2June 2013

EDITING & PRODUCTION : Otto Schmidt Jo Hobbs�

Deadline for issue -September 10 July 2013

THE CAPE BIRD CLUB IS THE WESTERN CAPE BRANCH OF BIRDLIFE SOUTH AFRICA

Website : www.capebirdclub.org.zaE-mail : info@capebirdclub.org.za

PO BOX 2113 CLAREINCH 7740

TEL: 021 559 0726

FRONT COVER and facing page: Our thanks to Jessie Walton who sent us a series of remarkable picturesof a Verreaux’s Eagle being harassed by a Pied Crow. In this issue we are looking at Pied Crows and inparticular at their interaction with raptors. See page 11 for more details.

Promeropsor fax to (021) 981-1275 or by post to PO Box 8, Brackenfell, 7561

contributions may be sent by e-mail to ottoschmidt@telkomsa.net or johobbs@lantic.net

NOTICE TOCONTRIBUTORS

Members requiring information shouldnote the following telephone numbers :

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

Chairman Vernon HeadVice-Chairman, Club

Meetings, Junior Club Heather HowellTreasurer Julian HareHon. Secretary Helen FenwickConservation Dave WhitelawFundraising, Functions Anne Gray

Promerops

Promerops

, the magazine of the CapeBird Club, is published four times ayear. It is meant to be

So itis YOUR magazine to use. Manymembers submitted interesting itemsfor this issue of and theeditors convey their sincere thanks toall concerned.

by all themembers, for all the members.

Contributions are invited frommembers in English or Afrikaans onbirdwatching, bird sightings, birdobservations, news, views, projects,etc., particularly in the southwesternCape. The abbreviations to use are:

(2005)

(Hockey et al.1989) -

English names should be those used inAfrikaans names as inReceipt of contributions

will generally not be acknowledgedand they may or may not be used at thesole discretion of the editors.

Roberts’ Birds of Southern Africa- Roberts’ 7

Atlas of the Birds of theSouthwestern Cape

SW Cape Bird Atlas

Roberts’ 7,Roberts’ 6.

.

Hon. President Peter Steyn 021 674 3332

076 569 1389

021 788 1574021 686 8437082 705 1536021 671 3714021 713 1231

Courses Priscilla Beeton 021 789 0382

Camps Charles Saunders 021 797 5710

OTHER OFFICE BEARERS:

Information Sylvia LedgardMembership Secretary Joan AckroydPromerops Otto SchmidtPromerops, CBC smalls Jo Hobbs

021 559 0726021 530 4435021 674 2381

021 981 1275

Scientific, Rarities Callan Cohen

CBC webmaster Gavin LawsonBook sales Gavin & Anne Greig

021 705 5224021 794 7791

Slide library Jan Hofmeyr

CBC Shop Des & Mary Frylinck

021 686 3047

021 761 7244

083 256 0491SABAP coordinator Peter Nupen 083 407 4362

082 882 8688Outings Mike Saunders021 788 1259Other projects Mervyn Wetmore

IN THIS ISSUEClub news ........................................ 4-7

Conservation news ........................... 8-9

Eagle surveys - now and then ........... 10

Looking at Pied Crows ..................... 11-13

Observations and sightings ............. 14-20

Travel - Namibia and Malawi ........... 21-23

Club activities .................................. 23

Programme -June to September ........................... 24-28

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Many of you will have taken part in Flock 2013, BirdLife SA's ground-breaking AGMweekend at sea, cruising from Cape Town to Walvis Bay and back in early March.

With about 1200 birders on board, it was a time to meet up with birding friends andacquaintances from around the country, enjoy all that a luxury cruise-liner has to offer, addsome seabirds and possibly a few Namibian specials to your life-list, enjoy stimulating talksand be part of possibly the largest ever gathering of birders at sea. For BLSA to top this event

in the future will certainly take some doing! Have a look at the inside back page of this issue for asmall selection of images from this event, and take time to read Margaret Maciver's lively accountillustrated with a wider selection of pictures on our web-site.

On a more sober note, please also take time to read and respond to the questionnaire on thepage facing the Flock pictures in this issue. Our Courses Committee works hard to bring you 2-3courses, run by top ornithologists and bird experts, every year, to hopefully broaden yourknowledge and stimulate your birding interest. Naturally, some of these speakers are not resident inCape Town, and this adds considerably to the expense of bringing their courses to the membership.Attendance at our courses has fallen over the years, and we would welcome your input lookingahead to ensure that we bring you subjects and speakers that appeal, at an affordable cost and attimes most convenient to you.

With this issue of we are venturing into the era of digital printing, as the savings to bemade are quite sizeable. Your editors are keeping their fingers firmly crossed that this change goessmoothly, and you can all snuggle up warmly as winter takes hold and enjoy browsing throughanother copy of our CBC publication. And even if the birding is a bit slow at this time of year, we dolook forward to your observations and articles for future issues.

Promerops

Otto Schmidt

The Annual Report of CBC Chairman, VernonHead, was delivered at the AGM in March inhis inspiring and inimitable style. Those whowere unable to attend the meeting can read itin our September issue. As this is a very tightlypacked issue we have decided to hold it overrather than try to shorten it. It can also befound on our website. At the AGM ourworrying financial situation was disclosed, soplease have a look at “Money Matters” onpage 4.

Jess

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davesue@mweb.co.za ) or the ConservationCommittee's secretary, Felicity Ellmore, (Tel. 021762 0176 or email fellmore@absamail.co.za ).Note that Dave will be away for most of June.

Please support our courses and inviteyour non-member friends to come too. These areorganised for your information and enjoyment butthey are also important fund raisers and help tocover the club's running costs.

Please encourage your non-member friends to join the club. They can make astart by attending Heather's Beginners' course inAugust. Membership fees are important as theyare our main source of income.

to help cover general administrationcosts such as venue hire etc., will be more thanwelcome. See details as indicated above. Usethe reference “Don” plus your name.

GENERAL:

Courses.

Membership.

Donations

Our financial situation as it affects

PROMEROPS and CONSERVATION

What can you do to help our club?

PROMEROPS:

Sponsorship

Donations

Advertising.

Those of you who attended our AGM in Marchand picked up a copy of our Annual FinancialStatements for 2012 will have noted with concernthat the club had a deficit of R31 072 for the pastfinancial year, following a deficit of R24 299 in theprevious year. And we all know what Mr.Micawber had to say about the direconsequences when your expenditure exceedsyour income.

There is no denying that is by farour biggest expense, but it is also by far our biggestasset. From the June issue onwards we shall beswitching from litho to digital printing for theinside pages, which will save us a considerablesum. However, we are still seriously looking forsome form of sponsorship to assist with ourpublication costs. In particular we do not want tocompromise on the quality of the colour covers,or to reduce the number of pages.

But we need to do more than balance thebooks or break even, because many of us joinedthe Cape Bird Club because we wanted tocontribute in some way to bird conservation in thesouthwestern Cape. When you read DaveWhitelaw's Conservation Report in our next issueyou will see the projects which are in hand, orplanned for, in 2013. To carry these out we needfunding which does not further deplete ourreserves.

of individual colour covers (R2 000)or single pages (R300) will help us greatly.

however small or large can be madeby EFT or direct deposit directly into the Cape BirdClub's account at Nedbank, Claremont, No. 1046380400, Code 104609. Use the reference“Prom” plus your name. This is important so thatthe payment can be correctly allocated. Pleasealso contact Jo Hobbs or Otto Schmidt if youwould like to pay for covers or single pages. Ourcontact details are on page 2.

This is an additional source ofrevenue which will be welcomed.

Promerops

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June 2013

CONSERVATION:

Donations can bemade into the CapeBird Club's accountas indicated above.Use the reference“Cons” plus yourname, which isimportant for thecorrect allocation ofthe payment. If youw o u l d l i k e t osupport a specificproject please letDave Whi te l awknow (Tel. 021 6713 7 1 4 o r e m a i l

MONEY MATTERS

THANKS FOR DONATIONSWe have received details of donations to CBCsent to BLSA in January and February and ourthanks go to Mrs G.C. Jensen, Dr F.J. Potgieter,Mrs E.P. Waddell, Mr B. Vanderwalt, Mr & MrsS. Fogarty, Mr S.E. Mills and Dr W.G. Greig.

Donations towards productioncosts were also received from the Southern BirdClub (Barbara Eyles) and Otto Schmidt.

Promerops

A verygenerous donation from Dennis Cope has gonetowards the cost of the colour cover for thisissue. Many thanks indeed!

Mr Micawber, by 'Kyd'c.1890

PLEASE REMEMBER TO QUOTE YOUR MEMBERSHIP NUMBER WHEN PAYING YOURSUBSCRIPTION BY EFT OR DIRECT DEPOSIT

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June 2013

CLUB NEWS

NEW MEMBERS

Please join us in welcoming the following newmembers to the Club:

John & Mary Smit, Hout BayDes Lazar, Constantia (rejoined)Jeffrey Heath, Fish HoekWendy Gaisford, Cape TownDiana Duncan, KenilworthHelen de Beer, Three Anchor BayDiane Brooks, TokaiDiane Loria, Sun ValleyDennis & Gigi Laidler, PlumsteadAntoinette Pendrea-Noye, NewlandsChris & Lynne Rowan-Parry, Nova ConstantiaBrian & Lindy Heyman, FranschhoekRoger & Annarina Cope (correction)Yvette Kramer, Three Anchor BayLorna Chalmers, TamboerskloofSue & Barry Schultz, KirstenhofShirley Dobson, ClaremontCharles & Annabelle Foster, TokaiDeirdre Lubbe, WaterfrontMarcel Tamlin, KenilworthRoy & Linda Langley, Kenilworth

We hope you will enjoy taking part in some of ouractivities this year and take the opportunity to visitsome new places and see many new birds. Wealso look forward to meeting you at one of ourevening meetings. Please introduce yourselves toGill or Joan at the entrance table on arrival andstay afterwards for a cup of tea or coffee.

Those who are beginners should definitelyplan to attend Heather Howell's course from 24August.

PAARL BIRD SANCTUARY GATE HOURS

Following requests from photographers andbirders, the opening and closing gate times at thesanctuary have been amended. During the weekthe gate will open at 07h45 and close at 18h00.At weekends it will open at 07h00 and close at18h00. Requests for special arrangements can bemade to the Superintendent, Frans van Rooyen, atfrans.vanrooyen@drakenstein.gov.za or cell no.082 418 4571.

Our next course:

By popular request we are repeating the verysuccessful beginners' course presented byHeather two years ago.

Many members who arenot absolute beginners may also enjoy thecourse and learn a lot from it. Children arewelcome, but we would prefer them to be 11years or older to be able to benefit fully. Seethe enclosed flyer for booking information andmore details.

Heather is happy to answer any queriesabout the course. You can contact her on (021)788 1574 or e-mail: howellh@telkomsa.net

BIRD WATCHINGFOR ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS

by Heather Howell

Saturday mornings 24 & 31 Augustand 7 Septemberplus a field trip on 1 September 2013

Please tell yourfriends and family about it and get theminvolved in your favourite hobby! Wedepend on YOU, our CBC members, tospread the word.

CBC COURSES - HAVE YOUR SAY!

Please have a look at the survey form on the insideback cover of this issue. The weekend courseswhich we organise two or three times a year havea dual purpose - to inform and entertain ourmembers (and possibly recruit new ones) and alsoto raise funds for the club.

In February we circulated an impromptusurvey on for those on our e-mailReminder Circular list and were delighted toreceive 60 very positive responses in record time,many with useful and positive comments. Thistime those without e-mail access will also have theopportunity to have their say. So please pick up apen (or send an e-mail) and take a few minutes tolet Priscilla have your ideas and advice so that wecan continue to compile an enjoyable programmeof weekend lectures and presentations in comingyears. Your comments and suggestions will bemost welcome.

Promerops

MEMBERSHIP RENEWALSA REMINDER

If you are in arrears with yourmembership renewal thiscould well be your last

so please don'tdelay! Slow payers risk beingstruck off the BirdLife and CBCmembership lists.

