Saturday Outing to Tanglewood Farm NR

3 September 2016

We had an excellent turnout – the weather could have been a bit better but the cool/slightly overcast sky made walking very pleasant.

Our bird count was in the region of 84 – we had a few mysterious raptors and there was much debate whether the one was an early returning cuckoo or a sparrowhawk.  Unfortunately no photos to help with ID. Click here to see a list of the birds recorded as identified.

The walk through the forested Kloof area yielded up a good number of birds, Purple-crested and Knysna Turacos, Dusky Flycatchers on every second tree and the one group were lucky enough to hear (and see?) Green Twinspots also Narina Trogon  were heard.

Golden-tailed Woodpecker – Mike Caine

UI Raptor seen in the far distance – PB

Also heard was the Crowned Eagle but then the consensus was possibly a Red-capped Robin Chat!!

Our Weaver count was excellent; Dark-backed, Spectacled, Yellow and Cape building nests by the boathouse dam, Thick-billed and of course the ubiquitous Village.

Yellow Weaver – Mike Jackson

Yellow Weaver – Mike Jackson

Cape Weaver – PB

Cape Weaver – PB

Cape Weaver being henpecked – Mike Jackson

Cape Weaver being henpecked – Mike Jackson

Cape Weaver – Mike Caine

Yellow Weaver – Mike Caine

Cape Weaver – Mike Jackson

Cape Weaver – Mike Jackson

Yellow Weaver – PB

Dark-backed Weaver – Mike Caine

Sunbirds were not too shabby either; Amethyst, Collared, Olive and Greater-double collared.

Some of the birds seen and heard included: Black-headed Oriole, Brown-hooded Kingfisher, Forest Canary, Black-collared, Crested and White-eared Barbets, Southern Boubou, lots of doves – Red-eyed, Emerald Spotted, Tambourine, Rock and Lemon, African Olive Pigeon (Caryl said they roost on top of the house) Common Fiscal, Black-backed Puffback, African Firefinch, Olive Thrush, Southern Black Tit, Olive Bushshrike, a couple of specials – Buff-spotted Flufftail (calling) and Grey Waxbill.

The walk through the grasslands yielded Cape Grassbirds, Croaking Cisticolas, Neddickys, Yellow-throated Longclaws, with Lesser Striped Swallows, Palm Swifts and Black Saw-wings swooping over the dams.

Cape Grassbird – Mike Jackson

Cape Grassbird – Mike Jackson

Plenty of wild flowers and butterflies produced some really great photos.

Habitat – Mike Jackson

Mike Jackson

Yellow-banded Acraea – Mike Jackson

Angled Grass Yellow – Mike Jackson

Painted Lady – Mike Jackson

Pill Millipede -Sandi du Preez

Pink-footed Millipede – Sandi du Preez

Variable Diadem – maybe -Mike Jackson

Blue Pansy – Mike Jackson

Citrus Swallowtails – Mike Jackson

Common Bush Brown – Mike Jackson

Common Dotted Border – Mike Jackson

Interesting Fungus – Sandi du Preez

We finished off the morning having our picnic tea at the boathouse – watching the weavers building nests.

The Shetland pony came down to munch the fresh green grass around the dam, the Hadedas delving into the soft earth for tasty morsels, Woolly-necked Storks flying overhead, Reed Cormorants sitting in the dead tree, altogether a very pleasant place to be!

Hadeda Ibis – Mike Caine

Black-headed Herons – Mike Jackson

Yellow-billed Kite – Mike Caine

At one point someone on the deck saw this Reed Snake floating at the water’s edge below. “Look at the eyes” was the call, “But not much of a wiggle” said another.

At one stage we stopped off at the house to see the Trumpeter Hornbill chick that Caryl and her son rescued. At the moment it lives in a make-shift enclosure and is making a wonderful recovery. It shares the enclosure with an Angora rabbit (also found in the nature reserve) and they seem to be the best of friends.

Trumpeter Hornbill – Mike Caine

Trumpeter Hornbill – Mike Jackson

We had a ‘silver’ collection and R300 was collected! which will go to the Hillcrest conservancy. Many thanks to Caryl for allowing us to visit and have such a great ‘birding’ day.

Cheers

Elena Russell