Birding update for St Lucia: September '25

Green malkoha have been very vocal and conspicuous during September

Spring has arrived in St Lucia with hot temperatures, plenty of bird activity and more mosquitoes! Rainfall was low compared to the past couple of years so the wetlands have shrunk quite substantially during the month. We have also seen a few fires over the course of the month in the grasslands surrounding St Lucia and within the Isimangaliso Wetlands Park which are always interesting from a birding perspective with many raptors (such as Southern-banded, Brown and Black-chested snake-eagle) staking out burnt areas where prey is easier to spot. Strangely, we haven't seen the same eruption of Celtis leaf beetle larvae on the White stinkwood trees this year (as has happened the previous 4 Septembers). The past 4 years all the action was happening around the White stinkwood trees in September whereas this year bird parties are more scattered. 

Brown snake-eagle (and Southern-banded and Black-chested) have been staking out recently burnt grasslands for prey.

As usually happens during September, we have had an influx of African emerald cuckoo into the forests surrounding St Lucia and have enjoyed regular sightings of this spectacular bird. They are one of the more generous forest birds, often calling from a conspicuous perch out in the the open. They also broadcast their location from afar with their loud 'Pretty-Georgie' call.

African emerald cuckoo often call from an exposed perch

Also typical of September, the Narina trogon males have been very vocal. We have enjoyed a few sightings of floating leks, consisting of multiple males calling and flying conspicuously between trees as they move through the forest. There are usually a few females in attendance too. Seeing 5 Narina trogon in a single tree is always an impressive sight!

We enjoyed many great sightings of Narina trogon during the month

The foghorn-type calls of male Buff-spotted flufftail are also a feature of the forest at the moment. They can be heard at night time, dusk, dawn and overcast days. It is always amazing to hear just how many of these elusive little birds there actually are in the forest! We have also enjoyed regular good sightings of both male and female Buff-spotted flufftail during the month.

Seeding Casuarina trees have still been attracting a nice selection of seed-eaters such as Green twinspot, Red-backed mannikin, Grey waxbill and Yellow-fronted canary.

A few great birds have shown up at the Lake St Lucia estuary mouth during the month. Firstly, a single Damara tern was seen at the tern roost. This is the third consecutive September that Damara tern have showed up at the estuary mouth. They have always only stayed for a day or two as they are in passage. The other unusuals were sightings of Greater sand plover and Chestnut-banded plover. ​

Greater sand plover at the St Lucia estuary mouth

Other birds regularly seen at the mouth include Eurasian whimbrel, Grey plover, Pied avocet, Common greenshank, Common sandpiper, Common-ringed plover, Kittlitz's plover, Curlew sandpiper, Little stint, Sanderling, Ruddy turnstone, White-fronted plover, Little egret, Caspian tern, Greater crested tern, Sandwich tern, Common tern, African oystercatcher and Western osprey.

Terns at the St Lucia estuary mouth with a fin-slapping humpback whale in the background

A strange sighting during the month was that of a Eurasian chaffinch at Cape Vidal! It is a mystery where this bird may have come from as Cape Vidal is pretty isolated from towns and Cities. The Eurasian chaffinch is not a migratory species so the most likely explanation would be an escaped cage bird or a bird bought to one of the harbours along the coast by ship. 

Eurasian chaffinch at Cape Vidal

In the wetlands, the Rufous-bellied heron have continued to show nicely on the Eastern shores of Isimangaliso Wetlands park along with African pygmy-goose, White-backed duck, Squacco heron, Lesser moorhen, Intermediate egret, Purple heron, Rufous-winged cisticola, Black crake, Yellow-billed duck and White-faced whistling duck.

Rufous-bellied heron on the Eastern shores of Isimangaliso Wetlands Park.

Lastly, nocturnal birding has rewarded us with great sightings of Swamp nightjar this month along with Fiery-necked nightjar, African wood-owl, Western Barn owl and Marsh owl. 

Swamp nightjar in St Lucia