SA Rare Bird News Report - 20 November 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 Thursday, 20 November 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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Starting in the Western Cape, the popular BAIRD’S SANDPIPER was still at Macassar Sewage Works yesterday while other lingerers included at least 15 LESSER STRIPED SWALLOWS along the Darling Hills road at -33.481, 18.351 on Tuesday, the EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER still at Seeberg in the West Coast National Park this afternoon, one CASPIAN PLOVER still at Kliphoek Salt Pans in Velddrif this afternoon and one RED-NECKED PHALAROPE still there this afternoon as well. Also coming out of the woodwork again after having been AWOL for a while, the GULL-BILLED TERN was seen again this morning at the Bot River Lagoon about halfway between the parking area at Rooisand Nature Reserve and the mouth. New records included a BLACK-CHESTED SNAKE EAGLE seen at Helderberg Nature Reserve this morning and a BROWN SNAKE EAGLE seen along the Potlekkertjie Loop in the Karoo National Park at -32.270, 22.385 on Tuesday. | |||||||||
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Baird’s Sandpiper at Macassar Sewage Works © Hernus Langeveldt | Baird’s Sandpiper at Macassar Sewage Works © Mark Slingsby | ||||||||
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Caspian Plover at Kliphoek Salt Pans © Mark Slingsby | Caspian Plover at Kliphoek Salt Pans © Regard van Dyk | ||||||||
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Lesser Striped Swallow along the Darling Hills road © Karin Wilson | Gull-billed Tern at Bot River Lagoon © Jan Rousseau | ||||||||
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Black-chested Snake Eagle at Helderberg Nature Reserve © Connor Barr | Brown Snake Eagle in Karoo National Park © Mara Belacchi | ||||||||
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Up in the Northern Cape, it was all happening in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park with a GREATER PAINTED SNIPE seen north of Grootkolk at -24.870, 20.103 yesterday, a BLACK STORK seen between Kamfersboom and Auchterlone on Tuesday and a BLUE CRANE found at Kamfersboom on Monday. | |||||||||
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Black Stork between Kamfersboom and Auchterlone © Hamman Prinsloo | Greater Painted Snipe north of Grootkolk © Wessel Uys | ||||||||
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Blue Crane at Kamfersboom © Fanny Def-daf | |||||||||
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In the Eastern Cape, a WESTERN YELLOW WAGTAIL was found at the north-western end of Graaff-Reinet Dam at -32.196, 24.503 on Tuesday while the YELLOW-BILLED STORK was still present between Aston Bay and Paradise Beach at -34.083, 24.903 this morning. | |||||||||
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Western Yellow Wagtail at Graaff-Reinet Dam © Alan Collett | Yellow-billed Stork between Aston Bay and Paradise Beach © Hugh Retief | ||||||||
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Moving up the coast into Kwazulu Natal, 2 GREATER SAND PLOVERS were found at the Amatigulu estuary yesterday and a RED KNOT was found at the Tongaat River mouth at -29.571, 31.184 on Tuesday and was still there this afternoon while one RUFOUS-BELLIED HERON remained in place on the Eastern Shores of iSimangaliso Wetland Park at -28.315, 32.437 yesterday. Tembe Elephant Park also delivered a couple of good records earlier today with a PECTORAL SANDPIPER at Mahlasela Pan and a SLATY EGRET at Muzi Swamp. | |||||||||
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Red Knot at the Tongaat River mouth © Luke Allen | Greater Sand Plover at Amatigula estuary © Junior Gabela | ||||||||
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Over in Mpumalanga, the 2 LESSER JACANAS were still at Otter Pan, south-east of Middelburg, at -25.917, 29.930 on Tuesday and a couple of BLUE SWALLOWS remained on near God’s Window at -24.856, 30.884 this morning. The Kruger National Park also continued to provide local entertainment with 3 AFRICAN SKIMMERS still at the Olifants River bridge this morning, 2 PINK-BACKED PELICANS seen again at Mlondozi Dam yesterday, several CASPIAN PLOVERS still present along the S25 at -25.348, 31.881 this afternoon and an adult PALM-NUT VULTURE found at Vurhami bridge, about 5kms from Crocodile Bridge, at -25.335, 31.877 on Tuesday and then still present this morning, but at the southern entrance of the S130 road near Crocodile Bridge. | |||||||||
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Lesser Jacanas at Otter Pan © Keegan Steward | Palm-nut Vulture at Vurhami Bridge © Trudi Malan | ||||||||
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Palm-nut Vulture near Vurhami Bridge © Warwick Ross | |||||||||
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Pink-backed Pelicans at Mlondozi Dam © Stuart Galloway | African Skimmers at the Olifants River bridge © Dirk Neethling | ||||||||
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Into Gauteng where a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was found around the causeway at Marievale Bird Sanctuary at -26.333, 28.514 on Tuesday and was still there yesterday while a MARABOU STORK seen along the Gwarrie Route at Rietvlei Nature Reserve on Tuesday was also a bit of a local surprize.
Up in Namibia, 3 BLUE-CHEEKED BEE-EATERS were reported at Swakop River Plots in Swakopmund on Tuesday while a TIBETAN (LESSER) SAND PLOVER was still present this afternoon in Walvis Bay at -22.972, 14.486.
And finally, in Zimbabwe, a GREEN SANDPIPER was found at Zimunya Sewerage Ponds in Mutare on Tuesday. | |||||||||
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Lesser Black-backed Gull at Marievale Bird Sanctuary © Dale Horne | Lesser Black-backed Gull at Marievale Bird Sanctuary © Ben Wadley | ||||||||
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Marabou Stork at Rietvlei Nature Reserve © Kiara Mare | Green Sandpiper at Zimunya Sewerage Ponds © Gary Douglas | ||||||||
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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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