Outing report: Mpenjati Nature Reserve, 24 June 2018

Attendees: Stanley & Asothie Gengan, Stan & Val Culley, Graham & Sue Salthouse, Doug & Angie Butcher, Rob Eccles, Rene & Anne Rey, Pete & Ann Wright, Alastair Warman, Veronique Warman, Di Smith, Bob & Hazel Van Rooyen (18)

Species: 28                                                                                          Text: Hazel van Rooyen

Woolly-necked Storks (photo HvR)

Pied Wagtails, Pied Kingfishers and Woolly-necked Storks greeted our arrival at the Mpenjati estuary on a bright but blustery winter’s morning. 

Sun rising over the lagoon (photo Doug Butcher)

Reed Cormorants (photo HvR)

We spent a short while surveying the lagoon which was quite full, with no nice sandy edges for waders.  With not much activity there, we walked back up the road, past the offices, on the way sighting, amongst others, Fork-tailed Drongo, Red-eyed Dove, Southern Black Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Longclaw, Yellow Weaver, Fan-tailed Widowbird and Natal Spurfowl amongst the tall dry grassland. 

Tree Aloes like candles lighting up the dune forest (photo HvR)

Moving through the dune forest nothing stirred but as we came out onto the beach a couple of families of Kelp Gulls stood where the little waves were breaking, keeping their eyes open for anything the tide might expose

Kelp Gull (photo Doug Butcher)

 

Back at the cars we had our breakfast with the wintry sun beginning to warm us up.  

We then crossed back over the bridge to the north side.  The resident family of Water Thick-knees (at least 5) stood with half-closed eyes in their favourite spot on the rounded boulders at the water’s edge beneath the bridge.

Water Thick-knees (photo HvR)

Approaching the dune forest Rene spotted a raptor which landed on the top-most tree.  Stan identified it as an immature African Fish Eagle. 

Immature African Fish Eagle (photo HvR)

The entrance to the boardwalk was water-logged but we found a dry path around it.  However, a short way further along, another water-logged section blocked our path and the walk up through the dune was still cordoned off.  There had been reports of scout parties helping to repair this once pretty walk but signs informed us it was still under construction.  Sadly we had to reverse and we made ourselves comfortable under the shady trees next to the lagoon for an early lunch.

Lunch (Photo Doug Butcher)

 Species: 28

Barbet, Black-collared Bulbul, Dark-capped Cormorant, Reed Dove, Laughing Dove, Red-eyed Drongo, Fork-tailed Eagle, African Fish Egret, Cattle Fiscal, Common

Flycatcher, Southern Black Goose, Egyptian Greenbul Sombre Gull, Kelp Ibis, Hadedah Kingfisher, Giant Kingfisher, Pied Longclaw, Yellow-throated Pigeon, Green Spurfowl, Natal

Stork, Woolly-necked Sunbird, Amethyst Sunbird, Olive Tern, Swift Thick-knee, Water Wagtail, Cape Wagtail, Pied Weaver, Yellow Widowbird, Fan-tailed

UPCOMING OUTING: Mpenjati Nature Reserve, 24 June 2018

Dear Members & Friends

Malachite Kingfisher (photo Stan Culley)

Sunday 24 June at  7am. BIRDLIFE TROGONS will visit Mpenjati N.R.

Bring chairs, breakfast & 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 or phone Hazel before setting off. For further details telephone Hazel on 072 355 8837.

PLEASE LET HAZEL KNOW IF YOU WILL BE ATTENDING THE OUTING

From the R61 meet at the Mpenjati South entrance gate. There is a R30 per person entrance fee, however this is negated if you have a Rhino Card.

Set GPS to DD MM SS.S  =  S30 58 18.2  E30 16 39.3

See you there!

