SA Rare Bird News Report - 18 August 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, 18 August 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, a NORTHERN ROYAL ALBATROSS was seen on a pelagic trip out of Hout Bay yesterday while a single KNOB-BILLED DUCK was found at the Philippi wetlands at -34.021, 18.538 on Saturday and up to 3 were present in the same area yesterday. Up on the west coast, several lingerers remained in place with the WHITE-HEADED VULTURE seen again along the Darling Hills road at -33.478, 18.359 yesterday, the EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER still at Seeberg in the West Coast National Park on Saturday and 2 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES still present at Kliphoek Salt Pans in Velddrif earlier today. Elsewhere, a female BLACK CUCKOOSHRIKE was seen at Harold Porter Botanical Gardens in Betty’s Bay at -34.351, 18.927 on Friday and at least one GREATER SAND PLOVER was still at De Mond Nature Reserve near Arniston on Thursday.
Up in the Northern Cape, an AFRICAN SNIPE was found just west of Calvinia at the sewage works outflow under the road to Loeriesfontein (R355) at -31.467, 19.745 on Friday. | |||||||||
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Northern Royal Albatross on pelagic trip © Trevor Hardaker | Northern Royal Albatross on pelagic trip © Gilbert Reinhardt | ||||||||
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Knob-billed Duck at the Philippi wetlands © Trevor Hardaker | Knob-billed Duck at the Philippi wetlands © Ian Rijsdijk | ||||||||
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Knob-billed Duck at the Philippi wetlands © Otto Schmidt | Black Cuckooshrike at Harold Porter Botanical Gardens © Imar Krige | ||||||||
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White-headed Vulture on the Darling Hills road © Garret Skead | Eurasian Oystercatcher at Seeberg © Renier Meyer | ||||||||
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Red-necked Phalaropes at Kliphoek Salt Pans © Renier Meyer | Red-necked Phalarope at Kliphoek Salt Pans © Conrad Strauss | ||||||||
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Greater Sand Plover at De Mond Nature Reserve © Hennie Bestbier | African Snipe in Calvinia © Niekie Basson | ||||||||
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In the Eastern Cape, a YELLOW-BILLED STORK was reported at the Kleinemonde estuary on Saturday.
Further up the coast in Kwazulu Natal, at least one RUFOUS-BELLIED HERON was still near Amazibu hide on the Eastern Shores of iSimangaliso Wetland Park yesterday.
Across in the Free State, a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL of the nominate race fuscus, sometimes treated as a separate species known as Baltic Gull, was present at South Bay on the Vaal Dam yesterday afternoon. Elsewhere, the WATTLED CRANE was still present around Neethlingshalte at -28.877, 25.649 on Saturday while a LAPPET-FACED VULTURE was also seen in the same general area at -28.856, 25.57 on Saturday. A LILAC-BREASTED ROLLER was also reported along the N6 south of Bloemfontein at -29.360, 26.205 on Saturday.
And finally, in Mpumalanga, the Kruger National Park held on to the AFRICAN SKIMMERS still at Malelane bridge yesterday and the single AFRICAN SKIMMER still at the Olifants River bridge on Friday as well. | |||||||||
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Wattled Crane in the Neethlingshalte area © Theo Kleynhans | Wattled Crane in the Neethlingshalte area © Sarette Coertze | ||||||||
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Lappet-faced Vulture in the Neethlingshalte area © Theo Kleynhans | Lappet-faced Vulture in the Neethlingshalte area © Sarette Coertze | ||||||||
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Lesser Black-backed Gull at South Bay © Sandy Neveling | |||||||||
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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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