Mokgalaje the Short-clawed Lark, Polokwane Game Reserve (3 June 2018) Derek Engelbrecht - Birdlife Polokwane
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Mokgalaje the Short-clawed Lark, Polokwane Game Reserve (3 June 2018) © Derek Engelbrecht
The Lark Issue 18, July/August 2018
In this issue
Editors’ chirps 2
CLUB NEWS AND TRIP REPORTS
Taking birding to new heights – Iron Crown Willem Van der Merwe 3
LBJ’s: Facing your fears Ashleigh Pieterse 7
Trip report: Pelagic birding off Durban Jody De Bruyn 10
Trip report: Birding in Tanzania Michael Bosman 14
A breakfast run to the Mockford Vulture Restaurant Mark and Julia Friskin 19
Wegbreek na Gethlane Lodge Richter Van Tonder 23
Trip report: Kgalagadi birding experience Thomas and Anneliese Pretorius 26
Trip Report: Birding in Angola Derek Engelbrecht 30
Medical students learn about birds Peter Mokumo 39
BIRD OF THE MONTH
Pearl-spotted Owlet Daniel Engelbrecht 41
REGULARS
Bird briefs 43-52
Pink Pelican @ Strandfontein; Albino Southern Red-billed Hornbill at Vivo; White-eye
complications north of the Tugela River; Mokgalaje the Short-clawed Lark turns 13
(at least); Another Western Cattle Egret surprise; Tagged birds at the Mockford Vul-
ture Restaurant.
Interesting recent sightings 53
Something old, something new … 55
Important environmental dates 57
Upcoming events 57
Birdlife Polokwane Committee members 58
Editors’ chirps
With so many members spreading their wings to visit distant lands – and waters – this issue can be called the
travel issue. We hope you enjoy reading these reports from elsewhere on and off Africa. Our ‘cover bird’ is our
own Mokgalaje, the oldest lark on record in the world. Read more about this very special lark in the Bird Briefs
section. The winter solstice came and went, so keep ‘em peeled for the returning migrants. Also do yourselves
a favour and visit a stand of flowering Mountain Aloes for great bird photography opportunities. And finally, a
special word of welcome to The Lark’s first advertiser – Hensa Properties.
Daniel and Raelene.
The Lark is published bimonthly. Contributions are accepted in English or Afrikaans and are accepted at the
discretion of the editors. Non-members are also welcome to contribute. The editors reserve the right to edit
articles as necessary. Please send your contributions to thelarknews@gmail.com.
The opinions expressed by contributors in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the editors, the Birdlife
Polokwane committee or Birdlife South Africa.
DEADLINE FOR NEXT ISSUE: 15 August 2018
2 The Lark 18, July/August 2018
CLUB NEWS AND TRIP REPORTS
Taking birding to new heights – and there are only a few low rock outcrops
Iron Crown near the peak, rather than sheer cliffs. A
vehicle track goes all the way to the sum-
Willem Van der Merwe mit, although the final bit is best left for 4
x 4 vehicles. We drove to within about a kil-
Our outing on Saturday, 12th May,
ometre of the peak and walked the rest of
was to Iron Crown, the highest mountain in
the way. It was not a particularly gruelling
Limpopo Province (which is where I live, in
climb and even the more elderly club mem-
South Africa, in case you don't know). The
bers managed to ‘summit’.
peak reaches a height of 2120 m above sea
level and is situated near the village of Hae- We were of course looking for the
nertsburg, about 60 km east of Polokwane. special montane birds of the Limpopo
This mountain, though high, is not at all Province. The natural vegetation up there
steep: the slopes are gentle and rounded, is mainly grassland. But grassland is not at
The final push for the ‘summit’ at Iron Crown – the highest poit in the Limpopo Provinve.
3 The Lark 18, July/August 2018
trees. There were
many flowers, in-
cluding Curry
Bush and several
species of Ever-
lastings, hardy
herbs and shrubs
of the daisy fam-
ily. Near the peak,
there are lots of
Protea trees and
bushes. Protea
flowers are actu-
ally not single
flowers, but com-
pound flower-
Gurney’s Sugarbird.
heads, with actual
all merely grass; there is a host of other flowers crowded in the middle, sur-
plants growing in grassland. There are also rounded by showy bracts. These protea
a great variety of herbs, shrubs and small flowerheads contain copious amounts of
Members taking a well-earned breather at the summit of Iron Crown.
4 The Lark 18, July/August 2018
nectar, hence the Afrikaans name of such as the gorgeous Malachite as well as
'suikerbos' or directly translated - 'sugar the Greater Double-collared Sunbird.
bush'. It is this sweet nectar which attracts
In the patches of short mountain
the sugarbirds! The one that occurs in our
grasslands, we also saw other specials:
region is Gurney's Sugarbird.
Long-billed Pipits, which may be drab little
This outing produced more Gur- birds, but still quite cute. They are difficult
ney's Sugarbirds than I've ever seen before to distinguish from the African Pipit, but
in one place. They were posing prettily on are larger and 'longer'-looking, and also
the proteas but unfortunately my own not as boldly marked as African Pipit.
camera isn't up to shooting birds at long Other LBJ's included Drakensberg Prinias,
range. The two species of sugarbirds (Gur- which prefer shrubby places, and Wailing
ney’s and Cape) are amazing for constitut- Cisticolas, who like long grass and give
ing an entire, unique and endemic family their identities away with their ringing
all on their own. calls.
There were also flowering aloes on We were also very fortunate to see
the mountain, specifically the lovely Krantz a very skulking customer in our area, the
Aloe Aloe arborescens. The sugarbirds Red-winged Francolin. We spotted a cou-
sometimes visited them, as did sunbirds ple on a slope facing the peak where we
were standing.
We saw some
Jackal Buzzards, large
birds of prey with dark
feathers relieved by a
bright reddish-brown
chest and white
patches in the wings,
soaring overhead and
perched on trees to
spy the land for prey.
We also saw a few
White-necked Ravens
flying past us.
Other species
included lots of Cape
Canary, some Streaky-
headed Seedeaters,
African Stonechat,
Red-winged Francolin – one of the highlights of the day.
Cape Longclaw and
Black Saw-wing.
5 The Lark 18, July/August 2018
While the environment was mainly Though we only saw 36 bird species
grassland, there were some patches of in- in total, most of them were highland spe-
digenous forest too. There we saw and/or cials, not at all easy to see near Polokwane;
heard forest specials like Cape Batis, Olive unless you know just where to go, but now
Bushshrike and Sombre Greenbul. We you do!
were also extremely lucky to get a glimpse
of a huge Crowned Eagle, one of Africa's
most powerful birds of prey, flying past.
A view to die for – the view from Iron Crown looking east towards the lowveld.
White Everlasting. The beautiful Hypericum revolutum.