For queries telephone 011 789-1122 or e-mailmembership@birdlife.org.za

Promerops,

Address changes should also be sent toBirdLife SA by e-mail or by post to P O Box 515,Randburg 2125 or fax to 011 789 5188.

Electronic Invoices:

Address changes:

Payment queries:

Members with valid e-mail addresses are now receiving their invoiceselectronically and not through the post so as toovercome the problem of mail losses anddelays. You can expect to receive your invoiceapproximately 3 weeks before your anniversarydate. Please be sure to contact BirdLife atmembership@birdlife.org.za if you changeyour e-mail address.

Please notify BirdLifepromptly by e-mail or by post at P O Box 515,Randburg 2125 or your next may goastray!

You can telephone 011 7891122 or e-mail membership@birdlife.org.za

Promerops

IMPORTANT NOTE:When making your payment to BLSA by EFT ordirect Bank Deposit

. Without this it is sometimesimpossible to match up payments with thecorrect member. If your payment cannot becorrectly allocated you could eventually bestruck off as “unpaid” or “lapsed” and we reallydon't want to lose you!

please ensure that youquote your membership number asreference

Payments to be made to BirdLife SouthAfrica, Account No. 620 6750 6281, FNB,Randburg Branch, Code 25 40 05. Reference -your Membership Number.

Our CBC membership secretary, JoanAckroyd, can be contacted at 021 559 0726and is always ready to sort out any problemsfor you.

ATLASING MILESTONE AWARD FOR FELICITYELLMORE

At the Cape Bird Club Meeting on 14 February2013, Felicity Ellmore was presented with anATLASING MILESTONE AWARD by Peter Nupen,the SABAP2 Coordinator for the Western Cape, inappreciation for being a valued Citizen Scientistand contributing 500 Full Protocol Cards to thesecond South African Bird Atlas Project. This is yeta further accolade to Felicity's achievements as avery special member of the Cape Bird Club.Felicity is the Secretary of the CBC's ConservationCommittee, she has her Wild Bird RingingLicence, and is a regular participant in some of themajor CWAC Counts in the Western Cape.

Felicity, well done on your fine achievementsin caring about the conservation of wild birds, andwe hope that in the not too distant future, you willbe presented with an award recognizing your1000th Atlas Card.

6June 2013

PLEASE REMEMBER TO QUOTE YOUR MEMBERSHIP NUMBER WHEN PAYING YOURSUBSCRIPTION BY EFT OR DIRECT DEPOSIT

Felicity Ellmore receives her award from PeterNupen, Western Cape Regional SABAP2 Co-ordinator.

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BIRDING WEEKEND INKAROO NATIONAL PARK

Friday 25 - Sunday 27 October 2013

It's not too early to book for the Sasol/Stretton'sBirding Weekend organised by SANParksHonorary Rangers and to experience the Karooand its LBJ's. The programme offers a light-heartedcompetition, gala dinner with presentations,prizes and lucky draws. To book contact JapieClaassen at karoobirding@beaufortwest.net orTel. 023 4314 2980 or cell 083 724 7916 or fax086 606 0267 before end September.

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Rüppel's Parrot

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INVITATION

A TOUR OF THE PAARL SEWAGE WORKS

10 a.m. on Saturday, 22 June 2013

(or, more politely,the Waste Water Treatment Works)

Most of us have enjoyed visiting the Paarl BirdSanctuary adjoining the Waste WaterTreatment Works and have seen the huge tanksand watched the oxygenators at work.Doubtless you also have noted the occasionaldraining of some of the pans and the raising andlowering of the water levels in other pans andwondered how the system works.

Following requests from the Paarl BirdMonitors who undertake monthly bird countsat the Sanctuary, Mr. Cedric Morkel, recentlyretired Senior Superintendent, DrakensteinWaste Water Works, has agreed to conduct atour of the works for anyone interested infinding out more.

The tour will start at 10h00 from the offices(the main building on the right as you enter thegates). We suggest you come to the birdsanctuary early, i.e. at any time from 07h00onwards, to enjoy an hour or two's birdingbeforehand.

If you would like to join the visit pleasephone Yvonne Weiss at 021 872 4972or e-mail hiweiss@iafrica.com so thatwe know how many people to expect.

KIRSTENBOSCH BIRD WALKS

Anne Gray

The Bird Walks offered by Cape Bird Club andTygerberg Bird Club in Kirstenbosch during theCentenary Year of the Gardens and the BotanicalSociety are designed to introduce the generalpublic to bird identification, and to focus attentionon the important role birds play in the biodiversityof the Gardens.

Since the first enjoyable walk led by OttoSchmidt on a late summer afternoon towards theend of February, the walks have generated a lot ofinterest. Up to now seven walks have taken place.Attendance, depending on day of the week andthe weather, has varied from five people to fifty onGood Friday morning when the walk leaders wereLinda Hibbin and Margaret Maciver.

More walks have been scheduled for the restof the year. They start from the Information Deskat Gate One in Kirstenbosch and last forapproximately two hours. The starting time andthe day of the week depend on what the volunteerguide who is leading that walk has offered. Thewalks are free but the entrance fee to Kirstenboschapplies for those without a Botanical Society Card.

You can contact me for more information atCell 083 311 1140 or e-mail

and please tell your non bird clubfriends to come along. Maybe they could bepotential new members. See the Cape Bird Clubwebsite for some photos.

gray.ad@mweb.co.za

PARROTS OF AFRICAA course by Dr Steve Boyes

This fascinating man is a National Geographicconservationist and explorer who spends much of histime studying endangered bird species in remote parts ofthe Okavango Delta. He is absolutely passionate aboutAfrican parrot conservation and is the Director of theWorld Parrot Trust Africa and Wild Bird Trust and also apost-doctoral fellow at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute ofAfrican Ornithology.

When approached to run this course on Africa'sparrots, he wrote: “

.

See the enclosed flyer for more details.

Saturday 14 September 2013

Come and learn more about the Parrots of all ofAfrica.

We have just finished an African parrotreview, so the timing is good. I have a wonderful resource ofphotographs and new findings that I can share with you”

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Saturday September 21st to Tuesday 24th (long weekend)

GIFBERG MOUNTAIN CAMPGIFBERG MOUNTAIN CAMPGIFBERG MOUNTAIN CAMP

We will be holding our second camp of 2013 at the Gifberg Holiday Farm, a beautiful resort situated ontop of the Gifberg Mountain which is just south of Vanrhynsdorp. Total distance to the resort isapproximately 300km. Because of some of the terrain that we will be going through it will be advisable touse a high ground clearance vehicle if possible. We will try to accommodate people in these types ofvehicles when we are up there but there is no guarantee of this happening.

We will be birding in the general area around Vanrhynsdorp and the Gifberg Mountain. Pete Nupen,who knows the area well, will be joining us and places for this camp will be in high demand due to somevery special birds that could be seen. Amongst these are Rufous-eared Warbler, Double-banded Courser,Black-headed Canary, Black-chested Snake Eagle and Cape Eagle Owl.

The accommodation is self catering and is fully equipped - you only have to bring your own food anda sense of fun! Unfortunately there are no camping facilities available.

If you wish to join us please mail me on cshome@hallmarkpress.co.za giving your name and totalnumber of folk who will be joining us. Simultaneously pay your money to the club using the followingreference format - where is your surname and is the number of people.Club account details are: Cape Bird Club/ Nedbank Claremont/ branch code 104609/ account number1046 380 400. Total cost is R 550-00 per person

GB surname pax surname pax

.

Please note that your reservation will only be confirmed once your payment reflects in the Club bankaccount. Should you decide to pull out of the camp at any future date it will be your responsibility tofind a replacement for yourself and others in your group who might decide not to come. Failure to doso will result in your not being refunded.

Charles Saunders

CONSERVATION NEWS

As space is at a premium in this issue, DaveWhitelaw's Conservation Committee's AnnualReport has been held over and will now appear inour September Promerops. By then Dave will havereturned from his trip overseas. In that issue wewill devote additional space to Conservation Newsand feature some of the projects which hementioned in his AGM report.

WATER HYACINTH AT STRANDFONTEIN

The world's worst water weed!

Echhorinia crassipes, commonly known as waterhyacinth, is a Category 1 Invasive Alien species inSouth Africa according to the CARA legislation.Originally from the Amazon River in SouthAmerica, this attractive plant was first used as afeature in ponds as far back as 1844. It wasintroduced into South Africa for this purposeshortly before 1910. It then escaped the confinesof garden ponds and quickly spread throughout

Africa. Water Hyacinth is now considered theworld's worst water weed (Bromilow, 2010)

No one knows exactly when and how theplant got into the Strandfontein Birding Area, butrecords show that in 2006 pan S3 was almostcompletely covered in the invasive plant species.

Water hyacinth is detrimental to naturalindigenous species and the ecosystem process.Previous managers at the Strandfontein site triedrelentlessly to tackle the invasion and keep it outof the pans, but the ecology and invasivecharacteristics of the plant thwarted their efforts.Under ideal conditions the number of plants candouble every 5 days, so if a single water hyacinthplant was left in a pan after it had been cleared,the invasive qualities of the species would result ina 80 -100% coverage of the pan again! Manymethods and ideas have been tried and tested atStrandfontein - these include manual labour,chemical application, using machinery, reworkingthe flow tables etc, etc!

By July 2012, when I was appointed SiteManager of the Strandfontein Birding Area, we

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OUR NEXT CAMP

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Long arm excavator at work on pan P1

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Removal by hand in the probation phase

had 17 pans and canals of varying sizes infestedwith water hyacinth.

We drew up a water hyacinth management planand our strategy involved removal, initial followup, probation phase, then maintenance phase…and a lot of monitoring in-between.

We remove the water hyacinth with a longarm excavator, front end loaders and dumpertrucks and then cart away the cleared weed.Thereafter we send a team of 4 - 5 individuals todo an initial follow up of the pan and remove allvisible hyacinth left behind by the excavator.After the initial follow up the pan is put into theprobation phase and every week for 6 months wewalk around the pan and do follow ups of any leftover hyacinth by hand. After the initial 6 monthprobation phase we enter a second 6 monthmaintenance phase whereby the cleared pans arechecked once monthly. A year after removal (westill have not reached this phase) we will still checkthe pans every 3 months and keep a database andmonitor any changes.

We have now successfully removed waterhyacinth from 12 pans and canals and we are inthe probation phase for all 12. Our first probationfollow up of the pans and canals resulted in theremoval of over 2 000 individual pieces of waterhyacinth. Our most recent follow up showed thatof the 12 cleared canals and pans only 3 plantswere found! The secret of success in keeping thewater hyacinth at bay is the constant monitoring.As with all scientific process and biologicaltechniques, a strong monitoring plan needs to beput in place and strictly followed in order to allowfor the assessment of the removal strategy and toensure the elimination of the species. Monitoring

Our management plan

of the cleared pans, the infested pans, and the restof the water bodies is a crucial element in theclearing of this pesky water weed!

The increase in bird species present on thepans after a clearance of water hyacinth isremarkable. Where the species number was onaverage only one for birds on the hyacinthinfested pans, we are now seeing a diverse mix ofbird species and numbers. Hottentot Teal, White-faced Duck, Pectoral Sandpiper, Ruff, CommonSandpiper, Little Stint, Common Ringed Plovers,Three-banded Plovers and many more are speciesthat we have recorded on cleared water bodies.

There are now five pans and canals that arecurrently still infested with water hyacinth atStrandfontein. Our teams are busy working onthree of these at the moment, so we only have twoleft to worry about - S1 and S3! These two pans arethe largest that we have at the StrandfonteinBirding Area, and they have been infested withwater hyacinth for over seven years. Tacklingthese two pans will be my biggest challenge as aManager to date! Efforts to corner off the waterhyacinth into sections of the S1 pan were wastedas Marley the Hippo made himself right at homethere and managed to break the infrastructure wehad created.

A massive “Thank You” must be given to thehard efforts of the volunteers, my foreman, theskills team and members of the EPWP crew whoall helped with monitoring and follow ups. Alsoanother big “Thank You” to the Cape Flats WasteWater Treatment and Rain & Storm Water forsupplying excavators!

