SA Rare Bird News Report - 02 October 2023
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, 02 October 2023.
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: | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
|
|
| ||||||
| |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Starting in the Western Cape, the biggest news was the discovery of an EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER on Pan S6 at Strandfontein Sewage Works this afternoon which then flew off towards the coast where it was found again later this afternoon at the Zeekoevlei Channel estuary at -34.097, 18.504. The PECTORAL SANDPIPER was also still on Pan S8 there yesterday while another PECTORAL SANDPIPER was found at Noordhoek Beach Pan at -34.111, 18.356 on Friday and was also still there yesterday. Also of interest was a GOLIATH HERON seen over the N2 around the Liesbeek River wetlands at -33.942, 18.485 on Friday and the AFRICAN JACANA was also still at Bitou Vlei near Plettenberg Bay on Friday. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Pectoral Sandpiper at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Rob Bowie | Eurasian Oystercatcher at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Michael Mason | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Eurasian Oystercatcher at the Zeekoevlei Channel estuary © Gilbert Reinhardt | Eurasian Oystercatcher at the Zeekoevlei Channel estuary © Brodie Pascoe | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Pectoral Sandpiper at Noordhoek Beach Pan © Brodie Pascoe | African Jacana at Bitou Vlei © Neil Ebedes | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
In the Eastern Cape, local records of interest to provincial listers included as many as 4 GREEN MALKOHAS and a pair of PURPLE-BANDED SUNBIRDS seen along the southern bank of the Umtamvuna River at -31.055, 30.166 on Friday. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Green Malkoha along the Umtamvuna River © Foden Saunders | Purple-banded Sunbird along the Umtamvuna River © Foden Saunders | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Moving up the coast into Kwazulu Natal, a EURASIAN CURLEW was reported at the Mpenjati River estuary yesterday.
Into Gauteng where a single male GREY-BACKED SPARROWLARK was found near Bronkhorstspruit Dam yesterday and a RUDDY TURNSTONE was present at Rietvlei Dam at -25.872, 28.266 on Friday. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Ruddy Turnstone at Rietvlei Dam © Pierre Fourie | Grey-backed Sparrowlark near Bronhorstspruit Dam © Reinardt Haywood | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Across in Mpumalanga, there was plenty of action in the Kruger National Park with 2 CASPIAN PLOVERS found along the S36 near Swart Gat, just south of the Nhlanguleni picnic site, at -24.711, 31.658 this morning, another CASPIAN PLOVER found along the S128 at -24.894, 31.867 yesterday and still there this morning and a single AFRICAN SKIMMER present at Sunset Dam near Lower Sabie yesterday while, outside the park, a RUDDY TURNSTONE was present at Grootdraai Dam at -26.947, 29.336 on Friday. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Ruddy Turnstone at Grootdraai Dam © Tobie Pretorius | Caspian Plover along the S36 © Alex Weaver | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Caspian Plover along the S128 © Shane Landsdell | Caspian Plover along the S128 © Simon Geldenhuys | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Into Limpopo where the WHITE-BREASTED WATERHEN was still present on the dam at Westvalia Estate near Tzaneen on Saturday.
Up in Namibia, the mega NORTHERN CARMINE BEE-EATER was still in the Southern Carmine Bee-eater colony near Nunda River Lodge on Saturday while other interesting records included an ARCTIC TERN at Tilda Viljoen Dam in Gobabis on Thursday and a RUDDY TURNSTONE along the river at Caprivi Houseboat Safari Lodge in Katima Mulilo on Thursday. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Northern Carmine Bee-eater near Nunda River Lodge © Frans-Hendrik Joubert | Northern Carmine Bee-eater near Nunda River Lodge © Chris Bates | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Arctic Tern at Tilda Viljoen Dam © Stefan Rust | Ruddy Turnstone at Caprivi Houseboat Safari Lodge © Christiane Maluche | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Over in Botswana, a TIBETAN (LESSER) SAND PLOVER (following the recent split of Lesser Sand Plover into Tibetan and Siberian Sand Plovers) and at least 3 RUDDY TURNSTONES were found at a wetland about 100km south-west of Gaborone and just north of Gasita at -25.036, 24.870 yesterday. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Tibetan (Lesser) Sand Plover near Gasita © Ian White | Ruddy Turnstone near Gasita © Ian White | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Zimbabwe chimed in with some great records as well including a TEREK SANDPIPER found at Elephant Point on Lake Kariba at -16.770, 28.517 this morning, only the 14th ever record for the country, a GULL-BILLED TERN along the Runde River in Gonarezhou National Park at -21.272, 31.905 on Saturday and an adult PALM-NUT VULTURE in Mana Pools National Park on Wednesday.
And finally, in Mozambique, a single GREAT FRIGATEBIRD was seen at Dunes de Dovela on Friday and 2 birds were present there again on Saturday. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Gull-billed Tern in Gonarezhou National Park © Doug MacDonald | Terek Sandpiper at Lake Kariba © Roger MacDonald | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Palm-nut Vulture at Mana Pools National Park © Steven Bolnick | Great Frigatebird at Dunes de Dovela © Thomas Bruneau | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
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 |
|
|
|
| |||||
| |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
| |||||||||
| |||||||||
