8 September 2022 – Afternoon

This was a first, we have had morning sit-ins but doing one in the afternoon was a new venture for BEKZN.  The event was well attended with 14 people attending at various stages during the afternoon.  When the idea for a sit-in was first conceived it followed a conversation with long standing member, Pat Long, and I am delighted to say that she was able to attend this event as her first sit-in.

Some people arrived at 2pm and managed to squeeze into a small area on the South-western side of the dam (some sitting in the dead debris on the side of the path). Black-collared Barbet was vocal when we arrived but became quiet after a while. 

The birding was slow, and the list was as always supplemented by the bird calls, we heard as we sat and tuned into the sounds.  Brown-hooded Kingfisher was first heard calling and then did come and sit giving us good views.  Village Weaverswere also very vocal and have busily started building new nests for the breeding season.  White-eared Barbet, ever curious came in to have a good look at us.

 Various walks were taken.  Eagle eyed Cara saw a number of species and Poobalan was on hand to use his wonderful photographic skills.  A Mountain Wagtail obliged by coming down to forage for insects along the banks of the Palmiet River.    

It great to discover that one can now cross the river on a rocky causeway (easy enough even for slightly wobbly grannies) with some great rocks to sit and observe from.  Using this causeway one can get closer to the cliff face and access the trails.  

Generally, the birding was a lot quieter than mornings!  A total of 38 bird species were seen or heard. By popular request from the members present we will be planning more afternoon events next year.

BeKZN Sit-in hosted by Activities Co-ordinator Jenny Norman. Report compiled by Jenny Norman and Trip Reports Co-ordinator Jane Morris