SA Rare Bird News Report - 16 January 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 Thursday, 16 January 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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Just a handful of scarcity reports that have come through in the last few days...
EUROPEAN HONEY BUZZARD:
* One at Woodville Forest near Wilderness (Western Cape) today. * One over Parkhill Bowls Club in Durban North (KZN) this afternoon. * One at Rietvlei Nature Reserve (Gauteng) today. * One in Pretoriuskop camp in the Kruger National Park (Mpumalanga) this morning. * One at the Pienaarsrivier end of the Zaagkuildrift road (Limpopo) yesterday. * One in Stilfontein (North-west Province) on Tuesday. * One near Kyalami (Gauteng) on Monday. * One at Henley on Klip (Gauteng) on Sunday. | |||||||||
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European Honey Buzzard at Rietvlei Nature Reserve © Willie van den Heever | European Honey Buzzard near Kyalami © Sarette Arnold | ||||||||
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On to the rest of the news and, starting in the Western Cape, the star bird, the WILSON'S PHALAROPE, was still at salt pans in Velddrif yesterday (the pans closest to the bridge going into Velddrif) while the same pans held on to the 3 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES yesterday as well. Close by, Kliphoek Salt Pans also held on to the breeding plumaged RED-NECKED PHALAROPE and SAND MARTINS yesterday while a GOLIATH HERON was also seen there yesterday. There have also been several reports of BLACK-CHESTED SNAKE EAGLE in the last few days with one seen at the Silverstroomstrand turnoff from the R27 on Tuesday, one seen north of Hopefield at -32.983, 18.346 on Tuesday and another reported close to the Berg River near Velddrif yesterday at -32.871, 18.217 as well. Elsewhere, the WOOLLY-NECKED STORK was still at Elandsberg Reserve near Hermon yesterday and the AFRICAN HAWK EAGLE was seen again on Bergsig farm between Worcester and Ceres on Tuesday afternoon as well. An AFRICAN JACANA was also present this afternoon in the channel on the southern end of Strandfontein Sewage Works. Further east on the Garden Route, a GOLIATH HERON was reported at the Sedgefield Lagoon this morning as well. | |||||||||
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Wilson’s Phalarope at Velddrif © Alex Aitkenhead | Wilson’s Phalarope at Velddrif © Susan Vermeulen | ||||||||
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Wilson’s Phalarope at Velddrif © Stanislav Novotny | Wilson’s Phalarope at Velddrif © Samantha Bradley | ||||||||
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Wilson’s Phalarope at Velddrif © Neil Best | Red-necked Phalaropes at Velddrif © Stanislav Novotny | ||||||||
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Sand Martin at Kliphoek Salt Pans © Michael Mason | Goliath Heron at Kliphoek Salt Pans © Michael Mason | ||||||||
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Black-chested Snake Eagle north of Hopefield © Stanislav Novotny | Black-chested Snake Eagle near the Berg River © Michael Mason | ||||||||
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In the Eastern Cape, the ELEGANT TERN was seen again at Cannon Rocks at -33.748, 26.554 on Tuesday while the 2 AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVERS were also still at the farm dam near Humansdorp yesterday. The juvenile AYRES'S HAWK EAGLE was proving popular amongst provincial listers and was seen over Uitenhage yesterday again while a BROWN SNAKE EAGLE was also seen at Ngicyo Pans yesterday. There was also some local excitement when 2 GREY CROWNED CRANES were found near Rossie's Jetty in Colchester on Tuesday, a very unusual record for the area. | |||||||||
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Elegant Tern at Cannon Rocks © Michael du Plessis | American Golden Plover near Humansdorp © Jorrie Jordaan | ||||||||
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Ayres’s Hawk Eagle over Uitenhage © Stefan Strydom | Brown Snake Eagle at Ngicyo Pans © Barry Kurten | ||||||||
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Grey Crowned Cranes at Colchester © Gerrie Horn | Grey Crowned Cranes at Colchester © Dave Nel | ||||||||
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Moving up the coast into Kwazulu Natal, the GREY-HEADED KINGFISHER was still at Mun-Ya-Wana Private Game Reserve on Tuesday whilst a LESSER GREY SHRIKE was found at Midmar Dam Game Reserve on Sunday. Also of local interest, an exhausted LONG-TAILED JAEGER was found at the Umgeni River mouth in Durban on Sunday and was taken into care but, sadly, subsequently died. | |||||||||
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Grey-headed Kingfisher at Mun-Ya-Wana Private Game Reserve © Digby Cyrus | Lesser Grey Shrike at Midmar Dam Game Reserve © Ingrid Weiersbye | ||||||||
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In Gauteng, the LESSER MOORHENS were still present at the wetland next to Candlewoods Estate in Centurion on Tuesday.
Up in the North-west Province, there was some surprize when an adult PALM-NUT VULTURE was found at Wilgekrans Game Farm near Zeerust at -25.591, 26.300 on Monday, a really odd bird for the area. | |||||||||
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Lesser Moorhen in Centurion © Corrie Pelser | Palm-nut Vulture at Wilgekrans Game Farm © Christi Nolte | ||||||||
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And finally, in Mozambique, the mega SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER was still at Macaneta, north of Maputo, at -25.732, 32.721 on Tuesday. | |||||||||
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Sharp-tailed Sandpiper at Macaneta © James Hogg | |||||||||
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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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