ISSN 1012 - 2974 BABBLER Journal of BirdLife Botswana BABBLER Journal of BirdLife Botswana The sincere thanks of all the members of BirdLife Botswana go to Remi and Wendy Borello who have once again generously supported the printing of this issue of the Babbler. Cover Design by: Impression House Number 56 December 2011 Printing by Impression House BIRDLIFE BOTSWANA BirdLife Botswana is Partner-designate of BirdLife International. 6 BirdLife International is a global partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources. Our mission The BirdLife International Partnership strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources. Our vision 5 1 By focusing on birds, and the sites and habitats on which they depend, the BirdLife Partnership is working to improve the quality of life for birds, for other wildlife (biodiversity), and for people. BirdLife’s aims are to: • prevent the extinction of any bird species • maintain and where possible improve the conservation status of all bird species • conserve and where appropriate improve and enlarge sites and habitats important for birds • help, through birds, to conserve biodiversity and to improve the quality of people’s lives 4 2 • integrate bird conservation into sustaining people’s livelihoods. 3 Recent good pictures from our Member of Flikr website depicting “Birds of Botswana” http://www.flickr.com/groups/blb/pool 1. Broad-billed Roller • Photo: Bonnie Fairbanks The World Conservation Union 2. Red-headed Weaver • Photo: Ian White Partner designate of: 3. African Barred Owlet • Photo: Bonnie Fairbanks 4. Purple Heron • Photo: Ian White 5. Green-backed Heron • Photo: Ian White 6. Lilac-breasted Roller • Photo: Mike Soroczynski July 2010 Babbler No. 54 BirdLife Botswana - Chairman’s report May 2010 Summary It is apposite that in this Year of International Biodiversity, today is International Biodiversity Day. BirdLife Botswana’s business is about helping to maintain Botswana’s biodiversity. We do this through protecting species, sites, habitats and creating opportunities for communities living near bird areas to earn a meaningful income. Lastly we create an interest and awareness among the population, especially the youth, in birds. This has been a year of many challenges. We lost key staff at a crucial time, financial issues were ever-present but we did organise a successful Council of the African Partnership conference for twenty-three African partners in March at Kasane and produced an outstanding calendar. We have struggled at times but I believe are stronger for meeting these challenges. Species Conservation Kabelo Senyatso has continued his study of the Kori Bustard. Eight birds have been fitted with transmitters (unfortunately two have died) and others have been wing-tagged in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and their progress monitored on a daily basis by satellite. The project is investigating the ecology of Kori Bustard. After nearly three years of research, five components have been developed, studied and are being written up: o A review of Kori Bustard status across Africa o The development of a census methodology for large grassland birds o A better understanding of factors attributing to Kori Bustard presence or absence o Census of other co-occurring species o The use of satellite transmitters to understand the habitat use of Kori Bustard and its seasonal movements. This research is being done under the auspices of Dr Paul Dolman at the University of East Anglia and Dr. Nigel Collar, the acknowledged world bustard expert based at BirdLife International. Our thanks go to Debswana, Botash and the United States of America-based Kori Bustard Species Survival Plan for their financial contributions, which allowed us to purchase the transmitters. Raptors and vultures are at the top of ecological food pyramids, and their population numbers and trends reflect the state of Botswana’s ecosystem. For this reason, Pete Hancock has a raptor monitoring programme, based on conducting counts along fixed road transects, a standard method used throughout Africa, to NUMBER 56 JANUARY 2011 NUMBER 56 DECEMBER 2011 J o u r n a l o f B i r d L i f e B o t s w a n a 2 CONTENTSCONTENTS Editorial 1 Chairman’s Report May 2011-09-27 2 Articles Fidelity to non-breeding grounds by migrant Red-billed Quelea Quelea quelea lathami in Botswana 11 Wendy D. Borello & Robert A. Cheke Breeding record of Klaas’s Cuckoo Chrysococcyx klaas near Tshabong 15 Chris A. Brewster Lake Ngami from March to September 2011 16 Ken & Mel Oake, Stephanie J. Tyler, Tony Tree, Pete Hancock, Pat Nurse and Ray & Val Lovett Heuglin’s Robins in Francistown 20 Nicky Bousfield More on African Pygmy-Kingfishers Ispidina picta in Francistown 21 Nicky Bousfield Breeding birds at the Maunachira lagoons in mid August 2011 26 Pete Hancock Further visits to Lake Xau 27 Pat Nurse, Ray & Val Lovett and Chris A. Brewster Records of specimens collected on the Peterhouse Kalahari Expeditions 30 Peter Ginn Reports from the Records Subcommittee Category A Records 34 Compiled by Chris A. Brewster A summary of Category B records 36 Compiled by Chris Brewster and Stephanie Tyler Interesting and Unusual Sightings 45 Compiled by Stephanie J. Tyler & Chris A. Brewster Some breeding records in 2010 51 Compiled by Stephanie Tyler and Chris A. Brewster Obituary: Edward Huw Penry (1943-2011) 54 Chris A. Brewster Obituary: Dr Brooks Childress 55 Graham McCulloch and Stephanie J. Tyler Letters - The History of BirdLife Botswana from Mavis and Kenneth Smith 56 - Disturbance at Lake Ngami from Ross Galbraith 57 Globally threatened birds 58 A Review: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Christie, D. A. eds. 2009. