113
BIRDSCONTOUR REPORT (06.07.'13 – 25.07.’13)
Text from Stefan Rust
2013
(In terms of the Geneva Convention the copyright of these
texts belong to Stefan Rust)
Dear birding friends,
as birdwatching is a relatively new and one of the fastest
growing and a most popular pursuit, it attracts people of all ages around the
world. There can hardly be a better place than southern Africa (Namibia,
Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho, South Africa) to nurture an
interest in birds as it supports almost 1000 bird species, which is about 10
per cent of the world's entire bird. Taking birding to new heights,
Hobby-Ornithologist Stefan Rust together with BirdsConTour represents some of
the ontour bird sightings and several other interesting birding aspects to
showcase the fun of birding, promote citizen science, highlight conservation,
indicate where to view what birds and raise awareness of southern Africa's
(sometimes international) birds and their habitats.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS WORK GETS DISTRIBUTED INTERNATIONALLY
Have a quick look if you, your site or neighborhood is
included in this scientific informational work (alphabetically arranged):
Antl Norbert
Brüning Stefanie & Heinrich
Camp Olifant, Krüger NP. (South Africa)
Camp Shingwedzi, Krüger NP. (South Africa)
Chobe Marina Lodge (Botswana)
Chobe NP. (Botswana)
Chobe Safari Lodge (Botswana)
Davis Marc
Dumela Lodge (Botswana)
Etosha Safari Camp (Gondwana Collection)
God’s Window (South Africa)
Gondwana Collection (Etosha Safari Camp)
Gumlich Sigurd
Hannah Game Lodge (South Africa)
Johannesburg (South Africa)
Kang (Botswana)
Krüger NP. (South Africa)
Lianshulu Lodge (Namibia)
MacMac Falls (South Africa)
Mapesu Nature Reserve (South Africa)
Mapungubwe NP. (South Africa)
Mopane Bush Lodge (South Africa)
Morgenstern Werner
Mudume NP. (Namibia)
Nata Lodge (Botswana)
Nunda River Lodge (Namibia)
Ohange Lodge (Namibia)
Onjala Lodge (Namibia)
Rückleben Sybille & Uwe (Sonnleiten Farm Residence)
Rust Ute (Sonnleiten Farm Residence)
Sonnleiten Farm Residence (Namibia)
Victoria Falls NP. (Zimbabwe)
Victoria Falls Safari Lodge (Zimbabwe)
Walgering Peter
BirdsConTour Report (Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe &
South Africa) Personal Highlights:
BLACK HERON
BROWN-HEADED PARROT
COLLARED PALM- THRUSH
COMMON MYNA
CRESTED GUINEAFOWL
DRAKENSBERG PRINIA
MOPANE BUSH LODGE BIRD & BIRDER FRIENDLY AWARD
NATA LODGE BIRD & BIRDER FRIENDLY AWARD
NUNDA RIVER LODGE BIRD & BIRDER FRIENDLY AWARD
SONNLEITEN FARM RESIDENCE BIRD & BIRDER FRIENDLY AWARD
SOUTHERN GROUND-HORNBILL
VICTORIA FALLS SAFARI LODGE BIRD & BIRDER FRIENDLY
AWARD
Distance traveled: 6 320 km
06.07.'13 Sonnleiten Farm Residence Bird
& Birder friendly Award For their efforts in taking the wild
birds into consideration in the large garden of the Sonnleiten farm Residence,
Sybille & Uwe Rückleben, the owners, got rewarded with a two penguin-rated
Bird & Birder Friendly Award. This establishment integrated part of the
natural trees and bushes in the garden and thereby the wild birds are attracted
to this area. Also feeding of birds takes place to give back to nature, in this
case to the birds, for the space that was used for erecting infrastructure.
Congratulation to Sybille & Uwe Rückleben!
07.07.'13 Onjala Lodge Mountain
Wheatear (1) As a species the Mountain
Wheatear is classified as a near-endemic to southern Africa and the subspecies Oenanthe
monticola atmorii is a near-endemic to Namibia. This grey morph
represents 46% of the species population whereas the black morph (O. m.
monticola) represents 54%.
08.07.'13 Etosha Safari Camp Golden-tailed
Woodpecker (1) To avoid that the fine
dust, created while chiseling the wood with their strong bill, does not enter
their lungs when breathing, nature equipped them with a mouth and nose
protection in form of fine feathers growing over their nose holes.
09.07.'13 Etosha NP., Gemsbokvlakte Grey-headed
Gull (1) It is an unusual sight to see a
gull in such a dry area, as is the Gemsbokvlakte waterhole in the Etosha NP.
But arriving there with a group of guests we found a single Grey-headed Gull
flying over the waterhole, later landing on the parking area to rest. But it is
not unusual to find this gull species at inland waters, nonetheless it is
seldom recorded at the Gemsbokvlakte waterhole.
