SA Rare Bird News Report - 08 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 Monday, 08 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 WESTERN YELLOW WAGTAIL was still at Platboom near Cape Point at -34.331, 18.431 this morning. Rondevlei Nature Reserve produced some good local records with a YELLOW-BILLED STORK found at Scotto hide yesterday while a SQUACCO HERON, a GOLIATH HERON and a SAND MARTIN were reported from the reserve on Saturday and 2 SQUACCO HERONS seen again there this morning. The YELLOW-BILLED STORK was also reported flying south-east over Zandvlei Nature Reserve this morning. The popular BAIRD’S SANDPIPER was still at Macassar Sewage Works on Saturday and an AFRICAN JACANA at Paardevlei at -34.087, 18.815 on Saturday was also a good local find. Up on the west coast, at least 22 LESSER STRIPED SWALLOWS were still along the Darling Hills road at -33.481, 18.351 yesterday, the EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER was still at Seeberg in the West Coast National Park this afternoon and the CASPIAN PLOVER and 2 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES were still at Kliphoek Salt Pans in Velddrif late this afternoon. There was also some excitement earlier today when the GREY WAGTAIL was relocated at Harold Porter Botanical Gardens in Betty’s Bay at the last bridge before the Disa Kloof waterfall and then even further excitement when the gardens also delivered a female COLLARED SUNBIRD at -34.346, 18.924. Elsewhere in the province, a BROWN SNAKE EAGLE was seen along the Hangklip Trail on Thursday, the GULL-BILLED TERN was still at Bot River Lagoon at -34.362, 19.108 yesterday, 2 COMMON CUCKOOS were found at De Mond Nature Reserve at -34.710, 20.110 on Saturday with at least one GREATER SAND PLOVER still on the estuary there then too, a LONG-CRESTED EAGLE was seen along the N2 near Riviersonderend at -34.123, 20.038 earlier today and another 2 LONG-CRESTED EAGLES were seen on a farm between Ashton and Swellendam at - 33.872, 20.156 on Saturday. Over on the Garden Route, a BLUE-CHEEKED BEE-EATER was seen just outside Gouritzmond at -34.341, 21.863 on Saturday, 2 BLUE-CHEEKED BEE-EATERS were reported flying over Loerie Park in George on Friday and 2 AFRICAN GREEN PIGEONS were found at Kwendalo in Plettenberg Bay on Saturday with both still there this afternoon while, slightly inland, a RED-BACKED SHRIKE was reported west of Oudtshoorn at -33.629, 22.097 on Saturday. | |||||||||
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Western Yellow Wagtail at Platboom © Estelle Smalberger | |||||||||
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Yellow-billed Stork at Rondevlei Nature Reserve © Zach Kaspersen | Yellow-billed Stork at Rondevlei Nature Reserve © Philip Faure | ||||||||
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Yellow-billed Stork at Rondevlei Nature Reserve © Garret Skead | Yellow-billed Stork at Rondevlei Nature Reserve © Regard van Dyk | ||||||||
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Yellow-billed Stork at Rondevlei Nature Reserve © Mike Buckham | Yellow-billed Stork at Rondevlei Nature Reserve © Jacques Malan | ||||||||
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Yellow-billed Stork over Zandvlei Nature Reserve © Ian Rijsdijk | Lesser Striped Swallow on the Darling Hills road © Connor Strybis | ||||||||
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Eurasian Oystercatcher at Seeberg © Graham Luden | Eurasian Oystercatcher at Seeberg © Noleen du Toit | ||||||||
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Grey Wagtail at Harold Porter Botanical Gardens © Graeme Skinner | Collared Sunbird at Harold Porter Botanical Gardens © Joel Radue | ||||||||
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African Jacana at Paardevlei © Sarel Snyman | Gull-billed Tern at Bot River Lagoon © Dylan Schröder | ||||||||
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Gull-billed Tern at Bot River Lagoon © Garret Skead | Gull-billed Tern at Bot River Lagoon © Melanie Cornelius | ||||||||
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Gull-billed Tern at Bot River Lagoon © Jacques Malan | Gull-billed Tern at Bot River Lagoon © Estelle Smalberger | ||||||||
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Gull-billed Tern at Bot River Lagoon © Gilbert Reinhardt | Gull-billed Tern at Bot River Lagoon © Glynis Coetzee | ||||||||
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Gull-billed Tern at Bot River Lagoon © PJ Vermeuelen | Gull-billed Tern at Bot River Lagoon © Johan van der Westhuizen | ||||||||
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Brown Snake Eagle on the Hangklip Trail © Dylan Schröder | Common Cuckoo at De Mond Nature Reserve © Adrius Rabie | ||||||||
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Blue-cheeked Bee-eater near Gouritzmond © Estelle Smalberger | African Green Pigeons at Kwendalo © Mike Bridgeford | ||||||||
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African Green Pigeon at Kwendalo © John Graham | African Green Pigeon at Kwendalo © Ruven Schoeman | ||||||||
