Bird Ringing report, iGwalagwala lower forest, 3 July 2016

Catch of the Day - Knysna Warbler

Yet again another good turnout of 18 people for Andrew's bird ringing session on a cold but bright Sunday morning.  I thought it might be too cold for the birds but they are brave little souls and as usual the first catch was the best.  In total 32 birds were caught, 16 new and 16 were recaptures.  

The diminutive Knysna Warbler was a recapture from the previous session. 

iGwalagwala Forest

Spotted Ground Thrush

Brown Scrub-Robin

Chorister Robin-Chat

Lemon Dove

All photos property of Hazel van Rooyen

UPCOMING OUTING 3 July 2016 - Bird Ringing

Dear Members

Sunday 3 July 2016 6.30am. BIRDLIFE TROGONS will visit iGwalagwala Forest, lower site, Melville, where Andrew & Ivan will be bird ringing,  Bring chairs, cameras & breakfast, also maybe something to braai for lunch at the Pickles’ later.  There is a R20 charge for non-members.

ALL WELCOME. Outings may be cancelled due to weather, check www.birdlifetrogons.blogspot.com or phone Andrew before setting off.  For further details telephone**  Andrew Pickles 082 338 3302 or visit the blog.  ** Please note we cannot respond to text messages or “call me” requests.

PLEASE LET ANDREW KNOW IF YOU WILL BE ATTENDING THE OUTING

From the R102 coast road in Melville turn inland, signed Upper Melville.  Turn first left (about 100m from the R102, before you start going uphill).   Keep on the tar road and there will be a sign on the left hand side by a track up the hill, GPS co-ordinates at turn-off DD MM SS.S

S30 39 00.1   E30 30 25.9

BIRD RINGING REPORT - iGwalagwala bottom forest with Andrew Pickles - 5 June 2016

 

Knysna Warbler

Attendees: Andrew Pickles, Ivan Pickles, Liz Blomeyer, Carol Lowe, Ron Whitham, Pete Woolcock, James Holness, Andrew and Riki Maree, Bob Hobbes, Irene and Eric Strydom, Sandy Olver, Graham and Sue Salthouse, Robin Eccles, Hanli Kloppers and Herbie and Jeanette Osbourne (19)

Andrew and his team once again ventured out at 4am, against unfavourable weather warnings, erecting 280m of nets before 6am when the first people started to arrive.  He drew an excellent crowd of 18 people which included a contingent all the way from Pennington Conservancy, Scottburgh.

His “special” of the day was a Knysna Warbler about which he had this to say.  "So one of today's highlights at the ringing was this recapture of a Knysna Warbler that was ringed by a good friend of mine Johan Snyman in the same forest on 21/09/2014, almost 2 years ago, this is a bird that was thought to be extinct from KZN until some were discovered in Mbumbazi Nature Reserve near Paddock. This is the third location where I have caught and ringed them on the South Coast, all in indigenous forest patches on sugar cane farms. To confirm the identity of this bird today we played the call from the Roberts Multimedia and the response from the bird was immediate".

Other specials were a male African Goshawk recapture and an adult male Green Twinspot, named Andrew tells us, because each feather has a double spot.

In total 33 birds were caught consisting of 10 recaptures and 23 new birds.

Birds ringed:

• 1 Tambourine Dove
• 1 Lemon Dove
• 2 Chorister Robin-Chat
• 4 Red-Capped Robin-Chat
• 3 Brown Scrub-Robin
• 1 Greenbacked Cameroptera
• 5 Olive Sunbird
• 1 Collared Sunbird
• 5 Green Twinspot (4 imm and 1 ad male)

Recaptures were all from 2014 or 2015 so nothing much in longevity for them, the 2 best are the Goshawk and Warbler

• 2 Brown Scrub-Robin
• 1 Chorister Robin-Chat, interesting as they are a winter visitor so they come back to the same forest
• 1 Squaretailed Drongo
• 2 Red-Capped Robin-Chat
• 1 Knysna Warbler, one of only 18 birds ever ringed and the 4th ever recaptured, ringed in Sept 2014 at the same spot
• 1 African Goshawk
• 1 Cape Robin-Chat
• 1 Terrestrial Brownbul

  Thanks Andrew and Team for all your hard work.