Biodiversity Manager, False Bay NatureReserve, Strandfontein Birding Area

Erica Essig

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VERREAUX'S (BLACK) EAGLE NEST SURVEYS -BY HELICOPTER

He wrote:

Members of the Black Eagle Project team had theexciting opportunity to conduct the first everhelicopter survey of the Cederberg cliffs to locateVerreaux's Eagle nest sites in November last year.In three days no fewer than 35 previouslyunrecorded nests or nest sites were located and afurther 11 nest sites were also recorded in theSandveld. Taking to the air certainly achievedresults!

Excitement had been running high for thepossibility of this survey since I received the firstemail from Stefan Fouché, a helicopter pilotinstructor with Base 4 Aviation, a helicoptercharter company and flight school in Cape Town.

It is not often you get given an opportunity likethis, so the whole team was elated when permitscame through from Cape Nature and thehelicopters finally arrived in the Cederberg inNovember. Until then a great deal of our time wasspent hiking through the area in order to scan thecliffs for possible nesting sites. Besides being verytime-consuming this also provided inadequatecoverage.

The plan was to fly along all cliffs with anobserver on board whose job it would be to spot,take a GPS location and photograph all nests.Timing is of the essence, and scanning the cliffsconstantly was the only way we could pick up thenew sites. The skill of the pilots was also key.Mountain flying is unpredictable at the best oftimes so they were ever-ready to pull away fromthe mountains in a tricky situation or unexpecteddowndraft. We spent three days in the air andduring that time we covered more ground than Ihad managed to in the last two years on foot.

In the Cederberg we found 35 previouslyunknown nest cliffs which more than doubleswhat I had already located by hiking! (Perhaps I

“I want to expose our student pilots toas many areas and conditions and as muchoperational experience as possible in order toprepare them for their career as pilots. What I'dlike to know is ... how can we help you? At no costI might add. Animal surveys, plant surveys? Thefantastic thing about a helicopter is the time savedin moving people, the ability to see the biggerpicture, finding people or animals etc.”

should mention here that nest sites do notnecessarily equate to nesting pairs as not all wouldbe in use.) We also took the opportunity to makea flight out to the Sandveld where we found anadditional 11 nest sites. This data is an invaluablecontribution to my research and will give us agreater understanding of the population size anddistribution of eagles in this area.

I am extremely grateful to Base 4 Aviation fortheir time, Driehoek Tourist Farm for providingthe landing field and accommodating the team, toLucia Rodrigues and Patrick Banville for theirdedication to finding the nests and to CapeNature for permitting the survey to happen. It wasa very successful collaborative exercise, and we allcame away feeling highly privileged to have hadthe opportunity to experience the beautifulCederberg from a new perspective!

Black Eagle Project

Megan Murgatroyd

THE MATOBO HILLS BLACK EAGLE SURVEY

In 1959 and 1960 Ron Thomson, a young GameRanger in the Department of National Parks inwhat was then Southern Rhodesia, located theeyries of thirty-six Black Eagles in the ruggedMatobo Hills 35 kilometres south of Bulawayo.When he left for a new posting his records weretaken over by Carl Vernon who systematicallyrelocated his nests, many from rather vaguedescriptions with no map references. In additionCarl set out to find further breeding pairs, and allsites were sequentially numbered following onfrom those first found by Ron Thomson. I was ableto join Carl on some of his searches and know onlytoo well what a challenge it was to traverse areasof such extremely rugged habitat.

In 1963 and 1964 Val Gargett accompaniedCarl during his research and when he leftBulawayo he handed over to her to build on hisplatform. From this mustard seed grew the mostcomprehensive long-term study of any eaglespecies in the world. Starting with a mere handfulof volunteers, the team grew to 74 members by1983. Virtually all the participants were amateurweekend birders drawn from the MatabelelandBranch of what was then the RhodesianOrnithological Society. The survey was eventuallylimited to an area of 620 square kilometresencompassing 60 pairs of Black Eagles, a densityof one pair per 10.3 square kilometres, the highestknown density of any eagle species in the world.

EAGLE SURVEYS: now - and then

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This was due to two factors - an abundant foodsupply in the form of hyraxes and the availabilityof numerous nest sites.

The major impetus of the study centred on ValGargett whose organisational skills, dedicationand enthusiasm were legendary. In 1990 her book

was published and itranks as the finest study ever of a single species ofeagle. She did me the honour of asking me towrite the Foreword, but I could not even begin todo justice to this remarkable and humble person.Val died in Australia on 6 February 2010 at the ageof 87 and she maintained her interest in the surveyto the very end.

The Black Eagle - A Study

Each year a Black Eagle Survey report (theyhave opted to retain the original name) appears in

the prestigious magazine of what isnow BirdLife Zimbabwe. In 2013 the studyreached its 50 consecutive year and it mustsurely rate a place in the Guinness Book ofRecords? At our evening meeting on 11 April2013 I spoke briefly on this remarkableachievement and it was agreed that I shouldforward congratulations from the Cape Bird Clubto Zimbabwe. They have since thankedus for our good wishes which were muchappreciated.

Honeyguide,

th

BirdLife

Peter Steyn

LOOKING AT PIED CROWS

RAPTOR & PIED CROW INTERACTIONS

Max Ellwood

This subject has been debated a good dealrecently, especially with the numbers of PiedCrows reportedly very much on the increase bothin and around Cape Town. The observationsbelow show that the raptors concerned (BlackSparrowhawk, Verreaux's Eagle and JackalBuzzard) are often quite capable of looking afterthemselves, but not always. In the two casesinvolving the Black Sparrowhawks, the age andsize of the adult female Black Sparrowhawk versusone Pied Crow on the one hand, and a juvenileBlack Sparrowhawk versus a flock of Pied Crowson the other hand, would almost certainly havedetermined the eventual victor.

With some planned research on PiedCrow/raptor interactions on the cards, it would beuseful if members could document any similarinteractions they may observe as this informationcould form a valuable part of a research project.

reported that on 20 November2012 at about 09h15 he and a neighbourwatched the interaction between a female BlackSparrowhawk and a Pied Crow on Wedderwillwine estate, Sir Lowry's Pass.

Initially the female Black Sparrowhawk flewover his head and directly over the main dam tothe Vergelegen side of the fence, where it wasjoined by a Pied Crow which harassed her. Herresponse was to indicate that it should "sod off".When it didn't, she then proceeded to totally out-fly the crow and turn the tables, really beating itup. The crow then took shelter in a pine tree,

whereupon she knocked him off the perch andpursued him way out of 'her' territory. Max stoodthere cheering her on!

observed a very differentsituation on the Herzlia Junior School playingfields off Kendal Road in Constantia. She wrote:

Angela Dalziel

On the morning of 5 January 2013, a juvenileBlack Sparrowhawk bit off more than a mouthfulwhen it tried out its predatory skills on a flock of 6to 8 Helmeted Guineafowl which it had corralledagainst the fence. The Pied Crows on the field werehaving none of this and kicked up a raucous chorusto chase off the sparrowhawk. Eventually otherregular field birds gathered and joined the chorusin support of the guineafowl: the Egyptian Geese,the Hadeda Ibis and, of course, the HelmetedGuineafowl were all screeching as the

Pet

erS

teyn

Pied Crows are smart, intelligent and opportunistic!

sparrowhawk was down on the ground amongstthem! Luckily, there did not appear to be anychicks or juvenile guineafowl in the flock, so thesparrowhawk left the scene to settle in a tree onthe other side of the field. The tenacious crowscontinued to harrass and dive-bomb thesparrowhawk while the guineafowl and otherswandered off..... Peace reigned once more on ourside of the field.

A season or two ago, Dirk Havenga,Langebaan resident and guardian of the Verreaux'sEagle pair at the quarry, described to me asequence of events that led to a pestering PiedCrow being caught in mid air by the female eagle,killed and taken onto the nest to feed the chick.

I have also noticed this season, (as has RobSimmons) that the Silvermine Verreaux's Eagle pairare seriously getting their own back on the PiedCrows that mob them at their nest cliff. I feel it isonly a matter of time before they start catchingthem

Also, about two years ago, I was watching theSilvermine pair hunt near Scarborough. Theycaught a dassie and then flew back towardsNoordhoek Peak with it, the female flying lowcarrying the prey and the male higher up, fendingoff about half a dozen Pied Crows. What fascinatedme was that at a certain distance from theScarborough area, all the Pied Crows turned inunison and flew back towards Scarborough. Itseemed as though they were harassing the eaglesout of their territory.

Therefore, in my experience, Pied Crows arenot getting the upper hand of Verreaux's Eagles.However, having said that, Kevin Drummond-Haye recently witnessed Pied Crows taking theprey away from an almost adult Verreaux's Eagle (4years old). But then, she was a floater, and in myopinion they are more vulnerable to this sort ofthing.

Finally, I don't think all raptors are as fortunate.At the beginning of this year, I was on the slopes ofthe Helderberg, chatting to a farmer. He told me ofa Jackal Buzzard being driven onto the ground byPied Crows. He chased them off and took theinjured Jackal Buzzard to Eagle Encounters at Spier.They healed it, but it was not releasable and hasnow become one of their educational birds.

Lucia Rodrigues placed these interestingobservations on the Cape Birdnet a while back:

PIED CROWS IN ARID AND URBAN AREAS

Over the recent years we have noticed a fairlylarge increase in the number of Pied Crows in theSomerset West urban and surrounding areas, andalso in other parts of the country where we havetravelled. Below are some observations aboutthese birds that might be of interest.

On a trip to Oranjemund and back in July2006 we were on the lookout for raptors, but soonrealised that the population of Pied Crows wasremarkably high, and on the return trip we starteda count. In particular, along the road between PortNolloth and Steinkopf we were astonished at thenumbers of Pied Crows, in total 86 and in onesmall area 40 birds. Interestingly, these birds wereresident in an arid area where there were no signsof human habitation.

In the Somerset West area we have often seenlarge numbers of Pied Crows, upwards of 20 birds,circling over the Vergelegen Estate whilst we wereout walking there, and on the other side of thetown we have on more than one occasion seenPied Crows chasing Booted Eagles. The crows

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More about Pied Crows

Jess

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A guineafowl egg makes a good meal for a Pied Crow

PIED CROW ROBBING CAPE WEAVER NESTS

Rob Martin & Jessie Walton

In December 2012, on the farm Gabrielskloof inthe Overberg, we watched a Pied Crow hangingbelow Cape Weaver nests and investigating theircontents, much in the manner of an AfricanHarrier-Hawk. We had never observed thisbefore and we wonder if this will become regularcrow behaviour. The vast increase in Pied Crowsin this region may well have a negative impact onnesting birds, especially ground nesting species,but one has to admire the crow's ingenuity inlocating prey.

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have established nesting sites in the local trees andin so doing have chased away pairs of EgyptianGeese that had been breeding locally for years,but are no longer to be seen.

The most recent event was a pair of PiedCrows chasing a Black Sparrowhawk that diveddown to get away from the crows, passing justabove my wife's head and into a plum tree whereit sheltered for a while with the crows cawingaway not far off in a sort of victory song.

A neighbour who has a Ridgeback dog is notable to feed it out in the yard because the crowsattack the dog and eat the dog's food.

In short, the new residents have literally takenover the patch to the detriment of other speciesthat we seldom see nowadays.

Duncan and Inès Cooke

PIED CROWS - BLSA's POSITION STATEMENT

BirdLife South Africa (BLSA) recognises the potential threat of an increasing abundance of Pied Crowson other indigenous bird species as well as reptiles, amphibians and mammals. In

acknowledging this threat to biodiversity BirdLife South Africa supports the need for urgent scientificresearch to better understand and quantify the degree of this threat on our indigenous bird species.

These potential threats could include:

These potential threats are based on many anecdotal reports across the country, sightings and frequentreports of Pied Crows engaged in the abovementioned behaviour. However, careful investigation of howhumans have influenced the expansion of both the crows' range and their numbers needs to beconducted to best evaluate the causes of these potential problems and to develop solutions.

