Birding update for St Lucia: September '26

August was a relatively wet month with just over 90mm of rain falling. The wetlands have, however, continued to shrink in size. The drying wetlands (and concentrated food source) have been attracting an impressive number of waterfowl including Cape shoveler, Great white pelican, Saddle-billed stork, Squacco heron, Knob-billed duck, Glossy ibis, Yellow-billed, Great white & Little egret, Malachite kingfisher, Little grebe, Spurwinged goose, Hamerkop and African spoonbill to name a few. It has been amazing to watch the different species working together in large feeding parties to drive prey to the corner of wetlands and thereby making them easier to catch.

The wetlands surrounding St Lucia are teeming with waterfowl at the moment

 The estuary mouth remains closed. Late Winter, early Spring is also the time of fires in the Isimangaliso Wetlands Park and a few areas have had controlled burns. ​

Controlled burn on the Eastern shores of Isimangaliso Wetlands Park

---

Freshly burnt areas have been attracting Brown, Black-bellied and Southern-banded snake eagle, Black-winged kite, Black-bellied bustard, Secretarybird, Senegal lapwing and large flocks of Collared pratincole.

Southern-banded snake-eagle staking out a freshly burnt area for prey

Action in the forest has been centred around blossoming White stinkwood trees which are covered in beetle larvae and are attracting large numbers of African emerald and Klaas' cuckoo along with Black cuckooshrike, Black-backed puffback, Olive & Orange-breasted bush-shrike, Green malkoha and Dark-backed weaver.

African emerald cuckoo in blossoming White stinkwood tree

Fruiting Wild plum and Natal fig trees are still attracting a big variety of frugivorous birds including Livingstone's turaco, African green pigeon, Yellow-rumped tinkerbird, Yellow-bellied greenbul, White-eared barbet, Black-bellied starling, Trumpeter hornbill and Purple-crested turaco.

White-eared barbet

Flowering Cape honeysuckle and Coral trees are attracting Eastern olive, Purple-banded, Collared, Grey and Scarlet-chested sunbird along with Cape White-eye and Eastern golden weaver.

Scarlet-chested sunbird on Coral tree. Photo credit: Mark Strudwick

On the forest floor, Winter-visiting Spotted ground-thrush and Chorister robin-chat are still lingering along with Red-capped robin-chat, Terrestrial brownbul and Brown scrub-robin. We have also enjoyed several good sightings of Buff-spotted flufftail.

We have enjoyed consistent sightings of Spotted ground-thrush in August and some individuals are still lingering

The Narina trogon males are properly calling now with the first floating leks starting to form. We have enjoyed consistent- and marvellous- sightings of these beautiful birds of late. 

Calling Narina trogon male

Other forest species regularly observed during the past month have included Grey waxbill, Blue-mantled crested flycatcher, Woodwards batis, Rudd's apalis, Dark-backed weaver, Square-tailed drongo, Red-backed mannikin, Green twinspot, Green-backed camaroptera, Golden-tailed woodpecker, Crested guineafowl and Crowned hornbill to name a few. 

Green twinspot on an afternoon walk in St Lucia.

At the estuary mouth, the tern roost has typically consisted of Greater crested, Caspian, Sandwich and Common terns. Some other species usually present surrounding the mouth include Kelp & Grey-headed gull, African oystercatcher, Sanderling, White-fronted plover, Southern brown-throated weaver, Brimstone canary, Cape gannet and Rufous-winged cisticola to name a few.

Greater crested, Common and Sandwich terns at the St Lucia estuary beach

The Rufous-bellied heron has returned (after a prolonged absence) to its favourite wetland on the Eastern shores. Great to see this rare and beautiful bird again.

The Rufous-bellied heron is back

The Yellow-billed oxpecker have continued to frequent their favourite area close to the Dune loop exit on the Eastern shores of Isimangaliso Wetlands Park.

Yellow-billed oxpecker on a zebra- eastern shores Isimangaliso Wetlands Park

Lastly, there has been a lot of excitement with the discovery of a Long-toed lapwing close to Lane Island on Lake St Lucia. The first record for a very long time.