Bokmakierie Newsletter of the Witwatersrand Club

December 2020 No 259 Congratulations!

Congratulations to Hanneline Smit-Robinson on acheiving her registration as a Class A ringer. In order to satisfy the requirements of Class A permit Hanneline has had to ring as a minimum, over 500 individual of 50 different in conjunction with four other Class A permit holders. Hanneline is pictured here at Middlepunt with one of her first ringing acheivements. Bokmakierie Newsletter of the Witwatersrand Bird Club December 2020 No 259

Witwatersrand Bird Club Inside this issue: P O Box 641 Cresta 2118 2 Letter from the Chair Tel: 011 782 7267 3 South African Flufftails by Hugh Fax: 086 512 7696 Email: [email protected] Chittenden Web: www.witsbirdclub.org.za 11 Uk Overseas Territory Becomes One Of The World’s Biggest Sanctuaries 2020 Committee: For Wildlife by Martin Harper HON. PRESIDENT: Lance Robinson 13 Can Use Iridescent Colours To Communicate? CHAIRMAN: Andy Featherstone 15 Six Days in Kruger Park by Anthony VICE-CHAIRMAN: Paige Simons Cavanagh TREASURER: Sandy Goodall 19 Male Violet-eared Waxbill Transition COURSES: Fiona van Zyl Plumages by Hugh Chittenden CONSERVATION: Lance Robinson 24 A Record-Breaking BBD In The NW MEETINGS: Diana Cowen Province by Lance Robinson WEBSITE Paige Simons 27 Nest sharing – Ostriches at Ezemvelo by Lesley Cornish PROGRAMME: Karin Mitton 31 Eyes Not Bigger Than The Stomach EAST RAND CHAIR: Awie Coetzee by Rolf Wiesler HENLEY-ON-KLIP CHAIR: Ben Botha 32 Quiz Page WEST RAND CHAIR: Allan Weideman 33 Junior Member Page CLUB SECRETARY: Lauraine Leigh 34 Birding in the Caribbean: Part 2,

NOTICE TO CONTRIBUTORS Dominican Republic by Lesley Cornish Bokmakierie is published three times annually. Contribu- 42 Obituary: Willem Grobbelaar by Awie tions may be in Afrikaans or English. English names of birds should be those used in Roberts VII. Views expressed are Coetzee not necessarily those of the Editor, Club, the Committee, Members or those of BirdLife . The Editors 43 Abundance Of Prey Species Is Key reserve the right to edit articles as necessary. To Bird Diversity In Cities This issue of Bokmakierie has been produced and edited by Andy Featherstone and Lance Robinson. 45 Bird of the Year 2021 COVER PHOTO: Female Mocking Cliff by Lesley 47 Rarities and unusual sightings report: Cornish MAGAZINE LAYOUT: Andy Featherstone 30 November 2020 by André Marx

Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 | 1 Letter from the Chair review and amend to meet with Government our membership needs. regulations and restrictions We would particularly relating to the COVID-19 welcome suggestions for Pandemic. We will also talks and courses. continue to adhere to the The 2021 Annual General recommended precautions Meeting will also be held relating to social distancing, on Zoom on Thursday, 18th wearing of masks and recording of contact Dear Members, March, at 7pm. The intent is to keep the meeting as details while these are the A decision was taken at efficient and as short as necessary measures to our annual Committee possible. Do diarise to join take. Bosberaad in November us as a talk by Rick Nuttall We realise that in order to close our physical office on the Birds and Birding in for our Club grow and to at Delta Park. Lauraine the Memel District will also continue into the future, we has been working from feature as part of our AGM. need to try and attract and home since March, and As part of the online birding retain younger members. for the foreseeable future, Diana Cowen has put her therefore the office is not offering, we extend our congratulations to BirdLife hand up to oversee the being used and, due to the role of providing birding rental costs associated, it South Africa and their team for providing regular activities geared towards makes economic sense the youth, along with Johan to close it. Lauraine will Tuesday evening webinars on a range of interesting de Jager of the West Rand continue in her role as Satellite. If you have young Club Secretary and will be topics throughout the lockdown. Although they family members or know available as before. As a someone to which this result of the office closure, are taking a break for the December holidays, we offering may appeal to, we will be disposing of please let us know so that various items of office understand that a new season of Webinars will we can coordinate with furniture and books, these them going forward. We will be advertised for sale commence on the 19th January 2021. would also welcome any to members in due course. thoughts and suggestions All records and necessary The Programme Planning on how we can best provide documents will be retained Committee met in an interesting and varied and stored elsewhere. November and we will be programme for more junior For the first part of the year issuing a full programme for members. we will continue with our the period January – May 2021. We have included In closing, I would like to Monthly Meetings on offer wish you the compliments via the Zoom platform, a varied mix of traditional and new venues as well a of the season, a peaceful alternating between holiday and safe travels Thursday evenings and couple of long weekends for your enjoyment. All to those of you who are Saturday afternoons. venturing further afield. We would welcome outings and physical events your feedback, whether will remain subject to review positive or negative, so and may be cancelled or Andy Featherstone that we may constantly postponed in accordance

2 | Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 South African Flufftails Text and Photos by Hugh Chittenden

Ever wondered why flufftails are called ‘flufftails’? It’s somewhat of an odd name for a family group, because not all flufftails have wispy, decomposed, fluffy tail feathers! Admittedly though, as a family group, they do have much softer tail feathers than most non-. Of the 4 species that occur in South Africa, Red-chested definitely wins first prize for having the most fluffy tail! The closest thing to an ‘air- brush’ that I know of, and would be at home on any woman’s bedroom dresser! Below: Three tail examples, all males.

Interestingly, females have a greater degree of tail ‘decomposition’ than males, especially in Buff-spotted and Striped, even though they occupy completely different habitats. And of course, their tails look less fluffy when wet. I consider myself very privileged to have photographed all four flufftail species that occur in South Africa. Well, not quite, but almost four! There are nine Flufftail species on the continent of Africa (incl Madagascar). Five spe- cies in southern Africa, and four in South Africa.

Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 | 3 Red-chested Flufftail This species occupies the dampest habitat in the region. If you walk into the edge of a shallow reed bed, where you are standing in mud or in shallow water, try lying down on the mud with your eyes a few centimetre above the water or mud (below, left), and take a ground level look at what’s in front of you. Whether you’re at 6000 ft above sea level, or at 6 ft above sea level, this is the chosen habitat of Red-chested Flufftail. This is where they spend their lives, skipping over shallow water or soft mud, from one patch of vegetation to the next. Red-chested is one of the most widespread flufftail species on the continent.

4 | Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 Broad, dense undertail coverts that merge with the tail, giving it the appearance of having a thickset, fluffy tail.

Like most flufftails, frustratingly shy, always alert, and ever on the ready to scamper off in a flash!

Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 | 5 Striped Flufftail A species of moist, dense grassland, often along grassy hillside seeps, or adjacent small grassland streamlets. The chosen habitat of Striped Flufftail. The Striped Flufftail photos below were taken in the Drakensberg, 2000 masl. The photo on the right shows the damp grass territory occupied by this pair of flufftails.

6 | Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 Below: A male Striped Flufftail cautiously crossing a small open patch of moist upland grassland.

Below: The male in a more relaxed mode, stretches his wings. This is the most difficult species to see in the region if one excludes the critically endangered White-winged Flufftail.

Below: The male in a more relaxed mode, stretches his wings.

Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 | 7 Buff-spotted Flufftail - the region’s finest ventriloquist The ‘easiest’ flufftail to see in the region, although none of these secretive birds is anywhere near ‘easy’ to see! What strikes me most about this shy forest, or thicket species is its voice throwing capability. It is a remarkable ventriloquist, second to none in the region. Nearly 40 years ago, I remember hearing a Buff-spotted calling at the bottom of a well-wooded ravine. I quietly made my way down there and crawled the final few metres till I was sure that I was only metres from this elusive, haunting bird. Somehow the bird seemed to be moving to the left. Search as hard as I could, I couldn’t see a hint of any movement, nor hear the rustle of a leaf on the ground! This continued over a period of about 5 - 10 minutes, and all the while, I continued to shift my angle on the ground until I’d turned a full 360 degrees. How could the bird, which seemed only 4 or 5 metres away, have circled me without me even getting a glimpse of the ‘ghost’! Finally, and in sheer frustration, I made my way out that valley thicket, wondering where I’d gone wrong. Years later, I read of someone who’d been making a sound recording of this species, using a parabolic dish. Because the operator couldn’t locate the direction (origin) of the call, as indicated to him by the volume needle on his recording device, he swung the parabolic dish over, to face it in the opposite direction, and as he did so, the volume needle climbed, indicating that the source of the call was directly above his head!!!! That’s when the penny dropped! I’d been deceived by this 16 cm bird with its uncanny ventriloquistic capabilities. It was on a branch above me, turning slowly, and projecting its call in a different direction as it moved around on the branch! Indeed, the finest ventriloquist in the country. Below: A male Buff-spotted Flufftail drinking at a pond in the garden of Frank & Lorna Rautenbach at Mtunzini.

8 | Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 Below: A male Buff-spotted Flufftail brooding one chick, and standing next to the other.

Below: The male Buff-spotted Flufftail brooding two chicks, & one of the chicks wading through shallow water. Buff-spotted Flufftails bathe and drink regularly.

I was also privileged to be invited to photograph a Buff-spotted Flufftail nest in

Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 | 9 Melmoth by a friend, Don Leitch. These birds were breeding in the leaf litter below a low bush at the lower end of his garden. Below: The female rises off the white eggs in the nest to turn them with her bill (left), the male incubating (centre), and, the female incubating (right).

By now, you’ll no doubt be wanting to know how it is that I claim to have photographed the fourth flufftail species within South Africa, White-winged. Technically true, but actually, not really!!! Like a limited number of lucky South Africans, only at a distance! Below: My good friend and colleague, Greg Davies pointing to a White-winged Flufftail in full flight over one of the sedge meadows at Middlepunt where he and Adrian Craig were doing official flufftail work in 2013. The bird was photographed from 50 m away with a short lens, so yes, I have managed to photograph a White-winged Flufftail!! You can just see the white secondaries as it flies away on the right! This is the habitat of this critically endangered breeding bird, lightly flooded, knee to waist high sedge beds of the highveld.

Acknowledgments: I thank the following who helped in various ways to facilitate the enjoyable pastime of flufftail photography. In alphabetical order, Derek Coley, Greg Davies, Don Leitch, Alwyn Schultz & Lorna Rautenbach. Also, thanks to David Allan, Durban Natural Science Museum, for photos of Museum study skins.

10 | Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 Uk Overseas Territory Becomes One Of The World’s Biggest Sanctuaries For Wildlife Text By Martin Harper

Here is some excellent news to bring you cheer. Today (13th November 2020), the Government and people of Tristan da Cunha have announced a new 700,000 km2 Marine Protection Zone which will be the biggest no-take area in the Atlantic. The Tristan islanders will become guardians of one of the world’s most pristine marine environments where no fishing or extractive activities will be permitted. It is a phenomenal achievement and builds on Tristan’s long history of protecting its unique environment. It means that more than 4.3 million km2 of some of the world’s most precious marine environment – 1% of all the world’s oceans - will be protected as part of the UK Government’s Blue Belt Programme. This latest success is the result of 20 years of hard work, It began with the RSPB working with the Government of Tristan da Cunha to lay the conservation ground work and support Tristan’s exemplary management of its sustainable lobster fishery. There was then a five-year programme of UK Government Blue Belt support, followed by an international coalition of partners who have generously supported the final phase. The RSPB along with National Geographic also partnered with the Blue Nature Alliance, Becht Family Charitable Trust together with Blue Marine Foundation, Wyss Foundation, Kaltroco and Don Quixote II Foundation to enable this large-scale declaration. I have never been to Tristan and probably never will go. But from the films (for example see here) that I have seen and from the stories that know it well, the waters that surround

Tristan da Cunha - photographer unknown

Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 | 11 Flying fish image courtesy of Andy Schofield from the RSPB who, along with another of my colleagues Jonathan Hall, has worked tirelessly within the partnership to make this happen

Tristan are some of the richest in the world. Tens of millions of seabirds soar above the waves, penguins and seals cram onto the beaches, threatened sharks breed offshore and mysterious whales feed in the deep-water canyons. And now, from today, we can say all of this is protected. Commenting on this news, our Chief Executive Beccy Speight said “In 2020 the importance of having nature in our lives has never been clearer. While Tristan da Cunha may be far away in distance it is still close to our hearts and protecting it is still the UK’s responsibility. Closer to home, the crisis facing nature is also huge. So huge that our wellbeing, our economic future, and our very survival depend on the choices we make now about the natural world. We need politicians to emulate the leadership of this small community to help us build the world we all want to live in. We hope today’s fantastic announcement is the first of many more that help revive our world.” And, the Prime Minister Boris Johnson has used this announcement to lay down a gauntlet to others by saying, “I am now calling on other nations to join us in our ambition to protect 30 per cent of the world’s ocean by 2030. We need collective global action if we are to bequeath a world that is every bit as wonderful and magnificent as the one we inherited.” I would like to extend my congratulations to all that have helped to make this happen.

12 | Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 Can Animals Use Iridescent Colours To Communicate?

Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna) showing iridescent ‘gorget’ feathers. (© Wade Tregaskis)

A new paper from the University of Melbourne reveals how animals use beautiful but unreliable iridescent colours as communication signals. Special adaptations enable animals to control how these shifting colours appear so that they can convey reliable information. The new work now published in Trends in Ecology and Evolution draws together studies from across the kingdom to discover how animals control the appearance of iridescent colours in nature. “Iridescence is tricky to study because the hue that you see depends on the position of the viewer and the direction of light,” said senior author, Dr. Amanda Franklin from

Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 | 13 the School of BioSciences. “That means that iridescent colours change constantly, so it’s hard to see how they can convey reliable information. The number one rule for communication is that the information must be reliable—it’s the same for both animals and humans!” But paradoxically, iridescent colours, like dazzling butterfly wings or dramatic peacock feathers, are widespread in the natural world. Co-author and Ph.D. student Leslie Ng explains: “By studying how animals detect and process iridescence, we can get a better idea of when iridescence is actually a useful communication signal. Reliable iridescent signals usually come with behavioural or physical adaptations that help animals control the visual effect. For example, male Anna’s hummingbirds precisely control their courtship flights so that their iridescent throats appear a constant bright pink colour to watchful females.” Dr. Franklin said organisms can do beautiful things with light. “Through evolution, they have adapted microstructures to produce specific effects. Some use microstructures to control the precise angle at which the hue of iridescent colours appears to shift. In this way, they control the information they communicate with colour.” Ms Ng said many studies suggest iridescent colours are important for courtship or camouflage but rarely consider how these flashy signals are actually seen by animals. “Because of this, we know very little about how iridescence is processed in the animal’s brain.” The detection of iridescent signals also depends on how organisms display colour patches, and the physical position of both the signaller and viewer. For example, an iridescent colour can be processed differently if it is flashed quickly, or if the colours are fast-moving. Lead author, Professor Devi Stuart-Fox, said the insights shed new light on the colourful world of animal communication and highlight the challenges of studying accurately how iridescent colours work in nature. “Nature provides a testing ground for the detection and processing of dynamic and colourful signals,” she said. “Understanding how animals reliably use and produce these shifting signals can help the development of bio-inspired iridescent materials designed for human Adult Male Amethyst Sunbird - photo by observers.” Warwick Tarboton

14 | Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 Six Days in Kruger Park Text & Photos By Anthony Cavanagh

