Confused Vultures And A Brief Stint In Mozambique

Summer. The season which many in the southern hemisphere look forward to and particularly us South Africans. Why? Well there are of course the obvious reasons such as our incredibly warm temperatures, clear skies, afternoon thundershowers across the interior, fantastic beaches and of course the ever famous water-parks which are generally out of business for a third of the year. However there a certain breed of South Africans who are not bothered at all when it comes to the above, instead much like squirrels store food for the winter, they spend their winter accumulating as much spare cash as they can in their anticipation for the spring and summer months or in other words, rarity season.

Barau's Petrel, an annual rarity off the South African coastline

Here in South Africa the entire concept of "fall out" is a very foreign concept to us and passage migration doesn't occur in the vast amounts it does in Europe for example, causing birders to tackle a piece of coastline for two/three weeks of a transitional season to make sure they get a specific species only present then. Instead we last the winter out in front of fires with more than the necessary amount of clothing on and wait anxiously for Spring and Summer when the migratory species to come to us, whether it's our intra-African migrants from central Africa or our palearctic migrants from Eurasia. This is when the amount of rarities reported in our sub-region reaches an all time high with reports coming in daily of either provincial rarities or national rarities, both of which generate a fair amount of interest among southern African birders. But it is the reports which get sent through to us by the fantastically run Southern African Rare Bird News (SARBN) email system headed "MEGA: BREAKING NEWS" which really get the adrenaline pumping, and two weeks ago it was two of these mails which sent the country into birding chaos. 

There is a nature reserve in Limpopo province called Blouberg and is famous among birders here in South Africa for being home to the countries largest breeding colony of Cape Vulture's with close on 1 000 breeding pairs present but in among these +-2 000 birds is a single southern Africa mega which has been present for more years than I have been a birder, in fact close to the year when I was born, but has always somehow remained extremely elusive and has avoided many the lister's sub-region list, that is until the report came through from SARBN not too long ago. The regions resident Ruppell's Vulture was sighted on a telephone pole on the outskirts of the reserve and subsequently staff at the reserve had reported it nesting with a resident Cape Vulture. This coupled of course with the extremely helpful and supportive reserve staff allowed for birders to get fantastic scope views of the bird and in turn the first few photographs were posted which inevitably caused a chain reaction with birders organizing trips, booking flights and taking 'sick leave'. 

Of course birding being birding and birds being birds a very interesting looking Stint decided to turn up in a flooded soccer field in Maputo, Mozambique. After much speculation, emails backward and forward and the keen eyes of top Mozambican birder Gary Allport, the conclusion was that the interesting looking stint was in fact a Red-necked Stint, the first in the sub-region for over a decade. 

So what to do? 

The Stint was rather erratic and would every second day or so decide to shove off and explore other parts of Maputo unknown to birders. Another problem presented itself in the form of extremely sunny, warm days in the capital which started affecting the size of the puddle in which the stint was feeding, and the third problem being that the Red-necked was foraging among Little's and confirmation of identification could really only be confirmed by photographs which allowed one to examine various feather details the bird showed. The Vulture on the other hand was what seemed to be reliable and it had further been discovered that the bird had a chick....very confused fella indeed! 

We eventually came to the decision that we would tackle the Vulture first and if the Stint had been sighted again we would then drive through to Maputo to try our luck at connecting with it.

So Friday morning came, cars packed and loaded with crucial food supplies and over excited birders and off we went to Blouberg. Upon our arrival at this incredible reserve we were greeted by the sight of fellow birders who seemed to be extremely hot and flustered in the intense Lowveld heat but brimming from cheek-to-cheek with excitement, which could only mean one of two things: they had finally found water or they had seen and enjoyed the Ruppell's, and it was indeed the former of the two. "We've been watching him from dawn this morning till roughly 12:00 when we left the site" were the words spoken to us, causing increased heart rates and more profuse sweating. We jumped back into the car and made haste towards the Vulture colony, arriving at roughly 16:30 with a fast setting sun casting a golden hue among the vultures. After sometime and fantastic eyes on Alan Ridley's part we managed to locate the nest site, but alas no Ruppell's, our adrenaline levels now dropping almost as quickly as the sun. It was thus decided that we would return first thing in the morning in our hope to catch the bird keeping its chick company.

We were rewarded! Not easily of course! A 6.5 hour stakeout was ultimately what was needed and the fact that roughly ten pairs of eyes were constantly trained on the nest site also helped somewhat. At 12:53 the Ruppell's decided to fly into the nest site after what seemed to be a brief foraging session as it then proceeded to feed the chick. After it's crop was emptied it then took flight again at 12:57, a whole four minutes of viewing! What a remarkable vulture and one I have always dreamt of seeing! With the vulture in the bag our groups previous debates as to whether we were going to drive through to Mozambique or not for the Stint or stay and make sure we got the Vulture, thus returning home with at least one 'mega' in the bag was decided for us when Mr Ruppell's flew made an appearance, so into the car we jumped again and off we went to Mozambique. 

Crossing the Komatipoort border at 21:00 at night must have been one of the most pleasurable African border crossings I have ever undergone and most certainly one of the quickest. We were done and dusted within 15 minutes and were on the dark and wet road through to Maputo. We arrived and were greeted in typical Maputo fashion, traffic jams everywhere we turned. Coupled with this our GPS decided to take us to the opposite end of the city where our accommodation was in fact not, which resulted in four very exhausted and hungry birders finally collapsing into bed at 12:15am with the latest news on the stint being that it wasn't seen during the course of the day, the words of Jim Carrey now highly appropriate...b-e-a-uuuuutiful!

