SA Rare Bird News Report - 03 May 2012

[Trevor Hardaker]

This is the Southern African Rare Bird News Report issued at 21h25 on Thursday, 03 May 2012. 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. 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
I hope you all had a great long weekend and managed to squeeze in a bit of birding somewhere. Excuse the shameless self-promotion, but for those of you that are active on Facebook and enjoy looking at photos of all sorts of weird and wonderful biodiversity, I would like to invite you to go and have a look at my FB page where I post all my photos. And, if you think it is worthwhile, please consider pressing the “like” button on it to receive my postings in your newsfeed…J The URL is http://www.facebook.com/pages/Trevor-Hardaker-wildlife-enthusiast-and-photographer/297716993600952. Hope you enjoy it and “like” it too...!   So, on to some news and, starting in the Western Cape, there is no doubt that the highlight was the discovery of a BRONZE-WINGED COURSER on the Saasveld Campus in George on Tuesday evening. The bird remained present yesterday but, much to the chagrin of many provincial twitchers who were hoping to have a go at it this weekend, disappeared overnight and was not reported at all today. To the best of my knowledge, this represents only the 2nd ever record for the province and one that many of the keen provincial listers still need.   Elsewhere in the province, a FRANKLIN’S GULL was reported from Dyer Island near Gansbaai last Wednesday whilst, on Monday, a CAPE VULTURE entertained locals in Knysna as it moved around the town being reported from suburbia and the local cemetery throughout the day. On Friday, a CINNAMON-BREASTED BUNTING was reported along the trail to the Maanskynbaai launching area in Hermanus and was seen again in the same area on Monday whilst another individual was reported from the golf course estate in Hermanus also on Friday. There also seems to have been an influx of AFRICAN JACANAS in the Cape with singletons reported from Zandvlei Nature Reserve (still there this afternoon), Paarl Bird Sanctuary and De Zalze Golf Estate in Stellenbosch over the last few days.
Bronze-winged Courser at Saasveld © Rudolph Minnie	Bronze-winged Courser at Saasveld © Alan Collett
Franklin’s Gull at Dyer Island © Robert Cope	Cape Vulture in Knysna © Martha Woolard
Cinnamon-breasted Bunting in Hermanus © Lee Burman	African Jacana at Paarl Bird Sanctuary © Freddie Strauss
In the Eastern Cape, a TEMMINCK’S COURSER was located near to Oyster Bay on Tuesday whilst, last week, no fewer than 10 COMMON (KURRICHANE) BUTTONQUAILS were discovered on a cattle farm between Humansdorp and Hankey.   Moving into the Northern Cape, a WHITE STORK was located at the water hole at Nossob in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park on the weekend.   The Free State produced a LONG-CRESTED EAGLE near Sasolburg on Saturday.   In Mpumalanga, the LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was still showing erratically at Leeupan near Evander on the weekend whilst, at Sabi Sands, a BLUE-MANTLED CRESTED FLYCATCHER was seen along the Msutlu River on Sunday.   In the North-west Province, the area just outside Carletonville once again produced RUFOUS-EARED WARBLER on the weekend, unfortunately just 2km beyond the borders of the Gauteng province much to the distress of provincial listers…J   And finally, in Namibia, it would appear that the BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER that entertained onlookers at Mile 4 Salt Works in Swakopmund has finally packed its bags and left and has not been seen for a number of days now, but at least one GULL-BILLED TERN remains available at Walvis Bay. Also of interest was a LESSER CRESTED TERN discovered on Halifax Island just offshore of Luderitz on Thursday – there are only a handful of records of this species for the country and this certainly constitutes the first record for southern Namibia.
Temminck’s Courser near Oyster Bay © Japie Claassen	Common Buttonquail near Hankey © Jessie Walton
Lesser Black-backed Gull at Leeupan © Maans Booysen	Rufous-eared Warbler near Carletonville © Dylan Vasapolli
Lesser Crested Tern on Halifax Island © Jessica Kemper
Please remember to send through your details to be included on the various listing clubs that are hosted at www.zestforbirds.co.za. This website also has an extensive rarities gallery that has many additional photos of a number of rarities that are mentioned in these reports.
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     Follow our local exploits in the field at: http://hardakerwildlife.wordpress.com/   See our photos and trip reports at: www.hardaker.co.za     ZEST for BIRDS Pelagics, rarity photos, listing clubs and more: www.zestforbirds.co.za     SA RARE BIRD NEWS Get the latest rarity news by joining at: http://groups.google.co.za/group/sa-rarebirdnews     SOUTHERN AFRICAN RARITIES Online database of all SA rarities www.rarities.co.za -----------------------------------------------------------------------