On the Trailof

In September 2006, a group of on the trail of the 10 or so raptor enthusiasts gath- ered on a farm near Hoedspruit in the South African Lowveld to undertake a seemingly impossible task. The brief was to do a snap, TAITA two-week survey of the nearby TEXT BY ANDREW JENKINS cliffs for breeding pairs of the Taita Falcon Falco fasciinucha. ‘What’s so difficult about that?’ I hear you ask from the comfort Bb of your chair. ell, if you’ve ever spent time in the eastern mountains of Wthe Mpumalanga/Limpopo region, gaping down at the wonder of the Blyde River Canyon or craning your neck up at the towering, cloud-capped plateau of Mariepskop, you’ll agree that this is expansive country. It’s a landscape characterised by truly enormous red, grey and green walls of rock, presiding over the densest, greenest forest or the most tangled and thorny bushveld imag- inable, and all of it trussed up together in an impenetrable, intractable barrier of epic proportions. Similarly, if you’ve ever spent time watching or looking for Taita Falcons, you would surely acknowledge that these are tricky birds to get to grips with. When perched, they are tiny and immo- bile, and favour deeply shaded recesses on big, remote crags. In flight, they transform into a flickering blur, sizzling away into nothingness seemingly before you’ve had time to draw breath, let alone get your bins to your eyes. At the outset of our 14-day boot- camp, the prospect of searching for these diminutive, turbo-charged cliff-nesters in the vastness of the eastern escarpment seemed daunting (if not downright stu- pid!). By the time we were done – hours and hours of sweaty effort and patient observation, and miles and miles of bruising driving and arduous, thorn- raked walking later – our worst fears had all but been confirmed. While it wasn’t an absolutely impossible undertaking, it RON HARTLEY came uncomfortably close to it. JUNE/JULY 2007 TAITA FALCON 35 the north. However, we soon realised that this was an unreasonable expectation, and ETHIOPIAN HIGHLANDS Sightings opted rather to focus on the cliffs between from both southern Ethiopia and Scotland Hill (just south of Mariepskop) south-eastern Sudan, but no confirmed breeding, despite repeated and a point just north of the tunnel. Our MOUNT ELGON, UGANDA Four breeding pairs, among numerous pairs of Peregrines surveys in the late 1990s (Simon modus operandi was simple: the 4–8 team and Lanners, recorded in the mid-1980s Thomsett). members available on any given day were (Peter Möller), but absent from the area in divided into groups of two, and each a subsequent follow-up survey. KENYA Scattered sightings pair was posted at a possible nest site, across the country, and at equipped with binoculars, spotting scope, least seven possible or GPS and notebook, for anything up to definite nest sites. Probably seven to eight hours at a time, constantly overlooked in the more TANZANIA Scattered sightings and on the lookout for signs of resident Taita remote, mountainous regions. breeding likely but not confirmed. (Simon Thomsett) Falcons, as well as any other cliff-nesting raptors present in the vicinity. Quite often, good observation points ZAMBIA & MALAWI Scattered sightings NORTHERN MOZAMBIQUE Sightings and at least one either above or below the cliffs in ques- but only one documented breeding record, from the Mwanza district of Malawi. confirmed breeding pair, tion were extremely difficult to access, with the potential for more and we struggled to reach them in time (Ara Monadjem and others). ZIMBABWE At least 15 breeding pairs and to catch the Taitas’ anticipated early perhaps as many as 50, although known morning activity peak, even on the sin- strongholds such as the Batoka Gorge on gle, notable occasion when we used a the Zambezi are now in decline (Ron Hartley). SOUTH AFRICA Occasional sightings, and two known ANTHONY VAN ZYL (2) helicopter to drop us in position. We also breeding sites before the did some helicopter survey work along 2006 survey. many pairs actually reside in the escarp- muscle and considerable birding skills the big cliffs of the main canyon area, but TAITA FALCON DISTRIBUTION ment area. This was a requirement ini- to the party, while Alan Stephenson and with very limited success, mostly because tially identified by a meeting of the Taita Alan Harvey offered valuable, slightly of weather and helicopter problems. In a massive cliff on the northern extrem- and two pairs of White-necked Ravens. Falcon Interest Group, held in the area in different perspectives as falconers with spite of these and other logistical and ity of the canyon and, on the morning Under the circumstances, we are reason- February 2005 under the auspices of the years of experience with wild falcons. practical difficulties, which were inevi- we found them, were going through all ably happy with these results. We doubled Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Birds of Prey Lucia Rodrigues, an amateur and relative