Mahela Paradys in die Laeveld - mania Club outings - Kenya Bird Map
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Mahela
2021
Paradys in die Laeveld
July/August
miombo
mania
36,
Magazine
Club outings
Dap Naude Dam
Polokwane
Mockford Farm
Birdlife
Limpokwena
Birding hotspot
The
Handicapped Olive Woodpecker • Cape Vulture resightings • Bird names in Northern Sotho • Long-biled
larks in the Eastern Cape • Short-clawed Lark longevity • Marabou Stork breeding in the Limpopo Province • A
plea for a list of the birds feeding at your bird feeders • African Grey Hornbil predation by a Honey Badger
A ffiliated to Birdlife South Africa
CONTENT
The Lark is the newsletter of Birdlife
Polokwane and is published bimonth-
Featured 5
ly. It publishes reports of club activities, Mahela 5
trip reports, photographic contributions The Lark 36 July/August 2021 Richter Van Tonder deel hulle
and any natural history notes of birds or Editorial 4 ervarings tydens 'n onlangse
klub uitstappie na dié prag plaas
events involving birds. Contributions are
accepted in English or Afrikaans and are Regulars
naby Letsitele.
5
accepted at the discretion of the editors.
Non-members are also welcome to con-
Birds in Art 49 Miombo Mania
tribute, especially if it is of relevance to 11
birds or birding in the Limpopo Prov-
Crowned Eagle Don't believe everything you
read or hear about Zimbabwe.
ince. When submitting images, please Daniel Engelbrecht recently vis-
submit high resolution images without Reflections 55 ited our northern neighbour and
any borders, frames or signatures. Maloutswa Hide – Celebrated
Schizophrenia
says it is still a gold star birding
destination. 11
The editors reserve the right to edit ar-
ticles as necessary. All images are copy- Bird Briefs 65 Birding at Dap Naude Dam
right protected and the property of the
Handicapped Olive Wood- 27
pecker • Cape Vulture resight- New member Alan Harrison
author/s of the article unless otherwise ings • The standardisation of thought Dap Naude Dam was
stated. Please send all your contributions
bird names in Northern So- only good for fishing, until he
tho • Long-billed larks in the racked up a number of lifers dur-
to the editors at thelarknews@gmail.com. Eastern Cape • Missing, pre-
27
ing a recent club outing to the
sumed dead: Mokgalaje the Northern Woodbush forests.
Short-clawed Lark • Marabou
The opinions expressed by contributors Stork breeding in the Limpopo
in this newsletter are not necessarily Province • A plea for a list
those of the editors, the Birdlife Polok-
of the birds feeding at your Limpokwena 2021
bird feeders • African Grey 33
wane committee or Birdlife South Africa. Hornbill predation by a Honey Derek Engelbrecht reports on a
Badger field excursion with botany and
DEADLINE FOR THE NEXT ISSUE: zoology students to this birding
Interesting Sightings 101
33
paradise on the Limpopo River.
15 August 2021 29
Upcoming events 105
This newsletter is best read Mockford Vulture Restaurant
43
in a ‘two page view’ format. The annual mid-winter club
outing to the Mockford Farms
Vulture Restaurant delivered a
number of uncommon species
Cover Cape Starling © Joe Grosel on the Polokwane Plateau. Rich-
ter Van Tonder reports back. 23
43
1 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 2
For a lark ... Editors' chirps
The winter solstice brings with it an air of excitement, of new beginnings,
and, of course, warmer weather. There is something to be said for birding in
winter. The birds seem to behave differently. There is always the chance of
an unexpected surprise showing up in our region. In this regard, the talk of
the town (or shall we say the SADC region) was the southern hemisphere's
first record of a Lesser Whitethroat, which showed up in Marloth Park in
Mpumalanga. This is probably a classic example of reverse migration because
that bird should have been somewhere in the Palaearctic. It seems pretty iron-
ic that Daniel twitched this Palaearctic giga rarity on the 21st of June, the
winter solstice! Remember last year this time, we also had a local rarity in
Namaqua Sandgrouse just outside Polokwane. That just goes to show that
winter birding can be as exciting as in summer, so dress warmly and get out
there.
© Hugh Chittenden
We are heading for an exciting time now as the first migrants, mainly in-
tra-African ones at first, will start returning to our neck of the woods. August
is a particularly good month for passage migrants, particularly for waders.
So, keep a lookout for them
and report it to our Birdlife
Birdy Bouncers © Dawie De Swardt. Polokwane 100K WhatsApp
group as soon as possible as
P.O. Box 699
they don't tend to stay long.
Fauna Park0787
Tel: 015 263 6473
A special word of thanks to
www.birdlifepolokwane.co.za all our contributors to this
www.facebook.com/birdlifepolokwane issue. If you haven't submit-
ted something to The Lark as
P resident Joe Grosel • C hairperson Jody De Bruyn • D eputy chairperson Mark
Friskin • S ecretary Marcia Van Tonder • T reasurers Nick Baglow and Julia yet, why not take a moment
Friskin • W ebsite and IT coordinator Jody De Bruyn • PRO and venue co - and share that interesting
ordinator Lisa Grosel • E vents co - ordinator Richter Van Tonder • R esearch
observation with our readers.
and monitoring Derek Engelbrecht • N ewsletter editors Raelene Engelbrecht
and Daniel Engelbrecht • A dditional members Minkie Prinsloo, Conrad Van Raelene and Daniel
Tonder, Willem Van der Merwe, Les Reynolds, Johan Janse van Vuuren Lesser Whitethroat © Daniel Engelbrecht
3 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 4
en winderige oggend by Mahela
opgedaag. ‘n Skerpbekheuningvoël
(Brown-backed Honeybird) het
ons naby die hek van die plaas ge-
groet. Ons het besluit om tot in die
digter bos te ry waar daar bietjie
minder wind was en eers 'n koppie
koffie te geniet. Hier het ons Geel
vlekmossies (Yellow-throated Bush
Sparrow) gekry. Dit was maar stil
in dié gedeelte en nadat ons koffie
gehad het, het ons aan beweeg na
Links Mahela is 'n pragtige
M
stukkie bos in die Laeveld.
