KWAZULU-NATAL RECORDER'S REPORT – NOVEMBER 2008

Hello bird fans! The interesting birds have started arriving, and now that we have had some rain, spring has finally arrived. The most exciting bird in this report is the group of White- throated Bee-eaters that paid a fleeting visit to a garden in Hillcrest in October. This is a very scarce species in southern Africa, and apparently very hard for most twitchers to find. Also of interest was the Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon that took to feeding in Derek Spencer’s garden for a while. This raises many questions as to where it came from and why did it decide that Derek’s pigeonwood was the tastiest out of all the fruiting trees around?

Note that some of these records were reported by Trevor Hardaker in his e-mail SA Rare Bird News Report, and observers’ names are not supplied.

RARITIES: WHITE-THROATED BEE-EATER Merops albicollis National Rarity Four to six birds seen in a garden in Winston Park, Hillcrest, 12 October 2008, Steve and Brandon Hughes (Rarity form submitted).

RED PHALAROPE Phalaropus fulicaria KZN Rarity One, Lake Phobane, near Eshowe, 4 October 2008, Bruce Nicholson (Rarity accepted).

PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER Pluvialis fulva National Rarity One, Muzi Pan, near Mkhuze, 27 October 2008, reported by Michael Blose.

SOOTY TERN Sterna fuscata National Rarity One, Vetch’s Pier, beachfront, 2 November 2008, reported by Guy Gibbon.

LESSER SPOTTED EAGLE Aquila pomarina KZN Rarity One, near Hluhluwe, 9 February 2008, Niall Perrins (Rarity form submitted).

AYRES’S HAWK-EAGLE Aquila ayresii KZN Rarity One, Richards Bay, 21 June 2006, Richard Johnstone (Rarity form submitted).

GREATER KESTREL Falco rupicoloides KZN Rarity One, between Estcourt and Winterton, 7 October 2008, Victor Roberts.

PEREGRINE FALCON Falco peregrinus KZN Rarity One, Pongola area, 5 August 2008, P Coetzee (Rarity form submitted). One, , South Coast, 26 October 2008, Andy Ruffle (Rarity form submitted). One, in a Westville garden, 15 November 2008, Lesley Frescura.

SLATY EGRET Egretta vinaceigula National Rarity A further report from Nyamithi Pan, on 24 October 2008 of a single bird, presumably the same long-staying individual (SA Rare Bird News Report).

RUFOUS-BELLIED HERON Ardeola rufiventris KZN Rarity One, over UVS flats near Richards Bay, 17 October 2008, Bruce Nicholson.

EURASIAN BITTERN Botaurus stellaris KZN Rarity One, Ntsikeni Vlei, Umzimkulu district, 13 September 2008 (SA Rare Bird News Report).

GREY-HEADED ALBATROSS Thalassarche chrysostoma National Rarity One was found in difficulties by Geoff Peatling in Durban Harbour on 27 August 2008, and taken to CROW for rehabilitation. It had apparently landed on a ship near Cape Town already in distress, and had left the ship on arrival in Durban. Reported by Dave Bishop.

BARAU’S PETREL Pterodroma baraui National Rarity Fourteen, offshore from Durban, 10 October 2008 (SA Rare Bird News Report).

WHITE-BROWED SPARROW-WEAVER Plocepasser mahali KZN Rarity A pair, main camp at Ndumo Game Reserve, 25-26 October 2008 (SA Rare Bird News Report).

MAGPIE MANNIKIN Spermestes fringilloides KZN Rarity Several reported to be present at Nibela Peninsula, Lake St Lucia, by the local guide (August 2008), reported by Gill Leisegang. Five, on a bird feeder in Umkomaas, 13 August 2008, Gina Baldo.

OUT-OF-RANGE Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon One, in a garden in Westville North, from 16 to 19 October 2008, Derek and Hylton Spencer and others. (Rarity form submitted).

Palmnut Vulture An adult pair seen flying over Durban North, 8 September 2008, reported by William Collingwood. One adult seen flying over the road near Beachwood Mangroves, Durban North, on 4 October 2008, Dave Bishop.

African Openbill One possible sighting reported from Umdoni Park, Pennington, on 12 October 2008 by Andy Ruffle and others from BirdLife Trogons.

Lesser Masked Weaver One male, Mount Edgecombe Country Club Estate 1, 25 August 2008, Tim Young and David Allan.

OTHER SIGHTINGS Eurasian Curlew One, Umzumbe, 21 September 2008, Mike Fagan and John Marchant.

African Black Oystercatcher Two, Umfolozi River mouth, St Lucia, 7 August 2008, P Coetzee. Five, Clansthal, 10 August 2008, Gina Baldo. Several, Umfolozi River mouth, St Lucia, 25 August 2008, (SA Rare Bird News Report). Seven, Umfolozi River mouth, St Lucia, 26 September 2008, (SA Rare Bird News Report).

White-headed Vulture One reported from Imfolozi Game Reserve during early August 2008 (SA Rare Bird News Report).

Fairy Flycatcher One, near Eston, early September 2008. (SA Rare Bird News Report). Four, near Drakensberg Gardens Hotel, 4 October 2008, Roy Cowgill and Steve Davis.

Bush Blackcap One Giba Gorge, Kloof, 24 August 2008, Richard Hurt. One, iPhithi Nature Reserve, Gillitts, 28 September 2008, Garth Aiston.

Spotted Ground-Thrush One, Umhlanga Lagoon Nature Reserve, 5 August 2008, Jon Cilliers. One, Nature Reserve, 23 August 2008 and 14 September 2008, Crispin Hemson. One, Bluff Nature Reserve, 24 August 2008, Tim Dubery.

The following KZN records have been accepted by the KZN Rarities Committee and the National Rarities Committee since the last Honorary Recorder’s Report. These include records forwarded to the Committee for adjudication from SABAP2 field cards.

Species Observer Date Place Dark Chanting Goshawk Kevin McDonald 24-Mar-08 Umfolozi Dwarf Bittern Mike Fagan 30-Mar-08 River Valley NR African Black Oystercatcher P Coetzee 07-Aug-08 2820_3225

Caveat: the sightings recorded here have been submitted directly to me or have been posted on the SABirdNet, and have not been vetted by any rarities committee for validation unless otherwise noted. As such, the information presented here should be used with due consideration.

Steve Davis: Honorary Recorder 2 November 2008 Tel: 031 2054459 59 Edmonds Road e-mail: [email protected] Glenwood Fax: 031 2731302 4001