SA Rare Bird News Report - 27 March 2025

[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 18h00 on Thursday, 27 March 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									SARBN is proud to be associated with the following brands:
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Starting in the Western Cape, new records included a juvenile WANDERING ALBATROSS and a SPECTACLED PETREL on a fishing trip out to the Cape Canyon yesterday and a BROWN SNAKE EAGLE seen near Klapmuts at -33.819, 18.877 yesterday as well, while lingerers included at least one AUSTRALASIAN GANNET still at Bird Island in Lambert’s Bay on Tuesday and the BLACK TERN still at the Bot River Lagoon at -34.365, 19.101 yesterday.
Australasian Gannet at Bird Island © Marty Jasper					Australasian Gannet at Bird Island © Eckart Demasius
Brown Snake Eagle near Klapmuts © Gerald Wingate					Black Tern at Bot River Lagoon © Dana Goldberg
In the Eastern Cape, the GROUNDSCRAPER THRUSH was surprizingly back in the grounds of Kenton Primary School yesterday after not having been reported from anywhere in the area since 27 December 2024 while there was also some local excitement when a juvenile PALM-NUT VULTURE was seen along the Kariega River near Kariega Game Reserve on Tuesday.
Palm-nut Vulture along the Kariega River © Kathleen Stewart					Palm-nut Vulture along the Kariega River © Darren Milne
Palm-nut Vulture along the Kariega River © David Twynam					Groundscraper Thrush at Kenton Primary School © Keith Lennox
In Gauteng, a female AFRICAN FINFOOT was seen at Faerie Glen Nature Reserve in Pretoria East on Tuesday, but not subsequent to that again.   Limpopo chimed in with a PINK-BACKED PELICAN at Reedbuck Vlei in the Makuleke Concession near Pafuri in the Kruger National Park on Tuesday.   And finally, in Namibia, the GREATER SAND PLOVER was still at Lovers Hill in Walvis Bay on Tuesday.
African Finfoot at Faerie Glen Nature Reserve © Dirk Human					Pink-backed Pelican in the Makuleke Concession © Duncan McKenzie
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