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Hi all, I started my official list in April 2010, this past weekend in Ndumo my list went from 309 to [b]336[b], I would like to reach [b]350[b] by the end of the year.

Some special from the weekend were:
palmnut vulture
white eared barbet
crested guinea fowl
green backed camaroptera
olive sunbird
retz helmet shrikes
tambourine dove
black starlings
african broadbill
yellow white eyes
blue mantle fly catcher
dusky fly catcher
blue eared bee-eater (or blue cheeked, sorry don't have my book with me)
pink backed pelicans

Ok, so my garden list in the middle of JHB was just over 80, thanks to a few thousand rands worth of indigenous plants, and a scorched earth approach to the exotics. (life list is stagnant in the mid 600s'). I have now moved to the Garden route, where after 1 week, my garden list is still standing at ZERO, that's right, not a single @#$% bird has landed. Why? because the garden consists of a monoculture of a rim of exotic kikuyu grass surrounding the house. No idea what kind of infidels lived here before, but they deserve to be

Hi adrianp,

where along the Garden route did you move to? That whole area is a birding paradise!

I am surprised that you haven't had a single bird in your garden yet.
My dad lives in Grootbrak river and there have been some amazing bird in his garden (and he is not big on indigenous plants either):

Buff-spotted Flufftail
Knysna Woodpecker
Cape Francolin
Cape Bulbul
Sombre Greenbul
Knysna Woodpecker

After a trip to the Vredefort dome this weekend my new total is 149 birds. My goal for the year is 150, so it seems as if I need to be setting a new target soon?

I managed to add the following lifers:
Ashy tit
Black crake
Bokmakierie
Chestnut-vented tit-babbler
Giant kingfisher. All I can say is wow.
Red-throated wryneck
Red-eyed dove
White-bellied sunbird
Streaky-headed seedeater.

EDIT: add Cape glossy starling and that's 150. I guess my new target is 200?

Vredefort Dome... Nice place!!!

I musr say you missed out on PLENTY more lifers today... All of the Potch contingent got at least ONE. Mel123, you would have had a bucket full!

I thought that would be the case actually...
I just heard about the trip too late...
Next time!

Mel123 you must join the Wesvaal Bird club then you will know all ablout the outings in time. It will be nice to see you there.

Can add one to my total of 625.Have seen the Lesser Black-backed Gull at Leeupan. Johan took us to Leeupan after our vivit at Marivale. Thanks very much JvR for your time and knowledge shared with us.We really enjoyed the day.

530 after adding Southern Banded Snake Eagle, Rudd's Apalis, Pale Flycatcher and Lemon-breasted Canary at Bonamanzi, Rosy-throated Longclaw, Pink-backed Pelican, Dark-backed Weaver, Green-backed Camaroptera, Neergaard's Sunbird and African Yellow White-eye at Nibela, Yellow-throated Petronia, Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Grey Sunbird, Bearded Scrub Robin and Red-backed Mannikin at Mkhuze, Common Ringed Plover and Lesser Black-backed Gull at Leeuwpan.

Nice one Johan! I see you had quite a succesful N Natal trip.... well done on your lifers! Looks like your just ahead of me now!

Hi WTM

The other day a Common starling ( exotic) ventured 10cm from the pavement onto our lawn, and then moved back after 5 seconds. We're renting on Kingswood golf estate. Where most of the managers and residents appear to have little grasp of the concept of "Eco friendly" judging by the hundreds of exotic trees and non endemics they have planted.

I'm being a bit harsh, as the rest of the Estate will guarantee daily sightings of Forest and Jackal buzard. We have seen a whole lot of others like malachite kingfisher, sombre and cape bulbul, stone chat, cape longclaw, little greebe, common waxbill (darker form than found up country) etc.

Up another 7 lifers while at Margate with specials like Green Twinspot, Brown Scrub-Robin and Grey Cuckooshrike etc. New total now 497!

Watch this space. Going to Rooi-els tomorrow.

After some wonderful trips to Zaagkuildrift, Margate etc. my new total is now 396!

Great trip to Margate pushing my total to 410!