Long-tailed Widowbird in transitional plumage

Like many places around the globe, South Africa is experiencing “season creep”, where our winters – and summers – are arriving slightly later than usual.  So, while we are still having relativly the relatively warm temperatures of late summer, not to mention summer rains, most of the signs of winter’s approach are yet to come.  The birds, however, know it’s autumn.

We have seen several birds in transitional plumage including the Long-tailed Widow Birds, which are loosing the long tails and black plumage of the breeding season.  They will retain the orange-and-white flash on the wing, however, making it possible to identify them even when they have joined the ranks of the LBJs (Little Brown Jobs/birds).  We have also seen Southern Masked Weavers loosing their black face masks and bright yellow colours, exhibiting an oddly mottled appearance.  Red Bishops, too, are sporting odd orange and grey mottled plumage as they morph into their winter colours where they will resemble the brown females. 

Barn Swallows are lining up on powerlines, signalling their interest in migration to the Northern Hemisphere and White Storks are gathering in large congregations.  However, many migrants including European Bee-eaters, Lesser Moorhen, the endangered Blue Swallow and numerous others are still here – although they will very likely be gone by the end of April.  We have not seen very many cuckoos recently; they are certainly far less conspicuous than they were indicating that their breeding season is very likely over.  Most cuckoos found in South Africa are intra-African migrants, which go as far a central or north Africa with very few going the long haul to Europe.

Grey-winged Francolin - Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve "special"

Visiting Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve recently, we noticed that the Red-collared Widowbirds are still in summer plumage, despite the changes exhibited by their Long-tailed Widowbird cousins.  We saw an Eastern Paradise Wydah, also still in full breeding plumage.  A “special” sighting were the Grey-winged Francolins, where we saw a flock of about four birds disappearing rapidly into the long grass, which they use as cover and a retreat when threatened.  We also saw Black-throated and Lemon-breasted Canaries, as well as Black-collared Barbets, a juvenile Red-throated Wryneck, Cape Robin, Mountain Wheat-ear and Ant-eating Chat.  We were seeing several Amur, Peregrine and Western Red-footed Falcons (all of which have ranges which overlap in the former Transvaal region) at Suikerbosrand but these seem to have dispersed, possibly a pre-migratory congregation.

At Rietvlei Dam, we spotted a Black-breasted Snake Eagle, African Fish Eagle and several White-fronted Bee-eaters, which are resident in South Africa and not migratory.  At a small bird hide, we saw three Lesser Moorhens, an uncommon summer visitor, together with African Darter, White-breasted Cormorant and the more frequently seen Common Moorhen.  

Lesser Moorhen - unusual summer visitor (and still here!)

We have seen several juvenile birds this autumn, which is rather unusual but the breeding season was excellent due to the good summer rains and conditions this year have been optimal – every animal and bird seems to have bred successfully.   A juvenile Malachite Kingfisher was spotted at Rietvlei Dam in a similar place to where we saw this bird before.  At a small bird hide, we saw several White-breasted Cormorants, which were still on nests, as well as juvenile African Darters and Reed Cormorants.  One Reed Cormorant was feeding a young bird – they literally put almost their entire heads inside the other bird’s bill!  We have not seen this behaviour before and found it interesting. 

This is also the season when Egyptian Geese encourage their young to move on and form their own territories – a necessary step as food and other resources will become scarce during the winter and the young adults need to disperse.  We observed a male Egyptian Goose chasing off  a young adult repeatedly at Mankwe Dam in Pilanesberg National Park.

White Rhino with Red-billed Oxpeckers

Also at Pilanesberg National Park, where we were running a day trip for UK visitors to South Africa, we saw several Red-billed Oxpeckers adoring the heads of two white rhino’s, which was rather interesting to see.  Other birds spotted included Pied, Giant and Malachite Kingfishers, African Fish Eagle and Giant Egret at Mankwe Dam, together with European Roller, Cape Glossy Starling, Fork-tailed Drongo and the colourful Crimson-breasted Shrike to name but a few.

Due to the good rains throughout much of the summer rainfall region of South Africa, birding is still good – we suspect that is why the migrants are hanging on!  Autumn is an excellent time to visit South Africa to bird; the weather is still warm in cooler areas and there  is a good chance of seeing the migrants before they leave as well as the unusual sight of birds in transitional plumage.