BirdLife South Africa does not support the control or poisoning of indigenous species in anymanner whatsoever. BirdLife South Africa reserves action on this issue until adequate scientific evidencedemonstrates the need for appropriate action for threatened species and a full and balanced appraisal ofthis perceived threat has been completed.

Corvus albus

Impacts on reproductive success of threatened raptor species due to competition for prey,mobbing raptors during hunting and direct mortality of nestlings and fledglings.

Impacts on smaller passerine species through increased mortality rates and reduced reproductivesuccess due to predation on adult and juvenile birds and eggs.

Impacts on other components of biodiversity, including increased predation levels on smallreptiles such as tortoises and lizards, small mammals and amphibians, at elevated naturalpredation levels.

Corvid

This statement gave rise to a lively debate on the Cape Birdnet earlier this year. Dave Whitelaw, ourConservation Chairman, expressed some concern at BLSA's support for “urgent scientific research to betterunderstand and quantify the degree of this threat on our indigenous bird species”. He warned againstprejudging the issue based on anecdotal reports and stressed the need for very careful direction andevaluation of any research planned. Dale Wright, BLSA's Regional Conservation Manager (Western Cape),endorsed the need for “sound scientific evidence of the extent of the problem” but he also issued thiswarning: “Let us not forget how frequently humans 'manage' natural problems they have created, withfurther negative consequences”. To date nothing has come of the proposed scientific investigation, due toshortage of funding, but we will watch the unfolding of events with interest.

John

Fin

cham

Two Pied Crows scavenging with a Lappet-facedVulture from the carcass of a springbok ram. JohnFincham took this picture last September on the edgeof the Namib Desert in a remote area of north-western Namibia. These crows are very adaptableand can survive in a very wide range of habitats,which is doubtless the key to their success.

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MEMBERS' OBSERVATIONS

A MOULTING GREATER STRIPED SWALLOW

A mild cold front passed over Cape Town on themorning of 7 April 2013, bringing thousands ofswifts and smaller numbers of swallows andmartins to feed low down over Sandvlei. Withautumn well underway, it gave the impression thatthis was one of their last hurrahs before movingnorth for the winter.

As I scanned the teeming flocks for somethingout of place, my attention was drawn to a GreaterStriped Swallow. It took me a moment to registerwhat was 'wrong' - it was moulting its innerprimaries, with at least P1 and P2 missing from

ROCK DOVES AT YZERFONTEIN

The Rock Dove (Common / Feral Pigeon), anaturalised species from North Africa, Europe andAsia, is a common sight in our cities and townswhere they breed on buildings and forage onpavements, in town squares, on sports fields andin parks and gardens.

We do not know exactly how Rock Dovescame to be in South Africa, i.e. whether they weredeliberately introduced and released in the wild inorder that they may become part of our nativebirdlife or whether their considerable populationoriginated from birds that escaped captivity. Thelate Gordon Maclean (in 1984 & 1993)suggested that they were “first introduced from theNetherlands”. makes no such claims andit is possible that Maclean meant to suggest nomore than that domesticated Rock Doves were firstbrought to the Cape by 17th and 18th centuryDutch settlers as “homing pigeons” or even earlysailors as live ship rations and from where theyescaped. If so, Rock Doves must be the oldest“introduced” bird species in the country as otherdeliberate avian introductions were mostly 19thcentury (cf Cecil John Rhodes' release of largenumbers of Starlings, Chaffinches, Nightingales,Rooks and Song Thrushes at Groote Schuur on theslopes of Table Mountain in the 1890's) (Van derMerwe 2008 274:22 - 23).

In South Africa, Rock Doves commonly breedon man-made structures such as tall inner citybuildings, bridges, water towers and grain silos.Contrary to “wild” Rock Doves in Europe andAsia, South African Rock Doves, according to

rarely breed on rocky cliffs.also described them as solitary nesters “butsometimes in loose colony on building” (sic).

One of the presumed rare cliff nestingcolonies of Rock Doves in South Africa has existedfor many years at Yzerfontein on the West Coast. Ifirst became aware of the Rock Doves breedinghere in 1982 and have watched them annually,mostly in late December / early January sincethen. The seaside cliffs where they breed were,however, known to local fishermen as“Duiwenes” (“Pigeon loft” or literally “pigeonnest”) for many years before and are indicated assuch on large scale topographical maps printed inthe early 1970's. I recorded the colony in 1994

213: 7 8).

Roberts 5/6

Roberts 7

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Roberts 7, Roberts 7

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Although (relying on )describe the Rock Dove as breeding in “allmonths”, I doubt that this would be true of theYzerfontein colony where winter conditions alongthe exposed sea coast with the prevailing onshorenorth-westerly wind, would rule out all yearround breeding. In late December / early Januarythere are normally between five and ten occupiednests, whether with eggs or chicks and anythingup to thirty birds in attendance. At night up to 50or more doves roost at this site.

Speckled Pigeons sometimes nest amongstthe Rock Doves at the Yzerfontein colony but thento one side. They also commonly roost with theRock Doves.

It is not known where the Rock Doves forageas they are not normally seen in numbers inYzerfontein itself. It is possible that they disperseduring the day to the wheat fields and otherfarmland towards Darling and beyond.

Roberts 7 Roberts 5 & 6

François van der MerweF

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van

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Rock Doves at Yzerfontein

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both wings. I realized I had no consciousrecollection of ever having seen this species inmoult before.

The conventional wisdom is that species likethe Greater Striped Swallow that winter in tropicalareas should moult on their wintering grounds.When I got home, this was confirmed by7, which has only this to say on the moult of thisspecies: “Presumably moults during winter onEquatorial non-breeding grounds” (p.756).Clearly this individual hadn't read the book. Itseems that at least a few birds start their primarymoult in late summer, presumably suspend it fortheir northward migration, then complete it onthe wintering grounds.

Roberts

Peter Ryan

PISCIVORY IN THE AFRICAN BLACKOYSTERCATCHER

Dane Paijmans

On 28 March 2013 on Jutten Island, LangebaanBay, I found a few small fresh fish (probablyspp.) amongst a juvenile African BlackOystercatcher's shell middens. The fish were 3-4cm in length and undamaged and may havebeen left when the parents alerted the young tohide in my presence. I commonly find openmussels and limpets still containing the flesh if thebirds are disturbed in this way.

This is an interesting observation as piscivoryis not documented in this species, although theAmerican Black Oystercatcher and the AustralianPied Oystercatcher do feed occasionally on fish( , Volume 3).This observation was made at high tide during aspring tide so feeding on fish may have beennecessary owing to the inaccessibility of the otherfood sources. No further observations similar tothis were made, except for the occasional adultappearing to chase moving prey in the water.

DST/NRF Centre of ExcellencePercy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology

Clinus

Handbook of the Birds of the World

GREY HERON FEEDING IN FLIGHT

At Strandfontein Sewage Works I watched a GreyHeron circling over one of the pans on themorning of 14 October 2012. The bird spent mostof its time flying slowly into the wind, with its legsdangling at a steeper angle than typical, and itsneck partly extended and the head raised, almostas though it was coming in to land.

Suspecting that it was attempting to forage, Iwatched it make several circuits of the pan,working upwind, then circling back to start again.It persisted in this behaviour for several minutes,occasionally dropping lower, then rising again.Finally it struck, dropping down with legs and neckextended, and the head and feet hitting the wateralmost simultaneously. Its wings continued beatingstrongly, and the bird immediately lifted off again,clutching a small fish (perhaps 10 cm long) in itsbill. It then flew to the bank to deal with its catch.

This was the first time I had witnessed thisbehaviour, which is not described in the normallydefinitive .However, describes this foragingtechnique succinctly, citing J.S. Taylor (1957,

1-80). Taylor first reported thebehaviour near Graaff-Reinet in 1937 ( :31), when he reported seeing up to five heronsfeeding in this way at the same time, with birdsfeeding for 'several hours'. This aerial huntingtechnique appears to be used infrequently. AtStrandfontein the moderate south-easterly windassisted the heron to fly very slowly upwind, butTaylor reported birds also were able to perform thistechnique in calm conditions. It seems like a fairlyexpensive way for such a large bird to catch fish.

Birds of the Western PalearcticRoberts 7

Ostrich 28:Ostrich 8

The same feeding technique was observedagain on 27 October and photographed.Photographs taken of the bird in this instanceshowed it to be colour-ringed. Doug Harebottle ofthe ADU confirmed that the bird in thephotographs was banded as a chick at Rondevleiin 2003.

Peter Ryan

Pet

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A Grey Heron preparing to drop

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CAPE PENINSULA JACKAL BUZZARDS

Jackal Buzzards continue to do well on thePeninsula.

In 2003, a decade of monitoringraptors on the Peninsula recorded nineresident pairs of Jackal Buzzards. (Jenkins& van Zyl 2005 : 175-184).One decade later, the tally has risen to 17resident pairs. (Fig 1)

During the breeding season I find itvery difficult to catch a Jackal Buzzardengaged in behaviour that reveals thelocation of its nest. They very quicklybecome aware of being watched and willgo to great lengths to disguise what theyare up to. Allowing for the possibility ofundercounting resident pairs in 2003, it'snevertheless quite obvious that there hasbeen a remarkable increase in thenumber of Jackal Buzzards on thePeninsula. I can only wonder whether thisis because food availability has increased;perhaps due to alien clearing along the Peninsulamountain chain creating a more suitable habitatfor prey animals?

During 2012, thirteen pairs successfullyraised seventeen chicks. Of the four remainingpairs Castlerock (Fig.1) did not breed, I suspectdue to an extensive fire earlier in the year. I did notobserve any Jackal Buzzard activity in the areaduring the breeding season.

Soetwater and Noordhoek are notoriouslydifficult to get a handle on and I failed dismally (yetagain) to establish what these pairs were up to.

The fourth pair at Misty Cliffs, I only picked upvery late in the season and have not been able toestablish whether they raised a chick or not.

Thirteen pairs have built their nests on cliffswith structures ranging from virtually invisible tonests of up to half a metre tall. Tell-tale flecks andfine streaks of whitewash that indicate occupationcan only be picked up through a telescope. Fourpairs nest in trees; two in Blue Gums and two inPines.

A quick glance at the Google image (Fig. 1)shows a dearth of Jackal Buzzard pairs along thewest coast of Cape Point. Reports of JackalBuzzard sightings around Olifantsbos, the TwelveApostles and further north around Signal Hill are

Ostrich 76

THE BIGGEST ARMCHAIR TICK - EVER?

For the uninitiated, an armchair tick is when oneadds a species to your life (or other) list as aconsequence of forgetfulness long after the event,or more usually when species are officially splitand you have seen and recorded previousgeographical sub-species prior to the official split -e.g: The Long-billed Lark group prior to the fivesplits post 1996.

In December 2000, Phil Whittington, WendyFlanagan and I were on a trip through Botswana.We recorded several species classified on theBotswana list as rare or uncommon and oursightings were sent to the Botswana rare birdscommittee. One of these was the sighting of apossible juvenile Pied Wheatear seen just north ofMoremi, included in a trip report published in

(No.246 May 2001).

Fast forward twelve years to December 2012.Having recently acquired the Roberts iPad app(which incidentally is an excellent production), Idiscovered that our record had been accepted,appearing to my surprise and astonishment right

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More observations

indications, I believe, that there could be up tofive more Jackal Buzzard pairs on the Peninsula.

Western Cape Raptor Research ProgrammeLucia Rodrigues

Fig. 1

THE OLIVE THRUSH AS A PREDATOR?

While birding at Little Stream Conference Centrein Constantia, Cape Town in November 2012, Iheard a lot of commotion coming from a hugestand of bamboo! Lots of banging and crashing,and suddenly out of the bamboo came an OliveThrush with something small and dark in its bill! Itwas hotly pursued by a very ruffled African DuskyFlycatcher.

So, did the Olive Thrush actually remove achick from the small flycatcher's nest? It seemedthat way.

