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THE

Issue 22 LARKMarch/April 2019 N e w s l e t t e r o f B i r d l i f e P o l o k w a n e

Affiliated to Birdlife South Africa The Lark is the newsletter of Birdlife Polokwane and is published bimonth- ly. It publishes reports of club activities, trip reports, photographic contri- Contents butions and any natural history notes Regulars of birds or events involving birds. Contributions are accepted in English or Afrikaans and are accepted at the White-necked Picathartes discretion of the editors. Non-mem- Dear Mankind bers are also welcome to contribute, especially if it is of relevance to birds or birding in the Limpopo Province. 63 Bird briefs When submitting images, please sub- Coucal trichoptiles • Geoph- agy by African Olive Pigeon mit high resolution images without and Cape Canary • Eerste any borders or frames. Kalkoenibis nes in die Limpo- po Provinsie in meer as 30 jaar! • Observations on the Eastern The editors reserve the right to edit Nicator • Collateral damage articles as necessary. All images are in someone else’s war: the intriguing story of three gassed copyright protected and the proper- Spike-heeled Larks • Thicket ty of the author/s of the article un- birds • Nightjar identification: less otherwise stated. Please send all Fiery-necked Nightjar • A bird in the hand • Birds of a differ- your contributions to the editors at ent feather also sometimes [email protected]. flock together

The opinions expressed by contribu- tors in this newsletter are not neces- 95 Interesting sightings 16 December 2018 - 15 February 2019 sarily those of the editors, the Birdlife Polokwane committee or Birdlife South Africa. 103 Upcoming events DEADLINE FOR THE NEXT ISSUE: 15 April 2019 ADVERTISING SPACE AVAILABLE Cover Thick-billed Cuckoo © Jody De Bruyn. Contact Lisa Grosel 083 380 2322

1 The Lark 22 • March/April 2019 • Issue 22 The Lark

Club News, Trip Reports and Members’ contributions 4 26

The Southern African Bird Atlas Project: a tool to monitor changes in bird distri- Beyond expectations bution Daniel Engelbrecht Ernst Retief 2919 41

The hunt for Pel’s Fishing Owl Sukses op Steendal Johan and Leoni Van Vuuren Minkie Prinsloo 32 47

What a day! Derek Engelbrecht

The Lark 22 2 Editor's chirps

Water is life! The incredibly good rains we’ve experienced in and around Polok- wane resulted in a flood of some rarities into our area. Baillon’s and Spotted Crakes, Allen’s Gallinule and Lesser Moorhen became household names, and many of our members got to see these birds right on our dooorstep at the Flora Park Dam! A couple of members were also lucky to see a Pacific Golden Plover at De Loskop in early February - only the second record for the province. Of course these specials would have gone unoticed had it not been for the eagle-eyes of some of you and the disposition called twitching of others. Well done to all who managed to see these birds which might not be seen in our area for many years again. Last but not least - keep those articles to'The Lark' rolling in!

Raelene and Daniel

P.O. Box 699 Fauna Park 0787 Tel: 015 263 6473 www.birdlifepolokwane.co.za www.facebook.com/birdlifepolokwane

President Joe Grosel • Chairperson Jody De Bruyn • Deputy chairperson Mark Friskin • Secretary Marcia Van Tonder • Treasurers Nick Baglow and Julia Friskin • Website and IT coordinator Jody De Bruyn • PRO and venue coordinator Lisa Grosel • Events co-ordinator Richter Van Tonder • Research and monitoring Derek Engelbrecht • Newsletter editors Raelene Engelbrecht and Daniel Engelbrecht • Additional members Anneliese Pretorius, Conrad Van Tonder, Willem Van der Merwe, Les Reynolds, Johan Van Vuuren

3 The Lark 22 beyond

expectations My record-breaking year in the Polokwane Polokwane 100K Challenge Daniel Engelbrecht Green Sandpiper, Polokwane Game Reserve

magine 450 species, 365 exactly what it’s all about, how it days and 31416 km2 to works and why it is so much fun to find them in. For birders participate in. on theI Polokwane 100 km Chal- So, to start off, a common lenge (hereafter the Polokwane question is: “What exactly is the 100K) the task is simple in theory, Polokwane 100K about?” The an- but near impossible in practise. To swer is quite simple. The challenge see 450 or even 440 species for that takes place within a 100 km radi- matter requires a lot of effort, com- us of its centre point in downtown mitment, travel, and a lot of pa- Polokwane. The challenge kicks off tience. This article is a reflection on amidst the jubilation and fireworks my 2018 Polokwane 100K; it covers at midnight on the 1st of January The Lark 22 4 of the new year, and birders then my Birdlasser app on the phone have the challenge of finding and and logged my first of many species identifying as many bird species as for the year. possible in the calendar year (with- As we entered the small town in the boundaries of the 100 km ra- (more of a truck stop to be hon- dius of course), all before the chal- est) of Vivo, I was already on nine lenge ends amidst jubilation and species. There was, however, one fireworks on December the 31st at easy species here that can be chal- midnight again. Now that we are all lenging to find in the rest of the on the same page, let’s start off at Polokwane 100K area. I walked to- the beginning of 2018. wards the local butchery where, in My 2018 Polokwane 100K the middle of a parking lot, stood started off at the Blouberg Nature a medium-sized, scrawny Acacia. I Reserve. That is a bit of a problem scanned the tree until I found the as Blouberg Nature Reserve isn’t nests of my target bird, halfway up quite within the boundaries of the the tree. Sure enough, a Red-billed Polokwane 100K (by only 2 km!!). Buffalo Weaver popped its head out This meant that any species seen and flew off, it was number 10 for or heard in the reserve wouldn’t 2018, and I was in the double dig- count towards my year list. This its! harsh fact would become particu- Somewhere between Vivo and larly frustrating towards the end of Polokwane I got a notification on the year when searching for an elu- my phone that Jody De Bruyn had sive Polokwane 100K species such just found two rarities for the 100K as the Swallow-tailed Bee-eater. region; a Collared Pratincole and Anyway, to get back on track, we Pectoral Sandpipers at Hout River left Blouberg Nature Reserve and Dam. These were species that could headed for Polokwane on the first make or break an end of the year day of the new year. As soon as we target, and so it was essential that entered ‘the zone’, I ticked off my I picked up these ‘vagrants’ to our first species: a Yellow-billed Kite area. Hout River Dam is somewhat flying slowly overhead. I opened of a treasure chest for Polokwane

5 The Lark 22 Above A pair of Pectoral Sandpipers, Hout River Dam. 100K birders. The dam offers a large mudflat at the inlet, and always seems to deliver good wader sight- ceived another important mes- ings. We drove to the dam, walked sage, a European Nightjar had been down the riverbed to the mudflats seen roosting in a small tree at the and immediately picked up both Polokwane Golf Club. The bird, the pratincole and the sandpipers. a Palaearctic migrant is always a These two specials, along with a challenging species and ticking it number of other species brought off now would mean that it didn’t my year’s total to 94 species at the need to be chased later on in the end of day 1. It was a start, a sur- year. We arrived at the golf club and prisingly good start to the year. soon found the tree where the bird The action didn’t stop after was reportedly roosting, after much day one, on the second day, I re- scanning and searching we found it

The Lark 22 6 halfway up the tree on a horizon- started ticking off my target species: tal branch. To the untrained eye Cloud Cisticola, Northern Black it would be nothing more than an Korhaan, White-bellied Bustard, outgrowth on the tree, to me it was and Long-tailed Widowbird were a number 136. couple of my first highveld species. The Acacia veld habitat is cer- A fairly reliable recent addition to tainly one of the dominant biomes the Polokwane region, the Grey- within the Polokwane 100K area, backed Sparrow-Lark, was found at with around 200 species commonly several spots around Chebeng. We found in this habitat type. The re- also trawled for a species that had maining five days of my first week remained undiscovered for over would be used to capitalize on this 50 years in the Limpopo Province area. I scored some fantastic spe- but was rediscovered in the area cies, including Monotonous Lark, around Chebeng a couple of years a flock of Burchell’s Sandgrouse, ago. Within the Polokwane 100K, an Icterine Warbler calling from the Melodious Lark is somewhat of a small shrub, a pair of enigmat- a ghost - it comes and goes and is ic Secretarybirds, and best of all a always difficult to locate as its pre- Dwarf Bittern flying over a small ferred habitat (long grass with bare wetland in the Polokwane Game Reserve. My next stop was the C h e b e n g grasslands; to local birders this is our equivalent of birding on the Highveld. As we arrived, I

7 The Lark 22 Above White-bellied Bustard, Chebeng. ground) is a challenge in itself to Opposite The frustratingly difficult to find European Nightjar, Polokwane Golf find in our area. We stopped in an Course. old fallow field where the grass had started to grow back and played a recording. Sure enough, we had a Towards the end of January, solid response, it was number 184. I was brought down by a bout of I was to meet another one of these ‘Tree Pipit Fever’. This peculiar ail- ghosts later in the year. With our ment is best cured by a visit to the day already a success, we pulled up Rheebokvlei area, and so we were to a small seasonal wetland where off at 5 am one morning, head- we quickly found another special ed for the high mountains of the for the Polokwane 100K, a Long- Wolkberg range. Little did we know tailed Widowbird, followed by two that it would be one of the best new species by way of a female Polokwane 100K birding days of Greater Painted-snipe and a Marsh the year for me. The road was sim- Owl. ply breath-taking, and it climbed

The Lark 22 8 Above Ghost of the Polokwane Plateau, steadily up the Wolkberg Moun- the mysterious Melodius Lark, Sterkloop Wetlands. tains. This would be my first time birding in this area and I did not know what to expect. We crested I looked out of the window to see the mountains and I started tick- if I could find the bird, I noticed a ing off the species: Gorgeous Bush- small, streaked bird sitting on a low shrike in the valley, Malachite Sun- branch of a tree. It was our target bird at the Proteas, Buff-streaked bird, the Tree Pipit! As if Lady Luck Chat calling from the boulders. We wasn’t already smiling upon us, she began our descent towards ‘Tree must have broken out in laughter as Pipit valley’. A Cardinal Wood- we found another Tree Pipit further pecker called in a tree next to the down this road later in the day. road and grabbed my attention. As Rheebokvlei was a first-class

9 The Lark 22 birding day and got me some spec- beginning of the year so that they tacular Polokwane 100K birds. didn’t require urgent chasing later Apart from the Tree Pipit, we in the year. I walked on the Rhino found Flappet Lark, Bushveld Pip- Trail and recorded nothing of in- it, Crowned Eagle, African Pygmy terest in the first hour - I must ad- Kingfisher, Lazy Cisticola, Retz’s mit I was beginning to worry that Helmetshrike, Common White- this was a waste of time. Then I saw throat and White-crested Helmet- it, the unmistakable shape of one shrike - what a day! On our way of the grey migratory cuckoos. I home, we popped in at the Uni- knew it was one of two species, either versity of Limpopo’s sports fields the Common Cuckoo (which I had where I found another great bird, found at Rheebokvlei) or the African the Southern Bald Ibis. I ended the Cuckoo, which would be a new spe- day on 242 species. The Lowveld cies for my year. I followed the bird began calling my name. from tree to tree until I finally got Before I could tackle the a decent look at it. ‘Clearly yellow Lowveld, however, I had a week to base to the bill, barred undertail’ kill at school back in Polokwane. I told myself. It was an African One morning I packed my bins, a water bottle and an apple or two and started a walk in the Polokwane Game Re- serve. I wanted to ensure that I ticked off as many of the migratory species in the Above Buff-streaked Chat, Rheebokvlei.

The Lark 22 10 Cuckoo! The day got even better ed my Lowveld list with White- when I found another brilliant bird browed Robin-Chat, Purple-crest- on one of the hills at the back of the ed Turaco and Scarlet-chested reserve, a Short-toed Rock Thrush. Sunbird. In the Polokwane 100K I left amazed at how one relatively area, the best Lowveld birding is short walk could deliver two such on the outskirts of Tzaneen and on elusive species. the R71 towards Letsitele. We start- On Saturday the 10th of Febru- ed our quest for the kingfisher on ary, it was another early morning, the Ledzee Road and as we drove and with the sun just rising over onto the low water bridge over the the mountains, we were on our Letaba River we picked up a group way to our goal for the day: ‘find of Red-backed Mannikins feeding Half-collared Kingfisher’. Richter on some seed-bearing grasses, and Van Tonder had located the bird the unmistakeable nasal whaaha of just one week earlier on the Letaba Greater Blue-eared Starlings in one River and I was keen to get my eyes of the giant riverine trees was a nice on this stunner of a bird. I start- surprise. We parked the car, got

11 The Lark 22 out and started scanning for the kingfisher. The area was truly beautiful and lush, and I sat on one of the overhanging logs. I scanned the river and heard my dad shout ‘I’ve got the bird!’. In my scramble to get to my dad, I almost fell in the river but when I regained my pose and Above Magpie Mannikin,Tzaneen. raised my bins, I saw an azure dot sitting on a stick over the water on Opposite Short-toed Rock Thrush, Polok- the far bank. It was number 290 - wane Game Reserve Half-collared Kingfisher! The rest of the day was good Lowveld birding and on the way back to Polok- the industrial area, a Thrush Night- wane, we quickly stopped at the ingale at a local suburban park, a Wheelbarrow Farmstall. Not for an Saddle-billed Stork at a small pool organic ‘friendly to sows’ pie, but at a construction site, and an Af- for a Magpie Mannikin. And there rican Crake in someone’s garden. we found them, sitting in the chick Wait?! What?! An African Crake mix at one of the bird feeders, eat- as a garden bird?? If there was a ing to their hearts content. I ended prize for the weirdest sighting in the day on 309 species for the year. the Polokwane 100K in 2018, the For most of the month of Feb- African Crake sighting in the sub- ruary I was stuck in Polokwane urb of Eduan Park would certain- which offered some nice species ly take the honours. What the bird in some unexpected locales: a Per- was doing there, I couldn’t tell you, egrine Falcon at the Sasko Mills in but I suppose that is why we chase