European Bee-eater - a migrant from the Northern Hemisphere

It is early autumn in South Africa and soon the migrants will be preparing to leave our shores.  Many South African birds are intra-African migrants (i.e. they travel to central or northern Africa where they overwinter) but others hail from Europe and Asia, travelling back to their countries of origin to breed.  Some 170 bird species regularly migrate over the tiny island of Malta, where they are often in danger of being gunned down; the island has some 15 000 hunters and bird trappers notwithstanding its small size and has opened the spring hunting season every year since joining the EU in 2004.  This is not permitted under the EU Birds Directive because this is the breeding season and an opportunity for birds to replenish their numbers.  However, law enforcement is underresourced and unable to control the scale of illegal hunting.

Unless the migratory “flyways” over the Mediterranean Sea are protected, conservation initiatives in both Europe and Africa are in vain – despite the millions of Euros spent on protecting wild birds and their habitats to ensure the future of our avian friends.  When the birds reach Malta, they are at their weakest.  Many attempt to rest on the island to feed and build up their strength for the remainder of their journey.  Instead, many are killed.  Last September, volunteers and members of local conservation organizations found the remains of over 200 protected birds buried in a woodland used as a hunting ground.  The birds included marsh harriers, honey buzzards and night herons. 

BirdLife Malta is an organization that is in the front line to stop illegal hunting of birds on the island.  Their staff and volunteers have been intimidated, suffered criminal damage, arson attacks and violence.  However, the organization has not given up and continues to work under very difficult circumstances.

How you can help:  Visit www.birdlifemalta.org and sign the petition on the web site.  This scourge must be stopped if the plethora of Northern Hemisphere species currently visiting southern Africa during our summer (Sept – April) are to continue to make their way here in any sort of numbers.

White Stork

While generally very abundant world-wide, this bird’s numbers vary in South Africa depending on conditions elsewhere in the subregion.  This is a Paleoarctic breeding migrant, which usually arrives in our country from October and departs between March and May.  Most birds come from central and eastern Europe and the Middle East, sometimes travelling a round trip of some 22 000 kilometres!  Overwintering birds (which tend to be injured birds or juveniles) may be found in the Drakensberg escarpment and in Zimbabwe.  It is thought that some fledglings migrating from the Western Cape may overwinter in central Africa.  The South African breeding population is small and rarely numbers more than 10 pairs.  Mortality rates are high and are usually caused by injuries of some sort – collisions with vehicles, fences or wires/lines, weather conditions, predation, shooting and trapping, electrocution, poisoning, starvation and drowning.  However, the birds are not globally threatened, despite breeding range reduction in Europe.  They were previously classified as “rare” in southern Africa but are no longer of regional conservation concern.  Food contaminated by pesticides has long been considered a significant threat but there is no proof of extensive mortalities during locust control operations.

White Storks are found in open woodland, grasslands, grassy Karoo, wetlands and cultivated lands, especially lucerne fields; some 86% of birds in South Africa are found in crop fields and pastures – which is where we have also seen large flocks.  They are mostly absent from large permanent wetlands and flood plains.

The birds are usually seen in large flocks of 10 – 50 birds and may gather in groups around water sources at midday.  They sometimes rest on one leg with the bill buried in the ruff of the foreneck, a behaviour thought to minimise heat loss.  In hot weather, they also cool down by defecating on the legs.  They roost gregariously in trees or shallow wetlands, sometimes with Abdim’s Storks.  They travel in large flocks, circulating on thermals to gain height and then gliding to another thermal; this becomes more frequent before their northern migration begins.  They fly with neck and legs fully extended.  White Storks undergo a complete annual moult but no data is available for South African birds.

White Stork at Sunset (near Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve, South Africa)

They normally forage in well-spaced groups, sometimes in association with Abdim’s Storks.  They walk slowly and steadily as they search for prey.  They follow ungulates and domestic cattle, apparently to capture flushed insects.  They take up to 45 items per hour.  In the grassy Karoo, locusts are picked up at an average of 5.8 per minute!  They eat agricultural pests such as the American bollworm, army worms and locusts.  When feeding on the latter, they deposit significant fat reserves.  They also eat mice, small reptiles (snakes and lizards), amphibians, fish, molluscs and large insects, young of ground-breeding birds, scorpions and the caterpillars of the Emporer Moth, as well as termite alates.