The GPS was indicating that our destination was coming up on the left and after rain downfall during the early hours of the morning I couldn't help but wonder how big the puddle had gotten, if it even did. The continuous wall on our left gave way to an open field and to its left-most extremity the famous 'puddle' which had thankfully increased somewhat  in size. We pulled up next to a fellow birder whom we happened to know and no sign of the bir... wait a second...A small, fast feeding, very pale stint was working the puddle as if it were a buffet for one. We all managed to get onto the bird and immediately noted that it was somewhat different in comparison to other stint's we were used to. Then all of a sudden, with a flutter of wings, it flew up and away, ocean-bound. Thankfully a member of our group managed to fire off some shots of the bird before it did its disappearing act and it was these which helped clinch the ID after sending them through to birders who had already seen and witnessed the birds behavior. Along with this we also had a Little Stint fly in soon after and the size difference between the bird we were now looking at and the bird we had been looking at was remarkably obvious with the Little Stint now looking somewhat gigantic in comparison. 

And there we all sat, sipping a celebratory hot chocolate and stuffing our faces with Portuguese deserts, toasting to a fantastic, fun, adrenaline filled weekend and undoubtedly the biggest and most intense twitch I had ever had the privilege of joining: Friday through to Sunday, +-2 000km later and both rarities in the bag in a 24 hour period...the things we do for birds! 

The 2015 British Bird Fair: A First Timers Perspective

My Big Year back in 2014 provided me with incredible memories, amazing friends, some not so amazing photographs and a dream fulfilled, however what I never expected it to give me was the opportunity to talk at the world's biggest bird and bird watching fair at Rutland Water Nature Reserve in England, the 2015 British Bird Fair.

Now for those who have not heard about this legendary fair it is exactly that; a fair of legends, almost what one would expect to hear birding parents tell their children in their bed time stories (who needs Humpty Dumpty anyway!) and one which attracts companies, people and organizations from varying corners of the globe. Having said this however, no matter the language barriers that may exist, the plethora of religious beliefs or even race everybody shares one passion, which inevitably is all the communication one needs whilst at the fair, and that's birding; what some would call a language on its own and one which every one of the thousands of people who attended the fair throughout it's three day duration understood and spoke fluently. 

Posing next to one of the many eye opening posters around the fair

However besides the fact that the British Bird Fair is a fantastic trade show allowing people to research destinations they dream of visiting, purchase bird feed for their gardens or simply get their hands onto some sought after books and field guides, it also plays a massive role in the raising of funds and awareness sorrounding avian conservation with this years underlying focus being the protection of migrating birds in the eastern Mediterranean, which each year, are shot and killed in their thousands.

Thus back in April of this year when I received an email from the coordinators of the fair confirming my lecture slot on day three my heart skipped one too many beats. It was not the thought of attending the fair or presenting that got my heart racing the most (or the red bull pushing my heart rate too high) but instead being apart of something that was playing such a massive role in 21st century conservation. My dreams soon became reality when owner and colleague Chris Lotz from Birding Ecotours afforded me the opportunity to travel with the 'BE' team to represent the company as well as to help spread the word on avian conservation in South Africa and before I knew it both Dylan Vasapolli and myself were on our flight out from Johannesburg, Birmingham bound. 

We arrived at Birmingham and made hast toward Rutland Water Nature Reserve to set up our stand in time for the start of the fair the following day. We soon met up with two of our U.K. based colleagues  Andy and Greg and kicked off our trip with what we did best: birding! Of course this being the first time I had ever laid binoculars on Europes birds the lifers came rolling in and I soon managed to connect with one of the species I wanted to see most: the Northern Lapwing, a common yet stunning species! 

The stunning Northern Lapwing, one of my most sought after European species

However before we knew it the clock had struck 20:00 and it was time for some supper and a few of England's highly spoken of ales: cheers to what we hoped to be a successful fair!

The Birding Ecotours team ready and set up

The next three days seemed to pass by in somewhat of a fish and chip, birder infused blur with the first day being somewhat overwhelming what with birders of varying nationalities and celebrity status making appearances as well as the most obvious presence of young birders from the organization 'NGB' or Next Generation Birders, something which truly warmed my heart and gave me a sense of confidence and hope that the hobby I loved and cherished so dearly wasent on the brink of extinction itself, not with these hot-shot, up-and-coming birders making it onto the international birding scene.

Jonathan Meyrav from the
Champions of the Flyway competition, one of the many
inspirational conservationists we were
privileged enough to spend time with.

After the first day of getting my bearings the second and third seemed less 'intense' and more relaxed as the previous sense of mass overwhelming I had seemed to have migrated and it was these second and third days whereby I realized my own personal highlight of the fair and that was having the honor of meeting with and chatting to some of the wolds leaders in avian conservation whom without we would most likely be looking at paint dry: I don't know about you but saying "there's a new maroon red wall on 8th street that's just witnessed the final stroke!" sounds a heck-lot worse than "there's a Stellers Eider in someone's backyard pool in north Scotland".

