BIRD UPDATE

Summer is now in full swing and all the regulars are back from either their winter quarters, for the intra-African migrants, for their summer quarters, for the palearctic migrants. The last to arrive are those beautiful red arrows, the magnificent Carmine Bee-eaters, sadly also the first to head back north.

Rainfall has been low so far this year, but still some birds have arrived to the Western Sector in large numbers, three of which stand out. Firstly the White-faced Ducks. Nearly all pans, dams and wallows have numerous of these beautiful ducks in attendance. On our annual Birding Big Day there was a flock of nearly 120 whilst later the flock was recorded to number 395 individuals. This flock was also tended by the second outstanding bird, namely, Comb Ducks. In previous years, I have only encountered small numbers of these elegant ducks. This year, I have seen gatherings of up to 41 individuals and they can regularly been seen flying overhead. Maybe lack of rain in the flood plains of Mozambique, where a lot of these ducks would usually go, has actually brought them to us.

The third bird to stand out is the European Nightjar. I am really confused by the numerous sightings as research has shown that they are site-specific and usually migrate to the same site each year. In previous years, we were lucky to see one on a night drive, but lately I have seen up to five in one drive. As a matter of fact, currently they are the most frequently seen nightjar on drive.

Other interesting species finding their way onto the property have been Openbilled Storks, Black Stork and Streaky-headed Seed-eater, but definitely the bird of the season has been a Green Sandpiper. This bird is listed as a national rarity and probably fewer than ten recordings in the whole of Southern Africa are made annually. This bird was seen by myself at Inyati causeway in the middle of November.

Another interesting record was that of an African Crake that was found dead on the road under the East-West powerlines. Last year, a Lesser Moorhen was found in a similar place. These intra-African migratory rallids respond to rain and will migrate at night. It is suspected that they flew into the powerlines, ending their journey.

With the termite alates starting to erupt, quite a few Lesser-spotted and Steep Eagles have also appeared. Some European Rollers have arrived but far fewer than last year. Maybe their numbers will still swell as summer progresses. Also, few Cinnamon-breasted Buntings are present compared to previous years.

Posted: Exeter Lodges by Andre McDonald, Date: 22 December 2011