St Lucia Birding Update: January '25

Lake St Lucia estuary mouth breach.

It has been a hot and dry month in St Lucia with some fantastic birding. The big news of the month in St Lucia was the natural breach of the Lake St Lucia estuary mouth to the ocean following it's closure since September 2024. The breach was preceded by plentiful rainfall in the catchment area and extremely high water levels in the estuary. Unfortunately for many of the Eastern golden, Southern-brown-throated, Thick-billed and Lesser masked weavers this resulted in their nests being submerged by the water.

Southern brown-throated weaver next to it's nest being submerged by rising water levels.

As usually happens in the initial few weeks after the re-opening of the estuary mouth, many freshwater fish species are pulled out to sea by the strong outgoing current and, unable to tolerate the salt water, beach themselves. 

Barbel washing up on the estuary beach by the thousands

This provided a feast for Yellow-billed & Wooly-necked storks, Grey & Goliath heron, Great white-egret, Palm-nut vulture, African fish-eagle, Yellow-billed kite and other beach scavengers. ​

Yellow-billed storks gathering at the mouth to take advantage of the easy meal

The mud & sand flats left exposed after the mouth breached and water receded are attracting a nice selection of waders including Tibetan sand plover, Common ringed plover, Common sandpiper, Common greenshank, Sanderling, White-fronted plover and Kittliz's plover as well as the occassional Terek sandpiper and Bar-tailed godwit(s). The tern roost is typically holding 6 tern species (Greater crested, Lesser crested, Common, Caspian, Little and Sandwich) with the odd White-winged joining the mix too. Towards the start of the month a Parasitic jaeger was seen a couple of times at the estuary mouth harassing the terns- typical behaviour for this kleptoparasitic bird.  Another unusual bird for St Lucia sighted at the mouth was a Cape shoveler.

Estuary mouth tern roost (Lesser crested tern centre)

There was alot of excitement the last few days with the discovery of 3 African skimmer at the mouth. The 3rd consecutive Summer that these beautiful birds have arrived! 

African skimmers in amongst terns at the Lake St Lucia estuary mouth

The forest has been nice and busy with many birds still caring for their recently fledged chicks. We have had many excellent sightings of Narina trogon with their fledglings in tow- the fledglings usually much more confiding and offering excellent views.

Narina trogon male (background) with fledgling in the foreground

We also enjoyed great sightings of all of the other forest specials including Livingstone's turaco, Green malkoha, Rudd's apalis, Southern-banded snake-eagle, Grey waxbill, Woodward's batis, Green twinspot, Blue-mantled crested flycatcher, Brown scrub-robin and Buff-spotted flufftail as well as sightings of Summer-visiting Marsh warbler and Willow warbler. 

Buff-spotted flufftail, St Lucia

The wetlands have continued to shrink with the low rainfall locally surrounding St Lucia and many have even dried up. This has had the effect of concentrating the waterfowl into the last remaining wetlands making for some great wetland birding.  Lesser jacana has been regular on the wetlands close to St Lucia and on the Eastern shores of Isimangaliso Wetlands park along with African pygmy-goose, Saddle-billed stork, Squacco heron, White-backed duck, Intermediate egret, Black crake, White-faced whistling duck, African jacana and African marsh-harrier.  

Lesser jacana in wetlands close to St Lucia

Also of interest, the Sooty falcon was sighted 16km from St Lucia on the road to Mtubatuba. A yearly occurrence for the last 4 years at least.

Sooty falcon on the road to Mtubatuba

Nocturnal sightings have included Swamp and Fiery-necked nightjars, Spotted eagle-owl and African wood-owl. 

African wood-owl in St Lucia