Big Birding Year Quarter One Report

Trevor Hardaker has the number of birds seen per year in Southern Africa as follows:
2005 - 798
2006 - 816
2007 - 839
2008 - 823

I am going to use an average of 820 to track my Big Birding Year numbers.


For the first quarter I have seen 44% of the birds normally recorded by the community of birders in South Africa. My life list is at 613 and as can be seen in the table below I have added 21 lifers to my list in the first quarter. My objective for the year is to resee my list and I am 59% of the way.
I am also chasing a 2009 Gauteng Birding Challenge and have started slowly - 107 birds for my Gauteng list, in 2008 a couple of birders exceeded 450, so work to be done on this list. The objective is to see as many birds in a 100 kilometer radius around both Johannesburg and Pretoria.



I have involved myself in my Bird Club to experience the conservation side of birding through data gathering. Laura and I went CWAC'ing out at Elandvlei and I plan to do more outings as the year progresses.
I have registered as an observer with the Avian Demography Unit and submitted my first observation form after birding at Lissataba.


Fred and I have travelled 10500 kilometers to get to birding spots around the country- cars, planes and a boat (reflected in the graph below).
We started the Big Birding Year in the Waterberg before moving on to Cape Town for 5 weeks. We took day trips around Cape Town from the sewrage works to glorious mountains and beaches. The day up the West Coast where Otto Schmidt assisted me in the identification of a national rarity - the Common Redshank, was a treat.
Our first ever Pelagic Trip out from Simonstown was trying, had both of us hanging over the side of the boat with seasickness. But, bird number 600 was a magnificent Shy Albatross, that plus another 11 new birds like the White-chinned and Pintado Petrels certainly made it all worthwhile -I recovered very quickly once we got to land and had loads of fish and chips drowned in tomato sauce, great remedy.
We had good birding in the Overberg with Bri and Di and our January lifer was the Agulhas Long-billed Lark another hot, dusty, dry day in the Cape summer and we were walking the dirt roads hunting down the lark.



Millstream, our timeshare near Dullstroom was the first stop after Cape Town and I have always loved ambling around the property birding and looking at the wildflowers. The perenial favourites like the Buff-streaked Chat and the Groundscraper Thrush made the list.
The focus then shifted to the lowveld bush since getting back home in mid-January, days in Kruger National Park with Dad, on game drives with the gang at Selate Game Reserve as well time spent at Lissataba with the Krones have added nearly 100 birds. Our day out with Peter Lawson to spot a Blue Swallow was thrilling although frustrating at the same time because the quick glimpse of the female left me wanting to see more. Also a very good day for ID'ing the cisticolas that were calling at both Kaapsehoop while we were patiently waiting for the swallow and closer to Nelspruit.

I can tell from my sunburnt arms that we have been outdoors this summer, to date we have spent 41 days outdoors, some of those days were sunrise to sunset! That's 41 out of a possible 90 days - 45% of our time birding, no wonder Fred is giving me a hard time about trying to run his business in between all the travelling.

The next quarter planning is Pafuri with Hayley, Wakkerstroom with Nikki and Geoff in March, a fabulous trip planned for April to Namibia and Botswana with Callen Cohen. May will be time to bird here in Gauteng. The countdown clock still shows nine months...

And then just maybe?? see below....

Twitchers break world record of species spotted
From The Independent - 30/12/2008 (92 words)
BIRDING A British couple have broken the world record for spotting the most species of birds in a year. Alan Davies and Ruth Miller, from North Wales, sold their home in Llandudno to fund their birdwatching trip, which they called The Biggest Twitch. The couple say they have observed 4,327 different species during their year-long tour, which has taken in British back gardens, Asian rainforests and Arctic ice caps. The previous record was 3,662.

BIRP'ing in Lissataba Private Reserve

Back in the Lowveld a week later with Bernie and Martie at Lissataba. Looking out for breeding birds we saw this female Namaqua Dove on her nest.

Time to experience observing for the Birds in Reserves Project:

Extract from the Avian Demography Unit, UCT website: http://birds.sanbi.org/birp/birp_frameset_parent.htm
'The basic purpose of BIRP is to compile a comprehensive catalogue of the species of birds
which occur and breed in South Africa’s many protected areas. A database of this kind will
help to identify the species which are as yet not adequately protected and will also provide
the managers of protected areas with information useful in setting management policies.'

