CAIRDE EANLAITH NA GAILLIMHE BIRDWATCH GALWAY This is a local forum newsletter – www.birdwatchgalway.org contributions and comments are QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER – EDITOR: NEIL SHARKEY most welcome. Telephone: 086 1680856 e-mail: [email protected] Distributed by e mail only Issue No. 77 May 2012 BRANCH MATTERS matters in hand and approach Galway company of a professional ornithological tour members in due course. Since then a couple guide, John Tinkler of Aperture Wild Because the Galway branch AGM was of members have come forward to offer help (www.aperturewild.co.za ). postponed from January till late February, the and I have passed their details on to Jamie The first visit with John was part of a full February issue of the Newsletter was out and Niall. Anyone else, who might like to get day’s birding tour, covering four sites in the before the AGM had taken place. Hence this involved, could contact them directly at Hottentots Holland region of the Eastern late summary of the proceedings at the [email protected] and Cape and finishing at Strandfontein. John meeting. The meeting was well attended by [email protected] so that they can collected my cousin, my father and me at 18 members of the branch. take it from there. We can only hope that 6:30am on Sunday 5 th February, and we After the chairman’s welcome the BirdWatch members in Galway are going to headed out of Fish Hoek along the coast road secretary’s annual report was presented. This be catered for by a revived branch. towards Hottentots Holland. Driving along the will in due course be accessible through our In the meantime, Tom Cuffe is still coast we soon had sightings of Kelp Gull, Web site at www.birdwatchgalway.org . In the running the monthly first-Saturday-of-the- Hautlaub’s Gull and a hovering Black- last two annual reports I wrote the following in month outings at Nimmo’s Pier, Neil Sharkey shouldered Kite. the conclusion: “… we also keep trying to is continuing to edit the quarterly Newsletter , Our first stop was on the cliffs on the N2 cater for all different interests represented in Deirdre Comerford holds the finances in on the way to Betty’s Bay. Our target species BirdWatch Galway, be it indoor or outdoor check and Chris Peppiatt is keeping the here was Cape Rock Thrush. On alighting activities, common birds or rare birds, regular records and producing the quarterly bird from the vehicle, we immediately had views counts or occasional surveys, short outings or report and also continuing to organise the of Cape Francolin (or Spurfowl, as it is now weekend outings, BirdWatch business Galway Bay counts. They all deserve great known) and Cape Bunting. The buntings were meetings or social gatherings. ” credit for their continued efforts and I hope everywhere, posing on rocks and the low During 2011 it had become almost they get all the support they need . fynbos vegetation. Eventually, after much impossible to realise these lofty objectives. Marianne ten Cate phishing, a very obliging male Rock Thrush We certainly did not get out on any day or appeared, perching, fittingly, on top of a large weekend outings, we did not have monthly BIRDWATCH GALWAY FACEBOOK boulder. This beautiful bird is endemic to branch meetings and we had fewer talks. South Africa, and was a great way to start the Slowly, the branch was reducing its activities, Tom Cuffe has set up a BirdWatch Galway tour. despite the increasing numbers of BirdWatch Facebook page and already it is attracting Next up was Rooi Els, another coastal site members. Staff members at BirdWatch lots of followers and interesting comments.. and a hotspot for Cape Rockjumper. This Ireland headquarters had, on several Jimmy Mongan reported the first Cuckoo on stop involved a walk along a coastal road occasions, promised to help revitalise the April 24 th ! There is an official link but it is just which is in the lea of the mountains, and branch. They seemed to think there were as easy to put – Facebook BirdWatch Galway despite being around 8:00am, it soon became enough Galway members paying their - into a Google search. Or click on extremely warm. Rock Martins and Lesser- membership to BirdWatch to warrant this. www. facebook .com/ BirdWatchGalw striped Swallows swooped around us, After the presentation of the treasurer’s ay . Do look it up and register – it is the ideal Orange-breasted Sunbirds, endemic to the report, the next item on the agenda was the way for members to keep in touch and learn fynbos biome, fed on the low vegetation and (re-)election of officers. The outgoing more about Galway birds. White-necked Ravens soared overhead. John chairman and secretary had made it very Well done and thanks, Tom. Hopefully suddenly stopped as a burst of birdsong clear that they