6 The Lark 18, July/August 2018
LBJ’s: Facing your fears over South Africa. After coffee, we got go-
ing with LBJ morphology, different habitats
Ashleigh Pieterse and identifying the different groups of
LBJ’s. It started out really simple but then
I have been birding for approxi-
we approached our first group of birds, the
mately five years now. I was hooked from
larks! I think at that moment every one of
the moment I picked up my binoculars.
us attending broke out into a cold sweat. I
Every chance I get I am out birding, trying
to identify every bird I see, driving every- thought I was never going to be able to do
this, but Joe kept on reassuring us that the
one around me crazy with all the bird lingo.
pieces would all fall into place if we follow
But when it comes to LBJ’s (Little Brown
Jobs) I just look the other way and search the correct ‘elimination process’ and when
we put it into practice the next day it will
for some other bird that is not going to
become much clearer. As the day went on
make me pull out my hair with frustration
things became clearer and thanks to the
(I think you all know the feeling).
brilliant teaching methods and tricks Joe
One day, while on holiday, my dad taught us, we started gaining more confi-
and I were talking about birds while driving dence. By the end of the first day we were
from Riversdale back to Sedgefield in the tired and a little overwhelmed but ready to
Western Cape. We got onto the subject of put our knowledge into practice.
LBJ’s and he told me about this man he
So, the chilly Sunday morning came
knows, Joe Grosel. ‘He is one of the best
and we were very excited. We were ready
birders I know’, he said, ‘We have worked
to face our birding nemesis head on. Due
together before. You should find out about
the LBJ course he presents’. So that is ex- to the very cold weather the LBJs were a
little slow to show. Fortunately, those we
actly what I did and the reason I am writing
did see were some of the best sightings we
this article.
could’ve hoped for. The first sighting that
So, fast-forward to the course. I stood out for me was definitely the Sabota
was excited to finally attend this course Lark. To see this well-marked bird perched
and gain the knowledge of how to go about on the top of a shrub, mimicking all the
identifying these birds on my own and not birds around him and seemingly very
depend on my birder friends. I was excited ‘happy’ despite the cold weather was a
to finally sound like the pro amongst my sight that I will always remember. I
friends. Arriving at the Grincourt Lodge couldn’t stop staring and listening. It was
outside Polokwane, I was greeted with nice to see this species along with another
peaceful rural scenery, a very cute and LBJ, the Rattling Cistcola, on several occa-
busy cat, and best of all, friendly and wel- sions during the morning so we could be-
coming faces of fellow participants from all come quite familiar with their looks and
7 The Lark 18, July/August 2018
Sabota Lark. © Joe Grosel
habits. These were by far the two most play of the Desert Cisticola right in front of
common species we saw during our outing. us. It was as if this male knew we wanted
The next very exciting sighting was the to see him and was using this opportunity
Short-clawed Lark. Being a species that to show off all his aerobatic skills.
people flock
from all over to
see, I can only
de-scribe it as
being a bless-
ing that we
were able to
see this very lo-
calised bird.
What made it
even better is
that we had
numerous
sightings of it.
We saw an
amazing dis-
Rattling Cisticola. © Joe Grosel.
8 The Lark 18, July/August 2018
All in all, it was a successful day and These birds might not be the most
a very productive weekend. I added seven beautiful in the bird world but they cer-
lifers to my list, which I am really proud of. tainly are very interesting. Instead of ignor-
I met amazing people with a great passion ing them, spend some quality time with
for birds, we ate delicious food (thanks them and as you watch them and listen to
Lisa!), and we were taught the tricks of the them you will start seeing the real beauty
trade by an amazing nature enthusiast, and significance of those interesting birds
avid birder and fantastic teacher (thanks we ‘erroneously’ call the LBJ’s.
Joe!). I would definitely recommend this
course to everyone with a keen interest in
birds. Whether you are a pro or a beginner,
it will be worth your while.
Short-clawed Lark. © Joe Grosel
9 The Lark 18, July/August 2018
Pelagic birding off Durban to lure seabirds to the area. The guides for
the day was David Allan and Rich Everett,
Jody De Bruyn both highly skilled birders with many years
of seabird identification experience.
On Sunday the 13th of May at 6 am,
the boat departed from Durban Harbour The seabird numbers were signifi-
for a day of birdwatching out at sea. This cantly lower when compared to the pelagic
would be my first pelagic from Durban. My trip I did from Simon’s Town in 2017. Our
stomach felt like it was tied up in knots … first sighting came in the form of a single
maybe it was the excitement of what could Wilson’s Storm Petrel, which would also
be seen on the day, or maybe it was pre- become the most abundant species found
paring me for that sea-sick feeling that on the day. A few minutes later we had ex-
could sneak up on you and turn your day cellent views of a passing Sooty Shearwa-
upside down and inside out. ter which was followed by a Cory’s Shear-
water.
The aim was to travel about 35 km’s
out to an area that has a significant drop-
off. Here we would put out a chum mixture
Sooty Shearwater.
10 The Lark 18, July/August 2018Antarctic Prion.
As we continued heading out to the and Sooty Shearwaters and White-chinned
chum point, the bird activity started pick- Petrels passing by. Two Antarctic Prions
ing up. A few White-chinned Petrels were dazzled us with their flight skills as they
spotted, and then disappeared beyond the seem to play on the sea breeze. A Great-
ocean swells. We would see them a few winged Petrel made an appearance, show-
more times during the day. We had won- ing off its lengthy wings.
derful fly-bys of
Flesh-footed Shear-
water, which we also
encountered several
more times.
The chum was
disposed of and we
were now waiting for
the birds to arrive. It
was slow going. At
first, we started spot-
ting groups of Wil-
son’s Storm Petrels,
and later we had
more Flesh-footed Great-winged Petrel.
11 The Lark 18, July/August 2018Black-bellied Storm Petrel.
Our first and only species of alba- lengthy two-hour trip. I was happy to be
tross we encountered was the Indian Yel- back on solid ground, but I have a feeling
low-nosed Albatross. It effortlessly glided that I will be back out at sea in the near fu-
over the ocean swells, a master of its do- ture to experience more of these spectac-
main! We continually scanned the groups ular birds.
of Wilson’s Storm Petrels, and minutes be-
fore we were to
head back to
shore we had
sightings of a pair
of Black-bellied
Storm Petrels.
Their white flanks
and underwings
were easy to spot
between all the
Wilson’s Storm
Petrels.
We
reached the har-
bour after a Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross.
12 The Lark 18, July/August 2018Some pelagic seabirds seen off Durban in May 2018. Clockwise from top left: Cory’s Shearwater, Flesh-footed Shearwater,
Wilson’s Storm Petrel and White-chinned Petrel.
