Free State Birding

I am birding again after a two week gap, been generally distracted with work commitments and family, which does not fall into the distraction category though. Its so good to be walking the hills here in the Free State and I have already added Ground Woodpecker and Red-winged Francolin to the Big Birding Year list.

Our base for the week is Qwantani on the Sterkfontein Dam, with the sandstone cliffs making for beautiful backdrops against the golden grasslands. Its a glorious winter setting to try and find some of the specials here. Certainly sky-watching for the Bearded Vulture at all opportunities, no luck as yet but we have had wonderful views of Cape Vultures at the Sterkfontein Vulture Restaurant. The billboard mentioned that the initiative has swelled the number of vultures to over 300 from a handful a decade ago.

The family is gathered together at Qwantani for Dad's 80th birthday which is an extraordinary milestone for all of us. Inel is here from Cowra, Australia with Joss, looking so grown up; from Hilton, Doreen, Barry, Mitchell and little Keziah; and Shawni has taken leave to be with us too.

I spent time over the weekend driving the back roads around Harrismith and was rewarded with a field of Blue Cranes. We also stalked 3 Blue Korhaans across some farmers' fields, definitely disturbed the sheep but needed to check that the Korhaans were not the elusive Barrow's.

....Bokmakerie pops across and joins us for tea at our unit...



I was rather taken aback with the Southern Bald Ibises that walk around the grounds of Qwantani given the effort we made to see them at Wakkerstroom. Fred did not get close enough for a good photo at that stage but here he was able to creep up to the bird and get the close-up.





Reflecting on Sterkfontein Dam:

"New World -big horizon
Open your eyes and see its true
New World - across the frightening
Waves of blue" David Wilcox

Remembering White-tailed Eagles

We seemed to have left bad weather behind us as Cape Town is glorious this morning, big blue sky, no wind and the mountain is finely detailed in the clear air. This past weekend must be the first time I have not done some birding all year. We had planes to catch and things to be done in our flat.

This morning though I took a leisurely stroll along the coastal walk from Muizenberg to St. James and then on to Kalk Bay. It's a treat for many reasons, the historical buildings like Rhodes Cottage, its setting below St. James' peak, quaint arty shops to browse, call of the gulls, the pleasure of watching the African Black Oystercatchers when the tide is out with their startling red legs, bills and eyerings and of course one of the best spots for coffee and a pastry - Olympia Bakery.

My mind wandered both back in time thinking about winter birding highlights over the years and also forward to my planning for walking and birding in spring in Spain next year, mostly that I have to get a whole lot fitter!

A winter odyssey was our trip to Tromso, Norway in January 2008 to experience the Northern Lights. I was enthralled with the snow capped mountains, fjords and the watery light for a few hours a day. The houses along the fjords are painted in a range of colours such as red, sage green, butter yellow in stark contrast to the white of the snow and the black of the pines. Candles flicker in the windows throughout the winter.








We took a nature tour on one of our days along the fjords to find reindeer and the awesome White-tailed Eagle, the fourth largest eagle in the World, also known as the Sea Eagle.




The largest population in Europe is found along the coast of Norway and it did not take us too long to find them, both flying as well as feeding on salmon along the waters edge of the fjords. The photos are not great, although the white tail feathers are clearly seen, because of the low light and sleet conditions but it was a real thrill to watch these eagles in the dead of winter and appreciate their majesty.

I think of all my experiences being in nature, the most breathtaking has been the Aurora Borealis over the night sky in Tromso, Norway. We had spent our first few nights out in the wilderness doing activities like dog-sledding, hoping to see the lights but the weather was too warm and it was mostly overcast. We were overjoyed when the temperatures started to fall well below zero on our last evening out, this time on a horsesleigh, it cleared up and the lights danced for us....

.....the Northern Lights over Tromso in Norway, the fire in the Sami tent kept us warm as the temperatures plummeted during the evening as did the reindeer stew....

Remembering the White-tailed Eagle has got me started on an electronic World List, downloaded a file from the IOC website - over 10 800 birds listed, which will certainly keep me busy recording and listing during winter.

KZN Birding, Curry and the Half Way Mark

The mornings are cold, mist lies thick in the Midlands valleys as I start my birding here in KZN, along with a good mutton curry to keep warm and to reinforce where I find myself.
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......

A Weekend at Mokaikai

I felt my energy flooding back once I was on a landy again finding birds this last weekend.
Our time out at Mokaikai Private Nature Reserve with June and Ross was a treat, special space, good company and as always, fine food.

Made me appreciate all over again the value of this Big Birding Year, sharing the passion and the story. The Reserve is an easy 2 hours from Johannesburg near Bela Bela and part of the greater Mabula Reserve. The open veld, tree savannah, mountain veld, open savannah, wet grasslands, mountainous rock and old fields all delivered good birding.

'Ranger Ross', who apparently has dodgy credentials, did a great job spending hours in the bush while we clocked up a bird list of over 75 species as well as an impressive mammal list, including rhino with a junior.

The weather was fresh, crisply cold in the early morning and I have decided winter birding is underrated, I love it.

One of our treats was to see a group of 4 Ground Hornbills. At present the Southern Ground Hornbills is considered ‘vulnerable’ and their numbers are still declining from an estimated 1500 - half of which are in the protected areas of the Kruger National Park.The Mabula Ground Hornbill Research and Conservation Project are harvesting and hand-rearing second hatched chicks which would otherwise die of starvation in the nests. The juvenile we saw was the first ever chick that successfully fledged in February 2009 from a reintroduced group.

The parents are a 9 year old Kruger harvested, hand-reared female and a re-habilitated father. This group is free-roaming on Mabula Game Reserve and is totally self-sustaining. We chatted to a young lad who does research on Ground Hornbill behavior and decided its a good way to live.

Big Year highlight was seeing a Lizard Buzzard, cannot remember when last I saw this little raptor, we were quite far away but the features are so distinctive and its always such a thrill to find a special bird.

While the gang was taking in the Bull's game, I was watching a pair of Meyer's Parrots that have a breeding hole in a tree in the parking area of a very busy Mabula Lodge. Amusing really when I think of the effort we made along the Caprivi to get fleeting glimpses and here I was coffee in hand, sitting watching them among all the coming and going of vehicles and people.

Thanks again to June and Ross, Debbie and Rick, Catharina and Adolfo and little Bianca for a fun weekend and all the patience shown to the Birder!