10.07.'13 Etosha NP., Rietfontein Waterhole
African Fish-Eagle (1) Possibly a
sign of our severe drought. Not only was another Grey-headed Gull observed at
this waterhole, but also a African Fish-Eagle. Unfortunately it was too far
away to having been able to identify what it was feeding on as it was sitting
on a dead tree lying on the ground at the edge of the water. It seemed like a
waterfowl but not sure. Usually this eagle feeds on fish. Mr. Marc Davis saw
this bird a few days before as well.
10.07.'13 Ohange Lodge Common
Ostrich (3) How many of the southern
African ostriches are pure wild animals is uncertain because of the
translocation of the domesticated Oudtshoorn ostriches.
11.07.'13 Nunda River Lodge Bird
& Birder Friendly Award For their efforts in bird conservation
by maintaining a bird friendly garden and being part of the Kavango Open Africa
Route project that strives to protect the endangered African Skimmer and the
Grey-headed Parrot, the Nunda River Lodge was rewarded with a three
penguin-rated Bird & Birder Friendly Award.
12.07.'13 Kwando River, Kongola Saddle-billed
Stork (1) Of this uncommon species there
are estimated 150 breeding pairs in southern Africa and is only in South Africa
classified as endangered.
12.07.'13 Lianshulu Lodge Gabar
Goshawk (1) Out of the entire southern
African population 7-25% are dark morph birds. The one seen here is part of the
10% dark colored Gabar Goshawks in Namibia.
13.07.'13 Lianshulu Lodge African Green-Pigeon (5) It is said that this species does not drink but
feeds on a variety of juicy fruits and occasionally on pieces of flesh, dried
blood and wet and dry mud and soil. Only in southern Africa alone one finds
seven subspecies, in this region it is the Treron calva damarensis.
13.07.'13 Mudume NP. Meyers’ Parrot (4) Being the only bird that is able to break open
the pods and seeds of leguminous trees in miombo woodland, it has abundant food
with little competition.
14.07.'13 Chobe NP., Botswana Wahlberg’s Eagle (1) One pale morph in the Chobe NP. It is recorded
that some birds, possibly juveniles, remain south of the Equator during our
winter and a few as far south as Zimbabwe. This sighting shows that they also
occur in northern Botswana during winter.
14.07.'13 Chobe Marina Lodge, Botswana African Skimmer (1) Here in the Chobe River, bare sandbars and
islands are used for breeding and roosting. This breeding habit leads to this
species probably being endangered in southern Africa. Disturbance through
uncontrolled tourism, local people and habitat loss through mismanagement of
breeding areas are cause for the rapid population decrease.
15.07.'13 Chobe Marina Lodge, Botswana Pied Crow (2) In general, this species is closely associated with human
settlements. They generally increase in numbers, probably because of the
increase in numbers of roadkills and decrease of enemies. One pair attacked a
flying African Fish-Eagle and mobbed it for about five minutes, repeatedly
dive-bombing at it after having gained some height over the eagle.
15.07.'13 Chobe NP., Botswana Southern Ground-Hornbill (3) Numbers are decreasing in southern Africa,
especially in areas of high human population density and/or intensive farming.
Here in the northeastern part of Botswana they are widespread but not common.
Conservation efforts include hand-rearing of the second-hatched chicks
(otherwise redundant), captive breeding and reintroduction. (2)
15.07.'13 Chobe Safari Lodge, Botswana Collared Palm-Thrush (2) The garden of the Chobe Safari Lodge is a
guaranteed place to see this bird. Kasane is the most western distribution area
in southern Africa.
16.07.'13 Chobe Marina Lodge, Botswana Black Heron (9) This bird is mostly known because of its
behavior of forming an umbrella with its wings. Being in the water it forms an
‘umbrella’ by flicking the wings forward over its head for two to three
seconds. The wing tips often touch the water. Often it swallows prey within the
umbrella. Presumably it forms this umbrella to eliminate the reflection on the
water and to lure fish to this false refuge.
16.07.'13 Victoria Falls NP., Zimbabwe Trumpeter Hornbill (2) Today two of these birds have been observed in
the tall trees in the Victoria Falls NP. Not often seen in rural areas but in
this protected park they seem to be safe. Little is known about their breeding
behavior. Not only are the Victoria Falls a UNESCO World Heritage Site but is
the Victoria Falls NP. a Ramsar Site. The Ramsar Convention (The Convention on
Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat) is an
international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of
wetlands. It aims to stem progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now
and in the future and it recognizes the significance of wetlands and their
economic, cultural, scientific and recreational value. It is named after the
city of Ramsar in Iran, where the Convention was signed in 1971.
