SA Rare Bird News Report - 03 August 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 13h30 on Tuesday, 03 August 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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Thankfully, my computer has been repaired and is back with me again, so I can now quickly catch up on what has been happening in the last few days…
Starting in the Western Cape, a pelagic trip out of Hout Bay on Saturday turned up no fewer than 3 NORTHERN ROYAL ALBATROSSES as well as a SPECTACLED PETREL to keep everyone on board entertained. Elsewhere, the FAIRY FLYCATCHER was still in the thickets around the restaurant at Cape Point on Sunday, a single RED-BILLED QUELEA was seen on a garden feeder in Pinelands on Sunday, another FAIRY FLYCATCHER was found in Loevenstein in Bellville at -33.88, 18.612 on Friday and was still there on Saturday and the out of range CRESTED BARBET was seen again in a private garden in Durbanville on Friday as well. The 2 DOUBLE-BANDED COURSERS continued on near Moorreesburg at -33.193, 18.507 on Sunday while AFRICAN RED-EYED BULBULS continue to turn up in odd places with one seen in Citrusdal yesterday and 2 birds seen together in Ceres at -33.363, 19.300 on Sunday. The lone female AFRICAN FINFOOT was still around bridge over the Breede River just outside Robertson at -33.823, 19.866 yesterday while, in the Overberg, 3 KNOB-BILLED DUCKS were found in the channel leading into Voelvlei near Black Oystercatcher Wines at -34.648, 19.886 on Saturday.
Over on the Garden Route, the 3 KNOB-BILLED DUCKS were still near Voelvlei at -34.256, 21.870 on Saturday, a WHITE-FRONTED BEE-EATER was seen north of Uniondale at -33.456, 23.112 on Saturday, a GOLDEN-BREASTED BUNTING was found inland of George at -33.936, 22.436 yesterday and the AFRICAN PIED WAGTAIL was still present at the picnic site on the Keurbooms River in Plettenberg Bay yesterday as well. | |||||||||
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Northern Royal Albatross on pelagic trip © Trygve Hvidsten | Northern Royal Albatross on pelagic trip © Trevor Hardaker | ||||||||
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Spectacled Petrel on pelagic trip © Trygve Hvidsten | Spectacled Petrel on pelagic trip © Trevor Hardaker | ||||||||
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Fairy Flycatcher at Cape Point © Robert Cooper | Red-billed Quelea in Pinelands © Lawrie Wilkin | ||||||||
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Double-banded Courser near Moorreesburg © Melanie Cornelius | Double-banded Courser near Moorreesburg © Candice Panthera | ||||||||
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Double-banded Courser near Moorreesburg © Gerald Wingate | African Finfoot in Robertson © Cathy Kent | ||||||||
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African Finfoot in Robertson © Garret Skead | African Finfoot in Robertson © Jacques Giliomee | ||||||||
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African Finfoot in Robertson © Robyn Kadis | African Finfoot in Robertson © Elmarie Brits | ||||||||
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African Finfoot in Robertson © John Graham | African Finfoot in Robertson © Nick Fordyce | ||||||||
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African Red-eyed Bulbul in Citrusdal © Sue Collins | African Red-eyed Bulbul in Ceres © Wessel Uys | ||||||||
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Knob-billed Ducks at Voevlei near Bredasdorp © Sharon Brink | |||||||||
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Up in the Northern Cape, a LAPPET-FACED VULTURE was seen at a sheep carcass south of Victoria West at -31.532, 23.074 on Friday.
