I am based in Hilton with my sister Doreen and her family and we are having special times spotting birds along roads - African Harrier-Hawk, Forest Buzzard but no luck with the Wattled Cranes as yet. I have even dragged her to the Pietermaritsburg sewage works. Orange-breasted Waxbills were the reward for the smelly location. An early morning walk here was rewarded with an Olive Woodpecker.
It's the mid point of my Big Birding Year and as I review the last quarter I am quite in awe of what has been achieved and where the journeys have taken Fred and I:
- The far north east of Kruger to bird at Pafuri with Hayley in March,
- 7000 kilometers travelling through Namibia and Botswana during April,
- Wakkerstroom birding with Lucky, Nikki and Geoff,
- A quick flight to Cape Town and a road trip to Cape Agulhas in March to see the Macaroni Penguin that washed up on our shores,
- Trip up to Bela Bela with June and Ross,
- Birding in our 'backyard' at Delta, Marievale and in Pretoria with Laura,
..... over 14000 kilometers during this second quarter and almost 25000 kilometers for the year to date.
My life list has swollen to 655 which
is 63 new birds seen so far and I have now reseen 83% of my list for the Big Birding Year. My number is at 546.
April was a really significant month for lifers with 32 new birds seen in Namibia. I revelled in everthing from Bradfields Swift in the Watsonia Palms, to the beautiful Lovebirds, to chasing Babblers, to dipping on the infamous Herero Chat, to slogging for the Souza's Shrike and the wonder of seeing Pels' Fishing Owls for only the second time in my life.
I have been tracking the days that I spend in the field and to date 57% of my year has been spent birding. Mostly it has been joyous, every now and again I have missed my routine, quite often I have been plagued by the bugs and was laid low by tick bite fever this month.
I am registered as an observer with the Avian Demography Unit in Cape Town and this month I decided to get involved in SABAP2, the atlassing project for South Africa. Ernst Retief and Alan Featherstone from Wits Bird Club navigated me around the process as well as the data management for atlassing and I have submitted data on a couple of Pentads already. I am finding it a good discipline when I am in the field to note everything I am seeing and its rewarding too.
This last quarter has been about birding with amazing people, Callan Cohen in Namibia, Mark Paxton along the Caprivi, Jonson at Pafuri and Lucky at Wakkerstroom. They all taught me so much and I am grateful for shared time together. Callan particularly has deeply influenced me and our two weeks together in Namibia will be a lifetime memory. Its been time with friends too as well as meeting new people along the way. Best of all its about Fred and I being able to spend time together and share my passion.
Next quarter I am spending more time here in KZN, a week at Quantani should be good for the birds of the Drakensberg, particularly for the Bearded Vulture, more time in the Dullstroom area and my first attempt at CAR (CO-ORDINATED AVIFAUNAL ROADCOUNT) with the Wits Bird Club during mid winter at Chrissiesmeer.
The story continues......


