SA Rare Bird News Report - 31 October 2022
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 19h50 on Monday, 31 October 2022.
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 |
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Things are certainly starting to heat up a little…
Starting in the Western Cape, the biggest news of the last few days was the discovery of Southern Africa’s 11th RED-RUMPED SWALLOW in farmlands north of Atlantis at -33.464, 18.465 late yesterday afternoon which also showed briefly there again today. This is still an incredibly rare bird in the subregion with the first record dating back to March 1963 near Harare. This was followed by records in February 1966 near Harare, February 1986 near Kariba, March 1992 in Hwange National Park, March 1994 in Chimanimani, February 1995 near Rusape, December 2002 near De Hoop Nature Reserve, December 2015 north of Lephalale, January 2019 at Darvill Bird Sanctuary in Pietermaritzburg and, most recently, in February 2020 in the Mutare region. This was a classic example of the “Patagonia Picnic Table Effect” at play (Google that if you don’t know what it means!!) as several birders had actually headed out there to see a group of LESSER STRIPED SWALLOWS that had been found there earlier in the afternoon with up to 8 birds being seen together there.
Strandfontein Sewage Works continued to be in the limelight with the discovery of 2 BAILLON’S CRAKES on Pan P2 on Saturday that were still there this afternoon while several FULVOUS WHISTLING DUCKS and the AFRICAN JACANA were still there yesterday as well. Up on the west coast, a BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER was found at Geelbek in the West Coast National Park yesterday and a EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER was seen this afternoon at Dwarskersbos on the beach just north of the caravan park while, over on the Garden Route, a SQUACCO HERON was present west of George Airport at -34.007, 22.299 on Friday, the AFRICAN PIED WAGTAIL was still around in front of The Lofts Hotel in Knysna on Saturday and a GREATER SAND PLOVER was seen at Bitou Vlei in Plettenberg Bay on Saturday as well. | |||||||||
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Red-rumped Swallow near Atlantis © Matthew Orolowitz | Red-rumped Swallow near Atlantis © Garret Skead | ||||||||
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Red-rumped Swallow near Atlantis © Karen Wilson | Lesser Striped Swallows near Atlantis © Karin Wilson | ||||||||
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Lesser Striped Swallows (at top) and Red-rumped Swallow (at bottom) near Atlantis © Jacques Malan | |||||||||
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Lesser Striped Swallows near Atlantis © Garret Skead | |||||||||
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Lesser Striped Swallows near Atlantis © Matthew Orolowitz | Fulvous Whistling Duck at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Kevin Shields | ||||||||
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Baillon’s Crake at Strandfontein Sewage Works © John Graham | Baillon’s Crake at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Garret Skead | ||||||||
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Baillon’s Crake at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Regard van Dyk | Baillon’s Crake at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Gilbert Reinhardt | ||||||||
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Baillon’s Crake at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Christine Griffiths | African Jacana at Strandfontein Sewage Works © John Graham | ||||||||
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African Jacana at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Paul Verwey | African Jacana at Strandfontein Sewage Works © Kevin Shields | ||||||||
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Broad-billed Sandpiper at Geelbek © Garret Skead | Squacco Heron west of George Airport © Wessel Uys | ||||||||
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African Pied Wagtail in Knysna © Dean Boshoff | Greater Sand Plover at Bitou Vlei © Pieter Schoeman | ||||||||
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Up in the Northern Cape, an AFRICAN PALM SWIFT was seen opposite the museum in Kleinzee at -29.679, 17.069 on Saturday while a GREATER PAINTED SNIPE was found at Augrabies National Park on Friday and was still there yesterday at the first water crossing just beyond the day visitor’s area.
