Attendees: Graham & Sue Salthouse, Stan & Val Culley, Barrie Willis & Sue Hansbury, Stanley & Asothie Gengan, Doug & Angie Butcher, Margaret Jones, Hazel van Rooyen (12)

Species: Total 39                                                 Text: Hazel van Rooyen
Knysna Turaco (photo: Doug Butcher)
A dozen keen birders constituted a good turnout for a wintry Sunday morning.  Having "meeted and greeted" we started our walk through a slice of forest and past the old garden.  One can imagine how it had looked in by-gone days when it had been loved and cared for by the various families that had owned it down the years, from the first owner who purchased it from the Knox-Gores with visions of making a home for his future wife who was on her way by sea from the UK and then met someone else on board ship, to the gentleman who turned it into an arboretum of exotic botanical plants and planted turpentine trees from Australia as windbreaks.  After a few other changes of ownership it was handed to Margate Borough and thence to its current custodianship with the Natal Parks Board (now Ezemvelo Wildlife) who are slowly returning it to its original natural state, preserving indigenous trees and rare coastal grassland.
Jack fruit in SA? (photo: HvR)

First spotted was a White-eared Barbet perched on the top-most branch of a dead tree and a Knysna Turaco flashing its brilliant colours in the early morning sunshine.  A Black-headed Oriole sang happily whilst Amethyst and Olive Sunbirds flitted in the mid-canopy.
Female Amethyst Sunbird (photo: HvR)

The forest gave way to grasslands which didn’t yield much except for Black-bellied Starling in the distant tree-tops and a lone Hamerkop flying overhead. 

Aloe maculata (photo: HvR)
Walking through the grassland (photo: HvR)
The dam at the bottom of the property was quite dry but further along a pond just about supported a few sad lily pads.
No ducks on this dam! (photo: HvR)


The remainder of the walk produced Sombre Greenbul, Bronze Mannikin, Greater Honeyguide and an African Fish Eagle called from the direction of the river.
The whole reserve had been cleared and thinned out recently but there was still a lot of dead wood lying around.  The remains of a weaver's nest below caused some discussion.
Immature Greater Honeyguide moulting into adult plumage (photo: Stan Culley)

Forest or Spectacled Weaver nest? (photo: HvR)


Returning to the parking we enjoyed some breakfast before driving around to the Uvongo River Conservancy. 
Breakfast (photo: HvR)

Although the river comprised mere puddles amidst the sand a Goliath Heron and Egyptian Goose were seen.  Also spotted were Scaly-throated Honeyguide, Brown-hooded Kingfisher, African Green Pigeon and Green Woodhoopoe amongst others.

BirdList (Total: 39 species)
Skyline (21 species)
Uvongo River Conservancy (27 species)
Barbet, Black-collared
Barbet, White-eared
Bulbul, Dark-capped
Dove, Red-eyed
Drongo, Fork-tailed
Drongo, Square-tailed
Eagle, African Fish
Greenbul, Sombre
Hamerkop
Honeyguide, Greater
Hornbill, Crowned
Ibis, Hadedah
Mannikin, Bronze
Oriole, Black-headed
Starling, Black-bellied
Sunbird, Amethyst
Sunbird, Olive
Turaco, Knysna
Wagtail, African Pied
Weaver, Dark-backed
Weaver, Village
Barbet, Black-collared
Boubou, Southern
Bulbul, Dark-capped
Canary, Yellow-fronted
Dove, Red-eyed
Eagle, African Fish
Flycatcher, Southern Black
Goose, Egyptian
Heron, Goliath
Honeyguide, Scaly-throated
Hornbill, Crowned
Ibis, Hadedah
Kingfisher, Brown-hooded
Mannikin, Red-backed
Mousebird, Speckled
Oriole, Black-headed
Pigeon, African Green
Prinia, Tawny-flanked
Starling, Red-winged
Sunbird, Collared
Thrush, Olive
Turaco, Knysna
Turaco, Purple-crested
Wagtail, African Pied
Weaver, Spectacled
White-eye, Cape
Woodhoopoe, Green