After having experienced months of lockdown with no inter-provincial travel, it was with great relief and expecta- tion that Sue and I set off for the Kruger Park in mid-Sep- tember. Our reservation for July had been rescheduled to September and, in order to maximise our six-day stay in the park, we decided to stay overnight in Phalaborwa in order to have a full day in the park from day one. The Golf African Skimmers at Sable Dam Lodge on the Hans Merensky Estate in Phalaborwa was the ideal stopover and from the verandah of our lodge, we observed giraffe, ostrich and impala wandering across the golf course. The next morning we entered the park and underwent the strict Covid compliance measures which involved having our temperature taken and then filling out the dec- laration form declaring ourselves healthy and virus free. We had heard that African Skimmers, a rarity in South Africa, were nesting at Sable dam just ten km along the H9 road. We duly arrived at the dam and started scanning the area with our binoculars. Af- ter a half-hour of fruitless searching for the Skimmers, a herd of some fifty buffalo came down to drink at the water’s edge. Suddenly, a pair of Skimmers took flight having been disturbed by the buffalo and proceeded to fly around the dam, thus offering a superb photo opportunity. The Skimmers derive their name from their method of flying low over the water with their lower mandible skimming the surface of the water which then snaps shut on contact with any fish. We made our way slowly up towards Mopani and on route had great sightings of lion, elephant, roan antelope and many raptors including Black-chested and Brown Snake Eagles, Tawny Eagle and Yellow-billed Kite. In a tree at the side of the road and just one kilometre from Mopani camp, we saw the tail and legs of a leopard dangling from a branch. The rest of the leopard was obscured by the tree foliage but after waiting patiently for some twenty minutes, the leopard sat up and peered out of the foliage, just long enough for me to take a unique photo of the leopard’s face surrounded by leaves. Later that evening we had a superb sighting of a wild dog pack sitting obligingly on the road, and our second leopard sighting. Each evening at Mopani just before sun-

Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 | 15 Spot the Leopard! African Wild Dog set, thousands of Red-billed Quelea would fly in formation over the river and land in echelons on the sandy banks, as if carefully choreographed, thus covering the sand for many square metres. Then, moments later, each squadron would take off again in strict order and the whole performance would be repeated half a dozen times. Places well worth a visit in the Mopani area include the Mooiplaas picnic spot where Phineas, the resident site caretaker, found two African Scops Owls for us, as well as a number of fruit bats resting peacefully in the trees, and the Pioneer bird hide and Pioneer dam. Larger birds seen in these parts included Saddle-billed, Marabou and Woolly-necked Storks, African Openbill, Double-banded Sandgrouse and Red-crested Korhaan. On our way south to Olifants, our next camp, we took the S62 gravel road just north of Letaba to Matambani bird hide where, from this elevated position, we had excellent sightings of Goliath, Green-backed, and Grey Heron, numerous wading birds, as well as elephant, hippo, and crocodiles, some of which were sunning themselves and some were gliding ominously through the water. Further along the S62 the road borders the Letaba river and when parking off on this section the abundant birdlife we noted in the adjacent bush included Little Bee-eater, African , Long-billed Crombec, Orange-breasted Bush-shrike and Golden-breasted Bunting. Only after a few minutes did we notice a female steenbok sitting quietly and very still just metres from the car. Another pack of wild dogs was observed along the H1-6 and while on the bridge over the Olifants River, we noticed an Osprey and a Wahlberg’s Eagle that had the not so common very dark plumage and cream coloured head feathers. Baboons remain a

Thank You for Your Donation George Patterson Karin Wiesler Wicus Swanepoel

16 | Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 Basking Crocodile African Elephant problem at Olifants camp and at meal times one has to be vigilant as these masters of smash and grab will be off with a food article in a split second. Some of the rangers fired catapults to chase away the offending baboons. Also around the camp were the very inquisitive Dwarf Mongoose. On drives from Olifants, we had excellent sightings of leopard, lion, hyena, buffalo, Black-backed Jackal and yet another pack of wild dog. Notable bird sightings included Common Scimitarbill, Burchell’s Coucal, European and White-fronted Bee-eaters, Brubru, White-crested Helmet-Shrike, Southern Ground Hornbill and the stunning Violet-eared Waxbill. Our final port of call was Satara, the only main camp in the park not situated on a riv- er. The layout of the chalets positioned to form wide circles allows for excellent bird viewing in the camp and from our chalet we saw Brown-headed Parrot, Bearded and Golden Tailed Woodpecker, Green Wood-hoopoe, African Hoopoe and African Mourn- ing Dove. The S37 Trichardt Road, so named as it follows the path taken by the ill-fated Voortrekker expedition of Louis Trichardt, takes one through flat knobthorn and marula

Leopard Burchell’s Coucal

Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 | 17 Dark morph Wahlberg’s Eagle Secretarybird grasslands. In this area, we came across many giraffes, zebras and wildebeest as well as reedbuck, rock monitor and Secretarybird. At the Sweni hide, we watched elephants come and go, buffalo, Nile monitor, numerous wading birds and a pair of African Fish Eagles vocalising one of the most recognisable calls of the African bush. During the six days, leopards were sighted on three occasions, lions half a dozen times, and most of the larger diurnal mammals on numerous occasions. We also identified 143 bird species. Rhinos were conspicuous by their absence which may be as a result of poaching over the years but further south in the park rhino are often seen and appear to be quite numerous.

Male Lion Female Common Duiker

18 | Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 Male Violet-eared Waxbill Transition Plumages Text and Photos by Hugh Chittenden

Molopo Game Reserve - September 2020 The following age progression photos were taken at a game drinking point in this reserve, in the North-West Province, just south of the Botswanan border. Below: Adult female (left) and male (right) Violet-eared Waxbills

Above: An adult female (left), and a recently fledged juvenile male (right).

Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 | 19 The plumage of juvenile male Violet-eared Waxbills is not too dissimilar to that of adult females. Separation of young juvenile males is best done by targeting the chin and throat region for dark, blackish feathers as they emerge. These show on the juvenile male on the right. Within weeks, the chin & throat of males become black, as they start to develop chestnut blotching to their underparts.

20 | Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 Within months, the pale (blotched) juvenile plumage is replaced with the chestnut plumage of adults.

Below: Female (left), transition male (right). Far right: A transition male.

Below: Older juveniles.

Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 | 21 Below: A mixed group of adult, immature and juvenile males.

These waxbills need to drink daily, so are confined to areas where water in the vicinity is available.

22 | Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 Finally, a proud chestnut plumaged adult male with violet cheeks, standing on the red Kalahari sands.

Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 | 23 A Record-Breaking BBD In The NW Province Text By Lance Robinson

Bushwillow birders from L-R: Dylan Vasapolli, Leon Spies, Hanneline Smit-Robinson, and Lance Robinson - photo by Dylan Vasapolli

The annual BirdLife South Africa Birding when a bolt of lightning struck somewhere Big Day (BBD) is a competition where a little too close for comfort and saw to a a team records all bird species seen, or power outage at the Bushwillow estate, heard, during a 24-hour period, limited on the shores of Vaalkop Dam, for the rest to a 50km radius around a central point. of the weekend. We recorded our first All birds are equal and even rarities only bird species at 02h40 with a call from a score one point. The 36th BBD was held Spotted Thick-knee and then tuned in to from midnight on Friday 27th to midnight a further 13 bird species calling in the first on Saturday 28th November 2020. hour, well before dawn. This list included Red-chested Cuckoo, Woodland Our day got off with a literal bang at 01h30 Kingfisher, Red-crested Korhaan and we

24 | Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 fortunate to locate most of our target birds such as Bennett’s Woodpecker; Meyer’s Parrot and Shaft- tailed Whydah and then backtracked a little to include a short stop at Roodekoppies Dam for some more water birds and an unexpected Western Osprey.

