Sunday 30 November 2014

End of Year Lunch 30th November 2014 Oribi Gorge Hotel


Attendees: Doug & Angie Butcher; Stan & Val Culley; Ina de Koker, Lennart Eriksson & Evelyn Heunis; Stanley & Asothie Gengan; Margaret Jones, Vic & Kay Neilson; Hazel Nevin, Sandy Olver, Herbie & Jeanette Osborne; Hazel Parry, Keith & Maureen Roach; Paul & Margaret Rose; Andy Ruffle, Irma Smook, Bob & Hazel van Rooyen; Willie & Wilna van Zyl. (27 attendees).

The 2014 BirdLife Trogons End of Year lunch was held at the Oribi Gorge Hotel on Sunday 30th November.
The function was very well attended by 27 members of the bird club.
The morning birding walk was, sadly,once again scuppered by un unfavourable weather forecast.
The lunch and hospitality were superb, so many thanks to all the staff at the hotel.
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the day.





  
Photos by Hazel van Rooyen.

Wednesday 26 November 2014

Second Chance Avian Rescue (S.C.A.R.) update


Hi all,

Second Chance Avian Rescue (SCAR) at Shelly Beach have now started their very busy period with lots of new arrivals coming in.
Michelle Pearson is doing an excellent job rehabilitating all kinds of birds and relies heavily on donations to purchase foodstuffs, cleaning materials and medicines.
Once again, if you can help in any way, please contact Michelle on 083 246 6765 or email sc.avianrescue@gmail.com. I know your help will be greatly appreciated.
Here's a message from Michelle:

''Hi Andy. Just wanted to let you know the voucher has been exhausted. We managed to buy a lot of food for the birds, thank you so much! We are getting a huge influx of babies now, including hadedas. So our huge demand on meat has started. We managed to stock up on a lot of baby foods, but will still be needing food such as bird seed, fruit etc. So if you are able to continue to help in any way it would be greatly appreciated. Keep well!''

Visit the SCAR facebook page to see some of the patients and how they progress at the following link:

Kind regards

Andy Ruffle
Project Co-ordinator
Oribi Vulture Viewing Hide
Email: andy_ruffle@yahoo.co.uk
Tel: 039 695 0829
Cell: 072 893 3794
WhatsApp: 081 510 8333
Oribi Vulture Viewing Hide: http://vulturehide.blogspot.com/
Oribi Vulture Viewing Hide facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/oribivulturehide/

Sunday 16 November 2014

Outing report - 16th November 2014 Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve

Photos by Ina de Koker

Attendees: Ina de Koker, Stanley & Asothie Gengan; Hazel Nevin, Sandy Olver. (5 attendees)

Not a very large turnout due to most of the active members being in Kruger, but still a good days birding.
As Sandy Olver puts it ‘’ such good birding  -  took us 2 hours to reach the gate from the turnoff!’’

Doll's Powder Puff (Cyanotis speciosa)

Klaas's Cuckoo

Klaas's Cuckoo

Birds recorded (List supplied by Sandy Olver): Dark-capped Bulbul, Spectacled Weaver, Red-eyed Dove, Red-capped Robin-Chat, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Little Rush-Warbler, Lesser Striped Swallow, Black-crowned Tchagra, Black-collared Barbet, Yellow Weaver, Diderick Cuckoo, Burchell's Coucal, White-browed Scrub-Robin, Natal Spurfowl, Southern Boubou, Olive Sunbird, Tambourine Dove, Green-backed Camaroptera, Yellow-billed Kite, Cape White-eye, Yellow-fronted Canary,  Pin-tailed Whydah, Red-collared Widowbird, Red-throated Wryneck, Red-winged Starling,  Black-bellied Starling, Southern Red Bishop, Barn Swallow, Klaas's Cuckoo, Violet-backed Starling, Brown-hooded Kingfisher, Common Waxbill, Cape Wagtail, Amethyst Sunbird, Crested Barbet, Neddicky, African Dusky Flycatcher, Jackal Buzzard,  Speckled Mousebird,  White-bellied Sunbird, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Black-headed Oriole, Steppe Buzzard, Lesser Honeyguide, Purple-crested Turaco, Crowned Hornbill, Fork-tailed Drongo, Bronze Mannikin, Sombre Greenbul, Green Wood-Hoopoe, Trumpeter Hornbill, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Croaking Cisticola, African Pipit, Cape Glossy Starling, Rufous-naped Lark, Grey Heron, African Stonechat, Thick-billed Weaver, Rufous-winged Cisticola, Zitting Cisticola. (61 species).