For the past few months that I have been atlasing our district - Aliwal North - intensively for SABAP2 (the second Southern African Bird Atlasing Project), I started to make a few mental notes on the sightings of Common Fiscals. As a complement to the atlasing I started taking notes on the Common Fiscals that I've been ringing. I took photos of them too. When you have them in the hand, it is a whole lot easier to take that pic close up of the white eyestripe (supercilium).
Common Fiscal (subcoronatus) - male
According to current distribution maps (Roberts VII) the subspecies of the Common Fiscal – Lanius collaris subcoronatus – is found to the north and more to the north west from our area. Roberts VII describes their distribution as "vagrant to the EC". For the past two years I've closely observed the pair of birds breeding in my garden – and then eventually in the past 3 weeks I caught both the male and female to ring them. Their pictures clearly show the white supercilium.
Common Fiscal (subcoronatus) - female
1 comment:
Hi Arnold,
I have also had sightings of Common Fiscals with white eye-stripes in the EC, specifically in the Molteno district (pentad 3115_2605). As the fiscal flies, not to far from you.
Over the past 6 years I have only seen these birds twice, most recently in Dec '08 when I saw 2 birds (possibly a pair?).
As you have said, they are generally known to only occur further west in the drier regions of SA.
It would be interesting if it was at all possible to record sub-species during SABAP2, especially with such obvious ones as the "White-browed Common Fiscal".
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