Attendees: Sandy
Olver, Stan & Val Culley, Stanley & Asothie Gengan, Doug & Angie Butcher,
Graham & Sue Salthouse, Margaret Jones, Caryl Lowe, Clive & Margie
Cowan, Robin Eccles, Hanli Kloppers, Bob & Hazel van Rooyen, Lia Steen,
Fiona Butchart (19)
Species
counted: 84 Text:
Hazel van Rooyen
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| Yellow-billed Kite (photo Hazel van Rooyen) |
Our club was very
happy to welcome Wits Bird Club members, Lia Steen and Fiona Butchart, excellent birders and atlassers. Ellingham Estate, as usual, amazed us with
its differing habitats of riverine forest, bush, dams, picturesque streams as
well as rolling fields of sugar cane. We,
however, preferred the indigenous flora and fauna biomes and were duly
rewarded.
Cape Weaver,
Cape White-eye, Black-collared Barbet called greetings to us at the gate to the
farm and driving to the first parking area Yellow-throated Longclaw darted in
the short grass while a Burchell’s Coucal clambered heavily in the top of a
small bush.
Walking down
the road towards the dam Glossy Starlings and Purple-crested Turacos called
from the tree-canopy, along with Dark-capped Bulbuls and Olive Sunbirds. An African Green-Pigeon perched on the
top-most twig of the highest tree it could find while Black Saw-wings and
Lesser-striped Swallows swooped and cavorted over the grassland. On our previous visit the dam was almost dry
but the recent rains had swelled it a little encouraging a Common Moorhen and
Little Grebe to make it their home. As we got closer to the woods, flocks of
White-eared Barbets flashed over our heads and a Yellow-billed Kite sat
sentry-like in a tree-top. Quite a few
Little Bee-eaters were playing around amongst tall grasses at the forest
margin.
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| Ellingham Estate & mystery tree |
Moving closer to the woodland, Grey
& Common Waxbill were seen, along with Sombre Greenbul, Red-capped
Robin-Chat, Southern Boubou, Gorgeous Bush-Shrike, Red-throated Wryneck and
Dusky Flycatcher.
Returning to
the vehicles, we enjoyed a well-deserved breakfast, then drove down to the other
ponds where we disturbed Yellow-billed Ducks which flew from one pond to the
other and an African Jacana which immediately vacated the water to sit in some
short reeds, maybe it had a nest. On an
island in the dam opposite, a Yellow Weaver was busy building a nest while a
Southern Black Tit flitted about.
African Harrier-Hawks, a Black-chested Snake Eagle and a Crowned Eagle
graced the skies above.
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| White-eared Barbet and Dark-capped Bulbul (photo Stan Culley) |
From
here we retraced our way to the gate and crossing the main road, drove up
another farm road to view a large dam.
Here with espied the elegant Grey-Crowned Crane together with a
multitude of Spurwing Geese. A
Black-headed Heron also found a nice vantage point from which to view the
scene.
From here we
returned, winding our way further into the estate, past bubbling streams and
parked next to a bridge. We took a walk
along the edge of the river which was still recovering from the recent heavy
rains evidenced by broken-down vegetation and stranded logs. One of the bridges showed signs of being
recently repaired. However calm had now
returned, along with the birds – Little Rush Warbler, Mountain and Pied
Wagtails, Hamerkop, Malachite and Brown-headed Kingfishers.
Ending the day
with our usual sociable braai, we added the following birds to the day’s list –
Spectacled Weaver, Red-eyed Dove, Green-backed Wood Hoopoe, African Hoopoe, and
Little Swift.
Please note
that I will be away for a month, so the blog will be quiet but it will get going again at the end of September. In the
meantime, Val Culley will be sending out details of outings - thanks Val!
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Barbet Black-collared
Barbet White-eared
Batis Chinspot
Bee-eater Little
Boubou Southern
Brownbul Terrestrial
Bulbul Dark-capped
Bush-shrike Gorgeous
Buzzard Jackal
Camaroptera Green-backed
Canary Yellow-fronted
Coucal Burchell’s
Crane Grey Crowned
Crested-flycatcher Blue-mantled
Dove Red-eyed
Drongo Fork-tailed
Drongo Square-tailed
Duck Yellow-billed
Eagle African Crowned
Eagle Long-crested
Fiscal Common (Southern)
Fish-eagle African
Flycatcher African Dusky
Flycatcher Ashy
Flycatcher Southern Black
Goose Egyptian
Goose Spur-winged
Goshawk African
Grebe Little
Greenbul Sombre
Greenbul Yellow-bellied
Green-pigeon African
Hamerkop
Harrier-Hawk African
Heron Black-headed
Heron Grey
Hoopoe African
Ibis Hadeda
Ibis Sacred
Jacana African
Kingfisher Brown-hooded
Kingfisher Malachite
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Kite Yellow-billed
Lark Rufous-naped
Longclaw Yellow-throated
Mannikin Bronze
Moorhen Common
Neddicky Neddicky
Oriole Black-headed
Prinia Tawny-flanked
Puffback Black-backed
Robin-chat Cape
Robin-chat Red-capped
Rush-Warbler Little
Saw-wing Black (Southern race)
Snake-Eagle Black-chested
Starling Black-bellied
Starling Glossy
Stonechat African
Sunbird Olive
Sunbird White-bellied
Swallow Lesser Striped
Swift African Black
Swift Little
Swift White-rumped
Thrush Olive
Tinkerbird Yellow-rumped
Tit Southern Black
Turaco Purple-crested
Wagtail Mountain
Wagtail Pied
Waxbill Common
Waxbill Grey
Weaver Cape
Weaver Spectacled
Weaver Thick-billed
Weaver Village
Weaver Yellow
White-eye Cape
Wood-hoopoe Green
Woodpecker Cardinal
Woodpecker Golden-tailed
Woodpecker Olive
Wryneck Red-throated
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(All photographs property of photographer)
