UPCOMING OUTING: 9 July 2017 - Litchi Syndicate, Umtentweni

Dear Members and Friends

Black Crakes (photo: Stan Culley)

Sunday 9 July at 07:30 BirdLife Trogons will visit Litchi Syndicate, Umtentweni.  (Please note that this is a change in the original itinerary which was Shongweni where we will visit in the new year instead.)  Bring chairs, breakfast and a picnic lunch (note no braai).  ALL WELCOME.  There is a R20 pp charge for non-members of BirdLife Trogons.  Outings may be cancelled due to weather, check  www.birdlifetrogons.blogspot.com or phone Hazel van Rooyen before setting off.  For further details  **telephone  Hazel on 072 355 8837 or visit the blog.

** Please note we cannot respond to text messages or “call me” requests.

PLEASE LET HAZEL KNOW IF YOU WILL BE ATTENDING THE OUTING

Meet at turnoff to Litchi Syndicate. From N2 turn inland up the St. Faiths Road or from

R102 coast road turn inland up Rethman Drive and cross the N2.

After approx. 2km look for track on the right with sign for Seafield Farm.

Set GPS to DD MM SS.S

S30 41 42.2  E30 25 21.8

Kind regards

Hazel van Rooyen

Secretary

BirdLife Trogons Bird Club

TROGONS OUTING REPORT - Bushbuck Trail, Southbroom, 25 June 2017

Attending:  Doug & Angie Butcher, Alistair Warman, Robin Eccles, Danie du Toit, Graham & Sue Salthouse, Eric Kok, Dave Bishop, Bob & Hazel van Rooyen

Text: Hazel van Rooyen

Species: 35 (see end)

 

On arrival at the Bushbuck Trail, a cock crowed loudly close by, somehow befitting the wintry morning.   Although the sun was just reaching the top-most branches of the forest trees, nobody had, as yet, told the birds.  Stepping into the forest the visibility was poor, all was quiet and a bit eerie – a rustle amongst the carpet of leaves on the forest floor, a twig breaking.  Just the occasional bird called – Red-eyed Dove, Sombre Greenbul, Red-capped Robin-Chat, White-browed Scrub-Robin but they were still in hiding following their night’s slumber.  

However, on emerging into the sunshine, it was as though someone had opened a door and turned on the light.  We stood enthralled as first a Purple-crested Turaco flew from the low branches of a tree in an almost slow-mo  flash of red wings, then Collared, Amethyst and Olive Sunbirds flitted like jewels in the shrubbery and a Southern Black Flycatcher swooped down in an arc on a tasty morsel barely landing to pick it up.  Suddenly a flock of about 20 Trumpeter Hornbill’s flew in, and they entertained us for quite a while flying in and out of the trees, emitting their baby-like calls.

 

Trumpeter Hornbill (photo: Doug Butcher)

Trumpeter Hornbill (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

Trumpeter Hornbill (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

Glossy Starling (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

Strolling along the road, we passed the most wonderful gardens with one in particular like a fairy-glade.  Black-backed Puffback, Cardinal Woodpecker, Glossy Starling, Black-collared Barbet and Yellow-fronted Canary and more put in an appearance.

Eventually arriving back at the carpark (we were on a new road) we were enjoying our coffee when Dave noticed some African Green Pigeons high up in a monkey-puzzle tree.  They were still fluffed up against the cold.

African Green Pigeon (photo: Doug Butcher)

African Green Pigeon (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

At this point some folk left for other engagements while Angie & Doug and others braved the beach.  The White-fronted Plover didn’t let us down and scurried around busily but otherwise the beach was lonely and even the dolphins were out too far to photograph.

White-fronted Plover (photo: Doug Butcher)

A quiet morning, but lots of enthusiasm.  Thanks everyone.

“Let no-one cage who you were born to be”

(Photos property of photographer) 

Species: 35

Apalis Bar-throated Barbet Black-collared Boubou Southern Bulbul Black-capped Bulbul Terrestrial Canary Yelow-fronted Dove Red-eyed Drongo Fork-tailed Flycatcher Dusky Flycatcher Southern Black Greenbul Sombre Hoopoe African

Hornbill Trumpeter Kingfisher Brown-hooded Mousebird Speckled Pied Wagtail Pigeon African Green Prinia Tawny-flanked Puff-back Black-backed Robin-Chat Red-capped Scrub-Robin White-browed Starling Black-bellied Starling Glossy Starling Red-wing

Stork Woolly-necked Sunbird Amethyst Sunbird Collared Sunbird Grey Sunbird Olive Tinkerbird Yellow-rumped Turaco Knysna Turaco Purple-crested Weaver Southern Masked Weaver Spectacled Woodpecker Cardinal

UPCOMING OUTING - 25 June: Bushbuck Trail, Southbroom

Dear Members and Friends

 

 

Sunday 25 June 7.00am BIRDLIFE TROGONS will visit the Bushbuck Trail in Southbroom.