A couple of weeks later, I was back in thesame spot checking on an African Paradise-Flycatcher nest. Once again a huge commotionfrom the bamboo which was right next to the treecontaining the nest! In addition to the noisybamboo, I could hear agitated calls from somebirds and had quick glimpses of adult AfricanParadise Flycatchers with their tail feathersspread. I presumed the chicks were now out ofthe nest and perhaps demanding food from theparents, so I waited and watched.

Again, an Olive Thrush charged out of thebamboo, this time pursued by the two adultparadise-flycatchers. But nothing in its bill, as theyoung flycatchers had fledged and were sitting ona branch near their nest, bemusedly watching allthis commotion. I knew the thrushes had a nestnearby and in fact they were nesting in the samearea again shortly thereafter, possibly a third

Mariana Delport comments:Lycium

ferrocissimum

(Solanaceae),

This is veryinteresting. Some years ago I grew

(Slangbessie) from seed and planteda shrub in my garden. This plant is also of thepotato family indigenous andwidespread in southern South Africa. For sometime it grew very well, although it never floweredand produced berries. One of our bird clubmembers then mentioned to me that hisSlangbessie has been killed by White-backedMousebirds. The birds ate the leaves and everynew bud that appeared. I told him that I haven’tnoticed this behaviour in my garden despite havinglots of mousebirds. Barely two weeks later Isuddenly noticed the mousebirds in my gardenhad also discovered the Slangbessie and wereeating the leaves. Within a relatively short periodthe shrub had no leaves left, and every effort by theplant to produce new leaves was jeopardised bythe mousebirds. I watched them eating the newbuds. Eventually the shrub gave up the fight anddied. I still have lots of mousebirds in my garden(White-backed as well as Red-faced), but no moreSlangbessies. The mousebirds do not seem to becrazy about any other shrub’s leaves.

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there before my very eyes! Astonished, becauseneither Phil nor I had received any confirmationor acceptance of our rarity report sent to theBotswana committee! Having heard nothing, weassumed the record was not accepted. Thisacceptance was all the more astonishing as itamounted to only the second ever recordedsighting in the sub region, the other being inMtunzini in 1984! (This sighting was the only onerecorded in the edition published in2005).

I doubt that anyone, ever, could claim such a"mega" armchair tick?

However, the postscript to this is that Phil andI, quizzical of the fact, have reopened the caseand are re-examining our report andphotographs. So, I'll leave you with the very sameend line I wrote in the May 2001piece… “Watch this space!”

Roberts 7

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Mel Tripp

clutch for this pair! We knew where there was avery well hidden Cape White-eye nest, hopefullythe thrushes didn't find that!

I would never have considered the OliveThrush as a predator on other birds, but why not?They eat insects, and perhaps this one hadlearned that tiny chicks were good eating andgood chick food.

Margaret Maciver

WHITE-BACKED MOUSEBIRDS FEED ON BLUEPOTATO BUSH

John Fincham

In my garden in Bellville there is a Blue PotatoBush about 2.5m high.White-backed Mousebirds are often to be seen inthe bush either singly or in groups of up to 4 birds.Closer observation with binoculars revealed thatthey eat the buds. On one occasion I watchedthem feeding the buds to a juvenile. No otherbirds have been seen eating any parts of the plant.

(Lycianthes rantonnetti)

This plant has been introduced as anornamental. It is native to Brazil, Argentina, Boliviaand Paraguay. It used to be classified as aand there are some reports that it is toxic, but notapparently to White-backed Mousebirds.

Solanum

STRIPED FLUFFTAILS IN BAIN'S KLOOF

Peter Ryan

I recently reported finding Striped Flufftails in themountains east of Paarl, and commented thatrather surprisingly this appeared to be thenorthernmost record in the Western Cape

: 18).

I speculated at the time that they probablyoccurred farther north, perhaps as far as theCedarberg, and had been merely overlooked dueto their skulking habits. On 9 February 2013, I hadthe opportunity to visit the mountains east ofBain's Kloof. Two Striped Flufftails were callingfrom a large seep on the shale band at around1050 m elevation (33 38.9S, 19 8.7E).

This represents a 20 km range extension northof the Paarl site (which was burnt in the recentfires). Further exploration of high elevation seepsdoubtless will continue to extend their knownrange northwards.

(Promerops 287

A RED-EYED DOVE'S BREAKFAST

Jo Hobbs

One morning last November I was at the windowidly watching the birds enjoying their dailybreakfast of apricot jam on the bird feeder. CapeWhite-eyes, Cape Sparrows, Masked Weavers,even an Acacia Pied Barbet came and went. Itwas a peaceful crowd, no jostling, pushing orshoving until the arrival of a slightly bigger birdnudged the little ones aside. This was the residentOlive Thrush, Why turdus, Iwondered - and just then I noticed a freshlydeposited turdus of the canine kind in the middleof John's immaculately smooth green lawn.

I was not the only one to notice this as aplump and prosperous-looking Red-eyed Dovearrived and immediately started an inspection.Over the next five minutes I watched infascination as he delicately probed and extracteda good number of seeds which were downed withevident relish. These were the sunflower seedswhich John includes in his dogs' breakfasts, someof which presumably pass through their digestivesystems intact. Sunflower seeds are a good sourceof nutrients, as this portly dove had evidentlydiscovered. Just as he was extracting the last seeda Speckled Pigeon arrived and watched withinterest. Red-eye withdrew a little but stood hisground, holding his final prize defiantly in his nowrather dirty beak.

Since then I have seen this Red-eyed sanitaryinspector at work on several occasions. He has tobe vigilant as most of the canine deposits areswiftly removed and disposed of and not allcontain the delectable seeds. Even more recentlyI was interested to see a Laughing Dove using thesame technique but less efficiently due to itsshorter beak. This was possibly learned bywatching the Red-eyed inspector at work. Ipresume that extracting seeds from canine faecesis not normal feeding behaviour asthere can't be many dogs eating sunflower seedsfor breakfast.

Turdus olivaceous.

streptopelia

18June 2013

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More observations

NEW SPECIES IN THE COMPANY GARDENS

During January of this year (2013) I began walkingto work in the CBD from my home in Gardens,quite a pleasant walk of a morning that goesthrough The Company Gardens.

On 16 January, a warm, sunny morning, asmall group of three birds was flitting amongst theleaves of one of the oak trees that lineGovernment Avenue. At first, and from a distance,I took these to be Cape White-eyes. As I got closer,their high pitched “see see” calls suggestedanything but Cape White-eyes….. African DuskyFlycatchers! One bird was clearly a juvenileshowing a pale gape. I took the others to be theparents.

Friday 1 February, again on my way to workcrossing The Company Gardens, I came acrosswhat must be the same group of three birds,hawking insects from the lower branches of oaksover one of the well watered lawns. Then to mysurprise from the branches slightly above them,out flew a female African PARADISE Flycatcher…Wow… I have lived in Gardens for almost 30years, often going through The Company Gardensand have never seen these two species offlycatchers there before!

But, it didn't end there… further on as Iemerged from the thicker stands of trees onto a

small lawn, sat a rabbit! It didn't look like any ofour indigenous species but grey in colour, shortishears, and more like the northern species of rabbit.Someone I suspect had decided to give it its libertyand had released it there… new to me also inthese gardens. Three new species on “mydoorstep”…an interesting start to the New Year!

Mel Tripp

All Sightings contributions to be reported/sentto compiler Felicity Ellmore by e-mail atfellmore@absamail.co.za or Tel. 021 762 0176.

NATIONAL RARITIES:

Northern Rockhopper Penguin

Australian Gannet

European Honey Buzzard

Sooty Falcon

Eurasian Oystercatcher

Common Redshank

Pectoral Sandpiper

Franklin's Gull

LOCAL RARITIES:

Black Stork

May we remind you that a list of all speciesthat constitute south-western Cape Rarities (local)can be found, together with National Rarities, onthe CBC website www.capebirdclub.org.za

- a moultingjuvenile bird seen at Soetwater resort nearKommetjie, 30 January 2013 (TH, DR), seen 31January 2013 (MB, MM, SF, StF), still there 2February 2013 (MB), a bird seen at Hardebaai atOnrus, 19 February 2013 (AO)

2 birds still on Malgas Island,Saldanha Bay, 25 January 2013, reported by TH

a bird seen sitting onthe ground under some trees in the Bishops Courtarboretum, on the corner of Winchester Avenueand Kirstenbosch Drive, 6 March 2013 (AK, SY)

a bird seen roosting in the car parkof the Emily Moon River Lodge, Plettenberg Bay,27 February 2013 (SV), still present 22 March2013 (JG, GG)

a bird seen south ofChurchhaven, West Coast National Park, duringthe CWAC count, 17 February 2013 (PN, MBr)

2 birds seen from theGeelbek hide, West Coast National Park, 17January 2013 (THv, HL), 2 birds seen from theGeelbek Hide, 17 March 2013 (CBC members)

a bird seen at StrandfonteinSewage Works, 25 January 2013 (BV), seen 12February 2013 (JCa), seen on the eastern side ofPan P1, 31 March 2013 (SO)

a bird in full breeding plumageseen in the south west corner of pan P2,Strandfontein Sewage Works, 29 March 2013(SO), seen again at the adjacent landfill site, 30March 2013 (CJ)

a bird seen flying over Kalbaskraal,south of Malmesbury, 17 January 2013 (GW)

Please note that none of the sightings listedbelow have been verified by either a regional ornational rarities committee.

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Marabou Stork

Fulvous Duck

Black-chested Snake-Eagle

Brown Snake-Eagle

Bateleur

Amur Falcon

African Hobby

Baillon's Crake

Greater Painted Snipe

Greater Sand Plover

Black Tern

European Roller

Sand Martin

one on the farm "Morelig"between Bredasdorp and Arniston, 28 January2013 (JS)

8 birds seen Paarl Bird Sanctuary,22 January 2013 (JCa)

a bird seenbetween Malmesbury and Hopefield near theR45, 26 January 2013 (GF, JA, SL), a bird seenabout 4km north west of Kliprand, 31 March2013 and another seen on the R363 betweenLandplaas and Lutzville, 1 April 2013 (SF, StF,MT, VH)

a bird seen 70km east ofBeaufort West on the road to Murraysburg, 16January 2013 (JC)

an adult male seen on the Paarl side ofthe Huguenot Tunnel soaring over the road, 5February 2013 (JV), seen again soaring just southof the N1 over the Old Paarl Road, 8 February2013 , reported by TH, a bird seen sitting ontelephone pole between Worcester andRobertson, about 3 km past Nuy turnoff, 21February 2013 (DB), a bird seen along the N1,about 10km from Beaufort West, 12 March 2013(N&SP)

a large flock seen near the entrancegate to Bontebok N P, 6 February 2013 (M&HM),about 40 birds seen at Bontebok N P, 13 March2013 (JB)

a bird seen about 15km southwest of Kliprand, 30 March 2013 (MT, SF, StF VH).

a bird seen at Intaka IslandWetland Reserve, 19 January 2013 (DP), seen 22January 2013 (MMa, LH) and on 24 January2013(SF, StF, OS),

a bird seen at RondevleiNature Reserve, 20 January 2013 (CS)

4 birds seen during theCWAC count between Churchhaven andKraalbaai, 17 February 2013 (VW, FE)

a bird seen at Strandfontein SewageWorks, 13 January 2013, reported by TH, seenagain 29 January 2013 (SF), seen 2 February 2013(StF)

a bird seen just beyond thePhesantekraal settlements along the R312, 13January 2013, a bird seen along the R60 betweenAshton and Swellendam, 6 February 2013,reported by TH

2 birds seen at Kirstenbosch, 4February 2013 (MMa)

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19 June 2013

PROMEROPS 294

SIGHTINGS

BIRD RINGING

Please note amendments to SAFRING's contactdetails:

Please send any information onMetal- or colour-ringed birds to:

SAFRINGUniversity of Cape Town

Rondebosch 7701Tel. 021 650 2421

e-mail: safring@adu.org.zahttp://safring.adu.org.za/retrap.php

Marsh Warbler

Willow Warbler

Spotted Flycatcher

African Pied Wagtail

Cape Glossy Starling

Shaft-tailed Whydah

BIRDS ESTABLISHED IN THE SOUTHWESTERN / WESTERN CAPE, BUT RARE ORLOCALISED:

