In search of 'Falco'

08 March 2025 - Northern Farm

I spent a few hours at the Farm arriving at 6am and leaving once it got to busy with the Mountain Bikers.

An early start is really enjoyable as the Farm slowly comes to life. My mission this morning was to check if Amur's were gathering on the power lines before their imminent departure. It was hard work and I only managed to find only one male, unlike last year when I had pretty decent flocks of Amur along with two Red-footed amongst them

Male Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis)

The rest of the morning I spent in an around the quarry as this area had the least traffic. The Wild Dagga was in it's glory and enjoyed by many species, one of them a Levaillant's Cisticola

Levaillant's Cisticola (Cisticola tinniens)

A Glossy Ibis came in overhead to land and forage in one of the fields

Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)

Yellow-billed Duck did a number of fly by's

Yellow-billed Duck (Anas undulata)

It was great to see White-winged Widowbird - a species not too often seen at the Farm

White-winged Widowbird (Euplectes albonotatus)

On the way back to my car before leaving, a Cattle Egret in the early morning light which always has a special place in my heart

Western Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)

Midrand grasslands

01 March 2025 - Glen Austin Pan

I had a short visit to my local Pan on a bit of an overcast afternoon.

It was pretty quiet on the birds front, but it was really cool to see 4 Yellow-billed Kite's circling over the Pan. 

I will wait until I receive the official SA AviList (the new Global Standard) before calling it by it's new name, as Yellow-billed and Black Kite are now lumped together!

Yellow-billed Kite (Milvus aegyptius)

Most birds were too distant and the poor light was not helping, so I checked the adjacent grassland for invertebrates which was an interesting distraction and proves that there is always something to find and see if you are willing to put in the effort. I found this stunning African Blue Pansy

African Blue Pansy (Junonia o. madagascariensis)

As well as its 'counterpart' a Yellow Pansy

Yellow Pansy (Junonia h. cebrene)

An African Angled Grass Yellow (I assume) - these can be tough if you dont see them with their open wings

African Angled Grass Yellow (Terias b. brigitta)

A Spotted Joker in superb condition and pretty striking under the overcast sky

Spotted Joker (Byblia ilithyia)

I flushed this Moth which despite it's striking colouring was deceptively camouflaged

Hawaiian Beet Webworm Moth (Spoladea recurvalis) TBC

I finally managed to get it onto an open patch where is colouring and pattern can be appreciated - I still need to ID it, but suspect it may be an Hawaiian Beet Webworm Moth

Lastly, this minute 'checkered' Beetle looking like a miniature hot cross bun - no idea what species it is

Beetle sp.

So despite the lack of birds, an interesting afternoon none the less

Kyalami Estates February Round-up

28 February 2025 - Kyalami Estates

It was a reasonable month with 56 species recorded but down from the highest count for Feb with 61 species in 2021.

Not images from my garden, but I did track a pair of breeding Spotted Thick-knee's who had nested in a neighbours garden verge. Unfortunately there was just too much traffic, so the nest and eggs were abandoned

Spotted Thick-knee egg (Burhinus capensis)

At the main park, I recorded Cape Wagtail

Cape Wagtail (Motacilla capensis)

Along with the resident Dark-capped Bulbul's

Dark-capped Bulbul (Pycnonotus tricolor)

Reed Cormorant's were found fishing in the middle dam

Reed Cormorant (Microcarbo africanus)

As well as in my mates Richard garden adjacent to our Estate

Reed Cormorant (Microcarbo africanus)

The Red Bishops were still in breeding mode

Male Southern Red Bishop (Euplectes orix)

Female Southern Red Bishop (Euplectes orix)

As were the Masked Weavers

Southern Masked Weaver (Ploceus velatus)

Down at St Ledger, I came across a flock of comical Green Wood-hoopoes

Green Wood-hoopoe (Phoeniculus purpureus)

As well as recently fledged Thick-billed Weaver's in their reed habitat and out of the nest together with an adult

Thick-billed Weaver (Amblyospiza albifrons)

Juvenile Thick-billed Weaver (Amblyospiza albifrons)

Also in my mate Richards garden, a juvenile Malachite Kingfisher which could be one of the off spring from our resident pair

Juvenile Malachite Kingfisher (Corythornis cristata)

I also managed a Babault's Blue Blue

Babault's Zebra Blue (Leptotes jeanneli)

Along with a low key floral image

Zaagies with fresh eyes

02 February 2025 - Zaagkuilsdrift

I had the opportunity to share and showcase 'our' famous Zaagkuilsdrift road with my birding friends Etienne, Marius and Gary who had never visited this famed route before. We met in the Estate in the wee hours and traveled in one car to reach the start of the road, just as the sun was peeking above the horizon and the sky slowly started lightening.

It always seems to be a dilemma as to where to start this road - we opted with much excitement and enthusiasm to start birding from the start of the road and make our way slowly to Kgomo Kgomo and just see how the morning panned out.

