SA Rare Bird News Report - 14 February 2022
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, 14 February 2022.
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 |
| SARBN is proud to be associated with the following brands: | |||||||
| |||||||||
| |||||||||
| |||||||||
|
|
| |||||||
| |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
PLEASE CONSIDER FOLLOWING ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY CLICKING ON THE LINKED ICONS BELOW: | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
|
|
| ||||||
| |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
The Western Cape remained in the spotlight over the last few days with the mega LAUGHING GULL which continued to entertain the crowds in Mossel Bay until late on Saturday. However, rather unexpectedly, at sunrise yesterday the bird was nowhere to be seen and, despite good numbers of birders scouring the area to try and relocate it, the bird seems to have done a runner and has not been seen again. At the time of writing, I am aware of just over 285 people that actually got to see the bird before it disappeared, but I suspect that the real number is probably over 300. It looked set to become a big twitch… if only the bird had played ball and hung around…L
There was still plenty on offer in the province though with a young WANDERING ALBATROSS seen on fishing trip west of Hout Bay on Thursday and at least one PECTORAL SANDPIPER still on Pan P1 at Strandfontein Sewage Works on Saturday while the PINK-BACKED PELICAN was still present at Rondevlei Nature Reserve, viewed from the second observation tower, on Friday and the GOLIATH HERON was also still there on Saturday. FULVOUS WHISTLING DUCKS continued to be reported in numbers with at least 8 individuals still present at Wildevoelvlei near Kommetjie yesterday, as many as 30 birds still on Pan P4 at Strandfontein Sewage Works yesterday and no fewer than 21 birds present at Rietvlei Nature Reserve throughout the weekend. Three AFRICAN PALM SWIFTS were also reported again at Dolphin Beach Pans on Friday while a singleton was noted over Swellendam on Saturday while the long-staying AFRICAN PIED WAGTAIL was still at the Postcard Café in Jonkershoek this afternoon too. Other popular birds included the SADDLE-BILLED STORK still at the farm dam near Heidelberg at -34.056, 20.846 today, a SAND MARTIN seen near Vleesbaai at -34.247, 21.890 yesterday, a GOLDEN-BREASTED BUNTING found north of Hartenbos at -33.939, 22.023 yesterday, a MARSH WARBLER reported north-east of Herbetsdale at -33.980, 21.835 on Saturday and a GREAT REED WARBLER found west of George Airport at -34.013, 22.299 yesterday. Other lingerers included the EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER still at the Keurbooms River estuary in Plettenberg Bay on Friday and the popular GREY WAGTAIL still present at Rust en Vrede Waterfall near De Rust this afternoon as well while the Great Karoo also got in on the action with a RED-BACKED SHRIKE along the Klipspringer Pass in the Karoo National Park at -32.335, 22.480 on Saturday and a TAWNY EAGLE seen east of Beaufort West at -32.328, 22.756 yesterday.
The remainder of the province’s records all concerned EUROPEAN ROLLERS with 5 birds reported on the powerlines 3km east of Stanford on Friday, one seen along the Paardekloof road near Bot River at -34.280, 19.232 on Saturday, one seen along the R43 at the turn off to Pearly Beach on Saturday, another seen between Bredasdorp and Struisbaai at -34.749, 20.028 on Saturday, one reported north of Malgas at -34.195, 20.573 yesterday, another found north-west of Heidelberg at -34.028, 20.814 yesterday and yet another found near the Kasselshoop turn off on the road to Still Bay at -34.231, 21.364 on Saturday which was still in the same general area yesterday. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © Johann Grobbelaar | Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © Lizet Grobbelaar | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © Garret Skead | Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © Louis Fourie | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © Benno Klinck | Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © Dana Goldberg | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © Matt Prophet | Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © Rob Burnett | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © Jeanne Nothnagel | Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © Christine Watters | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
| |||||||||
Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © Francois Dreyer | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © George Skinner | Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © Peter Sharland | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © Andre Joubert | Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © Adrius Rabie | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © Godfrey Lodge | Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © Pat Nurse | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © Gaynor Donovan | Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © Surita Gerber | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © John Home | Laughing Gull in Mossel Bay © Rob Bowie | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
| |||||||||
Laughing Gull twitchers in Mossel Bay © Linda Fourie | |||||||||