Terek Sandpiper

Cape Eagle-Owl

Lesser Honeyguide

Common House Martin

OTHER INTERESTING SIGHTINGS:

Southern Giant-Petrel

3 or 4 birds in full song alongsidethe gravel road between Rondevlei and BoLangvlei, Garden Route, 21 March 2013 (JG)

a bird seen at Buffelsdrif, on theway to Calitzdorp Spa, 21 March 2013 (PN, CS,MS)

2 birds seen in the gum treesnear Geelbek Restaurant, 23 February 2013 (PN),2 birds seen there again, 17 March 2013 (CBCmembers), a bird seen below Rhodes Memorial,21 March 2013 (OS, SS), a bird seen in HelderbergNature Reserve, 29 March 2013 (JM, RM), a singlebird seen in the gum trees on the way to GeelbekRestaurant, 27 March 2013 (MMa, LH)

a bird seen on theuniversity rugby fields near the pedestrian bridge(hangbrug) over the Eerste River in Stellenbosch,14 January 2013 (IU)

birds seen at DraaihoekFarm (Pentad 3040_1825), SW of Kliprand, 30March 2013 (MT, SF, StF, VH)

- a male in breedingplumage seen near Op-die-Berg in the KoueBokkeveld, 19 March 2013, reported by TH

About 25 birds seen during theLangebaan lagoon CWAC count, 17 February2013 (VW, FE, PN, MBr)

a bird seen about 15kms SW ofRietpoort, North West of Bitterfontein (Pentad3100_1755), 31 March 2013 (MT, SF, StF, VH)

a bird seen in the gum treesnear Geelbek Restaurant, West Coast NationalPark, 17 January 2013 (THv, HL), a bird seen thereagain, 17 March 2013 (CBC members), still there27 March 2013 (MMa, LH)

- a bird seen from thepath to the Salt Marsh Hides at Geelbek, 17March 2013 (CBC members)

4 birds seen in the bay atTsaarsbank, WCNP, 17 March 2013, (CBCmembers).

Buff-spotted Flufftail

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- caught and ringed atHelderberg Nature Reserve, 1 February 2013 (JCl)

20June 2013

PROMEROPS 294

OBSERVERS

Joan Ackroyd JADirk Bosman DBJohn Bowman JBMichael Brooks MBrMike Buckham MBJohn Carter JCaJapie Claassen JCJohn Clements JClFelicity Ellmore FESimon Fogarty SFStella Fogarty StFGill Ford GFGreta Graham GGJohn Graham JGVernon Head VHLinda Hibbin LHTrevor Hardaker THTrygve Hvidsten THvCathy Jenkins CJAnn Koeslag AKHoward Langley HLSylvia Ledgard SLMargaret Maciver MMaMike & Helen

Mac Naught M&HM

Michael Mason MMRob Martin RMJill Mortimer JMPeter Nupen PNDan Prata DPAnton Odendal AOShaun Overmeyer SONoel and Sonja

Pretorius N&SPDominic Rollinson DRCharles Saunders CSMike Saunders MSOtto Schmidt OSSandy Schmidt SSJohan Smal JSMel Tripp MTIngrid Uys IUSimon Valentine SVJohan van Tonder JVBrian Vanderwalt BVErmien Van PletzenEVVincent Ward VWGerald Wingate GWSharon Yodaiken SY

Local Rarities cont. Goliath Heron

Whiskered Tern

Neddicky

a bird seen at Rondevlei NatureReserve, 20 January 2013 (CS), seen at Zandvlei,24 January 2013 (MMa), 2 birds seen on thesection of the Berg River than runs throughHelderwater Farm, 26 January 2013 (SF, MT), asingle bird seen at De Plaat, Berg River, during theCWAC count, 27 January 2013 (FE, EV), 2 birdsseen at Rondevlei Nature Reserve, 10 February2013 (MMa, LH)

a least 15 nests found on a damnear Ceres, 16 January 2013 (JC)

a bird caught and ringed inHelderberg Nature Reserve, 1 February 2013 (JCl)

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spotted a number of Red-necked Phalaropes nearthe saltworks. Eventually, Mark also found us aRed Phalarope, identified by its thicker bill, thethird lifer of the morning for most of our group. Ina tern roost we noted an Arctic Tern with its veryshort legs amongst the many Common Terns, andclose views of Chestnut-banded Plovers amongstthe many migrant waders were a delight andprovided great photographic opportunities.

Near the lagoon's pump station there wereagain large numbers of terns, and Mark pointedout a couple of the slightly darker and smallerBlack Terns amongst the throng, the first arrivals ofthe summer. Here we also had our only DamaraTern which flew over us carrying a fish. Greaterand Lesser Flamingoes were everywhere, and acouple of resident black-backed jackals seemed tobe doing quite well preying on these. Numbers ofAfrican Black Oystercatchers, Great WhitePelicans and a group of Eurasian Curlew swelledour bird-list as we enjoyed the spectacle.

Eventually we headed back towards town foranother look at the American Golden Plover andthe still-present Black Skimmer, which had nowattracted some more local birders, before weheaded towards Swakopmund. On route westopped off at a coastal development to add RedKnot to our wader list for the day.

The next stop was the Mile 4 Saltworks justnorth of Swakopmund, where a similar spectacleof birds awaited us, but with fewer species andnumbers than at Walvis Bay. A brief view of aPeregrine Falcon (probably one of the Palearctic

migrant sub-species according to Mark)calidus

Unfortunately we could not fit the “EcuadorAdventure” Part 2 into this issue due to spaceconstraints but it will appear in September just intime to whet your appetite for the presentation atour evening meeting. So now we return to Africain order to visit Namibia and Malawi.

21 June 2013

PROMEROPS 294

A SPECTACULAR DAY AT NAMIBIA'S COASTALBIRDING MECCA

At 8am on the morning of Sunday, 7 October2012, our group of four Cape Bird Club members(Johan Schlebusch, Joy Fish, Sandy and OttoSchmidt) met Mark Boorman outside our WalvisBay hotel for a day's birding. As we headed for thelagoon nearby, Mark asked if we had been on thebirdnet since we left Cape Town. We said “No,why?” He then told us that a Black Skimmer

the first confirmed record forAfrica, had been present at Rietvlei outside CapeTown on the Thursday and Friday before. Ourimmediate thoughts were, “What are we doinghere, when this mega rarity is just down the roadfrom home!”

However, the local birds awaited us, and afew minutes later we stopped along the WalvisBay Promenade to look at the Greater Flamingoesand a selection of waders around a sandbar a shortdistance away. A few minutes later Sandyexclaimed “What's that bird that has just landedon the sandbar?” We thought Mark was going tohave a fit as he realised it was a Black Skimmer. Asthe bird at Rietvlei had not been seen on theSaturday, despite a large number of local andupcountry birders scouring the area, this couldmean that “our” bird had flown due north (a directline distance of 1250 kilometres) since Fridayevening to land right in front of us at about 08h20on the Sunday morning.

Modern technology immediately kicked inand both local and more distant birders wereinformed of this mega event, with several localbirders deserting their families and Sundaymorning breakfast tables to arrive at the lagoonwithin minutes.

After taking in this unexpected bonus forsome time, we decided to head on and within afew minutes were enjoying the second rarity ofthe day, an American Golden Plover in fullbreeding plumage. So the day continued, as we

Rynchops niger,

TRAVEL - NAMIBIA & MALAWI

Black Skimmer with Greater Flamingos

Otto

Sch

mid

t

with its dinner was a surprise. We also managedto photograph a ringed and flagged SandwichTern which has since been confirmed to havebeen ringed in Holland (NV7 ringed as a nearlyfledged juvenile on 19 June 2012 at deScheelhoekeilanden, near Stellendam, Zuid-Holland). Then we were fortunate to find theleucistic Common Redshank which had been inthe area for a while and had great views of thisattractively marked individual, our 5th rarity of aremarkable day.

However, there was more to come as weheaded inland a short distance and came across aforaging group of the endemic Gray's Lark, anotherlifer for most of us, and were shown the very pale,almost white, form of the Tractrac Chat found inthis very harsh environment. Now birded out, wesaid farewell and a big “Thank you” to Mark andheaded for a celebratory dinner in Swakopmundat the end of an extraordinary day's birding.

The next (Monday) morning on our wayinland we stopped briefly to confirm that theBlack Skimmer was still present. The bird did afly-past including a bit of skimming for a greatfinale. It had been confirmed when seen in flightthe previous day to be of the same (NorthAmerican) sub-species as the one seen near CapeTown, almost certainly confirming that this wasthe same individual. We later heard that it stayeduntil the Wednesday, allowing a group oftwitchers who had flown to Cape Town theprevious Saturday and missed it to make a secondtrip and connect with it this time.

Otto Schmidt

camouflaged shape in the dense foliage of thewild mango trees. I certainly tried often enough.

But December 2012 threw up somethingspecial. The boys had been fishing in the dam,and as we drove back through the cattle lands wenoticed what at first glance could have been acourser, so we stopped to have better look, andthen the typical birding talk began - "it looks a bitlike a smallish Blacksmith, maybe a juvenile","No, it's not that, and it's definitely not a courser";"Don't know what it is and I can't see anything inour small ", "remember the markings andwe'll check it out in the big when we getback, but it's getting dark and kids bath-time".

That evening we looked under "Plovers" and"Lapwings", and were starting to get quietlyexcited, so next morning early we went back,along with the big and there "the bird"was, still casually foraging in the grass with thecattle. No question about its ID, and when

said it was unlikely to be confused withanything else, we realised that "the bird" was a rarevagrant - a Spur-winged Lapwing. According to

it had been seen in Malawi in 1995,Zambia in 2001, and had been recorded once inNamibia and once in Botswana. The Spur-wingedLapwing migrates from S.E. Europe and the NearEast south along the Nile, and then from Senegaleast across the Sahel to Somalia and Kenya, andoccasionally to Tanzania. What was this birddoing, casually feeding under the noses of veryaverage birders on a farm in Malawi? Howamazing, and lucky us.

So now, how to spread the news? I didn't havemy with me, or any CBC contactnumbers, but a friend promised to tell the local

RobertsRoberts

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Roberts 7

Roberts

Roberts 7

Promerops

22June 2013

PROMEROPS 294

SPUR-WINGED LAPWING IN MALAWI

When we go to Malawi, our visits to the farmrevolve around family - grandchildren, excitabledogs, etc., so birding is enjoyable, but only anadd-on part of the activities. It is not unusual tosee the Livingstone's Turaco and Lizard Buzzard inthe trees in the garden, the White-browed Robin-Chat enjoying the bird bath, hear the trilling of theWoodland Kingfisher nearby, or see variousraptors flying over the lands - Long-crested Eagle,Black-breasted Snake-Eagle, African Hawk Eagle -although it is still special to see the Lesser Jacanaand Black Crake at the dam. At night the White-faced Owl hoots happily away with its almostdove-like call, but how frustrating it has been notto actually see it - we don't have a strong spotlight,and I defy most people to spot its well-

Jenn

ifer

Mac

Phe

rson

Spur-winged Lapwing in Malawi

23 June 2013

PROMEROPS 294

bird club people. However, we wanted aphotograph. Our camera had a limited zoom,and while "the bird" was pretty relaxed, cattle arevery curious animals, so what a pantomime it allturned out to be! As my daughter crept slowlyforward, camera at the ready, several large cowswould approach, puffing and blowing ,completely blocking any clear view of "the bird".Then a couple of farm workers would cycle past,waving an enthusiastic greeting which, undernormal circumstances would have been lovely,but was hardly conducive to peaceful birdingphotography. So if you wonder at the quality of

the photo here, perhaps this explains it.There was heavy rain then for the next few

days, and we didn't see "the bird", but once thesun came out there it was again, same cattle land,same behaviour. We got quite complacent, but ofcourse vagrants don't usually stay long, and after aweek it was gone. Who knows where, but we wishit well, and are very grateful to have been so lucky.Last year we had the Little Crake just down theroad from our home in Clovelly, now the rareSpur-winged Lapwing in Malawi. Everything goesin threes - what can we expect next?