16.07.'13 Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, Zimbabwe Bird & Birder Friendly Award The
role of vulture restaurants in vulture conservation is receiving considerable
attention from conservationists because most vulture species around the world
are endangered. It is estimated that about 150 Hooded Vultures visit the
vulture restaurant, managed on the lodge property by this vulture friendly
lodge, daily. BirdsConTour encourages and supports this vulture restaurant
project by rewarding the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge on the 16th of
July with a two penguin-rated Bird & Birder Friendly Award.
17.07.'13 Nata Lodge, Botswana Bird
& Birder Friendly Award The Nata Lodge in Botswana is ideally
placed halfway between Chobe and Francistown to offer tired travelers a break.
Nata Lodge supports birdlife with a wild bird support station in the garden and
offers bird watching trips into the Nata Bird Sanctuary. For these efforts in
bird conservation and tourism, the Nata Lodge is rewarded with a two
penguin-rated Bird & Birder Friendly Award.
17.07.'13 Dumela Lodge, Botswana White-bellied
Sunbird (1) With the blackthorn acacia
starting to flower on the property of the Dumela Lodge just outside
Francistown, immediately triggers the male White-bellied Sunbird to advertise
its territory by giving its canary-like warble to its best.
18.07.'13 Mopane Bush Lodge, South Africa
Bird & Birder Friendly Award
Adjoining the new Mapungubwe National Park, South Africa’s northernmost
National Park, Mopane Bush Lodge is situated on the 6 000 hectare Mapesu Nature
Reserve. It is a working game farm, not only protecting mammals but also birds.
The lodge and the nature reserve offers particularly rewarding birding and
plans are on the table to incorporate this Mapesu Nature Reserve into the
proposed Limpopo Shashe Transfrontier Park, incorporating the Northern Tuli
Game Reserve in Botswana and adjacent areas of Zimbabwe, and the Venetia
Limpopo Nature Reserve in South Africa. For these efforts in bird conservation,
Mopane Bush Lodge is rewarded with a two penguin-rated Bird & Birder
Friendly Award.
19.07.’13 Mopane Bush Lodge, South Africa Red-billed
Buffalo-Weaver (1) Males built a nest by
interlacing thorny twigs into a bulky mass containing ‘lodges’, each with 1-6
(sometimes up to 11) nest chambers. The more sticks a male adds to a nest, the
more females he has got in his harem. Frequently the nests are built in trees
or windmills adjacent to human habitation. Should people abandon the site, the
birds vacate their nest. Probably this strategy minimizes predation by snakes
and/or baboons.
Because of cloudy weather for a few days in a row, the
males started constructing nests. This is unusual for this time of the year.
19.07.’13 Mapesu Nature Reserve neighborhood, South
Africa Collared Palm-Thrush
(1) Except at Shingwedzi in Kruger NP., this sight is the only place in South
Africa to see this bird. Mr. Andrew Rae, the MD from the Mopane Bush Lodge,
will gladly assist in viewing this vagrant speciality.
19.07.’13 Mapungubwe NP., South Africa Black
Sparrowhawk (1) In this area this species
is scarce. Historically they were distributed in the Karoo and in some northern
Namibian places, like Otavi and Omaruru.
20.07.'13 Shingwedzi Camp, Krüger N.P., South
Africa Crested Guineafowl (1)
Often this bird is overlooked, due to its secretive nature and because of dense
vegetation it lives in. Uncertainty exists if the isolated Karkloof Forest
population in KwaZulu-Natal is genetically distinct. If it is genetically
distinct, it probably is threatened by local habitat destruction.
20.07.'13 Shingwedzi Camp, Krüger N.P., South
Africa Martial Eagle (1) An
alarming drop of 60% in the population size occurred in the last few years. Of
biggest concern are areas with a high density of powerlines, areas where
temperatures increased, areas where prey abundance diminished and where small
stock farming is practiced. Although protected areas are a stronghold, the
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and the Kruger National Park show a decline of
45%. What causes this is busy being studied and sightings of tagged birds
should please be reported to MartialEagleSightings@gmail.com.
21.07.'13 Shingwedzi Camp, Krüger N.P., South
Africa Brown-headed Parrot (3)
The fairly large population (± 2 500) in the protected area of the Kruger NP.
saves this species from being classified as threatened in South Africa. The
main causes for drastic decrease in its historical range are habitat loss (loss
of large trees) and illegal trapping. Some several hundred wild chicks are
harvested annually for cage bird industry, especially in Mozambique. The 1990
floods in southern Mozambique and the 2012 floods in the Limpopo region, South
Africa, probably led to considerable mortality.
21.07.'13
Camp Letaba, Krüger N.P., South Africa Southern Ground-Hornbill (5) In an attempt to conserve the endangered
Southern Ground Hornbill in South Africa, a few projects are running. In the
Krüger NP., some juvenile birds are ringed with color-rings to find out more
about their movement, territory size, foraging range and habitat use. The
public is asked to report sightings of ringed birds with the date and time, GPS
coordinates if possible, details of location, number of birds, age and sex if
possible and color-ring combination to andreb@ewt.org.za,
scottr@ewt.org.za or to leighc@ewt.org.za.