The Lark 22 12 Above What must be the strangest sighting of the year, an Africal Rail in some- birds - because they never cease to one’s garden, Eduan Park. surprise us. By the end of February 2018, I was on 336 species; it was going to be a good year! ing progress with the highland spe- March saw a steady tick-over cies. I spent over 6 hours walking of species and at the beginning through waist-high grass and un- of April, I had two last stashes of ending inclines searching for one species that I could still cash into very special highland species, the before starting to target individu- Red-winged Francolin. I searched al species. These two stashes were and searched but to no avail. The my forest birds and highland spe- weather soon closed in and I was cies. As I arrived at the peninsula forced to kayak back over 2 km to of Ebenezer Dam in early April, I my accommodation in the misera- was more than ready to start mak- ble autumn rain. It wasn’t all in vain 13 The Lark 22 though as I managed to record sev- dip which haunted me the rest of eral new species, taking my list to the year. As it turned out I only another milestone: 350 species. managed to find Cape Shoveler in A few days later, my phone December. beeped at 7 pm at night with the The first half of May was rath- news of a Palm-nut Vulture at er uneventful; I recorded an addi- Mockford Farms. I failed to see the tional 20 species with the highlight bird in 2017 and I certainly wasn’t in being a Bronze-winged Courser any frame of mind to miss it again on the Bylsteel Road at 9 pm on a in 2018. We drove up to the vul- windy night. But things were about ture restaurant and I easily spotted to change; it was time to cash in, this unmistakable vulture sitting in and to cash in big time. We head- the crown of an Acacia tree. What ed off to Kurisa Moya for some happened next was anything but forest birds. Upon arrival, the list humorous. My phone beeped once started growing with several of again and the message from Geoff the usual suspects but nothing too Goestch almost knocked me off my feet; a Western Marsh Harrier was showing in the Polokwane Bird Sanctu- ary. We got in the car, ditched the possibility of seeing Cape Shovelers at the Mockford Above Palmnut Vulture at the Mockord dams, and drove straight to the Vulture Restaurant. bird sanctuary. No bird! An epic

The Lark 22 14 special throughout the rest of the ern Black) took my yearly total up day. I left Kurisa Moya with 390 to 399 species. I was one away from species and for the first time ever, I something big! had missed a Forest Canary. It was Apart from the Soutpans- nothing to be concerned about, but berg’s scenic beauty, it also holds how I had missed it I really could some noteworthy species that are not tell. News came through of a only found there, or are difficult pair of Cape Rock Thrush on Hwiti to find anywhere else in the Polok- Peak towards the end of May. I still wane 100K. I simply had to get needed it and headed out a week out there and tick them off to en- later. Day one on Hwiti passed sure a good end of the year score. without a rock thrush or anything I planned the Soutpansberg quests exciting for that matter. Day 2 on into two trips: the one would be in Hwiti also provided nothing - to mid-winter and the other in early say that I was beginning to doubt summer. A family visit to Blouberg the record would have been an un- Nature Reserve in July served as derstatement. On day three, con- my base for some winter birding ditions were very windy and I re- in the Soutpansberg. On the way to ally wasn’t holding up much faith the reserve, I scored species num- for the day. I walked around the ber 400, an African Grey Hornbill mountain and got my birds half perched on a fence just outside way down the mountain in a valley, Vivo. The rest of the trip took me perfectly sheltered from the wind. to 404 with the last addition to the I was on top of the world, literally! list being a Bearded Scrub Robin at On the way back to the car, I scored a roadside picnic spot near Lajuma. another two species: a pair of stun- I would return later in the year for ning Verreaux’s Eagles and a single my second quest. Black Sparrowhawk darting from Forest Canaries were on my the pine forests. This outing, com- mind again, so I joined Jody De bined with another dash into the Bruyn one Saturday morning to see Lowveld which gave me two new if we could tick them off. Low and flycatcher species (Pale and South- behold, I dipped on these pesky

15 The Lark 22 Above The handsome Bearded Scrub Rob- in, Soutpansberg. canaries once again, but settled for a Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk Lowveld trip would be aimed at near a nest in a pine plantation. I finding two target species, the first certainly wasn’t complaining, but being an African Finfoot that had seriously, where on earth were been reported two weeks earlier at these canaries? This was becoming Magoebaskloof Dam and the sec- a bit of a joke, but I was getting a ond the African Skimmers which little worried. were reported near Tzaneen a year During the winter months, earlier. Getting both species were a water levels in the Lowveld drop, long shot, but a shot worth taking. exposing sand banks and offer- We waited patiently at Magoebask- ing suitable breeding sites for Af- loof Dam for the finfoot to show rican Skimmers. Our midwinter itself. It didn’t, and to make mat-

The Lark 22 16 ters worse, the finfoot was seen a wards by a juvenile Martial Eagle week later by Jody and another two (#409) and African Darter (#410) weeks after that by Mark Friskin. I – yes, it took me eight months to began to wonder if the birds were see an African Darter! avoiding me. The next day, we were off When we arrived at Letaba Es- again, this time to the far west- tates, I quickly started scanning the ern edge of the Polokwane 100K water’s edge. There were loads of where it spills into the Waterberg. cormorants, ducks and geese. Then We had received intel of White- out of the corner of my eye, on the backed Ducks visiting a small dam far bank of the dam, I spotted three in the mountains and we were pied birds. There was no mistaking certainly up for the challenge of it - we had found the target species finding them. We drove out, past - the African Skimmer. It was spe- Doorndraai Dam and into what cies #408, followed shortly after- felt like the middle of nowhere. We

17 The Lark 22 Above African Pygmy Geese, Goergap Dam in the Waterberg. gained altitude and the trees started shrinking, gradually replaced by Opposite African Skimmers succesfully bred once again at Letaba Estates in 2018. open grassland. We pulled over to a large area of grassland and used the Eastern Clapper Lark play- and spotted two small ducks swim- back to see if we were in luck. Sure ming between the reeds. I picked enough, a single bird flew up and up the camera, rattled a few shots over the car calling and clapping and immediately saw that these its wings. Looks like Lady Luck were no ducks. They were geese - was on our side again. Arriving at African Pygmy Geese! the dam where the White-backed The next month or so, taking Ducks were spotted, I found seven me to September, was slow. I man- of them floating between the water aged to scrape an extra five species lilies. Chuffed with such an easy out of the Lowveld, two from the score, I scanned the water’s edge forests (still without a Forest Ca-

The Lark 22 18 nary!!) and one from the Polok- wane suburbs. I had also dipped on the highly elusive Thick-billed Cuckoo at a fairly reliable spot near Tzaneen. My score by the end of September was 423. It was time to start birding hard! I created a Polokwane 100K target species list in early Septem- ber which I was slowly but surely reducing. Tinkling Cisticola was still outstanding on this list and after not being able to find them in five trips to the back of the Polok- Above Tinkling Cisticola, Chebeng. wane Game Reserve, I had to start looking for alternatives. The Che- beng grasslands had the birds and ing about the year and a possible so I had a go at it on the 16th Octo- end of the year score for me. Was ber. Luckily, it didn’t take too long 440 actually possible? I settled for to find a feisty male singing for 440 although 444 had a nice ring all his worth on a low bush! Feel- to it, but something was telling me ing optimistic, we headed to Hout that 450 might be on the cards. River Dam to try our luck. So far, It was once again time to tack- we hadn’t had a trip to Hout Riv- le the Soutpansberg. The mid-win- er Dam that disappointed us; every ter trip was a great success, but this single time it delivered good birds. time I had one species in mind As we arrived at the dam, my dad - Crested Guineafowl. Another quickly picked up a Southern Po- weekend breakaway at the Blouberg chard (#425), followed by two new Nature Reserve served as a spring- waders, a Common Ringed Plov- board for my second Soutpansberg er (#426) and a Curlew Sandpiper quest. The previous evening had (#427). We drove back home think- given me two new species, namely

19 The Lark 22 a Fawn-coloured Lark and a fly-by and more anxious as the guinea- of a small group of Double-band- fowl were nowhere to be found and ed Sandgrouse just south of Vivo. time was starting to run out. As our Unlike the very common Helmet- hosts, Jabu and Bibi, were escorting ed Guineafowl, there is only a tiny us to the exit road, they suddenly area of suitable habitat for Crested stopped and excitedly pointed at Guineafowl within the Polokwane two Crested Guineafowl running 100K. We headed up the steep road across the road. It was as much a to Lajuma and the habitat started superb sighting as it was a relief. changing with altitude, and soon #433 Crested Guineafowl will be we were in dense montane forest. fondly remembered. About half-way up we stopped Rarities are always a cause for in a nice valley and immediately great excitement and when I heard picked up on the distinctive call of the unconfirmed reports of a Green the Eastern Nicator, another rar- Sandpiper in the Polokwane Game ity within the Polokwane 100K. Reserve, it was all systems go! I was We were pleased to hear several determined not to miss this oppor- of these birds during the day. The tunity. As I arrived at the wetland, fabulous nicator was then followed I immediately found a sandpiper by a Striped Pipit calling from walking along the bank. I fired a one of the great, towering cliffs of few shots of the digital kind and, the Soutpansberg. A small wet- sure enough, it was a Green Sand- land on the plateau produced an piper (#434). unexpected Red-chested Flufftail For many birders, Big Birding which took my total to 432. Only Day is the undisputed highlight one problem remained - this would of the year. It takes place over 24 be my last chance to see a Crested hours where the challenge is sim- Guineafowl for the year, but I still ple: find and see as many species of hadn’t found what I was looking birds as possible in one day. With for. I simply had to get it. I walked nearly 440 species on my year list, for over an hour along the various I was keen to get at least one new tracks, all the time getting more species, but little did I know that I

The Lark 22 20 would get a lot more than just one. ever, as the holidays began it was A Rufous-cheeked Nightjar call- time to start some hard-core birding from a bridge gave me species ing. number 437. However, this was I was told by Jody De Bruyn to be followed by three unexpect- that the South African record for ed additions later on in the day. any city 100 km challenge was 461 I managed to get the highly elu- species, set in 2015 in the Wid- sive White-breasted Cuckooshrike er Gauteng Area. I realized it was (#438) on a farm near Tzaneen, fol- within my grasp to beat this total, lowed by an African Cuckoo-Hawk but it would require quite a bit of (#439) and an African Openbill work - and travelling! Another trip (#440) near Letsitele at dusk. The to the Waterberg added Burchell’s day had exceeded all expectations. Starling, Grey-headed Kingfisher, I was caught up in exams for much and #450, an African Rail, to my of November which meant stolen list. By mid-December, trips to moments for some birding. How- Haenertsburg and the Mockford

21 The Lark 22 Farm which yielded Steppe Eagle get species, Buff-spotted Flufftail (a Polokwane 100K rarity) and Le- and African Finfoot. The flufftails vaillant’s Cuckoo which had thus were really easy and we picked up far eluded me, brought my total one calling near Kuhesthan within to a very respectable 453 species. the first hour, and also heard sev- I was beginning to wonder what a eral more after that. This meant we good end of the year target could had a lot of time to kill before dawn be. I settled for 462, a new SA re- and a chance to see the elusive Af- cord. rican Finfoot. The finfoot, however, I had a couple of really elu- was a no-show on all of my pre- sive Magoebaskloof species that I was going to try my luck for. On a chilly December morning at 2 am, Opposite Crested Guineafowl, Lajuma. I set my sights on two of these tar- Below Celebrating #450, African Rail, on the Goergap Bridge, Waterberg.

Left Grey-headed Kingfisher at Goergap Dam, Waterberg.

The Lark 22 22 vious outings (and believe me, there were many). We po- sitioned ourselves under the Magoe- baskloof Dam wall and waited - and waited. Nothing! As we were about to leave, my dad saw Above Western Osprey at Ebenezer Dam. ripples in a pool in the river. Was this our bird or just a Water Monitor Lizard? And then Steilloopbrug, followed by African it appeared from under the reeds, Red-eyed Bulbul (#459) near the a stunning male African Finfoot, village of Keiting. We then decid- slowly meandering along the edge ed to head back to Polokwane via of the pool offering great views. De Loskop to try spotting some Number 455 for the year. waterbirds. We were in luck! The The rest of my Magoebaskloof area had received an unusually birds included a Red-winged Fran- large amount of water and we soon colin in the Haenertsburg Grass- spotted both Lesser Moorhen and lands, a Western Osprey at the a Baillon’s Crake, which saw me Ebenezer Dam and finally a Forest equalling the previous South Afri- Canary at Dap Naude Dam. Man, can 100K record of 461 species. that last one felt good! Wing-snapping Cisticolas were As 2018 rolled into single digit always going to be a challenging spe- numbers before the end of the year, cies to get for my year, but to beat the I still wanted to see my target of 462 record I had to get them, and Serala birds. A trip to the arid north-west- Peak would have to be the place. We ern area of the Polokwane 100K drove up the winding 4x4 road into produced three new species. To the Wolkberg Mountains of the Serala start off, an Olive-tree Warbler near Wilderness Area. The mist began to

23 The Lark 22 set in and soon the conditions were was soon followed by a Sand Mar- so poor that I could barely see the tin at a wetland on the watershed. end of my outstretched hand (ok The Serala outing was an immense it wasn’t that bad, but you get the success and well worth all the effort point!). I walked through the grass- - and bruises - of getting up there. I lands in an icy wind - my clothes was now extending my new record, soaked from the wet vegetation, three species more than the previ- but after much determination I ous best in any 100 km challenge. managed to find a Wing-snapping Realistacally, my options of Cisticola calling briefly in a clear- adding new species were running ing sheltered from the wind. There, low, but Freckled Nightjar was in the cold, wet and misty moun- still up for grabs. As we left home tains, I reached my target - 462 spe- for the Witvinger area on Decem- cies within 100 km of Polokwane ber the 28th, I knew that this was in a calendar year. A new South probably my last shot at getting a African record was just the cherry new Polokwane 100K species for on the cake. My clothes may have my year. The sun was setting as we been damp, but my spirits certainly weren’t. We slowly made our way down the mountain and out of the mist when, flanked by the steep walls of the valley, we heard the distinctive call of a parrot. We knew Cape Par- rots were a possibility, but I was most surprised to see three Brown-headed Par- rots (#463). This whopper

Right A cellphone image of a Red-necked Francolin, Serala.

