SA Rare Bird News Report - 10 November 2025

[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, 10 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									SARBN is proud to be associated with the following brands:
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For a change, let’s start in Namibia where the biggest news of the last few days was the discovery of what seems to be a SABINE’S SPINETAIL flying around the observation tower at Okakeujo in Etosha National Park yesterday. It is a fairly distinctive Swift of lowland forest areas across the western and central parts of the African continent and has never been recorded in Southern Africa before. I have included below a screenshot of the current distribution map from eBird as well, just to give everyone an idea of where this species actually occurs. It is a long way south of its normal range! Unfortunately, despite further attempts to try and find it again, it has not been seen since the original sighting, but Swifts do move over rather large distances very quickly, so that’s not perhaps all that surprizing. Nevertheless, an amazing find by Dayne Braine indeed!
Probable Sabine’s Spinetail at Okakeujo © Dayne Braine					Probable Sabine’s Spinetail at Okakeujo © Dayne Braine
Current global distribution of Sabine’s Spinetail © eBird
Elsewhere in the country, the mega NORTHERN CARMINE BEE-EATER was still attracting lots of attention and remained in the Southern Carmine Bee-eater colony near Zambezi Mubala Lodge at -17.535, 24.542 yesterday while 2 SANDERLINGS were also found close by along the river at -17.527, 24.55 on Saturday. At least 5 PALE-THROATED GREENBULS (aka YELLOW-THROATED LEAFLOVES) were also still around Caprivi River Lodge in Katima Mulilo this morning.   Over in Botswana, at least one SANDERLING was still near Samochima Bush Camp in the Okavango Delta yesterday.   Zimbabwe chimed in with a COLLARED PALM THRUSH in a garden in Banket on Saturday, well south of its normal range in the country, while a female WESTERN MARSH HARRIER was reported at a farm in Mutare this afternoon.   Into Mozambique where Southern Africa’s 29th MADAGASCAR CUCKOO was found in Zinave National Park at -21.747, 33.397 yesterday while, earlier today, The Sanctuary on the San Sebastian Peninsula near Vilanculous produced 12 CRAB PLOVERS, 10 EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHERS and the LITTLE (DIMORPHIC) EGRET still present as well.
Northern Carmine Bee-eater near Zambezi Mubala Lodge © Charles Britz					Northern Carmine Bee-eater near Zambezi Mubala Lodge © Deon Engelbrecht
Northern Carmine Bee-eater near Zambezi Mubala Lodge © Etienne Hinrichsen					Northern Carmine Bee-eater near Zambezi Mubala Lodge © Etienne Marais
Northern Carmine Bee-eater near Zambezi Mubala Lodge © Christiane Maluche					Sanderlings near Zambezi Mubala Lodge © Charles Britz
Pale-throated Greenbul at Caprivi River Lodge © Anton Jooste					Collared Palm Thrush in Banket © Doug Smith
Down in the Western Cape, the GOLIATH HERON was seen again at Rondevlei Nature Reserve on Friday while the popular BAIRD’S SANDPIPER was still at Macassar Sewage Works yesterday and 2 SOUTH AFRICAN CLIFF SWALLOWS were found at the same site on Saturday. Both a BAILLON’S CRAKE and an AFRICAN JACANA were reported at Paarl Bird Sanctuary on Saturday while, up on the west coast, around 20 LESSER STRIPED SWALLOWS remained along the Darling Hills road at -33.481, 18.351 on Saturday, a GREATER SAND PLOVER was seen at Geelbek in the West Coast National Park on Friday and the EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER was still at Seeberg in the West Coast National Park yesterday. There was some excitement when a single SOOTY TERN was found at the Bot River Lagoon at -34.361, 19.107 on Saturday afternoon. Many people managed to connect with it during the course of the afternoon, but it was not seen again after that. However, a GULL-BILLED TERN was discovered there as well at -34.365, 19.101 yesterday and that was still there this morning. Elsewhere in the province, a SQUACCO HERON was reported along the Klein River in Stanford near Springfontein Winery yesterday and 4 GREATER SAND PLOVERS were still at De Mond Nature Reserve near Arniston on Saturday.
Goliath Heron at Rondevlei Nature Reserve © Stephen Judge					South African Cliff Swallows at Macassar Sewage Works © Adam Buckham
Baird’s Sandpiper at Macassar Sewage Works © Hernus Langeveldt					Baird’s Sandpiper at Macassar Sewage Works © PJ Vermeulen
Baird’s Sandpiper at Macassar Sewage Works © Adam Buckham					Baird’s Sandpiper at Macassar Sewage Works © Renier Meyer
Sooty Tern at Bot River Lagoon © Dylan Schröder					Sooty Tern at Bot River Lagoon © Lester van Groeningen
Sooty Tern at Bot River Lagoon © Keith Hamilton					Gull-billed Tern at Bot River Lagoon © Regard van Dyk
Gull-billed Tern at Bot River Lagoon © Johan van der Westhuizen					Gull-billed Tern at Bot River Lagoon © Lester van Groeningen
Gull-billed Tern at Bot River Lagoon © Dylan Schröder
Into Kwazulu Natal where the GREATER SAND PLOVER was still at the St Lucia estuary this morning, a RUFOUS-BELLIED HERON was still at Mazibu Pan on the Eastern Shores of iSimangaliso Wetland Park today, and one juvenile GREATER FLAMINGO was still at Southbroom beach until at least Friday.   Over in Mpumalanga, the Kruger National Park held on to the GREEN SANDPIPER which was still along the S3 at -24.989, 31.467 this afternoon as well as up to 7 CASPIAN PLOVERS which were still along the S25 at -25.348, 31.879 earlier today. Also of interest, 2 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS were discovered on private property near Komatipoort on Saturday, at least 2 BLUE SWALLOWS were still near God’s Window at -24.856, 30.884 on Saturday and a couple of WHITE-EARED BARBETS were present on Tomahawk farm about 25kms along the Jeppe’s Reef Road from Malelane towards the Eswatini border yesterday.   And finally, in Gauteng, the SLATY EGRET was reported again at Walkhaven Dog Park on Saturday while other local records of interest included an adult male MONTAGU’S HARRIER reported flying around the Magaliesberg Mountain behind Wonderboom High School on Saturday and a single BLUE CRANE seen flying over the Garsfontein area at -25.807, 28.303 on Saturday.
Greater Flamingo at Southbroom Beach © Neil Puntis					Pectoral Sandpiper near Komatipoort © Ruan Minnaar
Caspian Plover along the S25 road © Gerben van de Wetering					Caspian Plover along the S25 road © Warwick Ross
Green Sandpiper along the S3 road © Jenny Avery					Blue Crane over Garsfontein © Jean-Pierre de la Rey
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