August Birding Update

African pygmy goose- Wetlands close to St Lucia

The ‘August winds’ have certainly lived up to their reputation the last number of weeks, with the wind howling either from the North or South with hardly a lull in between. Also, approximately 50mm of rain has fallen this month already which has ‘topped up’ the wetlands nicely.
 
Speaking of wetlands- the wetlands surrounding St Lucia and into the Eastern shores of Isimangaliso Wetlands Park have produced some interesting birds in recent weeks- African Pygmy Goose, Lesser jacana and Lesser moorhen all showing nicely! The wetlands themselves have matured nicely with ample waterlilies and other emergent vegetation providing good habitat for a wide variety of waterfowl such as African jacana, Red-billed teal, Yellow-billed duck, Little grebe, White-faced whistling duck, Spur-winged goose, Intermediate egret, Great white egret and Black-headed heron. Also of note- the short grass patches at wetland edges are also hosting the odd Senegal lapwing and Collared pratincole.
 
The forest birding has been excellent as per usual with visiting Winter altitudinal migrants complimenting the usual residents. Some of the altitudinal migrants seen in recent weeks include-Grey cuckooshrike, White-starred robin and Spotted ground-thrush. The usual forest residents seem to be becoming more active (and vocal) with the approach of spring with birds such as the Narina trogon becoming more conspicuous in recent weeks. The black-bellied starlings are travelling in huge noisy flocks (as is typical in the winter months) and gathering at fruiting trees to feed. Other insectivorous birds are taking advantage of the insects flushed by the large flocks of starlings, creating nice bird ‘parties’. Furthermore, the coral trees are in full flower at the moment, attracting a busy assortment of Eastern olive, Grey, Purple-banded, Collared and Scarlet-chested sunbird.
 
The tern roost at the estuary ‘mouth’ is large at the moment but consists almost entirely of Greater crested (Swift) tern and the odd Caspian tern. Earlier this month, however, a Sooty tern was photographed at the roost so it is definitely worth checking! Other birds frequenting the mouth area and surrounding beaches in recent weeks include the ubiquitous White-fronted plover, nice flock of Pied avocet, some overwintering Curlew sandpiper, Sanderling, Common whimbrel, Grey-headed gull, Kelp gull and a lone Bar-tailed godwit. Plenty of bait behind backline is attracting dozens of Cape gannet (predominantly juveniles) which can be seen diving (characteristically) like missiles into the water. Interesting pelagic birds found washed up on the beach in recent weeks include a freshly-dead Tropical shearwater and long-dead Shy albatross.
 
Freshly burnt grassland patches on the Eastern shores are attracting a multitude of raptors, seemingly taking advantage of the increased visibility and ease of spotting prey- these include Brown, Black-chested and Southern banded snake eagle; African cuckoo-hawk; Black-shouldered kite and even Bataleur (uncommon on the Eastern shores). Secretary bird, Wooly-necked stork and Denham's bustard have been frequenting the freshly burnt areas for the same reason and are probably also hoping to find the charred remains of victims of the fire.
 
Also, the first Yellow-billed kites have returned from their haunts further North on the continent and are back to their usual habits of relentlessly scouring the beaches and bush for something to eat- dead or alive!
 
Last but not least, we enjoyed 100% success rate for Swamp nightjars on all our Swamp nightjar searches in recent weeks. 

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Swamp nightjar- St Lucia