Prof Phil Hockey 1957-2013

(Photo: UCT)

Renowned Ornithologist Prof. Phil Hockey passed away on Thursday 24th January 2013 at the age of 56.
Our condolences go to his wife, Samantha and family.

To read more about his work at the UCT click here.

**UPDATED** Outing report- 6th January 2013 Bird ringing Umzumbe floodplain

Attendees: Liz Blomeyer, Stan & Val Culley, Cathy Lee, Sandy Olver, Andy Ruffle, Ron Whitham. (7 attendees)

Fortunately, the recent relatively dry spell had enabled the floodplain to dry out enough to allow today's ringing session.
Andrew started the morning off by processing 41 Barn Swallows caught at the swallow roost the night before. Amongst the 'catch' were three rather special birds - juvenile Common House-Martins.

A tricky one to identify at first sight.
A rather dull specimen, but showing signs of
blue appearing on the back and wings.
(Photo Andy Ruffle)

Whiskered Tern

Chlidonias hybrida

with a Reed Cormorant
Wakkerstroom, February 2013
(Subspp sclateri)
(Photo Stan Culley)

Little Rush Warbler

Bradypterus baboecala

Culley's Dam, Port Edward. November 2013.
(Subsp tongensis)
 (Photo Stan Culley)

Copyright of the photographer

Black Crake

Amourornis flavirostris

Culley's Dam, Port Edward. November 2013
(Photo Stan Culley)

Culley's Dam, Port Edward. November 2013
(Photo Stan Culley)

Copyright of photographer

Banded Martin

Riparia cincta

Wakkerstroom February 2013
(Subspp cincta)
(Photo Stan Culley)

Diderick Cuckoo

Chrysococcyx caprius

male, Wakkerstroom February 2013
(Photo Stan Culley)

Southern Bald Ibis

Geronticus calvus

Wakkerstroom February 2013
(Photo Stan Culley)

Little Bittern

Ixobrychus minutus

 



Wakkerstroom February 2013
(Subspp unknown)
(Photo Stan Culley)

 

Long-tailed Widowbird

Euplectes progne

 

male, Wakkerstroom February 2013
(Subspp progne)
(Photo Stan Culley)

 

Outing report- 23rd December 2012 Uvongo River Conservancy

Uvongo River Conservancy
(Photo Irene & Dudley Reid)

Attendees: Stan & Val Culley, Cathy Lee, Dudley, Irene, Robyn Reid & Douglas Williams, Andy Ruffle, Ron & Elaine Whitham. (10 attendees).

Our last outing of 2012 saw us returning to our favourite haunt, the Uvongo River Conservancy. It was nice to see the Reid's from Durban again and Cathy Lee who now lives in Vereeniging.
Birding today was surprisingly slow, considering the ideal conditions, but we still achieved a respectable list of 57 species recorded. The 'resident' Lesser Honeyguide was in it's usual locale, calling away. The Reid's were especially lucky by managing to catch glimpses of not one African Finfoot, but three- a female and two juveniles. Many thanks for the photos they submitted.

Female African Finfoot with two juveniles.
A very lucky sighting indeed.
(Photo Robyn Reid)

Birds recorded: Red-eyed Dove, Purple-crested Turaco, Dark-capped Bulbul, Black-backed Puffback, Golden-tailed Woodpecker, Black-headed Oriole, Black-collared Barbet, Burchell's Coucal, Pied Kingfisher, Egyptian Goose, Dark-backed Weaver, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Olive Sunbird, Hadeda Ibis, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Spectacled Weaver, Yellow Weaver, Sombre Greenbul, Southern Boubou, Tambourine Dove, Brown-hooded Kingfisher, African Dusky Flycatcher, African Paradise-Flycatcher, Red-capped Robin-Chat, Square-tailed Drongo, Spur-winged Goose, Cape White-eye, Speckled Mousebird, White-breasted Cormorant, Diderick Cuckoo, Green-backed Camaroptera, Knysna Turaco, Brown Scrub-Robin, Red-winged Starling, Cardinal Woodpecker, Collared Sunbird, Amethyst Sunbird, Yellow-fronted Canary, Lesser Honeyguide, Fork-tailed Drongo, Thick-billed Weaver, Southern Grey-headed Sparrow, Violet-backed Starling, Black-bellied Starling, Reed Cormorant, Village Weaver, Southern Black Flycatcher, Red-billed Firefinch, Bronze Mannikin, Laughing Dove, White-throated Swallow, Giant Kingfisher, Cape Batis, Black-crowned Tchagra, Yellow-billed Kite, African Pied Wagtail, African Finfoot. (57 species).

