On Sunday I headed out to Kageyo (1°50'37.40"S+30°39'36.30"E), a village on the edge of Akagera National Park, where there are 2 good dams and lots of habitat (albeit being degraded, deforested and burnt with alarming rapidity). I wanted to see if there was any sign of the Madagascar Squacco Herons I had seen back in June. There hasn't been a drop of rain in E. Rwanda since mid-June, and birds may be flocking to the wetlands.

On arrival I was delighted to see 5 Greater Painted-Snipe on the first dam, 3 females and 2 males:

This was my first record for this species in Rwanda. Huge numbers of finches and doves were flocking for early morning drinks, including Crimson-rumped Waxbill, Bronze Mannikin, Yellow-fronted Canary, Red-billed Firefinch, Pin-tailed Whydah, Red-billed Quelea and Green-winged Pytilia, all in very good numbers. Among the Red-eyed and Ring-necked Doves I spotted a much rarer species, an African Mourning Dove – my first record for Rwanda. I wonder if the dry season is pulling some species westwards? Several firsts for my Akagera list in the vicinity included Purple-crested Turaco and Pink-backed Pelican (strange I hadn't seen this species before in Akagera). Migrants were beginning to arrive. A total of 6 Wood Sandpipers on both dams (some could have been repeats), 1 Green Sandpiper on the 1st dam (uncommon in E. Rwanda), and `several' Barn Swallows refuelling above the 1st dam. (I say several; I definitely identified 3 thanks to tail streamers or good views of throat. Others may have been Angola.)
 

An excursion into nearby acacia woodland unearthed a smashing feeding party, with the following: Red-faced Crombec, Sulphur-breasted and Grey-headed Bush-Shrikes (the latter practising his eerie call for reasonable photos: http://kilnsey.tripod.com/grey-bush.jpg ), Yellow-breasted Apalis, Greater Blue-eared and Ruppell's Starlings, Black-lored and Arrow-marked Babblers, Black-faced Waxbill (in very good numbers today everywhere I went – usually uncommon) among several of the previously mentioned finch species, White-browed and Red-capped Robin-Chats, African Paradise-Flycatcher, Black-headed Gonolek and Slate-coloured Boubou, Yellow-throated Greenbul, Grey-backed Camaroptera, Bare-faced Go-away Bird, Southern Black Flycatcher, Trilling Cisticola, Pale Wren-warbler, Brown-throated Wattle-eye (incl. juvenile). Eventually this party seemed to disperse in 3 different directions, leaving the Grey-headed Bush-Shrike still calling in bare branches above. I came back into the open to spot a Black-shouldered Kite on a distant treetop.

I headed for the 2nd dam to find water levels low, but still populated by a good range of species. 5 Yellow-billed Stork (1 juvenile), 2 Spur-winged Lapwing, 3 African Wattled Lapwing, 25 (min.) Red-billed Teal, 2 Grey Heron (both juvenile), 1 Intermediate Egret among many Cattle and 2 Little Egret, singles of Spur-winged Goose, Knob-billed Duck (fem.) and Black-headed Heron. Something that might have been Rufous-bellied Heron bounced across my bins and disappeared into reeds – not sure. Then 2 small plovers: 3-banded and… well, it's bigger than 3-banded, and darker throat. No white on forehead… Could it be? Quickly I got my scope out and confirmed it: Forbes's Plover. It was fairly close, and for a while even hung out with the 3-banded, so I could compare them directly. As well as the dark forehead, I noticed dark cheeks and throat. The upper black band on the chest blending more with the grey throat than on 3-banded, giving a different jizz altogether, even at distance. I checked S&F: Only one `x' for Rwanda! Tried to get a few photos using the innovative `put-your-camera-to-your-

scope-and-fanny-around-for-10-minutes-till-the-bird-has-gone' digiscoping technique. Luckily, the bird was very patient, and allowed a few rotten shots to come out, which I think confirm ID: http://kilnsey.tripod.com/forbes1.jpg , http://kilnsey.tripod.com/forbes2.jpg , http://kilnsey.tripod.com/forbes3.jpg , http://kilnsey.tripod.com/forbes4.jpg .

