SA Rare Bird News Report - 18 February 2021
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, 18 February 2021.
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 |
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As usual, let’s start with a few scarcity reports first…
EUROPEAN HONEY BUZZARD:
· One at Spanish Farm in Somerset West (Western Cape) yesterday. · One along the Kariega River between Horns Up and Painted Lady (Eastern Cape) yesterday. · One in the Kameeldrift area near Hartbeestpoort (Gauteng) on Tuesday. · One found in Strand (Western Cape) on Monday. · Two at Crocodile Pools, south of Gaborone (Botswana), on Monday. | |||||||||
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European Honey Buzzard in Somerset West © Bryn de Kocks | European Honey Buzzard in the Kameeldrift area © Andrew Keys | ||||||||
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On to the main news and, starting in the Western Cape, the main attraction continues to be the juvenile CRESTED HONEY BUZZARD at Spanish Farm in Somerset West (best viewed in the afternoons at -34.048881, 18.853352) which was still showing to twitchers late yesterday. Up on the west coast, there were still RED-NECKED PHALAROPES at both Kliphoek and Kuifkopvisvanger (the ones closer to the R27) Salt Pans in Velddrif on Tuesday while there was also a single GREATER SAND PLOVER still at Kliphoek Salt Pans on Tuesday as well. The rest of the records all concerned EUROPEAN ROLLERS with one below the camp sites at De Hoop Nature Reserve at -34.448, 20.409 on Tuesday, one near Stanford at -34.443, 19.535 yesterday (and still in the same general area today), two birds along the road between the N2 and Suurbrak earlier today and another still present along the R328, north of Brandwacht, at -34.016, 22.056 yesterday too. | |||||||||
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Crested Honey Buzzard in Somerset West © Alex Weaver | Crested Honey Buzzard in Somerset West © Brian du Preez | ||||||||
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Crested Honey Buzzard in Somerset West © Riel Tredoux | Crested Honey Buzzard in Somerset West © Duggy Loock | ||||||||
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Crested Honey Buzzard in Somerset West © Bruce Dyer | Crested Honey Buzzard in Somerset West © Gerald Wingate | ||||||||
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European Roller near Stanford © Lester van Groeningen | European Roller near Stanford © Helmo van der Schyff | ||||||||
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Into the Eastern Cape where the big news was the rediscovery of the SOOTY GULL at Middle Beach in Kenton-on-Sea yesterday. The bird was seen flying south and was not seen to settle anywhere. Last seen on the morning of Monday, 8 February 2021, at Kei Mouth, this bird has now travelled around 200km south-west along the coastline in the last 9 days without being seen by any birders. Birders looking for it at Kei Mouth yesterday (only to discover later that they were in the wrong place for the bird) could at least confirm that the PECTORAL SANDPIPER was still there. Elsewhere in the province, a BLACK HERON was seen at the heronry at Redhouse in Port Elizabeth yesterday, a LAPPET-FACED VULTURE was reported at Shamwari Game Reserve on Tuesday and a WAHLBERG’S EAGLE was found along the Tharfield road between Riet River and Kleinemonde on Saturday.
Moving up the coast into Kwazulu Natal, the only report received was that of an exhausted SOOTY TERN found in Kosi Bay on Tuesday. | |||||||||
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Sooty Gull at Kenton-on-Sea © Angus Paterson | Black Heron at Redhouse © Keith Joubert | ||||||||
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Wahlberg’s Eagle on the Tharfield road © Sabrina Elliot | Sooty Tern in Kosi Bay © Rene Smith-Liebenberg | ||||||||
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The Free State held on to the mega MADAGASCAN CUCKOO which was still at Soetdoring Nature Reserve near Bloemfontein around -28.829, 26.043 today. | |||||||||
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Madagascan Cuckoo at Soetdoring Nature Reserve © Pierre de Villiers | Madagascan Cuckoo at Soetdoring Nature Reserve © Steve Stevenson | ||||||||
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In Gauteng, a BLACK HARRIER was reported in the Cradle of Humankind, about 5km from the Lion and Rhino Park, on Tuesday.
Mpumalanga held on to the PINK-BACKED PELICAN which was still present at Mkhombo Dam at -25.114, 28.891 yesterday. | |||||||||
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Pink-backed Pelican at Mkhombo Dam © Michael Johnson | Pink-backed Pelican at Mkhombo Dam © Klaus Schmid | ||||||||
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Across in the North-west Province, there seems to be a mini-influx of BRONZE-WINGED COURSERS into areas where they do not normally occur with one at Finfoot Lake Reserve on Vaalkop Dam yesterday and another at Kgaswane Mountain Reserve near Rustenburg on Tuesday evening.
I also include below a post for your information which Etienne Marais shared across various social media platforms earlier today:
“On Monday afternoon, while leading a birding tour, I was really fortunate to discover two calling Streaky-breasted Flufftails on the Kgomo-Kgomo floodplain. Over the next day and a half, I revisited the site with my birding guests, as well as with Faansie Peacock and Callan Cohen, who did a rallid and habitat assessment of the area and in so doing, found four calling Striped Crakes at the same site. Based on our assessment of the sensitivity of the site and the birds' behaviour, we believe the birds to be nesting and extremely sensitive to trampling and playback disturbance and recommend that any visitors to the site carefully watch the flooded roadside at dawn and dusk from the road where there is a chance of seeing both species foraging, and easily hearing them calling with a bit of patience. Playback and leaving the road and entering the marsh by birders would cause the birds to abandon their breeding attempts and would be a sad loss to the area.” | |||||||||
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Bronze-winged Courser at Kgaswane Mountain Reserve © Bernard Tabane | Bronze-winged Courser at Finfoot Lake Reserve © Sarel van der Westhuizen | ||||||||
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Up in Limpopo, there was some surprize when a male ORANGE-WINGED PYTILIA was found during a game drive at Mabula Lodge, west of Bela Bela, on Tuesday. Although only a single bird was seen, the observers report that the bird was watched and seen to be actively nest building. Apparently, access to the area where the bird was seen is only available by booking a game drive with the lodge. Elsewhere, provincial listers were also quite excited with the discovery of a BLACK-WINGED LAPWING around the Baobab restaurant in Essex Road in Hoedspruit at -24.373, 30.858 on Tuesday which was still there yesterday as well. | |||||||||
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Orange-winged Pytilia at Mabula Lodge © Neil Venter | Black-winged Lapwing in Hoedspruit © Keenan Houareau | ||||||||
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Into Namibia where the wayward SWAMP BOUBOU was spotted again this morning, this time in the industrial area on the eastern outskirts of Swakopmund, while news has also come through of an EGYPTIAN VULTURE seen near Duineveld waterhole in the west of Etosha National Park last Thursday.
And finally, in Mozambique, an exhausted immature SOOTY TERN was found on the beach at Casa de Cocos in Coconut Bay yesterday afternoon and was taken into care, but sadly did not make it through the night, while at least 6 FRIGATEBIRDS (specific identity not confirmed) were seen over Coconut Point earlier today. | |||||||||
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Swamp Boubou in Swakopmund © Buzzy Joell | Sooty Tern in Coconut Bay © Gary Rowan | ||||||||
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Egyptian Vulture in Etosha National Park © Marie Herment | |||||||||
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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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