13 The Lark 18, July/August 2018Birding in Tanzania
Michael Bosman We departed from OR Tambo to Nairobi
from where we got a connecting flight to
A group of 16 of us departed for a Kilimanjaro International Airport. From
trip to Tanzania from 14–17th March 2018. here, we got onto three Land Cruisers and
Seven members of the party were mem- headed for Tarangire National Park for two
bers of Birdlife Polokwane: Willie and nights. At the entrance gate to the reserve
Elsabe Kamfer, Johan and Jenny Viljoen, we were rewarded with a Nubian Wood-
Rassie and Adri Erasmus and myself. The pecker, Red-chested Cuckoo and Yellow-
trip wasn’t planned around birding but, as collared Lovebird, amongst others. The
so many of us were birders, we did a good Splendid Starlings were quite common as
deal of birding and enjoyed the huge vari- well as White-headed Buffalo Weavers. We
ety of birds there. One of the guides on the also saw a number of Yellow Wagtails at
trip was a respected birder which helped Tarangire. From Tarangire we went to
us a lot. Ngorongoro Crater where we saw huge
Nubian Woodpecker showed well at Tarangire National Park.
14 The Lark 18, July/August 2018numbers of Abdim’s
Storks. A particularly in-
teresting sighting was
an African Marsh Har-
rier hunting Black-
crowned Night Herons.
Our last three nights
were spent at Olakira
Camp in the south of
Serengeti National Park.
It was the calving sea-
son for Serengeti
White-bearded Wilde- Yellow-collared Lovebird.
Yellow Wagtail.
beest with no fewer than 8000 births per naturally there was lots of predator activ-
day! In addition to the 2 000 000 wilde- ity. It can’t be described in words what it is
beest partaking in the migration, approxi- like to see the magnitude of what our guide
mately a million gazelles and 200 000 zeb- estimated to be around 200 000 wilde-
ras also join this natural spectacle - and beest at our breakfast spot on the plains.
15 The Lark 18, July/August 2018Rüppel's Vulture.
Back at camp we saw Beautiful and common. The magnificent Rüppel’s Vul-
Variable Sunbirds as well as Hildebrandt’s tures were very common and dominant at
Starling. We were lucky to see a Marsh Owl kills - which were also very common.
in flight, and Augur Buzzards were quite
White-bellied Go-away-bird.
16 The Lark 18, July/August 2018Yellow-necked Spurfowl.
We also saw the endemic subspe- Overall, we saw 223 bird species of
cies of the Grey-breasted Spurfowl, known which 35 species were lifers for me. Some
as Serengeti Spurfowl, Black-faced Sand- of the other interesting species we saw in-
grouse, White-bellied Go-away-bird and cluded: Yellow-necked Spurfowl, Double-
Rufous Chatterer. banded Courser, Von der Decken’s Horn-
bill, D’Arnauds Bar-
bet, Silverbird, Red-
cheeked Cordon-bleu
and Purple Grenadier.
A trip to East Africa
has been on my
bucket list for some
time and it was a fan-
tastic experience.
Rufous Chatterer.
17 The Lark 18, July/August 2018Augur Buzzard. The Beautiful Sunbird is a really beautiful sunbird. 18 The Lark 18, July/August 2018
A breakfast run to the Mockford way to the vulture restaurant ... a tally of
Vulture Restaurant 53 species had already been recorded!
Mark and Julia Friskin We settled ourselves in the hide,
immediately enraptured by the scene be-
On a crisp winter's morning ten en- fore us. Many Cape and White-backed Vul-
thusiastic birders met on the Mockford tures were perched on the poles and a
Farm Road, anticipating a great day ahead! great number of Marabou Storks were
Flocks of African Sacred Ibis flew over in awaiting the off-loading of some pig car-
their V-formation, a pair of Black-headed casses. A few Lappet-faced Vultures
Herons took flight while the resident Long- showed off their impressive wingspan as
crested Eagle surveyed the land from its they flew overhead and a lone Hooded Vul-
treetop. ture joined in the pickings on an old car-
cass. Leonie was the first to notice the
As the orange, rising sun began to
Palm-nut Vulture in a tree - a special lifer
bask the bush in light, we slowly made our
Members of Birdlife Polokwane at Mockford Farm (9 June 2018).
19 The Lark 18, July/August 2018for a couple of folk and a thrill for all of us.
Every now and then these magnifi-
cent birds would take flight and fill the sky
in an awesome display. Jody ‘The Pro’ cap-
tured a great shot of the Palm-nut Vulture
in flight before it returned to the top of the
same tree giving us ample photo opportu-
nities. It is indeed a feisty little vulture as
we watched it ward off the Pied Crows and
Lappet-faced Vultures when they got too
close to it! An impressive count of five dif-
ferent vulture species made this outing
very worthwhile. Interestingly, four Cape
Vultures and a Marabou Stork had patagial
tags. Most of the vultures were tagged at
the Blouberg Nature Reserve, about 120
km to the north - as the vulture flies.
Sone of the smaller birds viewed Inside the hide at the Mockford Vulture Restaurant. © Rich-
ter Van Tonder
from the hide included: Crimson-breasted
Hooded Vulture at Mockford Farm. © Richter Van Tonder
20 The Lark 18, July/August 2018Palm-nut Vulture at Mockford Farm – one of the highlights of the day. © Jody De Bruyn
Shrikes, Marico Flycatchers, Great Spar- tally of 104 species were recorded on the
row, Green-winged Pytilia, Acacia Pied Bar- outing.
bet, Southern Fiscal and many Pied Crows.
A BIG thank you goes to Richter for
Thereafter we drove to a glistening organising this outing and for his birding
dam. Scanning the bank and water we saw guidance and the Mockford’s for allowing
Black-winged Stilts, Common Moorhen, us access to their farm. It was, as always, a
Little Grebe as well as Cape and Red-billed great experience!!
Teals. A number of Cape Shovelers gave us
a wonderful display of their prominent
blue-grey upperwing coverts. The grass-
lands produced an African Pipit, African
Stonechat, Cape Starling and African Wat-
tled and Blacksmith Lapwings - not forget-
ting flocks of Helmeted Guineafowl.
A cute Pearl-spotted Owlet came to
check us out and further along the road a
pair of Secretarybirds flew across the
fields. Last, but not least, a Rock Kestrel
ended a wonderful morning of birding. A Pearl-spotted Owlet. © Richter Van Tonder
21 The Lark 18, July/August 2018Some of the vultures and a photobombing Pied Crow gathering at the hide. © Richter Van Tonder
Cape Vulture. © Richter Van Tonder
22 The Lark 18, July/August 2018Wegbreek na Gethlane Lodge Dit was toe al skemer en ons is welkom ge-
heet deur ‘n Afrikaanse Naguil (Fiery-
Richter Van Tonder necked Nightjar) wat stil-stil oor ons
gevlieg het. Die eenhede is mooi en
Ek en my vroutjie het besluit om
bietjie weg te breek en tyd saam alleen te gerieflik toegerus. Wees bewus dat hier
ook ‘n groot probleem is met Blouape, so
spandeer by Gethlane Lodge van 1–3 Junie
hou maar die deure en vensters toe as jy
2018. Dis slegs 167 km van Polokwane en
so 15 km suid van Burgersfort. nie daar is nie.
