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Birding Update: May 2013

Bennett's Woodpecker

It’s been a good month and we have managed to find 150 different species for the month. As the days get shorter and cooler, believe it or not, the birding actually gets easier. Many birds attempt to warm up first thing in the morning by perching in the open and are easily found sunning themselves. The bird behaviour has also changed a fair bit and we are noticing more and more bird feeding parties. These parties consist of many different species in a single party and we are finding several special species including the elusive Black Cuckoo-shrikes.

Lilac-breasted Roller

Bateleur

It's an important time of the year for most of the raptor species in the Manyeleti Game Reserve. It is the beginning of the breeding season and we have already found several pairs breeding. Darren managed to get some fantastic shots of a pair of White-backed Vultures in the act.

White-backed Vulture

The African Hawk-eagle nest on Buffalo plains is being watched to see if they use the same nest as they did last year. They have been seen more and more this month in the area and it seems they may use the same site again.

A juvenile Bateleur has also given us some really good viewing and is looking for opportunities to raid the Red-billed Buffalo-weaver nests at Ingwe Manzi. This has also given us some great opportunities for photographing this youngster interacting with another species.

Juvenile Bateleur

A guest that visited us this month for a photographic safari, was lucky enough to see the African Fish-eagle at Main dam hunting ducks. He managed to get a few phenomenal shots of the action. The Eagle didn’t only try once but made four separate passes, isolating a duck from the flock and chasing it down. However every time the Eagle got into the strike zone, the duck would plunge and dive in the dam.

African Fish Eagle chasing a Fulvous Duck
Photograph courtsey of Ken Chias

White-backed Vultures

Pearl-spotted Owlet

Tawny Eagle

Birders big 6

 

Saddled-billed Stork

There have been a few sightings of these magnificent birds over the last month. Mostly the activity has been in the Main dam area with the birds taking time off from their parental responsibilities to feed in their most productive feeding spot, Main dam! The nest seems to be very close to the Kruger National Park boundary, directly east of the dam. Last month we watched the male collecting nesting material and heading into this direction. The number of chicks and how many survive is a mystery and we will just have to wait to see the outcome. We are excited to see the results of their latest breeding effort.

Southern Ground Hornbill

These charismatic large birds have been fairly scarce this month. Jan had a few good sightings in the south of the reserve and the Main dam flock have been seen a few times as well. Usually we have very frequent sightings of these birds, but this month we just didn’t have the luck we usually have.

Specials

African Jacana

African Jacana chick

Having found 150 species in winter, we think we did quite well. A number of special birds were found by myself and our new guide and birding specialist Jan Pienaar. Some of the special birds that we have seen include Bronze-winged Courser at night, Fulvous Duck at Main dam and both Lesser and Greater Flamingo at Main dam.

Yellow-billed Hornbill eating a scorpion

Jan found a Black-crowned Night Heron at Main dam and I had a very special little bird in the Riverine forest in front of the lodge, a Brown-backed Honeybird. One of the better hotspots for Ostrich, is on the gabbro plains around Koppies and we had several sightings in this area.

 

Common Ostrich

We also had multiple sightings of Yellow-billed Oxpecker on the old male Buffalo that stay around the lodge area. Main dam also produced Kittlitz’s Plover and White-fronted Plover on the islands of the Dam, as well as African Snipe seen by Jan on a few occasions. There were also four Black Storks at a pan to the west of the lodge and Grey Penduline Tit at the lodge itself.

African Spoonbill

Burchell's Starling

Coqui Francolin

Jan was also lucky enough to see a pair of White-headed Vulture flying over Main dam.

Crowned Lapwings fighting

Swainson's Spurfowl

Yellow-billed Oxpecker

Sabota Lark

I hope you enjoyed the read and photographs this month.


Darren and Jan

All photographs edited by Darren Roberts-York


 

Birding Update: April 2013

Red-crested Korhaan

 

This really has been a great month for birding and we have seen the summer migrants move north and the altitudinal migrants arrive from the escarpment to our west. Birds starting to show themselves again include African Stonechat and African Quail-finch.