Onder 'n Akkedisvalk op sy
l a
pos by Mahela.
ah e
Teks Richter
Van Tonder
Fotos Marcia and Richter Van Tonder
W at ‘n besonderse stuk ‘n groot verskil in die aantal voël
grond! Van wat ons spesies wat in dié stukkie Laeveld
kan sien word die gesien kan word.
veld by Mahela so entjie oos van Let- Ons klein groepie van 11
sitele baie goed bestuur. Dit maak het so 7 uur se kant op 'n koel
5 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 6
Bo Geelborskleinjantjie
'n oper stuk veld. Hier was die area (Yellow-breasted Apalis). Visvangers (Striped Kingfisher)
soos ‘n stuk park gebied met baie gesien het en ook twee Bosveld-
groot, breëblaar bome wat redelik koesters (Bushveld Pipit). Die plaas
gespassieerd was en met kort gras het heelwat wild soos koedoes,
tussen in. (Arnot's Chat)! Dié outjies het baie njalas, rooibokke, kameelperde,
Dadelik kon mens optel dat mooi vir ons vertoon en was heel baie vlakvarke en seekoeie. Daar
daar meer aktiwiteit was. Hier het bedrywig tussen die droeë bome. was ‘n geslote kamp met wilde-
ons uitstekende laeveld spesie ge- Dit is meer bekend dat die Bont- honde ook!
sien en gehoor, o.a. Grootblouoor- piek in die noorde van die Kruger
glansspreeus (Greater Blue-eared Wildtuin gesien word. Hier was
Starling), Geelborskleinjantjie hulle sommer naby ons en ons kon
(Yellow-throated Apalis), Grys- hulle buite ‘n voertuig besigtig. Bo Die Bontpiek (Arnot's Chat) was
die hoogtepunt van die dag.
kapokvoël (Grey Penduline Tit), Hierna het ons stadig aanbe-
Breëkoparend (Martial Eagle) en weeg, nogsteeds in dieselfde stuk Regs Mahela het 'n teelprogram vir
die hoogtepunt - vier Bontpieke veld, waar ons heelwat Gestreepte die bedreigde Wildehond.
7 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 8
Daar is ‘n paar groot damme weeg en langs een van die damme
op die plaas wat baie watervoëls te stop oppad uit. ‘n Groot seekoei
lok. Ons het toe beweeg na die lapa het ons vermaak en hier het ons
op die plaas en oppad soontoe het ook Visarende kon opteken. Ons
ons Swarthelm- (Retz’s Helmet- totaal vir die dag was 105 spesies.
shrike) en Withelmlaksmanne Baie dankie aan Edward Vor-
(White-crested Helmetshrike) ster wat ons die geleentheid geb-
gekry. Hier kon ons onder groot ied het om op sy wildsplaas te kon
skadubome middagete geniet. Blou voëls kyk. Ook dankie aan almal
grysvlieëvanger (Ashy Flycatcher) wat dit bygewoon het. Ons het dit
en Papegaaiduiwe (African Green almal baie geniet.
Pigeon) het hier mooi vertoon in Outeur se e-pos: richter.mcase@gmail.com
een van die groot vyebome by die
lapa. Daar was besonder baie voël
aktiwiteit rondom die lapa asook
Onder Almal teenwoordig
heelwat skoenlappers en akkedisse. was in hulle noppies met die
Ons het toe besluit om terug te be- dag se voëllysie.
Seekoei
9 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 10
Reënboogakkedis - wyfie
Below A male Buff-streaked Chat at
La Fleur was one of the highlights of
the week © Derek Engelbrecht.
long-time family friend and a leg-
end in Zimbabwean birding) and
I developed a rough trip plan con-
sisting of three core areas.
Firstly, we would focus our
attention on the Miombo wood-
lands and wetlands surrounding
the capital city of Zimbabwe – Ha-
rare. We would then move north-
east and spend a few nights along
the banks of the Mazoe River in
search of some woodland specials
before heading back to Harare for
one night. The final stretch would
then consist of three nights birding
the infamous Eastern Highlands.
This area promised to deliver many
Miombo
a lifer. For ease of reading - and
to assist anyone planning a trip
to Zimbabwe - I provide a daily
breakdown of the sites visited and
the species encountered in each of
the areas.
Mania
March
8, 2021
After a short hour and a half
flight from Johannesburg to Ha-
rare, I met up with Tony Wood at
African Spotted Creeper
the arrivals terminal in Robert Ga-
briel Mugabe International Air-
nonstop birding in this incredi- port. Upon arrival in Zimbabwe,
Text and photos Daniel Engelbrecht ble country, I encountered a host you are immediately made aware
of astonishing bird species and of the shocking quality of urban
P
debunked some myths regard- roads within the city. Potholes
olitical instability, fuel to mind when thinking of Zim- ing the situation on the ground. are everywhere, and caution is re-
shortages and empty babwe. However, over the course Upon planning the trip, Tony quired whilst traversing the city's
shelves tend to jump of 11 days (8-17 March 2021) of Wood (my guide for the journey, a extensive road network. We head-
11 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 12
ed for Tony's house and quick-
ly picked up my first lifer in the March
form of a Variable Sunbird in the
garden. After unpacking, it was 9, 2021
all systems go, and we decided to Day two started at 6:30 am,
visit Greystone Nature Reserve for and our plan was to spend the
some late afternoon birding. morning birding Haka Game Park
This reserve is located with- in search of several Miombo wood-
in the suburbs of Harare. The trip land specials. For those unfamil-
list quickly started growing with iar with the term Miombo, it is the
sightings of Jameson's and Red- name given to the woodlands dom-
billed Firefinch, African Yellow inated by trees of the genera Brachy-
White-eye, African Yellow War- stegia and Julbernardia. On our way
bler, Lesser Honeyguide and the to Haka, a quick stopover at Green-
black-headed nigriceps race of Vil- grove Dam delivered improved
lage Weaver. Amur Falcons flew views of Variable Sunbird, Senegal
over the reserve in their hundreds Coucal and a small group of forag-
as they returned to their nearby ing Orange-breasted Waxbills. At
roosts. A pair of Long-crested Ea- Haka, Cleveland Dam's grasslands
gles also offered splendid views. delivered one of the main targets,
We returned for an early night
with the prospect of excellent Mi- Rosy-throated Longclaw, along with Above Eastern Miombo Sunbird at
Below Miombo woodland at Haka Game Park.
ombo birding for the next day. Haka Game Park.
both Yellow-throated and Cape
Longclaws. We were also afforded
great views of Pale-crowned Cisti- hawk also showed well briefly before
cola, Cuckoo Finch, African Wat- darting off into the bush, and a Spot-
tled Lapwing and yet another lifer ted Eagle-Owl sat watching us from
– Yellow-mantled Widowbird. its daytime roost.
With the temperature slowly It took over an hour to find our
rising, Tony and I walked into the next bird party, which contained
Miombo woodland and I was im- some cracking birds: Whyte's Barbet,
mediately struck by the silence. The African Spotted Creeper and South-
key to Miombo birding is finding ern Hyliota. We then headed into the
bird parties. Luckily, we soon found Gusu woodland section of the park,
our first party and added, amongst searching for Miombo Blue-eared
others, Green-backed Honeybird, Starling. Alas, the starlings had other
White-breasted Cuckooshrike, East- plans for us and proved to be quite
ern Miombo Sunbird, Green-capped elusive, partly because the fruiting
Eremomela and White-crested Hel- trees they feed on were out of the
metshrike. An Ovambo Sparrow- fruiting season.
