Outing report: Lake Eland Game Reserve - 28 July 2019

Attending: Stanley & Asothie Gengan, Alastair Warman, Lia & Martin Steen, Bob & Hazel van Rooyen

Species identified: 88                                                                      Text: Hazel van Rooyen

                                                                                  *Photos: Hazel van Rooyen, Lia Steen

African Stonechat, Jackal Buzzard and Black-winged Kite (new name for the Black-Shouldered Kite) were already up and about on our journey across Oribi Flats to Lake Eland last Sunday morning.  The game reserve looked tempting but the amount of birds in the car park were amazing - Greater Double-collared Sunbird, Lanner Falcon, Cape Rock Thrush and Rock Martin to name just a few.  The morning had a nip in the air but by lunchtime we were looking for shade, just your average Gorgeous winter’s day on the KZN Coast.

Red-winged Starling (photo HvR)

Dark-capped Bulbuls (photo HvR)

Cape Rock-Thrush (photo HvR)

Rufous-naped Lark (photo Lia Steen)

Cape White-eye (photo HvR)

On entering the game reserve, a herd of dainty Blesbok crossed our path, in fact the whole way around the park Giraffe, Zebra, Blou Wildebeest, Impala and Eland of course, were plentiful and looked so healthy.  But we were after smaller fry.  Cape Longclaws and African Pipits foraged on the dirt road in front of us, always keeping a few flutters ahead. 

African Pipit (photo HvR)

Cape Longclaw (photo HvR)

Burchell's Coucal (photo HvR)

A fat and fluffy Burchell’s Coucal sat comfortably in the branches of a tree at the edge of Maryland Dam while a lonely Red-knobbed Coot swam at the edge and an African Darter sat in a bush drying off its wings.

Little Sparrowhawk (photo Lia Steen)

 Choosing the loop past the Natal Fig Tree this Little Sparrowhawk was spotted.  

Cape Canaries (photo Lia Steen)

 

Continuing through the grassland we made a short stop at a cluster of small trees, where a pair of Southern Boubous were duetting loudly.  Meanwhile a White-necked Raven, Lesser Kestrel and Black Saw-wing flew overhead.

Ashy Flycatcher (photo Lia Steen)

Brown-hooded Kingfisher (photo HvR)

Proceeding down to the picnic site a Brown-hooded Kingfisher was hunting from a dead tree trunk.  We tucked into our breakfast and were about to move on but the birdlife was so active we lost track of time – African Hoopoe, Dusky and Ashy Flycatchers, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Sombre Greenbul, White-browed Scrub Robin, Terrestrial Brownbul, Dark-backed Weaver plus a flock of trumpeting Trumpeter Hornbills. 

From the island

Eventually moving on, the lake was placid and calm and no waterbirds were spotted so we had a walk to the island and soon drove back to the picnic site to braai.  On the way we stopped at the Umzimkulwana River where we must have disturbed a pair of African Black Ducks as they flew off.  A pretty glade beside the river was quite productive with Lesser Honeyguide, Village Weaver, Yellow Weaver and Cardinal Woodpecker.  Cape Vultures flew across too.

Enjoying some braaivleis

At the picnic site we made ourselves comfortable beneath a thorn tree and enjoyed some braaivleis.  Lake Eland have improved their facilities for day visitors down at the lake by creating individual shaded braai areas right next to the lake – ideal for fisher families with a side view of the zipline junkies coming in to land.

Thanks to all who turned up.

 88 Species identified

Apalis, Bar-throated Barbet, Black-collared Boubou, Southern Brownbul, Terrestrial Bulbul, Dark-capped Bunting, Golden-breasted Bush-Shrike, Grey-headed Bush-Shrike, Orange-breasted Buzzard, Jackal Camaroptera, Green-backed Canary, Cape Canary, Yellow-fronted Chat, Familiar Cisticola, Lazy Cisticola, Wing-snapping Coot, Red-knobbed Cormorant, Reed Coucal, Burchell’s Crow, Pied Darter, African Dove, Cape Turtle Dove, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Laughing Dove, Red-eyed Drongo, Fork-tailed Duck, African Black Falcon, Lanner Fiscal, Southern Flycatcher, Ashy Flycatcher, African Dusky Flycatcher, Fiscal Flycatcher, Southern Black Goose, Egyptian Goose, Spur-winged Grassbird, Cape Greenbul, Sombre Honeyguide, Greater Hoopoe, African Hornbill, Trumpeter Kestrel, Lesser Kingfisher, Brown-hooded Kite, Black-winged Lapwing, Blacksmith Lark, Rufous-naped

Longclaw, Cape Mannikin, Bronze Martin, Rock Moorhen, Common Mousebird, Speckled Neddicky Oriole, Black-headed Pigeon, Speckled Pipit, African Pipit, Plain-backed Prinia, Tawny-flanked Raven, White-necked Robin-Chat, Red-capped Saw-wing, Black Scrub-Robin, White-browed Seed-eater, Streaky-headed Sparrowhawk, Little Starling, Black-bellied Starling, Cape Glossy Starling, Red-winged Stonechat, African Sunbird, Amethyst Sunbird, Greater Double-collared Sunbird, Olive Swallow, White-throated Tchagra, Black-crowned Thrush, Cape Rock Tinkerbird, Yellow-rumped Tit, Southern Black Turaco, Knysna Vulture, Cape Wagtail, Cape Wagtail, African Pied Warbler, Little Rush Weaver, Cape Weaver, Dark-backed Weaver, Spectacled Weaver, Thick-billed Weaver, Village Weaver, Yellow White-eye, Cape Woodpecker, Cardinal Woodpecker, Golden-tailed Wryneck, Red-throated

* All photos property of photographer