Attendees: Sandy Olver, Stanley Gengan, Barrie Willis & Sue Hansbury, Graham & Sue Salthouse, Stan & Val Culley, Bob & Hazel van Rooyen (10)

Species: 57                                                         Text: Hazel van Rooyen
Water Thick-knee  (photo: HvR)

Our morning started off with some short sharp showers whilst travelling on the highway to Illovo but they quickly cleared to produce a lovely Indian ocean winter’s day.  On arriving at the business park we were temporarily flummoxed as the entrance was blocked off but we found another way in around the side.  The guard helpfully offered to get the key and open up the gate to the trail for us.
4 Water Thick-knees, well camouflaged (photo HvR)

As we parked we disturbed the resident family of Water Thick-knees which flew across the river and settled there for the day.  Blacksmith Lapwings, Cape Wagtails and Three-banded Plovers foraged at the water’s edge.  After a fairly quick breakfast we set off to do the walk.  Being mid-winter the river comprised of mostly trickles but deep enough in places to make it tempting for the African Fish Eagle and Reed Cormorant.  Red-wing and Black-bellied Starlings, Black-collared Barbets, Bronze Mannikins flitted amongst the trees while Southern Red Bishops and Thick-billed Weaver preferred the beds of tall reeds next to the river.

The track began with open grassland and produced African Stonechat, Fan-tailed Widowbird and Crested Barbet, amongst others.  
African Fish Eagle (photo: HvR)

Good views over the river (photo: HvR)
Viewpoints on hillocks provided good views of the river with bamboo fences providing some degree of cover.  Spurwing and Egyptian Geese congregated on a large sandspit and Stan spotted a Malachite Kingfisher and Brown-throated Martin flying across the river and the distinctive hollow bubbling call of the trail's namesake, the Burchell's Coucal, was heard.  A Hamerkop was seen several times searching up and down the river. 
Trail through riverine bush (photo: HvR)

After a while the track closed in and led us through quite dense riverine bush, producing Tawny-flanked Prinia, Bar-throated Apalis, Red-capped Robin-Chat and Dark-capped Yellow Warbler.  By this time, we had split into two groups and my group were meeting up with the leaders who were on their way back, having already done the loop.  En route they had seen Terrestrial Brownbul, Green-backed Cameroptera, and White-browed Scrub-Robin. Continuing back, Pin-tailed Whydah, Black Saw-wing, Black-headed Heron, Speckled Mousebird and Long-crested Eagle were spotted. 
Convenient shade for relaxing with views of the river (photo: HvR)

At the picnic site a barn-like structure provided a shady spot for us to relax and view the river and environs.  A flock of Woolly-necked Storks circled lazily overhead and Little Bee-eaters darted this way and that in the bushes on the opposite bank. 
Little Bee-eater (photo: Sue Salthouse)

Pied Wagtails inspected the river margin while a Familiar Chat popped over to see if we had dropped any crumbs.  Red-backed Mannikins and Cape White-eyes busied themselves in some young thorn trees close by.









A very pleasant morning was had by all and we were happy with our count of 57 species.


Apalis, Bar-throated
Barbet, Black-collared
Barbet, Crested
Bee-eater, Little
Bishop, Southern Red
Boubou, Southern
Brownbul, Terrestrial
Bulbul, Dark-capped
Cameroptera, Green-backed
Canary, Yellow-fronted
Chat, Familiar
Cormorant, Reed
Coucal, Burchell’s
Dove, Laughing
Dove, Red-eyed
Dove, Tambourine
Drongo, Fork-tailed
Eagle, Long-crested
Fiscal, Common
Flycatcher, Southern Black
Goose, Egyptian
Goose, Spurwing
Greenbul, Sombre
Hadedah, Ibis
Hamerkop
Heron, Black-headed
Hoopoe, African
Kingfisher, Malachite
Kingfisher, Pied

Lapwing, Blacksmith
Mannikin, Bronze
Mannikin, Red-backed
Martin, Brown-throated
Mousebird, Speckled
Plover, Three-banded
Prinia, Tawny-flanked
Robin-Chat, Red-capped
Saw-wing, Black
Scrub-Robin, White-browed
Sparrow, Southern Grey-headed
Starling, Black-bellied
Starling, Red-winged
Stonechat, African
Stork, Woolly-necked
Sunbird, Amethyst
Sunbird, Olive
Thick-knee, Water
Wagtail, Cape
Wagtail, Pied
Warbler, Dark-capped
Weaver, Spectacled
Weaver, Thick-billed
Weaver, Village
Weaver, Yellow
White-eye, Cape
Whydah, Pin-tailed
Widow, Fan-tailed

All photos property of photographer