It was an absolute honor and privilege to also share the stand with friends and colleagues Dylan, Andy and Greg whom each in their own right preach the word on conservation whenever and wherever they can and as with everyone else whom I met, speak the same language: birding. Here's looking forward to more trips together and wishing the Bird Fair organizers and everybody else involved all the best in their current and future conservation endeavors, I salute you.

                                                                                                                                                                 

Knysna this, Knysna that: Birding South Africa's Garden Route

South Africa is home to nine different biomes, one of which is the coastal forests of the south coast; untouched, preserved and well and truly wild. This stretch of forest is also surrounded by patches of fynbos which in turn increases the variety of vegetation occurring in the area as well as the wildlife which occupy this vegetation-thus it was aptly named 'The Garden Route', however I like to think that this stretch was named such due to its uncanny resemblance to the text describing the biblical Garden of Eden. Thus when I found myself travelling the long two day trip down toward the town of George, one of the main attractions along the Garden Route, I couldn't help but feel as if I was about to go back to times biblical.

The Garden Route is home to some incredible biodiversity with both species of bird and amphibian being named after the town of Knysna, which some call the heart of the Garden Route. Any naturalist and nature enthusiast who plans a trip to this part of South Africa will immediatly start salivating at the sight of names along the likes of Knysna Turaco, Knysna Woodpecker, Knysna Warbler, Knysna Leaf Folding Frog and Knysna Seahorse to name but a few. Being privileged enough to have had stunning views of Knysna Turaco on many an occasion I had only four species left to finish off the 'Knysna specials' list and I had my sights set on the Warbler, Woodpecker and Leaf Folding Frog this time around, however this would prove somewhat of a challenge as the trip was more of a family orientated one than it was a biodiversity exploration trip, but nevertheless I kept my hopes and eagerness at an all time high! 

An African Black Oystercatcher in a hot territorial pursuit. 

We arrived in Plettenberg Bay to a stunning sunset and African Black Oystercatchers mere meters away from us on the rocks, patrolling the sharp edges for musscles with which they pry open with their specially designed chisel like bill. We settled in, unpacked our bags and hit the hay as the following morning would see me up bright and early in my quest to connect with the somewhat elusive Knysna Warbler which proved tricky to find last year (2014) during my Big Year and had in fact evaded my sights for all of nine years which I have been birding. 

Up and early it was and I was greeted by Dalene's spitting exhaust attached to her Opel Corsa at the front of our hotel, the exhaust fumes creating what looked to be like miniature clouds which soon dissipated in the cool morning air. Our destination for the morning was a small beach called Victoria Bay, a spot which is well known among local birders (and surfers!) as a Knysna Warbler hot spot and the locality where we hoped to pick up on at least one calling individual which we could then locate and get visuals on. 

Well not only did we manage to locate one individual calling but the minute the first bird started calling, with a few minutes to 7am, it triggered a whole choir of Knysna Warbler's into song with individuals calling from, what seemed to me to be like every bush! It was a truly remarkable experience being surrounded by a good few dozen of one of South Africa's most sought after endemics singing their little hearts out as they greeted the morning. We finally found a confiding pair which required minimal effort in order to obtain more than sufficient views and after one or two blurred photographs for proof we moved on toward the Saarsveld campus of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan  University (NMMU) with Knysna Warbler in the figurative bag and Knysna Woodpecker in our sights. 

Perfect Knysna Warbler habitat lining the road sides around Victoria Bay

The Saarsveld campus of the NMMU is truly a remarkable one with breathtaking scenery and a fantastic environmentally friendly orientated campus life thanks to the help of the Campus Green Forum who help contribute toward the lessening of the campus' carbon footprint as well as the raising of awareness surrounding the areas fantastic biodiversity. Of course being nestled among gorgeous forest patches there are trails leading all over the place but one particular trail lead to a series of pools which was a well known spot for another species of Amphibian I had my eyes set on finding: the Southern Ghost Frog. 

Our hike into the surrounding forests commenced and we had fantastic views of Knysna Turaco, Grey Cuckooshrike, Southern Double-collared Sunbird, Cape Batis and Olive Woodpecker. We also picked up on the call of yet another Knysna Warbler (as Murphy would have it they were practically everywhere now that I had seen them!) but sadly as hard as we listened we couldn't hear any call resembling that of a Knysna Woodpecker, not even the characteristic wood 'pecking' associated with the family. 

It wasn't long before Dalene said "I think we're on the wrong path" and with that we back tracked our steps and took the other path which had forked off the original. A few minutes later and the process repeated itself with Dalene saying "I don't think we're on the right path" and so marked the beginning of our days inability to locate the famous "Pepsi Pools", home of the Ghost Frogs, but instead we practically dragged ourselves to the nearest shopping center to hydrate and consume copious amounts of artery clotting woolworths milkshakes. What I would classify as a success and a morning well spent! 

Southern Double-collared Sunbird

Cape Sugarbird

The following days were spent exploring areas around Plettenberg Bay and George, namely Natures Valley and Wilderness National Park respectively. Natures Valley was truly incredible as I spent the morning partaking in the art of bird ringing with the chaps from the Natures Valley Trust, Mark Brown explaining the ropes to a few volunteers and teaching me some handy tips here and there which I have no doubt I will be using in my future ringing endeavors. Some of the species we caught and successfully banded included Orange-breasted Sunbird, Southern and Greater Double-collared Sunbirds, Cape Sugarbird, Cape Batis, Forest Canary, Cape White-eye and Cape Robin-chat. 