Red-headed Weaver at Bushwillow Estate - photo by Dylan We then traveled towards Vasapolli Rustenburg, adding Pale Chanting Goshawk as a were happy to add nocturnal species such roadside bird before getting to Rockwall as Spotted Eagle-Owl (seen) and a calling Dam, a productive dam that many of the Southern White-faced Owl to our list. A north-west province teams visited during Rufous-cheeked Nightjar was churring the day. Here we added Greater Painted- away as the light slowly appeared on the Snipe (an unexpected bonus) and Cape horizon and, at last, the iconic call of the Shoveler and Lesser Flamingo to the list, Fiery-necked Nightjar was added too. among others. There was still much electrical activity in With generally overcast conditions and the air and the dawn chorus was somewhat light rain at times, the weather played subdued, however, we managed to along to our benefit and kept the birds get to 100 species by 05h55. Highlights active. Our route included the Breedtsnek from the Vaalkop Dam bird sanctuary included Little Bee-Eater; Northern Black Korhaan and a stunning pair of Secretarybird. From Bushwillow Estate, we shifted our focus to the area below the dam wall and, at 09h00, our list stood at 171. We left Vaalkop Dam to go birding in the Assen area, hoping to pick up a suite of species to be found in the broadleaf habitat there. We were Southern Black Tit at Bushwillow Estate - photo by Dylan Vasapolli

Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 | 25 Sun City road was not for the faint-hearted with many apparently careless drivers and not recommended in the dark. Safely home, it didn’t take long before we were all asleep after a long but very rewarding day. Overall, we had a great day out birding with our friends and we were reminded of how richly endowed Vaalkop Dam Unexpected Greater Painted-Snipe at Rockwall Dam - photo by and the surrounding area Lance Robinson towards and including the Pass (4x4 required) in the Magaliesberg for Magaliesberg is in terms of bird life. We another guild of species which included managed to record 269 species in one Mocking Cliff Chat; Mountain Wheatear day and were elated to find out this was and Nicholson’s (formerly Long-billed) a new provincial record (previously 244). Pipit. It was now late in the afternoon and Our team ranked joint 11th nationally, the we descended to the grasslands south winning team recorded an incredible 335 of the mountain range. Here our target species in the Lowveld. The Bushwillow birds included Long-tailed Widowbird, Birders are eagerly looking forward to Cape Longclaw, and, in a wetland, Red- returning to the north-west and participate chested Flufftail. in BBD 2021. We went back up the Breedtsnek Pass to get some night birds and added calling Freckled Nightjar, African Scops Owl, and a MEGA – a sighting of a Cape Eagle-Owl. The light was fading fast and we started making our way back to Bushwillow via Rustenburg. Our drive home on the Welcome New Members Anchen Dreyer Elton Hill Peter Moni Bromhof Natasha O’Reilly Bedfordview Shashika Singh Fontainebleau

26 | Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 Nest sharing – Ostriches at Ezemvelo Text And Photos By Lesley Cornish

You know your eyesight is getting bad when you go out to look for francolins and you end up spending time with Common Ostriches! It was our first weekend away since the Lockdown started, and we had booked a weekend at Ezemvelo in early October, because it is within Gauteng. We had a lovely weekend, looking at Ant- eating Chats, Cape Longclaws, Northern Black Korhaans, and Major female Common Ostrich on the nest, and minor failing (once again) to find a female nearby certain mythical francolin. Errol had noticed a female ostrich lying down quite near to the road, on the main road to reception from the entrance gate. Was it nesting?. In the afternoon, we saw another female nearby, but we did not think too much about it. About two hours later we were coming back and, this time, both females were standing. This looked more interesting, because one appeared agitated, with her wings out and tail raised. So we stopped and waited a reasonable distance away (but got the long lens out). We could see the cloaca of that ostrich was open, and soon she got right down, and appeared to lay an egg. Very soon afterwards, she got up, both females appeared to inspect the eggs, and then the major female (whose nest it was) appeared to gently push the egg-laying female way. Several times we could see the major female’s bill was open, but we were too far away to see anything. Wanting to know more about what had happened, I consulted Brian C.R. Bertram’s “The Ostrich Communal Nesting System” Minor female with wings out and tail up. Both were standing

Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 | 27 when we got home. The sex ratio is biased towards the females, so without a promiscuous mating and nesting system, many females would not breed, and apparently nearly all males breed. It must be remembered that an ostrich egg is a major food item (if it can be opened), so the nests are commonly predated. If an egg is broken, the smell of the egg contents attracts predators and scavengers. The Minor female had her head near the eggs (surmised). Major culprits are hyenas, jackals, female standing by Egyptian Vultures (not very likely in Southern Africa) and humans. To optimise their breeding opportunities, ostriches have developed a unique nesting season. A male ostrich will mainly start to associate with one female, who becomes the “major female”. He makes several “scrapes” using his feet and takes the female to them. They mate just before or just after the male makes the scrape, and she chooses one of the Minor female had tail raised and her cloaca was opening scrapes, and lays her first egg in it. She does not start incubating straight away, but stays close to the nest, presumably to protect it. The male then leads other females to the nest. Males have small and compact territories which overlap with more than one female territory, whereas females have straggly territories which can overlap several male territories. Once there is a female on his nest, the male looks for other females to mate with, and they lay their Minor female started to crouch

28 | Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 eggs in the major female’s nest. The females lay an egg every second day, and usually the minor females lay their eggs on the days where the major female does not lay. Meanwhile, the major female usually lays all her eggs in her nest, every other day, up to about 10 eggs. About three weeks later, she starts to incubate, and it is about 42 days until the eggs hatch. An ostrich Minor female was on the ground, with cloaca still open. can incubate 19 or 20 eggs Major female had her bill open effectively. The major female incubates during the day, and the male during the night. Soon after hatching, the precocial chicks can leave, but are protected by the male and the major female. Sometimes one couple will gather the chicks of other “pairs” (some will have hatched from minor females), to form large creches. Why did such a strange system evolve? First, there is the excess of females, as Minor female had got up, but her head was near the eggs well as the high predation of (surmised). Major female has her bill open the nests. This encouraged one pair to look after the eggs and allow the minor females to peaceably lay eggs in the nest (aggressiveness might cause egg breakage, leading to predation). Also, the major female pushes eggs which she did not lay to the edge, and her eggs are protected by dilution, i.e. the crowd effect which is why prey animals form herds. Females can also swop status, so a female might mate with Both females appeared to inspect the eggs one male and lay as a minor

Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 | 29 female in his nest, but later meet another male at the right time, and become the major female. Conversely, a major female could lose her next due to predation, and then become a minor female in another nest.

Major female seemed to be pushing the minor female away, and the minor female could be appeasing with her wings out

Minor female started to leave. Major female stayed by the nest

30 | Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 Eyes Not Bigger Than The Stomach Text And Photos By Rolf Wiesler

As an amateur photographer I try not to leave my camera at home as you never know what might happen. While Karin and I were driving up a sand road to enjoy the view from Rhodes Memorial in Cape Town, we saw a Black-headed Heron standing in the grasslands on the side of the road. We stopped to look at it and noticed that it had something large in its bill. After retrieving our binoculars and camera, we established that it was a really large rodent - that looked way too big for a prey item. We watched this heron for about 20 minutes. During this time the heron, in-between trying to swallow it, smashed the rodent on the ground, maybe in an attempt soften it up. Eventually the heron did managed to swallow it whole. After downloading the photographs we identified the rodent as a mole rat. Even after referring to the Roberts Bird Guide 2 Application which states “Food – diverse, invertebrates, small mammals, reptiles and birds (up to dove size)”, it is still mind boggling to know that it managed to swallow such a large item, as well as to witness the struggle needed by the heron to eat such a large meal.

Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 | 31 Quiz Page CROSSWORD NO. 3

All the answers have a connection to birds or relate to bird names, either in part or in full, included in the Southern African list of birds.

1 2 3 4 5 6 ACROSS DOWN 7 1 Cry baby bird, acccording to 1 This eagle is dressed to the nursery rhyme (7) walk (6) 8 9 10 4 Grumpy Bittern (5) 2 Green and red bird (6) 11 8 End of a bird (4) 3 … a bird (3) 12 13 14 9 Short tailed eagle (8) 5 Tree warbler (6) 12 Goddess of wild animals (5) 6 Red hot night bird (5) 15 16 17 18 19 13 Black-tailed bird (6) 7 Mammal or Hawk (3) 20 15 Type of barbet (6) 10 First name of von Bayern 21 22 23 17 Indigobirds (5) female Jackdaw owner (7) 24 21 Barbets, Flycatchers & 11 Akalat compass point (4) Sunbirds can be this (8) 14 Bird of peace (4) 25 26 23 Neither fish nor (4) 16 Two Bishops and two 25 Little job (5) Canarys are this (6) 26 Very talkative bird (7) 18 This bird has a forked tail (6) 19 Type of Gallinule (6) 20 A genus of robins (5) 22 A Lark and a Bishop (3) 24 Night bird (3) BIRD QUIZ NO. 3

1. What is the national bird of (Swaziland)? 2. What is the collective noun for bitterns? 3. Which bird has an eye which is bigger than its brain? 4. Which is the smallest bird in the world? 5. What is the difference between precocial and altricial? 6. Which famous explorer has three birds, a mammal and an insect named after him, name the explorer and the species? 7. What is the Afrikaans name for a Crested Barbet? 8. Name the seven species of bird that have the word eared in their common names? 9. How many species of Chat are there in Southern Africa? Name them? 10. Approximately how many species of bird are currently recognised worldwide: 8,000, 10,000 or 12,000?

