Full Magazine March 2020
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Promerops: Magazine of the Cape Bird Club Issue No. 316, March 2020 (Best viewed as two-page spread in Adobe Reader) PO BOX 2113 CLAREINCH 7740 Website: www.capebirdclub.org.za e-Mail: [email protected] CAPE BIRD CLUB COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND OTHER OFFICE BEARERS Hon. President Peter Steyn 021 685 3049 [email protected] COMMITTEE MEMBERS Chairman Priscilla Beeton 084 803 9987 [email protected] Vice-Chairman Johan Schlebusch 082 804 9025 [email protected] Treasurer Joy Fish 083 278 7374 [email protected] Secretary Barbara Jones 078 183 7560 [email protected] Membership Linda Merrett 021 685 7368 [email protected] Conservation Dave Whitelaw 021 671 3714 [email protected] e-Newsletter Cheryl Leslie 082 924 7035 [email protected] Camps & Support Gillian Barnes 021 782 5429 [email protected] Youth & Education Vince Ward 062 667 4361 [email protected] OTHER OFFICE BEARERS Information Sylvia Ledgard ————— [email protected] Book Sales Gavin & Anne Greig 021 794 7791 [email protected] Camps Gillian Barnes 021 782 5429 [email protected] Courses Johan Schlebusch 082 804 9025 [email protected] Media Liaison Linda Johnston 021 712 3707 [email protected] Meetings Priscilla Beeton 084 803 9987 [email protected] Outings Daryl de Beer 021 715 4374 [email protected] Promerops Fiona Jones 021 671 2594 [email protected] Sightings Simon Fogarty 021 701 6303 [email protected] Webmaster Gavin Lawson 021 705 5224 [email protected] THE CAPE BIRD CLUB IS AFFILIATED TO BIRDLIFE SOUTH AFRICA Please send your news, articles, travel reports, observations, Editing & Production: and comments to Fiona Jones at [email protected]. Fiona Jones The deadline for contributions to the next issue is 10 May 2020. Front cover Our charismatic Bird of the Year, Front cover photo: Johan Schlebusch and opposite : the Southern Ground-Hornbill Photo opposite: Frank Hallett The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those held by the Cape Bird Club. 3 March 2020 Promerops 316 Bev and Charles Bates, Howard Place IN THIS ISSUE … Susan Montgomery, Plumstead Kathleen Cohen, Noordhoek Club News ..………………………….…………………….… 4 Barry and Tamara Cohen and children, Bird’s Eye View ……………………………………..……….. 7 Samuel and Timothy, Noordhoek Two Outstanding Web Resources …….………... 8 Ian Jarvis, Kommetjie Shining light on renewable Nicky Parker, Stellenbosch energy’s darker side …………...…………………... 9 Linda Whitfield, Claremont Maureen Jennings, Claremont One swallow does not a summer make .. 12 Rebecca Ackermann and Armand Schneider, Anne Gray Memorial Camp ………………………….. 13 Somerset West Nurturing the Liesbeek ……………………………. 15 Rosalie Kingwill, Vredehoek Quest to protect our penguins ……………… 16 Simon Bernhardt and daughter, Micayla, Welcome Glen Winter garden birding surprises! ……………….. 19 Kathy Sutton, Marina da Gama Watching seabirds from Cape Point …….... 22 Andrew and Susan du Toit, Claremont Members’ Observations ……………………………… 22 Cornelia van Dyk, Grassy Park The Joys of Atlassing #1 ………………………... 24 Leanne Scott, Plumstead Jennifer Wallis, Pinelands Rarity Sightings ………………………………………. 26 Shaun McDermott, St. James CBC Programme ………………………………...…… 31 Sue and Tom Tweeddale, Sunningdale About our Bird of the Year 2020 ..…………… 39 Barbara Currin, Tokai We look forward to seeing you at our evening meetings where you can enjoy illustrated talks CLUB NEWS by experts on a variety of birding and related topics, and afterwards, stay for tea or coffee and biscuits and get to know your fellow members. Welcome to our new members! Please introduce yourself at our ’Welcome Desk’ We are delighted to welcome these new when you attend your first evening meeting. We members to the Cape Bird Club … also have regular field outings to a variety of excellent birding venues where you can see new Kerry Rudd, Diep River places, discover new birds, and make new Michelle van Asperen, Table View friends. The club also organises regular bird Trevor and Michele Watkins, Fish Hoek counts where you will be most welcome to come and indulge in some citizen science. You don’t Lydia Lacerda, Monte Vista need to be an expert birder! Please check the Sally Ann Noel, Riebeek West CBC Programme at the end of the magazine for Alfie Curling, Fish Hoek more details. Nicky Giannikos and Phil Harris and daughter Cassandra, Pinelands Thank you for your donations! Evlyn and Alfred Benjamin, Constantia Victoria Read, Blouberg Rise Our grateful thanks go to the following members for their generous donations: Linda Wiltshire, Clovelly Brenda Sudano, Pinelands Mr J de V van Zyl, Mrs SJ Brass, Dr JE Fincham, Debbie Stoffberg, Tokai Mr J Ragsdale, Prof RJ Baigrie, Dr W du Buy, Geraldine Jacobs, Kenilworth Mr LS Evans, Mr B Gibson, Mrs AT Zuyl, Mrs G Cherry Hochfelden, Simon’s Town Stark, Mr & Mrs R Davies, and Mrs GC Jensen. Johanna de