By now about 30 kids from the village had congregated for a spot of muzungu watching. I tried explaining that the Forbes's Plover was more interesting, but they didn't seem to agree. I looked for more birds, but found only Little Grebe (my first record for Akagera), and 2 White-rumped Swifts. White-browed Coucal flapping across the dead yellow reeds. Notable in their absence on this trip: Sacred Ibis, Great White Egret and Hadada Ibis (4 birds only seen today). I walked up to the village, had a Fanta and continued towards the Akagera fringes, where I managed to shake off the train of kids that was still following. After a spot of lunch I wandered listlessly in the afternoon heat. After an hour of nothing but Common Bulbuls and hunters' snares (2 of which I tripped, and then destroyed), I hit upon a very loose feeding party, which produced some of the acacia specialists: Green-capped Eremomela, Brubru, Pale Flycatcher, Pale Wren-warbler and Buff-bellied Warbler. On the ground nearby Plain-backed Pipit and Golden-breasted Bunting. A pair of Yellow-throated Greenbuls were the only birds making any noise apart from the Ruppell's Starlings until a male Black-backed Puffback started kicking up a fuss. I approached to find him serenading a female. He allowed me to get some nice shots: http://kilnsey.tripod.com/bl-ba_puffback2.jpg I was surprised to see him courting at this time of year, or was he defending territory? Anyway, he'd led me in the right direction, because on the bush behind was a party of White-crested Helmet-Shrikes, at least 5. I'd recorded this species yesterday, which was only my second record for Rwanda, today was the 3rd. They led me towards a patient Tabora Cisticola feeding on the ground, who eventually allowed me to get some nice photos after he flew up into a tree: http://kilnsey.tripod.com/tabora.jpg

It was mid afternoon by now, the ground was hotter than the sunshine and the birds had gone into hiding. I concluded that my species meter must be empty, so I started heading back to the 1st dam for my rendezvous with my moto driver. On the way, Marico Sunbird, Chinspot Batis, another bloody snare, Crested Barbet, African Marsh Harrier and Malachite Kingfisher… Finally a Lilac-breasted Roller parading over his territory, and then my moto driver appeared. Up on the hillside, smoke was rising from at least 3 copses; another bit of Rwanda's nature razed. Above, the Lilac-breasted Roller roded, called a few times, and gave up. So sad to think this place is disappearing as the plantain and sorghum blanket is pulled further east to engulf the last bits of unprotected habitat.

Birdwise, another fantastic afternoon; 93 species within 5 square kilometres. As well as the Forbes's Plover (I'll send the record on to ABC), it was interesting to see what species are becoming more common as the weather dries up: Noticeably high numbers of Black-faced Waxbill, small flocks of non-breeding Pin-tailed Whydah and Red-billed Quelea, and possible movement of White-crested Helmet-Shrikes.

Wish I lived there. Wish I could buy it and protect it.

Jason

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Congratulations to Ryan Shaw whose photo of a Bat Falcon was voted the winning photo for the JULY 2010 TOTW Contest!

For more of Ryan's photos, see here.

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One of the main activities of my work for the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Threatened Grassland Species Programme (EWT-TGSP) is monitoring the endangered migratory Blue Swallow population during their stay in South Africa. They come here to breed during the summer months from around September until April. Blue swallows are very specific in their nesting requirements and only nest in pre-existing holes or excavations.  In Mpumalanga this mainly takes the form of old mining or prospecting shafts and addits, whereas natural Aardvark holes and sinkholes are more commonly used in KwaZulu-Natal.   An important function of the TGSP is to ensure adequate nest site availability by checking that all potential nest sites meet the swallow’s specifications. This involves activities such as clearing vegetation at the entrance of a hole to ensure that the swallows have a clear flight path to the nest.
 
While out in the Graskop area in Mpumalanga in early September, accompanied by Mpumalanga Tourism and Park Agency officials, Malcolm Bain and Hannes Marais, I saw my first four Blue Swallows while checking one of the nesting sites.  What an amazing experience! Blue Swallows are by nature very inquisitive birds and flew around us for a few moments before disappearing over the horizon.  