Anne Whitelock

CLUB ACTIVITIES

EVENING MEETINGS

These are normally held at 20h00 on everysecond Thursday in the month at the NassauCentre, Groote Schuur High School, PalmyraRoad, Newlands. However, our Augustmeeting will be held on Thursday 1 Augustbecause of the public holiday on 9 August.

Tea and biscuits will be served after themeeting at a cost of R4,00. Do bring yourfriends, but remember that there will be acharge of R10 for visitors and non-members.

Are you a new member? Please introduceyourself to Gill or Joan on arrival.

FIELD OUTINGSWe arrange field outings throughout the year,usually on the first Saturday, third Sunday andone weekday morning in the month.

We try to introduce members to a variety ofhabitats and give them the opportunity tofamiliarise themselves with the common andless common birds of the areas.

A good starting point for beginners isRondevlei Nature Reserve, and club outingstake place there on the first Saturday morningin every month. There are several excellent birdhides and always something of interest to beseen.

We try to arrange activities to suit all levels ofinterest, so please participate whenever youcan. We welcome suggestions, so if you knowof interesting speakers or good venues for fieldoutings, please let us know.

OUTING TO RIETVLEI WETLAND RESERVE

Friday 18 January 2013

Anne Gray

Over twenty members of Cape Bird Club visitedthe Rietvlei Wetland Reserve where ElzetteKrynauw, Senior Conservation Officer (NorthRegion) Biodiversity Management Branch,welcomed us into their new offices and ReserveManager Koos Retief gave us, with his staff, abriefing on the modus operandi of the CWACcount in the various areas of the reserve.

We then went on the route towards the hideswith Elzette. Our birding outing coincided withtheir quarterly CWAC count and they were verygrateful for the extra assistance as the reserve is560 hectare in size and has many marshes andvleis.

The count was an endurance test. The south-east wind blew non-stop at about 30 to 35 km/hrand it was not easy to hold binoculars steady. Wewere the first to walk on the very attractive newboardwalk across the area which becomes a soggymarsh in winter. There were very large numbersof Spurwing Geese, pelicans, flamingos, coots,various duck species, Grey Herons, Pied Avocetsand Blacksmith Lapwings. We recorded 35species altogether and there must have beenseveral others sheltering in among the wetlandvegetation.

We finished about noon and Elzette invited usto enjoy our well deserved picnic tea in the shelterof the Education Centre. The Cape Bird Club willbe assisting the Rietvlei staff again with their JulyCWAC Count on 19 July.

24June 2013

PROMEROPS 294

SPECIAL EVENTS

In addition to our regular field outings andevening meetings, our club organises a range ofother activities. These include weekendcamps, courses and sometimes boat trips. Wealso arrange trips to other African countriesfrom time to time and some of us will travel toGhana in November this year.

See page 8 for details of our GifbergMountain camp in September. We also haveorganised two courses in August andSeptember and you will find full details on theloose inserts in this issue.

BIRD COUNTS & HACKS

We would like to encourage more members totake part in these activities, which add a newdimension to birdwatching. They also serve auseful conservation purpose. Due to spaceconstraints in this issue we cannot include fulldetails but contact numbers are below.

Kirstenbosch John Magner 082 881 3845

Gavin Lawson 021 705 5224

S Dick Barnes 021 689 1106

Eric Barnes 021 782 5429

Yvonne Weiss 021 872 4972

Zandvlei

trandfontein

Wildevoëlvlei

Paarl

JUNIOR PROGRAMME

How old are the Juniors?

Who are the Juniors?

When do they have outings? Sunday outings

red tag “Juniors”

Most of the very best birders started when they were children so young birders are veryimportant people! Do not be shy! Join the fun! Young people are usually the first to spot the birds,even if they don't know their names.

They could be any age as long as they are school children. Regrettably, wecannot accommodate pre-schoolers.

They are any children who are becoming interested in birds, whether they aremembers or not. All are welcome.

In future all outings will be combined with the adult - solook at the general monthly programme below.

Parents need to provide transport and accompany their children. On arrival, look for someonewearing a with printed on it. This person will help the young people on the outing.Give your name and say that you want to be assisted. Please bring something for the tea break but notethat we do not snack on the path - we eat only during our tea time!

CBC PROGRAMME

See under “Club Activities” for general information and details of venue for our Evening Meetings.

JUNE

Sat 1 RONDEVLEI OUTING

Meet at 08h00.

Convenor: Merle Chalton 021 686 8951

These regular monthly outings are for all Rondevlei enthusiasts and beginners are especiallywelcome. Travel down the M5 (Prince George Drive) towards Grassy Park and look out for Nando's at the5th Avenue traffic light. Turn left here and continue along 5th Avenue to the first set of traffic lights. Turnright into Perth Road and continue to the end of the road. There is a small entrance fee for those withoutseason tickets. The outing usually lasts till about 10h30 but you are free to stay as long as you like.

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PROMEROPS 294

BIRD COUNTS & HACKS IN JUNE

Sun 08h00 Kirstenbosch BIRP Counth 0

Sat 0 h 0

2

S

22 8 3

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(note winter starting time)

Sat 8 14 0 Zandvlei HackSun 9 08h30 trandfontein Count

Thurs 13 08h30 Wildevoëlvlei CountPaarl Bird Sanctuary Count

Wed 12 WEEKDAY OUTING: ZANDVLEI NATURE RESERVE

Meet at 08h00.

Directions:

Leader: Simon Fogarty 021 701 6303

Co-ordinator: Mike Saunders 082 882 8688

Thurs 13 EVENING MEETING: “PHENOMENAL FROGS of the WESTERN CAPE”

Speaker: Cliff Dorse

Meet at 20h00.

Sun 23 OUTING: CAPE OF GOOD HOPE NATURE RESERVE

Meet at 08h30. Note:

Directions:

Leader: TBA

Coordinator: Mike Saunders 082 882 8688

As there were certain logistical problems with access during the Xmas outing to this venue,it was decided to return here in the winter.

From Main Road Retreat turn into Military Road at the “Lavender Hill“ sign and continue overthe level crossing. At the first set of traffic lights turn right into Coniston Road. After 200 metres turn rightalong a dirt road at the Zandvlei sign. Continue until you reach a Municipal Depot. Drive through the smallerof the two gates, over a cattle grid and past the buildings to the parking area, where we meet.

Broadly speaking, birders have a general interest in all fauna. Frogs however, are a naturalprogression for someone interested in birds. As with birds, frogs call, they are very attractive and many arefound in specialised habitats and are challenging to find. What's not to like?! Join us for a talk on thesephenomenal critters. The talk will focus on the frogs of Cape Town and the Western Cape and will highlightidentification features and species of conservation concern.

This date is not the normal 3 Sunday of the month as 16 June is a public holiday andfalls on a long weekend. This is our annual sortie to Cape Point to do some land-based seabird watching,when the seabirds get blown inshore by the winter gales. It is one way of increasing your Seabird Lifers Listwithout risking seasickness. There will be several spotting scopes available. After this we will move along toone of the picnic sites to enjoy breakfast and some bushbirds and waders. Bring along your Wild Cards forfree entry as the gate fees are rather hefty.

From Simonstown continue in a southerly direction along the M4 to the Cape of Good HopeNature Reserve. We meet in the parking area just beyond the pay point.

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Please note the change of date and time forthe Paarl count on 22 June in order to linkup with the tour of the Paarl Waste WaterTreatment Works at 10h00. Visitors arewelcome at the sanctuary any time after07h00. Please phone Yvonne Weiss at 021872 4972 if you would like to join the tour.See notice on page 7.

JULY

Sat 6 RONDEVLEI OUTING

Meet at 08h00.

Convenor: Merle Chalton 021 686 8951

Please note that the winter CWAC counts take place this month and your help is needed!

These regular monthly outings are for all Rondevlei enthusiasts and beginners are especiallywelcome. Duration about 2½ hours but you can stay as long as you like. See under 1 June for directions.

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26June 2013

PROMEROPS 294

Thurs 11 EVENING MEETING : “TORTOISES, TURTLES & TERRAPINS andtheir diversity, distribution and conservation in South Africa”

Speaker: Dr Ernst Baard

Meet at 20h00.

Fri 19 WEEKDAY OUTING: RIETVLEI WETLAND RESERVE

This outing has been arranged to coincide with the Rietvlei CWAC count and it would be appreciated ifas many as possible can attend to help with this important task.

Meet at 09h00.

Directions:

Leader : Koos Retief 021 550 1086 (w) or cell 082 788 6987

Co-ordinator: Mike Saunders 082 882 8688

Sun 21 MONTHLY OUTING: PAARL BIRD SANCTUARY

Meet at 08h00.

Directions:

Leader: TBA Co-ordinator: Mike Saunders 082 882 8688

Few people realize that South Africa is home to more than a quarter of the World's landtortoises and that the Western Cape, in particular, is the “hottest hotspot” for these species. Worldwide,tortoises are under severe pressure and more than half of the species are considered threatened. They arealso sought after in the illegal pet trade and thousands are smuggled across international borders and traded.Environmental pressures such as habitat destruction, land transformation, invasive alien species and illegaltrade are driving several species to extinction. Dr Ernst Baard, head of CapeNature's Scientific Services hasagreed to share his expertise and expand our knowledge of these fascinating animals.

Rietvlei is a large wetland in the floodplain of the Diep River. About 180 bird species havebeen recorded here, including the African Black Skimmer.

From Cape Town head north on the N1, turning off onto the R27 to Milnerton. Continue alongthis road to Table View with the vlei on your right. Turn right into Blaauwberg Road at Table View, then rightinto Pentz Drive. Continue along Pentz Drive past SANCCOB to the four-way stop. Turn right into GreyAvenue and drive two blocks down to the water, following the road to the entrance hut at the MilnertonAquatic Club gates. Park outside the gates just to the right and walk to the Environment Centre to avoid theparking levy. There is an entrance charge of R12 (or R 6 for pensioners).

This venue has produced some interesting species in the last year such as African Rail,Tambourine Dove, Greater Painted-Snipe and Fulvous Ducks. White-faced and Black Ducks and HottentotTeal are usually present. Well camouflaged Water Thick-knees can be seen in surprising numbers if you lookcarefully.

Take the N1 to Paarl. When you have passed Paarl on the left and before you get to the TollPlaza, take the R303 / Jan van Riebeeck Road off ramp to the left.

to cross over the railway line. (Take care here).Proceed to the gate of the reserve. Sign in and wait to meet with the leader.

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Continue along the R303 with theIndustrial Area on your left. At the end of this area you will see Div Foods factory on your left as well as abrown directional sign to the bird sanctuary. Turn left at these traffic lights and travel to the end of the road,turning right into Drommedaris Street and then left again

CWAC and CAR counts (see schedule on facing page)

Please help with these counts if you possibly can. The data collected is immensely valuable for research andconservation purposes.

Please note that the dates and times for the Radyn Dam (Malmesbury) count and Wellington Sewage Workscounts are provisional. You can contact Otto Schmidt at 021 674 2381 for Radyn Dam and John Fincham at 021919 4069 for Wellington.

Your contact for the Zandvlei count is Gavin Lawson at 021 705 5224 and for the CAR count you shouldcontact Donella Young at 021 650 4239 or e-mail Donella.Young@uct.ac.za

If you would like to join the Langebaan or Berg River counts please contact Doug Harebottle at 021 650 2330(w) or e-mail Doug.Harebottle @uct.ac.za These are large areas and additional helpers will be most welcome.

JULY cont.

27 June 2013

PROMEROPS 294

AUGUSTPlease note that our evening meeting will take place on the first Thursday as

public holiday.9 August is a

Thurs 1 EVENING MEETING: “THE CBC ECUADOR ADVENTURE”Part 1 (North-western Ecuador)

Speaker: Otto Schmidt

Meet at 20h00.

Sat 3 RONDEVLEI OUTING

Meet at 08h00.

Convenor: Merle Chalton 021 686 8951

Thurs 8 WEEKDAY OUTING: WILDEVOELVLEI

Meet at 08h30.