Die volgende oggend het ons
Soos baie van julle weet is dit nie
die beste pad om te ry nie, veral nie op ‘n besluit om een van die vier staproetes te
gaan stap. Maar eers ‘n koffie op die
Vrydagmiddag en dan boonop as dit ook
maandeinde is nie! So, die 2 km deur Burg- balkon terwyl ons die menigte voëls
aanskou wat in die bome baljaar: Kaapse
ersfort het ons ‘n uur geneem, maar ons is
Glasogies (Cape White-eye), Gee-
darem veilig daar deur.
loogkanaries (Yellow-fronted Canary),
Gethlane Lodge is geleë in ‘n klein Geelborswillies (Yellow-bellied Greenbul),
valleitjie met ‘n besonderse habitat Bloukuifloerie (Purple-crested Turaco),
verskeidenheid. Die inboek proses was vin- Geelborskleinjantjies (Yellow-breasted
ing en vriendelik en met ‘n sherrie in die Apalis) en baie Swartoogtiptolle (Dark-
hand was ons gou-gou afgepak en kon ons capped Bulbul). Die roetes is nie baie lank
lekker ontspan op ons eenheid se balkon. nie en ons besluit toe om die ‘Burgersfort’
staproete te stap wat slegs 1.8
km lank is.
Die begin van die roete
was naby die ingangshek waar jy
deur digte breëblaar bosse en
bome loop. Hier het ons spesiale
spesies gekry soos: Baardwip-
stert (Bearded Scrub Robin),
Waaierstertvlieëvanger (Grey Tit-
Flycacther), Blougrysvlieëvanger
(Ashy Flycatcher) en Boskrappers
(Terrestrial Brownbul). Die roete
neem jou oor die alomteen-
Een van die verskeie habitat tipes by Gethlande Lodge. woordige klipperige terrein waar
23 The Lark 18, July/August 2018baie interessante plante groei.
Dit is regtig ‘n baie mooi
omgewing en teen die einde
van die roete het ons o.a. ‘n
Grootjagarend (African Hawk-
Eagle) en Grootheuningwyser
(Greater Honeyguide) by ons
lysie gevoeg.
Na die 2 ure se rustige
stap het ons in die lodge se res-
taurant ‘n melkskommel ge-
niet. Weereens ‘n mooi opset
en vriendelike diens. In die
Baardwipstert (Bearded Scrub Robin).
lodge kan jy ook diere sien
soos Njala, Koedoe, Rooibok, Klipspringer, uitkykpunt wat 20 min se stap is en net bo-
Bosbok en Volstruise (Ostrich). Daar is ‘n kant ons eenhede is. Daar is groot rotsplate
klein gronddammetjie wat Hamerkop waarop jy rustig kan sit en ontspan. Hier
(Hamerkop) en ‘n besonderse Grootswar- deel jy die uitsig met baie dassies! Daarna
tooievaar (Black Stork) opgelewer het. het ons die aand afgesluit met ‘n lekker
Daar is ook ‘n paartjie Dassievoëls (Mock- aandete in die restaurant.
ing Cliff Chat) wat om die eenhede besig is.
Die volgende oggend het ons rustig
Teen laat middag het ons besluit opgepak en die grondpaaie gaan ry in die
om die sonsondergang te gaan sien by die omgewing voor ons huistoe is. Hier het ons
spesies gekry soos:
Jamesonvuurvinkie (Jame-
son’s Firefinch), Staalblou-
vinkie (Village Indigobird),
Draadstertswael (Wire-
tailed Swallow), Pêrel-
borsswael (Pearl-breasted
Swallow), Lelkiewiet (Afri-
can Wattled Lapwing),
Bergkwikkie (Mountain
Wagtail) en ‘n Swerfvalk
(Peregrine Falcon) wat iets
gevang en geëet het. Ek sal
die plekkie regtig aanbeveel
Dis klipwêreld die.
24 The Lark 18, July/August 2018vir dié wat so 2–3 dae wil
wegbreek en veral as jy lief is vir
voëls. Hier is ‘n besonderse
verskeidenheid spesies. Ons het
95 spesies opgeteken vir die na-
week. Ek sal die lys aanstuur vir
enige iemand wat sou belang-
stel om dit te sien.
Dankie ma vir die Flexi
Club punte en veral dat ma na
Ahren vir ons gekyk het!
Die paartjie Dassievoëls (Mocking Cliff Chat) was altyd doenig om die eenhede.
25 The Lark 18, July/August 2018Kgalagadi birding experience We have witnessed numerous ‘as-
sassinations’ carried out by specialized as-
Thomas and Anneliese Pretorius sassins. The 13th Borehole near Urikaruus
Wilderness Camp and Polentswa and Cu-
In May this year we had the privi-
lege of visiting the Kgalagadi Transfrontier bitje Quap just north of Nossob Camp are
major killing fields! All day long we wit-
Park again. We were accompanied by
nessed these attacks being carried out by
friends of more than 35 years and it made
our visit so much more special. Like most Lanner Falcons on the thirsty Ring-necked
(Cape Turtle Dove), Laughing and Nama-
birders, we do not only concentrate on
birdwatching, we also love photography qua Doves. Although the success rate was
and can spend hours at a time photo- on the low side, it was fascinating to see
these falcons come in at great speed from
graphing animals and birds. Apart from the
usual lions and cheetahs we also photo- a distance away and then swoop down on
graphed birds of prey. the thirsty doves, causing them to scatter
for safety in all directions! In all respects
Lanner Falcon with dove caught in flight.
26 The Lark 18, July/August 2018A Lanner Falcon plucking its victim’s feathers.
this is the feathered version of aerial at- Every now and then we heard the
tacks by fighter aircraft on helpless human ominous ‘thump’ as these Lanners suc-
beings! ceeded in knocking a dove from the air and
Although we never saw them share a meal, the Lanner Falcons often squabbled over the prey.
27 The Lark 18, July/August 2018A Lanner Falcon, its crop bulging, going for a second serving of dove.
sending it to the ground. In a flash the Lan- would start plucking the feathers and feed
ner would turn around and swoop down on on the prey. After a while the other Lanner
the victim to finish it off on the ground. In would steal the prey and fly off to a nearby
many instances they hunted in pairs. The tree to continue the meal.
one would knock the doves from the air
To photograph these birds in action
and the other would then come in to finish
is quite a mission. We wished we had the
it off. The Lanners never fed together on
skills of a Jodie De Bruyn to capture these
the same prey. The first one on the scene
fascinating birds in their ultimate glory!
Booted Eagle in the Kgalagadi.
