SARBN Monday 15 December 2025

[Garret Skead]

Dear SARBN subscribers

I hope this email finds you well; and indeed, I hope this email finds you at all, because we have had a number of technical issues, with subscribers not receiving our emails!

Let's hope everyone gets this, and these technological gremlins are behind us.

I should also mention - I don't use the same format as Trevor when covering for him, so I am unable to send out photos in my reports, but please do continue to send me any photos of rarities! I also post them on the relevant local groups.

And onwards to the rarity summation from the last few days:

Western Cape:

A good number of twitchable rarities remained on offer, showing well today and over the weekend, including the (confirmed) two (!) GREY WAGTAILS at Harold Porter Botanical Gardens near Betty's Bay (two seen on Friday and Saturday but since then, seemingly only one showing), the long-staying EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER at Seeberg hide, WCNP, the CASPIAN PLOVER at Kliphoek salt works in Velddrif, the GULL-BILLED TERN at Fisherhaven / Bot River, and the BAIRD'S SANDPIPER at Macassar. At least three RED-NECKED PHALAROPES were present today at Kliphoek, and two GOLIATH HERONS were seen at De Plaat on Saturday. A number of LESSER STRIPED SWALLOWS remained at the Darling Hills Rd (at least two seen on Sunday), with a EUROPEAN ROLLER at the same site (today just after first bend in the road from R27 side), and there was a SQUACCO HERON at the Middlemis Hide at Rondevlei NR in Cape Town on Sunday. At least one AUSTRALASIAN GANNET was also present at Lambert's Bay Bird island yesterday afternoon. On the Garden route, an immature COMMON CUCKOO was seen near George at -33.939, 22.399 on Thursday, and a EUROPEAN ROLLER was seen along the R340 near Plettenberg Bay at Keurbooms Game Trails on Friday. The AFRICAN GREEN PIGEON remained at Plett, with at least one seen again today at Kwendalo (-34.020, 23.379), and the HOUSE CROW was also still present near the Wilderness today. In Plett, a SQUACCO HERON was seen at Piesang River yesterday and still there today, at -34.062, 23.376.

Eastern Cape:

A single EURASIAN HOBBY was seen on Sunday on private land near Kenton.

Northern Cape:

A SQUACCO HERON was seen at Kwang waterhole on the weekend.

Kwazulu-Natal:

A TIBETAN SAND PLOVER was present at the Tugela River mouth at -29.223, 31.500 on Friday. A female MONTAGU'S HARRIER was seen and photographed at the Emoyeni grasslands near Mtunzini on Saturday. A DUSKY LARK was seen today at Pongola NR today at -27.339, 31.844, and there were also two HOODED VULTURES seen soaring over the same general area.

Mpumalanga:

The BLUE SWALLOWS near God's window were reported as being present today. The bizarre local mega rarity AFRICAN OYSTERCATCHER was seen by a few lucky Kruger listers at Shitlhave Dam on Friday morning... and then also seen (and eaten) by an AFRICAN FISH EAGLE on the same morning. Near Pretoriuskop, a EURASIAN WHIMBREL was seen on the S20 at -25.155, 31.280 yesterday.

Limpopo:

A EURASIAN WHIMBREL was seen on Saturday at Balule Game Reserve near Phalaborwa, at -24.071, 31.130. I also received a report of four WHITE-THROATED BEE-EATERS seen on Sunday at 15h40 on the S56, at -22.943, 31.241. This is a very rare and sought-after species, so I should add that I haven't seen any photographs of these birds. Hopefully they can be rediscovered and photographed. A new report came through a few minutes ago of a BLACK-WINGED PRATINCOLE seen near Mopani in Kruger this evening, at -23.443, 31.263, with two CASPIAN PLOVERS also seen at the same location. Based on SABAP2 data, the Black-winged Pratincole seems to be an excellent record for the park.

Zimbabwe:

And last of all comes the undisputed best record of the last few days, in the form of an AFRICAN RED-RUMPED SWALLOW seen and photographed near Seldomseen in the Eastern Highlands on December 10, at -19.107, 32.747. The bird was seen collecting mud, suggesting evidence of breeding. The site has since dried up and the bird hasn't been seen by birders on the weekend. Hopefully it can be re-discovered by local birders. As far as I know, this is the second record of this species in Southern Africa (noting of course that the Red-rumped Swallow species complex has been split, and some of our subregion records have been assigned to the taxon European Red-rumped Swallow). And across at Lake Chivero, the SPUR-WINGED LAPWING was still present last week, with at least one adult and one chick seen.

Thanks to all the contributors who sent me reports and updates. Please keep them coming!

Kind regards

Garret