WORD LADDER NO. 3

Lewis Carroll is widely credited with the invention of the Word Ladder puzzle, the first T E A appearing in Vanity Fair on 29 March, 1879. In this puzzle, you need to change one word P E A into another, by altering one letter at a time. However, the positions of each letter must P E T remain the unchanged. Here is an example, changing the word TEA to POT: P O T

Now try: B A L D

C O O T

Answers to all the above quizzes can be found on page 41.

32 | Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 Junior Member Page Easy Ways to Get Kids Birding - By Marina Pita, Audubon Community Programmes Manage

Kids are natural explorers. Here are some tips and games to encourage that impulse from Audubon experts. Birding is awe-inspiring. It connects us with a sense of place, and gets us outside to explore our neighborhoods and towns. It’s also great for travel: One of my favorite things to do when I visit a new place is to go for a walk in the morning to see what species I encounter. So how do you make this wonderful pastime more engaging for children? I’m the Community Programs Manager at Seattle’s Seward Park Audubon Center, and I often bird with a young crowd in tow through the ancient woods of Washington’s Bailey Peninsula. Here are the strategies I use to keep little birders absorbed for hours (or minutes) on end. (Ed: adapted for use in South Africa) How to Bird Start off by reminding kids that birds are hard to spot, but easy to hear. Have them close their eyes and listen. Can they point to where the song is coming from? I like to teach common mnemonics like the Ring-necked (Cape Turtle) Dove’s how’s father, how’s father, how’s father, which can be picked up on almost any bird walk in South Africa. Learn some mnemonics for common birdsong here. Where to Go You don’t need to go far. Birds can be seen on the city street as well as in parks, gardens, and nature preserves. It does help if you can stick to areas near water if you can. You’re likely to spy herons, egrets, and coots, which are easier for kids to see. Plus . . . ducklings! What to Look For Striking out on live birds? Point out the signs they leave behind such as nests, cracked seeds, whitewash (poop), or owl pellets. Which Optics to Use Binoculars can be very hard for young children to learn how to use. Kids also have trouble looking through spotting scopes. Instead, focus on staying still and looking for the movements of birds and other animals. Or, for more fun, make a pair of DIY cardboard binoculars to get your kid into practice.

Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 | 33 Birding in the Caribbean: Part 2, Dominican Republic Text & Photos By Lesley Cornish

Limestone islands off the coast of the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic (the major part and wilder parts with a network of small of the Hispaniola Island – the other part roads: prime birding habitats with good is Haiti) is larger than Puerto Rico and, access! Before we even entered, we had therefore, has more species. We had seen Antillean Palm Swifts (endemic) and arrived in the late afternoon and there was Hispaniola Parakeets (endemic). Next, no time to go birding, so we checked into we went in search of Palmchats which our hotel. We then went out to dinner in the are gregarious and quite noisy, as well as old part of the city, and drank a new local being the Dominican Republic’s national beer, Presidente, (but not as nice as Puerto bird, and an endemic family. They were Rico’s Manga). The following morning, we easy to find, and we saw them every day. went to the National Botanical Gardens We also saw Hispaniolan Woodpecker which has open areas for the public, (endemic), and (also seen in Puerto Rico)

34 | Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 is amazing, much bubblier than one would expect from a crow. We saw Hispaniolan Lizard-cuckoo (endemic) and Broad- billed Tody (endemic). As dusk came, we called up a Greater Antillean Nightjar (endemic), which gave us a magnificent fly-by. I was so entranced with it that I forgot to attempt a photograph! The next day was a long one. We got Hispaniolan Parakeet, endemic up really early and by 4h00 we were on our way up into the mountains in a convoy of 4x4s, on a rough track, the main mountain being Zapoten. We had been recommended by the owner to take the “airplane” pillows from our rooms to protect our necks on the bumpy ride – they helped! The reason we had to get there early was to see two species

Palmchats, endemic, the Dominican Republic’s national bird Red-legged Thrush (endemic to the West Indies). A particularly good sighting was of the Vervain Hummingbird (endemic to the West Indies), which at 6 – 7 cm long is the second smallest hummingbird in the world (the smallest is the Bee Hummingbird from Cuba, at 5 -6 cm Male Hispaniolan Woodpecker, endemic in length). We had our first sightings of Black-crowned Palm (endemic), and then West Indian Whistling Ducks (endemic to the West Indies). We also saw a migratory Ovenbird. Leaving the Gardens, we drove north towards the mountainous Sierra de Barahuaco National Park. We managed to squeeze in some late afternoon birding, seeing the White-necked Crow (endemic), which has white that is only seen as it bends its head forward. The call Black-crowned Palm-, endemic

Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 | 35 Solitaire, as well as the endemic Western Chat Tanager (part of an endemic family). We found many of the endemics: Antillean Piculet, Hispaniolan , Green-tailed Warbler and White-winged Warbler (neither being true warblers, but they are in the same endemic family as the Black-crowned Palm-Tanager), Greater Antillean Bullfinch, Hispaniolan Emerald, Hispaniolan Peewee (great, West Indian Whistling-duck, endemic since we did not see the Puerto Rican one), Hispaniolan Cross-bill, Hispaniolan Euphonia and Antillean Siskin. Another good find was the endemic Narrow-billed Tody, which replaces the Broad-billed Tody at higher elevations. We also saw some of the wintering North American

Standing on Zapoten Mountain looking at the deforested areas and the sea. Behind is the highland forest of thrush on the track, and these are easiest to see before dawn, because afterwards they disappear into the forest. We saw both and could tell them Green-tailed Warbler, endemic apart because the endemic La Selle Thrush is much larger than the migratory Bicknell’s Thrush. Seeing the latter was a huge bonus because the migratory Grey-cheeked Thrush is almost identical (especially in the near dark!) but does not migrate to the Dominican Republic. (Tick!) We wolfed down a packed breakfast and then carried on birding, and now we could see the forest on either side, and we were treated to small bird parties passing through. Another good West Indies endemic was the Rufous-throated Hispaniolan Crossbill, endemic

36 | Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 American Flamingo, Black-necked Stilt, Greater Yellowlegs, possible White- rumped Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, Semi- palmated Plover, Blue-winged Teal, White-cheeked Pintail, Shiny Cowbirds, White Ibis and Yellow (or Mangrove) Warbler. A new place, mainly pine forest, meant new birds, the chief of which was the Broad-billed Tody, endemic endemic Palm Crow, which forms flocks. The plan to find these birds was “wait for them to come to us”! (I was a bit dubious with this approach). However, as we arrived at the picnic site, they were already calling (musically for a crow) and some landed nearby to check us out. After a few minutes, and probably seeing that we were not dangerous nor doling

Prairie Warbler, migrant migrants: Black-throated Blue Warbler, Cape May Warbler and Black and White Warbler, all of which were in breeding plumage. After the packed lunch, on the way back, we saw the shy and skulking Bay-breasted Cuckoo (endemic), Yellow- faced Grassquit and the migratory Prairie American Flamingos, residents warbler. Just before dusk, we went searching for White-fronted Quail-doves (endemic) and found a pair. Before leaving this wonderful region, we had another early morning birding session, and found some new birds: Hispaniolan Oriole (endemic), Flat-billed Vireo (endemic) and Northern Parula (migrant on passage). We had a long drive but stopped off at a Caba Rojo Lagoon. Here we topped up on some water birds: Stilt Sandpipers, migrants

Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 | 37 go to another site, Cachote, for a really special endemic, Eastern Chat Tanager. We drove for ages, in the dark of course, and finally reached where we were supposed to be. Then we started looking and listening for our bird. Silence. At one stage, what looked like a Ruddy Quail- dove flew over us. We tried several places and at the last chance, it was nearer, but would not come in. Eventually, some of Golden (or Mangrove) Warbler, migrant us got fleeting glimpses of it, and it was hiding in a flock of chickens! Mission semi- accomplished, we had a long drive to our next place, where we went owling for a short while, without too much success. Next was dinner and bed. My room was next to a loud waterfall (it had rained that afternoon), and I was worried I would sleep through the alarm, but I did not.

