It was a glorious start to the day at Honeywood Farm with
Cape Canaries twittering everywhere and the mewing of Forest Buzzards in the
gums opposite. A pair of Olive Woodpeckers were playing chase and the Fork-tailed
Drongos were hawking from the snags.
We all headed our pre breakfast to the Grootvadersbosch
Forest Park and there were so many birds on the roadside that you almost had to
close your eyes to avoid being distracted too much but we did stop for a
magnificent Olive Pigeon that was perched up absorbing the early sunshine!After parking up we were greeted by a male
Cape Batis getting seriously stroppy at his own reflection in every car mirror available
but at least this gave us the chance to get more excellent views.
Olive Pigeon
Cape Batis
Cape Batis
Unlike out on the West Coast Park, the Bar-throated Apalis
here showed very well and were to become a feature of our stay here. There were
African Dusky Flycatchers, Fiscal Flycatchers, Cape Robin-Chats and Olive
Thrushes around the car park and Red-winged Starlings whistledoverhead.
Bar-throated Apalis- Neil Colgate
African Dusky Flycatcher
Red-winged Starlings
The first big flowering tree gave us all excellent views of
the beefy Greater Double Collared Sunbirds along with the regular SDCSs too. A
Forest Buzzard perched up long enough to be scoped and a troop of Chacmha
Baboons moved across the road. Two Swee Waxbills flew through and frustratingly
we still had not had a good look at them.
Chacmha Baboon
Greater Double Collared Sunbird
A wide track took up down into the remnant forest and we
could hear many Sombre Greenbuls and picked up Fork-tailed Drongos and African
Paradise Flycatchers, Southern Boubou and three Rufous-chested Cuckoos and with
some stealthy creeping we located one sitting above us in a canopy opening.A Bushbuck appeared on the path and a Red
Duiker was seen bounding off ahead of us.
Rufous-chested Cuckoo
Rufous-chested Cuckoo
Red Duiker
Bushbuck
We turned off onto a steeper path and immediately heard a
party of vociferous Terrestrial Brownbuls and I predicted where they would
cross the path and got some good views as they crashed through the tangles. At
the same time the first African Blue-Mantled Crested Flycatcher was heard and
with some patience some excellent views were had of this flamboyant species as moved
around the full height of the forest making it quite difficult to track.A Knysna Woodpecker appeared briefly and was
in the same trees as more Drongos but we had to press on to the regular spot
for our main target – the Narina Trogon.
African Blue-Mantled Crested Flycatcher - Neil Colgate
We stood patiently and waited but it was unresponsive but it
was time well spent for we could hear Yellow-throated Woodland Warblers singing
and picked up a Grey Cuckoo-shrike and heard a Red-necked Francolin off in the
trees.
As we started to walk back out the Narina Trogon called and we
quickly tracked it down as it fed in a smaller tree.Ridiculously close views were had and it even
did that odd, head-cocked to one side contemptuous stare down at us we looked
up!Down below an Olive Bush-shrike sung
but we needed more time to find it while a pair of Olive Woodpeckers performed almost
alongside the Trogon. With stomachs rumbling we climbed back up adding a
Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk on the way and were pleased to see Ian waiting for
us with the bus.Cape White-eyes foraged
around us and Black-Sawwings swooped up and down the grassy paths.
Narina Trogon - Neil Colgate
Narina Trogon
Narina Trogon
Narina Trogon
Narina Trogon
Narina Trogon
Olive Woodpecker
Olive Woodpecker
We sat enjoying our breakfast overlooking the rolling fields
and even then added singing Greater Honeyguide somewhere below us, a Plain-backed
Pipit, Brimstone Canaries and a Speckled Mousebird.
