We had a good turn out for the walk (18) and our bird count was 69. The weather was a bit odd to start with as there was a heavy mist hanging above the reserve and there was almost a slight drizzle at times but then the sun came out and it was hot, hot, hot and the birding got much better. From the top path we had great views of Cape Rock Thrush, Yellow-throated Longclaw and Golden Weaver. Plenty of sunbirds, various weavers both Olive and Kurrichane Thrush. Diederik, Klaas’s and Red-chested Cuckoos called – a few people managed to see the Diederik. Raptors – maybe not as good as usual, Common Buzzard, Crowned Eagle, African Harrier Hawk and African Gos; the Fish Eagle was heard.
The flowers are always a delight at Springside and this year the ground orchids were superb, Disa , Eulophia and Satriuyms, also lots of flowering trees.
The pic of the mating Rain Forest Brown butterflies is Sandi’s, the rest of the pics are from Cheryl (the Golden Weaver is fabulous).
Springside glory
It is a…..
Mating Butterflies
Springside Blooms
Golden Weaver
We collected R300 for the Hillcrest Conservancy – thanks to your generous donations.
The next day was overcast and a little cooler which was not a bad thing as I had one very burnt arm from the day before. Niall was off to Peru so was absent (imagine choosing Peru over Pretoria!) but Kerry Fairley joined us. We had been together on a birding trip to Finland earlier in the year so it was great to see her again.
We head off for the Seringveld Conservancy, near Roodeplaat Dam, east of Pretoria. It consists mainly of broad-leafed woodIand interspersed with some grassland. I was sitting on 498 so the big question was which would be my 500th bird? The birding in general was a little quieter due to the overcast conditions. This was a slight relief after the overwhelming number of new birds I had seen the day before.
Southern Masked Weaver
The first new bird we heard first, a White-throated Robin-chat. We then saw it on top of a tree – what a beauty. Most of the birding is from the road as many of the properties are private.
We drove and stopped, drove and stopped quite a few times all the while heading towards a rocky outcrop where Fawn-coloured Lark is known to occur. Allan called it up and sure enough, it popped up, flying from tree to tree and then landing on a wire. I have included a picture as this is my 500th bird but it is very far away so not too clear.
Fawn-coloured Lark
Once I had stopped high-fiving, we headed off to Centurion. Before leaving the conservancy, we bumped into a group from the Wits Bird Club. It was lovely to meet people like Helen Biram who I had previously only connected with on Facebook.
We arrived at a field seemingly in the middle of nowhere, west of Raslouw, Centurion where we had so much fun. It was one of those experiences one will always remember. We were targeting Desert and Cloud Cisticola as well as Melodious Lark.
Kerry and Allan
These birds are best identified by their calls and displaying behavior. It was amazing seeing these birds flying so high in the sky and then displaying by flapping their wings and staying in one place. The Cloud Cisticola eventually swooped down to earth and I was able to take a photo. Allan seemed to see the birds long before I did when it was nothing but a little speck in the sky; quite difficult to pick up with a grey sky behind them.
Birding in the Wider Gauteng (100km) Area Nov/Dec 2013 Part 2
The Melodious Lark has the most stamina and displays in the sky for ages all the while singing away, partly its own song and then mimicry – it must have mimicked about 5 different birds while it hovered above us.
Melodious Lark
Before we left we spotted a Northern Black Korhaan in the long grass on the crest of the hill.
Northern Black Korhaan
Next we were off to the dump to see if we could find a Black Kite but to no avail. We did see an enormous amount of Sacred Ibis and White Storks scavenging to their heart’s content.
Scavengers
From there we visited the Glen Austin Bird Sanctuary.
Glen Austin Bird Sanctuary
where we were treated to both Lesser and Greater Flamingo.
Flamingoes
as well as the usual variety of water birds with one Fulvous Duck amongst them.
Water birds
Just before dropping me at my friend’s house in Blairgowrie, Allan thought we should pop into Delta Park which is around the corner. The African Reed Warbler was very active and with a little encouragement it was soon showing itself – my last lifer for the day.
It was a fantastic two days and I was privileged to be with such good birders. Be warned, Allan and Niall, I am certainly penciling this in for next year.