Lucy Hughes, who is living at Lissataba, navigated us around the BIRP details and submission of the data to the ADU. The four of us tackled the birding with intent, noting breeding activity - which is not always that obvious, and clocked up 76 sightings for the weekend, making sure that we covered any many different habitats as possible. I have submitted the data, registered and am now waiting for my Observer Number.

It was a treat spending time with Martie, catching up on our lives while bouncing around on the Landy, long, hot, steamy days and thick impenetrable bush. The African Jacana watching a dragonfly entertained us at the birdhide. Some good sightings too for the Big Birding Year, African Hawk Eagles flying low at the house and also lots of fun with the call of a Pearl-spotted Owlet which Fred eventually found in one of the trees near the main camp.

Selati Game Reserve

The bush revealed its detail to us during our visit to Selati Game Reserve, Marius showed us spiders, their webs and wove stories about 'balooning' males moving acrobatically to land on, hopefully, the right females' web. The photos below are the Kite Spider on the left, we watched her weaving the web in the early morning sunlight and the right hand photo is a Golden Orb web, the female is huge compared to the tiny male.There is so much to know when you start to see the detail, our first night out we found an antlion in the imago phase, it is a very feeble flier and we watched it fluttering about in the night, laying its eggs. The adult is thus rarely seen in the wild because it is typically active only in the evening and I was amazed that this is the same antlion we tease in its sand trap. Saw fireflies one night and quietly watched their light show.

Glorious Nyalaberry Tree and the delightful

Double-banded Sandgrouse.

The gang - Bev and Keith, Barry and Gee, Pete and Karin and Marius ready to tell more bush stories. Leaving the lodge, we glimpsed a Sable bull on our first trip out and Pete shared the auction cost for a bull can be as much as R3m! The bush was dense and lush and the animals well concealed as can be seen from this picture of the Eland bull peeping out at us. We had good views of Rhino and spent time watching male giraffe 'necking' a gentle action that felt more like courtship than male aggression, did not know that the collective noun is a journey of giraffe...there were teachers amongst us.


The gang showed much patience for both the birding and the bird photoraphy. At one point Fred dipped on catching the Swainson's Spurfowl calling - four times in a row, so here is the bird at rest instead. Gave me lots of time to see its spur for the first time. About first times, we also watched a Lilac-breasted Roller 'rolling' above us, such a special display which I had not witnessed before in all these years of birding.

The birding was a highlight. On our first evening game drive we saw Verreaux's Eagle Owl which is the largest African owl, this owl is claimed to be the world's third largest owl, up to 75cm in height and a 2 meter wingspan. It was huge silhouetted against the skyline. Also saw plenty of Bronze-winged Coursers on the way back to the lodge.

The call of the Harlequin Quail drove Marius quietly crazy, there was an irruption of these quails in the rank grass! It took as a day or two to figure out what bird was calling and as it was new for us we then attempted to flush them. So, late morning blazing summer sun found us 'creeping' up on the calling birds. It reluctantly flushed, we caught a glimpse and a new bird for my life list - once again not as clear a view as I would like but it is getting harder and harder as the list expands. We did however have good views of the Small Buttonquails, they were also calling regularly on the drives.

Marius and I celebrating the confirmed Harlequin Quail.

One thing is puzzling me, 2 1/2 months into the Big Birding Year and I have no Woodpecker on the list!

The Selati River flowing strongly past the lodge, a rare sight we were told and a peaceful place to watch the world pass with a G&T in hand. Thanks to all for a great weekend of good laughter, good food and good sightings. Pete and Karin thanks for spoiling us.

Leaving the Kruger National Park

Lions on our way out.....
The iconic call of the Woodland Kingfisher defines the sound of the park in summer, juvenile waiting to be fed, we were watching while having lunch at Skukuza ....

Excitement of seeing a Double-banded Sandgrouse and the Black-bellied Bustard on our last evening drive.

On may way back saw Long-crested Eagle on the telephone poles, will take the birds as I find them!

