Birding on the Border

After a few hectic weeks at work, I had a very welcome break yesterday, and what better way to start a few days of leave with a day out atlasing for SABAP2. I mapped out 4 pentads just north of Zastron and to the west of the Lesotho border. The weather was not very favourable for birding … we started out with a temperature of just around 3°C and a chilly wind blowing. The temperature rose throughout the day, but the chilly wind did not subside. Eventually the day turned out quite a few interesting surprises.

Neels – a long-time non-birding friend – and myself set out early to start the first pentad just after sunrise. 3005_2705 was the first pentad of the day with rolling grass hills, a few farm dams and dotted with bare poplar groves. Common Fiscals were abundant and the fences were dotted with both male and female African Stonechats as well as Anteating Chats. The colourful Cape Longclaws were also regularly seen. The first special of the day was the Barn Owls in the rafters of an old abandoned farmhouse. Another regular sight was the small groups of Blue Korhaan – adults with two or three young birds. At one of the farm dams we had a great sighting of a juvenile African Fish-Eagle with its blotched moult and shortly thereafter we were entertained by 3 Ludwig's Bustards. Through the binoculars we had wonderful sightings – unfortunately just too far off to take photos. A single White-breasted Cormorant sat on guard on the wall of a cement reservoir and we spotted two Cape Crows – a sight not regularly seen in this parts of the country.

We moved through a part of the 2nd pentad – 3005_2710 – where we had a single Swainson's Spurfowl, and again the Common Fiscals and Stonechats amongst the sightings along the road. Later the day when we did the second trip through this pentad we had a single Lanner Falcon just before sunset. We saw a surprising variety of water birds throughout the day. Red-billed Teal were spotted on a dam near the wedding venue Onder-die-Akker. It had been the only sighting of these ducks for the day. Troups of Helmeted Guineafowl were spotted throughout the day as well.

View from the mountains towards Zastron

Boesmanskop – 3000_2705 – was next in turn. A Hamerkop patrolling a very dry Witspruit (stream) had been a special in this pentad. We saw both the variations (grey and black) of the Mountain Wheatear and had good sightings of the Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk. The sole sighting of a Familiar Chat for the day was in this pentad. One of the very specials of the day had been the Rufous-chested Sparrowhawk in a poplar grove near the farm Trianon.

Now we moved to the mountains towards the border of Lesotho. The first sighting was a real treat – 2 Black-shouldered Kites were mobbing a Jackal Buzzard … and they gave the bigger raptor all their best. Eventually the buzzard flew off into the distance, annoyed by the look of it. We met the wife of the owner of the farm Geheeltevrede along the road and she gave is permission to go up the mountain on their farm. And this was the highlight of the day.

Neels - with one foot in Lesotho - birding on the border

The road took us up to the Lesotho border and we could see far into Lesotho and the south-eastern Free State. Although it was overcast, it was clear enough to see in the distance. We were entertained by a Verreaux's Eagle soaring just about 30m off, but in the strong gusts of wind it was blown away towards the east quickly. In one of the sheltered kloofs we spotted a female Drakenberg Siskin and Karoo Prinia responded ferociously to my pishing. They were displaying and calling over the Ouhout and Broom Karree (Rhus lancea) and had been quite annoyed by the intruder. Back down from the mountain, we hit the grassveld again and soon spotted a Black Harrier – it permitted us good view, but once again out of reach of my camera lens.

As we were returning after sunset, Neels (remember, he is a non-birder) remarked: "Even I can now recognise a Common Fiscal in the dark." We really saw them in abundance all day. And the African Stonechats with their bright chestnut chests had been an entertainment as well.

Although cold and windy ... a special day with 4 new pentads done for SABAP2 and two souls revived.

Another rare visitor to the southern Free State

Earlier this year I have seen European Rollers (Coracias garrulus) on three occasions in the vicinity of Aliwal North – twice in the southern Free State and once in the northern extremes of the Eastern Cape (see post in archive). It was quite surprising to observe these birds in our area after being living here for nearly 17 years without once seeing them – and then suddenly three sightings within three weeks.

This weekend I had been surprised by another rarity for our region – a Lilac-breasted Roller (Coracias caudata). Saturday afternoon while travelling to Zastron we spotted this Roller for the first time. Unfortunately we had to pass and could not stop to take a closer look. The wind was blowing strongly, but the long tail rectrices were conspicuous as the wind blew the bird from its perch on the telephone post.

Early this morning I went out to atlas the pentad for SABAP2. It was quite chilly and the mist on the river made for a wonderful scene. At first I passed the location where we spotted the Roller on Saturday. I atlased some other habitats in the pentad. On my return along the route I scanned the high trees and bushes in the hope to find the Roller again. After a visit to the farm dam where we counted a few waterbird species, I spotted a bird perching on the power line. It allowed us to come nearer and I frantically took photos from a distance in the fear it may fly off. Eventually I could stop right beneath the perch on the power line and could take a few close up shots. The bird seemed quite at ease and it seems as if it were settled in to stay in this area. It did not even look uncomfortable with the car right under the power line and the people watching it through their binoculars.

This one is a rarity for our region and definitely a first record for the bird atlas for the southern Free State.

Common Fiscals with white eyestripe

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