Southern African Forum (2 Viewers)

[Sal]

More photos from Hluhluwe/Imfolozi

Alan, it was a little nerve-wracking, but also very exciting and great to see lions in such good health.

Here are a few more pics: First a Crested Guineafowl, then a Cattle Egret in the rain; it was following the buffalo to pick up any insects that they disturbed as they brushed through the grass. The third pic is of an Orange-breasted Bush-shrike and then the buffalo. This guy was the leader of the pack! Finally a pic of the sunrise and the mist on the day we left. You will have to click on this to see the mist!

 

[Martin Hobbs]

The pics below show the Schotia brachypetala, the Coucal with the greenish tail, the weird lioness pic, a Bearded Scrub-robin and a Black-crowned Tchagra.

Sal,
Thanks for the report. As usual the style is easy, entertaining and informative.
The Coucal is a bit of a mystery to me as well, although the behaviour of this one seems to be conducive to the behaviour of many of the Coucals that we see, as my wife often says “in the book they say Coucals are shy and secretive, but nobody has told this one that!”
I will check my previous pics of Coucals and check the tails.
Shame about the weather, it doesn’t make for good birding.
As for the Schotia brachypetala, when these are in flower there aren’t many birds that can resist this tree. There is a large example in Skukuza at the end of the car park which when in flower is covered in birds. The other places to see this tree in flower is along the Crocodile Bridge to Lower Sabie road along the riverside, again when in flower they are full of noisy birds enjoying the bounty.
As usual in Natal everything flowers earlier than in the Highveld or even the Lowveld. I look forward to these trees flowering later August and early September.
I actually have a Weeping Boer-Bean growing in my garden, although in the 7 years we are in the house it hasn’t grown to more than 2m high, although it does flower, but not profusely as in Natal and the Lowveld. I have collected and grown others plants from seed from this one tree, although the new plants have not survived the JHB winters even though I have protected them and so only this one survives.

Martin

 

[Martin Hobbs]

Here are a few more pics: First a Crested Guineafowl, then a Cattle Egret in the rain; it was following the buffalo to pick up any insects that they disturbed as they brushed through the grass. The third pic is of an Orange-breasted Bush-shrike and then the buffalo. This guy was the leader of the pack! Finally a pic of the sunrise and the mist on the day we left. You will have to click on this to see the mist!

Sal,
Again some great pics.
If the Orange-breasted Bush Shrike posed for you and waited for you to take this lovely picture I will be extremely upset. The picture I took in Satara (shown in my reports Kruger Letaba – Olifants) took me ages chasing him around the bushes, and was very frustrating until I eventually got the one shown.
I really like the picture of the mist; it reminds me of your pictures of early morning mist from your trip in Kruger.
Really good…

Martin

 

[Sal]

Thanks Martin. I would be interested to hear if any of your Coucals have green tails!

As well as the Weeping Boerbean, the wild pear were also just beginning to flower. We are going back to Imfolozi in September, this time for five nights, so by then they should be a real picture.

I'm sorry to have to tell you that yes, the bush shrike did pose for me! Not for too long, but I didn't have to chase it anywhere. Maybe the KZN ones are more amenable . . . . My one frustration was that I didn't get a pic of my new tick, the Grey Sunbird. I am probably the last person in KZN to see one, but as I no longer get to see that many new birds, I was pretty excited - too excited as it turned out because I spent too much time admiring him and his mate before even thinking about a pic.

 

[Martin Hobbs]

Thanks Martin. I would be interested to hear if any of your Coucals have green tails!

As well as the Weeping Boerbean, the wild pear were also just beginning to flower. We are going back to Imfolozi in September, this time for five nights, so by then they should be a real picture.

I'm sorry to have to tell you that yes, the bush shrike did pose for me! Not for too long, but I didn't have to chase it anywhere. Maybe the KZN ones are more amenable . . . . My one frustration was that I didn't get a pic of my new tick, the Grey Sunbird. I am probably the last person in KZN to see one, but as I no longer get to see that many new birds, I was pretty excited - too excited as it turned out because I spent too much time admiring him and his mate before even thinking about a pic.

Sal,
The amenable birds in KZN maybe another reason to retire to the coast and not the Lowveld after all????
Still, once I am retired what else is there to do with my time apart from chase birds around bushes trying to take nice pictures???
I understand what you say about not seeing many new sightings anymore and being so excited about seeing a new one that you forget to take pictures. This happened to me in Kosi Bay as well. The process with me is first the identification, then the watching and enjoying, and then the sudden realization that I would like to see this new sighting again in the future so I had better take a picture! Oooops.. too late…damn.
Oh the joys of birding!!