White-breasted Cormorants breeding sites

(Photo Hazel van Rooyen)

David Allan, Curator of Birds at the Durban Natural Science Museum, has asked if we can help out with the following request:-

Dr Rob Crawford , the seabird ornithologist with the Dept of Environmental Affairs, is working on an update of the numbers of White-breasted Cormorants breeding along the South African coast (i.e. within 10 km of the coastline).

If you, or anyone you know, are aware of any breeding sites in southern KZN (or even further down the coast) in our region, please advise David (contact details below). He’d be keen at this stage to also hear of inland ones (indeed of any large colonial heronries in our area that may or may not harbour this species).

Contact details:

David Allan
Curator of Birds
Durban Natural Science Museum
P.O. Box 4085
Durban 4000
South Africa
tel 031-3224214
cell 082-3610261
fax 031-3112242
e-mail: alland@durban.gov.za

Outing report- 17th December 2012 Bird ringing

Photos & text Andy Ruffle

Umzumbe River floodplain December 2012
(Photo Andrew Pickles)

Attendees: Liz Blomeyer, Eric Kok, Herbie & Jeanette Osborne, Andy Ruffle, Stephan Schoeman, Ron Whitham. (7 attendees).

It was originally planned to visit the Umzumbe Floodplain for today's ringing session, but as can be seen from Andrew's photo above, the floodplain is certainly living up to it's name at the moment.
Luckily, Andrew's home patch is always good as a backup, so he opted for there. Deferred from Sunday due to strong winds, Monday morning gave us ideal conditions.

**UPDATED** Outing report- 9th December 2012 End of Year Lunch

 Text: Andy Ruffle, Photos: Hazel van Rooyen

Attendees:- Liz Blomeyer, Doug & Angie Butcher, Stan & Val Culley, Lennart Eriksson & Evelyn Heunis, Mike Fagan, Stanley & Asothie Gengan, Caryl Lowe, Vic & Kay Neilson, Sandy Olver, Herbie & Jeanette Osborne, Hazel Parry, Keith & Maureen Roach, Paul & Margaret Rose, Andy Ruffle, Bob & Hazel van Rooyen, Ron & Elaine Whitham, Barry Willis & Sue Hansbury. (28 attendees).

View over the Gorge from the Taverna

**UPDATED** Outing report- 2nd December 2012 Winklespruit Beach

Scanning the mudflats at the Lovu River mouth
(Photo Andy Ruffle)

Attendees: Stan & Val Culley, Caryl Lowe, Andy Ruffle, Bob & Hazel van Rooyen, Ron Whitham, Barry Willis & Sue Hansbury. (9 attendees)

This was the club's first visit to Winklespruit Beach, located at the mouth of the Lovu River. It was chosen, by the committee, as a closer and more accessible possible alternative to Bayhead Nature Reserve.
We began the morning with a walk along the main beach towards the river mouth. White-fronted Plover scurried across the sand; Little Stint, Ruddy Turnstone and Three-banded Plover worked the tidal zone and a flock of Swift Terns were seen roosting at the mouth.
Our next stop was a municipal picnic area, on the banks of the river, with good views of the mouth and mudflats.

Outing report- 11th November 2012 Umbogavango Nature Reserve

Picnic area at Vumbuka Nature Reserve
(Photo Andy Ruffle)

Attendees:- Stan & Val Culley, Mike Fagan, Stanley Gengan, Eric Kok, John Powell, Andy Ruffle, Bob & Hazel van Rooyen, Ron Whitham. (10 attendees)

Once again Umbogavango Nature Reserve provided an excellent morning's birding.
Both Orange-breasted Bush-shrike and Red-billed Firefinch were added to our records for the reserve list.
Inside information from local birder Barry Swaddle, enabled us to explore a new area in the complex named the Vumbuka Nature Reserve.

More swarming Yellow-billed Kites

This email was sent in by Sally Smith from Kloof on 5th November 2012.

Hi,

I live next door to the Kranskloof Nature Reserve in Kloof and on returning home this morning saw 20-30 yellow-billed kites tightly swarming around a copse of trees less than 100m from my house. It was truly amazing to watch as they seemed to narrowly miss each other in flight. They swarmed from ground level to about 40m above ground and made a great deal of noise. I didn’t see any of them land and couldn’t see what the attraction was but assumed there must be something dead that they were waiting to feed on. I came outside with my camera about 20 mins after first seeing them but they’d all disappeared completely.