13 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 14
hens. She then ran into the thicker The road wound between the hills
reeds and flushed something that east of Harare, and after half an
looked like just another African hour, we had arrived at our destina-
Crake. I took a few shots, and upon tion. We walked down a steep track
closer inspection of a back-of-the- between several illegal gold mines
camera view of the bird, I realised - which now threaten these spec-
it was actually a Striped Crake! tacular woodlands - and picked up
This scarce inhabitant of wetlands our first bird party. It was simply
across east and central Africa im- astounding, with no less than 23
mediately became one of the trip species in a tiny area. Highlights
highlights and was undoubtedly an included outstanding views of the
unexpected bonus. Monavale add- uncommon Black-eared Seedeat-
ed sightings of Croaking and Pale- er, Cabanis's Bunting, Red-capped
crowned Cisticola, Yellow-mantled Crombec, White-breasted Cuckoo
Widowbird, Cuckoo Finch, Great shrike, Green-backed Honeybird
Reed Warbler and several vocal and Eastern Miombo Sunbird. Just
Streaky-breasted Flufftails (which as quickly as the party arrived, it
unfortunately couldn't be bothered
to show themselves) to the trip list.
After a quick discussion over Above After giving us the run-around We returned home for lunch Below You take what Striped
lunch, we decided to head to yet at Haka, Miombo Blue-eared Starling before meeting up with Piet again, Crake offers you, and this was it.
showed well at Mukuvisi Woodlands The inset shows a close-up of the
another of Harare's splendid parks - in Harare.
this time for more 'Miombo Magic'. Striped Crake seen at Monavale.
the Mukuvisi Woodlands - to search
for the starlings. Sure enough, after
less than 10 minutes of walking city limits of Harare. Tony and I
along the well-kept trails traversing met up with a local guide and av-
the Miombo woodlands at Muku- id-birder, Piet Zwanikken. Piet
visi, a large flock of Miombo Blue- knows the wetlands and vleis of
eared Starlings flew into view and Harare like the back of his hand.
started foraging around us, provid- To help us maximise our chances
ing splendid photographic oppor- of success, he brought along Dol-
tunities. ly, an English Pointer, trained to
locate the elusive specials that in-
habit the marshes and reeds. Sure
March enough, Dolly ran out and, within
seconds, flushed a pair of African
10, 2021 Crakes. As we traipsed through the
After a successful day of Mi- shallow water and thick grass, Dol-
ombo birding, it was time to tackle ly continued to flush several more
the legendary wetlands within the African Crakes and Lesser Moor-
15 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 16
Above The breathtakingly beautiful vistas
at Christon Bank.
March
Below Southern Hyliota at Christon Bank.
11, 2021
Day 4 started before 6 am
and, once again, we were off into
the Miombo woodlands. We had a
tall order of a target list, but bird-
ing alongside Tony and our local
guide Jean-Michel Blake filled me
with confidence. The serenity of
Christon Bank was surreal. Mist
hung between the Mountain Aca-
cia trees, and we soon picked up
Above Cabanis's Bunting near Harare
dissipated, and silence descended Boulder Chat and Miombo Rock
over the Brachystegia trees once Top Always a special bird to me. Thrush, two of our five targets for
more. Another noteworthy sight- White-breasted Cuckooshrikes were the day. As we headed on through
ing was a single Black Cuckoo, a quite common in the woodlands north the hills, we added Klaas's and
of Harare.
rarity on the Mashonaland Plateau. African Emerald Cuckoo, African
17 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 18Left to right Boulder Chat, Au-
Harrier-Hawk, Grey Penduline For the most part, the nation-
Tit, Stierling's Wren-Warbler, and al highways in Zimbabwe were of
March gur Buzzard and Whyte's Barbet,
all recorded at Christon Bank, while
three flycatcher species - Spot-
ted, Pale and Grey Tit-Flycatcher
good quality, but as we passed the
town of Shamva on our way to the 12, 2021 Wood Pipits were common at Um-
furudzi National Park.
to our trip list. Suddenly, a mas- Park, it all but fell apart. Progress The sun rose and revealed
sive bird party livened the scene was slow as we drove on a narrow the prospect of yet another day of
allowing for views of another strip road and dodged an endless excellent birding. Sure enough, us the silent treatment during the
African Spotted Creeper, Caban- number of potholes. the list rocketed with sightings heat of the day.
is's Bunting and Whyte's Barbet, At long last we arrived at Um- of Grey-headed, Pied, Giant,
along with two more lifers, Mi- furudzi National Park. We were im- Brown-hooded and Half-collared
ombo Tit and Wood Pipit. Both mediately greeted by several Wood Kingfisher, Crowned and Trum- March
these species would prove to be Pipits foraging in the road on our peter Hornbill and Bearded Scrub
regular sightings for the remain- way to Hippo Pools - a camp of- Robin - all within the camp! A 13, 2021
der of the trip. Bird of the day, fering a range of accommodation quick drive through the drier bush-
however, came in the form of a options along the stunning Mazoe veld produced more Wood Pipit We woke to our final morn-
single Augur Buzzard cruising River. The rest of the afternoon was sightings, Red-throated Twinspot ing in Umfurudzi National Park
slowly overhead, an uncommon spent birding around the exquisite and Flappet Lark. I was blown away and decided to head back to an
and certainly unexpected sight- camping grounds surrounded by by the sheer beauty and calibre of area lined with Lala Palm trees to
ing for this part of Zimbabwe. lush lawns and towering riverine birding at Hippo Pools. I was told try again for the Collared Palm
The remainder of the morning trees. Some notable species includ- that during the summer months, Thrush. Before we even had time to
was spent searching unsuccess- ed Black-throated Wattle-eye (a African Broadbill and Narina Tro- lift our binoculars and start search-
fully for Copper Sunbird before common species around the camp), gon are regulars around the chalets. ing, three individuals irrupted into
returning to Harare, packing our Verreaux's Eagle-Owl and African We dedicated the remainder of the song and showed well in the morn-
gear and heading north-east to Wood Owl, as well as our only Liv- day to searching for Collared Palm ing light. We also added Bateleur,
Umfurudzi National Park. ingstone's Flycatcher for the trip. Thrush, which unfortunately gave Marsh Warbler and Village Indi-
19 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 20Left We were treated to a ser-
enade by three Collared Palm
Thrushes on our last morning at
Hippo Pools.
Roberts's Warbler are
of particular interest
on an international
scale as their global
ranges are restricted
to these mountains.