28 The Lark 18, July/August 2018We also witnessed a few Booted the dry Auob River in the vicinity of Uri-
Eagles flying in from short distances to karuus, we spotted a big bird in a dead tree
catch doves at the 13th Borehole. These on the far side of the dry river. We looked
birds are not supposed to be in the Kgala- at the bird through our binoculars. To our
gadi at this time of the year but we sup- utter amazement we recognised it as an Af-
pose that ‘climate change’ may be to rican Darter! There was no running river or
blame for that. We saw some beautiful ponds of water to be found for a few hun-
birds of both the pale and dark morphs. dred kilometres! But there the bird was
The ‘landing lights’ on their shoulders were and we duly ticked it on the Birdlasser app.
so conspicuous when they flew over the
Needless to say, the sighting was
‘killing fields’.
immediately flagged as ‘full out of range’
We also saw a few Temminck's and we duly submitted the required infor-
Coursers at the Dalkeith Waterhole which mation for verification! At the time of writ-
were way out of range according to the ing this article the ‘official decision’ was
Roberts fieldguide’s distribution list alt- still with the jury but we have no doubt
hough not queried by the SABAP2 system. whatsoever about this observation.
The highlight of our ‘out of range’ observa-
We can certainly recommend a visit
tions was a bird that we never expected to
to the Kgalagadi to all our fellow birders.
see in the Kgalagadi. Whilst driving along
Happy Birding.
An African Darter in the desert!
29 The Lark 18, July/August 2018Birding in Angola We left Luanda, heading south
along the coast towards Catumbela, where
Derek Engelbrecht we were to spend the night. Along the way
we passed through some beautiful, ever-
When I received a text message
from Michael Mills ‘Do you want to join me changing scenery. The dominant raptor on
the coastal plains was the Palm-nut Vul-
in Angola in May?’, I already knew the an-
ture, but I was also surprised to see how
swer before I had time to think about it.
Michael is THE authority on Angolan birds, common Bateleur was along the way - ac-
tually throughout Angola, even in peri-ur-
and if you add Callan Cohen of Birding Af-
ban areas in places! I couldn’t help but
rica to the party, it meant I was on a ‘pri-
vate tour’ with two of the top bird guides wonder why the Bateleur seems to be do-
ing well in Angola but is only restricted to
in Africa! No guesses as to what my answer
was. the larger game reserves and national
parks in South Africa. I was delighted to see
It wasn’t all play though. I wanted my first Rufous-tailed Palm Thrush at a fuel
to see the Angolan race (ansorgei) of the station as I had heard one in Luanda but
Sabota Lark in the field as I recently co-au- didn’t get to see it. It turned out to be a
thored a paper in which we came to the very common garden bird - a bit like our
conclusion that ansorgei needs a closer Cape Robin Chat. Other highlights on the
look at - as in ‘through binoculars’. I also way to Catumbela were the stunning
wanted to see the Angolan race of the Golden-backed Bishop, Angola Swallow
Spike-heeled Lark (obscurata) and, of and Swamp Boubou.
course, the first prize was to see Angola
Lark. I also needed sound recordings of all
the lark species for a separate study. Mi-
chael also kindly arranged access for me to
the museum in Lubango, where I had the
opportunity to study and measure some
lark species in their collection. And then
there was birding to be done - and the pos-
sibility of lots of new birds for me!
We arrived in Luanda on the even-
ing of the 9th May 2018 where we spent the
night. The next morning, I opened my ac-
count with Red-backed Mousebird, Bub-
bling Cisticolas and Northern Grey-headed
Sparrow - all lifers. A Golden-backed Bishop male showing off its plumage.
30 The Lark 18, July/August 2018stretch of this track:
Hartlaub’s Spurfowl,
White-tailed Shrike,
Carp’s Tit, Rüppel’s Par-
rot, Olive Bee-eater,
Monteiro’s and Damara
Red-billed Hornbill, but
also Augur Buzzard,
Shikra and Purple
Roller, amongst others.
Back on the
road to Lubango we
passed through some
A young Sabota Lark of the Angolan race ansorgei.
magnificent Baobab
The next morning, we were on our studded country – truly stunning! Along
way to Lubango, but first an appointment the way we had a quick stop, hoping to see
with the ansorgei Sabota Lark. We got the iconic Red-crested Turaco. No luck, but
some cracking views a couple of kilometres we got to see the very shy Pale-olive
outside Benguela and I managed to get Greenbul and Angola Batis, as well as Yel-
some very good recordings too! Many of low-billed Oxpecker, both Böhm’s and
the birds here would be familiar to some- Mottled Spinetails and Bradfield’s Swift.
one from our neck of the woods, although Other noteworthy birds seen on our way
many of them look and/or sound a little dif- included Red-necked Buzzard, Black-
ferent. Some birds seen in this area in- winged Red Bishop and the local subspe-
cluded Jacobin Cuckoo, Long-billed Crom- cies of White-winged Widow – distin-
bec, Kalahari Scrub Robin Temminck’s guished by its unusually long tail.
Courser, Red-crested Korhaan, Scaly-
feathered Finch and Grey-backed
Sparrow-lark – see what I mean?
Other familiar western birds seen
were Pririt Batis, Dusky Sunbird and
Chat Flycatcher, to name a few.
Less than 20 km up the road,
Michael took us on a small track be-
tween some low-lying hills. After-
wards we dubbed the spot ‘Little Na-
mibia’ as we saw so many central Na-
mibian specials along a 300 m Hartlaub's Spurfowl.
31 The Lark 18, July/August 2018Early morning and we were off to
Tundavala, hoping to see the enigmatic An-
golan race of the White-headed Barbet.
This isolated subspecies (the closest con-
specific populations are more than 2000
km away!) hasn’t been recorded in Angola
since the early 1970’s! However, there was
a sighting near the Tundavala Gap in 2017
and that’s where we were heading. A short
hike down a valley got us to a beautiful wa-
terfall and the spot where the birds were
last seen. No sooner had we put our back-
packs down when Michael shouted ‘White-
The shy Pale-olive Greenbul.
headed Barbet!’. A pair appeared from no-
We arrived at Lubango late in the where but flew right past us and disap-
afternoon, but I immediately got going peared behind the crest of the hill. After
with my work at the museum (Instituto Su- some debating whether we should wait for
perior de Ciências de Educação) to buy my- them to return, or see if we could track
self some time to go birding at Tundavala, them down, we upped and got climbing. I
a short drive from Lubango, the next morn- was relieved when we found them after a
ing. The museum has a very impressive and short climb. This time, we all got good
well-maintained study skin collection of views of them before they took to the wing
Angolan birds. Here I got to see some of again.
the subspecies that are either absent from
or which only have a few representatives in With such a stunner on our list,
South African natural history museums. some of the other specials seen on our
walk sadly paled in compari-
son. But let me give them an
honourable mention here:
Angolan Swee, Northern Fis-
cal, Angolan Cave Chat,
Rockrunner, Oustalet’s Sun-
bird and Angola Slaty Fly-
catcher. Of interest, were
fairly large numbers of
Booted Eagles at Tundavala.