Martin

 

[Sal]

Hluhluwe/Imfolozi photos

First - Black-collared barbet
Second - Another Burchell's Coucal - note tail is not green and is shorter!
Third - Collared Sunbird
Fourth - A rather cold lesser Striped Swallow taken on the freezing day when the wind was like a knife. i think this is the only reason it patiently submitted to having it photo taken!
Fifth - another misty morning pic taken on the day we left.

 

[Martin Hobbs]

First - Black-collared barbet
Second - Another Burchell's Coucal - note tail is not green and is shorter!
Third - Collared Sunbird
Fourth - A rather cold lesser Striped Swallow taken on the freezing day when the wind was like a knife. i think this is the only reason it patiently submitted to having it photo taken!
Fifth - another misty morning pic taken on the day we left.

Sal,
I have checked the pics I have of Burchell's Coucal and all of them are front ways on, showing the head and breast and I cannot see the tail. I will look when the resident Coucal comes to visit our garden again.
The misty picture is another lovely example. I am begining to consider this a speciality of yours!

Martin

 

[Dave Kennedy]

I am a bit puzzled by the Burchell's Coucal because I wonder if it might be a Coppery-tailed Coucal, except of course that they aren't found here. It's tail is exceptionally long with a greenish tinge. Maybe they all have this tinge but its the first time I've noticed it.(see pic) Strangely it is not in the least shy and displays its tail and scuttles around in the grass for ages whilst we admire it.

Hi, Sal,
Sounds like you had a great trip. About your coucal - I have seen a lot of Coppery-tailed Coucals in the Delta, but have yet to distinguish anything particularly coppery about its tail. The field mark most used by the Delta guides to identify the C-t Coucal is the amount of black in the head, neck and shoulders. In the C-t Coucal, if the bird has its head and neck extended, and not all scrunched up, the black runs from the crown of the head down the back of the neck and right onto the upper back. In the Burchell's Coucal the black is restricted to head and neck. The Burchell's Coucal is also distinguished by the barring on tail base and rump, which your bird shows clearly, and by white flecking in the black of head and neck. Perhaps the green colour is simply iridescence caused by the direct sunlight illuminating the back of your bird.

That's the great thing about birding - inevitably you get those "is it?" or "is it not?" moments. It keeps us on our toes. And hey, birds have wings, don't they? I believe to this day that, back in the 80's, I saw a Livingstone's Flycatcher in Rustenburg. But I have never dared add it to my list.

Best wishes,
Dave

 

[Dave Kennedy]

Pilanesberg

Well, we just spent Monday-Thursday at Pilanesberg, which was splendid, as always. Since we were guests of non-birders, the birding results will not break any records, since they had to be grabbed as opportunity presented itself, but it was still fun.

A couple of interesting points arose from the visit. Sal, in his recent Hluhluwe/Imfolozi account mentions his confusing coucal - likewise, some of the Cape White-eyes we saw in Pilanesberg really look like Yellow White-eyes, which don't occur anywhere near Pilanesberg.

The only birds utilising a hippo carcass were Pied Crows. Over the years I have seen both Cape and Lappet-faced vultures operating in Pilanesberg - but on this visit, only crows. I do not know as I write this if there is any significance to that observation - it may just have been that no vultures were around at the time of sighting.

I've attached photographs of a smart little Crested Francolin, the hippo carcass and crows, and then a curious incident when a large butterfly - possibly a Citrus Swallowtail, but feel free to identify it - was irresistibly attracted to the young lady's red hat, to the extent that it returned again and again to this hat, even perching on the bridge of her sunglasses while extending its tongue to investigate the hat. The final two pictures show a Golden-breasted Bunting foraging among the rocks, and a very obliging Lilac-breasted Roller, which sat in total indifference to our clicking shutters. It is worth noting that, during a bush fire some time ago in Pilanesberg, we watched these rollers swooping down to catch mice fleeing from the flames. The birds would then swallow the mice whole.

For those interested, here's the list...........

Spotted Eagle-owl, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Crested Francolin, Barn Owl, Red-crested Korhaan, Natal Francolin, White-browed Scrub-robin, Jackal Buzzard, Black Eagle (being mobbed by Pied Crows), House Sparrow, Green-winged Pytilia, Dark-capped Bulbul, Fork-tailed Drongo, Red-billed Hornbill, Yellow-billed Hornbill, Grey Go-away Bird, Marico Flycatcher, Kalahari Robin, Crimson-breasted Shrike, Red-winged Starling, Common Myna, Helmeted Guineafowl, Egyptian Goose, Reed Cormorant, White-breasted Cormorant, African Spoonbill, Great Egret, Red-billed Teal, Kurrichane Thrush, Grey Hornbill, Glossy Starling, Black-backed Puffback, Magpie Shrike, Blacksmith Plover, Crowned Plover, African Fish Eagle, Yellow-billed Duck, Black-shouldered Kite, Lilac-breasted Roller, Speckled Pigeon, Laughing Dove, Grey-headed Sparrow, Yellow-throated Petronia, Golden-breasted Bunting, Violet-eared Waxbill, Pied Kingfisher, Red-billed Oxpecker, Grey Heron, Sacred Ibis, Swainson's Francolin, Cape White-eye, Pearl-breasted Swallow, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Chinspot Batis, Cape Turtle Dove.