The drive from Harare
to Mutare (the nearest lied Waxbill, Stripe-
city to our accommo- cheeked Greenbul,
dation in the Vhumba Olive Sunbird and
region of the high- White-tailed Crest-
lands) was predomi- ed Flycatcher. We
nantly on single car- quickly picked up
gobird to the list before encoun- riageway roads making progress slow the two highland
tering several more Red-throated (5 hours in total to do 290 km). Yet, endemics, Chirin-
Twinspots. We headed back to Ha- we arrived at our accommodation in da Apalis and Rob-
rare for the night with the Eastern Seldomseen, eager as ever to get go- erts's Warbler, with
Highlands due for the next day. ing with the birding. Seldomseen of- ease in the gardens!
fers an excellent array of self-catering We crested one of
cottages and camping opportunities, the hills overlooking
March not to mention unrivalled birding the most breathtak-
within the gardens. It is an absolute ingly beautiful view
14, 2021 must-stay when in the Vhumba. over Mozambique.
Tony and I set off to bird the Here we scored with
The Eastern Highlands form gardens, and our first bird turned Singing Cisticola and
a mountain range running for ap- out to be an absolute screamer - the orientalis race of
proximately 300 km along the bor- Red-faced Crimsonwing. The single Black Saw-wing with
der of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. male foraged for about 5 minutes its silver underwings
The area is well-renowned for its as we watched in complete awe be- (soon to be elevated
exceptional biodiversity. For south- fore it darted off into the forest. The to full species status). Above and top How is this for a gar-
ern African birders, the highlands list continued growing with good We tucked in for an early night in den bird? Red-faced Crimsonwing in
are home to many range-restricted views of Yellow-throated Woodland preparation for an epic day birding the gardens at Seldomseen.
species found nowhere else in the Warbler, Black-fronted Bushshrike, with Bulawezi - a legend of the East-
sub-region. Chirinda Apalis and Livingstone's Turaco, Yellow-bel- ern Highlands.
21 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 22low-lying Burma Valley and at-
tempt to bag what was still left on
the shopping list. Birding with local
guides is a no-brainer for anyone
visiting a foreign country and no-
where was this more obvious than
with Bulawezi Murambiwa. He
knew all the spots and nailed each
and every target species time after
time. At our first stop in the Valley,
we found one of our main targets,
Black-winged Red Bishop, with-
out hassle. We also added several
other special birds here, including
Black-winged Red Bishop (Above
Grey Waxbill, Blue-spotted Wood
left) was seen in maize fields in the
Dove, Dark-backed Weaver and Burma Valley and Miombo Rock
the dark form of Ayres's Hawk-Ea- Thrush (Above right) seen in
gle. We continued our search for Miombo woodland in the Vhumba
the second target species. After region.
close to an hour of searching, we
Right I was particularly thrilled to
found a Zambezi Indigobird call- be able to add Swynnerton's Robin
ing atop a dead Marula tree - target as my 700th southern African bird
number two. Sightings of White- species.
eared Barbet, Red-backed Manni-
kin, Red-throated Twinspot and
Grey Tit-Flycatcher soon followed. us, and so we set off after
The road rewound up into the lunch to track it down.
Vhumba, and we found ourselves After close to 3 hours of
once again birding in Miombo. searching to no avail, we
Chirinda Apalis (Above) and Roberts's We located a bird party, and sure eventually located a sin-
Warbler (Top) were frequently seen at enough, Miombo delivered once gle Swynnerton's Robin,
Seldomseen. more with African Golden Oriole, which became the 700th
Collared Flycatcher, Scaly-throated species for my southern
Honeyguide, Miombo Rock Thrush African list. Celebrations
March and Red-faced Crombec showing were in order, and so
well. Other noteworthy additions we retreated back to the
15 , 2021
included Red-necked Spurfowl,
Bronzy Sunbird and Garden War-
comfort of our cottage
at Seldomseen in prepa-
Our plan for the day was sim- bler on our way back up to Seldom- ration for our last day
ple, we would head down into the seen. One species was still eluding of birding the Vhumba.
23 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 24naped Pigeon and Mottled Swift. I can only encourage anyone wishing
March Bulawezi still had one last trick up March to visit this spectacular country to do
his sleeve, and so we set off up a so without a second thought and ex-
16, 2021 winding track through the stunted
Miombo where he had seen the elu-
17, 2021 perience the incredible birding that
Zimbabwe has to offer first hand.
The main target for day 3 of the sive tit before. We hiked for ages, and The trip back to Harare passed with- Bird of the trip, I hear you ask?
highlands mission was Cinna- then, just as we were about to call it a out any hassle. It even provided a There were several contenders. The
mon-breasted Tit, the last true day, a single Cinnamon-breasted Tit new trip bird in the form of a Lizard best we could do was come up with a
miombo species that I needed for was spotted, offering mind-blow- Buzzard sitting on a telephone pole. top 5 in no particular order: Striped
the trip. We spent most of the day ing views. The day was an over- A quick and final trip to Chikurubi Crake, Cinnamon-breasted Tit, Liv-
attempting to find it but repeated- whelming success, and we set off Vlei in the newer suburbs of Hara- ingstone's Flycatcher, African Spot-
ly failed at all of the spots where it early the following day for Harare. re provided the last lifer for the trip ted Creeper and Swynnerton's Robin.
had been seen regularly before. Still, – a single male Copper Sunbird. It A special thank you needs to go out
the birding was by no means dull, Below Perseverance pays. After a day
felt great to finally see the sunbird to all the fantastic Zimbabwe birders
and we managed to get sightings of of hiking through Miombo, we man- after searching for it at several sites whose help was invaluable, including
Tree and Striped Pipit, Miombo Tit, aged to find this Cinnamon-breasted over the past few days. It was the Piet Zwanikken, Jean-Michel Blake
Barratt's Warbler, Eastern Bronze- Tit late in the day. perfect end to an incredible trip. and Bulawesi Murambiwa. Lastly, to
my hosts, the Woods, without whom
this trip would not have been pos-
To conclude, over 11 days, Tony sible, a massive thank you is due. I
and I managed to record 246 species, have included Tony's details for any
of which 38 were lifers for me. Zim- one keen on birding in Zimbabwe.
babwe proved to be an excellent and Author e-mail: danielengelbrecht101@gmail.com
easy country to travel through. Not
once did I encounter issues with fuel Tony Wood
or food shortages or feel remotely Birding in Zimbabwe
unsafe at any of the sites we visited.
25 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 26
Prince of Wales viewpoint - VhumbaF ellow birders, great ing on the 4th May 2021. There
was my surprise as a and then we enrolled for our first
newcomer to Birdlife birding excursion with the club to
Polo kwane, when I received a Dap Naude Dam near Woodbush
WhatsApp message on Saturday on the 15th May. Preparations were
afternoon from our outing leader, made on Friday evening - batteries
Richter Van Tonder, asking me to charged, lenses cleaned and 'pad
write a report about our day's out- kos' delicacies made. Alarms were
ing to the Dap Naude region. set and the excitement grew as the
Being that this was my fa- new day broke.
ther’s and my first incursion with We met on the Saturday morn-
the club, I frantically requested ing and left in an orderly convoy to
formats and examples on how to
write such a trip report, remem-
bering ‘sitrap' reports done in days
Opposite The forest at Dap Naude
gone by. The answer I received was Dam © Richter Van Tonder.
