Birds

Birds encountered on Table Mountain and in the Western Cape in general. I am not much of a “twitcher”, and you can well imagine I do not like to remain still for long. But sometimes curiosity gets the better of me, and I need to put a name to a LBJ.

African Black Oystercatcher

Haematopus moquini

Oystercatchers mate for life, and can usually be seen in pairs. They are endangered, and care should be taken not disturb them, or trample their nests which are usually found in dunes (one of the reasons vehicles are not permitted on most beaches in South Africa).

They occur quite commonly on both beaches and rocky stretches of the South African coastline.

Sightings: Robberg [March]; Nature’s Valley Beach [September]; Jongensfontein [March]

African Hoopoe

Upupa africana

I remember seeing Hoopoes in the garden when I was very young. These unmistakeable birds are fairly rare.

Sighting: Rondeberg [March]

Black Eagle

See Verreaux’s Eagle

Blue Crane

Anthropoides paradisea

This elegant bird is the national bird of South Africa. I spotted a flock in some farmlands near Greyton. They were incredibly skittish, and I couldn’t get within 100m of them.

Sightings: Greyton

Cape Francolin

Francolinus capensis

Spotted this one on the beach at Kraalbaai in the West Coast National Park where he seemed quite out-of-place!

Sightings: West Coast National Park

Cape Rock Thrush

Monticola rupestris

Sightings: Genadendal Hiking Trail [June]

Cape Sugarbird

Promerops cafer

You will see these little guys flitting from protea to protea using their long curved beaks to get to the nectar. The tail of the male bird can reach 3 times its body length, the tail of the female is shorter.

Sightings: Silvermine; Pipe-track; Greyton Nature Reserve

Chorister Robin-Chat

Cossypha dichroa

This gorgeous guy came to visit us on the deck of our Forest Hut at De Vasselot Rest Camp in Nature’s Valley.

Sighting: De Vasselot Rest Camp, Nature’s Valley [September]

Common Fiscal Shrike

Lanius collaris

A member of the shrike family found through most of Sub-Saharan Africa. I remember these birds visiting my grandparents garden, and them calling it a Butcher Bird.

We came across one that we assume had found a dead rodent which it was trying to carry across the dirt road, despite it being many times larger than itself. I have since identified the mouse as a Striped Mouse.

Sighting: Matjiesfontein, Cederberg

Kelp Gull

Larus dominicanus

Common scavengers on the coast of South Africa.

Knysna Loerie

Tauraco corythaix

We were welcomed to our Forest Hut at De Vasselot Rest Camp, Nature’s Valley by a couple of Loeries. Unfortunately, they would not play along, and I only managed a shot of one of them hiding in the upper branches of the tree next to the hut.

These beautiful birds are most striking in flight when the crimson outer primary feathers under their wings catch the sunlight. They make a surprisingly loud and not particularly beautiful “ko-ko-ko-ko” sound when they are alarmed.

Sighting: De Vasselot Rest Camp, Nature’s Valley [September]

Orange-breasted Sunbird

Anthobaphes violacea

These colorful little guys can be seen sipping nectar from proteas and pincushions with their delicate, curved bills. Their wings make a distinctive “whirring” sound, and you will often hear them in the fynbos before you see them.

I hope I have identified the juvenile in the photo correctly: I saw her in the company of some adults, and the description matches that given in my bird guide.

Orange-breasted Sunbird

Male Orange-breasted Sunbird

Juvenile female Orange-breasted Sunbird

Juvenile female Orange-breasted Sunbird

Sightings: Silvermine East; Pipe-track; Kalk Bay Mountains.

Red-winged Starling

Onychognathus morio

Red-winged Starlings are to be found everywhere on the Peninsula. They are noisy, cheeky birds. They are almost entirely glossy black, with the exceptions of the chestnut flight feathers.

Southern Boubou Shrike

Laniarius ferrugineus

Sighting: Bontebok National Park

Speckled Pigeon

Columba guinea

These large pigeons are a common sight in suburban areas. I had a pair nest on my balcony and before I knew it I was host to a messy, noisy family of four.

Sightings: Cape Peninsula suburbia [October]

Verreaux’s Eagle

Aquila verreauxii

The information below is from the fascinating presentation I attended by  Megan Murgatroyd on her Black Eagle Project.

The Black Eagle is now correctly known as Verreaux’s Eagle.

Prey:

• Rock hyrax (the Rock hyrax is common prey, and the eagles’ habitat coincides largely with that of the dassie.)
• Tortoise (Sandveld)
• Mongoose
• Mole rats

Breeding habits:

• 10 month process, meaning they can breed every year in good habitat
• nest-building can start early February
• can build more than 1 nest a year
• 2 eggs are laid in a clutch from mid-May to Mid-July
• 40 – 45 days incubation period
• male and female incubate
• they are used to hunting in pairs, so must adapt to hunting alone while partner incubates
• also hatch 2 days apart: this results in a Cain / Abel scenario, where Cain will usually kill Abel (this is some kind of insurance policy ensuring the survival of at least one chick)
• chick = 100 grams
• 90-95 days before flight
• after 2 or 3 months the young eagle is forced to leave area by parents

There is a long history of breeding pairs on the Peninsula. Currently there is one successful pair in Silvermine area, using the same nest since 2005.

Whitebreasted Cormorant

Phalacrocorax africanus

Spotted this fellow alongside the walkway between Muizenberg and St. James.

Yellow-billed Kite

Milvus aegyptius

We see lots of these beautiful birds on the farm up the West Coast. At first I battled to identify them as from a distance I could not see the fork in the tail. The kite flies with a distinctive tail movement — the tail swivels quite freely and quickly — but the identification was only confirmed when I got to see a bird a bit closer and finally saw the fork in the tail.

One of the dogs caught a small mouse, but because he had most of his teeth kicked out by a horse, he had no real way of killing it, so I despatched the little guy, and threw his body into the paddock. We then noticed a kite zoning in on the paddock, so I got my camera out and tried to take some shots.

Sightings: Philadelphia area

Unidentified

More often than not I am unable to name the birds I see. I recently purchased a copy of the Complete Photographic Field Guide: Birds of Southern Africa and will have to try to educate myself!

Here is a photo of a raptor that I saw on the dunes near the parking lot at Noordhoek Beach. The bird seemed a bit out-of-place, and I would love to know what it is.