Beer, Kenilworth Your donations are very much appreciated and Diana Darvall, Muizenberg will be put to good use! Jillian Davis, Llandudno March 2020 4 Promerops 316 EDITORIAL As I write this editorial at the start of a new decade, my thoughts (and I’m sure yours too) go out to the thousands of Australians affected by the terrible fires that are ravaging their country. And even more so, my heart goes out to the millions of animals caught up in this inferno. It has been estimated that by the end of January this year more than a billion animals had perished in the smoke and flames. This includes thousands of koalas, wallabies, kangaroos, possums, and many threatened bird species such as Regent Honeyeaters, Eastern Bristlebirds, and Glossy Black Cockatoos. And those that managed to survive the onslaught may still be facing starvation, or even extinction, due to the destruction of their feeding and breeding habitats. BirdLife Australia is fighting this crisis and will continue to do so long after the fires are extinguished. If you would like to support them and help Australia’s birds you can make a donation on the BLA website: https://birdlife.org.au/current-appeal. The abnormal ferocity of this year’s Australian fire season has been attributed by many to climate change, which brings us to two of the articles featured in this issue of Promerops. In South Africa, as in the rest of the world, climate change is endangering the habitats of birds and other animals. The introduction of wind power facilities could help to mitigate these threats to our environment – however, as we all know, wind turbines can be hazardous to our birdlife, especially raptors. But it is not all doom and gloom. In her article, Shining light on renewable energy’s darker side, Samantha Ralston-Paton, BirdLife South Africa’s Birds and Renewable Energy Project Manager, looks at the statistics of bird fatalities from turbine blades and outlines what can be done, and is being done, to minimise the negative effects of wind energy on our birds. (See page 9.) The other article pertaining to the effects of climate change deals with the plight of the African Penguin, whose food supply has dramatically declined along our west coast due to increasing ocean temperatures as well as industrial-scale fishing. Andrew de Blocq, BLSA’s Coastal Seabird Conservation Project Manager, outlines the predicament of our penguins, but also gives us hope by describing the research and mitigation measures that are being carried out in order to conserve and boost the dwindling populations of these iconic birds. See page 16 for his article: On a quest to protect our imperilled penguins. In this issue of Promerops we also celebrate the wonderful charismatic Southern Ground-Hornbill which has been declared Bird of the Year by BirdLife South Africa. Thank you to all those members who kindly shared their ground-hornbill photos with us. Fiona Jones NOTICE TO CONTRIBUTORS Is something ruffling Promerops is your magazine - written your feathers ? by CBC members, for CBC members. Contributions are invited in English or Afrikaans Can’t think of a gift for on birdwatching, birding news, bird behaviour, observations, birding trips, conservation or that special someone? research projects. English bird names should be Why not give fun, friendship, excitement, those listed in the latest BLSA Checklist of Birds new knowledge, and outdoor enjoyment? and Afrikaans names should be those listed in the latest BLSA Voëllys, both of which are Give them a gift subscription to available online at https://www.birdlife.org.za/ the Cape Bird Club ... media-and-resources/bird-checklists/. Please send your contributions the editor, Fiona and give delight for the whole year! Jones, at [email protected]. The Visit the Cape Bird Club website for more deadline for copy for the next issue is 10 May details: www.capebirdclub.org.za 2020. Yellow Bishop photo by Otto Schmidt 5 March 2020 Promerops 316 Jessie Walton receives her Owl Award CAPE BIRD CLUB AGM The ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the CAPE BIRD CLUB will take place at 20h00 on Thursday 12 March 2020 at the Nassau Centre, Groote Schuur High School, Palmyra Road, Newlands CAPE BIRD CLUB AGM AGENDA 1. Apologies 2. Confirmation of the Minutes of the previous AGM held in March 2019 Priscilla Beeton Priscilla 3. Matters arising from the Minutes Vernon presents Jessie with her award 4. Chairman’s Report, including abridged Jessie Walton was unfortunately unable to Conservation Report for the period attend BirdLife South Africa’s official award March 2019 to February 2020 ceremony in Johannesburg on 25 July 2019 to 6. Financial Report for the year ended 31 receive her Owl Award – so at the Cape Bird December 2019 Club’s outing to Jessie’s farm on Sunday 17 November, Vernon Head, a board member of 7. Election of Committee Members for BLSA, presented her with the award.