Their breeding habits are little known in southern Africa, as so few breed here.  They are known to be monogamous.  The male arrives at the nest site first and may accept the first female to arrive, often the mate of the previous year.  They display frequently.  The nest is built by both sexes in about eight days, with most of the material being brought in by the male.  It consists of a large platform of reeds, sticks, clods of earth and grass with an outside diameter of 80 – 150 cm and being between 1 – 2 m high.  Nest material is added constantly, even after the young are fledged, with material gathered from up to 500 m away.  The nest is usually placed in a tree in open veld, most in alien trees. 1 – 6 eggs are laid at 1 – 4 day intervals in September, October and November.  Incubation lasts 30 days and is shared by both sexes.  Eggs hatch asynchroniously and young are brooded by both male and female.  The bird is fully feathered at 45 days but flaps its wings as early as 14 days and is able to stand at 22 days.  The nestling period lasts up to between 45 – 70 days, when the birds are fed by both adults.  The young are dependent on the adults for 7 – 20 days after leaving the nest and then disperse.  The adults remain at the nest for a further period of 15 – 30 days before departing.  Breeding success – approx 50%.

See this bird on grasslands and pastures during the South African summer, when they may often be seen with herds of cattle or sheep or simply foraging or roosting in flocks.

Impala

Now you can enjoy the very best of Africa’s wildlife with the plethora of the region’s birds!  We have now launched new short excursions, which focus both on providing a terrific wildlife experience while enabling both beginner birders and professional twitchers wanting to add more species to their life lists to fulful their wishes.  Tours will be tailored to the type of groups we have.

REGIONS WE VISIT

Magaliesberg:  This serene range of hills is in fact a series of geological fault lines and lies about 45 minutes’ drive west of the city of Pretoria.  The region is unique with a number of plants and animal species found nowhere else.  Quartzite cliffs fissured by magnificent gorges featuring tumbling waterfalls, chattering streams and crystal-clear pools alternate with rolling grasslands and bush-covered slopes.  Here you will find animals such as baboons and vervet monkeys, black-backed jackal, rock hyrax (known in South Africa as “dassies”), hares, tortoises, mongoose and antelope such as grey reedbuck and klipspringers.  If you’re extremely fortunate, you may even see one of the region’s elusive leopards.  The region’s cliffs are home to two vulture colonies and local farmers provide animal carcasses at vulture restaurants to ensure that the vultures’ diet contains sufficient calcium.  This region is home to the Cape Vulture although you may also see other raptors such as the Black-shouldered Kite, Yellow-billed Kite, Greater and Lesser Kestrel, Lanner and Peregrine Falcon – and more.  The Magaliesberg is an Important Bird Area with around 250 listed bird species.

Sun City:  This internationally-renowned resort complex was built by the so-called “Sun King”, hotel magnate Sol Kerzner in the 1970s when gambiling was illegal in South Africa but could be enjoyed at one of the so-called “homelands”!  Since then, many things have changed and the resort with its three hotels and myriad of activities and facilities is positioned itself to capture the international and local leisure markets.  Sun City’s facilities include two magnificent golf courses, a bird aviary, horseback riding at the edge of Pilanesberg National Park, a Butterfly Sanctuary, Cultural Village, botanical garden, not to mention two casinos and an entertainment world.  (Certain of these activities attract a charge to enter and/or enjoy activities – these prices are not included in our tour costs but are available on request.) 

Leopard Tortoise

Pilanesberg National Park:  The Park covers some 55 000 hectares and is situated in a range of concentric hills created by the eruption of an ancient volcano.  The Park therefore has unique geological formations and beautiful landscapes.  It is a transition zone between the bushveld and arid western areas of South Africa and therefore has a wide range of species of plants, animals and birds.  During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Park was stocked with game in one of the largest wildlife relocation programmes of its kind ever undertaken – Operation Genesis.  The Park is now home to all of the Big Five, together some 50 other large mammal species including hippo, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and antelope such as eland, kudu, impala, springbuck, waterbuck, bushbuck and several others.  Reptiles include the Nile Crocodile and rare leopard tortoise, although you may see other species as well.  Look out for small animals too – we have seen squirrels, mongoose and chameleons to name but a few.  Pilanesberg is perfect for birders too – this Important Bird Area has some 400 recorded bird species and is a refuge for raptors in particular, which face a variety of conservation problems outside of Park borders including lack of suitable habitat, human encroachment, reduction in their prey base, hunting, poisoning and trapping (largely by accident when poisoned carcasses or traps are set for animals).  There are several dams and rivers with incredible game and bird viewing hides within the Park and we visit several of these on our tours.

