 Bar-tailed Godwit at the Lake St Lucia estuary mouth. It's been a very dry month in St Lucia compared to last May when we received approximately 300mm of rain. The Wetlands have continued to shrink and the grasslands have become a swathe of golden yellow. With the lack of rain and reduced outflow from the imfolozi River the estuary channel has become much shallower. Most of the summer terns have now left the estuary mouth with a few stragglers of Lesser crested tern still persisting amongst the many Greater crested terns and Caspian and Sandwich tern. As is usual for the Winter we have started to see Cape Gannet out at sea (amongst the first arriving humpback whales) and also more Kelp gull and the odd Cape cormorant. Other species present at the mouth area throughout the month included: Pink-backed pelican, Yellow-billed stork, Sanderling, Grey plover, Little egret, White-fronted & Kittliz's plover.  Caspian, Greater crested and Lesser crested terns at the Lake St Lucia estuary mouth The terns can rest easy these days with the absence of Yellow-billed kite but are still disturbed by the odd passing African fish-eagle and Western osprey.  Western osprey over St Lucia estuary mouth A nice surprise towards the end of the month was the discovery of a Eurasian oystercatcher which has joined a group of African Black oystercatchers on St Lucia beaches surrounding the Estuary mouth. Another nice surprise was a Bar-tailed godwit feeding amongst Eurasian whimbrels at the estuary mouth!  Eurasian oystercatcher amongst Black oystercatchers In the forest we have enjoyed consistent sightings of Spotted ground thrush during the month and very reliable sightings of Buff-spotted flufftail in the latter part of the month. We have also enjoyed our first sightings of the season of the beautiful winter-visiting White-starred robin and Grey cuckooshrike. We also enjoyed somewhat unusual sightings of Brown-backed honeybird. Bird parties are nice and large after being beefed up by winter-visiting species such as Paradise flycatcher, Olive bush-shrike, Dusky flycatcher, Grey cuckooshrike and Black cuckooshrike. Early mornings are starting to become chilly and birds have started hunting the early morning sun which makes for good photographic opportunities. Frugivorous species such as Livingstone's turaco, Black-bellied starling, White-eared barbet, Trumpeter hornbill have been congregating around the last fruiting fig trees whereas sunbirds (Olive, Grey, Collared and Purple-banded) are congregating on the first flowering Tree fuschia and Cape honeysuckle.  Brown-backed honeybird in St Lucia The short cut grass on the road verges on the Eastern shores are holding good numbers of Senegal lapwing and Wetland areas good numbers of Pale-crowned cisticola.  Pale-crowned cisticola, Isimangaliso Wetlands Park Also of interest, Cuckoo hawk sightings have been nice and consistent on the Eastern shores during the month along with Southern banded snake-eagle, Brown snake-eagle and Black-chested snake-eagle.  African cuckoo hawk, Eastern shores, Isimangaliso
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