Palm Crow, endemic out free food, they flew off. But we saw them several times that morning, usually flying over. Next was a good sighting of a Stolid Flycatcher (endemic), followed by more fleeting views of Pine Warbler (migratory). We finally got nice views of Plain Pigeon (West Indies endemic) and Golden Swallow (endemic, and only Male Magnificent Frigatebird found at higher altitude). Continuing our way, we passed the lagoon again, seeing much the same birds, as well as Glossy Ibis, then on to lunch. Lunch was at a beach resort, where there were (admittedly distant) White- tailed Tropicbirds. We watched three Magnificent Frigatebirds trying to rob a Royal Tern, before driving on again. The following day was probably the longest of the trip. We were up early to Spotted Sandpiper, migrant

38 | Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 We got up relatively early the next day to wearing Big Boots) and managed to look for another really special endemic. disturb the male (the female was on the We had a local guide and initially things nest), so that it flew up and gave its display looked good, and we had good sightings flight, with its feet dangling. Finally, we of the birds we had already seen. Our all saw the Critically Endangered and target bird was nesting, and the nest endemic Ridgway’s Hawk, which is only location was known, so this was in the found in this small area of the Dominican bag, right? Wrong. Since it had rained so Republic. He flew, perched for a while, much in the area in the last few days, we and then flew again, at one time sharing could not cross the river, and the nest site a thermal with some Turkey Vultures and was on the other side of the river, which was much smaller than them. Finally, he was flowing very strongly. Our local guide dropped into the forest near where the looked for somewhere safe to cross (it nest was. did not exist). I suggested stealing a boat, Now we had seen the Ridgway’s Hawk, which did not go down well. Eventually, we were free to go on the boat trip. The our local guide crossed over (he was boat was far too large to go far up the

Sediba Game & Conference Lodge North West Province Sediba Lodge offers comfortable accommodation in 10 serviced chalets for up to 32 guests, with linen and towels provided. The communal lapa and braai area are situated next to a sparkling swimming pool. Kitchen facilities include all crockery and cutlery and a communal lounge and reading room offers DStv. Sediba is only an hour and 40 minute drive from Randburg and is close to the town of Brits. Situated on 500 hectares of pristine bushveld the Lodge has recorded over 180 species of birds and contains a selection of large game including giraffe, wildebeest, zebra and kudu. Normal rate R400 per person per night. Special rates are offered for birders: - R720 per person per weekend for groups of ten or more with a single supplement of R800 Camping R120 per person per night Enquiries: - Kim Burton-Durham [email protected]

Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 | 39 Heron, as well as West Indian Whistling- ducks (West Indian endemic). On the way back to the hotel, we saw a Limpkin. That night, just before we went owling (we did get glimpses of the Ash-faced Owl (endemic), but we did not want to disturb it too much, because it was nesting), came the news that there were increasing Covid-19 cases throughout the world, with more countries about to close their Great Blue Heron borders, and the next day was probably cutting it fine to get out, so we were all advised to go home. I did get home, but only just, then went into self-quarantine, then lockdown) This trip was busy, with lots of driving, but the birding was not particularly strenuous. We saw 107 birds, including 41 endemics

Not-quite adult Little Blue Heron (the legs should be darker, and a breeding bird would have black legs) river, so its theft would not have helped us in the morning. Although we did not see any new birds, this was a fantastic way to round off the trip. We went down the river and through the mangroves, seeing Spotted Sandpiper, and many Yellow-crowned Night-heron herons: Great Blue, Little Blue (in all its confusing plumages – it is white as a juvenile), Green Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-and Great Egret. Then we reached the open sea and went around a few islands, which appeared to be limestone. We came across the remains of a pier built by Christopher Columbus’ men, with Brown Pelicans and Royal Terns roosting on the pylons. We also saw Magnificent Frigatebirds close-up, Hispaniolan Emerald (endemic), and a Black-crowned Breeding Brown Pelican

40 | Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 Hispaniolan Parrot (or Amazon), endemic Black-whiskered Vireo, migrant for the Dominican Republic. I think the (islands have fewer birds, but with more only endemic we missed was the Least endemics). Poorwill (or Pauraque). The combined list for both Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic was 143, with 61 endemics

Answers to Quiz - Page 32 Crossword No. 2 Across: 1. Bunting, 4. Dwarf, 8. Tail, 9. Bateleur, 12. Diana, 13. Godwit, 15. Whytes, 17. Vidua, 21. Collared, 23. Fowl, 25. Brown, 26. Fulvous. Down: 1. Booted, 2. Narina, 3. Its, 5. Willow, 6. Fiery, 7. Bat, 10. Auguste, 11. East, 14. Dove, 16. Yellow, 18. Drongo, 19. Allens, 20. Scrub, 22. Red, 24. Owl. Bird Quiz No. 2 1. Purple-crested Turaco, 2. Pretence, sedge or siege, 3. Ostrich, 4. Bee Hummingbird, 5. A precocial bird is “capable of moving around on its own soon after hatching.” The word comes from the same Latin root as “precocious.” Altricial means “incapable of moving around on its own soon after hatchling.” It comes from a Latin root meaning “to nourish” a reference to the need for extensive parental care ... 6. William John Burchell. Burchell’s Zebra, Burchell’s Coucal, Burchell’s Sandgrouse, Burchell’s Courser, and the Eciton burchellii army ant, 7. Kuifkophoutkapper, 8. White-eared Barbet, Black-eared Seedeater, Black-eared Sparrow- Lark, Greater Blue-eared Starling, Miombo Blue-eared Starling, Rufous-eared Warbler, Violet-eared Waxbill, 9. Cave Chat, Ant-eating Chat, Arnot’s Chat, Boulder Chat, Buff- streaked Chat, Familiar Chat, Herero Chat, Karoo Chat, Mocking Cliff Chat, Sickle-winged Chat, Tractrac Chat, 10. 10,000 Word Ladder No. 2 BALD, BOLD, COLD, COLT, COOT

Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 | 41 Obituary: Willem Grobbelaar Text By Awie Coetzee

Past Chairman of the East Rand Bird Club, Willem passed away on 29 September 2020 after a short illness. He was born on 6 April 1949 in Germiston, where he grew up and went to school. As a young man, Willem was a very capable athlete and he completed the Comrades marathon several times. He had a keen interest in sailing and was a member of the Pennant Nine Yacht Club on the Vaal Dam. In 2001, he sailed from Durban to San Diego over a five-month period to deliver a 38-foot Catamaran to its new owner. As a nature lover, Willem enjoyed hiking and was a very enthusiastic birder. Willem joined the East Rand Bird Club and was later asked to serve on the Club committee. In 2011, Willem was elected Willem Grobbelaar - photo by Geoff to the position of Chairman of the Club and he Jordaan served as Chairman until 2014. Willem was always a very willing participant at Club outings and on birding trips. His presence at these events and his birding knowledge will certainly be missed. We express our deepest condolences to Willem’s partner, Henriette Sutcliffe, and his family. May Willem Rest In Peace. Ed: Wits Bird Club would also like to express their appreciation of Willem’s contribution to the Club over many years and to add their condolences to Henriette and his family.