We get to see a lot of birdlife in the nature reserve but this is the first time I’ve seen anything like this. I hope other folk get the opportunity to see something similar as it was a truly amazing spectacle!

Kind regards,

Sally

Grey Crowned-Crane mating dance

Clive Edmundson sent in this photo of a Grey Crowned-Crane performing it's mating dance. He says:

''I witnessed two Crowned Cranes doing mating ritual recently just on the oribi flats just above the gorge. Watched them for a long time. They were beautiful.''



Grey Crowned Crane doing mating dance,
Oribi Flats 2012
(Photo Clive Edmundson)

Outing report- 28th October 2012 Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve

Attendees:- Doug & Angie Butcher, Irma Smook, Hazel Parry, Margaret Jones, Stan & Val Culley,  Tracy Kelly, Nick & Rina Theron, Caryl Lowe, Eric Kok. (12 attendees)

Birds recorded:- Pin-tailed Whydah ,  Red-collared Widowbird , White-necked Raven , Yellow-billed Kite , Red-chested Cuckoo (H) , Neddicky ,  Violet-backed Starling , Black Cuckoo , Olive Sunbird , Fan-tailed Widowbird , Common Waxbill , Red-winged Starling , Black-bellied Starling , Buff-spotted Flufftail (H) , Hadeda Ibis , Crowned Hornbill , Trumpeter Hornbill , Black-headed Oriole ,  Southern Boubou , Knysna Turaco , Yellow-fronted Canary , Red-eyed Dove , Tambourine Dove , Spur-winged Goose , Grey Crowned Crane , African Palm-Swift , Fork-tailed Drongo , African Dusky Flycatcher , Dark-capped Bulbul , Southern Black Flycatcher , Lesser Honeyguide , Black-backed Puffback , Cape Batis , Southern Grey-headed Sparrow , Yellow-throated Longclaw , African Harrier-Hawk, African Black Swift , Sombre Greenbul , Green-backed Camaroptera , Dark-backed Weaver , Cape White-eye , Greater Double-collared Sunbird , Amethyst Sunbird , Tawny-flanked Prinia , African Emerald Cuckoo (H) , Spectacled Weaver , Red-capped Robin-Chat , Buzzard Sp, Knysna Woodpecker. (50 species)

Outing report- 14th October 2012 Empisini Nature Reserve

Attendees : Eric Kok; Andrew Pickles; Stanley & Asothie Gengan; Irma Smook; Doug & Angie Butcher; Stan & Val Culley; Caryl Lowe. (10 attendees) 

 

Birds recorded:- Hamerkop,  Orange-breasted Bush-Shrike,  Lesser Striped Swallow,  Burchell’s Coucal, Hadeda Ibis,  African Goshawk,  Village Weaver,  Olive Sunbird,  Cape White-eye, Dark-capped Bulbul,  Black-backed  Puffback,  African  Paradise-Flycatcher,  Common Myna, Square-tailed Drongo,  Fork-tailed Drongo,  Little Rush-Warbler,  Red-eyed Dove, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird,  Purple-crested Turaco,  Sombre Greenbul,  Yellow Weaver, Dark-backed Weaver,  Thick-billed Weaver,  Georgeous Bush-Shrike (H),  Narina Trogon (H), Tambourine Dove,  Scaley-throated Honeyguide (H),  Golden-tailed Woodpecker,  Cattle Egret, Yellow-bellied Greenbul,  Black-headed Oriole,  Olive Thrush,  Blacksmith Lapwing, Red-capped Robin-Chat,  Tawny-flanked Prinia,  Black-collared Barbet,  Green Malkoha (H), Bar-throated Apalis,  Black-bellied Starling,  Yellow-billed Kite,  Spur-winged Goose, Egyptian Goose,  Wood Sandpiper,  Southern Grey-headed Sparrow,  Pied Crow, Mountain Wagtail,  Brown-throated Martin,  Red-fronted Tinkerbird,  Grey Waxbill, Knysna Turaco,  Speckled Mousebird,  Brown Scrub-Robin,  Green Wood-Hoopoe, Grey Sunbird,  White-bellied Sunbird,  Amethyst Sunbird,  Natal Spurfowl,  Brimstone Canary, Yellow-fronted Canary,  Southern Boubou,  Woolly-necked Stork,  Southern Red Bishop, Bronze Mannikin,  Fan-tailed Widowbird,  Long-crested Eagle,  African Crowned Eagle, African Fish-Eagle,  Black-chested Snake-Eagle,  Lesser Honeyguide. (69 species)