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 14 Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows 60 Some publications of interest 61 Front Cover: Arican Rail, Photographer: Ian White • Back Cover: Black Crake, Photographer: Ian White Journal of BirdLife Botswana i December 2011 Babbler No. 56 Bird Life Botswana Donors and Sponsors 2011- Listed Alphabetically Africa Bird Club And Beyond Bergstan Africa BirdLife International Borello, Remi and Wendy Botash Pty Ltd Botswana Wildlife Management Canon Office Chobe Holdings, Chobe Game Lodge Chobezi Creations of Africa Davies, Roy Department of Environment Affairs Debswana Diamond Co. Department of Wildlife and National Parks Desert and Delta Safaris Drotsky’s Cabins Equipment Sales European Union Fedex Express Gem Diamonds Global Environment Facility Island Safari IUCN Japanese Embassy JICA Jwaneng Mine Kalahari Kavango Safari Co. Kalahari Tours Kori Bustard Species Survival Plan Magnum Freight McColaugh, Doreen and Bob Ngamiland Adventure Safaris Okavango Boating Okavango Still Okavango Wilderness Safaris Planet Baobab Premiere Personnel Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Safari and Guide Services Serendipity B&B Stevenson, Peter Stewart Scott International Sunnyside Lodge Tarbotan, Warwick Thompson, Robinson Tuli Safari Lodge United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Unitrans US Embassy White, Ian ii Journal of BirdLife Botswana BabblerBabbler No. No. 5656 JulyDecember 2011 2011 Editorial I was very sorry to hear that Huw Penry died on 23 April 2011 in Bristol after a short battle with cancer. Huw will be known to many birders in Botswana as the man who wrote the Botswana Bird Atlas in 1994. He personally spent an enormous amount of time doing the fieldwork for the Atlas, visiting numerous far-flung squares. Since he left Botswana Huw remained on the Records sub-committee and provided a valuable input to many decisions on rarities. Our sympahies go to Susan, his wife. Another sad loss to the birding world is flamingo specialist Dr Brooks Childress who died in July (see obituaries on pages 54 and 55) On another matter entirely, there is an article in African Birds & Birding by Phil Hockey suggesting that the Palaearctic migrant, Black-winged Pratincole might be in serious trouble. Very few pratincoles, relative to 20 years ago, are now being recorded in South Africa (a flock of 1,000 in NE Free State in February 2011 was of note) on their non-breeding grounds. Pesticides in South Africa, as well as ploughing of steppes in their breeding range, may be causing the species’ decline. The most recent estimate is of 68,000 to 90,000 pairs in the world. Phil Hockey suggested that they have possibly moved northwards to northern Botswana; this is not likely to be true though, judging by our rather few records from this area. In this issue of Babbler I am pleased to include our Chairman’s Annual Report and a paper on Red-billed Quelea by Wendy Borello and Bob Cheke. Bob and colleagues have been working for many years on this so-called pest species although the spectacle of tens of thousands of quelea flying in a dense flock is a memorable sight for any bird watcher. Wendy and Bob report on Queleas that were ringed at Atthol Holme Farm and subsequently caught or seen again in later years, showing site fidelity of some birds when not breeding. Chris Brewster writes on breeding of Klaas’s Cuckoo near Tshabong and Nicky Bousfield continues with her interest in Pygmy-Kingfishers and in Heuglin’s Robins, documenting more birds of both species seen or caught and ringed in Francistown. There are short notes on birds seen at Lake Ngami and at Lake Xau by various observers. Stephanie J. Tyler, Editor J o u r n a l o f B i r d L i f e B o t s w a n a 1 Journal of BirdLife Botswana 1 DecemberDecember 2011 201 1 BabblerBabbler No. No. 56 56 b a Chairman’s report May 2011 1. Introduction Change is happening on a universal level: latterly we have been subject to monstrous earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan and New Zealand, unprecedented snow and ice in the Northern Hemisphere and rain storms leading to severe floods in Australia, at the same time that we are exposed to an economic collapse on a universal level with political change sweeping across North Africa and the Middle East.