Outing report: TC Robertson NR, Scottburgh - 26 August 2018

Spotted Ground Thrush (photo: Stan Culley)

Attendees: Hazel Nevin, Graham & Sue Salthouse, Stan & Val Culley, Stanley & Asothie Gengan, Lennart Erikssen & Evelyn Heunis, Albert & Denise Pienaar, Doug Butcher, Robin Eccles & Hanli Kloppers, Desiree Kruger & Butch Goldstone, Bob & Hazel van Rooyen (18)

Species identified: 60                                                              Text: Hazel van Rooyen

Sunday dawned full of good possibilities and proved true to its promise – good weather, good birding and an enthusiastic bunch of 18 people!

Meeting up just inside the gate and parking next to the river, Blacksmith Lapwing, 3-banded Plover, Egyptian Goose and Yellow Weaver were soon seen, along with a Yellow-billed Kite. 

Yellow-billed Kite (photo: HvR)

Nearly everyone was excited to report that during the previous two weeks, they had already seen their first “YBK” arriving back from its winter migration, the sightings of which always herald Spring just around the corner (not that we suffer from the cold in our neck of the woods but a new season is always eagerly anticipated).  Spurwing Goose, Village Weaver, African Darter, Bronze Mannikins, Reed Cormorant and Pied Kingfisher were also seen in this spot.

We then drove round to the picnic site where we parked the vehicles and paid our R20 per car to Keith Layfield who does a really excellent job of looking after the reserve, on a volunteer basis.  It was such a pleasure to spend our day there.

From here we took the grasslands trail, spotting Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Black-collared Barbet, Cardinal Woodpecker, Olive Sunbird, Common Waxbill amongst others.  Hazel Nevin led us to where she was sure we would see the Little Bee-eaters and indeed there were two swaying in some tall reeds.  Little Rush Warbler and Tawny-flanked Prinia could be heard and a Burchell’s Coucal gurgled some way off.  A flock of about 8 Cape Crows was a surprise sighting, being unusual for this area.

Brown-hooded Kingfisher with mud on her beak (photo: Lennart Erikssen)

 Further along a Brown-hooded Kingfisher posed nicely for the photographers.  We had been hearing the “what-to-to-dooo” call of the Orange-breasted Bushshrike for a while and then he was seen, hopping around in some bushes, lost and spotted again.  Dusky Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied and Sombre Greenbuls were also seen on this trail.  Red-capped Robin-Chats were seen a few times and although we kept our eyes open for Cape Robin-Chats, (as requested by Peter Vos) none were seen.  By this time the trail had led us up the hillside and into more wooded terrain.  Here the path split and the bottom route produced African Firefinch, Collared Sunbird and Cape White-eye while those who went on the higher route found an African Green Pigeon.

The people (photo: Lennart Erikssen)

Coming back down to the grassland we noticed an unfamiliar brown & blue butterfly.  This turned out to be a Forest Queen which my book says is one of the most saught-after butterflies.  The appearance of bluey-green in the males is a phenomenon "created by diffraction of light rays striking the microscopic sculpturing of the white areas".* So now we know! 

Forest Queen (Charaxes wakefieldi) (photo: HvR)

A cisticola singing from high on a tall dead tree was initially identified as Red-faced but on closer inspection later discovered to be a Rufous-winged Cisticola.

Rufous-winged Cisticola (photo: Stan Culley)

So far it had been an eventful morning and after a well-earned breakfast most of us took the forest path where Alfred had already found a Spotted Ground Thrush.  And yes indeed, with everyone treading carefully in the dead leaf litter, Stan spotted it on the path where it shot off.  However after a little while it decided we weren’t a danger and showed itself again, typically turning over dead leaves looking for grubs with gusto. 

Spotted Ground Thrush (photo: HvR)

Spotted Ground Thrush (photo Doug Butcher)

We searched in this area for the Black-throated Wattle Eye but weren’t lucky.  We did spot Golden-tailed Woodpecker, Purple-crested Turaco and Southern Black Tit along this trail which is very pretty with little bridges and tinkling streams.  Arriving back at the river Common Sandpiper and Pied Wagtail were busy foraging at the water’s edge while a Black Saw-wing performed aerial acrobatics.  White-eared Barbets perched on the tops of the Strelitzias.

White-eared Barbet (photo: Doug Butcher

Doubling up in the vehicles, Hazel Nevin led us up the hill to the Crookes family church.  Along the way she pointed out a new retirement village where the famous Elsa Pooley (botanist, landscaper, author) had planted a hillock with attractive and colourful indigenous flora. However, there was another purpose for this detour and from the bottom of the pretty church-yard we could look over the stone wall to where the Crowned Eagles were busy nesting and we watched for quite a while. 

African Crowned Eagle taking off (photo: Stan Culley)

People in the churchyard (photo: HvR)

In the meantime a Natal Spurfowl was creating a disturbance in the bush close by and Red-winged Starlings flew in flocks between the Erythrina trees, murmering and twittering happily.  Fantailed Widowbird and Black-headed Oriole were also seen.

After all this excitement we proceeded back to the reserve where Keith had shown us where we could braai with some privacy from the usual Sunday picnickers.  Thank you once again to TC Robertson for letting us share their very special “bird patch”.

African Crowned Eagle (photo: HvR)

Black-collared Barbet (photo: HvR)

Species Identified: 59

Barbet, Black-collared Barbet, White-eared Bee-eater, Little Boubou, Southern Brownbul, Terrestrial Bulbul, Dark-capped Bushshrike, Orange-breasted Cameroptera, Green-backed Cisticola, Rufous-winged Cormorant, Reed Coucal, Burchell’s Crow, Black Darter Dove, Red-eyed Drongo, Fork-tailed Eagle, Crowned Egret, Little Firefinch, African Flycatcher, Dusky Flycatcher, Southern Black Goose, Egyptian Goose, Spurwing Greenbul, Sombre Greenbul, Yellow-bellied Ibis, Hadedah Kingfisher, Brown Kingfisher, Pied Kite, Yellow-billed Lapwing, Black-smith Mannikin, Bronze

Mousebird, Speckled Oriole, Black-headed Pigeon, African Green Plover, 3-banded Prinia, Tawny-flanked Robin-Chat, Red-capped Rush Warbler, Little Rush Sandpiper, Common Saw-wing, Black Spurfowl, Natal Starling, Red-winged Sunbird, Amethyst Sunbird, Collared Sunbird, Olive Swallow, Lesser-striped Thrush, Spotted Ground Tinkerbird, Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Yellow-rumped Tit, Southern Black Turaco, Purple-crested Wagtail, Pied Waxbill, Common Weaver, Spectacled Weaver, Thick-billed Weaver, Village Weaver, Yellow White-eye, Cape Widow, Fantailed Woodpecker, Cardinal Woodpecker, Golden-tailed

*Field Guide to Butterflies of Southern Africa by Ivor Migdoll

(All photos property of photographer)