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)