Kind regards

Hazel van Rooyen

Secretary

BirdLife Trogons Bird Club

Outing report - Mpenjati Conservancy, 26 February 2017

Attendees: Stan & Val Culley,  Doug & Angie Butcher, Graham & Sue Salthouse, Stanley & Asothie Gengan, Clive & Margie Cowan, Bob & Hazel van Rooyen, Louis & Pat Fourie, Robin Eccles & Hanli Kloppers, Russell & Lorna Johnson, Michelle Pearson (19)

Bird count: 24 (see end)

Today was a different bird count from our previous two outings last July and the January prior.  In fact number-wise it was quite disappointing, the weather was not very conducive, being windy and overcast.  However, a Cotillion of Terns and Flight of Swallows kept our group of 19 folks quite entertained and the grey morning turned into a beautiful late summer day which was enjoyed by everyone.

A Cotillion of Terns (photo Doug Butcher)

Pied Kingfisher (photo Michelle Pearson)

Parking close to the beach on the South side of the reserve, we watched as Woolly-necked Storks circled lazily over the estuary.  A Pied Kingfisher sat sentry-like on its perch , occasionally taking flight, hovering and diving spectacularly.  Roberts mentions that it is often cited as the world’s largest bird capable of sustained hovering in still air.  A Common Sandpiper, tail bobbing, gleaned along the river-edge for tasty morsels.

Common Sandpiper (photo Hazel van Rooyen)

Kelp Gull (photo Hazel van Rooyen

Cape Wagtail (photo Doug Butcher)

On the beach close to the breaking waves, a group of Swift and Sandwich Terns huddled together.  A lone Kelp Gull didn’t approve of our scrutiny and took flight at our approach to be joined by its mate further along.  Three tiny White-fronted Plovers darted up and down the tideline – how do their little legs move so fast!  Further out at sea Cape Gannets skimmed the breakers.  Michelle pointed out that this is an unusual sight so early in the year.

White-fronted Plover (photo Michelle Pearson)

White-fronted Plovers (photo Hazel van Rooyen)

There were no signs of birds through the dune forest and even the grassland was devoid of the usual seed-eaters flitting about.  High in the sky a Yellow-billed Kite put in a desultory appearance and a Red-eyed Dove sat fat and drowsy in a tree-top.  A sad sight was the hide lying abandoned outside the offices.  Marina Beach Conservancy had erected it at Marina Lagoon and it had proved excellent for bird viewing until it was removed because of complaints by residents across the river concerned about their privacy,

Crowned Eagle (photo Michelle Pearson)

Having walked up an appetite, we made ourselves comfortable for breakfast on the river bank where a Crowned Eagle being harassed by Hadedah Ibis provided a bit of excitement.   
 

Tucking into breakfast (photo Doug Butcher)

After this we moved to the North side of the reserve to see if we would have some luck there but after a stroll to the beach and through the forest no further species could be added to our day’s list.  Some people, having other commitments, left at this point while others stayed to enjoy the lovely braai.

Terns waiting for the Tide with backdrop of Mpenjati dune forest

 (photo Hazel van Rooyen

Boubou, Southern Bulbul, Dark-capped Dove, Red-eyed Duck, Yellow-billed Eagle, Crowned Falcon, Lanner Gannet, Cape Goose, Egyptian

Greenbul, Sombre Gull, Kelp Ibis, Hadeda Kingfisher, Pied Kite, Yellow-billed Plover, White-fronted Sandpiper, Common Stork, Woolly-necked

Sunbird, Amethyst Swallow, White-throated Swift, Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Swift Tinkerbird, Yellow-rumped Wagtail, Cape Wagtail, Pied

Photos property of photographers

UPCOMING OUTING: Mpenjati Nature Reserve, 26 February 2017

 

Pied Kingfisher

Sunday 26 February at 07h00 BirdLife Trogons will visit Mpenjati Nature Reserve Nature Reserve.  Bring chairs, breakfast and something to braai for lunch.  ALL WELCOME.  There is a R20pp charge for non-members of BirdLife Trogons.  Outings may be cancelled due to the weather.  Check www.birdlifetrogons.blogspot.com or phone Hazel (072 355 8837*) before setting off.