Four adults have been seen at 13:45 foraging on the ground
next to a herd of Impala together with a color-ringed juvenile. On its left leg
it has a yellow ring at the bottom and above it a red ring, on the right leg a
silver metal ring. This sighting was close to the Camp Letaba-Phalaborwa-Camp
Olifants crossing.
21.07.'13 Olifants Camp, Krüger N.P., South
Africa Black Heron (8) A
group of eight birds flew past at sunset towards their roosting site. This bird
is mostly known because of its behavior of forming an umbrella with its wings.
Being in the water it forms an ‘umbrella’ by flicking the wings forward over
its head for two to three seconds. The wing tips often touch the water. Often
it swallows prey within the umbrella. Presumably it forms this umbrella to
eliminate the reflection on the water and to lure fish to this false refuge.
22.07.'13 Hannah Game Lodge, South Africa
Crimson-breasted Shrike (1)
Hannah Game Lodge is probably the most eastern distribution area of this
species in South Africa. To the Krüger NP it is a vagrant visitor.
23.07.'13 MacMac Falls, South Africa Drakensberg
Prinia (1) No published descriptions of
its call exist on this endemic species. This individual bird draw attention by
its call, like that of the Black-chested Prinia, a loud and repetitive chip-chip-chip,
while sitting in a fynbos shrub. Little is known about its general habits.
23.07.'13 God’s Window, South Africa Green-backed
Camaroptera (4) Endemic to southern
Africa, this species has the habit of being attracted by human movement,
catching flushed invertebrate prey in the undergrowth.
23.07.'13 Hannah Game Lodge, South Africa
Common Fiscal (1) Interestingly
this species is mostly absent from the Krüger NP., similar to the situation of
the Crimson-breasted Shrike. This individual bird was observed carrying an
about 10 cm long piece of cartilage leftover from a braai meat piece,
recognizable on its shape and being spiced, to perch in its bill. Up in the
acacia thorn tree the bird first tried to impale it on a thorn but the piece
was very hard. So he held it in one foot and ate a bit of it but after a while
succeeded in impaling it on another sharp thorn. After feeding but not
finishing it, the bird flew off. Some time later the same bird arrived with a
3.5 cm long piece of bone, most probably a chicken bone (drumstick), also a
leftover from a braai, and without trying to impale it on a thorn in the same
tree, started feeding on dry meat on it by holding it in one foot, sometimes
relieving the foot by taking the bone up with its bill, to then take it between
branch and foot again to continue feeding on it. No record of feeding on braai
leftovers by this species are published in the Roberts Birds of Southern Africa
VIIth edition.
The purpose of impaling prey on sharp items such as
thorns, barb on wire fence or similar, is to feed more conveniently on it, to
mark its territory and/or to impress females during courtship.
23.07.'13 Hannah Game Lodge, South Africa
Bird & Birder Friendly Award The BirdsConTour’s ‘Travel gives Wings’
division completed the Chamäleon Limpopo Tour under guidance of Mr. Stefan
Rust. This division creates money through tourism, giving the guests the
opportunity to be part of bird conservation. Through their participation, Mr.
Rust gets paid for guiding the tour and he sets aside a certain amount of it
for the multiple bird conservation projects arranged by his organization
BirdsConTour. Today Rust awarded an one Penguin-rated Bird & Birder
Friendly Award to each and every guest for participating on this Limpopo Tour:
Mr. Antl Norbert
Mrs. & Mr. Brüning Stefanie & Heinrich
Mr. Gumlich Sigurd
Mr. Morgenstern Werner
Mr. Walgering Petrus
24.07.'13 Johannesburg, South Africa Common Myna (1) Being native to India, central and southern
Asia, it was introduced to South Africa In Johannesburg the Common Myna was
introduced at about 1938. Since then it spread northwards, even a record was
reported from Nata, Botswana, in last year.
25.07.’13 Kang, Botswana Common Myna (3)
Almost 70 years after their introduction to Johannesburg in about 1938, the
Common Myna population seems to explode. Last year BirdsConTour recorded this
species in Nata, Botswana, and today in Kang, Botswana. Clearly visible a rapid
northwards expansion takes place.
25.07.’13 Windhoek, Namibia Rock Kestrel (2) Close observation proves how adaptable Rock
Kestrel are to cities. More than two pairs of Kestrel were reported that have
started breeding on buildings in Windhoek.
Enjoy Birding,
Stefan Rust
Please note: Most scientific information has been taken
from Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, V11th edition!
(For more information contact Stefan Rust on +264
(0)81 129 8415 or birdscontour@iway.na)