In all the time we were there, we never saw a hippo in the water. They were sprawled all over the banks, trying to absorb some heat from the relatively feeble sun. I think the water must have been bloody cold - I don't recall having seen hippo do this before.

We were also fortunate enough to see two very beautiful lionesses whack a wildebeest, only to have a large and handsome male come belting out of the bush to grab their hard-won kill. Looks like being a large, top-of-the-heap lion has its advantages.

Best wishes,
Dave

 

[Martin Hobbs]

Black Eagle (being mobbed by Pied Crows),
Dave

Dave,
The Black Eagle sighting is impressive. I have never seen one at Pilanesburg. Do you know if they are commonly sighted there?
Interesting about the Rollers as well, taking mice whole. The biggest quarry I have seen them taking is Armoured Crickets in Kruger North (just south of Punda Maria camp).
I always have mixed feelings about Pilanesburg as I remember the days of Mankwe camp (on the edge of Mankwe Dam) which was a basic but ideally situated campsite for listening to the sounds of African nights. I also remember the days before the Lions when one could get out and walk around and feel the bush.
Progress? I don’t know?
Martin

 

[AndrewK]

and then a curious incident when a large butterfly - possibly a Citrus Swallowtail, but feel free to identify it - was irresistibly attracted to the young lady's red hat, to the extent that it returned again and again to this hat, even perching on the bridge of her sunglasses while extending its tongue to investigate the hat.
Best wishes,
Dave

Hi Dave

Indeed, the butterfly is a citrus swallowtail. Butterflies are often attracted to bright coloured clothing, which apparently looks like a flower to them that should be dripping with nectar! One dissapointed butterfly...

Otherwise, nice pics, and a good trip you had!

Andrew

 

[Dave Kennedy]

Dave,
The Black Eagle sighting is impressive. I have never seen one at Pilanesburg. Do you know if they are commonly sighted there?
Interesting about the Rollers as well, taking mice whole. The biggest quarry I have seen them taking is Armoured Crickets in Kruger North (just south of Punda Maria camp).
I always have mixed feelings about Pilanesburg as I remember the days of Mankwe camp (on the edge of Mankwe Dam) which was a basic but ideally situated campsite for listening to the sounds of African nights. I also remember the days before the Lions when one could get out and walk around and feel the bush.
Progress? I don’t know?
Martin

I don't think I've seen Black Eagles here before, Martin. We were entering the ring of Pilanesberg hills from the north, through the Wilderness area, which, up until recently, was not accessible to the public. We were guests, through friends of ours, at a new enterprise called Black Rhino, which has around 25 up-market accommodation units. Black Rhino is situated beyond and just to the north of the Pilanesberg hills, on flat bushveld which extends as far as the eye can see. The park boundary has been adjusted to include this new area, so Pilanesberg now incorporates about 1500ha of flat bushveld to the north of the mountains. Black Rhino residents can access the park through the northern Wilderness area, previously out of bounds. The hills as one enters the Wilderness area from the north are very steep, cliffs in all but name, and it was there that we saw a pair of soaring Black Eagles being mobbed by Pied Crows.

The lions I spoke of are relatively young, and the trio have apparently found this new flat area to their liking. They were very vocal all the time we were there, and consensus among rangers at Black Rhino was that this was an attempt to start a new pride. We saw them every day, and on the evening of the kill we found the two females resting no more than half a kilometre or so from a group of wildebeest. The male was not visible, but we could hear his vocalisations coming from some way off. As we watched, the lionesses rose, and simply wandered casually across the track and into the long, lion-coloured grass. They disappeared towards the wildesbeest, so we simply moved along the track until we reached the wildebeest, where we stopped and waited. Within minutes, a wildebeest was snatched.

I too was sorry to see Mankwe go. For some years I was part of the teaching staff for a year-long Ranger/Naturalist training course, and we carried out most of our practicals in the Pilanesberg, which was ideal for walking the students around to learn Ecology, Trees, Grasses, Birds, Mammals, Geology, Insects & Arthropods, Reptiles & amphibians, Spoor & Droppings, all of whcih were modules within the course. After the lions were introduced we kept on walking, but now we had to be accompanied by two armed rangers, which was inconvenient. I think the lions have helped the park in terms of numbers of visitors, but the loss of the ability to walk in the reserve has been keenly felt by many.