Lions are often seen in Kruger National Park

Kruger National Park:  This ever-popular destination is one of South Africa’s prime wildlife areas.  Proclaimed in the early 1900s, this reserve covers some 2 million hectares – and area that has since been augmented as private game reserves surrounding the Park dropped their fences to create a massive wildlife refuge.  Here, you have a good chance of seeing all of the Big Five, not to mention a plethora of general game species and numerous small creatures.  You may also see special creatures such as the spotted hyena or the rare wild dog.  This Important Bird Area has some 500 recorded bird species – over half of those found in the entire southern African sub-region.  Raptors, Marabou Storks, Saddlebilled Storks and oxpeckers are some of the more unusual species rarely found outside reserves, which you may see in Kruger.  We do not stay in the Park but offer a tw0-night stay at an affordable private game lodge.  The lodges offer two game drives in open safari vehicles daily, as well as optional bush walks.  Accommodation, dinner, breakfast and a high tea in the late afternoon are all included (some establishments may also offer lunch).

Pre and post-tour accommodation may be arranged on request.  We also arrange airport transfers if required.  Ask us for a quotation.

Further Information: 

• Tours can take a maximum of 8 people. 
• Tours depart from Johannesburg/Pretoria and return to those cities.  Pick-up and drop-off at your accommodation is included.
• Transport is in an air-conditioned luxury mini-bus.
• Tours include the services of a qualified, registered national nature guide and driver, who is a qualified horticulturalist and bird and wildlife photographer.
• We provide you with an information pack about the region/s you will be visiting, together with bird and animal check lists
• Reservations must be made at least 14 days prior to departure to enable us to book accommodation and activities for you
• Tours and activities are all undertaken at the participant’s own risk.
• Prices generally include all accommodation, dinner and breakfast (some lunches may be included but not all), transport, services of a qualified, registered national nature guide and driver, information pack
• Prices exclude all drinks and alcoholic beverages, telephone calls, laundry, mini bar bills, room service, tips & gratuities, purchase of souvenirs/curios/gifts, personal purchases and all similar extras
• We regret that we have no credit card facilities – payment by cash, bank transfer or travellers cheques accepted.  Payment MUST be made in full before the reservation is confirmed.
• Travellers are responsible for arranging their own travel and medical insurance while on tour.  We have public liability and passenger liability insurance as required by South African law but this does not cover all eventualities.

Magnificent landscapes at Pilanesberg National Park

It rained heavily on the way and we wondered whether our trip would be a wash-out but, miraculously, the weather cleared as we neared the entrance gate.  It was not long before we were enjoying the awesome unusual landscapes within the reserve – a mixture of bushveld and open savannas bisected by long rivers and blue dams complete with huge game and bird-viewing hides, all surrounded by green, bush-covered hills.  Birds fluttered and twitered all around us and there were a fair number of animals (many with young in tow) to boot.

We were in Pilanesberg National Park, a fabulous 55 000-hectare game reserve situated in the North-west Province and stocked with a variety of general game species as well as the Big Five.  The place - as we discovered – offers amazing birding opportunities with around 400 recorded species.  We had an awesome experience during our recent visit.  We are now offering day trips to the Park for birders and non-birders alike. 

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Our new minibus

We have decided to invest in our own vehicles for a number of reasons and here’s a photograph of our new Toyota Quantum mini-bus.  The vehicle seats 10 people and has all the luxury features including a spacious interior with very comfortable seats, air-conditioning front and back, cup holders and webbing for binoculars and bird books and safety features including ABS brakes and air bags.

We took our new purchase for a spin at Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve this weekend and got caught in a violent storm with very heavy rain and were pleased to note that the vehicle handles extremely well in wet conditions.  The weather put a damper on our birding but we DID see a Suikerbosrand “special” we’ve been looking for for some time – a Grey-winged Francolin.  When the weather cleared, we saw numerous birds including Rufous-naped and Sabota Larks, Red-collared and Long-tailed Widowbird, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Didericks Cuckoo, Fiscal Shrike, Fiscal Flycatcher, Nedicky, Yellow-fronted Canary, Cape Wagtail, Cape Longclaw, Common Stone Chat and several other birds.

