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| White-fronted Bee-eater (photo Hazel van Rooyen) |
Attending: Barrie Willis & Sue Hansbury, Stan & Val
Culley, Sandy Olver, Stanley & Asothie Gengan, Lia Steen, Bob & Hazel
van Rooyen
Species identified: 64 Text:
Hazel van Rooyen
Photos: Lia Steen, Hazel van Rooyen
Photos: Lia Steen, Hazel van Rooyen
A very chilly morning turned into a beautiful day once the
sun came up and after a quick bite to eat we ventured along the trail. No birds were on the water at this point but
there was plenty of other activity with an African Hoopoe already prodding the
lawn, Pied Wagtail checking for crumbs and Village and Yellow Weavers calling
from the trees. The recent torrential
rains had changed the landscaping along the river banks, enabling closer access and views of the river. However, at
the time it must have been really frightening and devastating and it looks like
someone has put in a lot of hard work to clear the paths.
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| Height of flood water (photo Hazel van Rooyen) |
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| Illovo River (photo Hazel van Rooyen) |
The photo of Sue pointing to a sign indicating the water level on 23 April gives you some idea of the high water line in comparison with the view of the normal river.
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| Evidence of the flood (photo Hazel van Rooyen) |
We had a lovely long walk, spotting Pied Kingfisher, Black-bellied
and Red-winged Starling, a Long-crested Eagle, Dusky Flycatcher, Red-faced Cisticola,
Black Sparrowhawk amongst others. As the
day warmed up Spurwing and Egyptian Geese started to gather in their usual spot
on the river and later we espied two members of the resident family of Spotted Thick-knees on the opposite side of the river to the picnic site.
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| Goliath Heron (photo Hazel van Rooyen) |
A magnificant Goliath Heron also took up its fishing spot in a shallow stream.
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| Woolly-necked Stork (photo Lia Steen) |
Stan pointed out that a sighting of a Glossy Ibis flying up-river
was unusual for this area and another very unusual sighting was that of White-fronted
Bee-eaters, identified firstly by Lia Steen who had joined us for the day and who recognised the call.
Lia also identified a Croaking Cisticola by
its call and the Dark-capped Yellow Warbler. On identifying a Common Fiscal, she mentioned that it is now called the Southern Fiscal, having been split into Southern and Northern Fiscal according to the IOC (International Ornithology Congress) with the latter in East Africa.
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| White-fronted Bee-eater (photo Lia Steen) |
I am glad to say this time Stanley and Bob had a good sighting of the Burchell's Coucal with its unmistakable glug, glug, glugging notes. The final sightings of the day were of an African Harrier-Hawk, African Fish Eagle and Osprey, a fitting end to an excellent day out.
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| Juvenile African Harrier-Hawk (photo Lia Steen) |
A thank you message was sent to Ken Lombard who looks after
this conservation area.
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| Yellow-fronted Canary (photo Hazel van Rooyen) |
Species identified: 64
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Apalis, Bar-throated
Barbet, Black-collared
Bee-eater, Little
Bee-eater, White-fronted
Boubou, Southern
Bulbul, Dark-capped
Camaroptera, Green-backed
Canary, Yellow-fronted
Cisticola, Croaking
Cisticola, Red-faced
Cormorant, Reed
Coucal, Burchell’s
Darter, African
Dove, Red-eyed
Dove, Tambourine
Drongo, Fork-tailed
Eagle, African Fish
Eagle, Long-crested
Egret, Cattle
Fiscal, Southern
Flycatcher, Dusky
Firefinch, Red-billed
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Goose, Egyptian
Goose, Spurwing
Greenbull, Sombre
Heron, Black-headed
Hoopoe, African
Ibis, Glossy
Ibis, Hadedah
Kingfisher, Giant
Kingfisher, Pied
Lapwing, Blacksmith
Longclaw, Yellow-throated
Mannikin, Bronze
Mannikin, Red-backed
Osprey, Western
Plover, 3-banded
Prinia, Tawny-flanked
Robin-Chat, Red-capped
Saw-wing, Black
Sparrow, House
Sparrowhawk, Black
Spurfowl, Natal
Starling,
Black-bellied
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Starling, Red-winged
Stork, Woolly-necked
Sunbird, Amethyst
Sunbird, Olive
Sunbird, White-bellied
Swallow,
White-throated
Thick-knee, Water
Turaco, Purple-crested
Wagtail, Cape
Wagtail, Pied
Warbler, Dark-capped
Yellow
Warbler, Lesser Swamp
Warbler, Little Rush
Waxbill, Common
Weaver, Spectacled
Weaver, Thick-billed
Weaver, Village
Weaver, Yellow
Woodpecker, Golden-rumped
Wryneck, Red-throated
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