Two days of whirlwind birding in Gauteng offered up 150 species, 25 lifers and extra 18 birds for my year list, on top of the lifers. I had no idea of the diversity of this area. I was particularly fortunate to go birding with Niall and Debbie Perrins and Allan Ridley, without whom I would not have seen half of the birds. There was much banter between Allan and Niall about the pressure of having to find 20 lifers in a day so I could hit the 500 mark. I thought they were joking as I was hoping for about 4 or 5 new birds.
We set off at 4am on the Saturday and headed for Kgomo-Kgomo which is north-west of Pretoria past Hammanskraal. We stopped at the bridge over the vast floodplain which goes on as far as the eye can see.
Floodplain
There had been a huge storm in the area a few days before which swelled the water levels; the consensus was that the area would be humming with crakes in a few weeks’ time. The Amur Falcons were back and there were many Lesser Kestrels too.
Lesser Kestrel female
From there we continued driving through the area stopping at the side of the road whenever it looked interesting.
Signpost
Roadside birding
At one point I was positively overwhelmed by all the new (to me) species that were there seemingly all at once. Lesser Grey Shrike, Black-throated Canary, Black-chested Prinia and Great Sparrow to name but a few.
Lesser Grey Shrike
Black-throated Canary
Some of these were on private property. I felt a little intrusive with my binoculars and camera zooming in on a bird while a very smartly dressed lady came out of her front door.
Birding a stranger’s back garden
Flocks of Speckled Pigeon and Wattled Starling swirled around the sky while at ground level we saw Southern Pied Babbler, Chestnut-vented Titbabbler and a beautiful Shaft-tailed Whydah.
Chestnut-vented Titbabbler
Shaft-tailed Whydah
We drove on through the Acacia woodland and stopped every now and again at active spots, of which there were many. The sun was beating down and there was not a cloud in the sky; Bushveld birding at its best.
European Bee-eater
The call of the Pearl-spotted Owlet, most ably rendered by Niall and Allan, not only brought forth quite a few birds but also the ‘pearlie’ itself. I was delighted because I have only seen one once before.
Pearl-spotted Owlet
While the Barred-Wren-Warbler led us on a merry chase, darting from one side of the road to the other, the Marico Flycatcher was far more obliging.
Grey Hornbill
Lesser Grey Shrike on tree
Marico Flycatcher
One of my favourite birds of the day was the Violet-eared Waxbill.
Violet-eared Waxbill
We turned off the road and went over a bridge where we got out and had a lovely sighting of a Jacobin Cuckoo.
Jacobin Cuckoo
We then headed back the way we had come when a Common Swift was spotted. I was desperate to get a good view of it as I have not seen one in SA before but soon they were swarming all over the place so it was easy. Further along, at the pans a few km east of Kgomo-Kgomo town along the Zaagkuildrift road, we not only saw a Dwarf Bittern but also the largest concentration of bullfrogs I have ever seen in one place. They were all full of the joys of spring, to put it mildly.
Bullfrog Boudoir
We then headed towards the Rust de Winter dam where we stopped at a bridge outside the resort. I felt at home because I recognized all the bird calls as this habitat was more like KZN; Puffback, Black-headed Oriole, Paradise flycatchers and Woodland Kingfishers to name but a few. The Woodland Kingfishers were on a branch displaying beautifully by fanning out their tails.
Woodland Kingfishers
From there we were about to head for home when Niall said he knew a spot where Monotonous Larks have been known to occur. We travelled down yet another dusty road through Thornveld when suddenly we heard them. It was amazing to see them perched on top of a tree with their white throats bulging as they called.
Monotonous Lark
Just before being dropped off at my friend’s house, we saw Karoo Thrush which abounds in this area but was a lifer for me; much to the surprise of all. 18 lifers for the day put me on 498 but more importantly, I had a fun-filled day and learnt a lot.
This is an account of our holiday in the Eastern Cape from 8th to 21st October 2013.
We started our holiday to the Eastern Cape from Pretoria so the first port of call was the Mountain Zebra Park for 3 days. It is a beautiful park with very friendly people and good accommodation. The animals are all easy to see on top of the mountain. It was very dry when we were there so the birding was not so good. I was busy photographing an aloe and a Malachite Sunbird arrived to feed. A number of sunbirds were around the reception area, very difficult to photograph being so quick but a Double-Collared Sunbird was also very obliging.