 

Egyptian Geese

The best part of birding in the winter months are that the bird parties that consist of several species, all feeding in the same place. It isn’t uncommon to see more than ten species in one bird party!

 

African Spoonbill mating

Raptors

Spotted Eagle-owl

Spotted Eagle-owl

 

As the dry season swings in, the flying killers of the Manyeleti will start re-building nests and getting ready to mate. This is a time of plenty for them and is the best time to feed chicks and ensure the food security needed for hungry youngsters.

 

Pearl-spotted Owlet

The pair of Hooded Vultures nesting in front of the lodge have already started moving new nesting material to the nest and doing the necessary home improvements for the season ahead.

 

Hooded Vulture

One of the biggest surprises of the month was a Verraux's Eagle found by Patrick on Tamboti drive. This is a large predatory bird that specializes in hunting Rock Hyraxes in mountainous areas. This is completely out of its normal area of operation. However that is the one thing I know about this reserve, ALWAYS expect the unexpected.

 

Verraux's Eagle

There has also been a lot of movement from the usual suspects as well. The pair of African Hawk-Eagle that nest on Buffalo plains, have excited our guests with some interesting sightings, one being feeding on a Helmeted Guinea-fowl. The Tawny Eagles have also given several awesome photographic oppertunities.

 

African Fish Eagle
 

African Hawk-eagle

Brown Snake-eagle

Dark-chanting Goshawk

Tawny Eagle

Birders big 6

Saddle-billed Stork

We have noticed that these birds are also preparing for the breeding season. One of the sightings I had was the male of the Main dam pair collecting nesting material. A few days later we saw both storks flying east, away from Main dam. I believe the nest is on Ntzaka loop east of the dam. We’ll keep our eyes open to see if we can find the nesting area.

 

Southern Ground Hornbill

 

 

These charismatic birds have given us plenty to talk about on safari this month. The flock that really treated us was the main dam flock. It is a large flock and were seen almost on a daily basis. They have a juvenile with them and this youngster looks to be from the previous breeding season.

 

The flock of three that we often see at the lodge hasn’t been seen for a while, so we’re also keeping our eyes peeled for these birds.

 

There is also a flock that we have been seeing on the Kruger National Park boundary, but these birds are still fairly nervous. They have been seen several times this month, so hopefully we can get them to relax a little.

 

Martial Eagle

We have three confirmed breeding pairs of these large Eagles on the reserve. One pair in the north, another in the south and one pair with a nest at Rhino quarry to the north of Main dam.

With winter approaching, these birds will all start the breeding process in the near future. Keeping this is mind, we feel that they won’t move as far as usual and we can therefore find them with more regularity for our guests.

 

Specials

Greater Flamingo

Grey Heron

Grey Heron

Main dam produced another unusual species this month. A flock of about twenty Pied Avocets were at the dam for a few days. This species is usually associated with the Highveld waterways.

African Green Pigeon
 

Lilac-breasted Roller

Main Dam also treated us to another sighting of three greater Flamingos as well as a flock of Grey headed Gulls, another highly unusual sighting for this area.
 

Helmeted Guineafowl
 

Hamerkop

The number of Yellow-billed Oxpecker sightings is also on the increase. As the large Buffalo herds are moving through the reserve we are noticing them more often.
 

Natal Francolin

White-fronted Plover was also seen at Main dam. This species is usually a coastal species and is rarely seen inland. We however, see these birds at Main dam a little more than rarely!

Mosque Swallow

The Verrauxs Eagle was a huge talking point between the guides, and we hope to see this bird again. A Black Sparrowhawk was seen at the lodge and this is yet another bird usually not associated with this part of the greater Kruger area. A pair of Black Storks called Main dam their home for a few days this month and a White-headed vulture was seen at a Cheetah kill at Xigamba pan. This is only the second sighting of this rare vulture in the last year.

Yellow-billed Stork

Yellow-billed Stork

All photographs edited by Darren Roberts-York