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Up in the Northern Cape, a SQUACCO HERON was seen at Kwang waterhole 20km north of Nossob in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park on Saturday while a COMMON WHITETHROAT was found along a farm road south-west of Victoria West at -31.550, 22.828 on Thursday and a COMMON CUCKOO was seen on a private farm near Colesberg on Friday. | |||||||||
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Common Whitethroat near Victoria West © Leonie Fouche | Squacco Heron at Kwang waterhole © TJ Witteveen | ||||||||
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Into Kwazulu Natal where a YELLOW-BILLED OXPECKER was seen on the Western Shores of iSimangaliso Wetland Park at -28.354, 32.389 yesterday and a juvenile CAPPED WHEATEAR was found in the thornveld close to Ngoye Forest yesterday as well. Other records of interest included an AFRICAN CRAKE at Mpempe Pan at -27.718, 32.478 on Saturday, 2 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS on the Nibela floodplain at -27.867, 32.432 on Saturday and a TIBETAN SAND PLOVER reported at the St Lucia estuary yesterday while lingerers included the GREEN SANDPIPER still at Luleka Dam on Manyoni Private Game Reserve on Saturday, the RUFOUS-BELLIED HERON still on the Eastern Shores of iSimangaliso Wetland Park at -28.315, 32.437 on Saturday and the other RUFOUS-BELLIED HERON still at Umbogavango Nature Reserve in Amanzimtoti on Friday. | |||||||||
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Yellow-billed Oxpecker on the Western Shores © Warwick Ross | Capped Wheatear near Ngoye Forest © Marc Lindsay-Rea | ||||||||
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Pectoral Sandpipers on the Nibela floodplain © Gavin Walter | |||||||||
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In the Free State, there was some local excitement when a GREEN SANDPIPER was found at Soutpan, north of Bloemfontein, at -28.744, 26.079 on Friday.
Gauteng held on to the SLATY EGRET which was still at Gnu Valley farm yesterday. | |||||||||
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Green Sandpiper at Soutpan © Johan van Niekerk | Slaty Egret at Gnu Valley farm © Jan Ekke Wigboldus | ||||||||
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Slaty Egret at Gnu Valley farm © Bruce Wedderburn | |||||||||
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Over in Mpumalanga, an AFRICAN SKIMMER was reported at Argyle Dam on Timbavati Private Game Reserve on Saturday and an adult PALM-NUT VULTURE was seen south of Komatipoort at -25.525, 31.891 on Saturday, while other lingerers included the 2 LESSER JACANAS still moving between Otter Pan and Grootkolk Dam across the road yesterday and 4 BLUE SWALLOWS still near God’s Window at -24.854, 30.886 yesterday with the Kruger National Park also holding on to several CASPIAN PLOVERS still along the S25 at -25.348, 31.881 on Friday and the GREEN SANDPIPER still along the S3 at -24.989, 31.467 on Saturday. | |||||||||
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Lesser Jacana at Otter Pan / Grootkolk Dam © Danny Hitge | Lesser Jacana at Otter Pan / Grootkolk Dam © Werner Fourie | ||||||||
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Lesser Jacanas at Otter Pan / Grootkolk Dam © Peter Thompson | African Skimmer at Argyle Dam © Myer Pincus | ||||||||
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Into the North-west Province where 2 juvenile SADDLE-BILLED STORKS were seen at the Kgomo Kgomo floodplain at -25.156, 28.094 on Friday.
Over in Limpopo, Southern Africa’s 38th GOLDEN PIPIT was found along the H1-8, just north of the S59 turn-off, on Friday while there was also some local surprize when a single BLACK-BELLIED STARLING was found at Blyde River Botanical Reserve near Hoedspruit yesterday, a very rare bird for the province.
Up in Namibia, as many as 7 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES were reported at Walvis Bay Salt Pans on Friday with at least one still there yesterday while a GREY PLOVER was seen at Fisher’s Pan in Etosha National Park yesterday.
And finally, in Zimbabwe, the 2 SPUR-WINGED LAPWINGS were still at Lake Chivero, west of Harare, yesterday while the same site also delivered a male SOUTH AFRICAN SHELDUCK at -17.875, 30.798 yesterday as well, well out of range for this species. There is some suggestion from locals that this latter bird may have escaped from somewhere but, for now, this has not been confirmed yet. | |||||||||
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Black-bellied Starling at Blyde River Botanical Reserve © Andre Botha | Grey Plover at Fisher’s Pan © Christien Boshoff | ||||||||
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South African Shelduck at Lake Chivero © Manfred Suter | |||||||||
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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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