The Lark 22 24 reached a group of beautiful rocky new places. I came to realize how outcrops and we took up our post many beautiful places are within on one of the boulders. We waited, a short distance from Polokwane, patiently. It was getting dark and and we are so fortunate to live in an we could barely see anything when area with such an immense diversi- we heard the unmistakable ‘poww- ty of birds. None of this would have ww woooowww’ call of the Freckled been possible without the help and Nightjar (#465). A short distance experience of my dad, Derek Engel- later we found another male sit- brecht, and a big thank you must ting in the road close to where Jody go to him for his help and endless De Bruyn found one earlier in the patience. Also, a big thank you to year. I was thrilled and as we drove my grandmother for taking her home, I couldn’t wipe the smile off Atos up the Old Coach Road – the my face. 4x4 side – to see Bathawks. Lastly, My 2018 Polokwane 100K a huge thank you must go to Jody Challenge broke all of my expecta- De Bruyn, Richter Van Tonder, tions for what was possible within Joe Grosel, Mark and Julia Friskin, 365 days. I recorded a total of 465 Sean Christopher, and all the other species - a new South African 100 dedicated birders we have in this km Challenge Record. I also found amazing part of the world for shar- several new species for the Polok- ing their sightings. wane 100 km Challenge region, As the clock ticked over into completed lots of full protocol and 2019, I opened my Birdlasser app ad-hoc lists for the South African and logged a Spotted Thick-knee, Bird Atlas Project 2, and saw lots of number one for the new year!!

25 The Lark 22 The Southern African Bird Atlas Project:

a tool to monitor changes in bird distribution

Ernst Retief E-mail: [email protected]

he South African Na- example the Important Bird and tional Biodiversity Biodiversity Areas Programme, to Institute (SANBI), identify the most important areas BirdLifeT South Africa, as well as in the country for the conservation many other NGOs, academics and of birds, as well as the Terrestrial conservationists, continue to bene- Bird Conservation Programme for fit from the 12 million records sub- research projects focusing on spe- mitted by committed citizen scien- cific species such as Secretarybirds tists for the Southern African Bird and the many threatened lark spe- Atlas Project (http://sabap2.adu. cies occurring in South Africa. org.za/). For example, these data More than 82% of the atlas are used by various programmes blocks, called pentads, in South Af- within BirdLife South Africa, for rica have at least one atlas card, that The Lark 22 26 is 13 743 of the nearly 17 000 atlas to 4 955 pentads in 2016, 4 829 in blocks. Although many of these at- 2017 and only 4 517 in 2018. There las blocks have multiple atlas cards, might be very valid reasons for this we need even more atlas cards per decline, as for example the increase atlas block to build the foundation in the price of fuel. However, in or- blocks on which species maps are der to continue monitoring chang- built. es in bird distributions we need to However, SABAP2 is not only atlas as many pentads as possible a project to map the static or once each year; the more pentads at- off distribution of species. It is a lased, the more accurately we can long-term project that can be used infer changes in bird populations. to detect ongoing changes in spe- We therefore appeal to atlasers cies distributions over time. For ex- to target as many pentads as pos- ample, we can detect recent chang- sible in 2019. With a more co-or- es in species’ ranges by comparing dinated approach, the 2011 record their distributions from 2007 to of 5 298 pentads covered in a year 2011 with data from 2012 to 2019. can easily be broken. We encourage Such information is of great value bird clubs and individuals to target to conservation planners, and can the pentads around the town where be used to help to determine the they are based, and each year aim conservation status of a species. It to atlas the same block of pentads. can also help to assess the impacts For example, the U3A Stilbaai Bird of climate change on birds and con- Group atlases 75 pentads each year, servation planners can then plan all within easy reach of Stilbaai. It accordingly. is a relatively easy project to man- It is therefore worrying that we age. First, identify a project co-or- noticed a decline in the number of dinator, then find willing atlasers pentads atlased during the last few and through regular communica- years. The number of pentads for tion allocate pentads to be atlased. which atlas cards were submitted A large number of pentads can be peaked in 2011, when 5 298 pen- atlased this way. For example, if a tads were atlased. This decreased club has 10 atlasers and each atlas

27 The Lark 22 one pentad a month, the club can pentads with low overall coverage atlas 120 pentads each year! Larger or which have not been atlased in clubs should be able to atlas even 2019 and atlas as many of these more pentads each year, especially pentads as you can. Let’s set a target if the effort is well co-ordinated. of 5 300 pentads atlased in South How do you know which pen- Africa this year, it would be great if tads have been atlased in a year? we can smash the previous record! It is very easy. On the SABAP2 If you need more information website (http://sabap2.adu.org.za/) about how to start or manage a re- click on the menu item ‘Coverage gional project, please feel free to Maps’ and on the next page select contact Ernst Retief (ernst.retief@ 2019 above the map. You can zoom birdlife.org.za). Johan Van Rooy- into the page and also view the map en ([email protected]) in full screen mode. The direct link manages the Stilbaai project and is: http://sabap2.adu.org.za/cover- is willing to share his experience age.php?DGC=&year=2019#con- with clubs who are keen to start a tent_90perc. regional project. If you travel, always look for

The Lark 22 28 the hunt for Pel’s Fishing Owl Road tripping in Botswana and Namibia Johan and Leoni Van Vuuren

hat started out as ous? Then read further. our hunt for the On the morning of 16 Decem- elusive Pel’s Fish- ber 2018, we left Polokwane for the ing Owl,W turned into a road trip long awaited and planned trip to from hell we’ll never forget. Curi- some of our northern neighbours.

29 The Lark 22 safari tents, friendly staff and fantastic food. The birding here was surprisingly good despite it being extremely dry: Speckled Pigeons, starlings, flycatchers, finches, why- dahs, hornbills and the resident noisy peacocks kept us entertained. Early the next morning, we left for Maun. It was extremely dry and very sad to see so many dead and dying animals next to the road. Spirits lifted just before Mopipi when we spotted our first lifer of the trip; a big flock of Black-winged Pratincole feeding next to the road. We arrived in Maun, un- hooked the caravan at our safari tent at Audi Camp, bought grocer- ies and did some birding around camp. Birding was quite good with herons, egrets, babblers, kingfishers, African Paradise Flycatch- Guma Lagoon Sunrise ers, crakes, African Darters and bee-eaters being ticked. Here we also spotted our second lifer of the Groblersbrug Border Post was the trip, a Swamp Boubou. usual nightmare of an African bor- Our birding around the boat der crossing and it took us nearly launching area in front of Audi two and a half hours to get into Camp unfortunately attracted un- Botswana. On our first evening we wanted attention and that night we stayed at Makumutu Lodge close got robbed while sleeping in the sa- to Orapa. A very nice place with fari tent. We did not wake up as the

The Lark 22 30 Above Black-winged Pratincole. uninvited guest apparently sprayed the tent with Quick Start while we were sleeping. According to the us that there were bags hidden in locals, it makes you go into a very bushes close to the boat launching deep sleep. We woke up the next area. There we found our camera morning with the locked tent door bags with everything inside. What standing open, a lot of cash, four a massive relief! We lost nearly five cellular phones, Leoni’s handbag hours of valuable birding time to and three camera bags gone. For- finish reporting the incident to the tunately, we found Leoni’s handbag police and stopping our banking on the other side of the so-called apps on the stolen phones at the lo- security fence with only her bank, cal FNB. Audi Camp will never see ID and other cards lying around me again. the bags. Three workers came Next stop was a 4-night stay at running towards us and informed Guma Lagoon Camp on the west-

31 The Lark 22 ern side of Moremi. The tar roads name just a few. The lodge also has on the western side of Botswana a very cocky, hand-raised African were in an extremely bad condi- Wood Owl called Ducky that sleeps tion, making driving on the road in the reception area. shoulder a better option in plac- We can strongly recommend es. We lost a tyre on the caravan Guma Lagoon Camp, especially due to the potholes, and then got campsite number one. They also stuck in very thick sand on the 14 offer safari tents on or close to the km stretch of sand road you need water’s edge. If you are into fishing, to travel to get to Guma. But the Guma will be a bonus. We landed sand road was all worth it. Guma a couple of tigers with Leoni catch- is a hidden gem. Extremely friend- ing her first one. I just can’t under- ly owners and management team, stand why she did not want to give some of the best sunrises we have the tiger the freedom kiss before seen, good fishing and great bird- releasing it. ing - especially waterbirds. We found some evidence (droppings) that there are Pel’s Fish- ing Owls around, but no bird - yet. The rest of the birds were, however, in abundance. Squacco Herons, Great Egret, African Open- bills, an African Crake, Striated Herons, Slaty Egret, African Fish and Brown Snake Eagles, plovers, lapwings, various species Above A lifer for Leoni - Tigerfish at Guma Lagoon Camp. of kingfishers, and reed warblers to

The Lark 22 32 After Guma it was off to Heron being lifers. Drostsky’s Cabins close to Shakawe However, the Pel’s Fishing Owl for one night. The owners heard of was still eluding us. The owners al- our Maun ordeal through the ‘Bot- located their number one guide, swana Tourism Grapevine’ and up- Otto, to us for the next morning’s graded us from our booked camp Pel’s ‘hunting’ trip. They even ar- site to a luxury chalet. We had din- ranged that we could go to the fam- ner with owners Eileen and Jan Van ily’s private property should we not Rooyen and learnt that Eileen fin- find the owl from the boat. After ished her matric at Capricorn High nearly 15 minutes of searching on School in the seventies. On our the private property, Otto spotted afternoon sunset cruise, we spot- a juvenile Pel’s Fishing Owl! With ted a lot of birds, with the African hands trembling from excitement Skimmer and White-backed Night - or rather the heavy cameras and

33 The Lark 22 binoculars - we managed to get photos of the elusive Pel’s Fishing Owl. After seven years of birding I could finally tick off Pel’s Fishing Owl. On our walk back to the boat, the adult female flew up from the top of the tree and we got a brief glimpse of her. Drostsky’s, what a place! It is a must for any birding trip in that area. The guides are well trained, and they went out of their way to try and find the birds on our ‘shopping’ list. Above Pel’s Fishing Owl, Drotsky’s Cabins. The next stop on our road trip was Ngepi Camp on the Okavango Opposite White-backed Night Heron, River. Here we stayed for five nights Drotsky’s Cabins. over the Christmas period. Nice

The Lark 22 34 camp, but no holiday atmosphere. the fact that we did the final recov- The birding at Ngepi and surround- ery. Despite the bad weather we still ing areas were not too bad, and we managed to tick off lots of water- managed to tick Wattled Crane birds, bee-eaters, weavers, Less- (lifer), various ducks, Thick-billed er Jacana, African Pygmy Goose, Weaver (lifer), Broad-billed Roller, kites, vultures, finches, bitterns, Arnot’s Chat (lifer), Black Kite and ducks, coucals and reed warblers. then the Rock Pratincole (lifer) at On our first night we had a nice Pupa Falls. sighting of a young leopard and on Our next stop was Nambwa the second afternoon I walked into Community Camp on the Kwando the same leopard while checking on River for what should have been some noisy monkeys and spurfowl. five nights. We arrived in soaking The standoff between me and the rain, got stuck in extremely deep leopard lasted about half a minute, sand, pulled the cruiser out that before it luckily disappeared into was supposed to pull us out and set the thicket. Chicken of a leopard! camp in the rain. We even had to pay R650 as a tow-out fee despite Below Rock Pratincoles at Pupa Falls.

35 The Lark 22 Left My buddy at Nambwa.

Below The resident Schalow’s Tura- co at Zambezi Mabula Camp..

While having break- fast on the fourth morning we decided to pack up and go and look for another place to stay on the mighty Zambezi Riv- er. If you are travelling solo, Nambwa is definitely not for the faint-hearted, with some very bad and soft, sandy a clean pool, a real holiday feeling roads. I do think that it will be a and lots of birds. Even the fishing gem in the dry season when the was good. The camp’s management animals return. went out of their way to show us the We managed to stay two camp’s resident Schalow’s Turaco. nights at Zambezi Mabula Camp Other birds spotted were (the old Island View Lodge). What Whiskered Terns, herons, egrets, a nice place with beautiful gardens, African Fish Eagles, and various

The Lark 22 36 species of kingfishers. This place is a must if you need to tick Schalow’s Turaco off, or if you would just like to relax. This is definitely on our list of places to stay on our next trip. From Zambezi Mabula Camp we were off to Senyati Safari Camp for two nights, but we first had to endure another three hours bu- reaucracy at the Namibia/ Botswana border. Although birding was a little slow, we

37 The Lark 22 Above Dwarf Bittern. managed to tick off Eurasian Hobby, Opposite above Brown-hooded Bradfield’s Hornbill, various plov- Kingfisher on the Zambezi. The ‘sun’ ers, kites, ducks, weavers, bee-eaters is actually a buoy in the water. and finches to name a few. Opposite below Eurasian Hobby.

