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From: Self <MUSEUM/WVADER>
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Subject: african impressions.Natal3
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Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 08:08:16 -0200
"VERY QUIET HERE TODAY!" A CRASH COURSE IN NATAL BIRDING. PT 3
The third night we spent with Gail and Malcolm in Creighton; Malcolm
is the champion of the Cape Parrots in this area( among a lot of other
things), and he promised to show me these largest of all south
Africa's parrots in all their glory, together with a very special
morning chorus.
We got up at four, and a strong 4WD got us along rutted paths high
above Creighton, and in an icy wind--and having forgotten the hot
coffee we prudently had made--we shivering awaited the dawn. Before
that happened a strange sound turned out to be the rare and precious
Striped Flufftail; sadly he did not show himself, try as we might.The
Red-winged Francolins were more forthcoming, luckily.
The dawn chorus did not live up to expectations this day, probably too
cold ("Strangely quiet here today"). But a walk in the forest brought
a number of new birds, although some of them (Barratt's warbler) were
not too keen on a closer acquaintance. The Olive Bush Shrike was just
as bashful, but Blue-mantled Flycatchers were more forthcoming and let
themselves be admired, and the Knysna Louries even came out and posed
on an exposed branch, as far as I know a quite special honour. The
Cape Parrots held out for a long time, but just at the end if the
morning four of these beautiful large parrots circled over us several
times, and were duly admired.
Back on the farm Malcolm drove us around in the area and showed some
of the specialties of the area, staked out with the help of
neighbouring farmers. Most impressive, together with the very elegant
Oribi antelopes, was Stanley's Bustard, an amazingly large and stately
bird; there were also Blue Cranes and Black-bellied Korhaans in the
fields, and the first House Sparrows of the trip on the farm.
In the evening we went spotlighting in a game area near Howick, where
we earlier had admired the falls, with Eagles nesting in the kloof,
Alpine Swifts overhead, and a my very first Groundscraper Thrush
feeding unconcernedly on a lawn. It was as cold as cold can be (This
was the evening of the socks as mittens), and "very quiet tonight",
but we still caught another Stanley's Bustard and sundry Black-winged
Plovers in the light, as well as a number of Marsh Owls, again a new
acquaintance for me.
The last day started out almost still colder than the night before,
but great views of all three cranes warmed, and not before had we
arrived at Karkloof, or Adam conjured up a singing Bush Blackcap at
point blank range: a beautiful bird with a nice exuberant song phrase!
In the wonderful gardens of John Robinson at Beadie close by we were
not only out of the cold wind, but also in a wonderland of colourful
new birds---and this day they were not bashful either, but showed
themselves in their full glory. First the Chorister Robin (A rare case
where I prefer the English name to the Afrikaans Lawaaimaker
Jan-Fredrik), then the Orange Thrush, that we had heard caroling
already for a while, and subsequently also the Starred Robin; they
were almost vying for the honour to show off! The same with the
Honeyguides: first the Greater, then the Scaly-throated (the famous
"crippling views"), and then we also heard the Sharp-billed! But there
the line was drawn, and that one did not show himself.
While we were searching for the Honeyguides, we had another stroke of
luck, and could admire a Green Twinspot hopping around among the
bracken; what a wonderful little bird! In addition this wonderful
park had Long-tailed Wagtails, Forest Canaries and Swee Waxbills, so
my birdlist for 4 days of "very quiet around here" jumped over the
200-mark
The dessert was, as in so many bird trips, a sewage farm, and another
crash course in Natal birding, this time to see and recognize African
Marsh, African Reed and African Sedge Warblers! Then the Yellow
Warbler was easier: it really looks, but does not sound, like an
Icterine Warbler. A Lesser Masked Weaver was the last new bird of the
trip.
I am extremely grateful to Adam Riley, who sacrificeed some of his
scarce free days to go birding with me, a real busman's holiday! Adam
was always very quick in spotting and identifying all the birds we
saw, and very patient in making sure I saw them too. He has moreover
the gift of describing where a bird is in such a way, that one can
actually find it, a gift that is quite rare even among professional
bird guides. So I got very much out of these few days, even though I
still shall stumble among the pipits and cisticolas for a long time
to come.
Wim Vader, South African Museum
Cape Town,
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