SA Rare Bird News Report - 25 November 2019
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 20h00 on Monday, 25 November 2019.
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: | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
|
|
| ||||||
| |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
As usual, let's start with the scarcities…
EUROPEAN HONEY BUZZARD:
* One on the eastern shores of iSimangaliso Wetland Park (KZN) yesterday. * One at Melville Koppies in Johannesburg (Gauteng) yesterday. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
European Honey Buzzard at Melville Koppies © Anthony Paton | European Honey Buzzard at iSimangaliso Wetland Park © Mike O’Donaghue | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
On to the rest of the news and, starting in the Western Cape, there were some interesting seabirds reported over the last few days with a BULWER'S PETREL and FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER seen on pelagic trip out of Simon's Town yesterday and a WANDERING ALBATROSS seen about 25 nautical miles south-west of Cape Point on Friday. There was also some excitement when a single ELEGANT TERN was found at the Tern roost in Strand on Saturday afternoon, however there were no further reports of it yesterday. Strandfontein Sewage Works continued to attract attention with both RED-NECKED PHALAROPES still showing well on Pan P1 on Friday, then going missing and then relocated again on Pan P3 yesterday. The AFRICAN JACANA was also still on Pan P3 yesterday while a SAND MARTIN was picked up in a large group of aerial feeders near the gums at the entrance to the sewage works yesterday as well. Elsewhere, the AFRICAN JACANA was still at Dolphin Beach Pans yesterday while a SQUACCO HERON was reported along R27 in Table View on the Rietvlei side where the stream comes in by the Library on Saturday. Also of local interest, a GOLIATH HERON was present yesterday afternoon at a small dam just before Meiringspoort outside Klaarstroom. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Wandering Albatross south-west of Cape Point © Simon Walker | Elegant Tern in Strand © Theuns Kruger | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Red-necked Phalarope at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Riel Tredoux | Red-necked Phalaropes at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Steve Williams | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Red-necked Phalaropes at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Francois Dreyer | African Jacana at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Tony Kent | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
In the Eastern Cape, the popular BLACK HERON was still at the wetland in Perseverance near Port Elizabeth yesterday while other records of interest included a WHITE-BROWED SPARROW-WEAVER seen at Ghwarrie Dam in Addo National Park on Saturday and a BROWN SNAKE EAGLE seen in Port Alfred on Friday. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Black Heron in Perseverance © Godfrey Lodge | Black Heron in Perseverance © Mike Pearson | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
| |||||||||
Brown Snake Eagle in Port Alfred © Mike Pearson | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Moving up the coast into Kwazulu Natal, a LESSER NODDY was seen on the beach at Cape Vidal on Saturday while another unidentified NODDY, possibly the same individual, was reported from a fishing trip just offshore of Cape Vidal on Friday. Unfortunately, despite birders looking for it, it could not be relocated yesterday. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
| |||||||||
Lesser Noddy at Cape Vidal © Liam O’Connor | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Over in Mpumalanga, a SOOTY FALCON was seen on Saturday at the junction of the S1 and S3 in the Kruger National Park.
Into Gauteng where the RUFOUS-BELLIED HERON was still holding on at the wetland next to Candlewoods Estate in Centurion earlier today and the SLATY EGRET was also still at Gnu Valley farm in Muldersdrift yesterday. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Sooty Falcon in the Kruger National Park © Mario Paul | Rufous-bellied Heron in Centurion © Lance Robinson | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Rufous-bellied Heron in Centurion © Dries de Bruyn | Rufous-bellied Heron in Centurion © Ingrid de Bruyn | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Rufous-bellied Heron in Centurion © Gilbert Reinhardt | Slaty Egret at Gnu Valley farm © Jean van Rooyen | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Across in the North-west Province, there was some surprize when an AYRES'S HAWK EAGLE was seen just outside Potchefstroom on the Schoemansdrift road yesterday (and was seen again in a similar area this afternoon).
In Limpopo, a single LARK-LIKE BUNTING was found in the Haenertsburg grasslands, just below the cemetery, on Saturday. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Ayres’s Hawk Eagle over Potchefstroom © Jaco Botes | Lark-like Bunting at Haenertsburg © Jody de Bruyn | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Up in Namibia, the mega ROSS'S TURACO was still present at Taranga Lodge until at least late on Saturday afternoon while a single GULL-BILLED TERN was also seen there on Saturday as well. Elsewhere, at least one STARK'S LARK, a number of CASPIAN PLOVERS and no fewer than 5 BURCHELL'S COURSERS were seen along the Hukusembe River Lodge entry road on Saturday. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
| |||||||||
Ross’s Turaco at Taranga Lodge © Tarry Butcher | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Ross’s Turaco at Taranga Lodge © David Hoddinott | Caspian Plover near Hakusembe Lodge © David Hoddinott | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Burchell’s Courser near Hakusembe Lodge © David Hoddinott | Stark’s Lark near Hakusembe Lodge © David Hoddinott | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
And finally, in Zimbabwe, the very popular SPUR-WINGED LAPWINGS were still present at Lake Chivero near Harare today while a single RED-BILLED OXPECKER was reported at Imire in Marondera yesterday as well. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Spur-winged Lapwing at Lake Chivero © Hari Kusminto | Spur-winged Lapwing at Lake Chivero © Ian Grant | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
| |||||||||
Spur-winged Lapwing chick at Lake Chivero © Alan Bedford-Shaw | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Spur-winged Lapwing at Lake Chivero © Eugene van der Walt | Red-billed Oxpecker at Imire © Sam Turley | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
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 |
|
|
|
| |||||
| |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
| |||||||||
| |||||||||