Willem Grobbelaar and Murrie Slotar at East Rand’s farewell function for Murrie - photo by Awie Coetzee

42 | Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 Abundance Of Prey Species Is Key To Bird Diversity In Cities

Abundance of prey species is key to bird diversity in cities. (© Till Kottmann/Unsplash)

Urbanization represents a drastic change to natural habitats and poses multiple challenges to many wildlife species, thereby affecting the occurrence and the abundance of many bird species. A team of scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) and the Technische Universität Berlin (TUB) collaborated to analyse breeding bird data from the Senate of Berlin gathered by citizen scientists. They found that the abundance of invertebrates such as insects or spiders as prey is a key factor affecting bird diversity in the city. The more prey is available, the more diverse the urban bird communities are. This demonstrates the importance of species interactions for explaining urban biodiversity in addition to impacts of anthropogenic disturbance and habitat structure. The results are published in the scientific journal Diversity and Distributions. Species interactions profoundly shape the composition of wildlife communities,

Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 | 43 determining which species and how many individuals are found within given habitats. For example, the presence of strong competitors may result in a diminished abundance or exclusion of particular species. Similarly, prey abundance and distribution affect the numbers of predators in a community. “Although the importance of species interactions for generating biodiversity is widely recognized, studies of urban biodiversity usually focus on the impacts of anthropogenic disturbance and habitat structure, neglecting species interactions,” says Stephanie Kramer-Schadt, head of the Leibniz-IZW Department of Ecological Dynamics and Professor at TUB. To assess to what extent species interactions affect avian diversity in cities, the team led by Aimara Planillo from Leibniz-IZW analysed breeding bird monitoring data and related them to invertebrate data. Bird data were collected by citizen scientists and provided by the Senate of Berlin, and invertebrate data were collected within a collaborative project of Berlin research institutions (BBIB-BIBS) funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). They investigated the impact of both food-related (prey availability) and non-food related (e.g. competition) species interactions on the responses of bird species to a gradient of increasing urbanization, using data from 66 breeding bird species in the city of Berlin. “By applying sophisticated modelling techniques to the biodiversity data, we demonstrated that prey invertebrate abundance is one of the most important factors affecting the urban bird biodiversity,” says Planillo. Senior author Radchuk adds: “Importantly, the impact of prey abundance depends on the level of urbanization. Prey abundance had a positive effect on bird diversity under low to medium urbanization levels. For the highly urbanized areas, prey abundance does not affect bird community, as the bird species inhabiting such areas are those adapted to persist in urban environments and often benefit from human resources.” Through these analyses the scientists were able to distinguish three different groups of bird species in Berlin, which differ in how they respond to environmental variables and to prey abundance. “We found urban species, woodland species and nature- area species in Berlin’s bird community,” Radchuk explains. “Urban species are akin to urban exploiters as they persisted at high abundance at high levels of anthropogenic disturbance. Woodland species are akin to urban adapters, they responded strongly to the urbanization gradient and were favoured by high tree cover and invertebrate abundance. Finally, nature-area species were strongly negatively affected by urbanization and positively by tree cover and open green area. They were also the least abundant of the three groups.” This categorisation of bird species will allow the design of customized conservation strategies for target species. “Our findings point out that managing urban areas in a way that maintains and increases invertebrate biodiversity is very important for supporting bird diversity in cities,” Planillo concludes. “In particular, in order to maintain or increase insect survival we suggest extensive or reduced mowing, leaving dead wood and stones in place, the preservation of set-aside lands and decreased use—or preferably avoidance—of pesticides.”

44 | Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 Bird Of The Year 2021 Media Release

Photograph: Adam Riley BirdLife South Africa is pleased to announce that the Bird of the Year in 2021 will be the Cape Rockjumper Chaetops frenatus. With red eyes and striking colouration, the Cape Rockjumper is one of South Africa’s most recognisable bird species. As it is restricted to the Fynbos Biome of South Africa, it is a major economic asset to the country, with birdwatchers from all over the world travelling here to see it, as well as the other endemic species restricted to the Cape Floral Kingdom. Together with its sister species, the Drakensberg Rockjumper, this bird family is restricted to South Africa and Lesotho. BirdLife South Africa chose this species as ‘Bird of the Year’ as it is an ambassador for the Fynbos biome: the unique plant kingdom found only in South Africa. There

Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 | 45 are seven other bird species found here and nowhere else on earth: Cape Sugarbird, Orange-breasted Sunbird, Protea Canary, Cape Siskin, Victorin’s Warbler, Agulhas Long-billed Lark and Hottentot Buttonquail. The Fynbos extends from the northern Cederberg through the Cape Fold Mountains, to Port Elizabeth, with fragments as far as Makhanda/Grahamstown. The Fynbos is generally well protected within the CapeNature reserves of the Western Cape, but there are major concerns regarding the spread of alien tree species like pines and wattles, as well as increased fire frequencies as a result of climate change. Increased fire frequency creates habitat that is favourable to Cape Rockjumpers by opening up the habitat for this species, as it likes to forage by hopping around on the ground. This is a reason that it is mostly associated with high alpine areas and mountainous terrain within the Fynbos, where vegetation is naturally sparse and low. Ironically though, a range of studies have indicated that it is vulnerable to climate change rather than benefitting from it, with decreases in range and reporting rate according to the Southern African Bird Atlas Project. This vulnerability appears to be due to a combination of factors. Firstly, they have a physiology that relies on water-loss to keep cool, an odd strategy given the bird lives in a region that experiences dry summers. Juveniles and chicks seem particularly vulnerable to heat stress, while adults simply stop foraging when it gets too warm. Range modelling indicates the species is restricted to cooler regions of the Fynbos (notably at higher altitude). Furthermore, there is evidence that the nests, made on the ground, are becoming especially vulnerable to predators such as Boomslang. The Cape Rockjumper is thus the first South African species to gain a threatened conservation status (Near Threatened according to the IUCN red list) due to the direct and indirect effects of climate change. The Cape Rockjumper therefore also serves as an ambassador to a host of other animal species that are similarly restricted in where they occur because of what is known as a ‘climate envelope’. While some birds can ‘track’ climate change by moving to where temperature suits them better, this cannot be done for species restricted to the highest altitudes as they can’t move further up. There are a number of bird species that likely are in similar trouble as the Cape Rockjumper: Ground Woodpecker and Sentinel Rock- thrush, as well as high altitude grassland specialists like the Endangered Rudd’s and Botha’s Larks and Drakensberg Rockjumper. During 2021, BirdLife South Africa will create awareness about the Cape Rockjumper through the production of an informative poster, the development of learning resources for schools that are free to download from the BirdLife South Africa website (www. birdlife.org.za), articles in African Birdlife magazine, social media posts, presentations to interested groups, and the sale of merchandise. BirdLife South Africa will partner with international bird tour operator Rockjumper Birding Tours (www.rockjumper.com) during 2021 to raise awareness about the region’s two rockjumper species. The Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust is the sponsor of Bird of the Year 2021.

46 | Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 Rarities And Unusual Sightings Report: 30 November 2020 Compiled by André Marx

The first report since the start of Lockdown recorded in recent years appeared brings a number of interesting rarities at Gnu Valley and Walkhaven in the being reported as local birders emerged Muldersdrift area, 15 Sep 2020 (GBird). from the enforced period of inactivity to find what is out there. The discovery of a Gull, Lesser Black-backed. Narina Trogon on the edge of the region [Kleinswartrugmeeu] in the Wilge River valley is significant as A female bird was at Marievale, 23 Feb it shows once again how important it 2019 (MJ). is to explore important areas of habitat in our region. Other significant reports Regional Rarities/Streeksrariteite include new localities for Dark-capped Yellow Warbler as well as African Dusky Bittern, Dwarf. [Dwergrietreier] Flycatcher in winter, another species that A surprise sighting was of one bird at may move into the region and be present the Sasol Dam in Walter Sisulu Botanical in small numbers at certain times of the Gardens, first seen on 2 Nov 2020 and year, but goes undetected. An interesting subsequently reported by many birders record worthy of mention is the ongoing in the next two weeks (GBird). presence of a pair of Verreaux’s Eagle- Owls at the Royal Johannesburg Brownbul, Terrestrial. [Boskrapper] Golf Course in the Linksfield area of Johannesburg, as well as the occurrence At least two birds were at the Tswaing of Dwarf Bittern at Walter Sisulu Botanical Crater Nature Reserve in the Soshanguve Gardens, which serves to illustrate how unexpected sightings can take place right in the heart of the city, if you just look out for them!

