UPCOMING OUTING: Bird Ringing - Sunday 11 December 2016

Sunday 11 December 2016 @ 06:00 BirdLife Trogons will visit Umzumbe Flood Plain where Andrew & Ivan Pickles will be bird ringing.  Bring cameras, chairs, and breakfast (note: no braai afterwards).

ALL WELCOME. There is a R20pp charge for non-members of Birdlife Trogons.

Please let Andrew know on 082 338 3302 if you will be attending the outing.

Outings may be cancelled due to weather.  Phone Andrew Pickles before setting off.  For further details & directions telephone* Andrew or visit the blog  www.birdlifetrogons.blogspot.com.     ** Please note we cannot respond to text messages or “call me” requests.

Directions:  From Port Shepstone take R102 coast road. After crossing the Umzumbe River bridge turn left down the track to the floodplain. 

Set GPS to DD MM SS.S  =  S30 36 18.5  E30 33 11.03

Kind regards

Hazel van Rooyen

Secretary

BirdLife Trogons Bird Club

BIRD RINGING REPORT on the Umzumbe Flood Plain with Andrew Pickles, 3 April 2016

 

Andrew measures  the Little Bittern, Liz looks on waiting to record the information  (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

Eager to learn (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

A very dull day which promised rain at any moment did not deter Andrew Pickles and his crew and when we arrived at 06.15 they were already going to check the nets.  Usually a dull day doesn’t bode well for a good catch but on this occasion Andrew drew a good crowd of 23 people, plus over 16 different species of birds. A total of 21 were ringed, plus 11  recaptures,  several weavers were released without being ringed as there were just too many.  He thought we might still get a few warblers before they migrated up north but didn’t anticipate just how many – 3 Marsh Warblers, a Great Reed Warbler, several Lesser Swamp Warblers, 2 African Reed Warblers and a lot of Little Rush Warblers. The Fan-tailed Widowbird was the old recapture, being from October 2011.

Marsh Warbler (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

Marsh Warbler (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

Lesser Swamp Warbler (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

Little Rush Warbler (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

Great Reed Warbler (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

African Reed Warbler (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

Little Bittern (M) (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

He was very excited with a Little Bittern and a female Red-backed Shrike, the latter not usually seen down at the coast.  He was also surprised to see so many Barn Swallows still around as the ones from the Umzumbe roost left a few weeks ago and wondered if these were passing through from the Cape.

Red-backed Shrike (F) (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

 

Barn Swallow (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

Other species ringed:

Rufous-winged Cisticola (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

Fan-tailed Widowbird (F) (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

Common Waxbill (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

Spectacled Weaver (M) (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

White-bellied Sunbird (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

Cape White-eye (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

African Stonechat (M) (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

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Red-capped Robin Chat (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

Text: Hazel van Rooyen
(All photos copyright of photographer)

Bird ringing - Umzumbe River floodplain - Sunday 7 February from 05h00

Sunday 7 February from 5am BirdLife Trogons will visit Umzumbe River floodplain where Andrew & Ivan will be bird ringing.

 

Bring cameras, chairs, breakfast & if you wish to go up to Andrew & Ivan’s afterwards, something to braai for lunch.

ALL WELCOME. There is a R20pp charge for non-members of Birdlife Trogons.

 

Ringing is very weather critical, so if the forecast is for rain or very windy check www.birdlifetrogons.blogspot.com or phone Eric  BEFORE setting off. For further details  telephone**  Eric Kok on 039 695 0573 / 0727510686 or visit the blog.   

 ** Please note we cannot respond to text messages or “call me” requests.

 

PLEASE LET ERIC KNOW IF YOU WILL BE ATTENDING THE OUTING.

 

From Port Shepstone take R102 coast road. After crossing the Umzumbe River bridge turn left down the track to the floodplain. 

Set GPS to DD MM SS.S  =  S30 36 18.5  E30 33 11.03

Exciting News! Barn Swallow recapture Z215476

Andrew Pickles was very excited recently when, during one of his regular bird ringing sessions at the Umzumbe roost, he captured a Barn Swallow which had already been ringed.  He could immediately see from the ring engraving that it had originated in the United Kingdom and has just received official confirmation from the British Trust for Ornithology that a Mike Haigh ringed this Barn Swallow as a 6 day old chick in horse stables at Llanfechain, in Powys, Wales in the United Kingdom on 24 June 2015.  

Mike Haigh was also thrilled, calling it the Holy Grail for bird ringers to have one of their swallows turn up in South Africa, something they always dreamed of.  Next year he will be particularly vigilant to see if the bird returns and he will keep Andrew informed. 

 

Just to imagine  - this tiny bundle of feathers followed its innate instincts to fly all the way to our neck of the woods.  We know this happens but to have our own proof gives me, for one, goose-bumps!

Congratulations and well done Andrew on all the effort you put into this project.

Photographs property of photographer

Banded Martin unusual record for the coast

By Andy Ruffle

Whilst catching Barn Swallows to ring last night (2^nd Feb), Andrew Pickles had a pleasant surprise in the nets, in the shape of a Banded Martin.

Banded Martin, Umzumbe Floodplain
(Photo Andrew Pickles)

If you check your fieldguides, you will see that Banded Martin is not shown as being present in our area. SABAP2 records also confirm this with the nearest sightings being recorded in the Harding area.

SABAP2 records for Banded Martin
(Map courtesy of Google Maps & SABAP2)

This is yet another example of how bird ringing is shedding light on some very interesting data.

Outing report- Bird ringing 5th January 2014 Umzumbe Floodplain

Photos Andy Ruffle

Attendees: Liz Blomeyer, Sandy Olver,Herbie & Jeanette Osborne Andy Ruffle, Ron Whitham.

Summer migrants, European Sedge Warbler and (European) Marsh Warbler, were on the menu at this morning’s  ringing session on Umzumbe floodplain. Great Reed-Warbler and African Reed- Warbler were also netted.  We are very fortunate to see these LBJ’s up close and to be able to positively identify them during these ringing sessions. Marsh Warbler can only be distinguished from (Eurasian) Reed-Warbler by using a calculation based on certain measurements of the bird. In the field, in South Africa, it is impossible to separate them as they do not call.

European Sedge Warbler

(European) Marsh Warbler

For the previous post with pictures showing the difference between long distance migrant and resident/inter African warblers click here.

Other birds ringed included Yellow & Village Weaver, Rufous-winged Cisticola, African Firefinch, Fan-tailed Widow and a Burchell’s Coucal.

Burchell's Coucal

Burchell's Coucal

Although not netted and ringed, a special highlight for Anrew P was flushing a Harlequin Quail on the track during his drive back home. The last time we recorded this bird was on 1st Feb 2012 whilst ringing Barn Swallows on the floodplain. Click here to see the photo.

Don’t forget we have regular monthly ringing sessions and they really shouldn’t be missed.