| |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Goliath Heron at Rondevlei Nature Reserve © Wilbert McIlmoyle | Pink-backed Pelican (on left) at Rondevlei Nature Reserve © Wilbert McIlmoyle | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Wandering Albatross west of Hout Bay © Chris Pike | African Palm Swift at Dolphin Beach Pans © Bryan Maritz | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Fulvous Whistling Ducks at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Dawie Vermaak | Fulvous Whistling Ducks at Rietvlei Wetland Reserve © Bryan Maritz | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Fulvous Whistling Duck at Wildevoelvlei © Paul Verwey | European Roller near Stanford © Stephan Wolfart | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
European Roller near Pearly Beach © Stephen James | European Roller near Bredasdorp © Kevin Shields | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
European Roller near Malgas © Byron Loubser | Tawny Eagle near Beaufort West © Marné Janse van Veuren | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Saddle-billed Stork near Heidelberg © Matt Prophet | Saddle-billed Stork near Heidelberg © Charles Britz | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Sand Martin near Vleesbaai © Pieter Uitenweerde | Great Reed Warbler west of George Airport © Pieter Uitenweerde | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Eurasian Oystercatcher in Plettenberg Bay © Rupert Horley | Eurasian Oystercatcher in Plettenberg Bay © Ian Pletzer | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Grey Wagtail at Rust en Vrede Waterfall © Adrius Rabie | Grey Wagtail at Rust en Vrede Waterfall © Alan Collett | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
The Northern Cape continues to stay in the reports. The New Holme Guest Farm near Hanover has provided some interesting records over the last few days with GREAT SPOTTED CUCKOO and CASPIAN PLOVER reported there on Friday and DWARF BITTERN and SWAINSON’S SPURFOWL seen there on Saturday while the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park has also produced some rather exciting records including a GREATER PAINTED SNIPE at 14th borehole on Saturday, a SADDLE-BILLED STORK at Cubitje Quap on Friday, 2 HARLEUIN QUAILS seen just south of Polentswa on Thursday and several MARABOU STORKS around Polentswa on Thursday as well.
In the Eastern Cape, the province seems to be experiencing an unprecedented influx of LILAC-BREASTED ROLLERS with one reported at Winston farm near Port Alfred at -33.578, 26.811 yesterday and still there today (which has apparently been in the area for around 10 days already) while another LILAC-BREASTED ROLLER was seen along the Alexandria Forest road on Thursday. The SOOTY FALCON was still around Asegaai Trails, inland of Kenton-on-Sea, yesterday, a single RED-BREASTED SWALLOW was found on the Ngciyo Pans road near Kenton-on-Sea at -33.634, 26.569 yesterday and a LESSER SPOTTED EAGLE was reported flying north over the farm Cullean near Old Thomas River on Thursday. A slightly delayed record has also come to the fore from 18 January 2022 where a WHITE-TAILED TROPICBIRD was videoed from a skiboat a little way offshore of East London. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Great Spotted Cuckoo at New Holme Guest Farm © David Ashby | Dwarf Bittern at New Holme Guest Farm © David Ashby | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
| |||||||||
Saddle-billed Stork at Cubitje Quap © Koos Coetzee | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Greater Painted Snipe at 14th borehole © Greg Hudson | Lilac-breasted Roller on the Alexandria Forest road © Edwin Polden | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Moving up the coast into Kwazulu Natal, the popular EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER was still in Umdloti yesterday, an AYRES’S HAWK EAGLE was reported over Winterskloof in Hilton yesterday and the SOOTY FALCON was still along the R618 16km west of St Lucia on Friday. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Eurasian Oystercatcher at Umdloti © Monique Labat | Sooty Falcon near St Lucia © Ian Ferreira | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Gauteng chimed in with a COMMON CUCKOO found at Rietvlei Nature Reserve at -25.894, 28.310 on Saturday.
The North-west Province delivered a couple of TREE PIPITS found at Kgaswane Mountain Reserve near Rustenburg at -25.719, 27.188 on Saturday which were still present there earlier today. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Common Cuckoo in Rietvlei Nature Reserve © Jean van Rooyen | Tree Pipit in Kgaswane Mountain Reserve © Bernard Tabane | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Tree Pipit in Kgaswane Mountain Reserve © Shaun McGillewie | Tree Pipit in Kgaswane Mountain Reserve © Johan Nel | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
| |||||||||
Tree Pipit in Kgaswane Mountain Reserve © Sarel van der Westhuizen | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Up in Namibia, a RED PHALAROPE was found in the parking area of a complex in Walvis Bay on Friday and was taken into care, but sadly died overnight, while several FULVOUS WHISTLING DUCKS were reported at Springbokhaar Dam at -24.387, 16.827 on Friday.
And finally, in Zimbabwe, a WESTERN MARSH HARRIER was seen at Marlborough vlei in Harare at -17.740, 30.995 on Thursday. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Red Phalarope in Walvis Bay © John Paterson | Western Marsh Harrier at Marlborough vlei © Jim Mackie | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
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 |
|
|
|
| |||||
| |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
| |||||||||
| |||||||||
