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Birds seen at Geelbek, West Coast National Park 01/10/06:

- Southern Masked Weaver (Breeding)
- Cape Weaver (Breeding)
- Cape Francolin (Breeding)

Message on SA Bird Network

Monday, July 09, 2007

Hi All,

Whilst you were all still in bed on Sunday, we were doing our 34th year of wader and wetland birds count at West Coast National Park! Never saw a drop of rain and weather was very comfortable.

Amongst the birds I saw on my count at the old windmill area (restricted area near white cliffs) and adult or certainly mature Osprey took off from one of the telephone poles carrying a fish. We watched it fly away from us and land on another pole further down the road. As the Ospreys are supposed to migrate and this one was here in mid winter, maybe they are staying and breeding here. Looking at one of the poles a platform, as they do overseas, could quite easily be installed so that access could be gained to the telephone lines and also providing a nesting platform. Wouldn't that be great - maybe a first for RSA?

Brian Vanderwalt

I have seen Osprey in WCNP on two previous visits. Both times it was on a "telephone pole" close to Geelbek restaurant.

A COMMON REDSHANK was photographed by Hannelie de Klerk at Geelbek Hide in West Coast National Park on Friday 20th July and was seen again yesterday (22 July) by Sion Stanton and Margaret and Trevor Hardaker (for those who don't know Trevor is only the second birder in South Africa to see over 900 species in the Southern African subcontinent). Hannelie's photo can be viewed at http://www.zestforbirds.co.za/redshank17.html

Contrary to its name, the Common Redshank is a rare summer visitor to South Africa. The name is used because of the global standardisation of bird names and it is the well known species in Europe and Great Britain where redshanks first got their name.

Despite the rarity, common redshank is regularly recorded in West Coast National Park and Geelbek is probably the most reliable place in the country to see one. (Anyone who has been there when the tide is coming in will know Geelbek is one of the best wader watching destinations on the planet) However having the redshank over winter and show its nuptial plummage is unusual and any forumites in the Cape Town area
should try and make the effort to go and see if they can see it. Anyway it is flower season in a couple of days time so they can go up and see the flowers anyway.

Saw one, but not in WCNP.

They are summer migrants in our part of Europe, in the UK and Portugal you can find them all year.
In Holland they are on the Red list, with less than 25.000 breeding pairs present.

I love the Dutch name for it: Tureluur.

Of course they are on the red list, they've got red legs!

BTW, at last I know what that old love song - when I was a kid - Tureluuraluura means - I love your thin red legs!

Birds my wife and I saw on the WCNP meet last Sunday. 33 species and a few lbj's that we could not ID.

Bokmakierie
Bulbul Cape
Buzzard Jackal
Canary Brimstone
Coot Red knobbed
Cormorant White fronted
Crow Pied
Egret Cattle
Heron Black headed
Flamingo Greater
Flamingo Lesser
Francolin Cape
Grebe Little
Guineafowl Helmeted
Gull Hartlaub's
Gull Kelp
Harrier Black
Ibis Hadeda
Ibis Sacred
Kestrel Rock
Kite Black shouldered
Mousebird Red faced
Ostrich
Pelican White backed
Prinia Karoo
Shrike Fiscal
Sparrow Cape
Starling Redwing
Stilt Black winged
Sunbird Malachite
Swift Alpine
Thrush Olive
Weaver Cape

You sure about that? It's about 800km out of range as far as I know. Certainly one for the regional rarities list if it is.

Rather the Southern Double-collared Sunbird maybe?

I have just returned from quite a wonderful birding day. The only thing missing was the old salt with the coke bottle spectacles, ridiculous hat and matching backpack!

Many thanks to Westcoaster and his team. I saw the kudu trophy which they won last year, and now I know why.

We started off with a presentation of migrant waders by Heidi? (senior moment) who proceeded to show us slides of a dozen of these travellors, that all looked the same to me, but as I saw in the hide later on, I was able to tell some from others. This is no way slighting Heidi, to the contrary, it was a great persentation, but this amateur struggled a bit.

After lunch, we had a raptor flying session with HC, a leading local falconer and curator of a raptor centre. This was very entertaining and fun, as we saw a greater kestrel flying from hand to head to hand INSIDE the hall. I had a turn to 'catch' the bird and to me it appeared relaxed and even enjoying it. I think the turkey titbits also helped.



We were then introduced to Mickey the Verrraux's (black) eagle. What a boy, what a specimen. He was relaxed as we stroked him and felt his muscles and talons. He even preened HC while we were doing it.

Then HC flew a Harris's hawk, from USA, which is similar to a gymnogene. The black sparrowhawk he usually flies does not travel well, so we enjoyed this visitor instead.



A cute little lanner falcon was then introdued to us and we watched in amazement at how fast this bird attacked a lure. Here it is eating the lure bait.



Unfortunately my SO, who has a problem with close proximity of birds, had had enough by the time an expert called Keith Harrison presented a slide show on terns, and I did not overdo her goodwill, so we left after a most memorable day.

The attendance was very good, BTW, but I don't think that the ruse of free sponsor's products and spot prises will work again!

Sorry & thanks, Johann, I have corrected it to Malachite sunbird.

Birds my wife and I saw on the WCNP 'Welcome back the waders' meet last Sunday.

Bulbul Cape
Canary Brimstone
Cormorant White fronted
Crow Pied
Eagle Fish
Egret Cattle
Heron Black headed
Flamingo Greater
Flamingo Lesser
Francolin Cape
Goshawk Pale chanting
Greenshank
Gull Hartlaub's
Gull Kelp
Harrier Marsh
Hoopoe
Ibis Hadeda
Kite Black shouldered
Kite Yellow billed
Lapwing blacksmith
Ostrich
Plover Grey
Plover Ringed
Prinia Karoo
Sandpiper Curlew
Sparrow Cape
Spoonbill
Starling Pied
Starling Redwing
Stint Little
Teal Cape
Turnstone Ruddy
Weaver Cape
Whimbrel
Widow Yellow rumped

Plus some guest stars;
Eagle Verreaux's
Falcon Greater
Hawk Harris's
Kestrel Greater

Trevor Hardaker has reported on the SA Bird Network that a Common Redshank has been seen at the Geelbek Hide in the last week (May 2008). Although the Redshank is a rare visitor to SA, it is regularly recorded from the Langebaan Lagoon and at geelbek Hide in particular. However this record suggests the bird is overwintering, which is an exciting occurence and something for birders to look out for

A message posted on the South African Rare Bird Network on 18th September 2008:

A single COMMON REDSHANK was seen from the Geelbek hide in the West Coast National Park yesterday whilst an added attraction at this site was the continued presence of a LESSER SAND PLOVER which was also showing well.

So the common redshank is NOT so common at Geelbek then, Owl?