Knysna Turaco

Wilderness National Park also proved fruitful and exploration of the Half-collared Kingfisher trail produced great sightings of Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Woodland Warbler and Knysna Turaco. But sadly with all the walking we did, all the sore muscles gained and all the sweat we couldn't manage to find a Knysna Woodpecker and to add insult to injury upon my departure back home I received a message from Dalene telling me that the Knysna Leaf Folding Frogs had been sighted and were in full song back on Saarsveld. 

....even more reason for me to return to this incredible part of South Africa!

Zululand: A Winter Birding Wonderland

It's a common misconception among local birders that come the winter months, birding here in South Africa becomes somehwhat non-existent and "boring", however this is almost never the truth. Although both our Palearctic and Intra-African migrants have all moved off by the end of March/April some of our more harder to find resident species become a lot more conspicuous and are in fact best sought after during the colder temperatures.

One such example of a bird is the infamous Sclater's Lark (Spizocorys sclateri) who's centre of distribution occurs in the arid Northern Cape province. Trying to find this species in summer is much like the futile act of finding a needle in a haystack, or make that ten haystacks. Why is this you may ask? Well firstly the Northern Cape has a lot of haystacks and secondly summer in the Northern Cape generally brings with it warmer temperatures and rain, creating an abundance of water sources in which this species can utilize and drink until their tiny hearts are content. However winter is a different story and the lack of water supply finds these birds moving to water troughs in their quest for survival and some of the last remaining water for miles. Therefore your best chances of finding this South African near-endemic is by tackling these dry arid regions during winter and patiently yet painstakingly waiting (often for hours on end) for birds to come and drink at the local water troughs. A fantastic winter birding destination which is in fact one of many we have.  Birding in South Africa whilst braving the cold during our winter months is worth it! And that's where Kwazulu Natal's "Zululand" comes into play. 

"What clothes do you think I should pack?" I asked, assuming my girlfriend would know after having spent ten weeks in the heart of Zululand, to which I got a reply along the lines of "It's Zululand, it should be warm!". So of course into my bag went the shorts, t-shirts and vests with my jacket being a last minute, unwanted item strapped onto my backpack, a comforter really for my parents who I have no doubt were thinking "it's as if he was born in the arctic; slip-slops, shorts and a t-shirt in the middle of winter!". They blame my being reckless, I blame my mothers maternally inherited stubbornness. However my family were not the only ones giving me looks of confusion, concern and genuine fear for as I walked through the security checkpoint at the airport I could have sworn I either had Sylvester Stallone within arms hair length from me or the rest of his Expendables team not too far behind because clearly my fellow passengers awaiting our flight to Durban knew I was in for a cold reception. 

Alas the plane landed (thanks goodness), the road was travelled and Palm-nut Vulture was added to my "Birds seen whilst travelling over 100km/h" list. We eventually pulled up to the gates of Ethlatini Bush Camp, home to one of the countries leaders in field guide training, Bhejane Nature Training, where I was to be based for two weeks of pure Zululand birding bliss. 

With the birding bug itching underneath my skin I had no option but to pick up my binoculars and head out for an afternoon walk and before I knew it Zululand was already showing me why it is one of our countries best birding destnations, whether it be summer, winter, autumn or spring. In among a flock of the more common Yellow-fronted Canary appeared four much less common and more saught after Lemon-breasted Canary's. A fantastic welcome back after an almost five month long absence from this incredible part of our country! 

Red-capped Robin-Chat

General birding around Bhejane was fantastic as usual with species along the likes of Grey-penduline Tit, Dark-backed Weaver, Olive and Grey Sunbirds, African Quailfinch, African Dusky Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Greenbul, Fiery-necked Nightjars, African Wood Owl, Rudds Apalis, Pink-throated Twinspot, Eastern Nicator and not to forget the ever present Red-capped Robin Chat which due to students practicing for their bird call assessments knows the calls of Gorgeous Bushshrike and Southern Banded Snake-eagle to name but two. 

Small (Kurrichane) Buttonquail

Another unexpected visitor to our sand forest camp came in the form of a single, male Small (Kurrichane) Buttonquail, truly remarkable birds, and when in the hand their beauty is but magnified! 

On this particular trip I again had the privilege of returning to some of the local "hot spots" (no reference at all to the temperature; it was in fact "minus...oh darn, the thermometer froze") which included False Bay, Mkhuze Game Reserve and Nibela Peninsula with Nibela undoubtedly being one of the highlights.

There is really only one main reason as to why one targets Nibela and that is for the stunning Rosy-throated Longclaw, although general birding is fantastic, Longclaw or no Longclaw! This particular day saw us encounter no less than eight Rosy-throated Longclaw's as well as its less extravagent cousin the Yellow-throated Longclaw. After getting fairly up close and personal with the Rosy's we decided it was time to stalk them in our quest to get semi-decent photographs, aided by the incredibly long grass and a wind of adrenaline pushing us from behind we moved inch by inch through the knee high grass and were rewarded with a real up-close-and-personal experience with an absolutely stunning specimen of a bird! 

