SA Rare Bird News Report - 01 December 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 Monday, 01 December 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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What a crazy few days we’ve just had… the rarity flood gates have now well and truly opened…J
Let’s start with the absolute star bird of the last few days, and a new species for Southern Africa, and it comes from the Western Cape where an UPLAND SANDPIPER was discovered at Platboom near Cape Point yesterday and was still present there today. It moved around a fair bit up and down the coastal strip, so difficult to give a single pin for it, but one could start roughly at -34.334, 18.438 and then work up and down the coast from there.
Unlike most waders, they prefer open country and are often found in grasslands, but are also known from coastal habitat. I have also included a global distribution map below courtesy of eBird and, according to Wikipedia, their range is as follows: They breed from eastern Alaska south east of the Rocky Mountains through Montana to northern Oklahoma and then northeast to Pennsylvania, New England and extreme southern Quebec and Ontario. There are also local breeding populations in northeast Oregon and west central Idaho. They winter in northeastern Argentina, Uruguay and southern Brazil. It is an extremely rare vagrant to Europe, and to the South Pacific, with one record each from Australia and New Zealand.
This is a species that has long been predicted as a potential vagrant to Southern Africa and many have been on the look-out for it, so a big word of congratulations to Cliff Dorse on being the one that eventually found one for all of us to enjoy…J
For those of you that are still planning on going to look for the bird or are planning to go again to enjoy it some more, just a few further comments…
· Please understand that this is a first record for Southern Africa and, as such, is attracting a lot of attention from all over the subregion with many people making plans to travel for it from the various corners of Southern Africa. To this end, let’s all respect that and keep a decent distance from the bird for now and don’t keep moving closer to get better photos. If the bird flies over and comes to land near you, then all good and well, and blast away those photos, but moving towards the bird to fill more of your frame and getting within its comfortable distance should be avoided for now please. Let’s give everybody that is still traveling to see this bird the best possible chance that it hangs around for them.
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Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Cliff Dorse | Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Jimmy Kirby | ||||||||
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Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Michael Mason | Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Garret Skead | ||||||||
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Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Callan Cohen | Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Murray Christian | ||||||||
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Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Dana Goldberg | Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Connor Barr | ||||||||
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Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Ian Rijsdijk | Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Gabriel Jamie | ||||||||
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Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Dominic Rollinson | |||||||||
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Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Mark Slingsby | Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © David Hall | ||||||||
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Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Tertius Gous | Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Gilbert Reinhardt | ||||||||
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Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Philip Soboil | Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Sarel Snyman | ||||||||
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Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Estelle Smalberger | Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Peter Rosewarne | ||||||||
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Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Alan Wilson | Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Graham Luden | ||||||||
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Upland Sandpiper twitchers at Platboom © Melanie Cornelius | |||||||||
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Upland Sandpiper twitchers at Platboom © Carin Mackinnon-Little | |||||||||
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Upland Sandpiper twitchers at Platboom © Shaun Overmeyer | |||||||||
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Upland Sandpiper twitchers at Platboom © Trevor Hardaker | |||||||||
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Global distribution of Upland Sandpiper © eBird | |||||||||
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Elsewhere in the province, a juvenile WANDERING ALBATROSS was seen on a fishing trip out of Hout Bay on Saturday while the BLACK-HEADED GULL, originally seen at Strandfontein Sewage Works last week, was relocated at Olifantsbos near Cape Point on Saturday where it spent a short while before flying south again and being lost to view. It was not relocated again after that, despite a number of people looking for it. Elsewhere, lingerers included the GOLIATH HERON still at Rondevlei Nature Reserve yesterday, the GREAT EGRET still in the Philippi wetlands at -34.025, 18.540 on Saturday, the BAIRD’S SANDPIPER still at Macassar Sewage Works this morning, at least 6 LESSER STRIPED SWALLOWS still along the Darling Hills road yesterday, the EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER still at Seeberg in the West Coast National Park this afternoon, the CASPIAN PLOVER still at Kliphoek Salt Pans in Velddrif at -32.826, 18.203 yesterday, 2 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES also still at Kliphoek Salt Pans at -32.827, 18.202 yesterday and one AUSTRALASIAN GANNET still at Bird Island in Lambert’s Bay yesterday as well.
