Indicator Birding - Home Page

	Borakolalo and Kgomo Kgomo - 2 April by Etienne Marais
Club Benefits	About Birding	Contacts	Events	News	Birding Spots	HOME	Erectile Dysfunction

A quick outing to Borakolalo yesterday (2 April) produced some interesting birding.

The highlights were a Dusky Lark, a short way outside the entrance to Borakolalo, and the plains between Jericho and Borakolalo which at 6:30 am, were alive to the sounds of Harlequin Quail, a bird which I can't recall ever having recorded in our neck of the woods.

This whole area has had another spate of rain, and the dam is overflowing - there is water everywhere.

Other notable observations:

Striped Cuckoo seemed plentiful, and one juvenile was still part of a family of Arrow-marked Babblers.
Three Black Egret, and a suspected Green Sandpiper were seen along the flooded shoreline.
Meyer's Parrot was reliable as ever, and I also saw all three Hornbills.
Only one pair of Pearl-breasted Swallows- these near the Park Admin outbuildings.
Redheaded Weavers in full glory.
Redbilled Quelea - a huge flock
Redcrested Korhaans in full cry.
A superb little banded Goshawk drinking from a roadside pool.
Golden Bishop's doing there "buzz dance" - these were still in full garb, and the display suggests breeding (again)?
A pair of Double-banded Sandgrouse.
An unidentified Eurafrican Cuckoo.
Plenty of migrants still around: Spotted Flycatcher, Willow Warbler and Redbacked Shrike,
Woodland Kingfisher, European Roller and also several Lesser Grey Shrike.
African Barred Warbler seemed pretty vocal.

I took the back roads back via Moretela (village) and Kgomo Kgomo, this is a nice route as it takes one past the floodplains at Kgomo Kgomo (West of Pienaarsrivier), and through some excellent acacia flats. Here Shaft-tailed Whydah, Paradise Whydah, Steel-blue Widow Finch, Redheaded Finch and Great Sparrow were evident. Close to the floodplain, a large flock of Chestnut-backed Finchlark, and some Bluecheeked Bee-eaters were seen, as well as Fulvous and Knob-billed Ducks, and a lone Yellowbilled Stork.

Etienne Marais