Saturday 11 April 2015
Roy Cowgill, Steve Davis and I visited St. Kitts – a private farm inland from Amatikulu on the North KZN Coast.
The sugar cane farm has a number of dams which we birded. Waterbirds included numerous African Purple Swamphens, Common Moorhens and Spur-winged Geese.
Black Crakes, Yellow-billed and White-faced Ducks, White-breasted Cormorants – nesting, Reed Cormorants, Little Grebe, African Darter, Hamerkop, Hadeda Ibis, Malachite Kingfisher, Egyptian Geese, African Jacanas and their young were among the many waterbirds we found.
A juvenile African Fish-Eagle flew overhead and another, an adult, was seen perched overlooking the main dam.
The main dam at St. Kitts seems to be a reliable spot to find two special species -White-backed Ducks (we saw 12) and African Pygmy Geese.
The other two large dams were by comparison very quiet – the odd Common Moorhen and Reed Cormorant and several Blacksmith Lapwings. A Giant Kingfisher (male) also made an appearance as well as a Diderick Cuckoo.
Unusually there was only one Heron – a Grey – and no waders and no Pied Kingfishers. In all 57 bird species were identified. A full bird list can be viewed – click here.
Butterflies and Dragonflies were everywhere and Steve and Roy made a list of them which can also be seen by clicking here.
One of the highlights was a rather large reptile which I had heard about but never seen there.
Paul Bartho