In the Eastern Cape, an ABDIM’S STORK was seen at Queens Valley Dairy in the Komani District at -32.066, 26.978 on Saturday, but not subsequent to that. | |||||||||
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Baird’s Sandpiper at Macassar Sewage Works © Dylan Schröder | Lesser Striped Swallow on the Darling Hills road © Garret Skead | ||||||||
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Black-headed Gull at Olifantsbos © Gabriel Jamie | |||||||||
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Great Egret at the Philippi wetlands © Ian Rijsdijk | Great Egret at the Philippi wetlands © Regard van Dyk | ||||||||
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Eurasian Oystercatcher at Seeberg © Dana Goldberg | Abdim’s Stork at Queens Valley Dairy © Attie Goosen | ||||||||
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Moving up the coast into Kwazulu Natal, new records included 4 BLUE-CHEEKED BEE-EATERS seen on the farm Riverpoort on the Drak Gardens road yesterday, an AYRES’S HAWK EAGLE seen over Palm Lake Estates in Tinley Manor on Saturday, a SOOTY FALCON seen between Phinda and Zuka Private Game Reserve on the Sodwana Bay road at -27.874, 32.253 on Saturday, a RUFOUS-BELLIED HERON at the shooting range on the R22 just outside of Hluhluwe at -27.936, 32.314 this morning and an exhausted SOOTY TERN found in a block of flats one road up from the beach in Scottburgh last Monday while lingerers included the RUFOUS-BELLIED HERON still at Umbogavango Nature Reserve in Amazimtoti yesterday, at least one RUFOUS-BELLIED HERON still on the Eastern Shores of iSimangaliso Wetland Park on Friday, as many as 5 YELLOW-BILLED OXPECKERS reported on the Eastern Shores of iSimangaliso Wetland Park at -28.170, 32.536 on Saturday and the GREATER SAND PLOVER still at the St Lucia estuary earlier today. | |||||||||
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Sooty Tern found in Scottburgh © Carlyn Hattingh | Rufous-bellied Heron on the Eastern Shores © Ian Ferreira | ||||||||
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Rufous-bellied Heron at Umbogavango Nature Reserve © Mark Daniels | Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters on Riverpoort farm © Tim Hodgkiss | ||||||||
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Over in Mpumalanga, the Kruger National Park delivered Southern Africa’s 36th GOLDEN PIPIT along the H10 at -25.015, 31.913 on Saturday which had moved slightly, but was still around at -25.008, 31.912 yesterday. Amazingly, while people were watching this bird yesterday, our 37th GOLDEN PIPIT was found just 9km further along the H10 at -24.923, 31.921 yesterday as well! Other birds reported from the Kruger included a juvenile EGYPTIAN VULTURE reported flying east over Mpondo Dam on Friday and several CASPIAN PLOVERS still along the S25 on Friday as well while, just outside the park, an AFRICAN SKIMMER was seen at the confluence of the Crocodile and Nsikazi Rivers at -25.527, 31.372 on Saturday. Elsewhere in the province, the 2 LESSER JACANAS were at Grootkolk Dam, the pan on the opposite side of the road to Otter Pan, until at least Saturday while at least 2 BLUE SWALLOWS were still in the same area near God’s Window this afternoon. A SOUTHERN BALD IBIS reported just outside Delmas at -26.12, 28.726 on Saturday was another good local record while, also of interest, a YELLOW-BILLED OXPECKER was seen on a horse just outside Kaapsehoop this morning. | |||||||||
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Golden Pipit along the H10 road © Keegan Steward | Golden Pipit along the H10 road © Steyn Jacobsohn | ||||||||
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Golden Pipit along the H10 road © Izelle Bekker | Golden Pipit along the H10 road © EJ Bartlett | ||||||||
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Golden Pipit along the H10 road © Riana Els | Golden Pipit along the H10 road © Thinus Fraser | ||||||||
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Golden Pipit along the H10 road © John Truter | Golden Pipit along the H10 road © Shaun van Rooyen | ||||||||
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Blue Swallow near God’s Window © Dirk Human | Lesser Jacana at Grootkolk Dam © Peter Hall | ||||||||
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Gauteng held on to the SLATY EGRET which was still at Gnu Valley farm on Saturday while it also delivered a GREY-HEADED KINGFISHER in a garden in Fairland in Johannesburg on Friday. | |||||||||
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Grey-headed Kingfisher in Fairland © Melissa Werth | Slaty Egret at Gnu Valley farm © Andrew Kruger | ||||||||
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Up in Limpopo, a EURASIAN BITTERN was reported at Jacana Hide in Nylsvlei Nature Reserve on Saturday while there was also lots of surprize when a COMMON STARLING was found 1km east of Shingwedzi along the river road in the Kruger National Park on Thursday afternoon.
Into Namibia where the SQUACCO HERON was still at the Swakop River mouth in Swakopmund yesterday and at least 3 PALE-THROATED GREENBULS (aka YELLOW-THROATED LEAFLOVES) were still in the gardens of Caprivi River Lodge in Katima Mulilo on Friday.
Botswana chimed in with a CASPIAN PLOVER in the Kanana Concession, NG27A, in the old airstrip area on Friday. | |||||||||
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Common Starling near Shingwedzi © Adolf Joubert | Pale-throated Greenbul at Caprivi River Lodge © Dayne Braine | ||||||||
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And, finally, Zimbabwe was not to be outdone and produced an absolute mega in the form of a LITTLE RINGED PLOVER which was found at Mana Sands in Mana Pools National Park at -15.770, 29.249 on Friday afternoon and was still there yesterday at -15.755, 29.300. This is only the 4th record for the Southern African subregion with Zimbabwe also laying claim to our very first one which was in Hwange National Park on 5 January 2002. This was followed by a record at Tankatara in the Eastern Cape on 26 August 2017 and one at Vermont Salt Pan in the Western Cape on 11 September 2017, these latter two records almost certainly referring to the same individual that moved from one site to the other. Elsewhere, Southern Africa’s 13th SPUR-WINGED LAPWING continued to linger at Marimba Bay at Lake Chivero, west of Harare, until at least Friday. | |||||||||
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Little Ringed Plover in Mana Pools National Park © Gary Douglas | Little Ringed Plover in Mana Pools National Park © David Chadwick | ||||||||
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Spur-winged Lapwing at Lake Chivero © Gaynor Donovan | Spur-winged Lapwing at Lake Chivero © Piet Zwanikken | ||||||||
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Spur-winged Lapwing at Lake Chivero © Ian Riddell | |||||||||
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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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