Rosy-throated Longclaw

Mkhuze also didn't disappoint and a full days practical with the Imvelo group from Bhejane saw us connect with a magnificent Pels Fishing Owl, only my second ever sighting of this species and my first for South Africa. One cannot help but admit that there is something hypnotic about looking into an Owl's eyes, in this case seemingly bottomless black pits fitted in among an image of pure rufous beauty. 

Clearly this return trip to Zululand was one full of "first time" experiences as we headed north toward Pongola, more specifically Amakhosi Reserve and even more specifically Ebandla Trails camp, the base for Bhejane Nature Training's Big Five trails walks and trails guide training. However the objective on our visit this time around was not intended to learn the in's and out's of Dylan's stunning .458 Winchester Magnum but instead to explore the reserve and see what species we could turn up. Two species which definitely had the need to be "turned down" were the African Firefinches and Swee Waxbills which seemed to be in almost every shrub and bush however one could not help but admire their bright red rumps and black face masks, almost decorating the bushes they occupied simialar to the likes of a Christmas tree. Grey Cuckooshrike and African Finfoot were top contenders for "bird of the trip" however that slot went to a single Yellow-streaked Greenbul which was initially picked up on call coming from a steep, forested mountain slope. The sight was sadly inaccessible so further exploration would have either resulted in a cardio workout even Arnold would be proud of or a cellphone call to somebody's medical aid requesting a heli-vac, but it just goes to show what one can turn up by exploring unchartered pieces of nature, for this species was a good few houndred kilometers out of its normal distribution. 

All in all my time spent down in Zululand resulted in incredible, high intensity, adrenaline pumping birding a lot similar to that of the birding one can experience in the Kruger National Park's Punda Maria and Pafuri regions in the middle of summer. A lot of the saught after Kwazulu Natal species hang around throughout the year come rain, snow, hail or drought and you are bound to be encapsulated by this provinces world class birding, the bug which has bitten all of us birders, itching under your skin and tempting you to go back at the mere drop of a hat. With a trip list of just over two houndred species for a mere two weeks spent in the area in the dead of winter, one cannot help but agree that Kwazulu Natal's Zuluand is one of South Africa's best! 

Birding Trails: myself and members of the Imvelo's

A Visit to the Citrine

I often wonder to myself what goes through a non-birders head when they ask you simple questions yet the answers they get are somewhat unexpected, for example: Ralf; "Morning John! How was your weekend? Well spent?" to which a reply along the lines of "yes indeed it was, I went for a lovely afternoon trip around the sewage works" doesn't exactly get the excited reaction a birder would have expressed had you told him this exact same response. Thus when I told my family I was flying down to Cape Town for a day to try find Southern Africa's 4th ever Citrine Wagtail hanging around the local sewage works, the dumbfounded looks of complete shock and bewilderment were enough to make me smile...!

The Origins of South African Law; a subject I actually enjoy to a certain extent but somehow sitting at my desk with the windows open, peace and quite filling the houses every empty space, I still sat day dreaming about all the world's exotic localities and what natural treasures lie undisturbed and hidden away from the danger that is the human race. Of equal importance on the day-dreaming playlist is my countries very own natural wonders and in particular our avian treasures which wildlife enthusiasts from various corners of the world travel to see. And then the thought of which exotic species will be discovered next? Or even better, which exotic bird species will find its way to our shores next? Almost as if it was timed by Birding Africa Guide Ethan Kistler, my phone went off with a notification which simply read "MEGA ALERT: Citrine Wagtail at Strandfontein Sewage Works, Cape Town".  

The email which sent South African birders into panic mode

Of course this sent the entire country into absolute chaos because with this notification came the knowledge that this was infact only the 4th ever record of this species in the Southern African sub-region with only one previous record ever being "twitchable" (birding term for being able to twitch a bird, i.e. spend copious amounts of money in the hope of finding a particular species in order to add it to ones list). Would this be one of those records where the bird is seen but "flocks off" before anybody can dig into their pensions in order to pursue it? Or is this the one which will make our wallets cry but our hearts race? 

Well the Cape Town based birders most definitely did not waste any time and the first batch of birders were on scene within the hour but had no success in relocating the bird however the afternoon shift did which confirmed it, all of us who were not based in Cape Town needed to make a plan, and make one fast! The first of us Gauteng based birders had arrived the following morning, Sunday blues not evident at all and instead of waking up to an alarm, a nice cup of tea and Michael Bublé (don't ask about it....) I was awoken by more "pings" and "dongs"

from my phone which confirmed the fact that I shouldn't get out of bed but merely turn over and crawl into the foetul position so as to avoid any further pictures and reports on this bird. The previous day saw me having priced plane tickets but immediatly stop pricing them after I turned up the first few results which portrayed the news I least wanted to hear and that was that a twitch to Cape Town would just not be feasable at present. Bye-bye Wagtail....

However, much like the higher powers that be granted me my subconscious wish of having a massive birding rarity find its way to our sub-region, the same power clearly spoke to the Local airlines because as Sunday evening approached my now relaxed, calm demeanor, which was acceptant of the fact that this was just another one that got away, was itching to re-check the prices of airline tickets, and thankfully I did! In the space of a mere day the airlines had dropped their ticket prices by almost half immediatly making this twitch feasable, my now calm and collected thought process turning into utter mayhem as the adrenaline started to flow through my veins, shaking while fumbling for my cell phone to call my close friend Werner, to share with him the good news. We ended up booking our tickets onto the first flight out of Johannesburg for the following morning and from then onward all we could do was cross our fingers, pray continuously for +-12 hours and hope that Mr Citrine didn't flock off during the night. 