Best wishes,
Dave

 

[Sal]

Dave thanks for the explanation of how to identify the C-T Coucal. If anyone has a pic of one showing this feature I should really like to see it so that I shall remember the difference for the future.

Funnily enough I also saw a white-eye in Hluhluwe that looked just like a yellow white-eye . . . .

Which brings me to the fact that I realise from this and from pics I took that I left three birds off my list - the Cattle egret, the Cape White-eye and a Lizard Buzzard ( for a not very clear pic of which, see below).


Last pics - promise!

 

[Dave Kennedy]

Dave thanks for the explanation of how to identify the C-T Coucal. If anyone has a pic of one showing this feature I should really like to see it so that I shall remember the difference for the future.

Sal,
My SASOL (Third Edition 2002) shows the difference quite well, although I still can't see that coppery tail!

I should have mentioned that in the Delta one is trying to differentiate between the Coppery-tailed and Senegal Coucals, not Burchell's, but since the Senegal and Burchell's are very alike, except for the tail, the differentiation using the amount of black still holds good.

Dave

 

[Sal]

Sal,
My SASOL (Third Edition 2002) shows the difference quite well, although I still can't see that coppery tail!

I should have mentioned that in the Delta one is trying to differentiate between the Coppery-tailed and Senegal Coucals, not Burchell's, but since the Senegal and Burchell's are very alike, except for the tail, the differentiation using the amount of black still holds good.

Dave

Ah! I dug out my SASOL (Larger Guide) which is the second edition 2005 and it, too, shows the difference well. I should have looked before . . . . But this discussion has cleared it in my mind. I was thinking greenish copper, but I rather suspect that the C-T has a polished coppery sheen on it's tail.

Regarding the Senegal and the C-T - yes, this is where the barring makes the difference, because both the C-T and the Burchell's have barring - although maybe the Burchell's is visible down the tail further.

 

[Dave Kennedy]

Hi Dave

Indeed, the butterfly is a citrus swallowtail.
Otherwise, nice pics, and a good trip you had! Andrew

Thanks, Andrew, for confirming the butterfly's identity. Besides its penchant for red beanies, I would have thought that 5th August was a bit early for such a creature to be out and about. Any comments?

Best wishes,
Dave

 

[Sal]

Sal,
I have checked the pics I have of Burchell's Coucal and all of them are front ways on, showing the head and breast and I cannot see the tail. I will look when the resident Coucal comes to visit our garden again.
The misty picture is another lovely example. I am begining to consider this a speciality of yours!

Martin

Well Martin, thanks to Dave, we seem to have sorted out the Burchell's versus the Coppery-tailed Coucal, so I hope all your visitors have barring and a greenish tinge to the tail!

Regarding the misty pics, not a speciality exactly, more that they are there for the taking! It was quite astonishing the variety of colours that succeeded one another through the entire sunrise/sun burning off the mist time.

 

[cossypha]

Welcome back Dave and Sal, hope you both had fun. You've both posted some great photos, and Sal I like those misty ones and the crested francolin, and Dave I like the lilac-breasted Roller.

For the last couple of days I've been standing at the back corner of my grandparents' house, waiting for some sunbirds to photograph. The sun can be pretty annoying in that spot, and I've been standing, not sitting, because if I sit I get a bright blue sky for a background. Standing though there's a nice hedge behind the bird. Seen a few interesting things - 2 Black-Collared Barbets, and also a Whyte's Barbet, both firsts for the garden, on the same tree, about 10 minutes apart! Then later a Black Stork flew overhead, only the second time I've seen this bird. Along with these I got some photos of the more common birds, so here's a few-

An Arrow-Marked Babbler, Tawny-Flanked Prinia, Streaky-Headed seedeater, female Southern masked Weaver, and a young Variable Sunbird. I know, I know - they're not exactly special Zim species, but I don't have any more photos of special Zim species (yet).

 

[MarcellC]

Hi all, been running around quite a bit - although not bad because it's all birding.

Just a note about the Plain-backed Sunbird in Tembe - anyone going there again, the best place to look is along the southern-most track that runs almost parallel with the main road outside the park. They will generally respond to playbacks - just hoping they haven't been bombed away deeper into the forest by too many playbacks, they're really worth seeing.

The call is a bit different to the one Guy Gibbon had on his CD's during 2000/2001 - he might have since updated his media with the calls he recorded in Tembe that time. The response to the calls from further north was fairly quick but also brief - as opposed to playback of their own call.

All the best and good birding

 

[Sal]

Hi Cossypha - I know what you mean about the sun/sky. Half the birds I saw in Hluhluwe were silhouetted against the sky and it's difficult enough to identify them, let alone photograph them. I could have done with a good tall hedge or two. Your pics are great and I particularly like the one of the Arrow-marked Babbler. I find sunbird pics quite difficult because they move so quickly so well-done on capturing the Variable Sunbird.