The Lark 22 38 We spent one day in the cided that it had enough of all the Chobe National Park and had a pounding it took on the bad roads. fantastic leopard sighting. On our Fortunately, it happened at the en- next trip we will definitely spend trance gate to Marnitz Kraal Lodge, more time in Chobe. A person just so we spent an unplanned night needs to stay away from the routes at the lodge. Very nice place with that the tour operator vehicles use clean chalets, fantastic food and a as these routes are extremely busy. good vibe. They also offer camp- We left Senyati and decided to ing. We can highly recommend the head for home. The roads around place as a sleepover before you leave Nata Bird Sanctuary were basically or arrive back in South Africa. The non-existant, with lots of potholes staff at the lodge even replaced the and travelling speeds not exceeding damaged tyre for us. 60km/h. We entered South Africa We arrived back home early late in the afternoon, and about 15 on the 5th January 2019 - and more km past Martin’s Drift Border Post, Below Leopard, Chobe. another of the caravan’s tyres de-

39 The Lark 22 bad news. When we unpacked the The highlight of the trip was car, we could not find my binocu- seeing and photographing the Pel’s lars. We rolled our memories back Fishing Owl, and the disappoint- and it struck me that I forgot it ment, to return home. In total we on Senyati’s deck where we were ticked off just over 200 bird species sitting. We contacted Senyati but which was way below what we have the binoculars were of course no- hoped for. Some of the smaller birds where to be found. So, with our did not sit still long enough for losses amounting to over R30 000 photos. The weather on the second (the robbery, towing costs, replac- half of the trip was also not helpful ing damaged tyres and my lost bin- for good birding and photography. oculars), you can now see why we I think that if we had a guide with call it ‘a road trip from hell’. But the us for the entire trip, the 400 mark long-lasting memories made and would have been in danger. new friends that we have made are Anybody thinking of doing a worth much more than all costs of similar trip is welcome to contact the trip together. We enjoyed every us so that we can give some info moment and will talk and laugh and tips. We are already starting to about this trip for a very long time plan a similar road trip in Decem- to come. Will we do it again? YEP, ber 2020. TOMORROW! To stop camping and sell the caravan was very high on the agen- da while we were stuck in the sand and waited for the recovery vehicles. The language spoken at that stage cannot be repeated here, but it is a miracle what an ice-cold beer can do to calm you down and let you look at the situation that you find yourself in from a totally different perspective.

The Lark 22 40 Sukses op Steendal

teks Minkie Prinsloo and fotos Richter Van Tonder

roeg Saterdag og- landskap verskil sal mens nie sê dis gend die 2de Febru- so naby aan Polokwane nie. arie het 10 gretige Oppad uit plaas toe het ons voëlkykyersV by die Polokwane bietjie misreën gekry, en het onder Wildtuintjie bymekaar gekom en onsself bespiegel of ons in díe weer van daar af vertrek na David Van veel voëls gaan sien. Gelukkig het Ryneveld se plaas, Steendal. Sy dit nie lank gehou nie, en teen plaas is so 30 km suid van Polok- die tyd wat ons by die plaashek wane. As mens kyk na hoe die aangekom het, was daar geen meer 41 The Lark 22 kelpadjie opgery huis toe en is onmiddelik verwelkom deur ‘n hele paar voëlspesies vir ons lysie, onder andere ‘n Witpenssuik- erbekkie (White-bellied Sunbird) en Swartkeelgeelvink (Southern Masked Weaver), asook die geroep van die Piet-my-vrou (Red-chested Cuckoo), Suidelike Waterfiskaal (Southern Boubou) en Rooikop- houtkapper (Black-collared Bar- bet). Hier het ons ‘n vinnige koffie en beskuit geniet voor ons die koppie uit is. Die eerste rukkie het maar stadig gegaan in terme van nuwe spesies vir ons daglys, grootliks om- dat daar ‘n koel wind gewaai het en sommige van ons ons baadjies by die huis vergeet het. Van die spesies wat ons op die koppies gekry het sluit in Bandkeelkleinjantjie (Bar-throated Apalis), Klipstreepkoppie (Cinna- sprake van reën nie. mon-breasted Bunting), Swart- Terwyl ons by die hek vir kopwielewaal (Black-headed Ori- David gewag het kon ons dadelik ole), en Swartbandlangstertjie ‘n paar spesies al afmerk: Gewone (Black-chested Prinia). Richter het Swartmees (Southern Black Tit), ook die roep van die Luitinktinkie Kroonkiewiet (Crowned Lapwing), (Lazy Cisticola) gehoor en hom vir Bontroklaksman (Brubru) en ons probeer uitlok. Na ‘n rukkie Rooineklewerik (Rufous-naped se geroep en baie mooi verduide- Lark). Ons het die kort kron lik waar hy rondspring het hy oop The Lark 22 42 en bloot in ‘n bos voor ons kom sit (White-throated Robin-Chat) so asof hy weet hy is ‘n ‘lifer’ vir ‘n Hofsanger (Willow Warbler), paar van ons en dat ons graag fotos Streepkopkanarie (Streaky-headed van hom wil hê. Seedeater), Witborsspreeu (Vio- Heel tevrede met ons vonds let-backed Starling), Rooibeksysie het ons die koppie af begin terug- (Common Waxbill) en selfs Na stap Ons het onder die koppie om makwaduifies (Namaqua Dove) gestap opsoek na die Gestreepte bygevoeg. Koester (Striped Pipit), wat ons Na ontbyt (wat met die perde ongelukkig nie gekry het nie. Die en honde gedeel is) het ons in die konstante geroep van die Klip- rigting van die hek ‘n draai gaan streepkoppie het ons die res van stap, ons teikenspesie: die Bosveld- die dag vergesel, ‘n geluid wat ons koester (Bushveld Pipit). Ons was almal nou behoort te herken. Op skaars by die hek uit toe ons nog ons soeke na die koester het ons ‘n ‘lifer’ vir meeste van die groep spesies soos Witkeeljanfrederik, kry; ‘n Witpootblouvinkie (Purple

43 The Lark 22 Bo Witpootblouvinkie was ‘n wenner.

Oorkant Klipstreepkoppies was oral en teen die einde van ons besoek was almal goed vertroud met die voeltjie se roep.

The Lark 22 44 Indigobird) wat oop sit en sing vir Bo ‘n Paartjie Bosveldkoesters was beslis een van die hoogtepunte van die dag. fotos. Behalwe vir die enetjie, is ons ook beloon met Kleinstreepswael Links bo Die Luitinktinkie was aanvank lik bietjie lui om uit te kom, maar na ‘n (Lesser Striped Swallow), Bruins- lang gesukkel het ons hom toe mooi kon langarend (Brown Snake Eagle), sien. Kransaasvoël (Cape Vulture) en Swartsuikerbekkie (Amethyst Sun- ‘n lifer vir ‘n klomp mense in die bird). Na ‘n rukkie se geroep en ge- groep, en weereens het hulle goeie soek het ons nie net een nie, maar foto geleenthede gelewer. Oppad twee Bosveldkoesters gekry, nog terug tuin toe het ons ook twee 45 The Lark 22 pragtige Kaapse Kapokvoëls (Cape (Red-breasted Swallow), om ons Penduline Tits) en ‘n Dassievoël lysie tot oor die 80 spesies vir die (Mocking Cliff Chat) kon bylas. oggend te stoot. En so kom die uitstappie ook Baie dankie aan David wat sy tot ‘n einde. Ons het darem op- plaas en huis vir ons oopgemaak pad uit nog ‘n paar spesies kon het, asook vir Richter wat meeste kry; Bruinjakkalsvoel (Common van ons se lewenslyste met tussen Buzzard), Gebande Sanger (Barred twee en vier spesies laat klim het. Wren-Warbler) en Rooiborsswael

Bo Die groepie Steendallers lyk heel in hulle noppies met al hulle aftikkertjies vir die oggend.

The Lark 22 46 Striking� gold amongsthat a flooda day! of Spotted Crakes Derek Engelbrecht

n the 5th February nous Lark, Harlequin Quail, Com- 2019, I visited De mon Buttonquail, Wattled Starling Loskop farm (ap- and a host of waterbirds. The wa- proximatelyO 40 km north of Polok- ter level of the dam also rose to a wane) for some routine monitor- new record high, which resulted ing of Monotonous Larks which in extensive flooding of the Acacia arrived on the farm in December 2018. The recent good rains in Above Two specials with one click: Spot- the area saw an influx of many ted Crake (left) and Greater Painted-snipe (right) sharing an island on the floodplain. nomadic species such as Monoto- 47 The Lark 22 savannah on the farm. I've been doing research at De Loskop since 2007, and over the years I have seen the water levels of the dam wax- ing and waning, and by waning I mean as in to zero, i.e. not a drop of water! You can say I’ve seen its ugly side when, as recently as early December 2017, even the resident Kit- tlitz’s Plovers had spread their Above De Loskop at its worst (top, wings and left December 2017) and its best (bottom, for greener - and wetter - pastures. February 2019). Roll on summer 2018/19, and things can't be more different. I arrived at about 6:30 and, distance further, I stopped at a spot as usual, I started atlasing along a where my son Daniel and I saw a fixed route I drive when I'm at the Baillon's Crake in December 2018. farm. The first stop yielded Lesser I was hoping to find it again and Moorhen and Grey Heron. A short started sloshing through the flood-

The Lark 22 48 ed grassland. No Baillon's Crake, there was anything of interest. My but an African Crake flushed from jaw dropped when I saw the dam the wetland was a suitable replace- level. It was way beyond the highest ment. I also walked along the wa- level I had ever seen in my 12 years ter's edge, looking for Dwarf Bittern of visiting the farm. when another crake exploded from I realized I was on a good beneath my feet. The white lead- wicket when I started flushing one ing edge to the Greater Paint- wing was strik- ed-snipe after ing and a fleet- another, and ing glimpse of Dwarf Bitterns the unbarred, every couple of creamy un- metres. Walk- dertail coverts ing from the confirmed my dam wall to- suspicions - wards the in- Spotted Crake! flow, I quickly Fortunately racked up an Daniel and impressive list I had flushed of 10 ardeids: and photo- herons (Black, graphed an- Black-headed, other Spotted Grey, Squac- Crake close co), egrets to Moletzie (Cattle, Little, (about 30 km Above Dwarf Bittern Intermediate, to the south) a few weeks earlier, so Great), Dwarf Bittern, and Black- I knew what to look for. This bird crowned Night Heron. A couple disappeared in the tall and dense of African Spoonbill and Glossy waterside vegetation not to be seen Ibis completed the list of the larger again. wading birds! I headed to the dam to see if At one point my attention was

49 The Lark 22 drawn to something small scurry- of Ruffs foraging in the shallows, ing in a rat-like manner through and no sooner had I noticed an the inundated grasses. Well blow odd bird amongst them, they took me over, another Spotted Crake! off, including the odd looking bird. Shortly after this one, yet anoth- The bird made a very loud, piping er Spotted Crake showed itself call as it took off and I immediately briefly, froze solidly next to a tree knew I was onto something as it is stump, before being swallowed by not a call I was familiar with. For- the Earth. I swear I cannot tell you tunately I had my camera with me where it had disappeared to. and fired a few shots. It was quite When I arrived at the inflow, a large plover and it was distinc- a much grassier area with an ex- tive amongst the Ruffs it was flying tensive mudflat, I started seeing with. After some desktop editing of more waders, including Common the image and consulting some ex- Ringed Plover, an African Snipe, perts, I realized I had struck ‘gold’! and several more Greater Paint- The mystery plover turned out to ed-snipes. My eyes fell upon a hill be a Pacific Golden Plover! As far

Above Pacific Golden Plover at De Loskop, only the second record for the Limpopo Province.

The Lark 22 50 as I am aware, this was only the second ever record for the Limpopo Prov- ince. The only other record of this species for the Limpopo Province was in March 2005 when one was present at the Den Staat Wet- lands near Ma- pungubwe Na- tional Park for a few days. What a day! I returned the next morning, hoping to get a better pic- Above I found this nest with four Dwarf ture of the plover. I met up with Bittern nestlings. The one is already doing the skypointing behaviour so typical of this Richter, Conrad and Gershwin Van group. Tonder and together we set off to find it. And we did! I was unable parents had to leave, but I stayed to get the picture I wanted, but was a little longer to see what other priviledged to share Richter's 700th surprises De Loskop had to offer. South African species with him Incredibly, I came upon another – and what a bird to reach such a three Spotted Crakes! It was rain- milestone with. Richter and his ing Spotted Crakes at De Loskop!

51 The Lark 22 Above The shallow, backwater pools creat- Two of them were actually foraging ed by receding water in flooded Acacia savannah was the favoured habitat of together. And those two were also Spotted Crakes at De Loskop. Three birds swallowed together by the Earth. were encountered here. Real Houdini birds. So how did I manage to get defence seems to be to crouch mo- 10 separate sightings of this in- tionless so as to avoid detection. If credibly shy and elusive species at you approach too close, they will De Loskop? Most birds were seen either explode from underneath in very shallow water in flooded your feet, or scurry away in an er- grassy areas in the Acacia savan- ratic manner at surprisingly great nah, especially where the water has speed. They also tend to run quite already started receding, exposing a distance before relaxing their some muddy areas, or where the guard. I found they would often receding water created a shallow hide under a bush, either in the wa- backwater pool. Their first line of ter or very close to the water’s edge,

The Lark 22 52 and remain absolutely motionless, Other birds of interest at De Lo- even while you are inspecting the skop included a Booted Eagle, sever- bush they’re hiding in. If there is no al Lesser Spotted Eagles enjoying bush with low, overhaning branch- the glut offered by breeding colonies es nearby, I noticed two individuals of Red-billed Queleas, and Wattled crouching right next to the base of Starlings, respectable numbers of a tree trunk, their spotted plum- Cape Shovelers, as well as Hottentot age providing effective camouflage Teal, Maccoa Duck, Blue-cheeked by disrupting the outline, and re- Bee-eater, Whiskered Tern, Thrush sembling dappled shade. They will Nightingale, Olive-tree Warbler, and readily take to water and can swim (un)Common Whitethroat. Oh, and well, and will even climb a tree to before I forget, somewhere in the escape detection! Such a shy bird, mayhem of logging 140 species dur- so a real privilege to have seen them ing my atlasing seassion, I flushed in such numbers! two Monotonous Larks.