Nervous smiles all round

The drive to the airport the following morning was absolute torcher and that sense of anxiety stayed with Werner and myself right through until the very moment we got to Strandfontein. Adrenaline had been pumping through our systems from the minute our alarm's went off with a deeper underlying concern mixed in among it. Was the bird still there? We arrived on site at just after 8:30 immediatly drawn to a group of birders all facing one direction, cameras and binoculars at the ready, surely this was a good sign? Breaking out into a full sprint we arrived and slowed into a casual jog so as to look calm and collected, you never quite know where the next Baywatch talent scout will be, best to run majestically! 

Birding traffic jam, Strandfontein

The birders on scene then broke the news to us, the bird was last seen at around 8:00am that morning and had subsequently disappeared into the reeds. We had missed the little bugger by 30min! After roughly an hour of painstakingly waiting we then decided to go and walk the edge of the pans and see if the bird perhaps hadn't slipped away among the comossion. Following suite was John Graham and Sean Overmeyer a mere few meters behind us when all of a sudden their talking ceased and their eyes fixated onto a small clump of reeds to the left of the road, John had picked up on something. 

All of a sudden, like a bat out of hell, Mr Citrine burst out from the reeds in a flurry and flew, flew some more, and didn't stop flying until he landed inside the actual works themselves. The views we managed to get: not tick'able in our books...had we missed our opportunity due to just having been in the wrong spot when the bird was flushed? 

The following moments reminded me very much of a scene in the movie "The Big Year" starring Jack Black, Owen Wilson and Steve Martin whereby a whole bunch of birders were on the island of Atu, a report having been received of a Rustic Bunting and in true birding fashion the birders swamped to the location it was reported from just to be greeted by the birders who were already on scene running back up the hill screaming "the buntings gone back up the hill, the buntings gone back up the hill!". This was repeated a few times before the Bunting actually stopped flying about and settled at one point allowing all birders present to get decent views of it. Well the next few moments I felt an odd sense of déjàvu as I found myself running back and forth to where the Citrine was moving to and from, who needs cardio when you can chase a rare bird up and down a hill? 

Citrine Wagtail in the bag!

Finally (thank heavens!) the Wagtail decided to land at exactly the same spot it was present earlier that morning. Through my binoculars I saw fixated eyes, cameras and binoculars on one spot, he must be there! Breaking out into a full sprint and covering a distance of about 200m faster than the Flash could ever dream of I arrived, alive (surprisingly!) and in those few moments where I struggled to pin point it's exact location, my heart sat in my chest beating at an abnormally fast rate when all of a sudden a flash of yellow interspersed with grey fillied my field of views as I managed to get my eyes onto Southern Africa's 4th ever Citrine Wagtail, and damn was it a beauty! 

One can never really describe to a non-birder the excitement, the adrenaline rush and the pure energy surge one feels when there is some obscure rarity which pops up somewhere in our region and when you attempt to enlighten them saying something along the likes of "The minute those reports come through your body starts to shake as the excitement is just far too much!" the looks received are but a mixture of confusion and concern, almost as if they are busy calculating your level of sanity and thus I find it best to merely embrace it, embrace the absolute craziness which drives a birder to twitch! And as we sat on our flight home that evening I couldn't help but caste my mind off in wonder of which part of the region I would be racing off too next...!

A Bird in Hand is Worth More Than Two in the Bush

"A bird in hand is worth two in the bush"- A very well known quote among birders world wide and one which I never really quite understood until I tackled the highveld grasslands with Mark and Alisha Kirk with our main purpose being to target, capture and ring some owls.  When speaking to birders, in particular birders who keep lists, they will continuously make reference to the fact that once the listing bug bites it bites hard, now this I learnt the hard way (not that I'm complaining) however I didn't think that there was another type of bug which I had to keep my eye open for and that's the 'ringing bug'.

Belonging to various birding groups on Facebook and having friends who are involved in the art of bird ringing (I say art because it is exactly that, an art which one cannot simply learn at the drop of a hat but instead a practice which needs to be perfected through hours spent in the filed being mentored by experienced ringers, learning the 'tricks of the trade' per say) themselves it was inevitable that my news feed would be filled with posts of birders sitting in weird and wonderful localities from across the world holding some or other exotic species of bird in the famous "ringers clasp" and posing ever so nicely, bird in hand, with a smile of pure joy and excitement along with the words "I'm doing all of this whilst you sit behind your office desk in the city"...Ok so maybe this text wasn't present at all but we all know the mind tricks which jealousy plays on us!

The South African Bird Ringing Unit (SAFRING)

With the picture of a friend of mine holding a Snowy Owl in hand and another picture of a gentlemen in India having just rung an Indian Pitta I fought back the nausea and asked around for further information on how exactly I could go about obtaining my ringers license and learning more about this intricate art. It was through these endeavors which allowed me to get into contact with Mark and Alisha Kirk (two of only six people who have ever managed to record 800 species of southern African birds in a calendar year) being seasoned ringers having done extensive wader ringing on the coast of Namibia, along with various other localities, where in one night they ringed over two houndred Black Terns! Mark and Alisha agreed to take me under their figurative wing and help mentor me in my ringing quest.

