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Preview for the Hoedspruit Camp 16-18 June 2000 | ||||||
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By Dalena Mostert
Lynette van den Heever from Pretoria Bird Club, who will be coordinating the Hoedspruit camp, came for the long weekend to recci the area before the camp that will be held here in six weeks time. Friday morning at the crack of dawn we were up and out for a full days birding and were treated to a wonderful spectacle. A tawny Eagle was sitting on a telephone pole with about 6 to 8 Forktailed Drongos on the lines just beneath it. We slowly approached trying to id the horde of Cisticolas that are around. About 20 meters from the perch the Eagle took to the sky, just to be followed, chased and practically attacked by the Drongos. They took turns and literally sit on it's back and pecking him. A late morning drive to Blyde Dam gave us wonderful views of the Crowned Eagle Chick in the nest squealing seriously for some food. The rest of the day we spend birding around the camp and driving through the orchards. On one of the water lanes we found a brown snake eagle taking a bath in the muddy water also in the company of the ever-present drongo's.Saturday morning we again set out on an early morning walk and were amazed at the amount of raptors being around. (it was heavily overcast almost all weekend). Coming back we decided to take a drive to 'n Bietjie Hoop were there was a bird boom lately. On the way we were stopped in our tracks in amazement as between 150 and 200 whitebacked, Lappetfaced and Cape Vultures was circling in the sky alongside the road at one of the lodges. Stopping to take a closer look at the white lions, our attention was drawn by a group of Hooded vultures in a dead tree. At 'n Bietjie Hoop we immediately set out to look for the specials, but we dipped out on the Lesser Blackwinged Plovers and Crested Guineafowl. On the night drive on Richmond we again saw Bronzewinged coursers, Barn owls and Spotted Dikkop. Sunday again brought a cloudy morning but we decided to quickly go for a walk on the riverbank seeing that we just had an hour. African Finfoot and Longtailed wagtail was first on the menu. The main course was a female fish Eagle being chased by a much smaller Blackbreasted Snake Eagle. And lastly we found the elusive Heuglin's robins at the office. We returned later to the riverine forest again and had an hours' fun watching a troop of baboons while seeing various species of kingfisher and some Blue-grey Flycatcher. The game ranger ask me to keep an eye out for a small colony of Whitebrowed Sparrow Weaver about 500 meters from the camp and amazingly there it was. Three nests in an Acacia Tree. Only the second to be found in the Lowveld.Monday morning came cloudless. Taking a walk around the camp with the usual first cup of coffee I found a Spotted Eagle Owl being mocked by the Drongos. A drive to the weather station brought us in direct contact with the Kori Bustard. He plainly refused to leave the road where he was busy preening himself in the warm sun after the cold night. In the end we had to reverse for about 500 meters before we were able to make a U-turn. Lynette van den Heever will co-ordinate the camp. Her phone number is 012-345 4223.The full list of her recce is as follows: 1 - Ostrich 81 - Hamerkop 67 - Little Egret 94 - Hadeda Ibis 102 - Egyptian Goose 121 - Hooded Vulture 122 - Cape Vulture 123 - Whitebacked Vulture 124 - Lappetfaced Vulture 127 - Blackshouldered Kite 132 - Tawny Eagle 141 - Crowned Eagle 142 - Brown Snake Eagle 143 - Blackbreasted Snake Eagle 146 - Bateleur 148 - African Fish Eagle 161 - Gabar Goshawk 182 - Greater Kestrel 189 - Crested Francolin 196 - Natal Francolin 199 - Swaison's Francolin 204 - Helmeted Guineafowl 229 - African Finfoot 230 - Kori Bustard 237 - Redcrested Korhaan 238 - Blackbellied Korhaan 249 - Threebanded Plover 255 - crowned Plover 259 - Blacksmith Plover 297 - Spotted Dikkop 303 - Bronzewinged Courser 352 - Redeyed Dove 354 - Cape Turtle Dove 355 - Laughing Dove 358 - Greenspotted Dove 371 - Purplecrested Lourie 373 - Grey Lourie 381 - Striped Cuckoo 392 - Barn Owl 398 - Pearlspotted Owl 401 - Spotted Eagle Owl 412 - Black swift 421 - Palm Swift 424 - Speckled Mousebird 426 - Redfaced Mousebird 429 - Giant Kingfisher 430 - Halfcollard Kingfisher 435 - Brownhooded Kingfisher 437 - Striped Kingfisher 444 - Little Bee-eater 447 - Lilac Breasted roller 451 - Hoopoe 452 - Redbilled Woodhoopoe 455 - Trumpeter Hornbill 457 - Grey Hornbill 458 - Redbilled Hornbill 459 - Yellowbilled Hornbill 464 - Blackcollard Barbet 470 - Yellowfronted Tinker Barbet 477 - Crested Barbet 483 - Goldentailed Woodpecker 486 - Cardinal Woodpecker 487 - Bearded Woodpecker 493 - Monotonous Lark 496 - Flappet Lark 515 - Chestnutbacked Finchlark 518 - European Swallow 522 - Wiretailed Swallow 527 - Lesser Striped Swallow 529 - Rock Martin 541 - Forktailed Drongo 554 - Southern Black Tit 560 - Arrowmarked Babbler 568 - Blackeyed Bulbul 576 - Kurrichane thrush 580 - Groundscraper Thrush 596 - Stonechat 599 - Heuglin's Robin 613 - Whitebrowed Robin 638 - African Sedge Warbler 645 - Barthroated Apalis 648 - Yellowbreasted Apalis 651 - Longbilled Crimbec 657 - Bleating warbler 672 - Rattling Cisticola 683 - Tawnyflanked Prinia 691 - Bluegrey Flycatcher 694 - Black Flycatcher 695 - Marico Flycatcher 701 - Chinspot Batis 712 - Longtailed Wagtail 716 - Grassveld Pipit 717 - Longbilled Pipit 728 - Yellowthroated Longclaw 735 - Longtailed Shrike 736 - Southern Boubou 740 - Puffback 741 - Brubru 743 - Threestreaked Tchagra 744 - Blackcrowned Tchagra 748 - Orangebreasted Bush Shrike 751 - Greyheaded Bush Shrike 753 - White Helmetshrike 756 - Whitecrowned Shrike 761 - Plumcollard Starling 762 - Burchell,s Starling 764 - Cape Glossy Starling 765 - Greater Blue-eared Starling 772 - Redbilled Oxpecker 779 - Marico Sunbird 787 - Whitebellied Sunbird 793 - Collared Sunbird 798 - Redbilled Buffalo Weaver 801 - House Sparrow 804 - Greyheaded Sparrow 819 - Redheaded Weaver 821 - Redbilled Quelea 841 - Jameson's Firefinch 844 - Blue Waxbill 855 - Cutthroat Finch 869 - Yelloweyed Canary |
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updated 16 May 2000
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