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Just returned from an awesome trip to the Western Cape and got a huge haul of lifers. My total is now 519. My lifers on the trip were:

489. Cape Canary (Kirstenbosch)
490. Forest Canary (Kirstenbosch)
491. Black Saw-wing (Kirstenbosch)
492. Black-necked Grebe (Strandfontein)
493. Cape Spurfowl (Strandfontein)
494. Karoo Scrub-robin (West Coast Nat Park)
495. Red Knot (West Coast Nat Park)
496. Common Whimbrel (West Coast Nat Park)
497. Eurasian Curlew (West Coast Nat Park)
498. White-throated Canary (West Coast Nat Park)
499. Grey-backed Cisticola (West Coast Nat Park)
500. Black Harrier (West Coast Nat Park)
501. Sentinel Rock-thrush (Table Mountain)
502. Orange-breasted Sunbird (Table Mountain)
503. Common Chaffinch (Suikerbossie)
504. Victorin's Warbler (Rooi Els)
505. Rock Martin (Rooi Els)
506. Bank Cormorant (Betty's Bay)
507. Karoo Long-billed Lark (Karoo Nat Park)
508. Spike-heeled Lark (Karoo Nat Park)
509. Namaqua Warbler (Karoo Nat Park)
510. Rufous-eared Warbler (Karoo Nat Park)
511. Karoo Chat (Karoo Nat Park)
512. Tractrac Chat (Karoo Nat Park)
513. Booted Eagle (Karoo Nat Park)
514. Cape Penduline-tit (Karoo Nat Park)
515. Pririt Batis (Karoo Nat Park)
516. Sickle-winged Chat (Karoo Nat Park)
517. Karoo Lark (Karoo Nat Park)
518. South African Cliff Swallow (Karoo Nat Park)
519. Bradfield's Swift (Kimberly)

I finally managed to sort through all my trip photos and managed to identify a few more for my list:

Cape (black) crow, 547, seen in KTP
Sociable weaver, 800, KTP
Goliath Heron, 64, Lower Sabie KNP
African Spoonbill, 95, Skukuza, KNP
African Harrier hawk, 169, Skukuza, KNP
Red billed oxpecker, 772, KNP
Three banded plover, 249, Sunset dam, KNP

That brings my total to 98.

I forgot one Lifer from our Spitzkopf dam trip on Thursday. Takes me to 511.

Pied Avocet.

Main List is now officially 422
KNP list is 116

Bringing up the rear with 215, hopefully many more when all the pictures are identified

White-winged Widowbird



Total 137

Added 3 more yesterday. New total 522

520. African Reed Warbler (Marievale)
521. African Rail (Marievale)
522. Cuckoo Finch (Suikerbosrand)

[quote="MattAxel"]Just returned from an awesome trip to the Western Cape and got a huge haul of lifers. My total is now 519. My lifers on the trip were:

501. Sentinel Rock-thrush (Table Mountain)

Out of interest, where did you spot the thrush? Never seen it in CT

Saw a male and female on one of the walks on top of Table Mountain. I was also very surprised to find them there.

Here is my photo of the male

Added Baillon's Crake at Marievale today. total is now 523

Matt -

Is Marievale still safe to walk about?

I haven't been there for years and I was just wondering...?

Yes it is very safe to walk around there, I've been twice this week already and with all the good birds around at the moment, especially the Baillon's Crake, there have been a lot of birders there, even during the week.

My total is now at 489 after the December holidays and the new year-end target is 550. I managed to add the following 77 lifers in the Western Cape including a Pelagic out of Simons Town:

Cloud Cisticola
White-rumped Swift
African Black Oystercatcher
Cape Spurfowl
Alpine Swift
Great Crested Grebe
Pied Avocet
White-fronted Plover
Cape Sugarbird
Victorin's Warbler
Cape Cormorant
Hartlaub's Gull
Bank Cormorant
Crowned Cormorant
Curlew Sandpiper
Red-eyed Dove
African Marsh Harrier
Cape Gannet
White-chinned Petrel
Sooty Shearwater
Cory's Shearwater
Shy Albatross
Manx Shearwater
Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross
Sabine's Gull
Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross
Great Shearwater
Pintado Petrel
Sandwich Tern
Great-winged Petrel
Northern Giant Petrel
Black-browed Albatross
Pomarine Skua
Swift Tern
Subantarctic Skua
Common Chaffinch
Great White Pelican
Orange-breasted Sunbird
Layard's Tit-babbler
Protea Seedeater
Ground Woodpecker
Cape Siskin
Cape Bunting
Karoo Chat
Yellow-bellied Eremomela
Cape Penduline Tit
Peregrine Falcon
Olive Thrush
Cape Clapper Lark
Agulhas Long-billed Lark
Denham's Bustard
Little Tern
Western Osprey
Karoo Long-billed Lark
Greater Striped Swallow
Mountain Wheatear
African Rock Pipit
Pale-winged Starling
Booted Eagle
Black-headed Canary
Rufous-eared Warbler
Namaqua Warbler
Karoo Eremomela
Lark-like Bunting
Ludwig's Bustard
White-throated Canary
Cinnamon-breasted Warbler
Verreaux's Eagle
Black Harrier
Karoo Korhaan
Tractrac Chat
White-backed Mousebird
Acacia Pied Barbet
Large-billed Lark
Black-eared Sparrow-Lark
Double-banded Courser
Knysna Warbler

77 Lifers!

That's just rude, man.....!



Thanks for the info, Matt!

Well deserved Johan as you worked extremely hard for it! Your dedication is also something that much be congratulated.

It was a pleasure birding down on the Southern Cape and in the Karoo with you. Especially that day out in Beaufort West. One of my best days of birding out in my 8 years of birding.