So before I knew it we were off, making our way down to the southern extremities of Gauteng province to the highveld grasslands around the small town of Devon a well know location for a variety of owl species which include the likes of Marsh, Western Barn, Spotted Eagle and even African Grass Owl. We arrived in Devon and were welcomed by a crisp three degree Celsius breeze which resulted in jackets and the car's heater being put on faster than Bolt running the 100's.

Driving at a casual 25km/ph we scanned every single fence pole, telephone poll and road sign in the hope of the cars spotlights illuminating a feathered figure sitting, waiting and watching. After roughly 35 minutes and a few Owl's having been flushed from the road side verges, we finally got onto a single Spotted Eagle Owl sitting atop a fence poll. Immediately the excitement levels in the car rose to an all time high as the prospect of catching one of these magnificent raptors started to dawn on us. We cautiously ambled up to the pole with each inch gained our nerves reaching an all time high, concern that the bird would be frightened off and take flight. But caution and tactical driving on mark's part proved successful and we got into a reasonable spot whereby we would place the moudry trap; we did so making sure that the owl would be able to see the trap and slowly reversed making sure that there was enough space between the trap and our vehicle which would allow the owl to feel comfortable enough to fly down to the trap. We stopped the car, turned off the engine and dimmed the headlights awaiting the characteristic spring of the trap shutting (I would just like to stray slightly and highlight the fact that the particular trap used is in fact one of the most ethical methods of capturing raptors out there and is practiced by acclaimed professionals internationally causing the bird no harm).

My first raptor in the hand, a gorgeous young
 female Spotted Eagle Owl

The suspense kept on building as the temperature kept on dropping and after a few minutes passed, which truly did feel like hours, the grey'ish figure of the owl came gliding in landing mere centimeters away from the trap whereby it began the 'assessment' process whereby it examined the trap, all of it's features and the fact that there was movement in the cages trap. Generally speaking one is to wait until the bird takes the plunge but in this case we picked up the headlights of a car speeding along the dirt road just behind the horizon and thus we had no option but to switch the car on and drive toward the trap in order to rescue it, and force the bird to move off, saving both from an unfriendly encounter with the front of one of the local farmers cars. Just as we pulled up to the trap the owl decided it wasn't about to let his supper go so easily and hopped into the trap, springing it. We had him! It was into action as quick as possible Mark, and his son Sean, hoping out of the car to grab the trap in order to bring it to safety, I ran into the road backed by our vehicles headlights in an attempt to flag and slow down the approaching vehicle, thankfully it did just that and after a quick conversation with him expressing the purpose for our presence on their roads we got underway with 'the process'. Whilst Alisha started to set up the ringing station and get all of the equipment out and ready Mark managed to safely take the owl out of the trap whereby he gave me a brief lesson on how to handle raptors and then passing me the bird, ever so gently.

It was in that moment whereby I fully understood the quote "A bird in hand is worth two in the bush" in fact I wanted to make my own slight edit and recommend it be changed to "A bird in hand is worth five houndred in the bush" because holding that Spotted Eagle Owl in my hand, looking into those deep yellow eyes, you could practically feel the gears turning as it took in every single possible detail that it could, it's head constantly fixated on the person holding it and it's gorgeous feathers like silk against your skin. Having this beauty in hand allowed me to take in details which I had never done before whilst viewing this species in the field such as the shear size of its talons, "the meat and patatoes" according to Mark and undoubtedly a part of this bird which I most certainly didn't want to get on the wrong side of, a sense of empathy creeping in for the small mammals which these birds prey on. One was able to see that we were dealing with a young bird with juvenile plumage mixed in among new emerging adult plumage a cleaner, more defined and refined feather in comparison to the dull, worn, brown older feathers.

Immediately assuming the role of student listening to teacher the absorption of pure knowledge that was spoken among the Kirk family was imperative and crucial toward my learning, knowledge which isn't gained from reading books but instead from hours and hours spent working in the field and of course thousands of bird ringed. This was undoubtedly one of the highlights of my birding career thus far and I cannot help but allow the excitement for my next ringing session to start building up as it will provide an opportunity to appreciate the birds we often take for granted.

Spotted Eagle Owl (Bubo africanus)

                                               The ringing bug has most definitely bitten...

   

Optics Review: Vortex Viper HD 10X42

http://www.vortexbirding.com/

Binoculars: undoubtedly a birders most treasured and valued possession. A birder without binoculars is much like a swordsman without a sword, a jockey without his horse, a marksman without his rifle, a sailor without his ship or a pilot without his plane. A birders binoculars could very well be more important to them than any one of their limbs and to some they assume a role of importance higher than that of their wedding ring or motor vehicle. Binoculars are not only an important and crucial birders tool but an object which enhances the world of birding taking it to the 'next level', enabling us to view the worlds variety of avian wonders up close and personal, absorbing each and every detail presented to us creating a memory based photographic imprint which will store itself in the recesses of our brain until tapped into for our own pleasure as one reminisces about that moment in time when stuck in the office or the much feared bustling city traffic and thus it is imperative that a birder makes sure  he/she has the best pair of optics which they can afford so as to help them fully maximize their birding experiences and that's where Vortex comes in. 