Is this a wintering area for
the South African popula-
tions? Any larks at Tunda-
At work in the museum in Lubango. vala? Yes, we saw Rufous-
32 The Lark 18, July/August 2018Jameson’s Firefinch. I
also saw, photo-
graphed and rec-
orded what I believe
was Long-billed Pipit
at Tundavala, but the
jury is still out on this
one. While grappling
with this ‘mystery’
pipit, I heard a fran-
colin but couldn’t
place its call. Later,
when Michael and
Callan, joined up
The enigmatic White-headed Barbet at Tundavala.
with me, we went to
naped, Red-capped and Spike-heeled the spot where I had heard it. I played the
Larks. I was to return to Tundavala the next recording to Michael who confirmed it as
day to get to know the Spike-heeled Larks the extremely rare, Angolan endemic
(race obscurata) a bit better. Swierstra’s Francolin. We heard the bird
calling from scrub not far from where we
The next day I was dropped off near
were standing, so Callan and I rushed to an
the spot where we saw the Spike-heeled
elevated point above a narrow gulley and
Larks the previous day, while Michael and
waited for it to show. The bird was calling
Callan went off to see if they could find the
quite a bit and we could see the bracken
White-headed Barbets again. As it was still
dark when I was dropped off, I was able to
hear the Tundavala dawn chorus which in-
cluded Fiery-necked Nightjar, Fülleborn’s
Longclaw, Angolan Cave Chat, and Cinna-
mon-breasted Buntings, amongst others.
I had a great time watching the
Spike-heeled Larks and also managed to
get some decent recordings of their vocali-
zations. While walking through the grass-
lands looking for more Spike-heeled Lark
groups, I flushed some Quailfinches and
had good views of Rock Kestrel, Short-toed
Rock Thrush, Black-faced Canary and the
We were lucky to see the endemic and very rare Swier-
very striking Angolan race (ansorgei) of stra's Francolin.
33 The Lark 18, July/August 2018ferns moving from time to time, but we were lucky to pick up two good birds –
just couldn’t get a visual. After what felt Black-necked Eremomela and Yellow-bel-
like an eternity, it briefly showed before lied Hyliota – in no time.
disappearing back into the undergrowth,
Mount Moco, Angola’s highest
not to be seen again. And that was it for
mountain, is arguably one of the top bird-
Tundavala – back to the museum and burn-
ing destinations in Africa. It is also one of
ing the midnight oil as we were off to
the most important sites in Angola for the
Mount Moco the next day.
conservation of Afromontane forests and
Highlights on the way to Mount the fauna and flora associated with it. It is
Moco included Dusky Indigobird mimicking also one of the strongholds of the rare
Dusky Twinspot. Indigobirds are regarded Swierstra’s Francolin and boasts an impres-
as host-specific brood parasites, with Afri- sive list of other special birds. Years of de-
can Firefinch being the typical host of forestation, coupled with frequent fires,
Dusky Indigobird. So, what did we have have decimated many of the patches of
here: an undescribed species of indigobird, forests on the slopes of Mount Moco. Mi-
or are some indigobirds not all that host- chael is managing a community-based eco-
specific? tourism project at Mount Moco with the
long-term aim of reforesting the forests
and encouraging the sustainable and re-
sponsible use of environmental resources
by the community. So, while Michael was
managing his project, Callan and I had time
for some quality birding.
We set up our camp at Mount
Moco in the grasslands not far from the vil-
lage of Kanjonde. It was a good spot as
there were several resident Angola Larks
around. To hear their peculiar but eupho-
nius song first thing in the morning is just
New species or multi-host brood parasite? Dusky Indigo-
the way to start your day. Our campsite
bird at Mount Moco. also happened to be next to a rocky out-
crop favoured by a covey of Finsch’s Fran-
I also found it astounding that Blue-
colin. If Swierstra’s Francolin is difficult to
spotted Wood Doves were ‘trash’ birds and
see, then Finsch’s Francolin is virtually im-
were calling at virtually every stop along
possible. Fortunately, we managed a rea-
our way. They were as common as Emer-
sonable view after about two days.
ald-spotted Wood Doves are over here. Ap-
proaching Mount Moco, we made a quick Day 1 at Moco saw us doing some
stop at a patch of Miombo Woodland and forest birding above Kanjonde. Some of the
34 The Lark 18, July/August 2018chinned Weaver, Schalow’s Turaco, and
Yellow-throated Leaflove, to name but a
few. I also had more views of Swierstra’s
Francolin, including the female. Apart from
seeing these special birds, it was also inter-
esting to see some of our lowveld birds at
high altitude. For example, we saw Tropical
Boubou and Mosque Swallows at 2000 m
above sea level in forest and grassland re-
spectively. Never a dull moment and, all in
all, an exceptional day’s birding.
The next day, Callan and I drove to
Finsch's Francolin - skulker supreme! a spot known to host a resident colony of
Bocage’s Weaver and where Bocage’s Sun-
good birds seen in a crazy morning of bird-
bird was also seen recently. We picked
ing included Fawn-breasted Waxbill,
them up quite easily and were also re-
White-tailed Blue Flycatcher, Western
warded with good views of the absolutely
Tinkerbird, Black-collared Bulbul, Black-
gorgeous Black-and-rufous Swallow. Other
backed Barbet, Ludwig’s Double-collared
noteworthy birds included Salvadori’s Ere-
Sunbird, African Hill Babbler, Black-
momela, Sooty Chat, Broad-tailed Paradise
The sought-after Bocage's Sunbird - male (above) singing to a female (below).
35 The Lark 18, July/August 2018Whydah, Moustached Grassbird, Miombo billed Pipit, Evergreen Forest Warbler,
Scrub Robin, Flappet Lark and, you guessed Green-backed Honeybird, and African Yel-
it, the ever-present Blue-spotted Wood low White-eye. Yet another interesting
Dove. An interesting phenomenon at this phenomenon at Mount Moco is the occur-
site is the fairly high incidence of melanis- rence of dark morph Horus Swifts in a col-
tic/dark morph Red-collared Widows, es- ony on the edge of Kanjonde village. While
sentially a ‘collarless’ Red-collared Widow. watching them for about half an hour, I
I was pleased to see quite a few of these counted at least four ‘black-rumped’ Horus
birds at this spot and watching one of the Swifts. With the dark morph Red-collared
males building a nest. Widows and Horus Swifts at Mount Moco,
this might just be the heart of Dark Africa.
Our last full day at Moco was set
aside to climb Mount Moco’s sister peak to The last leg of our journey saw us
see some of the real highland specials, heading towards Kumbira Forest, one of
amongst others an isolated race of Moun- the premier birding destinations in Angola,
tain Wheatear. After a really tough walk, and a must if you go to Angola. The road to
we were rewarded with excellent views of the forest is rather hectic, but you’ll soon
these birds. I also managed to get some forget the chipped teeth and blows your
good views of Angola Lark at the top and body took when you see what Kumbira has
was able to spend quite a bit of time just to offer. I half knew it was a special place,
watching them go about their business at but when we got onto the gravel road and
2400 m above sea level. Other good ticks Michael said: ‘You are going to get lots of
included the Mount Moco race of Long-
Dark(morph) Africa. Moco boasts a relatively high incidence of dark-morph individuals of these two species. On the left
are two ‘black-rumped’ Horus Swifts with a ‘normal’ individual in the background, and on the right is a ‘collarless’ Red-
collared Widow.
