More on the African Openbills

I went out to our local spot to stake out the African Openbill (Anastomus lamelligerus) that had been hanging around at the local golf course for the past few weeks. And in the last light of the day I was fortunate enough to find 2 of the birds - one foraging in a ditch and the other out in the "rough". The first bird afforded me good views and was posing obligingly for a pic or two.

Openbill near the ditch (ACvdW)

I inspected the ditch after it flew off - and found a number of freshly crushed shells of snails (Helix aspersa) - unfortunately it was already too dark to take proper photos of the crushed shells. The said snails are to small to feed the bird properly, so presumably there must be other sources of food as well. In literature it is mentioned that they feed on insects, beetles, frogs and especially on different snail species and fresh water mussels. The latter is not found locally.

Both the birds settled in a large tree to roost for the night.

A very special bird on my doorstep

We currently experience an irruption of African Openbills (Anastomus lamelligerus) all over South Africa – the latest report being a rather bedraggled figure at Shelley Point on the West Coast. Birds had been observed at Durbanville in the Western Cape, along the southern coast (Arabella, Gansbaai, between Mossel Bay and Oudtshoorn, Plettenberg Bay, near PE and Gonubie), a whole lot of spots in KwaZulu-Natal. Even in the interior birds were reported – in the Karoo, near Barkly East and Elliot in the Eastern Cape, in Lesotho and the Free State. The first signs of the irruption had been a small flock of this species observed in Potchefstroom.

Early this morning a local birding friend stopped me in the street to inform me of a single Openbill at dam at our local golf course in Aliwal North. I had been on leave and missed out on the other sightings at the spots near my holiday places. After my return home I had been looking around in the district at the different farm dams and wetland areas to which I have access but to no avail. I just had the feeling one (or a couple) of these birds should be around if it had been spotted all over the country. Great was my surprise to discover one less than 500m (as the stork flies) from my home.

Unfortunately the lawn mowers were cutting grass at the golf course and the bird did not afford me decent pics – the only proper ones I got were of a soaring bird. Fortunately Hugo Brewis, who alerted me, sent me the photo below – I place it on the blog gratefully. Thanks, Hugo, and thanks for allowing us to share in the view of this magnificent bird.

African Openbill at Aliwal North (Photo: Hugo Brewis)

A few other interesting sightings the past week or two while out atlasing for SABAP2 in the district were: a single Black Stork (Ciconia nigra), two sightings of European Rollers (Coracias garrulus) to the north and south of town, a single Lilac-breasted Roller (Coracias caudatus). We also spotted two Blue Cranes (Anthropoides paradiseus) in a pentad where they were a new addition to the species list of the pentad. In the same pentad a walk in the veld produced a Black Harrier (Circus maurus) flushed from the grass and a Rufous-chested Sparrowhawk (Accipiter rufiventris) that flew from a high tree – two more new species to a species list that counted more than 140 species already.

Local birding can certainly be just as exhilarating as travels to exotic destinations and bird atlasing certainly increases the awareness towards new species in the area that is being atlased.