... ‘none, just write and send’.
So, here we go. Jan Fourie and Below It was autumn alright © Rich-
I attended our first birding meet- ter Van Tonder.
Birding at
Dap Naude Dam
Alan Harrison
27 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 28our destination. The tar road soon also heard strange calls other than
ended with only Pied Crows and the ones of the Free State plains and
Common Mynas seen. The gravel Vredefort dome areas he was famil-
road led us through dark pine plan- iar with. ‘This could get very inter-
tations with no birds or anything else esting’, I told my father as I have, up
of interest. to now, only been concentrating on
At last, the pines gave way to the identification of birds by sight
beautiful indigenous forest and our and photos.
first coffee break. As we sipped our Anyway, let’s get on with the
coffee, we started to relax and got day, we wondered further into the
chatting with our fellow birders. Im- indigenous forest with amazing
mediately, Richter set off listening for Broad-leaved Yellowwood, Lem-
bird calls sharing what he had heard onwood, Common Wild-quince,
or seen, some familiar and some I
have never heard of in my life before.
Jan Fourie, an avid birdwatch- Below Birding the grasslands
at the inlet of Dam Naude Dam
er, with over 50 years experience,
© Alan Harrison.
Strangler Figs and Sage
Trees where I heard and
saw my next lifers for
my list: a Blue mantled
Crested Flycatcher, Ol-
ive Woodpecker, Yel-
low-streaked Greenbul
and a Dusky Flycatcher.
Lunch was called
for at the Dap Naude
Dam and more lifers
were seen by my father
and I; for me an African
Above One of a number of
lifers for me, Olive Wood-
pecker © Richter Van Tonder.
Right Jackal Buzzard © Alan
Harrison.
29 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 30Goshawk and Yellow Bishop, for Olive Pigeon, Dark-capped Bul-
my father, a Drakensberg Prinia. bul, Common Waxbill, Cape White
We also noted a majestic Jackal -eye, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Afri-
Buzzard and an African Fish Eagle. can Stonechat, the famous Red-
During the latter part of our eyed Dove (for Mark) and another
trip, we also saw Woolly-necked lifer for both my father and I, a Yel-
Storks, Southern Double-collared low-throated Woodland Warbler.
Sunbirds, Speckled Mousebirds, The trip was not only
Brown-hooded and Malachite about birding, but being out in
Kingfishers, Little Grebe, African nature with people with simi-
Above An African Dry-leaf
Commodore © Richter Van
Tonder.
Left Green Milkweed Locust
© Alan Harrison.
lar interests. Insects, butterflies, and I thought the Dap Naude
spiders and plants were also in- Dam was just for fishing!
tently observed with a few high- From the eyes of both us
ly scientific names given by Wil- newcomers, a huge shout out
lie. and thank you from my father
What inspired me the most and I. I’m not a writer but I have
is that one must be like a hunter thoroughly enjoyed writing this
using both auditory and visual trip report. Just a thought before
Above Yet another lifer for the two cues, but most of all to enjoy I sign off. I spoke to one of my
newbys, a stunning Yellow-throated oneself with nature. good friends yesterday, Jimmy
Woodland Warbler © Richter Van
Tonder.
Summing up the day: we Neethling, and he mentioned
were 14 people on the trip and at something so true about birders:
Right Some serious birding was least 42 bird species were iden- ‘julle is eerlike, goeie mense’.
done © Alan Harrison. tified. What an enjoyable outing Author e-mail: alanh@cargomotors.co.za
31 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 32Limpokwena
2021
Biodiversity students get hands-on field training
Derek Engelbrecht
T he Biodiversity Class serve earlier in the year to twitch a
of 2021 made their Collared Flycatcher at their Island
mark at the Limpokwe- Camp, and experiencing some of
na Nature Reserve this year. Each the other birding delights on offer,
year, B.Sc Honours students in the I was particularly excited to return
Department of Biodiversity at the to Limpokwena. This year's good
University of Limpopo get the op- rains meant there were plenty of
portunity to get their hands dirty pools for one of Limpokwena's star
and feet wet as part of a field ex- attractions - Pel's Fishing Owl.
cursion to learn different biodiver- Limpokwena Nature Reserve
sity survey techniques. This year, is situated at the confluence of the
the excursion took place from 18 Mogalakwena and the Limpopo
to 21 May. Having been to the re- Rivers, a few kilometres down-
33 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 34stream of the Platjan Border Post. it from the previous spread, Pel's
Apart from a prolific bird list, there Fishing Owl - a pair. We were
are also plenty of mammals to add treated to the near-constant boom-
to the excitement, including a stun- ing call of a pair of Pel's through-
ning, sunken photographic hide to out the night and into the early
capture those magic moments. morning hours at the main lodge.
While the students were at- We were soaking-in the moment
tending survey sessions with the when a pair perched in a dead tree
other specialists, I had the oppor- just outside the lodge's perimeter
tunity to do some atlasing and bird fence, calling (in fact almost duet-
ringing. I recorded a total of 109 ting) while we snapped away and I
species during my 2-day stay, not made some voice recordings to my
bad for winter. Some of the high- heart's content. It felt like a cardi-
lights included a clean sweep of the nal sin when I finally decided to
western Limpopo Valley specials: turn my back on such an epic bird
Meyer's Parrot, White-crowned and a memorable sighting of a re-
Lapwing, Meves's Starling, Tropi- laxed pair, still perched in the same
cal Boubou and, yes you guessed tree and calling the night away. The
next evening they thrilled us again
with their deep booming call, al-
beit a little further from the lodge.
The next morning I went to the
area where I heard them calling
from and, sure enough, there they
were. Special birds!
Top White-crowned Lapwing, one of the Lim-
popo River specials © Derek Engelbrecht.
Right Peek-a-boo-boo: Pel's Fishing Owl
roosting in one of the giant Ana Trees at the
lodge © Derek Engelbrecht.
Opposite A crocodile about to start feasting
on a waterbuck © Derek Engelbrecht
Previous spread Special bird, special place.
A pair of Pel's Fishing Owl calling at the Lim-
pokwena River Lodge © Derek Engelbrecht.
