St Lucia Birding Update April '25

April is always an interesting birding month in St Lucia, with some of the Summer migrants still lingering during the early parts of the month and the Winter visitors starting to arrive towards the end of the month.  April is typically still very wet in St Lucia and this year has been no exception with heavy bouts of rainfall falling regularly throughout the month and approximately 400mm of rain recorded during the month. This has filled up the wetlands to the brim again and flooded sections of road around St Lucia and within the nearby Isimangaliso Wetlands Park (as in the previous few years). 

Much flooding has occurred in St Lucia and surrounds due to the 400mm of rain which fell during the course of the month.

A benefit of the heavy rains and flooded road sections is that they provide ideal hunting conditions for the elusive White-backed night-heron which are able to spot prey (such as barbel and frogs) more easily than in wetlands. We have therefore enjoyed several good sightings during the month during or shortly after bouts of rain  ​

Waterfowl numbers are increasing in the Wetlands once again with plentiful White-faced whistling duck, Red-billed teal, Yellow-billed duck, Little grebe, Black crake and African jacana accompanied by the odd White-backed duck, African pygmy-goose, Blue-billed teal and Squacco heron. Flooded grassland at wetland edges is attracting Black-headed heron, Saddle-billed stork & Intermediate egret. 

Blue-billed teal, Isimangaliso Wetlands Park

Winter-visiting African stonechat are once again abundant in the coastal grasslands surrounding St Lucia along with winter-visiting Pale-crowned cisticola. Interestingly, the Blue-cheeked bee-eater lingered long this year with the last stragglers still around until the last week of April. At the forest/grassland ecotone we have started seeing Fiscal flycatcher (also a Winter altitudinal migrant)

Blue-cheeked bee-eater remained until the last week of April

Raptor-viewing has been great with regular sightings of Southern-banded snake eagle, African crowned eagle, African cuckoo hawk ,African goshawk, African Harrier-hawk, Brown snake-eagle, Black-chested snake-eagle and the odd Martial eagle. 

African crowned eagle pair

In the forest, many of the trees have started shedding their leaves for the winter which means more light is infiltrating the forest and making it easier to spot birds. 

White stinkwood trees are dropping their leaves en masse

Many of the Pigeonwoods are still fruiting and are attracting a nice variety of birds such as Yellow-rumped tinkerbird, Yellow-bellied & Sombre greenbul, Lemon dove, Terrestrial brownbul, Thick-billed weaver, Collared sunbird, Red-capped robin-chat and even White-starred robin. The African flame trees are in full flower and are alive with Olive, Collared, Grey & Purple-banded Sunbird (in order of abundance). Fruiting Natal figs have been attracting Livingstones & Purple-crested turaco, Trumpeter hornbill, African green pigeon, Yellow-bellied & Sombre greenbul whilst the fruit flies and insects attracted to the rotting fallen figs have been attracting Square-tailed drongo, Blue-mantled crested flycatcher, Ashy flyctacher, African paradise-flycatcher and Black-throated wattle-eye.

Livingstone's turaco in fruiting Natal fig

Seeding grass patches have continued to attract Red-backed & Bronze mannikin, Common & Grey waxbill and the occassional Green twinspots.

It has been great to see the return of Winter-visiting White-starred robin, Spotted ground-thrush, Olive bush-shrike, African dusky flycatcher and African paradise flycatcher in the forests. Also looking forward to sightings of Chorister robin-chat, Grey cuckoo-shrike and hopefully the odd surprise visitor this winter! (Eastern bronze-naped pigeon, Olive woodpecker, Bush black-cap and Yellow-throated woodland warbler have all been seen the past couple of Winters)   

First sighting of Spotted ground-thrush on 22nd April.

At the Lake St Lucia estuary, most of the migratory waders have now left with the odd Curlew sandpiper and Little stint still present. There was also a Greater sand plover present amongst the White-fronted plovers towards the end of the month.  The terns have been roosting quite far South of the mouth for much of the month making viewing tricky. The roost is still holding Greater crested, Caspian, Common and Little terns. Other birds seen regularly at the mouth during the month included Eurasian whimbrel, African oystercatcher, Palm-nut vulture, Southern brown-throated weaver, Blue-cheeked bee-eater,  Sand martin  and Western osprey.

Western osprey flying over the St Lucia estuary mouth

On the Eastern shores of Isimangaliso we have continued to enjoy consistent sightings of Senegal lapwing.

Senegal lapwing, Eastern shores

Nocturnal birding has delivered sightings of Spotted eagle-owl, African wood-owl, Swamp nightjar, Fiery-necked nightjar, Water thick-knee and White-backed night-heron. 

Leopard with cub on the Eastern shores.