BIRD RINGING REPORT - iGwalagwala Top Forest with Andrew Pickles - 1 May 2016

iGwalagwala Forest (Top section)

Birds ringed: 13;  species: 6                                          Text & Photographs: Hazel van Rooyen

Following a rainy Saturday Andrew, Ivan and Liz bravely set up the nets in the forest before dawn on Sunday morning.  Stars were shining in the sky but a wide bank of cloud hung menacingly out to sea.  However, as the day awakened, birds started singing and layers of jackets got discarded.  A fascinated group of 15 people looked on while Andrew and his crew worked their magic, ringing 13 birds overall – not bad considering the sudden onslaught of wintry weather. 

Getting down to business

Andrew points out the yellow pectoral tufts to keen photographers

 

And it was an interesting catch of little characters. 

Terrestrial Brownbul

The Terrestrial Brownbull was a recapture and amusingly vocal.  On later inspection of his records Andrew realised this was the bulbul’s fourth recapture since first being ringed in July 2011, again in September 2012, March 2013, August 2014 and today.  No wonder he objected so much! 

Red-capped Robin-Chat

One of the Red-capped Robin-Chats was first captured in May 2006 as a 6-12month immature bird, then in July 2013 and again today. An interesting fact according to Roberts is that the oldest recording of a Red-capped Robin-Chat is 11 years and today Andrew’s was 10 years – Go Andrew!  Also, no recoveries of ringed Red-capped Robin-Chats have ever been made away from ringing sites.   

Lemon Dove

Green-backed Cameroptera

Olive Sunbird

The Lemon Dove was also a 3-time capture - March 2013, July 2013 and today.  Likewise the Green-backed Cameroptera – March 2014, August 2014 and today.  An Olive Sunbird had previously been ringed in February 2014.

The brilliant male Collared Sunbird

Thankyou Andrew, Liz and Ivan for another interesting day of bird ringing, followed by the wonderful hospitality at your home overlooking the Indian Ocean.

 

Species ringed:

Red-caped Robin Chat (4)

Terrestrial Brownbull (1)

Green-backed Cameroptera (3)

Olive Sunbird (3)

Lemon Dove (1)

Collared Sunbird (M) (1)

 

All photographs property of Hazel van Rooyen

UPCOMING BIRD RINGING - 1 MAY 2016

 

Sunday 01 May  6.30am:  BIRDLIFE TROGONS will visit iGwalagwala Forest where Andrew & Ivan Pickles will be bird ringing.  Bring cameras, chairs,  breakfast & if you wish to go up to Andrew & Ivan's afterwards, something to braai for lunch.

 

ALL WELCOME. There is a R20pp charge for non-members of Birdlife Trogons.

Outings may be cancelled due to weather, check www.birdlifetrogons.blogspot.com.

For further details & directions call Hazel van Rooyen on 072 355 8837 or visit the blog. 

  ** Please note we cannot respond to text messages or “call me” requests.

Please let Hazel know if you will be attending the outing.

 

Directions:

From the R102 turn inland at the Upper Mellville turnoff, continue on tar road until it becomes a dirt road, once on the dirt continue a few hundred meters and take the first turn to the left (you will see a couple of trees here), continue on this farm road through the compound and chicken/pig pens and cross over the toll road on a single lane bridge, continue on this road until it turns sharp right, do not turn right but continue straight on the minor farm road and come to the cane loading zone.

Kind regards

Hazel van Rooyen

Secretary

BirdLife Trogons Bird Club

 

Outing report- Bird ringing 2nd August 2015 Igwalagwala Forest, Upper Melville

Birds recorded: Black-collared Barbet, Chinspot Batis, Southern Boubou, Terrestrial Brownbul, Dark-capped Bulbul, Olive Bush-shrike, Green-backed Camaroptera, Yellow-fronted Canary, Reed Cormorant, Blue-mantled Crested-flycatcher, Pied Crow, Grey Cuckoo-shrike, Lemon Dove, Red-eyed Dove, Fork-tailed Drongo, Long-crested Eagle, Cattle Egret, Yellow-billed Egret, Red-billed Firefinch, African Fish-eagle, Egyptian Goose, Sombre Greenbul, Spotted Ground-thrush, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, Crowned Hornbill, Hadeda Ibis, Brown-hooded Kingfisher, Giant Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Bronze Mannikin, Red-backed Mannikin, African Pipit, Black-backed Puffback, Chorister Robin-chat, Red-capped Robin-chat, Brown Scrub-robin, Natal Spurfowl, Black-bellied Starling, Cape Glossy Starling, Amethyst Sunbird, Olive Sunbird, White-bellied Sunbird, Olive Thrush, Knysna Turaco, Dark-backed Weaver, Thick-billed Weaver, Village Weaver, Green Wood-hoopoe, Golden-tailed Woodpecker. (49 species)