Above Lesser Spotted Eagles are particu- larly plentiful this season, taking advantage of the breeding irruptions of nomadic birds such as Red-billed Queleas and Wattled Starlings. 53 The Lark 22 Above As much a reflection of my photographic skills, as it is of getting a picture of this frustratingly shy species. From top to bottom, left to right: Spotted Crakes will readily take cover under overhanging vegetation in the water, often tucking in close to the main trunk of a tree; A rare shot of one in the open; Another obviously nervous bird - note the plain, cream-coloured undertail coverts typical of the species; One skulking away; Spot- ted Crakes can swim well and will even resort to climbing trees to escape detection.

The Lark 22 54 Birds in Art

White-necked Picathartes

Text and Artwork Willem Van der Merwe E-mail: [email protected]

ere we have some- vulture. So this is a 'magpie-vul- thing unusual - a ture', except that is not really ei- White-Necked Pi- ther of the two. They're also called cathartesH or Rockfowl, Picathartes 'rockfowl' and 'bald crows', again, gymnocephalus. So, you're prob- not being fowl or crows. These ably asking, 'what under the blue birds belong to a unique branch heavens is a picathartes?' Well, I'm of the family tree of the Passer- glad you're probably asking that! A ines or songbirds/perching birds. picathartes is one of only two spe- The other picathartes species, the cies of very strange birds that live Grey-necked Picathartes, is sim- in rainforests of Central and West ilar, but with bright red, blue and Africa. The name comes from two black naked skin on its head, while combined names: 'pica' which is a the White-necked Picathartes’ head magpie, and 'cathartes' which is a is yellow and black. The species

55 The Lark 22 name 'gymnocephalus' means 'na- overhangs, underneath which they ked-headed', although both species build their cup-like nests of mud. actually have naked heads. Where the rocky cliffs and walls are The two species of picathartes limited in extent, these birds share are dependent on a very specific them in small colonies. They're habitat. First of all, they need fairly most easily seen around their nest- dense and moist jungle to forage in; ing sites because in the forest itself but for breeding, they need rocky they tend to skulk in the gloom. walls, caves, and/or cliffs with The rainforests where these

White-necked Picathartes © Willem Van der Merwe

The Lark 22 56 birds breed, are very moist, growth the picathartes (and some other is rampant, and food is available birds) lurk along the flanks of this throughout the year. In some parts line of ants to try and catch what- of the region there are two 'seasons' ever escapes the marauding ants. of even higher than average rain- When not following the ants, fall, and in these parts the birds the picathartes will seek their prey may even breed twice per year. The in the forest understory, using their nests are made of plant fibres, leaves bills to probe in the ground or to and twigs set in mud and attached turn over leaves. They eat mainly to the wall of a cliff , cave or rock, invertebrates, but will also catch typically protected by an overhang small frogs and lizards. They will against the near-constant rain. The also hunt small aquatic animals in picathartes pair up, and both par- shallow water. ents incubate the eggs and care for Strange Relationships the chicks. These birds are unlike any Army Ant Followers other found in Africa. They are These birds are some of several indeed songbirds, members of the bird species that exploit army ants Passeriformes, the largest order of in the jungle. These are large and birds, which includes thousands aggressive ants that live in huge of species including such com- swarms that practically go to war: mon ones as sparrows, thrushes, they run through the jungle and warblers, starlings, swallows, larks subdue and kill anything in their and many more. As songbirds go, path. This is not quite as bad as of- they're fairly large, reaching 40 ten portrayed in popular culture; cm in length. They're somewhat army ants aren't really capable of crow-like in shape, but not closely overwhelming and killing humans related to crows. For long, it was or large animals. But they do man- thought they're related to babblers, age to overpower many smaller crit- a huge group with many species in ters, and most importantly for pica- Africa and Asia, and just a few in thartes, lots of small creatures will the Australian region. Unlike most desperately flee these army ants. So, babblers, though, they are mostly

57 The Lark 22 silent, just uttering soft whistles as 240-230 million years ago. alarm calls. Indeed, recent genetic All right! This leads us back studies revealed that they are not to picathartes and its relationships babblers at all. They're not closely to the rest of the bird world. These related to any of the many known two species are indeed now seen as families in the songbird order! being close to the dividing point They are most likely members of a between the sparrow-like and the branch that split off from the song- crow-like songbirds. While the bird family tree at around the same latter two groups both number point where the oscine songbirds in the thousands of species, there branched into its current two big are only two species of picathartes divisions, the Passerini, or spar- left. They are thus a kind of link row-like ones, and the Corvini, or between these two huge groups. crow-like ones. These two species today represent I speak a lot about relation- a huge chunk of biodiversity and ships in these articles. Remember, evolutionary history. They are as when we speak relationships, we're 'significant' when it comes to how actually meaning 'blood' or family different from other birds they are, relationships. All of life on Earth as the entirety of the sparrow-ally is one huge family – we are all re- or the crow-ally assemblages. They lated, and going back far enough, once again show how every bit of a common ancestor can (poten- biodiversity is important … every tially) be found for any two indi- species is a unique. A species is a vidual living beings of any species, vast assemblage of living beings whether animal, plant, bacteria or existing in space and over long pe- anything else. We are related to riods of time, in complex relation- birds, but very distantly - the com- ships with other species and also mon ancestor between mammals with changing environments, rep- and birds likely lived around 300+ resenting links when it comes to million years ago. Birds are closer the overall evolution of everything relatives of crocodiles, sharing a on Earth, ourselves included. Every common ancestor that lived about living species is therefore a link

The Lark 22 58 with a past that goes right back to with extinction. The rainforests the origin of life on this planet, four in western Africa are some of the billion years ago. Every species is an most heaviest logged forests in the incredible success story of adapta- world today, leading to degrada- tion and survival, an unbroken line tion and fragmentation of these stretching right back to this distant habitats. Although there are a few dawn of life, and from there all the reserves within the range of these way to the present and potentially birds, they desperately need more into the future. How great a trage- protection. If it was up to me, I dy, then, if any of these lines should would build large rock or concrete get broken in our own time - and walls for them with suitable 'eaves' worse, as a result of our actions! under which they could nest, to Indeed, these two very unique help them expand their range! birds are today both threatened

59 The Lark 22 Dear Mankind by Shellot Muofhe

E-mail: [email protected]

Everything is pale and grey. Except that you’ll stand under trees You walk around all fed up; but your with your guns loaded, ready to prey heads are empty. on us. You sit up to the neck in rubbish, You carry your cameras and photo- whilst we die with plastics. graph us to show off to the world that you’re great photographers, Your hearts are full of holes, But tomorrow you’ll have forgotten You’re drowning your sorrows and who we were today. problems in glasses full of wine; Whilst plastics are killing us. You’ll eat yourselves full and forget us, With a smile of stone, you can’t come Leaving everything standing to fall, up with anything better to save us. Lying for more ash and dust.

The Lark 22 60 You all want everything to fit, but You hope for a better life, yet you’re you’re not watching over us, letting us go extinct. You’re killing us! Will our extinction bring you happi- You have silenced the voice of reason, ness, none hears it no more, Or will it bring to you turmoil? Because you sometimes have the You build higher and higher, until it feeling that you don’t belong here, then reaches infinity, you want to destroy everything. Cutting down the trees, our habitat: How cruel can you be? and we lose our homes and families. How does it make you feel? Forwards and backwards exist no Would we be wrong to say that you are more, only ups and downs. the beasts of Biodiversity? We have lifted off to the space, for the ground guarantees us no safety. Almost eight billion humans, but the Perhaps up here we’ll be safe. humanity is missing. From up here, suddenly none of us One in hundred million, a small point matter. over the ground, From up here, we can’t see any borders We see the world through the holes in nor skin colours to blame, our nests, For you’re all the same; you’re all con- The rest fades into the blue. tributing to it. Nothing dulls the noise, yet you can’t We lost time and value down there. hear our cries. In the dark of the night; everything looks peaceful down there, Let this not be our obituary to you. But nearer here, it’s heating, We wrote this letter in the hope that With the air polluted, we’re dying. you will change your hearts and save us. You all contribute to it, but you break under the burden. Yours In Tears, You hope for God, but you missed the Birds miracle. Opposite African Pipit in a sea of plastic © Derek Engelbrecht. 61 The Lark 22 The Lark 22 62 Bird Briefs

Coucal trichoptiles age you from a potential meal? Hugh Chittenden Hard to say. My guess is, probably E-mail: [email protected] not, but those spiky, white, wire- like protrusions may just make elcome to the the chick look inedible and put world of weird off some predators. Green Mal- things, trichop- koha chicks are also covered with tiles W- the strange hair-like pro- trichoptiles - not as white as those trusions on newly hatched coucal of coucals though. chicks. Interestingly, as opposed to I’ve been trying to get my mousebirds and their use of in- head around the function of cou- secticidal leaves, coucals seem to cal trichoptiles! Being almost only line their nests with green ground level breeders, two of the leaves during the incubation main predators of coucal chicks (not nestling) period. The Black would be mongooses and snakes. Coucal brought guava leaves to If you were a predator, would the the nest while I was there! These images below frighten or discour- leaves are probably there to hu-

Above One-day old coucal chicks showing the wiry trichoptiles.

63 The Lark 22 Top Recently hatched coucal and Green Malko- ha chicks are covered with trichoptiles, but those of malkoha chicks are not as white.

Middle and above Coucals line their nests with green leaves only during incubation and it probably serves a humidifying rather than insecticidal function.

The Lark 22 64 midify the eggs during the incu- to me they are just evolutionary bation period, and are unlikely traits from a prehistorical era and to be used for their insecticidal nowadays serve no real function, properties. but I could be completely wrong. Getting back to trichoptiles, They don’t remain that long

Top A menacingly looking Burchell’s Coucal nestling.

Above Great garden birds, coucals relish the slugs we so detest.

65 The Lark 22 Above Black Coucal. though as these wiry-like append- ages are really just the tips to de- veloping quills that push through in November, you’ll know this rare after a few days and they soon migrant is ‘back in town’ and the develop into feathers. So, cou- hot summer months are at your cal chicks don’t have soft down, doorstep! For me, the best time of they simply move from that spiky the year. It’s also interesting that state, to quills, and then feathers. they are able to breed before at- To me, they look far more taining full adult plumage. And menacing at this quilled stage! of course, they are normally pol- And what fantastic garden birds yandrous, i.e. the male assumes to have, they relish the slugs you most parental duties, including detest! incubation of eggs. At this nest, Moving on from these two birds were seen feeding the strange spiky protrusions, the nestlings., the other bird being Black Coucal is definitely one of the one on the previous spread. my favourite birds, probably be- All the above Black Coucal cause we know so little about this bird photos were taken in 2005 rare species. When you hear it’s at La Mercy, exactly where the monotonous ‘choc, choc, choc’ call Durban International Airport is

The Lark 22 66 today. In fact, the nest was about Above Black Coucals are able to breed before they attain adult plumage. This sub-adult bird where the main runway was con- with barring to the wing coverts (left) delivered structed the following year. most of the food to the nest (right).

The bird below was pho- Below Black Coucals need dense mats of grass tographed on St Lucia’s western for protection from predators. shores and this brings me to the following point. Black coucals need dense, moist, almost waist-high grass in which to breed. The sparse, shorthish grass dominated by Cotton- wool Grass Imperata cylindrica, found on the rolling dunes close to the ocean in north-east- when threatened by aerial (and ern KwaZulu-Natal and Mozam- other) predators. bique, is unsuitable for them to Acknowledgements breed in. It is just too sparse, they I thank Geoff Nichols for alerting me to need to be able to duck into, and the presence of breeding Black Coucals hide under a thick mat of grass at La Mercy in 2005.

67 The Lark 22 Geophagy by African Olive Above Geophagy by African Olive Pigeons at an old quarry at Schnellkop, Limpopo Province. Pigeon and Cape Canary Derek Engelbrecht E-mail: [email protected]

n the 21st Novem- Not used to seeing them on ber 2018, arriving the ground, I was rather interest- at Schnellkop near ed in finding out what caused this HoutbosdorpO (Limpopo Province) gathering on the ground. Some at around 05:45, my attention was of the pigeons clambered clum- immediately drawn to five African sily up the walls of the quarry, Olive Pigeons gathered at an old, fluttering their wings to main- disused quarry. The quarry is sit- tain balance and position on the uated in a firebreak in grassland steep sides of the quarry. At first on the verge of Northern Mistbelt I thought they were after emerg- Forest patches and a pine planta- ing insects - strange, I thought tion. - so I started taking pictures.

