Bird Ringing Report - Umdoni Park, Pennington, 7 August 2016

Attending: Andrew & Ivan Pickles, Liz Blomeyer, Peter Vos, Stanley Gengan, Sandy Olver, Johan Snyman, Nigel & Trish Stainbank, Andrew Maree, Stan & Val Culley, Peter Woolcock, Graham & Sue Salthouse, Caryl Lowe, Jody & Talitha Main-Baillie, Hawkes family, Lennart Erikssen, Bob & Hazel van Rooyen 

Grey Waxbill

Common Waxbill

Umdoni Park is one of our favourite birding venues and Andrew obtained permission from Pennington Conservancy to erect his nets, in the hope of ringing some different species.  Johan Snyman from Centurion, who was Andrew’s mentor, was down on holiday with all his equipment and joined in.  We had a good turnout of 23 spectators, half from the Conservancy locality who find Andrew’s regular “hunting” grounds in Umzumbe a bit too far to travel to.  Later in the morning a father had got word that we were in the vicinity and brought his little girl to have a close-up look at the birds.

Andrew showing differences in male & female Terrestrial Brownbuls

Neddicky

Fascinating!

It was a slow but steady morning bird-wise but turned out to be a most pleasant day and a few of us stayed behind to have a picnic at the Environmental Centre.

Thank you Pennington Conservancy.  We will be back.

Ashy Flycatcher enjoying a bath at the Environmental Centre

(All photos property of Hazel van Rooyen)