SA Rare Bird News Report - 08 September 2025
Trevor Hardaker
| |||||||||
| |||||||||
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 | |||||||||
|
|
| |||||||
This is the Southern African Rare Bird News Report issued at 18h00 on Monday, 08 September 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 |
| SARBN is proud to be associated with the following brands: | |||||||
| |||||||||
| |||||||||
| |||||||||
|
|
| |||||||
| |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
PLEASE CONSIDER FOLLOWING ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY CLICKING ON THE LINKED ICONS BELOW: | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
|
|
| ||||||
| |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Starting in the Western Cape, a pelagic trip out of Simon’s Town on Saturday turned up 2 juvenile SOUTHERN ROYAL ALBATROSSES while an old adult WANDERING ALBATROSS was seen 114 nautical miles south of Cape Agulhas on a fishing trip yesterday while the same fishing vessel reported as many as 8 different WANDERING ALBATROSSES around the boat this morning. Elsewhere, at least one RED-NECKED PHALAROPE was still at Kliphoek Salt Pans in Velddrif yesterday and one AUSTRALASIAN GANNET was still at Bird Island in Lambert’s Bay yesterday while a single LESSER STRIPED SWALLOW was seen around the entrance to Middlevlei Estate on the Bot River Lagoon on Saturday.
Up in the Northern Cape, it was all happening in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park with a juvenile GREATER FLAMINGO seen at Dikbaardskolk waterhole on Saturday and an adult BLACK HARRIER seen near Rooiputs waterhole on Friday afternoon.
In Kwazulu Natal, the RUFOUS-BELLIED HERON was still near Amazibu hide on the Eastern Shores of iSimangaliso Wetland Park at -28.315, 32.437 yesterday.
Into Mpumalanga where the Kruger National Park delivered a bit of a surprize when a WHITE-STARRED ROBIN was seen yesterday afternoon at the Skukuza nursery boardwalk next to the golf course at -24.985, 31.579 while the AFRICAN SKIMMERS were still at Malelane bridge until at least Friday.
In Gauteng, the SLATY EGRET was seen again at Gnu Valley farm on Saturday. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Southern Royal Albatross on pelagic trip © David Swanepoel | White-starred Robin at Skukuza Nursery boardwalk © Wayne Sadler | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Greater Flamingo at Dikbaardskolk waterhole © Riëtte Griesel | Black Harrier near Rooiputs waterhole © Willem Kruger | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Up in Namibia, the long-staying ROSS’S TURACO was still at Taranga Safari Lodge, west of Rundu, on Saturday while both a GREATER SAND PLOVER and a TIBETAN (LESSER) SAND PLOVER were present at Lovers Hill in Walvis Bay on Saturday. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Ross’s Turaco at Taranga Safari Lodge © Corne Rautenbach | Greater Sand Plover in Walvis Bay © Andrew Brown | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
| |||||||||
Tibetan (Lesser) Sand Plover in Walvis Bay © Timothy Smith | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
And finally, in Mozambique, the LITTLE (DIMORPHIC) EGRET, at least 7 SAUNDERS’S TERNS and a single EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER were all present at The Sanctuary on the San Sebastian Peninsula near Vilanculous yesterday. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Little (Dimorphic) Egret at The Sanctuary © Albert McLean | Little (Dimorphic) Egret at The Sanctuary © Diane McLean | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Saunders’s Tern at The Sanctuary © Albert McLean | Eurasian Oystercatcher at The Sanctuary © Albert McLean | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
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 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
TREVOR HARDAKER Cape Town, South Africa |
|
|
|
| |||||
| |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
| |||||||||
| |||||||||