would not stand for re-election there will be a link to the Newsletter . caught his attention. After about 10 minutes so, not for the first time, a plea was made for NS the culprit finally showed himself – a volunteers to come forward to fill the posts. Victorin’s Warbler, an endemic species of the Unfortunately, nobody did. Some members A DAY OUT IN THE CAPE Western Cape. We got good views of this made suggestions for activities to be individual as he continued to sing and flit organised and some offered to put in some I was lucky enough to spend two and a half around in the undergrowth. After a couple of energy, but to date, nothing has materialised. weeks of last February in South Africa, with hours at Rooi Els, we decided to move on Jamie Durrant, the Membership 12 days on the Cape peninsula followed by 5 despite missing out on the Rockjumper. Development Officer with BirdWatch Ireland, days in the Kruger National Park. I spent Our next destination was Stony Point, was present at most of the meeting and he most of my time birding, thanks to my cousin which houses one of only two mainland drew on his experience with one of the other who is a keen photographer of natural history, breeding colonies of African Penguins, as BirdWatch branches where a similar situation especially birds. The two of us visited various well as having four (yes, four) species of had developed. A total change of personnel, birding sites around the peninsula, including cormorant. The African Penguins (formally of the type of activities and of locations Rondevlei Nature Reserve, Cape Point and Jackass Penguin, but the name was seemed to have ‘cured’ the situation there so Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. The site considered offensive…) were loitering with he suggested aiming at the same type of that really made an impression, though, was intent on the beaches and rocks around the clean-slate approach in Galway. He also Strandfontein Sewage Works (and not boardwalk, and Cape Wagtails fed on the suggested that he and Niall Hatch because of the smell…). I was fortunate to beach amongst the seaweed. Of more (Development Officer BWI) would take visit Strandfontein twice, both times in the interest were the cormorants that were CAIRDE EANLAITH NA GAILLIMHE BIRDWATCH GALWAY This is a local forum newsletter – www.birdwatchgalway.org contributions and comments are QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER – EDITOR: NEIL SHARKEY most welcome. Telephone: 086 1680856 e-mail: [email protected] Distributed by e mail only Issue No. 77 May 2012 hanging around on the rocky shore. White- Teal, Cape Shoveler, Yellow-billed Duck, difficult. However, I have some ‘tech’ breasted (with a white breast!) and Cape Southern Pochard and Egyptian Goose. suggestions that may be helpful. (with a yellow gular patch) Cormorants were Spur-winged Goose was also seen in large I was recently given a Kindle reader by my easily identified, and, after carefully picking numbers feeding between pools in the family and have become something of a through the birds, Bank and Crowned quickly company of Sacred Ibis. Three species of convert. After some trial and error I was able followed. This brief stop proved to be well Grebe were also seen, namely Great-crested, to transfer the Newsletter on to it and this worthwhile. Black-necked and, most common of all, Little makes for perfect and easy reading. If you We now headed inland to the Harold Grebe, one flock of which contained around need help and assistance just contact me. Porter Botanical Gardens for lunch and more 60 individuals. The I-Pad is another perfect way to read the fynbos LBJs (or more accurately, more little There were also lots of Barn Swallows, Newsletter – no more small print! Again, just brightly-coloured jobs). We picked up some White-throated Swallows and Brown-throated let me know if you have any problems with it. interesting species here, including Olive Martins zipping around and perching on any Separate to this is another suggestion. If Thrush, Cape Robin-chat, Black Saw-winged available branch or wire. It was quite you see a bird and you have an idea of what Swallow, Sombre Greenbul and Fiscal humbling to see the Barn Swallows after their it is but are not sure, go to You Tube - get it Flycatcher. The highlights, though, were long migration south, and to think that they on the Google menu. Key in the possible bird found on a forested walk up to a damn over would soon be following me back to colder, names and in every case there will be many Disa Kloof stream. Firstly we had brief, damper climes. ‘live’ examples of the bird in question. Finally, tantalising views of a female Paradise Other notable species seen around the we now also have a Facebook site and there Flycatcher.