One of the juvenile challenges has been solved, I sent a photo to Lawson's Birding and Leon confirmed our sighting was a Dark Chanting Goshawk juvenile, another tick for the year.

Blue Swallow, calling Cisticolas and Lowveld specials

Waiting up on the hills near Kaapsehoop for a sighting of a Blue Swallow with Peter and Enos seemed such a long shot, only one pair has been seen here this year. Wait we did and moved location too. The group was treated to a quick flypast by the female and I felt less than satisfied, it all happened so fast and my brain seems to shut down and I forget to notice details. So, my list now includes a Blue Swallow but I want to now go to KZN to see if I can see a male at some point.

Our day with Peter Lawson started with Cut-throat Finches nesting in abandoned weaver nests outside the Town Lodge in Nelspruit. I have always enjoyed the 'little lads' of the bird world and was chuffed to see the Swee Waxbills too later in the day in the forest at Kaapsehoop.

The photo below was a special visit to the McOnie farm to see the juvenile Crowned Eagle - second time lucky, the chick was born in October and a treat to see from the farmhouse's front garden! Thanks to all for the access to the farm on a sunday and my first upclose encounter with macadamia trees, ended up buying loads of nuts from Halls and eating them all day.

Another treat was Peter flushing the Lesser Honeyguide who was calling from high in the canopy and obligingly flew out on cue and showed itself...

This is Peter and I after a Red-faced Cisticola for my life list and we did get one too - Fred found it calling in the bush next to the road. It was a day for cisticolas - Wailing and Wing-snapping up in Kaapsehoop, Croaking on our drive out of Nelspruit, great help for me as I do not have a good birding ear which can be so frustrating.

Memorable images from the Kruger Park, the European and Lilac-breasted Rollers are common and an eyeful of colour against the sky line. We saw many juveniles on our travels, most of them stumping me but the Fish Eagle is a certainty and a glorious looking bird.

Halfway Mark in the Kruger National Park

The plan is to resee my list and yesterday I passed the halfway mark and saw a lifer at the Nkuhlu picnic stop, the Icterine Warbler.

It was a good day for raptors and we added Tawny Eagle and Brown Snake Eagle to the list. I must admit to filing to identify many of the juveniles though. I realise that I am noticing birds that I have paid no attention to seeing for many a year, like the Village Indigobird which I also found at Nkuhlu. The rain lifted and we had gentle sunlight on the grassy plains. The road from Sukuza to Lower Sabie is overgrown which makes viewing almost impossible but we did see Elephant and Buffalo in the Sabie River. I am enjoying the Phabeni road at the moment and we are seeing herds of Zebra, Wildebeest and Buffalo.

We held our breath waiting for the Red-billed Oxpecker each time we saw Giraffe, then eventually found oodles of them.

Sunset Dam at Lower Sabie was not as productive for birds as had I expected, but we did sit and watch a Goliath Heron moving imperceptively in the water waiting to fish.

The Wire-tailed Swallow watching us put in petrol at Lower Sabie.

Magestic Flypass

The Kruger Park is lush and wet, with rivers and streams bursting their banks. It has been raining all night, the cloud cover is low and the temperature is cool. A very different Lowveld than we expected.
Dad and I had a special afternoon in the park, taking a slow ride in the Jeep from Numbi Gate to Phabeni Gate, with good sightings all the way, elephant, buffalo, rhino, zebra, giraffe, wildebeest and more, even though the grass is tall.

We even did some 'spider watching', the water still clinging to the web of this huge spider, size of my palm, along the road!

The exciting birds were the Saddle-billed Stork that flew low past us at Transport Dam, the unmistakable Martial Eagle and my special bird, the Bateleur. Of course it feels like being a kid in a candy shop finding all the Park regulars to add to the Big Birding Year list, like the Yellowbilled and Redbilled Hornbills. The flypass of the thousands of Red-billed Queleas are spectular at this time of year. We saw a handful of White-backed Vultures settling down to sleep in a tree at dusk as we were about to exit the Park.

Cannot wait to get back.

Wild Flower Collage - Millstream

Photo gallery of Millstream

Ambling, fishing and taking in the beauty of Millstream

One of the joys of Millstream is being able to stride out and walk the hills or wander past the fishing dams. Summer time is wonderful for wildflowers and Brian took glorious photos of the different varieties on the farm. One of my favourites is the red lily on the water edges, the colour is startling against the water and reeds. I have a quirky habit and trying to walk all the paths during our stays and make sure that I have covered as much of the farm as possible.