At this time of year, we were not the only ones who had planned to bird this route and there were a number of birders and birding groups both ahead and behind us, as is to be expected. 

In the pre-dawn gloom, we came across a young Gabar

Juvenile Gabar Goshawk (Micronisus gabar)

A little further on, a small bird party that provided a fleeting view of a Common Whitethroat, but followed by a little more obliging Grey-backed Camaroptera

Grey-backed Camaroptera (Camaroptera brevicaudata)

There were a number of Cuckoo species calling and with some luck, we came across a small group of Jacobin Cuckoo

Jacobin Cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus)

Imagine our delight, when a dark morph suddenly made a brief appearance

Dark morph Jacobin Cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus)

We had great birding and banter as we continued and when we reached Crake Road, made the left turn and just over the bridge, a Levaillant's Cuckoo greeted us, very close to the road

Levaillant's Cuckoo (Clamator levaillantii)

A little further down, a Dwarf Bittern watched us pass by from high up in a dead tree - a little uncharacteristic, but enjoyable nevertheless

Dwarf Bittern (Ixobrychus sturmii)

We proceeded to the Lodge, stopping for an Oxpecker on a domestic bovine

Red-billed Oxpecker (Buphagus erythrorhynchus) 

We then visited Zaagkuilsdrift Lodge to check out the camping facilities for a future visit and were told very seriously that we could not bird anywhere around the lodge or car park, unless we paid the visitors fee. So, we just enjoyed a beer at the bar, as it was really starting to heat up by this stage

Thirst quenched, we made our way to Plat River where Lesser Moorhens were calling everywhere, but nowhere to be seen in their swampy habitat. 

There were many Herons and Egrets foraging in the flooded grasslands - Cattle Egret

Western Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)

Great Egret

Great Egret (Ardea alba)

and more Yellow-billed Egrets in one area than I had ever seen before - great for comparative purpose against the Great Egrets, feeding alongside

Yellow-billed Egret (Ardea brachyrhyncha)

We then made it to the Kgomo Kgomo floodplain where we got out to walk and stretch our legs - here Etienne and Gary enjoying the spectacle of birds in all directions

Etienne and Gary on the floodplain

There were fair numbers of Black-winged Pratincole around on the flood plain

Black-winged Pratincole (Glareola nordmanni)

Next stop was the bridge where most birders congregate for a bite and coffee break. We did the same and enjoyed some of the many Blue-cheeked Bee-eater performing around us

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater (Merops persicus)

We were on a mission to get a visual of Lesser Moorhen and managed to find one looking back into the sun, but it was challenged by and submitted to a Common Moorhen that sent it packing after it was slowly walking across the Lily pads

Lesser Moorhen (Paragallinula angulata)

Incoming Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)

Fortunately, we picked up another on the other side of the road with the sun behind us that gave cracking views as it to, crossed from one side of the river to the other

Lesser Moorhen (Paragallinula angulata)

We then started heading back, stopping in the ever diminishing patch of Acacia Trees (seems each time we visit, more and more have been chopped down for firewood). Here we picked up the not always easy to find Great Sparrow

Male Great Sparrow (Passer motitensis)

and in the same area a small interactive flock of Cape Penduline Tits - both lifers for my mates

Cape Penduline Tit (Anthoscopus minutus)

The flowers were all in bloom and enjoyed by a myriad of butterflies and other insects - I picked up African Blue Pansy

African Blue Pansy (Junonia o. madagascariensis)

and Common Diadem as two colourful species that stood out from the others

Male Common Diadem (Hypolimnas misippus)

A Great Spotted Cuckoo seemingly begging on the overhead line caught my attention. Pity the light was so crappy....

Female Great Spotted Cuckoo (Clamator glandarius)

This was followed by another Cuckoo flying in with a Caterpillar as an offering, which the first bird took from the second. I had never seen this behaviour before and later found out that it was the male that offers the female food, in exchange for mating

Male Great Spotted Cuckoo (Clamator glandarius)

At Plat River, an obliging Yellow-crowned Bishop puffed out its bumble Bee plumage whilst taking a break from his display flight over the flood plain

Male Yellow-crowned Bishop (Euplectes afer)

A pair of Red-breasted Swallow's chilling on a dead bush

Red-breasted Swallow (Cecropis semirufa)

And a Squacco in the lush and flooded grassland

Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides)

Continuing, we had a gorgeous Little Bee-eater on the fence line

Little Bee-eater (Merops pusillus)

and much further on near Wolfhuiskraal, a migrant European Roller on the overhead line

European Roller (Coracias garrulus)

By now the temperature had ratcheted up quite quickly and birding activity quietened down at the same rate. We had a great morning and it is always rewarding to show mates who had never visited Zaagies before, what a gem we have not too far from our doorsteps in Gauteng