SA Rare Bird News Report - 04 December 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 Thursday, 04 December 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 monster rarity that is the UPLAND SANDPIPER was still showing well at Platboom near Cape Point until very late on Tuesday, but come Wednesday morning, it had done a disappearing act and, despite many twitchers searching high and low for it, it has not been seen again since then. However, small compensation was the discovery of a WESTERN YELLOW WAGTAIL north of Platboom at -34.331, 18.431 this morning. There was also big excitement when Southern Africa’s 12th LESSER YELLOWLEGS was found at Geelbek in the West Coast National Park this morning. Our first record was from Harare in Zimbabwe in December 1979. This was followed by 2 consecutive records at the Berg River estuary in Velddrif, the first in August 1983 and the second in December 1999. The 4th record came from the Sappi wetlands at Stanger in December 2008, then there was one at Moremi Game Reserve in Botswana in April 2009, one at Woodbourne Pan in Knysna in November 2010, one at Rundu Sewage Works in Namibia in August 2011, one at Geelbek in the West Coast National Park in February 2018, then again at Geelbek in the West Coast National Park in November 2024, then at Mkhombo Dam in January 2025 and, most recently, at Birds Paradise Bird Sanctuary in Walvis Bay in March 2025.
Elsewhere, lingerers included the GREAT EGRET still at the Philippi wetlands at -34.025, 18.540 on Tuesday, the BAIRD’S SANDPIPER still at Macassar Sewage Works earlier today, the EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER still at Seeberg in the West Coast National Park this morning while Kliphoek Salt Pans in Velddrif held on to the CASPIAN PLOVER at -32.822, 18.203 yesterday and 2 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES at -32.825, 18.203 yesterday as well, and the GULL-BILLED TERN was seen again at the Bot River Lagoon at -34.364, 19.106 on Tuesday afternoon. | |||||||||
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Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Corne Rautenbach | Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Daryl de Beer | ||||||||
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Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Hernus Langeveldt | Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Richard Crawshaw | ||||||||
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Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Danny Naidoo | Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Kenneth Hillan | ||||||||
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Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Dirk van Zijl | Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Jacque Smit | ||||||||
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Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Peter Sharland | Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Pieter Bester | ||||||||
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Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Dean Boshoff | Upland Sandpiper at Platboom © Stephen Mills | ||||||||
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Upland Sandpiper twitchers at Platboom © Corne Rautenbach | |||||||||
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Western Yellow Wagtail near Platboom © Jacques Malan | Baird’s Sandpiper at Macassar Sewage Works © Pieter Bester | ||||||||
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Lesser Yellowlegs at Geelbek © Dean Boshoff | Eurasian Oystercatcher at Seeberg © Gerrie Wessels | ||||||||
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Caspian Plover at Kliphoek Salt Pans © Luke Goddard | Gull-billed Tern at Bot River Lagoon © Graeme Skinner | ||||||||
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Up in the Northern Cape, a MARABOU STORK was seen on a private farm just outside Kimberley on Tuesday while a SQUACCO HERON was reported at Kij Kij waterhole in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park at -26.227, 20.809 on Monday and was still present there this morning. | |||||||||
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Marabou Stork outside Kimberley © Aneska Almendro | Squacco Heron at Kij Kij Waterhole © Willem Kruger | ||||||||
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Into Kwazulu Natal where 2 ALLEN’S GALLINULES were reported at Muzi Pan yesterday while the locally popular GREEN SANDPIPER was still at Castleburn, north-west of Underberg, at -29.741, 29.299 on Tuesday and another GREEN SANDPIPER was also still at Luleka Dam on Manyoni Private Game Reserve earlier today. At least one RUFOUS-BELLIED HERON was also still around on the Eastern Shores of iSimangaliso Wetland Park at -28.315, 32.438 today. | |||||||||
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Green Sandpiper at Castleburn © Stuart McLean | Rufous-bellied Heron on the Eastern Shores © Hannes Swanepoel | ||||||||
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Over in Mpumalanga, a single CASPIAN PLOVER was found on Klaserie Game Reserve at -24.288, 31.189 yesterday afternoon while other birds still attracting attention included the 2 LESSER JACANAS still at the dam across the road from Otter Pan this afternoon, 2 BLUE SWALLOWS still near God’s Window at -24.854, 30.886 yesterday and the GREEN SANDPIPER still along the S3 road in the Kruger National Park at -24.989, 31.467 on Tuesday.
In Gauteng, the long-staying SLATY EGRET was still at Gnu Valley farm yesterday. | |||||||||
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Green Sandpiper on the S3 road © Wesley Moolman | Caspian Plover in Klaserie Game Reserve © Julian Payne | ||||||||
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And finally, in Namibia, the mega NORTHERN CARMINE BEE-EATER was still present in the Southern Carmine Bee-eater colony near Zambezi Mubala Lodge, east of Katima Mulilo, at -17.535, 24.542 yesterday while at least 5 PALE-THROATED GREENBULS (aka YELLOW-THROATED LEAFLOVES) remained on in the gardens of Caprivi River Lodge in Katima Mulilo yesterday as well. Elsewhere in the country, as many as 30 CASPIAN PLOVERS were present at Reitfontein waterhole in Etosha National Park on Tuesday while the park also held on to at least one BLACK-TAILED GODWIT still at Fisher’s Pan on Tuesday as well. Also of local interest, a GREY PLOVER was reported along the river at Hakusembe Lodge, west of Rundu, yesterday. | |||||||||
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Black-tailed Godwit at Fisher’s Pan © Shannon Clifford | Caspian Plovers at Reitfontein waterhole © Timothy Smith | ||||||||
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Northern Carmine Bee-eater near Zambezi Mubala Lodge © Elmarie Brits | Northern Carmine Bee-eater near Zambezi Mubala Lodge © Gita Claassen | ||||||||
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Pale-throated Greenbul at Caprivi River Lodge © Elmarie Brits | Pale-throated Greenbul at Caprivi River Lodge © Gita Claassen | ||||||||
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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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