Other News from Lifers & Twitchers Birding Tours

Eland - Africa's largest antelope

The purchase of our new vehicle will enable us to also offer day trips to people staying in South Africa.  Our trips will visit Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve south-east of Johannesburg (for visitors staying on the eastern side of town) as well as Pilanesberg National Park in North-west Province.  The latter is home to all of the Big Five, a variety of general game species and around 400 recorded birds.  We will be visiting the reserve next weekend so look out for our blog early next week.  For people staying in the northern suburbs (Sandton, Randburg, Pretoria), we will also be offering day trips to Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens, where there are a variety of birds as well as the very special Vereaux (Black) Eagles, which nest on a cliff above the waterfall during the South African winter (May – August).

We are delighted to announce that we have just been informed that our web site was awarded a Bronze South African Web Award.

We would like to thank all our regular visitors, supporters, Facebook friends and fans for their support.  Congratulations are also in order to our webmaster, Marius Smit, of Fresh Lemon Media/Jam Factory in Knysna, South Africa, who has assisted us in creating and maintaining a top quality site.

Spotted Eagle Owl

There is nothing more incredible than seeing these beautiful bushveld owls perched at the edge of a tree branch, their yellow, saucerlike eyes gleaming in a ranger’s spotlight, mirroring the full, orange moon behind.  They are distinguished from the similar Cape Eagle Owl, which has orange eyes and is found in more isolated populations, particularly in the three Cape Provinces of South Africa.

The Spotted Eagle Owl is distributed throughout South Africa and is fairly common.  They are generally sedentary and resident with little juvenile dispersion.  Conservation-wise, they are not threatened, despite threats including entanglement in barb wire fences, chicks being picked up before they can fly, drowning, and juveniles flying into vehicles.  In their favour, they are able to breed before the age of one year and breed year-round, although egg-laying is more prevalent during the second half of the year (June – November).  Nest survival is high at around 100% recorded, although there are no records for actual breeding success.  They are known to be double-brooded when food is plentiful.

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Birding in flooded wetlands

After a week of rain, our weekend birding was one of water and mud!  We set off on Friday afternoon for our local bird sanctuary near Springs (east of Johannesburg) – only to find that the water not only covered the wetland but also large parts of the road!  We have a large vehicle and were up to the top of the tyres on occasion.  This made our birding quite interesting as most of the birds seemed to regard the road as part of the wetland area and we rounded bends to find flocks of ducks, teals, herons, ibises and more camped in front of us.  Some reed-dwelling species were also in the middle of the road – quite an unusual occurrence.

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Johannesburg – and most of the South African Highveld region in fact – enjoyed very warm weather over the festive season, with temperatures hovering around or over 30 deg Celcius, so we were able to get out and about and enjoy plenty of holiday birding everywhere!  We also visited KwaZulu-Natal to see relatives and saw some lovely birds there, too, even though this was not a “birding” trip as such. 

Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve

Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve is looking beautiful at the moment after excellent summer rains have turned the rolling hills suddenly green.  Wildflowers are blooming everywhere among the rocks and carpets of yellow cover both grasslands and hills.  We visited twice over the festive season and noticed that there are fewer birds in the picnic areas and car park at the moment (possibly due to all the holiday activity).  We ventured out on the scenic drive  and saw plenty of birds including Rufous-naped Lark, Eastern Long-billed Lark and several cisticolas (little brown birds very hard to identify as they all look very similar!).  Pin-tailed Wydahs chased every other bird in the vicinity, usual behaviour for them during the breeding season.  We saw Cape Rock Thrushes and Ant-eating Chats among the rocky outcrops, while the tall grasses were favoured by both Long-tailed and Fan-tailed Widowbirds, Common Stone Chats and numerous Cape (Orange-throated) Longclaws.  We observed both Tawny-flanked and Black-chested Prinias, the tiny but attractive Bar-throated Apalis, together with Cape Robin-chats, Helmeted Guineafowl and Swainsons Spurfowl.  Golden Bishops were very much in evidence, matching the flowers with their daffodil yellow plumage.  We also saw the Didericks Cuckoo with its lovely green and white colouring.  Our personal highlight was the sighting of a lone Peregrine Falcon, which we have not seen at Suikerbosrand before, although they do occur there.  We also saw a large herd of eland – the largest antelope in Africa – as well as zebra, wildebeest and red hartebeest on the plains.

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