Eswatini (Swaziland) May/June 22 (2 Viewers)

[Helen O]

Have a few birds from my Swaziland trip in May/June. All seen either at Mlilwane (near Ezulwini Valley) or Hlane, in the east of the country.

I have had a stab at id'ing them, thinking perhaps:

1. Ground-scraper thrush? Simply because of the markings

2. Perhaps Yellow throated Longclaw...?

3. Rufous Naped Lark, or....? Appreciate colours not great, as photographed early morning in the golden hour.

4. Quite far, but some kind of cormorant? Reed? White-breasted?

Many thanks.

 

[Butty]

1-2. Yes.
4. Cormorant with long tail (and small bill) inland = long-tailed (reed) cormorant.

 

[Butty]

3. I guess it's a lark. The warm light makes it difficult to judge colours but primaries might be rufous. Only option I can see is flappet lark.

 

[Helen O]

Thanks Butty for your responses, much appreciated.

3. I guess it's a lark. The warm light makes it difficult to judge colours but primaries might be rufous. Only option I can see is flappet lark.

 

[Andy Hurley]

Sorry I missed this, I agree with Butty.

Groundscrapper is the only thrush that is spotty all over the underside in the area. The Spotted Ground Thrush is found futher to the south in ZA on the coast in a strip centred around Durban.

The yellow throated longclaw may be confused with a juv Cape, on looks, but as they don't occur there, see Eswatini bird checklist - Avibase - Bird Checklists of the World it can be ruled out.

The Lark, imho is a Flappet. the greater coverts ( and wings generally) are too dark for Rufous-naped, the bill is smaller (this is difficult to judge, but it appears to be thinner at the base.)

And lastly the Cormorant is a Reed, although it is called Long-tailed in Southern African bird publications and in our very own Opus. The breast is turning black in the upper right bird and it would be all white in the White-breasted, (a subspecies of Great Cormorant found in sub-Saharan Africa) the only other cormorant in the area.