Directions:

Leader: Eric Barnes 021 782 5429 Co-ordinator: Mike Saunders 082 882 8688

Sun 19 MONTHLY OUTING: TIENIE VERSVELD NATURE RESERVE and Darling Area.

Meet at 08h30.

Directions:

Leader: TBA. Co-ordinator: Mike Saunders 082 882 8688

In November 2012, 14 members of the Cape Bird Club took part in a birding trip toEcuador, one of the world's top birding destinations. The trip, just over 2 weeks in length, was co-ordinatedby Tropical Birding, and this presentation covers the first week which was spent at Tropical Birding'sTandayapa Bird Lodge, set in the subtropical cloud forest of the Choco region west of Quito, an area withmore endemic birds than anywhere else in the Americas. On day trips from this stunning lodge, knownworld-wide for the famous deck and its hummingbird feeders, we explored a variety of strikingly differenthabitats at different elevations, getting to grips with new birding families such as the tanagers, cotingas,antbirds, antpittas, tyrant flycatchers, manakins and of course the amazing variety of hummingbirds.

These regular monthly outings are for all Rondevlei enthusiasts and beginners are especiallywelcome. Duration about 2½ hours but you can stay as long as you like. See under 1 June for directions.

This area is good for water birds and has even been visited by vagrant Franklin's Gull. Themonthly count will be conducted during this visit.

From Sun Valley 4-way traffic lights, take the road to Kommetjie. Continue for 2.3 km and turnright at the Compass Bakery (where you can purchase Woolworths overruns). Meet near the main sewageworks at the end of the road.

This 22 ha reserve on the West Coast boasts a list of at least 60 species. This is also the besttime for the flowers of this quaint reserve. We will also visit other attractions in the area. These will bedetermined closer to the time, depending on rainfall in the area.

Follow the R27 coastal road from Cape Town towards Yzerfontein. After about 80km theturnoff to Yzerfontein will be seen on the left. Turn right here and proceed towards Darling on the R315.Driving another 3 km you should see the signpost marking the reserve on the right of the road. We meet atthe stile access point in the fence line. Bring your brunch and something warm to drink. Insect repellent isalso recommended to deter the bugs.

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See over for August bird counts.

CWAC BIRD COUNTS & HACKS IN JULY

Sun 08h00 Kirstenbosch BIRP CountSun 0 h 0 Berg River Estuary CWACThurs 1 08h30 Wildevoëlvlei CWACSat 1 14h00 Zandvlei HackSun 1 08h 0 Strandfontein CWAC

77 9 3

134 3

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(note later winter starting time)

Wed 17 09h00 Radyn Dam CWACFri 19 09h00 Rietvlei CWAC CountSat 08h00 Zandvlei CWAC CountWed 24 08h30 Wellington WWTW CWACSat 2 09h00 Paarl Sanctuary CWACSat 2 CA CountSun 28 08h00 Langebaan CWAC Count

20

77 all day R

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See June programme for contact details

28June 2013

PROMEROPS 294

OUR NEXT COURSE - BIRDWATCHING FOR BEGINNERSPresenter: Heather Howell

Saturday mornings 24 & 31 August & 7 Septemberplus field outing on Sunday 1 September

See enclosed insert for more details and bookingarrangements.

Highly recommended for friends or family members who arenew to birdwatching.

BIRD COUNTS & HACKS IN AUGUST

Sun 08h00 Kirstenbosch BIRPWildevoëlvlei CountZandvlei HackStrandfontein Count

Sat 09h00

4

24

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Thurs 8 08h30Sat 10 14h00Sun 11 08h00

Paarl Bird Sanctuary

AUGUST cont.

SEPTEMBER

Sat 7 RONDEVLEI OUTING

Meet at 08h00.

Convenor: Merle Chalton 021 686 8951

Tues 10 WEEKDAY OUTING: JONKERSDAM (GLENCAIRN)

Meet at 08h30.

Directions: ,

Leader : Chris Spengler 021 785 2992

Co-ordinator: Mike Saunders 082 882 8688

Thurs 12 EVENING MEETING: “THE CBC ECUADOR ADVENTURE”Part 2 (High Andes to Amazonia)

Speakers: Mel Tripp and Vernon Head

Meet at 20h00.

Sat 14 WEEKEND COURSE - PARROTS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA

Presenter: Dr. Steve Boyes

See enclosed insert for more details and booking arrangements for this course.

Sun 15 MONTHLY OUTING: SIR LOWRY'S PASS

For directions and bookings for this outing contact Mike Saunders on 082 882 8688 orpreferably by e-mail on atserv@mweb.co.za

These regular monthly outings are for all Rondevlei enthusiasts and beginners are especiallywelcome. Duration about 2½ hours but you can stay as long as you like. See under 1 June for directions.

From Cape Town take the M3 towards Steenberg then carry on over Ou Kaapse Weg to SunValley. Continue straight through two sets of traffic lights and then up Black Hill in the direction of Simon'sTown. At the crest of the hill there is a lay-by area on the right of the road (on the left if coming from FishHoek or Simon's Town). This is where the path to the dam commences. We park and meet here.

The adventure continues… from the snow-capped High Andes at 4000m+ where a smallhummingbird, the Ecuadorian Hillstar, survives and locating Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe has many gasping forbreath … literally, in the thin, high altitude Andean air. Then, down to the tropical rain forest via the steamytown of Coca for a 2 hour journey by boat down the Napo River to Sacha Lodge, built on a “white water”lake, to encounter parrots, oropendolas, more tanagers, more antbirds, aracaris, the “prehistoric” Hoatzinand so much more.

For enquiries you cancontact Judith Crosswell at 021 671 1787 (after 7pm) or e-mail judith@kingsley.co.za

This venue has not been visited by the Club for some time, due to the dangerous access and the unsafeparking for cars. We now have a plan to overcome this. The sites in the area boast Cape Rockjumper,Victorin's Warbler, Ground Woodpecker, Striped Flufftail and Hottentot Buttonquail. We intend findingthem all.

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29 June 2013

PROMEROPS 294

ELANDSKLOOF FARM COTTAGES

Situated just 20kms outside Greyton,Elandskloof is a magnificent farm surrounded bythe Riversonderend mountains. There arevarious self-catering cottages to choose fromand lots to keep you occupied. Visitwww.elandskloofcottages.co.za or contactNatasha on either 021 465 8202 (office hours)or

Nestled between the town of Knysna and thefamous Knysna Heads, lies Pumula Lodge - "theplace of rest". The lodge, with its tranquilparkland setting where nature lovers can enjoythe abundant bird life supported by the beautifulgardens. Over 100 species have been identified.Private entrances to en-suite bedrooms, eachwith a deck overlooking the gardens andswimming pool. "Tree-top" breakfasts, secureundercover parking, communal kitchenette andbarbecue facility. Close to golf courses, birdsanctuary and restaurants. Regret no childrenunder 10. Master/Visa Credit cards. Non-smoking lodge. TGCSA 3 Star B&B. Accreditedby Knysna Tourism. Eco-Friendly Establishment.w w w. p u m u l a l o d g e . c o . z a E m a i l :info@pumulalodge.co.za Tel: 044 3841193Fax: 0865 538 292 Mobile: 082 569 7856

info@elandsklooffarmcottages.co.za

-PUMULA LODGE B&B, KNYSNA

CBC SMALLS

CBC Small Ads is a free service to members(max. 50 words).

(“Repeats” strictly subject to space being available).

Cost to non-members R60,00 for 50 words,

plus heading, additional words pro rata.

Cash with order please.For ad bookings/enquiries, Tel/Fax: (021) 981-1275

or email johobbs@lantic.net

BAVIAANSKLOOF, Eastern Cape,

New Birding Venue,

GROOT WINTERHOEK MOUNTAINS

Baviaans Lodge, adjoiningthe Reserve directly, with its own access route,offers a pristine and absolutely unique birdingopportunity in this remote and tranquilwilderness. With 7 plant biomes, 500 plantspecies, over 100 indigenous tree species,Doornboom Valley with a perennial stream canboast over 130 bird species in the area.See www.baviaanslodge.com and contactrob@baviaanslodge.co.za for further info.Special discounts of 20 % offered to Bird Clubmembers.

GLEN HOUSE, KNYSNA

Self-catering units situated in the secluded villageof Lake Brenton opposite Yellowwood BirdSanctuary. Facilities include M-Net, separatebraai areas, covered parking, patio and peacefulgarden surrounds where bushbuck still roamfreely. Seasonal rates from R150 pppd. ContactPat Booysen, Tel. or Fax: 044 381 0048, Cell 072129 3684 or e-mail pbooysen@mweb.co.za

Pristine fynbos, waterfalls, bushman caves, wildlifeand excellent birding including resident pair ofBlack Eagles, Eagle Owls, Nightjars and more.Gorgeous walks and views. Two fully equipped s/ccottages sleeping 6 and 4 in the Winterhoekmountains above Porterville, looking down ontoBeaverlac and Oliphants Valley. R900 and R600per night. Contact: adbrown@law.co.za or visitwebsite at www.ratelfarming.co.za

ELUSIVE ROCKJUMPERS at ROOI ELS

Stay in our cottage Calypso, priced for two to sixpeople and be a 10 minute walk from them. Seeour website

197 birds on our list. Also, fynbos specials Orange-breasted Sunbirds, Sentinel Rock Thrush, GroundWoodpecker. Tel 028 273 8205

www.calypsorooielscape.co.za

OWN A PIECE OF WILD AFRICA!

Don’t just dream of it! Don’t just tick it! Get closeto it and replenish your soul! Enjoy your ownserviced luxury game lodge for 2 weeks every yearon 54 000 hectare Big 5 Sanbona Wildlife Reserve

in the spectacular CapeFloralKingdom! Phone 084 774 6344.www.sanbona.com

The deadline for our September issue will be 10 July 2013

Please support our advertisers when planningyour birding weekends and let us know of anygood stopovers you can recommend. If youcan persuade them to advertise inso much the better!

Promerops,

30June 2013

PROMEROPS 294

The FLOCK 2013 (BLSA AGM) event in early March

31 June 2013

PROMEROPS 294

CBC COURSES COMMITTEE SURVEYThe Courses Committee of the Cape Bird Club requests your comments and feedback on the

running of courses within the CBC. Attendance at courses has decreased over the recent past andwe wish to know why.

Courses are mounted by the CBC to educate and promote birding to its members with a view toenhancing your birding enjoyment, skills and insights. In the past these have been well attended andenjoyed and have contributed to CBC funds for conservation.

Issues we'd appreciate your feedback on are the following and other comments you may like toadd. Your comments will assist the CBC Courses Committee in their future deliberations and planning.

1. Are courses too costly for your budget?

2. How much are you prepared to pay? Please give a range (given the costs ofmounting courses: hall hire, payment to speaker, printing, refreshments, etc.), indicatinga amount.

3. If we obtain the services of an out of town speaker (because of their particular expertise)are you prepared to pay extra?

4. Please comment on course topics to date, were they of interest to you, were they too 'lowlevel' or too advanced?

5. Would you prefer half day or full day courses or a combination during the year?

6. Have the courses offered clashed with other activities? Please give an idea of typicalclashes we should guard against?

7. How many courses per year should the CBC Courses Committee offer?

8. When in the year should our 1, 2 or 3 courses best be run?

9. Please suggest possible topics that would interest you/members.

10. Please suggest possible speakers (and their contact details).

11. How valuable are bird and general photography courses to you?

12. Please suggest the vehicles through which to publicise our courses.

13. other suggestions?

The Courses Committee is keen to arrange courses that you, our valued members, will enjoy attendingat a cost you can afford.

help us to serve you better!

Please Email or Mail your comments, feedback and suggestions by the end of June 2013 to PriscillaBeeton, Chair of the CBC Courses Committee at:

pbeeton@mweb.co.za

or to P.O. Box 716, Noordhoek, 7979

Please give some time to assist us with your comments.

any

realistic

maximum

best

ANY

PLEASE

yourThank you very much for any time and effort you give to feeding back your comments to us. They

will be valuable to our future planning and to the effectiveness of Club.