Thank you for the reports received. Please send any interesting and out of range records together with a photo where possible to the address given below.

National Rarities/Nasionalerariteite

Egret, Slaty. [Rooikeelreier] Terrestrial Brownbul, Boskrapper - photo by Possibly the same bird that has been Paul da Cruz

Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 | 47 area north of Pretoria, in pentad 2520_2805, on 19 Mar 2020 (PdC). This is another new locality for this species in the region.

Chat, Buff-streaked. [Bergklipwagter]

At least 2 birds were found to be present at various times at Rhenosterkop in pentad 2535_2855, (Gbird, photo PH 19 Sep 2020). This is the only Gauteng locality where this species can be observed.

African Dusky Flycatcher, Donkervlieëvanger - photo by Etienne Marais

Buff-streaked Chat, Bergklipwagter - photo by Etienne Marais

Flycatcher, African Dusky. [Donkervlieëvanger]

A surprise sighting was of one bird at Loodswaai in pentad 2515_2835, north- east of Pretoria, on 16 Jun 2020 (EM). This species is not known in Gauteng Province and this is the first confirmed photographic record. It is noteworthy that this is a winter record.

Ibis, Southern Bald. [Kalkoenibis]

The birds at Luipardskloof which lies north-east of Bronkhorstspruit in pentad Southern Bald Ibis, Kalkoenibis - photo by Sue 2545_2855 and within the Gauteng Oertli boundary, were found to be at their nest

48 | Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 sites again at this locality on 25 Jul 2020 A single bird was along the Jukskei River (SO), with 14 birds present on 1 Aug 2020 at Waterfall Estate, Midrand, 27 Nov (DT). 2020, where it appears annually (RS).

Osprey. [Visvalk] Thick-knee, Water. [Waterdikkop]

During a visit to Marievale on 21 Nov 2020 One bird was at a farm dam in the Moloto a single bird was seen, SM). area in pentad 2520_2830, north-east of Pretoria, on 20 Mar 2020 (PH). Phalarope, Red. [Grysfraiingpoot] Trogon, Narina. [Bosloerie] One bird was at Marievale, 21 Nov 2020 (SM). A sighting of one bird in the Wilge River valley in north-eastern Gauteng in Plover, Grey. [Grysstrandkiewiet] pentad 2535_2855 is exceptional (CvW, MJ, photo OO). This is not a species A solitary bird was found at known from Gauteng Province and this is Bronkhorstpruit Dam on 14 Nov 2020 the first record in a number of years. (JvW).

Pratincole, Collared. [Rooivlerksprinkaanvoël]

A single bird was seen flying over a wetland system near Thokoza, in the East Rand, in pentad 2620_2805 on 5 Mar 2020 (JB, DV). An unusual record for south-eastern Gauteng; this is a species that is occasionally seen at major wetlands and associated floodplains in areas beyond the northern and eastern boundary of the province.

Several birds were reported at various times at Mkhombo Dam from 15 Oct 2020 and were still present on 30 Nov 2020 (GBird).

Sanderling. [Drietoonstrandloper]

One bird was at Bronkhorstspruit Dam on 14 Nov 2020 (MJ), with up to 10 birds Narina Trogon, Bosloerie - photo by Owen present at the same locality on 28 Nov Oertli 2020 (GBird).

Sandpiper, Green. [Witgatruiter]

Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 | 49 Warbler, Dark-capped Yellow. (GBird, photo TB). [Geelsanger]

One bird was found at Modderfontein Nature Reserve on 19 Sep 2020 in pentad 2600_2805, representing another new locality in Gauteng Province for this species (AH).

Another bird was seen in pentad 2600_2750, in the Muldersdrift area, 24 Sep 2020 (MB, CV).

Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, Reuse-ooruil - photo by Trevor Barnett

Harrier, Black. [Witkruisvleivalk]

One bird was in pentad 2625_2725 on 27 Oct 2020 near Western Deep Levels in the Fochville area, a new record for the pentad (JR). Dark-capped Yellow Warbler, Geelsanger - photo by Martin Benadie Hawk-Eagle, Ayres’s. [Kleinjagarend]

Other Interesting Observations/ An interesting observation is of a bird Ander Interessants Waarnemings soaring over Fellside, Johannesburg (in the Houghton/Orange Grove area), in Bustard, Denham’s. [Veldpou] pentad 2610_2800, on 12 Sep 2020 (PdC).

Three birds were observed in Stork, Black. [Swartooievaar] pentad 2555_2845, south-east of Bronkhorstspruit, on 10 Jun 2020 (DdP). A sighting of one bird soaring in the Northcliff area of Johannesburg on Eagle-Owl, Verreaux’s. [Reuse-ooruil] 13 May 2020 in pentad 2605_2755 is unusual for the city, (RvB). A pair of birds have been resident at the Royal Johannesburg Golf Course in Weaver, Lesser Masked. [Kleingeelvink] recent times, and were seen again on 8 Jul 2020 as well as in the ensuing weeks A small colony of these weavers were found breeding in Mooikloof Estate,

50 | Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 John Randell (JR) Johan van der Walt (JvW) Keanu Canto (KC) Martin Benadie (MB) Owen Oertli (OO) Paul da Cruz (PdC) Pieter Heslinga (PH) Roelof van der Breggen (RvB) Ayres’s Hawk-Eagle, Kleinjagarend - photo by Paul da Cruz Ron Searle (RS) Pretoria East, on 13 Sep 2020 (KC, SB). Sheleph Burger (SB) An uncommon species with few records Stan Madden (SM) of breeding colonies in the city. Sue Oertli (SO) Observers/ Waarnemers: Trevor Barnett (TB) Andrew Hester (AH) This column is mainly concerned with BirdLife Northern Gauteng members observations of rarities and interesting (BLNG) sightings made in the Greater Gauteng region, defined as being 100km from Chisto Venter (CV) the centre of both Johannesburg and Corrie van Wyk (CvW) Pretoria. While the majority of records are included it is sometimes necessary Dries du Plessis (DdP) to exclude some depending on whether Duard Teichert (DT) the subject matter has already been well reported. Occasionally records Dylan Vasapolli (DV) are sourced from Internet reports and Etienne Marais (EM) from SABAP2 records. Members are invited to submit details of sightings to Gauteng Birders (GBird) André Marx at e-mail turaco@telkomsa. Geoff Finney (GF) net or on cell number 083 4117674. Jason Boyce (JB)

Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 | 51 52 | Bokmakierie December 2020 No 259 Congratulations!

Congratulations to Allan Weiderman, Chairman of West Rand Bird Club and the Birding Big Day winning team of Martin Benadie, Joe Grosel and Selwyn Rautenbach.

Martin Benadie writes: Saturday, 28 November 2020, marked BirdLife South Africa’s 36th Annual Birding Big Day (BBD). Whilst not typically one for ‘competitive birding’, it was wonderful to be able to participate this year representing Team Zonke iNyoni where we finished 2nd overall (out of over 300 teams) with 329 bird species recorded. It was incredibly close right to the end between many of the teams and a big congratulations goes out to The Raven Dikkops, for winning BBD 2020 and logging a huge total of 335 birds, also breaking the previous South African record of 325 species tallied in a single day! Our route through the beautiful and biodiverse Limpopo Province (centred on the Polokwane Plateau and surrounds) also affirmed again what an amazing country South Africa is. Apart from all the camaraderie on the day, BBD also helps raise awareness around South Africa’s amazing birdlife, and is also a fundraising initiative for Birdlife South Africa. (Pictured with other 2020 Zonke team members - Joe Grosel, Selwyn Rautenbach and Allan Weideman. Allan did an amazing job driving us around safely on the day! Joe’s knowledge of and passion for Limpopo’s birds is inspiring. Selwyn has been a die-hard stalwart in the Zonke team for many years.) WITWATERSRAND BIRD CLUB DELTA ENVIRONMENTAL CENTRE, ROAD NO 3, VICTORY PARK P O BOX 641, CRESTA, 2118 TEL NO: 011 782 7267 EMAIL: [email protected]