35 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 36Meves's Starling Grey-backed Camaroptera
The Pel's pair was undoubt- Above An adult Bronze-winged Courser
was a bit of a surprise given the time of Long-billed Crombec White-browed Scrub Robin
edly the highlight by a country the year © Derek Engelbrecht.
mile, but there were lots of other
nice sightings too: a Saddle-billed
Stork fly-by at the viewing deck ble-banded Sandgrouse drinking
on the Mogalakwena River, an at pools in the rivers, Grey Pen-
adult Bronze-winged Courser, a duline Tit, White-crested and
hunting pair of Verreaux's Eagle Retz's Helmetshrikes, to name
at the Island Camp, seven owl but a few.
species (Pearl-spotted -, Southern The ringing demonstration
White-faced -, African Barred -, was done on the morning of the
African Scops -, Western Barn -, 19th May. The nets were set up
Spotted Eagle-Owl, and of course in a thicket on the banks of the
the ginger one mentioned above) Mogalakwena River. Seventeen
seen and heard at the lodge, Dou- birds, representing 13 species Southern Red-billed Hornbill Brown-hooded Kingfisher
37 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 38Above Sunrise over the Limpopo River were ringed and released. Ring- ful birds at arms length, and er critters to keep the 'not-yet- © Derek Engelbrecht. ing highlights included a pair a few had the opportunity to a-birder' occupied. Elephants of Meves's Starling, South- release them. abound, especially in the drier ern Red-billed Hornbill, a Limpokwena Nature months, we heard Lions, a Leop- female Village Indigobird, Reserve is yet another ard and Spotted Hyaena, and Fork-tailed Drongo and one of those gems the Wild Dogs were seen near the On behalf of all of us, we Grey-backed Cama- Limpopo Province has lodge the week before. It is a true wish to thank our hosts Riley and roptera (just because to offer. From a bird- wilderness area with game freely Syanne for their hospitality and I love the camarop- ing point of view, the crossing the river between South willingness to bend over back- teras). The students area is top notch, Africa and Botswana's Masha- wards to accommodate all our were also able to but there is also tu Game Reserve. A place well crazy requests. see these beauti- plenty of oth- worth a visit! Author e-mail: faunagalore@gmail.com 39 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 40
Class of 2021 41 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 42
Mockford Farms W as history going to (apart from the vultures): Rock
repeat itself? For Kestrel (Kransvalk), Secretary-
the last two years, bird (Sekretarisvoël), Cape Teal
the annual visit to the Mockford (Teeleend), Cape Shoveler (Kaapse
Vulture Restaurant west of Polok- Slopeend) and White-fronted
wane, didn't provide us with many Bee-eater (Rooikeelbyvreter). We
Vulture restaurant vultures at this particular restau-
rant. So, I decided to change our
were not disappointed this year
as we managed to see all of them
strategy. In the past, we usually within a couple of hundred me-
arrived before the carcasses were tres of each other. A particularly
Menu dropped. This time around, how-
ever, we arrived at the restaurant
memorable sighting was watch-
ing a melanistic Gabar Goshawk
12 June 2021 about 15 minutes after the fact. (Witkruissperwer) chasing a dove
We started our trip to the - both flying at break-neck speed!
Mains restaurant 1.5 hours before. We Another special sighting, and a lif-
Appetizers took it slowly and tried to record er for some of us, was a couple of
Cape Shoveler all species seen and heard on the Bushveld Pipits (Bosveldkoester).
Marabou Stork Cape Vulture farm. This particular outing is al-
Bushveld Pipit White-backed Vulture ways good for some rarely seen
Crimson-breasted Shrike African Wattled Lapwing birds in our Polokwane 100K Chal- Below The view of Mockford Farm
from the vulture restaurant looking
Hamerkop lenge. These local specials include north © Leonie Kellerman.
Quailfinch
Yellow-bellied Eremomela Specials
Pearl-spotted Owlet
Great Sparrow Cape Teal
Pearl-breasted Swallow Rock Kestrel
Black-chested Snake Eagle Secretarybird
Cape Penduline Tit Lappet-faced Vulture
Gabar Goshawk (melanistic) Hooded Vulture
Long-crested Eagle
Dips
Sides Palm-nut Vulture
Jackal Buzzard
Butterflies Glossy Ibis
Black-backed Jackal African Hawk-Eagle
Text Richter Van Tonder
43 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 44Above A pair of Bushveld Pipits showed Above We counted at least four Lappet-faced
well © Richter Van Tonder. Vultures © Richter Van Tonder.
Left A single Secretarybird in one of the Right There were good numbers of White-
fallow fields was certainly one of the high- backed Vultures, including several young birds
lights of the day © Richter Van Tonder. © Richter Van Tonder.
Now back to the vultures… ed Vultures were counted! This is the
We arrived about 9:45 at the restau- most we ever recorded at this restau-
rant. As we approached the hide, large rant. Everyone managed excellent
numbers of circling and descending views of Cape Vulture (Kransaasvoël),
vultures suggested that the restaurant White-backed Vulture (Witrugaas-
was a hive of activity. My plan worked, voël), Lappet-faced Vulture (Swartaas-
and as we entered the hide, we were voël), Hooded Vulture (Monnikaas-
greeted by lots of vultures on the voël) and Marabou Stork (Maraboe).
ground. The closest vulture was about However, the local Palm-nut Vulture
5 meters away, and it was a special for (Witaasvoël) was MIA again and has
the Polokwane Plateau - a Hooded been so for quite some time now. Two
Vulture! No fewer than nine Hood- tagged vultures were seen.
45 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 46Thanks to the six other peo-
ple who joined this particular outing.
Also, thank you to Peter Mockford for Bird of the Year 2021
allowing us to access his farm and the
vulture restaurant. Our tally for the
day was 124 species - a good haul for a
mid-winter's day.
Author e-mail: richter.mcase@gmail.com
Left An uncommon resident elsewhere around
Polokwane, Rock Kestrel is relatively reliable at
Mockford Farms © Richter Van Tonder.
Below Hooded Vultures are a real rarity on the
Polokwane Plateau, so to see nine on one day
must make it the Bird of the Day. Interestingly,
all were juvenile birds © Richter Van Tonder.
47 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 48Reg u l ars
I n this issue, I share with you several distant glimpses of it but ha-
a portrait of one of Africa's ven't yet been able to get a perfect,
most magnificent bird spe- close view of one. The easiest way to
cies, the Crowned Eagle Stephanoae- locate it is by its display call. This is
tus coronatus. The scientific name a rather high-pitched, whiny sound
means 'crowned crown eagle'. It is uttered while the bird is flying above
sometimes known as the Crowned the forest canopy. It can be heard
Hawk-Eagle. This is one of Africa's even when the bird is too high up to
largest eagle species, reaching 100 be seen with the naked eye. It's not a
cm in total length and weighing single cry but a repeated 'yee-yip, yee-
over 4 kg. It is not quite as heavy as yip, yee-yip' sound. At the same time
the Martial Eagle but perhaps more as it is calling, the eagle will display
powerful. This eagle is associated by first beating its wings to ascend
with heavily wooded habitats in Af- vertically. At the apex, it will briefly
rica, occurring from the Western stall before falling and gliding into a
Cape Province northwards, through dive, repeating the climb again. The
equatorial Africa and as far north as flight is conspicuous to other eagles,
the highlands of Ethiopia. Its strong- helping them know who 'owns' what
hold is the equatorial rainforest belt. patch of the forest.