Malachite Sunbird
Greater Double-Collared Sunbird
There were lots of Pied Starlings in the caravan park, about the only green grass in the whole park.
Pied Starling
This juvenile Pale Chanting Goshawk was a bit far away but with a bit of cropping I managed to get a reasonable photo. Altogether we saw about 120 birds in the park.
Juvenile Pale Chanting Goshawk
We left the Mountain Zebra Park after three peaceful days and moved on to the Addo Elephant Park. It is also a lovely park. The elephants seem to be much more placid than the Kruger elephants and we saw lots of them. We were also lucky enough to see a lioness sitting in the grass by the Domkrag dam. The birding was much better and I managed to photograph a few more birds on the Nzipondo Loop and at the Domkrag Pan.
Pale Chanting Goshawk
Cape Weaver
Karoo Scrub-Robin
Lesser Flamingo
Rock Kestrel
Cape Robin-Chat
We were only there for the day as we could not get any accommodation. It has become a very popular park.
On we went to Port Elizabeth to a timeshare for a week on Brookes Hill, right on Kings Beach with a lovely view of the sea. We visited Cape Recife and saw a Black Oystercatcher on the sands, also Sanderlings, and lots of Swift and Common Terns.
African black Oystercatcher
It was Marine week unbeknown to us so when we visited SAMREC we got a free conducted tour around the rehabilitation centre. It was very interesting. I photographed some of the inmates.
African Penguins
Our outing with Birdlife P.E. was unfortunately on one of those hugely windy days where all the birds took for cover. We had to bird from the car as the wind almost knocked you over. We were trying to find the White-Bellied Korhaan but unfortunately had no luck. They were a very friendly group and I enjoyed being with them.
We had weeks timeshare at Plettenberg Bay which was lovely. It is such a beautiful part of the country and has remained unspoilt. I organised a birding trip with Gareth Robbins and we managed to see a Victorin’s Warbler in the Fynbos at Hartenbos and then very exciting – a lifer for me – a Knysna Warbler in a garden in Plettenberg Bay.
Knysna Warbler
Knysna Heads was also visited and we saw a number of birds on a little pan along the way.
Cape Shoveler
Black-Winged Stilt
Kittlitz’s Plover
Pied Avocet
All in all it was a wonderful holiday.
Jenny & Dave Rix
If you have a story to tell please send it in to me and I shall put it out on our website – pictures (less than 200kb in size please) help to tell the tale.
At about 8pm last night Anne and I heard a commotion on our patio and as I looked up I thought I saw what looked like a small Owl grab a little Gecko off the wall. I ran outside to have a look but it had disappeared. About 10 mins later it flew back so I grabbed my camera and slowly went onto the patio and there, sitting on the floor, was a Common Quail. It then jumped / flew about 6 ft into the air up against the wall, obviously trying to catch a gecko , but after having no luck in then wandered off into the garden.
The 3rd Sunday outing for November took place in the Midlands, kindly hosted by Crystelle Wilson at her charming country home on the Dargle road just outside Boston.
A group of 15 keen birders assembled at 8am with a welcoming mug of coffee with rusks for those that made the journey on the morning. Others had made it a birding weekend and overnighted in the area. Gum boots of all sorts, shapes and colours were kindly on offer for those without, and off we set for a gentle walk to the river with paths running through the wetland and along the Elands River.
Boots ‘n All, Boston
A good number of birds were seen and heard including warblers (Little-rush, African Reed, and Dark-Capped Yellow Warbler), cisticolas (Levaillants), widows (Red-collared and Fan-tailed), weavers (Spectacled and Village), water birds (Yellow-billed Duck, Spur-winged Geese) and a few raptors (Steppe Buzzard, Black Sparrowhawk). Unfortunately the cranes were not on offer which will mean a return trip next year, but also seen were Cape Grassbird, Drakensberg Prinia, Southern Red Bishop, Common Waxbill and Giant Kingfisher.