The Lark 22 68 It wasn’t insects afterall, but it come and gone. When I returned turned out the African Olive Pi- to the site at about 10:00, there geons were pecking away at the were no pigeons but I recorded walls of the quarry and ingest- several Cape Canaries pecking ing the soil. Some of the birds ob- away at the quarry wall. Closer tained grit from spillage collect- inspection of the soil revealed it ed in the crevices of the rock face to be a clay loam type of soil. or directly from the ground be- Arriving at 5:52 the next low the walls of the quarry. The day, the African Olive Pigeons most birds present at any time were once again at it. I left the were nine African Olive Pigeons, area around 06:15 and when I re- but they came at different times. turned at around 08:00, the pi- While I was watching them (about geons had left but Cape Canaries 35 minutes), at least 30 birds had came and went throughout the

69 The Lark 22 morning. Thus, a pattern seemed Above Cape Canaries ingesting soil from the quarry wall. They used a combination of peck- to emerge: the African Olive Pi- ing and scraping to dislodge the soil. geons arrived from dawn up to Opposite A view of the quarry wall at Sch- about 2 hours after sunrise before nellkop where birds gather to ingest soil. The they dispersed from the area to inset shows a close-up of a ‘digging’ that must have been in use for many years. forage for the day. Cape Canaries arrived later but came and went throughout the day. The question begs, why did the birds gather at this site to in-

The Lark 22 70 gest soil? Intentional ingestion of go their favoured habitat and feed soil, known as geophagy, has been on the ground. observed in many bird and mam- The diet of the two spe- mals species. Many reasons have cies observed are quite different; been proposed for this phenome- the African Olive Pigeons being non, including a means to supple- mainly frugivorous and the Cape ment micro-nutrients in the diet, Canaries being mainly granivo- as a mechanical aid to digestion, rous. However, dietary overlap to buffer pH, ‘self-medication’ to may occur at certain times of treat endoparasites, pH buffer- the year when seeds or fruits are ing (especially by clay soils) and in short supply. Thus, it is pos- the adsorption of toxins or other sible that some component, or secondary compounds obtained lack thereof, in their shared or from the diet (Brightsmith 2004; respective diets may have neces- Downs 2006). However, it is pos- sitated geophagy. Geophagy may sible that geophagy may have sev- have been performed as an aid to eral origins and one or more of adsorp toxic components in their the above may be the drivers for diets, or to supplement some trace this behaviour. element which may be lacking in I am of the opinion that the their respective diets. ingestion of grit to facilitate diges- As mentioned above, African tion is perhaps one of the less like- Olive Pigeons are seldom seen ly reasons why the pigeons and on the ground, but Martin et al. canaries at Schnellkop engaged (1986) recorded the species feed- in geophagy. There seemed to be ing in stubble field in the Western plentiful other sources of grit in Cape, and Downs (2006) report- the immediate area, yet they con- ed flocks engaging in geophagy centrated at the quarry. Further- at salt springs in KwaZulu-Natal more, African Olive Pigeons are throughout the year. It therefore mainly arboreal and are seldom appears as if African Olive Pigeons seen on the ground, so something frequently engage in geoph- must have attracted them to fore- agy, but the behaviour is simply

71 The Lark 22 underreported. The observations interesting to spend more time at Schnellkop provide additional at Schnellkop to see which oth- evidence of geophagy by African er species, if any, also visit the Olive Pigeons. quarry. Geophagy is probably Cape Canaries feed main- more common and widespread ly on the ground, and as such than generally thought and may the opportunities to ingest grit simply be underreported. Please to aid mechanical digestion of share your observations - and seeds exist. However, in the strict photos - of geophagy if you have sense of the word, this could any. By building on the database not be interpreted as geophagy of bird species engaging in geoph- as soil particles may be ingested agy, and ‘licks’ where geophagy is unintentionally while feeding. performed, we can build a better The Cape Canaries at Schnellkop picture of this interesting (for us) gathered at the quarry with the and very important (for birds) sole purpose of consuming soil, phenomenon. It may ultimately and as such is a classic example of help to ensure our birds’ well-be- geophagy. ing by protecting such natural The behaviour exhibited licks. by these two species supports my hypothesis that the primary References driver for soil consumption at Brightsmith DJ 2004. Avian geophagy Schnellkop is not to obtain grit, and soil characteristics in southeastern but rather some physiological Peru. Biotropica 36: 534-543. or nutritional function such as Downs CT 2006. Geophagy in the Af- buffering pH, adsorption of tox- rican Olive Pigeon Columba arquatrix. ins or as a source of some trace Ostrich 77: 40-44. element/s in their diets. More Martin R, Martin J, Martin E 1986. detailed observations and even soil Rameron Pigeons feeding on stubble analysis of the quarry at Schnellkop land. Promerops 173: 15. may shed more light on this intriguing behaviour. It would also be

The Lark 22 72 Eerste Kalkoenibis nes in het ons meer as dertig jaar gelede die Limpopo Provinsie in ‘n nes van die spesie op die Polo meer as 30 jaar! kwane Plato teëgekom. Alhoewel Richter Van Tonder ons geweet het hulle broei op die E-mail: [email protected] plato aangesien ons nou en dan ‘n jong voël gesien het, het ons nooit m mee te begin ‘n nes kon kry nie. Kalkoenibisse moet ek noem maak hulle neste op kranse en in dat dit oor die al- gate teen kranse (Tarboton 2011). gemeenO nie maklik is om ‘n Die Polokwane Plato het dan ‘n Kalkoenibis (Southern Bald Ibis) paar groot graniet koppies wat op die Polokwane Plato te vind geskik is vir hulle om op te broei. nie. Volgens ons kennis is daar Leoni Kellerman en Les twee groepe teenwoordig. Een Reynolds (twee van Birdlife groep is in die Mankweng area, Polokwane se voëlklublede) het waar jy hulle dalk vroeg oggend die 20ste Desember 2018 in die op die sportvelde kan kry, of an- Mashashane area gaan voëls kyk ders dalk by die Mankweng riool- en by ‘n dam daar vier Kalkoen werke. Dis nou as jy gelukkig is. ibisse gekry. Dié groep is ongelukkig oppad Ek het besluit om op 28 De- uit. Sover ons weet, is daar nou sember 2018 pentad 2350_2905 slegs twee individue in die be te altas waar binne die spesifieke volking oor (Engelbrecht 2018). dam val. Die rede hiervoor was dat Die tweede groep beweeg in ek self nie van te vore daardie pen- die area rondom Mashashane, on- tad ge-atlas het nie en ek wou my geveer 30 km wes van Polokwane. eie rekord van 440 spesies binne Ek het self kennis gemaak met die die Polokwane 100 km Challenge groepie in Mei 2016 toe ek die verbeter. Ek het op daardie stadi- Mashshane pentad vir SABAP2 um op 438 gestaan. ge-atlas het. Op daardie stadium Die pentad was nog net het ek sewe individue getel. eenkeer van te vore deur Joe Volgens Derek Engelbrecht Grosel in November 2012 ge-

73 The Lark 22 Bo Die granietkoppie by Mashashane waar die eerste Kalkoenibis nes in meer as dertig jaar in atlas. Ek was vroeg oggend by die Limpopo Provinsie gevind is. die dam in daardie pentad en het begin voëls tel. Die habitat is kort grasveld met hier en daar wat daar opgeteken was sluit in: ‘n bossie of doringboom. Die Witpenskorhaan (White-bellied gebied is bo 1400 m bo seevlak. Bustard), Kortkloulewerik (Short- Langs die dam af en ook onder clawed Lark), Laeveldpatrys die dam langs die riviertjie se (Shelley’s Francolin), Langstertflap loop was daar digter bos met riete (Long-tailed Widow), en Kaapse en ander tipe gras. Daar was ‘n Kapokvoëls (Cape Penduline Tit). menigte aantal Witvlerkkorhane Ek het beplan om slegs (Northern Black Korhaan), die die minimum twee ure daar te meeste wat ek al beleef het. ‘n spandeer en so het ek dan vir Paar van die interressante spesies die laaste 20 minute langs die

The Lark 22 74 dam gesit om te sien wat ek nog Bo Twee Kalkoenibisse by hulle nes in ‘n natuurlike ‘kolkgat’ op die granietkoppie by Ma- kon opteken. Langs die dam is shashane. Die neste by die nou verlate Moletzie ‘n groot koppie en ek het dit toe Natuurreservaat Kalkoenibis kolonie was ook in sulke kolkgate gebou. rustig bestudeer. Soos ek oor die koppie beweeg het met my en dan op die foto in te zoom. Ek verkyker, sien ek toe dié twee was nie teleurgesteld nie! Op die gate in die rots. Die boonste gat foto sien ek toe ‘n Kalkoenibis op was dieper en ek sien toe iets rooi ‘n nes! Met ‘n tweede foto kry ek daar binne. Die gat in die rots was toe twee Kalkoenibisse. vêr vanwaar ek gestaan het, so dit Dit is interessant dat hulle was moeilik om iets uit te maak. die tyd van die jaar broei. Vol- Maar ek het dadelik vermoed dat gens Tarboton et al. (1987) broei ek na ‘n Kalkoenibis kyk. Ek gryp Kalkoenibisse gewoonlik van toe my kamera om ‘n foto te neem Julie to Augustus met ‘n piek in

75 The Lark 22 broei aktiwiteit in Augustus en die groepie sal aanhou broei en September, met ander woorde vermeerder. hulle broei aan die einde van die droeë seisoen tot voor die reën- Verwysings seisoen begin. Die feit dat hulle Engelbrecht D 2018. And then there dus in Desember by Mashashane were two – the slow demise of the north- sou broei is ietwat ongewoon. Kan ernmost Southern Bald Ibisses. The die droogte van 2018 of die laat Lark 16: 21-23. somer reëns van die 2018/2019 Tarboton WR 2011. Roberts Nests and reënseisoen dalk ‘n rol gespeel Eggs of Southern African Birds. The het? Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book As dit nie vir atlaswerk was Fund, Cape Town. en ook in ‘n mindere mate die Tarboton WR, Kemp MI and Kemp AC Polokwane 100 km Challenge nie, 1987. Birds of the Transvaal. Transvaal dan sou ek nooit hier beweeg het Museum, Pretoria. nie en nooit die nes gevind het nie. Kom ons hou duimvas dat

The Lark 22 76 Eastern Nicator Observations on the East- place the nicators (three species ern Nicator are found in Africa), thought at Hugh Chittenden the time to be shrikes and called E-mail: [email protected] Yellow-spotted Shrike by au- thors of early book publications, bove, a Yellow-spot- including Austin Roberts. This ted Shrike! Well, seemed logical at the time as it that’s what you builds a nest far more similar to wouldA have called it 60 years ago! that of shrikes, than for exam- Eastern Nicator, with its stri- ple bulbuls. And, it has a very dent, loud and jumbled call is a hooked, shrike-like bill. Decades bird that is more often heard than later it became more aligned with seen, and definitely not the kind the bulbuls, and now it is retained of bird that likes to sit out in the in a separate family (the Nicatori- open for all to see (and get photo- dae) somewhere between the two graphed!). families. It’s interesting that, a century For me though, one of the ago, birders were unsure where to most fascinating and bizarre

77 The Lark 22 things about this bird, is the feath- bly one of the most remarkable I er development in newly hatched have ever had with any bird spe- nestlings. Just take a look at the cies. When I exited the partly hid- ‘hair’ style of the nestlings below! den photographic hide thinking Feather quills of course, but im- neither of the adults were around, pressive. Many nestlings are quite I hadn’t noticed that the one bird untidy, scruffy looking things, was right near the nest! Seeing me not this bird, VERY NEAT and standing just 3 m away, it imme- TIDY! Now-now girls, the copy- diately dropped to the ground and right for this smart ‘hair’ style is began an injury feigning display already taken... - an amazing thing to watch. Us- The following encounter I ing its spread wings to drag itself, had with these birds, was proba- it flopped around on the ground

The Lark 22 78 Top Hard to believe that the young looking like a swimmer attempt- nestling could successfully swallow a skink ing butterfly stroke! Note how it’s this size! able to raise its flank feathers for Above An adult feeds the nestling a added effect, bizzare! I know of green mantid. no other southern African bird Previous above The Eastern Nicator that does this. builds a nest looking similar to that of shrikes,

Of course, as I tried to get Previous below Eastern Nicators photographs of this never-before nestlinsg appear very neat.

79 The Lark 22 documented display, what it was these insectivorous birds. They actually doing, was trying to lure often follow antelope in wooded me away from the nest. I only areas, especially Nyala, and snap remained a few seconds, then up insects that are disturbed by moved away, completely amazed these ungulates. at what I’d just seen. I know I say this on a fairly Then finally, a very interest- regular basis, but what a bird! ing hunting strategy adopted by

Top The seemingly unique injury-feigning display of an Eastern Nicator.

Above Eastern Nicators often follow antelope to take advantage of insects flushed.