In early November, during a trek up the mountain in the middle of a thunderstorm, I arrived at a nest hole to find a beautifully repaired nest, lined with grass and feathers, containing 3 small white speckled eggs. The following week, Nikki McCartney (Birdlife SA) reported that one of the nest sites on her monitoring route was also active and she had seen the female sitting on 2 eggs! For me, the breeding season had finally begun!

My elation at finding these eggs was short-lived, as unfortunately both of those breeding attempts were unsuccessful, with the eggs presumably being lost to predation. Luckily for us they started on their second attempt soon after. By mid-December three new active nests were located, bringing the total number of active nests to 5.  During the 2008/2009 breeding season, there were only 2 active nests in Mpumalanga with only one of these, the nest in Kaapsehoop, being successful and fledging 2 chicks.

In early January, Leigh Potter, Steven Evans (private Ornithologist and certified bird ringer), Malcolm Bain and Maryna Mathee (MTPA Ornithologist) set off to check the active nests and ring the chicks provided they were the right age.

Typically, Blue Swallows need to be ringed when they are 12-16 days old. They are brooded by their mother until about 9-10 days of age, which would make them too young for ringing. At around 12 days, their tarsus has reached adult size, meaning that the ring will not slip down onto their toes or up over their ankle.  If they are older than 16 days, when putting them back in the nest they will often try to escape, which can lead to fatalities.

 The photograph (right) shows a young Blue Swallow chick which is approximately 4 days old and far too young for ringing as you can see! 

The above photographs show Steven attending to a ring, with Malcolm looking on (left); Steven putting a ring on one of the chicks (centre) and Steven holding one of the chicks to show the wing development (right). (Photos: L. Potter)

In total 15 chicks were ringed in the Graskop/Sabie region during the 2009/2010 season. These are the first Blue Swallow chicks for this area to be ringed. Steven had previously ringed 25 Blue Swallow chicks at Kaapsehoop as part of his PhD thesis.

This season proved very successful for Blue Swallows in Mpumalanga as the 5 active nests yielded 22 fledglings. This may not sound like many, but when you compare these results to those for KwaZulu-Natal, which had 36 active nests only yielding 48 fledglings, you can see just how successful Mpumalanga Blue Swallows were this season!


Left: Photo showing 3 Blue Swallow chicks about to Fledge – note the characteristic blue sheen on their feathers.


Enos Zulu, who assists with the monitoring at the Kaapsehoop Blue Swallow Natural Heritage Site (BSNHS), did not find any active nests despite more intensive monitoring this season. On occasion he spotted single birds in the area. This is quite alarming as we are not sure as to why they have stopped using the BSNHS for breeding. Steven, Enos and I will be conducting some experiments in the area to see whether the birds return here.

I have really enjoyed monitoring these nests and have learnt so much about Blue Swallows since I started with this work roughly a year ago. I have recently compiled a report on the breeding success of Blue Swallows for both Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal. Should you be interested in obtaining a copy of this report, please contact me on This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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Photo Contest #21

Theme: Bird Fights

First place is awarded to Mike whom accumulated 29 points! 

Reynir Skarsgård comes in second place with 26 points!

Congratulations to the two winners!

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Venezuelan Troupial (Icterus icterus) by Lucas Limonta on Flickr

 About the photo:

Many thanks for your invitation to feature my image at your homepage. I'm truly honored. The bird in the image is a Venezuelan Troupial. Its an introduced bird in Puerto Rico since the 18 century. It's Venezuela's national bird and since its a bird from the family Icteridae, it is related to the orioles and blackbirds such as the Baltimore Oriole.

The species is more abundant in the southwest corner of the island where a dryer forest habitat exists that the bird prefers. Surprisingly a pair of these beautiful birds showed up on the northeast part of the island were I live. I had traveled many times just to try and catch a photo of this species, but since the bird was so wary of any movement, it made it impossible just to get near the bird.