table given the nature of the ground we their nuptial behaviours as a precursor the known population of Taitas for South Working Group (BoPWG). While there are novice to this kind of work, provided were trying to survey, we achieved pretty to egg-laying. The excitement this find Africa, and plotted more than 50 nests of only two confirmed breeding sites (one of morale-boosting enthusiasm, dogged good coverage of our chosen area. We created gave the project a vital initial other important cliff-nesting birds, includ- which is well known to birders, situated determination and much-needed organ- accumulated more than 50 person-days impetus, which was largely maintained ing 18 sites of Red-listed species. near the J.G. Strijdom Tunnel on the Abel isational acumen gleaned from a previ- of effort at nearly 40 observation points throughout the fortnight. This despite However, we fell tantalisingly short of Erasmus Pass), there are enough inciden- ous career in the corporate world. Dave along the escarpment, each situated in the fact that we had no further success our self-imposed minimum target of five Top Taita country? Hebronberg and the tal sightings of Taitas from other parts Rushworth, environmentalist and long- good view of a minimum of 50 potential until day 11, when Dave Allan’s inspired pairs of Taitas, and feel confident that a huge cliffs of the Mpumalanga escarpment of the escarpment to suggest that there time resident in the Hoedspruit area, Taita nest cliffs, spread along approxi- decision to check a low, riverine site, repeat survey in 2007, particularly if stretch away to the south of Mariepskop. are more pairs in the area. The meeting was another vital cog in the survey mately 40 kilometres of very high cliffs. with distinctly different features to the we include a shortlist of key locations concluded that it was a priority to get a machinery. Having blazed many of the habitat search image we’d been locked which we didn’t visit or survey fully in Above Part of the Taita survey team more accurate idea of the size and rela- surrounding hiking trails, and walked he survey started at a canter with on up until then, paid off. He and his 2006, could very well reveal another between stints in the field. From left: Alan tive importance of the local population. and birded in even the most out-of-the- the location of a ‘new’ pair of wife, Debbie, saw a single Taita Falcon pair or two. This would further support Stephenson, Lucia Rodrigues, Alan Harvey, With probably fewer than 40 known and way parts of the escarpment mountain Tadult Taitas on our first full day aggressively mobbing a pair of Verreaux’s our view that the area holds a bona fide, Andrew Jenkins and Anthony van Zyl, currently active Taita Falcon nest sites in chain, Dave is a phenomenal source of out. The birds were firmly established on Eagles at this surprisingly small cliff, and and very valuable, population of these with Strijdom Tunnel Taita guide, Michael the world, if we could increase the escarp- exactly the kind of local knowledge we a subsequent watch confirmed that a pair impressive, fascinating, but frustrating Kumako. ment tally to between five and 10 pairs, needed to get the survey done quickly of Taitas was in residence and apparently little falcons. then the South African birds could emerge and effectively. Together with former incubating a clutch of eggs. We had our So, if we knew from the outset that it was as globally significant and worthy of spe- provincial ornithologist Peter Milstein, second (and final) new nest! ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS going to be such a struggle, what made us cial consideration and protection. Dave was the first to see Taitas in South Overall, the survey was a qualified suc- Our sincere thanks go to The Peregrine Fund, take on this seemingly hopeless mission? Africa during the late 1980s, and has cess. Starting with a population of two the African Bird Club and Glendower Whisky Well, for all its difficulties and challenges, he team assembled to do the sur- since recorded the species at a number known Taita Falcon sites, each with a his- for their financial support of this project. We the Taita is a pretty neat bird and, for peo- vey boasted a wealth of raptor- of localities. We built our initial survey tory of breeding going back to the late ’80s would also like to extend our thanks to Hannes ple with a penchant, even a passion, for Tand falcon-watching experience. plan around these sightings, taking into or early ’90s, we were able to confirm these Marais, warden of the Blyde River Canyon falcons, the chance to spend some time in Alan Kemp and Dave Allan were prob- consideration Dave’s ‘feel’ for where addi- as still current and add another two con- Nature Reserve, who spent some time with us in this awesome environment, possibly find- ably the most established and widely tional breeding pairs were most likely to firmed nest sites.

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