Plain-backed Pipit
Speckled Mousebird - Neil Colgate
The bridge at the start of the Tradouw Valley was our first stop
once we were back on the road and once again offered us some great birding.It was quite different from our first look
with Brown-hooded Kingfishers breeding in the river bank while Giant
Kingfishers patrolled up and down. Namaqua Warblers and Neddicky showed very
well with the former seeing off a female Pin-tailed Whydah. Lesser Swamp
Warblers paused in the open in the reeds below us and groups of both Bishops
and Common Waxbills were coming down to feast of grass seedheads in the
riverbed where Southern Grey Headed Sparrows, Bar-fronted Apalis and Karoo Prinias were added to the small
bird tally.A male African Paradise
Flycatcher with a very long tail flopped across the road and the same selection
of hirundines as last night were still hawking around while Yellow-billed Kites
and a Booted Eagle were up above.
Giant Kingfisher - Neil Colgate
Lesser Swamp Warbler
Lesser Swamp Warbler
Neddicky
Neddicky
Southern Grey Headed Sparrow
The rest of the day was spent driving the long and dusty
roads between Surrbraak (and delightful old missionary town) towards Malagas
and the Buffelsjagrivier.It was hard
work from the bus and the amount of traffic meant that spending time outside
was fraught was dusty trauma but their were avian rewards.
There were Cape Clapper, Large-billed and Red-capped Larks
and African Pipits along with Cape Sparrows and the four Weavers and Bishops
along the roadsides where Capped Wheatears and African Stonechats perched.
Cape Clapper
African Pipit
Large Billed Lark
Large Billed Lark
African Stonechats
Capped Wheatears
An
African Hoopoe flew across the road and was the only one of the trip and a stop
at a bridge for Southern Tchagra once again drew a blank but it was good to be
out of the van a for a while and it did give us a gleaming male Dideric Cuckoo
that flew around us before alighting on the fence.
Dideric Cuckoo
Dideric Cuckoo
Red-faced Mousebirds - Neil Colgate
Red-faced Mousebirds
We got some better views of Cape Crows and White-necked Ravens
and we found Crowned Lapwings and regular pairs of elegant Blue Cranes
including one pair with a youngster that they were tending with delicate care.
Cape Crow
It is easy to see why Blue Crane is South Africa's national bird
Our
scanning of the fields gave us so many large feeding flocks of Guineafowl along
with mustard Yellow Mongooses, Grey Rhebok and Grey Duiker.A comfort stop gave us the chance to watch
the Southern Masked Weavers displaying around their pendulous nests.
Grey Duiker
Southern Masked Weaver
Southern Masked Weaver
Southern Masked Weaver
Southern Masked Weaver
Southern Masked Weaver - Neil Colgate
Laughing Dove - Neil Colgate
Laughing Dove
Back near Honeywood Farm our constant scanning of the rolling
landscape gave us a our reward with a fine male Denham’s Bustard which
generously flew across the road before striding around in a field with some
more Grey Rhebok.A look round revealed
another male on the next hill top and an incongruous African Spoonbill on a
tiny pool where some Spur-winged Geese lounged.
Denham’s Bustard
Denham’s Bustard
Denham’s Bustard
Denham’s Bustard - Neil Colgate
Grey Rhebok
Back at Honeywood we were greeted by a very showy Greater Double-collared Sunbird and a pair of very frisky and spiky Milkweed Locusts before getting ready for another fine homecooked meal. John cooked on the braai
and Miranda and here team prepared everything else inside.It was a fine way to spend our last evening
here and was topped off by a pair of duetting African Wood Owls somewhere off
in the Gums.
A strange day out to see a dead Fin Whale on the beach at
Reculver.Unsurprisingly for 50 tons of blubber
it was still there.The smell from this
66 foot long monster was pretty ripe but not as bad as pelagic chum.Most of the outer layer of skin was gone and
part of the actual baleen plate had come out and was lying on the beach which
was fascinating and it looked like a giant toothbrush.Two men for the NHM ‘disposal unit’ were preparing
to dismember it and actually walked around the body with us and showed us the
ear which they said they would be carefully opening up to remove the ear wax as
they would be able use it like tree rings to age this 66 foot long female whale.They very kindly removed a piece of baleen filament
and given our genuine interest allowed me to legally take home this amazing object.It was beautifully stratified in blue-grey,
black, white and pink and the ‘hair’ that ran through it projected from the
end.
