SANParks.org Forums

As far as the pics are concerned, I also found that thread, 2009 it was I think. I was expressing my opinion, but I will stay out of your birding section from now on.

Scipio, I am not sure why you got stuck into me in this topic. (Trouble seems to follow me around no matter what.)

That just proves to me again that the Osprey at Sable dam is erratic. We were there on the Thursday (on the Satara BBW) and spend quite a bit of time looking for it, without success.

And FYI, it is not my birding section. It is everyone's birding section. I am merely just trying to help people with certain queries on birds and I will appreciate it if you would stop making silly comments such as:



It is really uncalled for.

Now calm down and take a photo of the Osprey at Sable dam next time you there and it shows and come and show us.

Apologies WTM, it was a bit tongue in cheek. I do not doubt the knowledge of the guys active here. Maybe I just thought for a moment that they lay down rules on what may be see, an also lay down rules for the birds themselves sometimes. Sorry, nothing personal against you.

Apology accepted.

Thanks Scipio.

This is going to be completely off topic but:

No, the law is not laid down by a specific person or group of people. Birds are owned and ruled by no one but mother Nature herself.

Unfortunately birding has become a very competitive hobby over the last few years. And I personally blame the social media for that. One's interest in birding and what was seen by whom should be nobody else' business really. But as I said, as people started sharing these sightings over the social media, rules and regulations started coming into practice to make sure that the sightings were correct and that it could be proved with some substantial evidence.

Birders have never before traveled and spend as much money as now to see certain birds. And when one gets send on a wild goose chase (pardon the pun) the world stops just short of turning right off its axle!

A good example of this in recent times was the "Baird's Sandpiper" in Kruger which turned out to be Little Stint.

Unfortunately there are plenty of mis id's out there. Yes we all make mistakes with id's, but if you want to go out on a limb and tell everyone about your Thrush Nightingale which is actually a Marico Flycatcher then you are going to have to take what comes your way. Some of these mis id's are of really common birds and should not happen, especially not if one has 600, 650 birds on your life list.

After all is said and done, each and everyone has the right to have an opinion on something. You feel that the Osprey is not that erratic whilst I feel that it is. I have prove that it is, because I only have one dodgy photo of it from Sable dam out of 4 visits.

You have to prove me otherwise.

Unfortunately many young African Fish-Eagles are taken for Ospreys, hence the need for a photo.

But it really doesn't matter all that much to me.

Cheers bud.

I am spending some time in that area again from the weekend. Will see what I can find. Pity Pafuri is closed, there might be interesting stuff after the floods.

If anyone is interested there is a short video clip of the Rutland Ospreys from early spring last year, arriving back at their nest site. There is also a Part II of this on the main website.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=428215007256260

I wonder just how long I will have to stand, camera at the ready, before the WCNP osprey flies over Geelbek clutching another fish?

Probably the rest of my life

On the social media, there are some jerks who do their level best to take the fun out of birding for those who are not as neurotic about it as they are.

Some paraphrased examples.
'I am in favour searching for the bird myself (as opposed to twitching on information given.)' Good for you. I would have a life list of about 45 then, discounting birds I have seen with others.
'I only tick birds that sit in the palm of my hand for an hour, and you must do the same' - I am guily of being a little unkind here.
'You are not considered to be a birder unless you devote your entire being and fortune to it.' A bit more unkind, but maybe you get the message by now.

Birding, like sport, travel, camping, friendships, music and a number of other enjoyable pastimes, has brought me a lot of pleasure, new friends, new places but is not the be all and end all of life.

I wonder just how long I will have to stand, camera at the ready, before the WCNP osprey flies over Geelbek clutching another fish?

Probably the rest of my life



Having worked at a bird watching centre for the past 5 years I always insist I AM NOT A BIRDER! and especially I am NOT a twitcher ! You would not believe some of the comments I have heard :-)

Other than birds, there is not a lot of chance to observe wildlife here though :-)

The twitchers I know is at a stage that they won't go if the sighting is not acompanied by a photo of the "allegied" bird.

My 2c.

I think that is how most birders feel these days.

Considering the time and money spent on chasing after a bird, one has to be sure if you are going to drive 500KM to Kruger or fly to CPT etc. I am at that point in my life that I won't twitch every single "rare" bird that pops up and this is where I agree with what Bush Baptist said, Birding is a great hobby and it is a big passion of mine, but it is not the be all and end all.

IF I see an Osprey in the Kruger in the future.. I will be happy as hell because I can add it to my KNP list, but I certainly will not drive 600km's to try and find it.

Just on the topic about erratic which WTM mentions. Last year July, WTM reported an Osprey at Sable dam. I was also due to arrive in the park the next day. I searched Sable dam for about 2 hours, no jokes, and didn't find it. So too another friend of ours visited the dam and couldn't find it. I also think it is an erratic bird, even the ones we find around Gauteng is seen one day and then not again for a week or two etc.

Hiya Deedee.

I agree with you about sightings not being guaranteed.

Interesting question, I watched a movie many years ago called "The Big Year", are there really such people, that will make it their life, and I am not speaking of people working in the field.

I have met a few guys who jump on a plane in hope of seeing a bird, then return to the 'Big Fog' the same day. Other than that, they are all great guys, and have helped me in my feeble attempts at birding. One guy in particular, did his own Southern Africa Big Year and beat by far the numbers of the self acclaimed 'world champions' in that aforementioned parichial self absorbed movie.

Apart from a birding tour that I did late last year, on which I visited some great new places and some old favourites, and picked up 62 lifers, the furthest I have 'twitched' is a 70 km round trip, and my friends think I am crazy.

But ospreys are seen in WCNP quite often if anyone would like to see one.

Interesting discussion this.

I used to be very much into my bird watching. While I was at high school mainly.
Then I started getting interested in other birds, and I lost interest in the feathered types.
I still have a small interest, mainly the bigger stuff.
When I was younger, we would stop for every LBJ, now only Eagles, Storks etc.


When I became interested in birdwatching, so did a good friend of mine. We got very competative about it and in the end, it drove a wedge between us, and within a short while we were no longer friends.

My family went to Kruger often during the school holidays whereas he didn't go to interesting places that often, so my sightings list was better than his. Whenever I got back from a trip, first question was "what did you see?" And then he used to question my id.
He also used to tell other people that I was a "chancer", to discredit me with other people (I used to be a regular at the Saturday pm birdclub trips to Melrose BS and Victory Park BS)

But the final straw. Was his parents were supposed to take us to Marievale BS where there was a birding meeting. He called me up the night before to tell me that due to some circumstances, he couldn't go, so the trip was cancelled for me too.
I was desperate to go, and my parents were busy, but they managed to scramble up someone to take me. I walked into the hide, and who was there? This idiot.
He had lied to me because he didn't want me to have decent sightings.

Btw, I was in the Fort Myers & Naples areas of Florida about 10 years ago.
Saw loads of Ospreys in the swamps.

Have wanted to visit Marievale when I have been in Joburg, but have not yet man aged to visit. It's a shame when something that should be there to enjoy gets so competitive to cause ill feeling.

The North American Ospreys do in fact migrate to Florida so have no vast deserts or oceans to navigate.

Suej,

Sounds like this sort of thing happens quite often! Who would have thought Birding would get so competative!