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I reckon I can comment on the "latest"...

We saw a Pel's Fishing Owl fishing on the banks of the Levuvuriver on 21 Sept! We did, however, see it at night from the deck of Pafuri Camp (lodge)... A place you MUST visit if you're into birding - and especially if you don't find the Pel's this time around. Pafuri Camp is probably located in close vicinity to the Pafuri Picnic site, just on the other side of the river. So they are DEFINITELY in the area....

Hope you find them!

Bushbuddies, you are a liar, I want a photo right now.

But then, that skimmer in cape, Suppose he did not read the book.

In the middle of the night - at about 50-70m away on the other side of the riverbed... Wish I had a camera that could capture it well...

Sorry Scips - you'll have to take my word for it. SOME people actually do tell the truth...

Pel's sightings are not that uncommon along the Luvuvhu, and the guides at Pafuri Camp know their favorite roosts and fishing spots. A lot depends on the water level, though. If the river is coming down in summer, the Pel's tend to disperse to pans such as Nwambi. At such times finding one can be a bit of a struggle. They are indeed seen from camp every now and then, and heard more often. The most accessible fishing spot along the river is at Pumphouse Bend, close to Maluteni (the old Pafuri ranger post). This is on the northern bank of the river, so restricted to Pafuri Camp, The Outpost and EcoTraining guests.

Johan

The latest sighting of Pel's that I'm aware of was in Newlands, Cape Town last Sunday! (reported by Trevor Hardaker on another forum)

I'll be staying at Punda Maria in a few weeks time, I'll talk to Frank at Parufi. I take it the Olifants Owls have not been seen for some time?

Cheers
Martyn

Here is the Pel's formerly of Newlands, recently of Constantia, on Monday evening.

Thanks to Johan Slabbert for kindly sending me, cameraless on the ocasion, these pics and generously giving me permission to post them here.

Also a great thanks to the Spanish Consulate, in whose grounds this bird took refuge, for opening up and letting all the nutters in. One wonders if it had been at a different consulate. We might have been shot at instead.

Thanks BB

Just choked on my coffee and had to double check if I didn't add something a little stronger to it! ! !
a Pels in Cape Town? ? ?
First the Curry Cup, then this? ? Has the Cape gone mad?
But seriously. . .Was it really spotted there and if so, any ideas where it came from and what it`s doing there?

There are fishies in Capetown too.

How long have they been there? I've never seen it documented in any birding books or anywhere else.

Cape town's the "mothercity" Where else do you think everything came from -- Durbs ?

Well Roan, how do you think I felt when I heard about it and it was gettable?

About 3 months ago some hikers reported seeing a big brown owl in Newlands forest. The birders here all checked the calendar for 1 April.

Then about 3 weeks ago, a resident of Newlands contacted Trevor about this big owl that was nailing their goldfish. Trevor took pics and astonishingly it was a Pel's.

I saw John Graham at my sighting and he confirmed that it was tha same bird.

How did it get here. Well it found out from the openbills what a great lifestyle we have here in the Cape

Who knows? Green faced Gautengers think it is an escapee from illegal bird trade, but John thinks it might just have made its way too far down the coast. Take your pick. I am ticking it anyway.

WOOHOO!

BTW, my wife's cousin Wanderw won't be impressed. She is in KTP at the moment, and lives around the corner from the latest sighting.i

BB, maybe it decided to fly there, I hear that bird sometimes venture into the world of flight.

But you guys in the Slaapstad are extremely lucky lately with the birdies, first the Skimmer, now the Pel's.

Hahahahaha @ Scipio.. Geez you are funny, almost split my gut over that one

Great sighting BB, we are all very green faced here in Gauteng over that sighting!! It is more realistic for that Owl to be genuine than what it would be for any waterfowl species.

I think that Trevor is right in saying this bird made it's way down the coast.. I don't think it would have survived the Karoo.