Once out of the wetlands and back at the house, a few birds seen in the gardens surrounding the house included Cape Wagtail, Cape Canary, Amethyst Sunbird and a lovely pair of African Hoopoe.
Gum boots were soon discarded as next up on the agenda was a short drive to a farm further north for a spot of indigenous forest birding. Here we were treated to wonderful views of rolling farmlands, small dams and quaint cottages – the latter perfect for a week end away of quiet birding and fly-fishing away from the bustle of city life. A leisurely stroll through the indigenous forest yielded cracking views of Bush Blackcap, Bar-throated Apalis and Yellow-Throated Woodland-Warbler. A few other birds seen included Olive Thrush, Blue-Mantled Crested Flycatcher, African Paradise Flycatcher, Forest Canary and Jackal Buzzard. Not to be outdone by the birds, a pair of Common Duiker also put in a brief appearance.
Once done with the forest walk, we proceeded down to a second fishing cottage overlooking a small dam – picnic time and time to discuss events of the day. En route a few picked up Plain-backed Pipit, Yellow Bishop and Cape Robin-Chat. The final tally for the week end was approximately 70 species seen, to be confirmed by Crystelle once her atlas card has been submitted to the SABAP2 database.
All three species were photographed within half and hour on Thursday AM, and within 50 metres of each other. Locality: Maputaland – just south of Kosi Bay lakes (Longclaw capital of the world!).
Yellow-throated Longclaw
Cape Longclaw
Rosy-throated Longclaw
Rosy-throated Longclaw
Yellow-throated, Cape & Rosy-throated Longclaws
Photos by Hugh Chittenden. Message from Peter Hughes.
A small band of seven enthusiastic birders headed out to the ponds below the Eston Sugar Mill on Sunday 10 November. That said I have yet to come across an apathetic birder! All the same, the lure was great photo opportunities of African Snipe (Gallinago nigripennis) emanating from a shot I had taken on a visit there the previous week end on a personal recce. As Murphy would have it, they were elusive to our group all day, despite Barry Swaddle sighting up to 8 birds on his wanderings around the ponds. Bumping into Barry and his friends was a blessing in disguise as he provided invaluable tips on being able to do a full loop around the wetlands without having to back track, as well as other places to visit in the general area. We parked our cars and proceeded along the eastern side and headed towards the dam wall. En route we picked up Wood Sandpiper, Ruff, Little Stint, Yellow-billed Duck and Hottentot Teal, along with the sounds of Burchell’s Coucal, Diderick Cuckoo and a plethora of Little-rush Warblers.
Little Rush Warbler, Eston Ponds
As we neared the dam wall we were treated to a fly past of a pair of Spotted Thick-knees who settled not far from us and gave good views – particularly rewarding as lifers for some. All the while we had distant views of three African Marsh-Harriers which we desperately tried to turn into Westerns, as well as trying to convince a few Wood Sandpipers to evolve to be of the Green variety! As we got to the end of the dam wall we observed a trio of Grey Crowned Cranes flyover close by and then settle in the shallow waters of the dam below among the Egyptian Geese. This was followed by a second trio of cranes, but this set included a single Wattled Crane (Bugeranus carunculatus). A truly privileged sighting for all of us, particularly so considering their listing as Critically Endangered in Southern Africa. Sadly, gloomy light hampered chances of getting decent photographs.
Wattled Crane & Grey Crowned Crane at Eston Ponds
We proceeded along the western flanks of the ponds and were treated to brief views of a Common Cuckoo that flew out from cover of the reeds, landed briefly out in the open and then disappeared into the cane fields. Efforts to coax African Rail from within the reeds using playback only gave us a return call! Other good birds included Black-winged Stilt, Southern Pochard, Squacco Heron, African Purple Swamphen and Wahlberg’s Eagle. Nearing the upper ponds, we were treated to cracking views of six adult and two juvenile Black-crowned Night Herons (Nycticorax nycticorax).
A total of 61 species were recorded during the morning, with a full protocol card being submitted to the SABAP2 database – my first ever card!! We returned home with a detour to the Toyota Testing Centre as Barry had indicated prospects there were good for Penny to add Black-winged Lapwing to her life list –and right he was.
Birds are our Story 