SA Rare Bird News Report - 04 December 2023
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 Monday, 04 December 2023.
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: | |||||||
| |||||||||
| |||||||||
| |||||||||
|
|
| |||||||
| |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
PLEASE CONSIDER FOLLOWING ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY CLICKING ON THE LINKED ICONS BELOW: | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
|
|
| ||||||
| |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Starting in the Western Cape, the widely ranging BLACK HERON was seen again on Wildwood Island in Marina da Gama on Saturday while the AFRICAN JACANA was also still at Paardevlei on Saturday. Up on the west coast, there was some excitement when a single BLACK-WINGED PRATINCOLE was found at Rocher Pan at -32.612, 18.298 yesterday (but was not seen again today unfortunately). The Overberg region also turned up a few good birds including a BLACK-CHESTED SNAKE EAGLE seen along the Swartrivier Road near Bot River at -34.280, 19.198 on Saturday, a GREATER SAND PLOVER seen at the Uilenkraals River estuary on Saturday, a BLUE-CHEEKED BEE-EATER found along the Rietfontein road near Wolvengat at -34.679, 19.75 on Saturday and an AMUR FALCON seen north of Bredasdorp at -34.399, 19.966 on Saturday. Over on the Garden Route, it was all still happening at Voelvlei near Vleesbaai with the WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER and PECTORAL SANDPIPER still present at -34.276, 21.839 yesterday and a WESTERN YELLOW WAGTAIL found in the same general area at -34.277, 21.839 on Saturday which was also still there yesterday. A BLACK HERON at Bitou Vlei near Plettenberg Bay on Saturday was also a good local find while, inland, the BROWN SNAKE EAGLE was seen again on the farm near Van Wyksdorp at -33.738, 21.473 on Saturday and a RED-BACKED SHRIKE was reported on a private farm south-east of Beaufort West at -32.392, 22.634 on Saturday as well. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Black Heron at Marina da Gama © Gillian Ainslie | Black-winged Pratincole at Rocher Pan © Jacques Giliomee | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Black-chested Snake Eagle along the Swartrivier Road © Imar Krige | Greater Sand Plover at the Uilenkraals River estuary © Richard Masson | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater along the Rietfontein Road © Riaan Jacobs | Amur Falcon near Bredasdorp © Steve Peck | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
White-rumped Sandpiper near Vleesbaai © Rupert Horley | White-rumped Sandpiper near Vleesbaai © Elmarie Brits | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
White-rumped Sandpiper near Vleesbaai © Don Reid | Pectoral Sandpiper near Vleesbaai © Elmarie Brits | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Western Yellow Wagtail near Vleesbaai © Elmarie Brits | Western Yellow Wagtail near Vleesbaai © Mariana Steyn | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
In the Eastern Cape, at least one BLACK HERON was still on the Qinira River in East London at -32.964, 27.958 on Saturday while there was also some local excitement when a group of 6 AFRICAN GREEN PIGEONS were seen in a garden in Storms River Village on Saturday, very far west for this species. The birds were seen again in the same garden late yesterday afternoon. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
| |||||||||
Black Heron (far right) on the Qinira River © Mike Schulze | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Moving up the coast into Kwazulu Natal, the locally mega THICK-BILLED CUCKOO was still along the Sand Forest Walk in Ndumo Game Reserve this morning while a couple of EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHERS also remained in place with the one at St Lucia estuary still there yesterday afternoon and the one at the Illovo Lagoon still around until at least Saturday. Elsewhere in the province, 2 RED KNOTS were found at the Umvoti River estuary on Saturday, a GREAT CRESTED GREBE was seen at Shepstone Lake on Saturday, a HOODED VULTURE was present at Pongola Nature Reserve on Saturday and a DARK CHANTING GOSHAWK was reported in Mkuze Game Reserve this morning. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Eurasian Oystercatcher at Illovo Lagoon © Gavin Walter | Eurasian Oystercatcher at St Lucia estuary © Ian Ferreira | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Red Knots at the Umvoti River estuary © Mike O’Donaghue | Hooded Vulture at Pongola Nature Reserve © Julia Clarence | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Across in Mpumalanga, Mkhombo Dam was busy on Saturday with the COMMON TERN still present, a EURASIAN WHIMBREL reported at -25.152, 28.804 and a SLATY EGRET reported at -25.147, 28.803 while, in the Kruger National Park, a number of LARK-LIKE BUNTINGS were seen along the S90 between Satara and Olifants yesterday.
Gauteng held on to the GREEN SANDPIPER which was still at Helderfontein Estate at -25.992, 28.021 yesterday and at least one NARINA TROGON still at Deale’s Rock on Saturday while there was also some local surprize when a single SHORT-TAILED PIPIT was reported in Delta Park in Johannesburg late on Thursday afternoon. A female WESTERN MARSH HARRIER was also reported close to the entrance at Marievale Bird Sanctuary this morning.
The North-west Province chimed in with the most exciting report of the last few days when an adult male CRESTED HONEY BUZZARD was seen in Pilanesberg National Park at -25.281, 27.152 on Saturday. The bird is in obvious moult which is messing with the wing formula somewhat, but all other features seem to confirm the ID. To the best of my knowledge, this is only the 4th record for Southern Africa following previous records in Somerset West in January 2021, in the Belmont Valley near Grahamstown in March 2022 and over Witfontein Forest above George in June 2022. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
| |||||||||
Crested Honey Buzzard in Pilanesberg National Park © Anastas Schnippenkotter | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Over in Limpopo, an adult AYRES’S HAWK EAGLE was reported in the Kubu Dam area at Lapalala Wilderness this morning while the Kruger National Park delivered a GREY-BACKED SPARROW-LARK along the Tropic of Capricorn Loop this morning and another at Groenvlei Dam on Friday as well as a GREATER FLAMINGO at Rooibosrand Dam near Bateleur camp on Thursday.
Up in Namibia, the PECTORAL SANDPIPER was still at Avis Dam in Windhoek late yesterday afternoon while a KAROO TRHUSH was reported from a garden in Swakopmund on Friday.
And finally, in Botswana, Bokaa Dam in Gaborone seems to be busy at the moment and turned up an immature LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, a PECTORAL SANDPIPER and a RUDDY TURNSTONE this morning while the pair of RED-THROATED TWINSPOTS were also still in the gardens of Chobe Safari Lodge in Kasane this morning as well. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Pectoral Sandpiper at Avis Dam © Sibylle Hähner | Pectoral Sandpiper at Avis Dam © Iain Guthrie | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Pectoral Sandpiper at Avis Dam © Wessel Myburgh | Red-throated Twinspot at Chobe Safari Lodge © Japie Claassen | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Lesser Black-backed Gull at Bokaa Dam © Ian White | Pectoral Sandpiper at Bokaa Dam © Ian White | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
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 |
|
|
|
| |||||
| |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
| |||||||||
| |||||||||
