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| A quiet corner of the dam (photo: Hazel van Rooyen) |
Attending: Stan & Val Culley, Doug & Angie Butcher, Martin
& Lia Steen, Nick Dreyer & Teresa Smith, Danie & Bella du Toit,
Derek & Edith Megson, Barrie Willis & Sue Hansbury, Margaret &
Richard, Hazel van Rooyen (17)
Species identified: 60 (listed below) Text:
Hazel van Rooyen
Photos: Doug Butcher, Hazel van
Rooyen, Lia Steen
Sunday 27th October dawned sunny and rain-free despite a dodgy
weather forecast and 15 eager birders arrived at the Culley’s for our
outing.
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| Sombre Greenbul (photo Lia Steen) |
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| White-faced Whistling Ducks a-waiting (photo: Hazel van Rooyen) |
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| Yellow Weaver (photo: Hazel van Rooyen) |
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| Yellow Weaver (photo: Doug Butcher) |
Making our way to the dams, we noticed they were drying out, awaiting the summer rains. Stan has recently completed another hide in a spot favoured in the past by some rarities. Meanwhile the Spur-winged Goose juveniles were being shepherded by their parents and numerous White-faced Ducks were waiting for their morning treat of seed from Stan.
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| Fork-tailed Drongo (photo: Doug Butcher) |
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| Purple Heron (photo: Hazel van Rooyen) |
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| Black Crake (photo: Hazel van Rooyen) |
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| Black Crake chick (photo: Hazel van Rooyen) |
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| Great Egret (photo: Doug Butcher) |
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| Thick-billed Weaver (photo: Doug Butcher) |
Taking a slow meander around the dam, pausing at the hides to examine
the wetlands for waterfowl and waders, we identified Common Moorhen, Reed
Cormorant, Great and Yellow-billed Egrets, Little Rush Warbler, Purple Heron,
Black Crake and African Jacana. Flitting
amongst the reeds were Lesser Swamp Warbler, Thick-billed and Yellow Weaver and
Fan-tailed Widowbird.
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| African Jacana (photo: Lia Steen) |
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| Bronze Mannikin (photo: Lia Steen) |
After breakfast on Val’s patio, some people elected to climb the hill whilst others decided the birdlife amongst the indigenous flowers and shrubs from the patio was more their style whilst the indefatigable Lia re-visited the forest area coming up with Green Wood-hoopoe, Yellow-throated Longclaw, Little Bittern, Common Waxbill, Giant Kingfisher, Paradise Flycatcher, Long-crested Eagle and African Fish Eagle, amongst others.
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| Fan-tailed Widowbird (photo: Lia Steen) |
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| Common Waxbill (photo: Lia Steen) |
A slow trudge up the hill produced Purple-crested Turaco, Tawny-flanked
Prinia, Klaas’s Cuckoo, Jackal Buzzard, Fork-tailed Drongo. Clearwater dam was disappointing as it is in
the process of being significantly enlarged but still showed Red-knobbed Coot,
Common Moorhen and Spur-winged Geese.
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| Giant Kingfisher (photo: Lia Steen) |
This was followed by a relaxing afternoon with a braai on the patio, at the same time rugby fans followed the Boks in the semi-finals of the Rugby World
Cup. Thanks to all who participated.
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| Relaxing on the patio (photo: Doug Butcher) |
Species identified: 60
Barbet, Black-collared
Bittern, Little
Boubou, Southern
Bulbul, Black-capped
Bushshrike, Grey-headed
Buzzard, Jackal
Camaroptera, Green-backed
Coot, Red-knobbed
Cormorant, Reed
Coucal, Burchell’s
Crake, Black
Crow, Pied
Cuckoo, Klaas’s
Drongo, Fork-tailed
Duck, White-faced
Eagle, African Fish
Eagle, Long-crested
Egret, Great
Egret, Yellow-billed
Flycatcher, Paradise
Flycatcher, Southern Black
Goose, Egyptian
Goose, Spur-winged
Greenbul, Sombre
Heron, Purple
Hornbill, Trumpeter
Jacana, African
Kingfisher, Brown-headed
Kingfisher, Giant
Kite, Yellow-billed
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Longclaw, Yellow-throated
Moorhen, Common
Mousebird, Speckled
Pigeon, African Green
Pipit, Plain-backed
Prinia, Tawny-flanked
Puffback, Black-backed
Robin-Chat Cape
Robin-Chat, Red-capped
Saw-wing, Black
Spurfowl, Natal
Starling, Black-bellied
Starling, Red-winged
Starling, Violet-backed
Sunbird, Olive
Swift, Palm
Swift, White-rumped
Tchagra, Black-crowned
Tinkerbird, Yellow-rumped
Turaco, Purple-crested
Wagtail, Cape
Warbler, Lesser Swamp
Warbler, Little Rush
Waxbill, Common
Weaver, Dark-backed
Weaver, Spectacled
Weaver, Thick-billed
Whydah, Pin-tailed
Widowbird, Fan-tailed
Woodhoopoe, Green
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