The Lark 22 80 Collateral damage in some- portant in the daily water econo- one else’s war: the intrigu- my of desert birds such as larks. ing story of three gassed For example, it has been calculat- Spike-heeled Larks ed that Hoopoe Larks can poten- Derek Engelbrecht tially reduce their water loss by as E-mail: [email protected] much as 81% by seeking shelter in these burrows during the hot- he use of burrows as test parts of a day! An important thermal refugia by saving in an environment where larks were, as far as saving water is a top priority. can beT established, first reported The closest I got to seeing by Maclean (1974) for the Spike- this behaviour was in 2014 when I heeled Lark in the Kalahari De- observed two Spike-heeled Larks sert. Since Maclean’s observation, emerging from a deep burrow at this behaviour has been recorded about 11:00 in the morning just in at least five other lark species south of the Koa Valley dunes in (Williams et al. 1999; Walde et al. the Northern Cape. I first noticed 2009). In all these instances the a Spike-heeled Lark standing just larks used the burrows as ther- below the rim of the entrance of mal refugia to escape the heat of the burrow, and as I came to a the day, foraging mainly during stop, a second bird emerged from the cooler early mornings or late the burrow a couple of seconds afternoons. The burrows used later. They surveyed their sur- included those of the Ground roundings for a while and eventu- Squirrel, the Egyptian Spiny- ally ambled off. I went to inspect tailed Lizard, and the Desert Tor- the burrow and poked a pole into toise. Beyond the use of burrows it but (fortunately!) there were no as thermal refugia, Spike-heeled other birds or other occupants in Larks may also escape into other the burrow. I cannot say for cer- animals’ burrows when threat- tain if they were seeking shade in ened (Ryan 2019). the burrow or if they were simply The use of burrows are im- foraging for invertebrates near

81 The Lark 22 Above Two Spike-heeled Larks inspecting a burrow in the eastern Karoo, Free State. the entrance of the burrow when I disturbed them. It would make sense for them to be rather wary the tags of three of the specimens. when in a burrow as the chanc- It read: ‘Trapped at entrance of es of escape would be slim if sur- re-opened Meerkat burrows after prised by a predator. But what gassing in Rabies investigation’. A l l other dangers lurk when catching three specimens were from the forty winks in a burrow during Bloemfontein district in Quarter the heat of the day? Degree Grid Square 2926AA and While studying some Spike- were collected on the 19th May heeled Lark skins at the Ditsong 1939. What is not clear from the Museum of Natural History, I inscriptions on the tags is wheth- came across a very interesting er the birds were all trapped and inscription, written by a senior collected from a single burrow, or veterinary officer at the time, on if they were collected from differ-

The Lark 22 82 Above One of the Spike-heeled Larks in the collection of the Distong Museum of Natural ent burrows or entrances in a bur- History which was trapped in a burrow during row complex. The inscription ‘... gassing operations in a rabies investigation on the 19th May 1939. burrows ...’ gives the impression that the birds were collected from different burrows or entrances. into this behaviour. Firtsly, all The birds must have been in the the previous records were from burrows when the entrances were true deserts, namely the Kalahari, covered for gassing purposes to Mojave and the Arabian Deserts. kill the occupants - Meerkats it These records from the central was hoped. When the burrow Free State doesn’t constitute a was re-opened to collect what true desert, but rather semi-arid the investigators thought might grassland/savannah, depending be dead Meerkats, they found the on where you find yourself in Spike-heeled Larks instead. the QDGS. This suggests the Apart from the interesting ‘burrowing’ behaviour is not circumstances associated with restricted to hyper-arid deserts these records, the tags also experiencing excessively high provide us with more insights day-time temperatures, but may

83 The Lark 22 also be found in populations evidence that larks use burrows in more moderate climates. as refugia, either to escape the Secondly, the time of the year, 19th heat or a potential threat. This May, is early winter in the region, record of larks utilising burrows, and in the central Free State, day- although not recognized as such time temperatures are unlikely to at the time, predates Gordon get anywhere near the shaded air Maclean’s observations by more temperatures (>450C) recorded than three decades! And that’s in the studies of Williams et al. the ‘hole’ story about the gassed (1999) and Walde et al. (2009). Spike-heeled Larks. Finally, this is the first record of Spike-heeled Larks using Meerkat References burrows as refugia. Maclean GL 1974. Arid-zone adapta- It’s quite amazing if you think tions in southern African birds. Cimbe- how much we learnt from this basia Ser. A 2: 163-175. unfortunate incident for the three Ryan P 2019. Spike-heeled Lark (Cher- Spike-heeled Larks. The poor somanes albofasciata). In: del Hoyo J, El- Spike-heeled Larks were really liott A, Sargatal J, Christie DA, de Juana collateral damage in someone E (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the else’s war. - a war against rabies. World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. We should give a shout-out to the (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/ unknown senior veterinary officer node/57628 on 5 January 2019). who collected the dead specimens Walde AD, Walde AM, Delaney DK, Pa- and donated it to the museum. It ter LL 2009. Burrows of desert tortoises would probably have been much (Gopherus agassizii) as thermal refugia easier to discard the corpses for horned larks (Eremophila alpestris) in the veld and nobody would in the Mojave Desert. Southwestern Nat- have been any wiser. What the uralist 54: 375-381. veterinary officer didn’t realize at Williams JB, Tieleman BI, Shobrak M the time was that, unbeknownst 1999. Lizard burrows provide thermal to the officer, he/she may have refugia for larks in the Arabian Desert. been the first person to obtain Condor 101: 714-717.

The Lark 22 84 Thicket birds Black Cuckoo, Brown-hooded Marianne McKenzie Kingfisher, Gorgeous Bushshrike, E-mail: [email protected] Kurrichane Thrush, a busy flock of European Bee-eaters, a fami- e live in the hills ly of Speckled Mousebirds, Lizard east of Tzaneen Buzzard, an African Fish Eagle and and have a small even a Crowned Eagle in territorial valleyW with indigenous woodland display. on our property. At the lower end Or so it would seem ... Actu- of this valley is a dense thicket ally, this thicket is usually home to which, during the summer months, just one versatile Red-capped Rob- is home to an interesting assort- in Chat, who never fails to delight ment of birds, including Red-chest- with his impressive repertoire, and ed Cuckoo, Black- and Brown- keeps one guessing as to who is re- crowned Tchagra, Black-headed ally calling! Oriole, Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird,

Above Red-capped Robin Chat ©Samson Mulaudzi 85 The Lark 22 Nightjar identification: Fiery-necked Nightjar rate, nor has the identification Hugh Chittenden crietria used been that useful! E-mail: [email protected] Time to rectify the problem. There is, in my view, only This is part 2 of a nightjar identifi- one area on the bird that needs cation series. to be targeted - the lores and ear coverts. If you can pick these up t a guess I’d say that in the field, and the region behind about three quar- and in front of the eye is mottled, ters of birders in or plain rich brown in colour, you the regionA wouldn’t identify, with can be pretty sure that the bird is certainty, a Fiery-necked Night- a Fiery-necked Nightjar. jar 20-30 m away - assuming no The so-called ‘fiery-neck’ or nightjars were calling of course. nuchal collar is a useless identi- They are not entirely to blame for fication feature - it’s too variable this! Nightjars are a tough group and often hidden. The two other and, historically, illustrations in species in the region one might publications haven’t been accu- confuse Fiery-necked with, are

Above Fiery-necked Nightjar identification features.

The Lark 22 86 Rufous-cheeked and Square- iation (see photos on page 89): tailed Nightjars. Both have mot- ssp shelleyi of the Caprivi region tled sandy/brown, or greyish/ shows how rufous the sides of brown feathering on either side head, neck and upper breast re- of the eye, but neither are rich gion are. brown in that region. The darkest and largest sub- Now moving on to show oth- species, ssp pectoralis, is essen- er examples of geographic var- tially a Cape breeding species, but

87 The Lark 22 many of these birds move north- Above In fresh plumage some Fiery-necked wards into KwaZulu-Natal during Nightjars may show prominent rich brown the winter months to take advan- eye patches such as this brooding female. Note tage of better feeding opportuni- the well camouflaged chick. (Mozambique, ties (Mtunzini - May). December). Finally, the last of the recog- nised Fiery-necked subspecies in Opposite Top first row All these subspecies the region, ssp fervidus. This one of the Fiery-necked Nightjars show varying photographed near Martin’s Drift degrees of mottled, rich-brown feathering to on the Limpopo River (October). the lores and ear coverts. (Ignore the white There is one other feature throat patches - those feathers are exposed that is unique to Fiery-neck when they’re about to call). Nightjars that was first high- lighted by Greg Davies - the pale Opposite Top second row Images where creamy colour to the base of the head angles aren’t exactly side-on as above, rictal bristles. A good feature if but the result is still the same! the bird is very close, or in the hand. Opposite Bottom Head shots of Ru- Fiery-necked Nightjar iden- fous-cheeked and Square-tailed Nightjars tification is not too difficult if showing the absence of rich brown lores and you get a good enough look at the ear coverts in these species. bird.

The Lark 22 88 89 The Lark 22 Above Fiery-necked Nightjars have charac- teristic pale bases to their rictal bristles.

Opposite Top Fiery-necked Nightjar ssp shelleyi from the Caprivi region in Namibia.

Opposite Middle Fiery-necked Nightjar ssp pectoralis from the Cape region in South Africa undergoes regional migration.

Opposite Bottom Fiery-necked Nightjar ssp fervidus from the Limpopo River Valley.

The Lark 22 90 A bird in the hand ... by dogs) by Rod Woodrow at 93 Derek Engelbrecht Grimbeek Street on 8 January E-mail: [email protected] 2019. The bird was ringed in Rod’s neighbour’s garden. Thus, the bird he following interest- was resident in the area and the ing records were re- days elapsed between ringing and ceived for the period recovery was 1yr, 0m, 10d. fromT 16 December 2018 to 15 Feb- ruary 2019. Resighting Cape Vulture Tag C281 Recovery This bird was photographed in Karoo Thrush BE45567 the company of Lappet-faced An adult bird ringed by Ursula and White-backed Vultures near Ueckerman on 29 December 2017 the Blouberg Vulture Restaurant at 92 Betz Street in Polokwane was on 23 December 2018 by Daniel found dead (presumably killed Engelbrecht. The bird was initially

Cape Vulture C281 91 The Lark 22 ringed by David Pretorius at Blou- Ringed berg on 7 December 2016. It was Cut-throat x Red-headed Finch hy- ringed and released as a juvenile brid following a short period of reha- Another one of these interesting biliation at the rehabiliation facility ‘hybrids’ were trapped and ringed on the Blouberg Nature Reserve. by Derek Engelbrecht in Welgele- The distance between the ringing gen on 3 February 2019. This is the and resighting localities is 4.7 km 5th ‘hybrid’ ringed in the Engelbre- and the days elapsed were 2yr, 0m, cht’s garden since 2014. 16d.

Cut-throat x Red-headed Finch ‘hybrid’.

The Lark 22 92 Birds of a different feather to note that these colours do not also sometimes flocktogether involve biochrome pigments, but Derek Engelbrecht depend on light scattering by min- E-mail: [email protected] ute physical structures within the barbs. recently received these Many duck species possess an pictures of two interesting iridescent wing patch on their sec- variations in feather col- ondaries, known as the speculum. ouration.I The speculum exhibits a broad The first involves the scat- range of interspecific colour var- tering of light by highly ordered iation in ducks but, depending on nanostructures, resulting in the the incident angle, the speculum production of light across a broad may exhbit different colours both visual spectrum and is known as intraspecifically, and even within structural colours. It is important an individual. In the case of the lat-

93 The Lark 22 ter, depending on the angle of inci- dence, the speculum on one wing may appear green, and the other wing may appear violet-blue! Elsie Born- man took this picture of two Above The aberrant Southern Red Bishop Yelllow-billed Ducks at the Rietvlei appears to exhibit xantochroism. © Stan Nature Reserve on 9 August 2018 Madden. which illustrates this phenome- Opposite Two Yellow-billed Ducks showing dif- non beautifully. Note the differ- ferneces in the colours of the specula as a result of structural colours. © Elsie Bornman ent coloured specula on these two birds. Equally interesting is the suffer from a disease which pre- above picture of what appears to be vents it from converting the caro- a xanthochroic Southern Red Bish- teinoids obtained from the diet and op, photographed by Stan Mad- responsible for the red colouration. den in his garden in Dunnottar in Xanthochroism occassionally oc- Eastern Gauteng in January 2019. curs in species with red plumage, According to Stan, ‘The photos do e.g. Crimson-breasted Shrike and not show the bright yellow colour, Black-collared Barbet. Although but show up a reflected white which some individuals appear red- is false’. dish-orange rather than the deep, Xantochroism is a rare genet- crimson colour of typical males of ic mutation phenomenon which the species, this seems to be the first occurs when the red pigment of a record of xantochroism in a South- bird is replaced by yellow. It is also ern Red Bishop. Isn’t garden bird- possible that the individual may ing great!

The Lark 22 94 Interesting sightings 16 December 2018 - 15 February 2019 Share your interesting sightings, interactions, behaviour etc. seen within a 100 km radius of Polokwane. Please submit your sightings to thelark- [email protected] and include the date, locality and a brief write-up of your sighting. Photos are welcome but will be used by the discretion of the editors. *= SABAP2 Out of Range record; ** Regional rarity; *** National Rarity Compiled by Derek Engelbrecht

Non-passerines African Crake - 22 December 2018. Seen at De Loskop (Jody De Bruyn and Richter Van Tonder); 19 January 2019. A bird walking in the garden (Leoni Kellerman); 5 February 2019. At least two individuals at De Loskop (Derek Engelbrecht). African Skimmer - 28 December 2018. Five birds at Letaba Estates African Crake © Jody De Bruyn (Robert Tomson)***; 23 January

95 The Lark 22 2019. Two adults seen at Letaba seen at the Flora Park Dam (Jody Estates (Richter Van Tonder)***. De Bruyn)*; 8 February 2019. African Snipe - 5 February 2019. An adult bird seen at Hout River A single bird flushed from flood- Dam (Derek Engelbrecht)*. ed grassland at De Loskop (Derek Ayres’s Hawk-Eagle - 8 Janu- Engelbrecht)*; 5 February 2019. ary 2019. The same young bird Several birds flushed at Panson- seen since December 2018 in dernaam west of Vencor (Derek the Welgelegen area (Daniel En- Engelbrecht). gelbrecht); 30 January 2019. An adult bird seen in a garden in Welgelegen (Derek Engelbrecht).