Martin Benadie and myself

I was privileged enough to be powered by this incredible optics brand, in a joint partnership with Whylo Dostributors here in South Africa, for my 2014 Southern African Birding Big Year and what a privilege and honor it was having been sponsored a pair of Viper HD 10X42's which were presented to me by none other than Martin Benadie, close friend, optics ambassador and staff for Whylo, as we discussed my plans for 2014 over a cup of coffee at a local restaurant.                                                                                                     From the moment I opened the box right through until the moment I connected with my 800th species for the calendar year these incredible binoculars did not disappointment me once. Having started the year off with one extreme, more precisely, Namibia's scorching temperatures, dessert and ocean to tackling the extremely humid Mozambican forests this pair of binoculars came with me everywhere I went  whether there was a torrential downpour or whether I was out at sea on a pelagic trip, they did not leave my side.

Now reading the brochure and the variety of product information you may find on the internet whilst conducting research is all fine and well, and don't get me wrong is imperative when researching a new pair of binoculars, but one can only read so much and there is always this slight air of uncertainty as to how exactly your new binoculars will fair whilst out and about tackling the extremes or simply sitting and enjoying the birds in your garden, and thus the reason for this blog is a simple one, to recount my experiences with the Vortex Viper HD 10X42's so as to provide those looking at purchasing a new pair of binoculars with a personal opinion on the brand that is on everybody's lips at the moment, Vortex. 

Being a birder, and obviously one wishing to attempt a Big Year, it was crucial that I had a pair of binoculars which would be able to withstand the elements, a few bashes here and there (maybe more than a few with all the falling I did last year!), continuous use and still be able to maintain the same level of optical brilliance as it originally had upon taking it out of it's box. Now having read the brochure, box and having conducted research of my own I already knew that the Viper HD's were waterproof and fogproof but how reliable was this information on the brochure? The answer is simple, very reliable! Throughout my travels last year I found myself in situations whereby I got carried away with chasing a bird and the heavens decided to open thus resulting in a very wet, cold me, but not at one point did I have to worry about protecting my binoculars from the rain in fear of having them damaged, instead I was able to worry about which flu I was going to contract and how wet exactly the bar one chocolate in my pocket was and was it indeed still edible?....The answer to the latter was in fact yes, it was still edible, much to my surprise! 

The joys of having a pair of waterproof and fogproof binoculars are truly fantastic: Mess a bit of juice on your bins? Perhaps you got them a bit dusty whilst caught in a small dust twister? Drop them in the sand? Well it's simple, put them under some gently flowing tap water and give them a good rinse, that will do the trick and it is an incredibly nifty feature to have, especially when one is stuck out in the middle of the bush with no other cleaning alternative. You have nothing to fear, no fogging and no water infiltration, well at least not whilst the reliable O-ring seals are in place!                                                                                                       The quality of the lenses themselves is something to marvel at: HD extra low dispersion glass helps deliver impressive clarity not only in broad daylight but in overcast and low light conditions as well whereby performance is at an all time high. This feature was of particular assistance to me whilst I was down in Cape Town at Rooi Els. My year list was sitting on 699 species with 700 in reasonable reach, I was at Rooi Els with close friend of mine, Peter Sumner, with one target in mind, the South African endemic Cape Rockjumper. After over an hour of unsuccessful searching the sun had finally started to set having just disappeared behind the Hottentot Mountain's when all of a sudden I picked up on the distinctive call of a pair of Rockjumper's calling quite some way up the hill and with that I started my ascent constantly scanning to try and pick up on any movement. All of a sudden two dark figures appeared on top of a rock, their movement's matching the sound of Rockjumper's echoing off of the surrounding cliffs. I immediately started up the hill at a much more rapid pace and eventually had no option but to stop for if I had to continue I would run the risk of  losing the birds for good. I thus, sat down, rested my Viper's on my one knee and started scanning again, when all of a sudden I finally picked the two birds up yet again, this time the excellent low light performance of the Viper's allowed me to take in every detail of this absolutely incredible, sought after bird which just so happened to take the spot of number 700 on my Big Year list, and I wouldn't have been able to get a "tick'able" view if it weren't for my Viper's, fact! 

The rubber armor is more than sufficient protection and allows for a non-slip grip, especially handy for those wet situations and the eye relief provides both birders with and without glasses the ability to adjust the eye pieces to their own specific preferences. The locking diopter is an added benefit and will make sure that your own settings are not changed whilst making us of your binoculars. 

If there is one criticism I have regarding the Viper's it is the rubber covering the eye pieces. Obviously the continued usage throughout the year as well as the extremes I put these binoculars through it all proved to be a bit too much and toward the end of the year the glue worked loose and the rubber caps started to get loose and every now and then fall off. However, as mentioned, this was due to what I put these bin's through and I am sure that any normal usage of these optics will yield no problems at all and any abnormal usage of these bin's should also yield no problems and if it does, Vortex Optics offers a life time warranty on their products which covers everything with the exclusions of loss, theft, deliberate damage or cosmetic damage which does not hinder the optics performance, a warranty a birder will be hard pressed to find in any other medium priced optics brand. 

A proud Vortex user through and through and a brand I have no doubt will continually serve me well in the field and in my future birding endeavors for many years to come. Thank you to Vortex Optics and Whylo Distributors for the opportunity to represent the brand during my 2014 Big Year and I hope to continue spreading the word on this incredible optics brand, and in so doing, opening the eyes of fellow birders who will hopefully be able to experience, as I did, more than 800 species through some top notch glass!  

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