Birding has been good too, some of my usuals have made the Big Birding Year list, like the Buff-streaked Chat that Martie and I first id'ed here at Millstream in the mid 1990's and the Groundscraper Thrush. The glimpse of the Little Bittern in the reeds on Lake Millstream from our veranda having early morning coffee and panettone. I have spent many hours at the reeds looking out for warblers and have seen the Dark-capped Yellow Warbler, the Lesser Swamp Warbler as well as the Little Rush-warbler.

Di caught her first Rainbow Trout and it was smoked and made into pate on the same day - quite yummy.

Millstream near Dullstroom

It all started here.

We bought our timeshare unit in the early 90's and have been visiting 2 to 3 times a year ever since. My Mom had died and we wanted a complete change of climate after the sticky heat of Natal and what better than the high altitude grasslands of Dullstroom. The rhythm is easy; walking, fishing, sitting on the stoep with a view across Lake Millstream, reading on the couch, loads of cooking and good food for friends and family, the kids with their friends visiting over the years as they were growing up, good conversation - it has always been a favoured place. Idyllic.
Dad and I were on the side stoep one year and a Stonechat landed close by. At that stage I had no clue about birds, so the first question of "I wonder what that is?" has opened a new world for me and has become a passion which has taken me all over Southern Africa and into remote, wild parts of the world and less remote places too, like New York.
I have birded in the Ramble in Central Park alongside New Yorkers watching out for migrating warblers; in Churchill on the Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada for waders and Ross' Gull; in the Galapagos Islands off Equador for the Blue-footed Booby and the Waved Albatross; in the Amazon in Equador for Toucans and Parrots; in Australia with Inel; on St. Paul Island of the Pribiloff Islands in the Bering Sea for Puffins and the Alcids; in arctic Norway for the White-tailed Sea-Eagle; in English country gardens watching Tits; in Scotland for Eiders and Puffins, in Fontainbleau Forest in France and in so many other memorable places of the last fifteen years.
Birding has also been about being with friends in these special places, Bri and Di have birded with us in Botswana, Caprivi in Namibia, Phinda in KZN; Sharon walking along the De Mond beach for a Demara Tern; Laura and Anabela at Millstream last year; Bernie and Martie in the Kruger, in Alaska, at Tinley and many other spots over the years of our friendship.
So Millstream is where it started with the dapper, obliging Stonechat.

'CWACing' at Elandsvlei

Another first for the Big Birding Year, joining the Wits Bird Club outing to count waterbirds at Elandsvlei, which is among the farmlands on the way to Delmas.
In mid-summer and mid-winter each year, bird clubs around South Africa count a set list of species associated with some 400 wetlands and have been doing so since Coordinated Waterbird Counts was launch in 1992. The number and type of species are recorded and used for conservation and research.
So sandwiches, coffee and mangoes in hand -thanks to Fred, I overnighted with the small team of Val Odendaal and Murray Slotar at the cottage on the farm. The evening drive to look at the state of the wetlands was a real treat as we had sightings of two March Owls flying low over the grass. It has been 10 years since I last saw the March Owl in the Kruger Park during a Big Birding Day with the Honorary Rangers. A glass of wine and a sunset made for a good day.
I was delighted when Laura called to say she was joining the count as well and we had a good time together ticking, counting and for her even a couple of lifers. The one pan is completely grassed in so we focussed the count today on the large pan, 360 birds recorded in a two hour period and over 20 species. This was poor pickings for a CWAC as some years there are literally thousands of birds on the pans.
African Snipe, Black-winged Pratincole, Fulvous Duck, Wood Sandpiper, Ruff (over 60 counted), Whiskered Tern, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper were among the birds we spent time looking at. The Widowbirds are fabulous at this time of year and the Long-tailed Widowbird seemed to glide and perform for us all morning. Another great moment was watching the gregarious Amur Falcons who were numerous and gathering in the trees on the drive back to the cottage.
My Gauteng Challenge and Big Birding Year lists are 'ticking' up nicely.