This time, I used another approach. I set my car in a place where I knew they could land and eat. Since I've already seen them foraging in this bush before, I knew this could be it. Without getting out of the car, a first bird landed in the place where the bush was and then after making a loud call, the pair came too. They stayed for a few seconds, ate some of these berries (which I think, are the fruit or seed of a eucalyptus tree) and moved on. Other thing that worked on my advantage, was that for the first shots, I did not had to use the flash nor the flash extender, since I knew this could scare them away.  

Kind regards,

Lucas Limonta
San Juan, Puerto Rico

About the bird:

The Venezuelan Troupial or Troupial (Turpial in Spanish), also known as Icterus icterus is the national bird of Venezuela.

Venezuelan Troupials inhabit dry areas like woodlands, gallery forest, dry scrub, llanos and open savannah where they forage for insects, a wide variety of fruit, small birds and eggs. Generally they can be found in central South America with some of the subspecies to the northern and eastern extremes of the continent.

Venezuelan Troupials breed from March to September. They do not construct their own nests, but are instead obligate nest pirates. This means that they make no nest of their own, but instead must either find a vacant nest, or must drive the adults away from an active nest. Venezuelan Troupials are capable of violent attacks against established nesters.

Source: Wikipedia

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Thick-billed Weaver, Lake Panic, Kruger National Park, South Africa by Jackie During

PHOWN (PHOtos of Weaver Nests; rhymes with "own") is a new ADU Virtual Museum project, where weaver nests or colonies may be photographed and submitted. To take part in this project, you need to register as a virtual museum participant. Then find weaver nests and take photos and count the nests. It is currently the top item of Latest News on several ADU websites (eg http://www.adu.org.za).

You can view submissions already made (without being registered) at http://vmus.adu.org.za and clicking on "Photos of Weaver Nests" --- There are different search
possibilities - explore these yourself! There are already 23 records of a variety of southern African weavers in PHOWN.

To take part and submit your own photos, you need to register. Read more details here: http://weavers.adu.org.za/phown.php.

Any weaver species (Ploceidae family) may be photographed.

To register, go to http://vmus.adu.org.za , click on "Registration" down the left hand side menu, and fill in your contact details (if you have an ADU number, use this and your email to obtain your password). Your password is emailed to you. You use your email address and password to "LOGIN" (the bottom item on the same left hand side menu). Once you have done the LOGIN, the left hand side menu gets longer, and you can do "Data upload".

PHOWN (PHotos Of Weaver Nests) is a monitoring project aimed at determining the distribution of colonies or nests of all weaver species globally. Counting weaver nests and taking photos allows tracking of changes in weaver breeding effort. Many weavers are common and this project provides an easy way of monitoring them, while some weaver species are threatened and this project would help their conservation.
The software for the ADU Virtual Museum projects were written by Rene Navarro and the current software allows users to submit photos directly to the web, rather than emailing photos as was the case with the first project (SARCA, Southern African Reptile Conservation Assessment). PHOWN is the fourth Virtual Museum project and is being launched in time for the 2010 breeding season. In the Western Cape Southern Masked and Cape Weavers have started to build nests.

So take your camera while birding!

Dieter

--
Dr H. Dieter Oschadleus
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it (or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )

Bird-ringing Coordinator, SAFRING
Animal Demography Unit, Dept of Zoology tel: (021) 650-2421
University of Cape Town fax: (021) 650-3434
Rondebosch 7701 RSA After-hours: 083-285-6889
SAFRING: http://safring.adu.org.za
Weavers: http://weavers.adu.org.za

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PHOTO CONTEST #19

Theme: Fruit-eaters

In first place, Waxwing by Hawk Eye 68

in second place, juvenile Cedar Waxwing by Ryan Shaw (shyalbatross)

Congratulations to the winners!!

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...and the winner of the GBT Birding Wars Photo section is...Charlie O'Donoghue!

Congratulations Charlie, and many thanks to Chris van Rooyen from Wildlife Photography for selecting the winner! If anyone would like to participate in one of their photo safaris or workshops and learn to take photos as good as Charlie's , please have a look at their website.

photo by Charlie O'Donoghue

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