SA Rare Bird News Report - 13 November 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, 13 November 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, a pelagic trip out of Hout Bay yesterday produced 2 SPECTACLED PETRELS while a single CASPIAN PLOVER was found at Kliphoek Salt Pans in Velddrif at -32.825, 18.203 on Tuesday and a COMMON SCIMITARBILL was reported from Arabella Country Estate near Kleinmond at -34.316, 19.132 this morning. Elsewhere, lingerers included the BAIRD’S SANDPIPER still at Macassar Sewage Works this afternoon, the AFRICAN JACANA still at Rietvlei Wetland Reserve yesterday, the EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER still at Seeberg in the West Coast National Park this afternoon, at least one RED-NECKED PHALAROPE still at Kliphoek Salt Pans in Velddrif earlier today, one AUSTRALASIAN GANNET still on Bird Island in Lambert’s Bay on Tuesday, the popular GULL-BILLED TERN still at the Bot River Lagoon yesterday and at least one GREATER SAND PLOVER still at De Mond Nature Reserve near Arniston on Tuesday. | |||||||||
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African Jacana at Rietvlei Wetland Reserve © Regard van Dyk | African Jacana at Rietvlei Wetland Reserve © Andy Bullmore | ||||||||
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Spectacled Petrel on pelagic trip © Grant Scholtz | |||||||||
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Baird’s Sandpiper at Macassar Sewage Works © Regard van Dyk | Baird’s Sandpiper at Macassar Sewage Works © Thierry de Ryckel | ||||||||
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Baird’s Sandpiper at Macassar Sewage Works © Daneel van der Walt | Gull-billed Tern at Bot River Lagoon © Dylan Schröder | ||||||||
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Gull-billed Tern at Bot River Lagoon © Hernus Langeveldt | Gull-billed Tern at Bot River Lagoon © Carin Malan | ||||||||
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Gull-billed Tern at Bot River Lagoon © Willem Botes | Gull-billed Tern at Bot River Lagoon © Jenny Wentzel | ||||||||
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Caspian Plover at Kliphoek Salt Pans © Dean Boshoff | Greater Sand Plover at De Mond Nature Reserve © Dieter Oschadleus | ||||||||
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Up in the Northern Cape, a single CASPIAN PLOVER was found about 40km east of Springbok, behind the Kangnas Wind Farm, yesterday while the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park delivered a lovely GREY WAGTAIL at Montrose waterhole on Monday and a GREATER PAINTED SNIPE still at Samevloeing waterhole on Tuesday. A female GREATER PAINTED SNIPE was also found at Kalk Pan in Tswalu Kalahari Reserve at -27.292, 22.290 this afternoon.
In the Eastern Cape, a YELLOW-BILLED STORK was found this morning in Jeffrey’s Bay at -34.087, 24.902.
Moving up the coast into Kwazulu Natal, there was some excitement this morning when a TREE PIPIT was found along the main road on the Western Shores of iSimangaliso Wetland Park at -28.349, 32.393. | |||||||||
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Grey Wagtail at Montrose waterhole © Misty Thomson | Caspian Plover near Kangnas Wind Farm © Martha Verwey | ||||||||
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Greater Painted Snipe at Kalk Pan © Wade Kilian | Yellow-billed Stork in Jeffrey’s Bay © Cobus le Roux | ||||||||
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Tree Pipit on the Western Shores © Connor Nicholson | |||||||||
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Into Mpumalanga where there was some local excitement when a LESSER JACANA was found at Otter Pan, south-east of Middelburg, at -25.917, 29.930 on Tuesday and was still there yesterday along with a second individual as well. The Kruger National Park continued to provide entertainment too with the GREEN SANDPIPER still along the S3 at -24.989, 31.467 yesterday, no fewer than 5 CASPIAN PLOVERS still along the S25 at -25.349, 31.879 earlier today (with as many as 7 counted there yesterday), one PINK-BACKED PELICAN seen at Mlondozi Dam on Tuesday and 2 PINK-BACKED PELICANS seen flying over the weir on the Sabie River close to Lower Sabie yesterday while 6 AFRICAN SKIMMERS (4 adults and 2 juveniles) were also present at the Olifants River bridge on Tuesday. | |||||||||
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Lesser Jacana at Otter Pan © Jan Pienaar | Lesser Jacana at Otter Pan © Hannetjie Senekal | ||||||||
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Lesser Jacana at Otter Pan © Estie le Roux | Lesser Jacana at Otter Pan © Etienne Hinrichsen | ||||||||
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Lesser Jacana at Otter Pan © Izelle Bekker | |||||||||
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Gauteng chimed in with 2 BLUE CRANES seen at Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve at -26.506, 28.290 yesterday which were both still there this afternoon while a male NARINA TROGON was seen again this morning at Deales Rock.
Over in Limpopo, the RUFOUS-BELLIED HERON was still hanging around at Vogelfontein at -24.617, 28.696 this morning while a LONG-CRESTED EAGLE was reported along the S50 outside Shingwedzi in the Kruger National Park yesterday. | |||||||||
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Blue Cranes at Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve © WS Barbour | Rufous-bellied Heron at Vogelfontein © Hannes Swanepoel | ||||||||
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Up in Namibia, lingerers included the long-staying ROSS’S TURACO still at Taranga Safari Lodge, west of Rundu, yesterday and at least 3 PALE-THROATED GREENBULS (aka YELLOW-THROATED LEAFLOVES) still in the gardens of Caprivi River Lodge in Katima Mulilo yesterday as well.
And finally, in Zimbabwe, a PALM-NUT VULTURE was seen at Mucheni Camp in Mana Pools National Park on Sunday and was still there until at least Monday. | |||||||||
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Ross’s Turaco at Taranga Safari Lodge © Dayne Braine | Palm-nut Vulture at Mucheni Camp © Mark van Zuydam | ||||||||
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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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