Crowned Eagle
The Crowned Eagle is some- At other times, the Crowned
what elusive and hard to see. I've had Eagle will be much less obvious. Its
49 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 50plumage, dappled in rufous-brown, Most of its prey consists of
dark brown and white, gives it ex- mammals such as monkeys, hyrax-
cellent camouflage as it perches on es and small to even medium-sized
a thick branch amidst the patches of antelope. The most significant re-
sunlight penetrating the canopy. It corded kill was a bushbuck, which
hunts by stealth and will spend a lot weighs six times as much as the
of time just sitting and hiding while eagle. A pair will sometimes hunt
spying out the environs using its together. One will fly above the
keen eagle-eyes. It may drop down canopy, drawing the monkeys' at-
onto prey on the ground or rapidly tention, while the other will sneak
fly towards prey spotted in the tree- up on them from behind. A male
tops. Its flight is silent, and it can and female may also work together
sneak up to and snatch an oblivious to kill an antelope too large for just
victim. Its wings are proportionally one.
short and broad, enabling it to flit This eagle uses its incredibly
through narrow gaps between tree huge and powerful talons for dis-
trunks and branches. patching its prey. Grasping a mam-
Above During egg-laying and raising the
mal by the torso, it sinks its claws chicks, the central platform is lined with
in deep enough to pierce the vital fresh, leafy green twigs and shoots brought
organs and kill its victim quickly. by both birds © Garth Batchelor.
Left Legendary raptor biologist, It is also strong enough to fly off,
the late Leslie Brown, showing carrying an animal up to about its
some of the injuries sustained after
own weight. Still bigger prey will be in urban areas will be happy to
a Crowned Eagle attacked him as
he tried to reach its nest.
dragged over the ground towards hear that in one study, the ubiqui-
cover. Once the prey is concealed, tous and noisy Hadada Ibis was the
Below The incredibly large feet it will dismember it and carry bits dominant prey item after hyraxes.
and long claws of a Crowned Eagle of the carcass to nearby trees. Here, Although attacks on people have
© Hugh Chittenden.
it will stash the meat in the forks of been recorded, these attacks are
branches, safe from predators such rare and only occur when people
as leopards that may otherwise are considered threats, especially
stumble upon and take it. to their chicks. One man has been
Mostly eating mammals, knocked out of a tree where he was
Crowned Eagles nevertheless climbing up towards a Crowned
sometimes diversify their diets to Eagle nest. They will also attack and
include reptiles and birds. They've try to drive off monkeys and other
been noted as catching domestic mammals they perceive as threats.
animals such as chickens, cats or Crowned Eagles nest in large
goat kids, but many people living forest trees, their nests typical
51 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 52for large eagles, namely bulky af- performed on or close to it. The male eggs. She remains on the nest to in- ents taper off, and the chick also im-
fairs built from sticks. They some- will bring food to the female to show cubate them while the male brings proves its own hunting expertise. By
times collect fallen branches from that he will be a good provider. Oth- her food every few days. However, the age of 270 to 350 days, it becomes
the forest floor but mostly break er displays include aerial flights, dur- some 'husbands' are not prudent fully independent. While in Eastern
branches off trees, carrying them ing some of which the male and fe- providers, and one female has been Africa, Crowned Eagles breed main-
to their nests in their feet or beaks. male may lock their feet together and recorded going without food for two ly every other year, in South Africa,
The nests are typically situated at a tumble through the air head-over- weeks! they frequently breed yearly. They
height 12−30 m from the ground heels. These cartwheeling displays But the male also sometimes live on average to 15 years, so each
and very hard to access by humans are often misinterpreted by human incubates, with the female, in turn, couple has time to raise enough
or leopards. It can be used year af- observers as attacks. Still, they're bringing him food. This is the only chicks to replace themselves.
ter year; the pair keeps adding new actually occasions for the male and African eagle where the female as- Crowned Eagles are success-
twigs and branches until it is enor- female to get attuned to each other, sists the male like this. The eggs ful when left alone and occur wide-
mous, in some cases measuring 2.5 similar to human dancing. hatch after about fifty days. spread in Africa. They suffer pri-
m across and 3 m deep. The record In South Africa, Crowned Ea- Although this eagle lays two marily from forest destruction and
age for a nest thus far is 50 years! gles lay their eggs from late winter to eggs, only one chick ever survives to from humans over-hunting the same
Sometimes a pair will have more spring. The female usually lays two be raised. In many eagles, the elder prey mammals they depend upon.
than one nest, switching between chick kills the younger soon after it This is a huge concern in central
them over different breeding years. hatches, a behaviour called Cainism, and western Africa, where the 'bush-
The nest is a focal area for the Below An adult and a chick just about after the biblical Cain who killed meat' trade involves pretty much
ready to fledge at their nest in the Sout-
pair, and a lot of their bonding is pansberg © Derek Engelbrecht.
his brother Abel. This occurs in the every kind of wild forest mammal
Crowned Eagle too. The chick is in- from small to large, killed and sold
itially covered in thick, white down. in markets to feed the burgeoning
At first, its mother broods it continu- human population. Eagles are also
ally as its father brings food for them sometimes hunted or killed on sus-
both. The male delivers food to the picion of targeting domestic animals.
female, who then gives it to the chick. But they do occur in several nature
By the age of six weeks, the reserves and protected areas, and for
chick can tear up and swallow prey now, their future is secure.
itself, so the parents just fly in to de- Author e-mail: willemsvandermerwe@gmail.com
posit food items on the nest. Its first
proper feathers emerge at the age of View my gallery by clicking on the logo
five weeks, and by the age of 60 days, below:
its crest starts showing. By eleven
weeks, it is fully feathered.
At about a hundred days old,
the chick attempts its first flight. It
still remains dependent on its par-
ents but starts making its own kills
about two months after leaving the
nest. Slowly the feeding by the par-
53 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 54Reflections
Reflections
ing back in Camp. We were in the But readers may recall I am a
Hide at dusk, in the hope of seeing wheelchair user, and the original
something special, when a sound- structure of Maloutswa Hide was
er of nine bushpigs came down to not very accessible. The viewing
drink, certainly not something one slots were all too high (I was told
normally sees at a waterhole. Then the Hide was originally built as a
thrillingly, we heard the cough of a hunting Hide when the land was
leopard, and the pigs all scattered. under private tenure and the slots
Birding in SANParks Limpopo parks As we peered through the twilight were for rifle use from a standing
we became aware of a big male leop- position). The pathway was also
Maloutswa Hide – Celebrated Schizophrenia ard sitting on its haunches on the
other side of the Pan, looking more
not suitably accessible. In the dry
season, the pathway was firm and
like an Alsatian dog than a stealthy
Chris Patton feline. His carefree attitude was
Below The view from Maloutswa in the
most unusual. He remained in place dry season. Note the criss-cross of game
when we retreated from the Hide paths leading to the water’s edge, evidence
M
back to our vehicle. From that mo- of the busy mammalian traffic that come
apungubwe Nation- opened to the public, when this ment I was in love with Maloutswa. to quench their thirst © Chris Patton.