In the Eastern Cape, a GREAT WHITE PELICAN was spotted at Kleinemonde at -33.535, 27.042 on Saturday and was still there this morning. | |||||||||
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Great White Pelican at Kleinemonde © Charl Durand | Great White Pelican at Kleinemonde © Denise Hoffman | ||||||||
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Moving up the coast into Kwazulu Natal, local birders have had plenty to keep them entertained over the last few days. An AYRES’S HAWK EAGLE was seen over Bellair in Durban yesterday, a BLACK-NECKED GREBE was found at Tala Game Reserve at the first dam at the gate on Saturday and was still there on Sunday, the CAPPED WHEATEAR was still on view at Thurlow Game Reserve this morning while the BLACK-NECKED GREBE was also still at Thurlow Game Reserve until at least Sunday as well. Just a bit south of Midmar Dam near Mpophomeni, the BLUE KORHAAN was still present at -29.558, 30.155 on Saturday and a juvenile PALE CHANTING GOSHAWK was relocated not too far away at -29.56, 30.13 on Saturday and was still there on Sunday. Elsewhere, the GREATER KESTREL was still at Mount Verde Estate in Hilton on Saturday, 2 AFRICAN CRAKES were present in the grasslands at Zini River Estate at -28.936, 31.775 on Sunday and another AFRICAN CRAKE was reported at Umgavusa Dam in Fairbreeze yesterday while a LESSER MOORHEN was seen at the pans just south of Mission Rocks in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on Thursday and 2 birds were still present there on Sunday. | |||||||||
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Ayres’s Hawk Eagle over Bellair © Rowan Bartlett | Black-necked Grebe at Tala Game Reserve © Craig Marwick | ||||||||
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Black-necked Grebe at Thurlow Game Reserve © Zach Simpson | Black-necked Grebe at Thurlow Game Reserve © Roger Hogg | ||||||||
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Capped Wheatear at Thurlow Game Reserve © Liam O’Connor | Capped Wheatear at Thurlow Game Reserve © Roger Hogg | ||||||||
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Blue Korhaan south of Midmar Dam © Zach Simpson | Blue Korhaan south of Midmar Dam © Liam O’Connor | ||||||||
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Blue Korhaan south of Midmar Dam © Roger Hogg | |||||||||
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Pale Chanting Goshawk south of Midmar Dam © Dave Hanbury | Pale Chanting Goshawk south of Midmar Dam © David Hoddinott | ||||||||
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Pale Chanting Goshawk south of Midmar Dam © Bart Fokkens | Pale Chanting Goshawk south of Midmar Dam © Decklan Jordaan | ||||||||
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Pale Chanting Goshawk south of Midmar Dam © Liam O’Connor | Pale Chanting Goshawk south of Midmar Dam © Roger Hogg | ||||||||
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Pale Chanting Goshawk south of Midmar Dam © Mike Croesser | Pale Chanting Goshawk south of Midmar Dam © Zach Simpson | ||||||||
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Greater Kestrel at Mount Verde Estate © Zach Simpson | Greater Kestrel at Mount Verde Estate © Roger Hogg | ||||||||
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Up in Namibia, 2 RED-HEADED WEAVERS were seen along the Khan River near Usakos on Saturday while there seems to be a slightly easterly displacement of KAROO THRUSHES at the moment with one seen in the gardens of Palm Garden in Swakopmund on Saturday and another seen in a private garden in Kramersdorf in Walvis Bay on Sunday.
And finally, in Mozambique, it was all happening on the San Sebastian Peninsula near Vilanculous with 4 SAUNDERS’S TERNS, 106 DAMARA TERNS, 5 ROSEATE TERNS and 45 CRAB PLOVERS seen there on Sunday and a single SOOTY TERN also seen there on Friday. | |||||||||
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Karoo Chat in Swakopmund © Marius van Breda | Roseate Tern on the San Sebastian Peninsula © Paul Funston | ||||||||
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Saunders’s Tern on the San Sebastian Peninsula © Paul Funston | Saunders’s Tern on the San Sebastian Peninsula © Etienne Marais | ||||||||
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Damara Terns on the San Sebastian Peninsula © Paul Funston | |||||||||
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Sooty Tern on the San Sebastian Peninsula © Paul Funston | Crab Plover on the San Sebastian Peninsula © Paul Funston | ||||||||
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Crab Plovers on the San Sebastian Peninsula © Etienne Marais | |||||||||
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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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Trevor Hardaker
Hi everyone,
Sorry, I am obviously trying to do too much too quickly…L
The bird labelled in the report as a Karoo Chat in Swakopmund is obviously, as per the actual text of the report, a Karoo Thrush. Sorry about that…!
Kind regards
Trevor