SA Rare Bird News Report - 29 September 2025
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 Monday, 29 September 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 |
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Starting in the Western Cape, the most exciting local record was the discovery of 2 COLLARED PRATINCOLES on Pan S8 at Strandfontein Sewage Works on Saturday which were still present there yesterday (but not reported today). This remains a very rare bird in the province still with the last record possibly been as long as 20 years ago! Elsewhere, lingerers included the SQUACCO HERON still at the Old Friends hide at Rietvlei Wetland Reserve on Saturday, the widely wandering WHITE-HEADED VULTURE seen again over the Darling Hills Road at -33.471, 18.380 on Saturday, the EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER still at Seeberg in the West Coast National Park on Friday, at least one RED-NECKED PHALAROPE still at Kliphoek Salt Pans in Velddrif on Friday and the LONG-CRESTED EAGLE still close to Klapmuts around Arra vineyards on Saturday. Also of local interest, a BAILLON’S CRAKE was seen on a private farm east of Bredasdorp yesterday. | |||||||||
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Collared Pratincole at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Ansar Khan | Collared Pratincole at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Jacques Malan | ||||||||
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Collared Pratincole at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Karin Wilson | Collared Pratincole at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Oli Main | ||||||||
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Collared Pratincole at Strandfontein Sewage Works © John Graham | Collared Pratincole at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Renier Meyer | ||||||||
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Collared Pratincole at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Hernus Langeveldt | Collared Pratincole at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Sarel Snyman | ||||||||
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Collared Pratincole at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Connor Barr | Collared Pratincole at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Rhys Gwilliam | ||||||||
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Collared Pratincole at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Zoe Lunau | Collared Pratincole at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Ian Rijsdijk | ||||||||
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Collared Pratincole at Strandfontein Sewage Works © David Hall | Collared Pratincoles at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Stephen Judge | ||||||||
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Collared Pratincole twitchers at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Renier Meyer | |||||||||
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Collared Pratincole twitchers at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Penny Dichmont | |||||||||
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White-headed Vulture on the Darling Hills road © Robert Cooper | Red-necked Phalarope at Kliphoek Salt Pans © Francois Dreyer | ||||||||
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Baillon’s Crake near Bredasdorp © Zoe Lunau | Baillon’s Crake near Bredasdorp © Steve Peck | ||||||||
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Up in the Northern Cape, there were some good records as well with a STARKS’S LARK found on a farm in the Tanqua Karoo, near the Western Cape border, at -32.450, 19.561 yesterday, a RUDDY TURNSTONE at Rooiberg Dam in Kenhardt on Saturday and a SQUACCO HERON at Nossob waterhole in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park on Friday (picked up on webcam footage). | |||||||||
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Stark’s Lark in the Tanqua Karoo © Gavin Walter | Squacco Heron at Nossob waterhole © SANParks webcam | ||||||||
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In the Eastern Cape, 2 SANDERLINGS were found at Graaff-Reinet Dam yesterday while, also of local interest, a male GREATER PAINTED SNIPE was found at Barkley East sewage works on Friday, and was still present there yesterday.
Into the Free State where a CASPIAN PLOVER was seen at Gariep Dam Nature Reserve near Bethulie on Saturday. | |||||||||
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Sanderlings at Graaff-Reinet Dam © Alan Collett | Caspian Plover at Gariep Dam Nature Reserve © Riette Griesel | ||||||||
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Greater Painted Snipe at Barkley East Sewage Works © Kevin Meise | Greater Painted Snipe at Barkley East Sewage Works © Lesley Meise | ||||||||
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Moving into Kwazulu Natal, the GREATER SAND PLOVER was still at the St Lucia estuary yesterday while 2 YELLOW-BILLED OXPECKERS were seen on the Eastern Shores of iSimangaliso Wetland Park at -28.174, 32.536 on Friday. Elsewhere, a PECTORAL SANDPIPER and an ALLEN’S GALLINULE were reported on the Nibela floodplain on Saturday and another ALLEN’S GALLINULE was reported at Muzi Pan on Friday while an AYRES’S HAWK EAGLE was seen flying over Dhlinza forest on Friday. | |||||||||
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Greater Sand Plover at St Lucia estuary © Wade Lee | Ayres’s Hawk Eagle at Dhlinza forest © Brian Roberts | ||||||||
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Mpumalanga held on to the AFRICAN SKIMMERS which were still at Malelane bridge in the Kruger National Park on Friday.
Over in Gauteng, the SLATY EGRET was also still lingering at Gnu Valley farm yesterday. | |||||||||
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Slaty Egret at Gnu Valley farm © Deborah Gage | Slaty Egret at Gnu Valley farm © Rebecca Beeby | ||||||||
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African Skimmer at Malelane bridge © Ian Johnson | |||||||||
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Up in Namibia, an AFRICAN CRAKE was seen in a garden at Vinetta in Swakopmund yesterday while a SQUACCO HERON was present at the Swakop River mouth in Swakopmund on Friday.
And finally, in Zimbabwe, there was some excitement when 2 SPUR-WINGED LAPWINGS were found at Lake Chivero, west of Harare, at -17.911, 30.836 on Friday. To the best of my knowledge, this becomes only the 13th record for Southern Africa. Our first record dates back to July 1989 near Kavimba in Botswana. This was followed by one in the early 90’s along the Chobe River and then one in March 1999 in Mahango Game Reserve. Records continued in December 2001 at Okaekeujo Camp in Etosha National Park, March 2004 at Ngamo Pan in Hwange National Park, September 2004 in Mana Pools National Park, December 2008 between Chicombane and Zongoene in Mozambique, September 2018 in Mana Pools National Park, November 2019 at Lake Chivero (a pair of birds remained in this area for at least 2 years and actually bred there), December 2019 at the Continental Tyres factory in Port Elizabeth, October 2023 in the Kwara Private Concession in the Delta in Botswana and, most recently, in October 2024 when a bird spent some time in the north of the Kruger National Park, initially around Klopperfontein Dam, and then along the Levuvhu River near Pafuri. | |||||||||
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Squacco Heron at the Swakop River mouth © Anton Jooste | African Crake at Vinetta © Jurie Brandt | ||||||||
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Spur-winged Lapwing at Lake Chivero © Ronnie Chirimuta | |||||||||
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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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