Bring chairs, breakfast & a picnic lunch. Note: NO BRAAI

 

ALL WELCOME. There is a R20pp charge for non-members of BirdLife Trogons.

Outings  may be cancelled due to weather, check www.birdlifetrogons.blogspot.com or phone Hazel van Rooyen before setting off. For further details **telephone  Hazel van Rooyen on 072 355 8837 or visit the blog.  

** Please note we cannot respond to text messages or “call me” requests.

 

PLEASE LET HAZEL KNOW IF YOU WILL BE ATTENDING.

 

From the R61 turn at the robots and meet at 7.00am near the entrance to Southbroom North

Set GPS to DD MM SS.S  =  S30 54 45.9  E30 18 46.3

 

Hope to see you there

Hazel van Rooyen

Secretary

BirdLife Trogons Bird Club

Outing report - Kenneth Stainbank NR, 11 June 2017

Attendees: Stanley & Asothie Gengan, Bob & Hazel van Rooyen, Michelle Pearson

 (Text and photos: Hazel van Rooyen)

Bird count:: 37 (see end)

Kenneth Stainbank is a 230-odd hectare nature reserve next to Yellowwood Park in Durban.  It is well kept and obviously popular with local families on Sunday visits introducing their young ones to nature and the odd mountain biker.

White-eared Barbets

 

We set off from Uvongo in the pitch dark and by the time we arrived at Kenneth Stainbank the birds were beginning to wake up and so were we!  We were a very small band of five birders but the weather was nice and fresh, typical of a KZN winter morning and after scanning the tree canopies surrounding the carpark/picnic area for the usually numerous White-eared Barbets, we took the trail to the left, through grassland interspersed with indigenous forest, especially coral trees coming into bloom  Before we had gone far the trees became busy with birdlife – Black-bellied Starling, Brown-hooded Kingfisher, White-eared Barbet (at last), Sombre Greenbul, Purple-crested Turaco and many others. 

Southern Black Tit

Purple-crested Turaco

Some small grassbirds caught our attention, and a Zitting Cisticola posed uncharacteristically for a short while.

Zitting Cisticola

Zitting Cisticola

Moving further along a herd of impala looked out at us from a splash of bright orange wild dagga, Leonotis Leonurus. 

Impala

Leonotis Leonurus

At the pond, only a Reed Cormorant was interested in doing some fishing while some Yellow Weavers flew back and forth to the dead branches in the middle of the water.  The track passed through more tall grassland where another herd of impala showed their curiosity before sauntering off unconcerned by our presence.

Impala

A forest of stately yellowwood trees led us back to the carpark and some well-earned coffee.  Amongst the yellowwoods we spotted Terrestrial Bulbul, Dark-back Weaver and Southern Black Tit.  

Back at the picnic site Michelle spied a Red-fronted Tinkerbird flitting amongst the thorn trees.  Suitably refreshed, we took the trail down and along the river which proved rather too long and too quiet so we backtracked to the picnic area for a braai. 

Bushbuck

Thanks birders for your good company.

Bird list (37 species)

Barbet Black-collared Barbet White-eared Bulbul Dark-capped Bulbul Terestrial Canary Yellow-fronted Dove Red-eyed Dove Tamborine Fiscal Common Flycatcher Ashy Flycatcher Southern Black Goose Egyptian Greenbul Sombre Ibis Hadedah

Kingfisher Brown-hooded Mannikin Bronze  Mousebird Speckled Oriole Black-headed Prinia Tawny-flanked Robin-Chat Red-capped Scrub-Robin White-browed Spurfowl Natal Starling Black-bellied Starling Cape Glossy Starling Red-winged Sunbird Amethyst

Sunbird Collared Sunbird Grey Sunbird Olive Sunbird Scarlet-chested Tinkerbird Red-fronted Tit Southern Black Turaco Purple-crested Weaver Dark-backed Weaver Spectacled Weaver Yellow White-eye Cape Woodpecker Golden-tailed

(Photos: property of photographer)