SA Rare Bird News Report - 05 October 2020
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 20h00 on Monday, 05 October 2020.
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 pelagic trip out of Hout Bay yesterday delivered 2 juvenile SOUTHERN ROYAL ALBATROSSES while at least one AUSTRALASIAN GANNET was still on Malgas Island in Saldanha Bay this morning. A KNOB-BILLED DUCK was found at Rietvlei Wetland Reserve near Milnerton yesterday while, in the Stellenbosch area, the LONG-CRESTED EAGLE was seen again flying over Die Boord yesterday and the GOLIATH HERON was also still at Distell Dam today. The popular DOUBLE-BANDED COURSERS were also still attracting local attention and were still in the field south of Moorreesburg at -33.273, 18.626 yesterday while, up on the west coast, a PRATINCOLE species was seen at Kliphoek Salt Pans on Kuifkopvisvanger farm earlier today (unfortunately, the specific ID could not be clinched at the time) and a single LARK-LIKE BUNTING was also found at the entrance to the salt pans this afternoon as well.
Over on the Garden Route, a SQUACCO HERON was seen near Sedgefield flying across the N2 towards the Ruigtevlei road yesterday and, presumably, the same bird was seen today along the Karatara road at -34.007311, 22.830216 (a GOLIATH HERON seen at this latter site today as well), a GREAT EGRET was seen from Kingfisher Drive in the Swartvlei Lagoon yesterday, an AFRICAN PIED WAGTAIL was present on Thesen Island in Knysna just outside the SANparks office yesterday and the YELLOW-THROATED PETRONIA was still coming to the feeders at Reflections Eco Reserve near Wilderness today as well.
Up in the Northern Cape, a single AFRICAN OPENBILL was seen flying over Kamfers Dam outside Kimberley on Saturday while 2 EURASIAN WHIMBRELS were found today at Karoo Gariep Nature Reserve near Hanover. | |||||||||
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Australasian Gannet on Malgas Island © Bruce Dyer | Double-banded Courser near Moorreesburg © Joel Radue | ||||||||
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Southern Royal Albatross on pelagic trip © Trevor Hardaker | |||||||||
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Goliath Heron at Distell Dam © Tony Kent | Goliath Heron at Distell Dam © Hilton Thomson | ||||||||
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Goliath Heron at Distell Dam © Jacques Gilliomee | Knob-billed Duck at Rietvlei Wetland Reserve © Wian van Zyl | ||||||||
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Squacco Heron along the Karatara road © Pieter Uitenweerde | Squacco Heron along the Karatara road © Justin Ponder | ||||||||
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African Pied Wagtail on Thesen Island © Justin Ponder | Eurasian Whimbrel at Karoo Gariep Nature Reserve © PC Ferreira | ||||||||
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In the Eastern Cape, a KNOB-BILLED DUCK was found just outside Queenstown at -31.932, 26.827 yesterday and was still there today, a FULVOUS WHISTLING DUCK was found on the farm Tsitsimilk, near Eersterivier, at -34.064, 24.250 on Friday and 2 WHITE-BACKED VULTURES were seen at Kariega Game Reserve near Kenton-on-Sea on Friday as well. | |||||||||
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Fulvous Whistling Duck near Eersterivier © Johnny van Niekerk | Knob-billed Duck in Queenstown © Duane Kennedy | ||||||||
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Moving up the coast into Kwazulu Natal, a single LESSER FLAMINGO was seen on the Umgeni River in Durban at -29.810, 31.005 on Friday while the PIED STARLING was still present in Clarke Bay in Ballito on Friday as well. Elsewhere, a popular find was a LESSER JACANA on the big dam near the entrance to Tala Game Reserve yesterday while a pair of VERREAUX’S EAGLE OWLS were also found in the riverine bush on the Msunduzi River in Kube Yini Private Game Reserve yesterday. There were also a BENNETT’S WOODPECKER and a RED-HEADED WEAVER holding on at Zebra Hills in Manyoni Private Game Reserve earlier today as well. | |||||||||
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Pied Starling in Ballito © Luke Allen | Lesser Flamingo on the Umgeni River © Bart Fokkens | ||||||||
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Verreaux’s Eagle Owl at Kubi Yini Private Game Reserve © Digby Cyrus | Lesser Jacana at Tala Game Reserve © Roger Hogg | ||||||||
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Mpumalanga delivered a RUDDY TURNSTONE at Witklip Dam in White River at -25.212, 30.898 yesterday while there was also some surprize when a WHITE-BACKED DUCK was found at Nsemani Dam in the Kruger National Park on Saturday. | |||||||||
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White-backed Duck at Nsemani Dam © Cobus Loggenberg | Ruddy Turnstone at Witklip Dam © Gabriella Carrozzo | ||||||||
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In the North-west Province, the long-staying LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was still present at Rockwall Dam near Rustenberg on Saturday. | |||||||||
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Lesser Black-backed Gull at Rockwall Dam © Philip Yiannakou | |||||||||
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Up in Namibia, the SWAMP BOUBOU was relocated in a different garden in Swakopmund Retirement Village on Saturday.
And finally, in Botswana, there was some surprize when an AFRICAN JACANA was found in Deception Valley in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve on Thursday, about as far away from typical habitat as one could possibly get there. | |||||||||
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African Jacana in Deception Valley © Patrick Rancholo | |||||||||
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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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