In the Eastern Cape, a MOUNTAIN WAGTAIL was found along the Vark River at -33.953, 23.646 on Friday, just a short distance from the boundary with the Western Cape. Elsewhere, a female VIOLET-BACKED STARLING was seen in Jeffrey’s Bay on Friday, the LESSER SAND PLOVER was still at the mouth of the Seekoei River in Jeffrey’s Bay on Friday and a PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER was seen on Bird Island in Algoa Bay on Wednesday. | |||||||||
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Greater Painted Snipe in Augrabies National Park © Sieg Eiselen | Greater Painted Snipe in Augrabies National Park © Gavin Sims | ||||||||
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African Palm Swift in Kleinzee © Jacque Smit | Pacific Golden Plover on Bird Island © Peter Ryan | ||||||||
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Mountain Wagtail along the Vark River © Elmarie Brits | Violet-backed Starling in Jeffrey’s Bay © Elmarie Brits | ||||||||
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Moving up the coast into Kwazulu Natal, the EURASIAN CURLEW was still opposite the Ski Boat Club in St Lucia this afternoon, an AYRES’S HAWK EAGLE was seen over Springside Nature Reserve in Hillcrest yesterday, a pelagic trip out of Durban turned up both a BARAU’S PETREL and a TROPICAL SHEARWATER on Saturday and an AFRICAN CRAKE was reported at Mbona Private Nature Reserve on Friday. | |||||||||
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Barau’s Petrel on Durban pelagic trip © Hugo Voigts | Ayres’s Hawk Eagle at Springside Nature Reserve © Reece Dodd | ||||||||
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Mpumalanga’s main attraction at the moment, the MADAGASCAR CUCKOO at Kranspoort Holiday Estate, extended its stay and continued to entertain a steady stream of twitchers today while there were still at least 3 RUDDY TURNSTONES and a single EURASIAN WHIMBREL at Mkhombo Dam yesterday.
Not to be outdone, Gauteng chimed in with a cracking male PENNANT-WINGED NIGHTJAR seen at Rietvlei Nature Reserve on Wednesday evening, well out of range for this species. Unfortunately, subsequent attempts to refind the bird have been unsuccessful.
Into the North-west Province where a SWEE WAXBILL was reported around Hartbeespoort Dam at -25.733, 27.852 yesterday.
Up in Limpopo, it was all happening in the Kruger National Park with an AFRICAN SKIMMER seen along the S91 about 200m upstream of the weir on the Olifants River close to Balule on Saturday, another AFRICAN SKIMMER reported at Pioneer Dam at Mopani camp on Thursday and 4 GREATER FLAMINGOS seen along the Shigwedzi River just outside of Shingwedzi camp on Wednesday. | |||||||||
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Madagascar Cuckoo at Kranspoort Holiday Estate © Paul van der Merwe | Madagascar Cuckoo at Kranspoort Holiday Estate © Yoricka van der Merwe | ||||||||
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Madagascar Cuckoo at Kranspoort Holiday Estate © Johan Nell | |||||||||
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Madagascar Cuckoo at Kranspoort Holiday Estate © George Skinner | Madagascar Cuckoo at Kranspoort Holiday Estate © Thea Jenkins | ||||||||
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Madagascar Cuckoo at Kranspoort Holiday Estate © Willie Victor | Madagascar Cuckoo at Kranspoort Holiday Estate © Samantha Bradley | ||||||||
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Madagascar Cuckoo at Kranspoort Holiday Estate © Elmarie Hirschhorn | Madagascar Cuckoo at Kranspoort Holiday Estate © John Mullineux | ||||||||
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Madagascar Cuckoo twitchers at Kranspoort Holiday Estate © Jacques Verster | Madagascar Cuckoo twitchers at Kranspoort Holiday Estate © Stefan van der Walt | ||||||||
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Ruddy Turnstone at Mkhombo Dam © Niall Perrins | Pennant-winged Nightjar at Rietvlei Nature Reserve © Lydia Wolmarans | ||||||||
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Namibia remained front and centre with the mega NORTHERN CARMINE BEE-EATER still causing much excitement in the Southern Carmine Bee-eater colony near Nunda River Lodge earlier today while an ELEGANT TERN was found in a large Tern roost between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund at -22.724, 14.529 yesterday and a WOODLAND KINGFISHER was seen this afternoon at Goanikontes Oasis near Swakopmund.
And finally, in Mozambique, 2 LONG-TOED LAPWINGS were found at Macaneta, north of Maputo, yesterday, still a pretty rare find for this part of the country. | |||||||||
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Northern Carmine Bee-eater at Nunda River Lodge © Wilfried Hähner | Northern Carmine Bee-eater at Nunda River Lodge © Rupert Horley | ||||||||
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Northern Carmine Bee-eater at Nunda River Lodge © Gary Cusins | |||||||||
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Elegant Tern between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund © Greg de Klerk | Long-toed Lapwing at Macaneta © Thomas Moore | ||||||||
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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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