36 The Lark 18, July/August 2018Star bird! Angola Lark at Mount Moco.
birds here’, I wasn’t sure if he meant it as a something familiar!), it gave my brain time
general statement or as a warning to keep to catch up with what had just happened. I
my wits about me. It turned out to be can’t do justice to all the great birds I have
somewhat of a warning, because soon af- seen at Kumbira Forest, but the following
ter, he and Callan
started calling the
names of one special
bird after another.
Admittedly, I have
never even heard of
some of them. What
followed was proba-
bly the most intense
and mind-blowing
birding experience
I’ve ever had, so
much so, that when
Michael called ‘Grey
Waxbill’ (finally
The iconic Naked-faced Barbet at Kumbira Forest.
37 The Lark 18, July/August 2018birds deserve to be called out: Pulitzer’s and Black-necked Weavers, Red-headed
Longbill, Naked-faced Barbet, Pink-footed Quelea and Landana Firefinch!
Puffback, African Golden Oriole, Rufous-
Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay
vented Paradise Flycatcher, African Blue
long as we still had a long drive ahead to
Flycatcher, Yellow-whiskered Greenbul,
Luanda. We recorded 310 species on our
Falkenstein’s Greenbul, Lowland Masked -,
trip and I left Angola with the dubious dis-
Black-throated - and Buff-throated Apalis,
tinction as probably the only birder who
Hartert’s Camaroptera, Forest Scrub Robin,
hasn’t seen the iconic Red-crested Turaco
Gabela Akalat, Green-headed -, Olive-bel-
(at least I heard it). But I’ll be back!
lied - and Carmalite Sunbirds, Dark-backed
Some of the special birds seen on the trip in Angola. Clockwise from top left: Mountain Wheatear (Mount Moco), Pulitzer’s
Longbill (Kumbira), Black-and-rufous Swallow (Mount Moco), Bocage’s Weaver (Mount Moco), Black-backed Barbet (Mount
Moco), Schalow’s Turaco (Mount Moco), Black-throated Apalis (Kumbira), Anchieta’s Barbet (Cassongue), and Spike-heeled
Lark (Tundavala).
38 The Lark 18, July/August 2018Medical students learn about birds Wednesday morning, curious when they
saw the professor’s ringing equipment on
Peter Mokumo
the table.
It was a strange scene to see the
He talked to them as he had done
class of first year medical students of the
to hundreds of Zoology students before:
University of Limpopo hurriedly passing
the importance of bird ringing and the
through a patch of tall grass on campus,
need to conserve birds. He then led them
away from their usual comfortable lecture
to the mist nets, demonstrated how to cau-
hall. On the other side of the patch, in an
tiously handle birds and safely remove
abandoned thatch-roofed structure, stood
them from the nets. He further demon-
the ‘Larkman’, Professor Derek Engel-
strated the procedure of ringing birds,
brecht, an ornithologist at the university.
while explaining how to identify certain
He had been expecting the students and
species and also talked to them about the
they too were eager to meet him. There
birds’ different moulting patterns. Some of
was excitement among the students that
The medical students at UL being told about the value of bird ringing.
39 The Lark 18, July/August 2018Some students were given the opportunity to release a bird after it was ringed.
the special birds captured that morning in- ties. Dyuksha Singh and Hassinah Moham-
cluded the Village Indigobird, Jameson’s med loved handling the birds, while Martin
Firefinch and the Green-winged Pytilia, Makofane and Melissa Coetzer enjoyed re-
amongst others. Like always, for first time leasing them. ‘I never thought that releas-
birders, the Blue Waxbill was considered to ing birds could be such fun’ remarked
be ‘cute’. Sthembiso Silindza.
The ringing demonstration evolved This was the first time the medical
into an impromptu discussion about cul- students at our university were exposed to
tural perceptions of birds when some stu- live birds in the hand and were told the im-
dents realized for the first time the need portance of taking care of our wild birds.
for conservation of birds. It was also inter- We invited them to join our regular bird
esting to hear them talk about the cultural walks on campus to continue learning
beliefs regarding birds from different eth- more about birds. We believe that educat-
nic groups. Others, such as Nsuku Baloyi, ing our future doctors about bird conserva-
lamented how they used to kill birds for tion will have a positive impact in our com-
sport, while Katlego Mashatole com- munities.
mented about how what she has learned
can be communicated to local communi-
40 The Lark 18, July/August 2018BIRD OF THE MONTH
PEARL-SPOTTED OWLET Glaucidium perlatum
Of the three smallest owl species in head and the white ‘pearly’ spots on the
the southern African region, the Pearl- head and tail.
spotted Owlet Glaucidium perlatum is
Being primarily nocturnal, this
certainly the most widespread of them.
owlet feeds on a wide range of prey
Occurring in savannah woodlands of
including insects, rodents and bats. During
Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, the
the day lizards, snakes and other birds are
northern regions
also consumed.
of South Africa,
They breed from
and Mozambique.
August to
Identified most
December and
easily by its
nest inside a tree
distinctive ‘peu-
cavity. When
peu-peu-peu-
searching for a
peeeu’ call, the
suitable cavity,
Pearl-spotted
Pearlys are known
Owlet shouldn’t
to predate other
be too challenging
nesting birds
to distinguish from
breeding in the
the other small
cavity. Unable to
owl species. The
excavate their
only possible
own cavities,
confusing species
those created by
is the similar-
woodpeckers and
looking African
barbets are
Barred Owlet
favoured, often
Glaucidium
leading to intense
capense.
competition
However, the two
between these
are split by the
Pearl-spotted Owlet. and other cavity-
distinctive barring
users such as
on the chest and tail of the latter species.
hornbills, starlings and even bees. Two to
In general, the Pearl-spotted Owlet is
four eggs are laid and nests are
identified by its small size (75 g), distinctive
occasionally lined with green leaves. The
call, false black eyes on the back of the
41 The Lark 18, July/August 2018female incubates alone, but the male interesting of the owl species in the
provisions her and the nestlings with food. southern African region and they are
Incubation lasts about a month and newly always a pleasure to observe.
hatched chicks are covered in a fluffy white
When and Where?
down which lasts for about 10 days. A
month after hatching, the chicks leave the Pearl-spotted Owlets are one of the
nest but are still fully dependent on the easiest of the owl species to find and
parents for food. Another month after identify. They can be seen in a variety of
fledging, the young owlets are able to fend habitats, especially in reserves and parks
for themselves. and are easily located by their call. Locally,
there are a few pairs in the Polokwane
Pearl-spotted Owlets are highly
Game Reserve and a night-drive on the
territorial with nests separated around 800
Soetdorings-Bylsteel Road or the
m apart. Trespassing often results in an
Tweefontein-Papkuil smallholdings area
aggressive fight between individual birds.
should deliver this goody.