African Wattled Lapwing - 14 De- Ayres’s Hawk-Eagle ©Daniel Engelbrecht cember 2018. Two birds seen just outside the Lekgalameetse Nature Baillon’s Crake - The good rains Reserve (Cameron Meyer)*. brought an influx to Polokwane Allen’s Gallinule - 7 January 2019. and the surrounding areas. 19 A juvenile bird seen at Letaba December 2018. A male seen for- Estates (Daniel Engelbrecht)*; 7 aging in a temporary pool at De January 2019. An adult bird seen Loskop (Derek Engelbrecht)*; at Madea/Sebayeng Wetlands 3 January 2019. An adult male (Jody De Bruyn); 23 January showing at a temporary wetland 2019. An adult and a juvenile bird in Eduan Park, Polokwane (Daniel

The Lark 22 96 Kop (Derek and Daniel Engelbre- cht)*. Common Swift - 19 December 2018. Several individuals in a mixed aerial insectivore flock near the village of Polen (Daniel Engelbrecht)*. Corn Crake - 22 December 2018. One, possibly two, individuals flushed at De Loskop (Jody De

Baillon’s Crake © Derek Engelbrecht Bruyn and Richter Van Tonder). Dwarf Bittern - 13 January 2019. Engelbecht)*; 23 January 2019. A A bird seen in a seasonal wetland single male seen at the Flora Park near Kalkbank (Minkie Prinsloo); Dam (Jody De Bruyn)*. 30 January 2019. A juvenile bird Black-winged Pratincole - 24 January seen in a marshy area on the Per- 2019. One seen at a dam on the Soet- cy Fyfe Road close to the reserve dorings Road (Leoni Kellerman). entrance (Ryan Van Huyssteen)*; Brown-headed Parrot - 20 Decem- 31 January 2019. An adult bird ber 2018. At least three individu- seen in a wetland at Lajuma Re- als seen in a valley below Serala search Centre, Soutpansberg(Bibi Linden); 5 February 2019. Sev- eral birds breeding at De Loskop (Derek Engelbrecht). European Honey Buzzard - 7 Jan- uary 2019. A single bird seen at the Tzaneen Civil Airfield (Dan- iel Engelbrecht); 12 January 2019. A bird seen in Welgelegen (Daniel Engelbrecht); 1 February 2019. An individual flying in the Black-winged Pratincole © Derek Engelbrecht vicinity of the golf course (Sean

97 The Lark 22 Christopher); 2 February 2019. A skop (Jody De Bruyn). ‘relaxed’ individual at Debengeni Lesser Flamingo - 7 January 2019. Falls (Mark and Julia Friskin); A flock of between 30 and 40 Booted Eagle - 24 January 2019. birds seen at Letaba Estates (Dan- A pale morph adult seen on the iel Engelbrecht)*. Soetdorings Road near the Sand River bridge, and a juvenile seen at the Soetdorings-Bylsteel Road junction (Derek and Daniel Engelbrecht); 1 February 2019. A pale morph individual flying over Curro Heuwelkruin (Daniel Engelbrecht). Great Spotted Cuckoo - 19 Decem- ber 2018. Several birds seen in Lesser Flamingo © Daniel Engelbrecht Acacia scrub east of Steilloopbrug (Daniel Engelbrecht)*; 7 January Lesser Moorhen - The good rains 2019. An adult bird seen in Se- saw birds popping up all over the bayeng village (Jody De Bruyn). Polokwane region with sightings Greater Painted-snipe - 17 January reported at De Loskop, Soetdor- 2019. Seen at the Madea/Sebayeng ings road, Moletzie, Madea/Se- Wetlands (Richter Van Tonder); bayeng, Polokwane Game Reseve, A bird seen near the Kalk- Flora Park Dam, Eduan Park wet- bank-Soetdorings Road junction land, etc.(Several observers). (Richter Van Tonder)*; A female Lesser Spotted Eagle - 19 De- seen at a roadside pool on the up- cember 2018. A number of birds per Soetdorings Road (Derek and soaring in the vicinity of Keiting Daniel Engelbrecht)*; 5 February (Daniel Engelbrecht)*; 23 Jan- 2019. Several birds seen at De Lo- uary 2019. Several birds seen on skop (Derek Engelbrecht). the Soetdorings Road near Kalk- Grey-headed Gull - 10 February bank (Derek Engelbrecht)*; 31 2019. Four birds seen at De Lo- January 2019. At least six birds at

The Lark 22 98 the northern end of the Tweefon- Red-chested Flufftail - 7 January tein Road (Derek Engelbrecht); 2019. A bird heard calling from a 5 February 2019. Several birds wetland at Letaba Estates (Daniel seen at De Loskop (Derek Engel- Engelbrecht)*. brecht). Red-footed Falcon - 24 January Little Bittern - 7 January 2019. An 2019. At least two adults and an adult bird flushed from a reedbed immature male in a mixed flock at Letaba Estates (Daniel Engel- of Lesser Kestrels and Amur brecht)*. Falcons at the junction of Byl- Pacific Golden Plover - 5 February steel-Soetdorings roads (Derek 2019. A single bird seen at De Lo- Engelbrecht)*; 2 February 2019. skop (Derek Engelbrecht)***. A flyby by a single male at Pan- sondernaam west of Vencor (Jody De Bruyn).

Peregrine Falcon - 10 February

2019. A juvenile bird seen at De Red-footed Falcon © Jody De Bruyn Loskop (Richter Van Tonder)*. Red-billed Teal - 22 December Saddle-billed Stork - 20 January 2018. A raft of three birds on a 2019. A juvenile bird seen at a temporary pond on the side of seasonal wetland 500 m west of the R521 south of Vivo (Derek Vencor in communal lands (Leoni Engelbrecht)*. Kellerman).

99 The Lark 22 February 2019. Three birds seen at Ebenezer Dam (Derek Engel- brecht). White-backed Duck - 19 January 2019. Five birds at the Sterkloop Wetlands (Jody De Bruyn).

Passerines Fawn-coloured Lark - 20 Decem- ber 2018. A single bird seen south Saddle-billed Stork © Daniel Engelbrecht of the Polokwane Game Reserve Southern Bald Ibis - 28 December (Jody De Bruyn)*. 2018. Two birds in what appeared to be a nest at Mashashane (Rich- ter Van Tonder - see article on page 73 of this issue). Spotted Crake - 20 January 2019. A single bird flushed from a seasonal wetland west of Vencor (Daniel Engelbrecht)**; 5, 6 and 9 February 2019. In what appears to be an irruption, at least ten Fawn-coloured Lark © Derek Engelbrecht sightings of the species at De Lo- skop (Derek Engelbrecht)**. Monotonous Lark - 22 January Steppe Eagle - 13 January 2019. 2019. Several irruptions at various A juvenile bird photoraphed just localities between Polokwane and north of Mokopane (Leoni Kell- Mogwadi (Derek Engelbrecht); erman). 31 January 2019 - Several males Whiskered Tern - 18 December calling and displaying on the 2018. Two birds seen at Ebenezer Tweefontein Road (Derek Engel- Dam (David Wilkinson)*; 10 brecht).

Olive-tree Warbler - 19 December Thrush Nightingale - There had 2018. Several birds heard in Aca- been good numbers of this spe- cia scrub east of Steilloopbrug cies during the 2018/19 sum- (Daniel Engelbrecht)*. mer. 20 December 2018. At a Pink-billed Lark - 24 January river crossing south of Polok- 2019. Several males displaying wane Game Reserve (Jody De in a fallow field on the Kalk- Bruyn)*; 13 January 2019 - De bank-Sotedorings roads (Derek Loskop (Daniel Engelbrecht); 17 Engelbrecht)*. January 2019 - Madea/Sebayeng Purple Indigobird - 2 February Wetlands (Richter Van Tonder); 2019. An adult male seen on a club 20 January 2019 - Eduan Park outing at the entrance to Steendal wetland (Derek Engelbrecht). 26 farm (Richter Van Tonder)*. See January 2019. Eduan Park wet- article on page 41 in this issue. land (Mark and Julia Friskin). Red-headed Finch - 19 December 5 February 2019. At De Loskop 2018. Large numbers near the vil- (Derek Engelbrecht). lage of Polen (Daniel Engelbre- Yellow-bellied Greenbul - 22 De- cht)*. cember 2018. Two adults seen at Sedge Warbler - 5 February 2019. De Loskop (Richter Van Tonder Several birds seen at De Loskop and Jody De Bruyn)*. (Derek Engelbrecht)*.

The Lark 22 102 EVENTS

Birdlife Polokwane monthly meeting Date: 5 March 2019 Time: 18:30 Venue: Polokwane Golf Club

Club outing Where? Ibis Piggery Date: 2 March 2019 Leader: Richter Van Tonder Contact: 082 213 8276 Targets: Hierdie is ‘n nuwe lokaliteit so wees deel van die groepie pioniers. Teiken spesies sluit in Kaapse, Witrug en Swart Aasvoëls, Geel Kwikkie en Glans Ibis.

103 The Lark 22 Late Summer Bird Ringing Demonstration Where? Polokwane Game Re serve Date: 23 March 2019 Leader: Derek Engelbrecht Contact: 082 200 5277 Targets: Passage migrants such as Olive-tree and Willow Warblers, Red- backed Shrike, Barred Wren-warbler, Burnt-necked Eremomela.

Birdlife Polokwane monthly meeting Date: 2 April 2019 Time: 18:30 Venue: Polokwane Golf Club

Club outing Where? Hout River Dam Date: 13 April 2019 Leader: Richter Van Tonder Contact: 082 213 8276 Targets: This rarities hotspot can deliver anything really. The main targets would be migratory waders, Orange-breasted Waxbill, Goliath Heron, Hottentot Teal and Black Heron.

The Lark 22 104

Limpopo Region

RAPTOR IDENTIFICATION COURSE 7th March – 10th March 2019 Letaba Rest Camp, Kruger National Park

Since early civilisation, humans have been fascinated and inspired by birds of prey. They are featured in some of the earliest works of art and some species were trained for hunting well over 4000 years ago. Eagles, in particular have always been regarded as the masters of the sky - the ultimate predators and as such have featured strongly in emblems and symbols depicting strength, independence and pride. Sadly, today many of our raptor species are threatened with extinction and with optimism our increased familiarity and understanding of these magnificent birds will translate into an ever-stronger determination to ensure their survival.

Southern Africa is blessed with a great diversity of raptors. Close on 80 species occur in this region during the summer months. This large assortment of species, many of which are superficially similar or show plumage variation between age classes provides an exciting identification challenge for any bird enthusiast.

Join leading Limpopo Province birding expert, Joe Grosel, on an exciting four-day course which introduces participants to a practical identification system whereby the entire region’s raptor species can be recognized. Apart from the identification aspect, interesting subjects relating to the life histories and ecology of each species are also covered. The course will take place in the Letaba Rest Camp in the Kruger National Park which, due to its location, offers some of the best raptor viewing on the continent. Activities for the weekend will include morning and afternoon bird and game spotting drives on open game viewing vehicles in the company of Joe Grosel and Park Rangers.

The cost of this stimulating Raptor Identification course is R 2400.00* per person. The price includes tuition, all birding activities and outings, teas and lunches as well as stationery, literature and a full colour raptor identification manual. *Excludes park entrance, conservation fees and accommodation.

Accommodation is available at Letaba Rest Camp as follows: Base rate for 2 people for 3 nights. Additional persons extra – see registration form. Bungalow 3 Bed R 3390 Safari Tent 2 Bed R 1895 Hut 3 Bed R 2500 Camping R 865

Participation on the course is restricted to 16 people. Non-participating partners will be welcome to accompany the outings subject to availability. All proceeds from the weekend will be for the Honorary Rangers Environmental Fund. For more information please contact Charles Hardy. E-mail: [email protected] or cellphone: 083 457 1721.

105 The Lark 22

Wanted

Volunteers to help count the

endangered

Cape Parrot in

the wild

Join us in our annual evening and morning Cape Parrot count to help save one of South Africa’s most endangered birds

Contact: Prof Colleen T. Downs School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg Tel: 033-2605127/04 (w), 033-3860947 (h), 0829202026 Email: [email protected]

The Lark 22 106

Mapungubwe Winter Birding Experience 12th – 15th June (3 Nights) an unique birding experience hosted by SANParks Honorary Rangers Limpopo Region and leading Limpopo Province birding expert Joe Grosel

Out of the mysterious past, rises the Mapungubwe National Park located at the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashi Rivers in the North of the Limpopo Province. The giant Baobab trees, riverine forests and associated flood plains provide an intriguing mix of habitat for a large variety of bird species. Some of the rarer species found in the area include Three-banded Courser, Tropical Bou Bou, Meves Starling, and Senegal Coucal. Raptors abound with regular sightings of Lanner Falcon, Verreaux’s Eagle, Secretary Bird and Pale & Dark Chanting Goshawks.

Enjoy an exciting birding weekend in the company of leading Limpopo Province birder Joe Grosel who will be your birding guide for the weekend. The Honorary Rangers will be your friendly hosts, catering for

your every need and providing the all important sustenance and sumptuous bush cuisine.

Accommodation is at the luxurious Tshugulu Bush Lodge which is situated in a secluded corner of the Mapungubwe National Park. This spacious thatched lodge offers superior accommodation in en-suite bedrooms. Spectacular views across this rugged and ancient landscape greet the visitor from the imposing verandah.

Activities for the weekend will include informative talks on the birdlife of the region and morning and afternoon bird and game drives on open game viewing vehicles in the company of Joe Grosel and Park Rangers. A visit to the tree top boardwalk overlooking the Limpopo River and a night drive in search of those elusive nocturnal birds and mammals should prove to be the highlights of the weekend. Whilst at the lodge time can be spent exploring the lodge’s exclusive eco-trail or by relaxing around the pool. A visit to the Mapungubwe Heritage Site will be included in the itinerary.

The cost of this exciting birders weekend is R4950,00 per person sharing (Single supplement on request). The price includes all birding activities, game drives, accommodation (3 nights), teas & all meals. Not included are park entrance and conservation fees, personal & alcoholic drinks. Participation is restricted to 8 people.

For more information or a full itinerary please contact Charles Hardy. email [email protected] or Cell 083 457 1721.

All Proceeds from this event will be used to fund SANParks Honorary Rangers projects identified by South African National Parks.

107 The Lark 22 Cinderella's page Birdlife Polokwane honours the LBJs of this world which may never make it onto a cover page

The Lark 22 108