We decided that hanging around while they cut up the whale
would be rather foolish and the chaps (in full body suits) started putting up
some ‘stay back’ rope and given the rather bloated nature of the corpse we
opted to leave rather than get covered in blubber from the imminent chainsaw
action.
The Swale was very quiet with just a few waders and Brents
and none of the hoped for Little Auks so after a bite to eat we headed south to
St Margarets where two Pallas’s Warblers had been found in a small copse near
the monument and with some perseverance excellent views were had.One was typically plumaged but the other was
quite pale and felt more Yellow-browed like until you saw the rump.The whole bird was very subdued. There were
lots of Goldcrests and some smart Bramblings and with the light fading and
temperature we came home.
19th November:
A typical Essex day out with Pete but Abberton was rather disappointing
and was still ridiculously low but we did see eight Bewick’s Swans and a couple
of Goosander.Mersea held no surprises
but the Brents were in in force and Golden Plover were sprinkled across the
Cudmore Grove fields.
26th November:
A visit to a craft fair in Maidstone gave me the chance to
add a SidcupRing-necked Parakeet to my year list!
2nd December:
A totally ridiculous twitch for a bird in a bag to Marton
Mere in Blackpool where the American Bittern was back in ’91.At least we were guaranteed to see this 1w
male Siberian Meadow Bunting as it had apparently flown into a parked car and
been hastily picked up and kept overnight. We arrived at about 0430 and had a
few hours cramped kip in Bacon’s Fiesta before congregating some way from the zoo
car park for an 0800 release.As it
happened they did not release it till 0900 by which time about 500 birders had
arrived.It basically resembled a full
male SMB but the pointed tail feathers were the key aging feature.
It was shown to one and all and then released and was only
seen again after we gave up and left.As
to its origins; who knows? It is a primarily sedentary Asian species that has
long been predicted for some reason as a potential GB vagrant.
Enquiries showed that 1) most Asian Buntings are (including
Black-faced) are imported in the spring as adults 2) They are very rarely
imported 3) They are expensive at £145 each.The fact that both this and Black-faced Bunting turned up as 1w in the winter
seems to suggest that they may both be wild.To get here otherwise would require some very odd importation, captive
breeding and subsequent escape.If I can
tick Black-faced Bunting in the north west why not Siberian Meadow?
[Eds:Now, regardless of all this blathering, I did
not add SMB to my list despite my rather fluid ticking protocols.I have it in my head that there were even accusations
that the whole thing was a deliberate release of a captive bird for some
bizarre reason and that the whole car incident never happened. Perhaps some of
my readers can shed some light on the matter?Back then it was worth a punt and a few years later I seem to recall
going to see another in the dunes at Old Hunstanton.I have seen them in the snowy winter fields
of Japan now and know which day I preferred.]
23rd December:
A mid-morning visit to Thorndon CP where some Arctic
Redpolls had been elusively residing with a big flock of Mealies.I quickly found a 1w male with about 200 Mealy
buddies and it soon became apparent that others were likely and by the end the gaggle
of Essex birders present had agreed on at least two definite Arctics and quite
probably four others in with this challenging flock.Only trapping would have provided the true
number as it could have been much higher.[Eds: It is sad now that most birders will never spend the time to even
look through a large winter Redpoll flock not because it is challenging but
because there are no other ‘species’ to look for anymore. Never give up on looking
for the different.]
26th December:
Another Thorndon CP visit, this time with Dad to look at the
Redpolls.The light was better and the
views superb and a different snowball male Arctic was found.There were dozens of Fieldfares and a few
Siskins, Green and Goldfinches to round up the last trip out of 1995.
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