Kyalami Estates - August Round-up

31 August 2023 - Kyalami Estates

Winter and the cold is slowly fading as we start looking forward to spring and everything that a new season brings. August was a pretty fruitful month in the Estate with a few memorable sightings in the 55 species recorded. The first of which was a Brown-backed Honeybird seen from my balcony calling from the top of a big tree in my garden - it was present for a few days before disappearing

Brown-backed Honeybird (Prodotiscus regulus)

Also seen from my balcony was a Cape Starling collecting nesting material

Cape Glossy Starling (Lamprotornis nitens)

Most of the action was down at St Ledger Dam and also where it is likely to find raptors and August did deliver a few - I had this cracking male Little Sparrowhawk fly by in crisp early morning light

Male Little Sparrowhawk (Accipiter minullus)

A first for me in the Estate was a Gabar Goshawk, although other birders in this part of the Estate have recorded them previously

Gabar Goshawk (Micronisus gabar)

Reed Cormorants are often found in this bigger dam - this one gave some good photo opportunities

Reed Cormorant (Microcarbo africanus)

including a laborious take-off sequence

Reed Cormorant (Microcarbo africanus)

Here a backlit Willow Tree with new leaves just emerging in which the Cape Weavers have already started with their nest building

Spring is about to sprung - Willow Tree 

We have a small and isolated Cape Weaver breeding colony - although colony suggests many birds which is not the case here - we probably have 3-4 males competing for the females attention. The only other sites where Cape Weavers are confirmed is Rietvlei in Pretoria and Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens. I would have expected them at Northern Farm, but no records that I am aware of to date. 

So, it is a treat to have them breeding in our Estate - excuse the gluttony of images

Male Cape Weaver (Ploceus capensis)

I also saw a female bringing in material for the inside of the nest with the male giving a helping hand, I mean beak

Female Cape Weaver (Ploceus capensis)

Male Cape Weaver (Ploceus capensis)

The male checking what the female is doing inside the nest

The female passed him some excess material to dispose of