnight produced some interesting sightings this morning about 50 km south-west of Bassas da India including many RED-FOOTED BOOBIES, SOOTY TERNS, several GREAT FRIGATEBIRDS, at least one LESSER FRIGATEBIRD and also a single BLACK-BELLIED STORM PETREL, not a bad day’s birding at all…! | |||||||||
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Grey Wagtail at Tau Pan Camp © Liam Rainier | Crab Plovers at Bazaruto Island © Barry Launder | ||||||||
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Lesser Frigatebird south of Bassas da India © Peter Ryan | |||||||||
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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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