The habits and social structure of these
owlets make them one of the most
These Pearl-spotted Owlet nestlings are 2–3 days old.
42 The Lark 18, July/August 2018REGULARS
Bird briefs strange as we only saw the one bird
sporting this odd plumage. Pelicans are
Pink Pelican @ Strandfontein colonial so if our Pink Dye Hypothesis was
to hold water, one would expect more pink
G Derek and Daniel Engelbrecht
birds in the pod of pelicans we were
No, the title isn’t advertising for a looking at.
funky, contemporary restaurant or bar. On
Although, as the species common
26 April 2017, while birding at
name implies, the plumage in adult birds
Strandfontein Sewage Works, our
tends to be white (apart from the primary
attention was drawn to an unusual sight: a
and secondary flight feathers which are
PINK Great White Pelican. Our first
brown or blackish), Great White Pelicans
impression was that it somehow got its
often have a pinkish or greyish tinge. The
feathers stained by swimming in some
pink tinge, which is mostly visible on the
industrial effluent. However, this seemed
back and head regions during the breeding
The Great 'Pink' Pelican busy preening.
43 The Lark 18, July/August 2018A close-up of the pink Great White Pelican at Strandfontein Sewage Works.
season, is derived from an orange-red irritated preen gland. Any alternative
secretion of the uropygial gland which the suggestions as to what may have caused
bird spreads all over the feathers during this will be appreciated.
preening (Stegman 1956). The intensity
References
varies geographically and depends on the
diet. Interestingly, this pink tinge is short- Baxter RM and Urban EK 1970. On the nature and
lived and tends to fade quite quickly once origin of the feather coloration in the great white
pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus roseus in Ethiopia.
incubation commences and, as such, it is
Ibis 112: 336-339.
believed to play a role in mate selection or
courtship (Feely 1962; Baxter and Urban, Delhey K, Peters A and Kempenaers B 2007.
Cosmetic coloration in birds. Occurrence, function
1970; Delhey et al. 2007).
and evolution. American Naturalist 169: S145-S158.
To conclude, although a pink tinge Feely JM 1962. Observations on the breeding of the
is to be expected during the breeding White Pelican, Pelecanus onocrotalus, at Lake St.
season, it is clear from the images that this Lucia, Zululand, during 1957 and 1958.
is more than just a tinge. It is difficult to Lammergeyer 2: 10-20.
explain the proximate causes of the Stegmann B 1956. Über die Herkunft des flüchtigen
excessive pink staining seen in this bird, rosenroten Federpigments. Journal für
but it is most likely that it may have a Ornithologie 97: 204-205.
pathological origin, e.g. an over-active or
(E-mail: faunagalore@gmail.com)
44 The Lark 18, July/August 2018colours, due to the absence of the enzyme
tyrosinase. Albino birds therefore lack any
pigment in their skin and feathers and the
birds appear all-white. The absence of
Albino Southern Red-billed Hornbill
pigment in the eyes means we are able to
at Vivo see the blood vessels in the retina, hence
Johan Van Wyk and Derek Engelbrecht the pink eyes.
On 24 May 2018, Sampie Roets Apart from the shape of the bill
photographed an albino Southern Red- which tells us it is a Southern Red-billed
billed Hornbill on his farm Maanschyn near Hornbill, one can actually see a bit of red in
Vivo. Interestingly, the albino bird was the albino bird’s bill. This is because
observed in the company of another albinism is only the result of an inability to
hornbill which, although not an albino, also produce melanin, and it does not affect the
seemed to have a colour abnormality. production of carotenoids, i.e. the
pigments responsible for the red, orange
We are of the opinion that the
and yellow pigments of a bird.
hornbill is an albino, as it seems as though
its eyes are pinkish-red, one of the tell-tale We wish to thank Sampie Roets for
signs of albinism. Albinism is a genetic sharing this remarkable sighting with us.
mutation which affects the production of
(E-mail: faunagalore@gmail.com)
melanin, i.e. the pigment responsible for
black, brown, buff and certain rufous
The albino Southern Red-billed Hornbill photographed near Vivo.
45 The Lark 18, July/August 2018Editor: The following article was written by Hugh Chittenden to assist birders in KwaZulu-Natal with
identification of Cape and African Yellow White-eyes in that region. As many of us find it difficult to
distinguish these two species in the Limpopo Province, Hugh kindly agreed to the use of this very interesting
note for our newsletter. We express our sincere gratitude to Hugh for sharing his knowledge and beautiful
photos with us.
Lawson’s note below are taxonomically
lumped as one species these days.
Firstly, Cape White-eyes aren't all a
White-eye complications north of standard greenish/yellow colour (Fig. 1),
the Tugela River some have varying amounts of pale
grey/green on their bellies and others are
Hugh Chittenden noticeably yellowish (Fig. 2), making them
look deceptively like African Yellow White-
The nectar season is almost upon
eyes! Uncommon greyish-bellied (Fig. 3)
us so white-eyes will become more notice-
forms may also be found but are more fre-
able, especially towards the end of August
quently seen just inland, e.g. in Eshowe
when the Schotia brachypetala flowers
and adjacent forests, but also sometimes
begin to drip with nectar! Now is a good
along the coast. The images below show
time to practice your skills and learn to sep-
some of this individual variation of white-
arate Cape White-eyes from African Yellow
eyes in KwaZulu-Natal. The important
White-eyes, as all is not as smooth sailing
thing to note with all three of the birds be-
as you may think.
low is that the white eye-ring is broken by
According to SABAP2 data, African a dark patch adjacent to the black lores. Af-
Yellow White-eyes don’t occur south of St. rican Yellow White-eyes have unbroken
Lucia, in spite of the 1966 Walter Lawson white eye-rings.
publication (see below). Note that the
Green and Cape White-eyes mentioned in
Extract from: Lawson W 1966. Natal Bird Club News Sheet 139: 2.
46 The Lark 18, July/August 2018Fig. 1. The bird above is typical of an 'average' Cape White-eye with green/yellow plumage and is found mostly
just west of the coastal littoral (eg. in Eshowe, Ongoye Forest etc.). The bird is feeding on Schefflera umbellifera
fruit.
Fig. 2. The bird above is also that of a Cape White-eye, but note that it is a great deal yellower, so you'd be
forgiven if you thought it was an African Yellow White-eye. This bird was photographed in Mtunzini and many
of the white-eyes along the coastal littoral in this area are similar to this individual.
Fig. 3. Uncommon greyish-bellied forms
of Cape White-eyes are more frequently
seen just inland but also sometimes
along the coast. This bird is feeding on
Burchellia bubalina nectar.
47 The Lark 18, July/August 2018You can also read