al Park’s Maloutswa pan within the Limpopo River
Hide in the west- floodplain was among the only
ern section of the Park I rate as standing water available… It was
my favourite hide in all of SAN- incredible to witness the irresisti-
Parks. Yet, it has two very distinct ble appeal of the waterhole not to
personalities, but thankfully its birds, but to the mammals of the
schizophrenic nature is in no way area… sitting in the hide for a few
negative because both personas minutes, there would be a steady
are incredibly appealing... one is stream of zebra, wildebeest, kudu,
as a magnet for thirsty mammals, impala, waterbuck and warthog
during the dry season – there may as the most regular protagonists.
be one or two birds present, but And then the elephants would
nothing to write home about… come through, bossing proceed-
but when the Limpopo Floodplain ings and drinking their fill or
is waterlogged Maloutswa be- splashing in the water.
comes like a miniature Okavango On that first encounter with
Delta teaming with birdlife that the Hide, my colleague and I were
can be so plentiful it’s almost over- staying in the nearby Limpopo Tent-
whelming… ed Camp, which, as I said, was not
My first experience with yet open to the public. As we were
Maloutswa was in drier times, on an official visit, we had license
just before Limpopo Tented Camp to push the usual time limits of be-
55 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 56compact enough for a wheelchair Pan was in flood… So for years I But this is a birding publication, and
to use. Still, a small stream need- campaigned for the hide to be up- it’s the birds that we are interested in…
ed to be crossed just before getting graded to meet more acceptable Even in the dry season, the ac-
to the actual hide. Some thin latte universally accessible standards, tion starts in the palisaded parking
poles had been used to create a so that all visitors could get into area… Look out for Crimson-breast-
bridge, and this uneven raised sur- the hide independently, and that ed Shrike being in the bushes next to
face meant assistance from a com- the viewing slots were more con- the ablutions.
panion was required to get over it ducive to binocular use by a seated But when the Limpopo Flood-
in my chair… And later, I would person… plain receives sufficient rain and
discover that during the wet sea- Things often move slowly in the pans fill up and the surrounding
son, the ground along the pathway SANParks, particularly in remote ground cover become rank flood-
was transformed into mud, and locations, and the inaccessibility ed grassland, and water lilies start to
thus getting there became a bit lingered for around the first 10 adorn the Pan, this Hide becomes a
of a nightmare for me when the years of my relationship with the birder’s Mecca…
Hide, but then I think
in around 2014 the
pathway to the hide Right Crimson-breasted Shrike can be seen at close
pathway was damaged quarters in the Hide’s parking area
© Derek Engelbrecht.
during flooding, and
when rebuilt a magnif- Below Compare the rank flooded grasses flanking
icent firm smooth even the Pan to the earlier image of bare earth and the
boardwalk now takes criss-cross of game trails. Greater Painted-snipe and
visitors the entire way Egyptian Geese certainly prefer it…
© Chris Patton..
from the parking zone
into the Hide itself.
Above The access boardwalk to
Maloutswa Hide is now a wonderful
firm even surface, and the thrill of an-
ticipation in travelling along its length
is always worth experiencing
© Chris Patton.
Right And some of the viewing slots
have been lowered so that children,
wheelchair users and other height
compromised people can enjoy the
views from Maloutswa © Chris Patton.
57 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 58picture opportunities for those
with patience prepared to peruse
the Pan from the protection of the
Hide.
And even in the dry season,
there are birds to look out for. A
pair of Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl have
a nesting site in the woodland ad-
jacent to the boardwalk to the
Hide. They can be heard grunt-
ing in contact with their partners,
even in the middle of the day.
I hope readers will get as much joy
from visiting the Hide as I have had
over the years.
Author e-mail: chris.patton@sanparks.org
Below Hamerkop © Derek Engelbrecht.
Above A Knob-billed Duck head
on at Maloutswa Pan The heron family is repre-
© Chris Patton. sented by the squat members of
the tribe with their extendible
necks like Green-backed Her-
The luxuriant grass will attract on and Dwarf Bittern, and both
various rallids from an assortment night-herons, to the more ele-
of crakes to Lesser Moorhen and gant egrets and larger herons.
Allen’s Gallinule. Waterfowl come Grey Crowned Crane and Pink-
in large numbers… Knob-billed backed Pelican are some of the larg-
Duck, White-faced Whistling er species that have been recorded
Ducks, Egyptian and Spur-winged at the Hide, and aquatic storks are
Geese, and there may be some Af- well-represented too.
rican Pygmy Geese too, perhaps at- Plovers, sandpipers, prat-
tracted by the water-lilies that also incoles, painted-snipes and Pied
entice jacanas. Kingfisher present other pleasant
59 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 60Birdlife Polokwane merchandise
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63 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 64Bird Briefs
Handicapped Olive Woodpecker
Ingrid Weiersbye
E-mail: ingridw@polka.co.za
T he photo of Derek Engel- pose body part indeed assumes
brecht's stabbed thumb huge importance.
in the previous issue A nest-hole in a tall cedar in
allows me to share another Olive our garden here in the KwaZu-
Woodpecker anecdote, again fo- lu-Natal Midlands has been used
cusing on the bill.
To a bird, a bill is everything; Below The injury-caused seriously de-
to a woodpecker, this multi-pur- formed bill © Ingrid Weiersbye.
Above The probing upper mandible
for three years at least. It is used spears the pupa © Ingrid Weiersbye.
currently throughout the year by
the family of three to roost in. It has
had two clutches raised in it, both twisted and no longer forming a
with the female woodpecker I got single point, hence the name scis-
to call 'scissor-bill'. The resultant sor-bill.
offspring from the family unit of I have a strong suspicion
either 3 or 4 birds regularly forage that the conflict came to a head
in the garden. in 2020 whilst we were away. The
Photos of the female in Sep- Black-collared Barbets put strong
tember 2019 with a newly fledged pressure on the woodpeckers to
chick clearly show her with an oust them from their hole, and
undamaged bill. In January 2020, they in turn put up a spirited de-
there was a fierce take-over bid of fence, all the time keeping just out
the nest by Black-collared Barbets - of reach of the barbets' powerful
then lock-down kept us away from bills. Although the Olive Wood-
KwaZulu-Natal, and monitoring pecker has a dagger of a bill, I im-
ceased. agine it is no match for the bulldog
In September 2020, we re- clamping power of the barbet's. It's
turned, and photos showed that just possible that the female down
her once dagger-shaped bill was in the nest-hole was attacked by
65 The Lark 36 The Lark 36 66You can also read