*Please note we cannot respond to text or "call me" requests.
PLEASE LET HAZEL KNOW IF YOU WILL BE ATTENDING THE OUTING.
Directions: From the R61 meet at the Mpenjati South entrance gate. There is a R30 per person entrance fee, however this is negated if you have a Rhino Card.  Set GPS to DD MM SS.S  =  S30 58 18.2  E30 16 39.3

Kind regards
Hazel van Rooyen

Outing report - Mpenjati Conservancy, 10 July 2016

Attendees: Val Culley,  Doug & Angie Butcher, Graham & Sue Salthouse, Stanley & Asothie Gengan, Clive & Margie Cowan, Hazel van Rooyen, Stefan Ringelmann, Louis & Pat Fourie

Bird count:  47(see end)

Text: Hazel van Rooyen

Today was such a different bird count from our previous outing in January, which is to be expected I suppose, it now being mid-winter. 

Kelp Gulls on the sandbank whilst a container ship looms ghost-like on the horizon (photo: Doug Butcher)

 

From the carpark we watched as a Pied Kingfisher dived for his breakfast from his vantage point on a washed-up tree-trunk and White-breasted Cormorants dried out their wings.  Both Pied and Cape Wagtails inspected the grassy area around the braais for tidbits.  A Grey Sunbird perched high in a strelitzia while a Black-headed Heron flew over the estuary.  Stefan spotted a Purple-banded Sunbird which we don’t usually see around here as it is at the limit of its range and this is the most southerly sighting Stan has heard about.

Grey Sunbird (photo: Stefan Ringelmann)

Purple-banded Sunbird (photo: Stefan Ringelmann)

Taking the tar-road up to the grasslands we spotted Black-bellied Starling, Dusky Flycatcher, Southern Black Flycatcher amongst others.  A Golden-tailed Woodpecker squawked intermittently from the woodland and Tambourine Doves flashed across our eye-line.  The boggy areas of grassland were dotted prettily with the orange and yellow of Red Hot Pokers.  Proceeding through the sand forest all was quiet until we came out into the sunshine onto the ground-cover laced dunes with the high tides pounding on to the beach.

Red Hot Pokers on water-logged grassland (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

In the past the arrival of the sardines at this time of year would have also heralded the appearance of many more seabirds but those days are gone so it was nice to see a flock of about 40 Kelp Gulls and 15 Swift Terns resting on the sandbank.  

Swift Tern (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

Kelp Gull (photo:Doug Butcher)

A visit to Mpenjati wouldn’t be complete without sighting the White-fronted Plover scampering about on the littoral.  A fascinating piece of bamboo drift-wood supported a colony of barnacles in a very pretty fashion, conjuring up visions of it being swept around beneath mysterious deep oceans.

White-fronted Plover (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

Barnacles (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

The photographers took advantage of the sight of a pair of dapper African Black Oystercatchers marching up and down the river tide-line.

 

African Black Oystercatchers (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

After breakfast we made our way across to the other side of the estuary and investigated the forest walk to the beach.  Sadly the boardwalk through the forest still hasn’t been repaired but we enjoyed the walk as far as we could go, spotting Terrestrial Brownbul, Brown-hooded Kingfisher and Grey Waxbill.  As we returned back into the open a flock of Woolly-necked Storks were circling high on the thermals.

Grey Waxbill (photo: Stefan Ringelmann)

 Those who stayed on for the braai added a Black-headed Oriole to the day’s list.

Breakfast at Mpenjati (photo: Doug Butcher)

Breakfast at Mpenjati River (photo: Doug Butcher)

47 species

Barbet, Black-collared Boubou, Southern Bulbul, Dark-capped Brownbul, Terrestrial Cisticola, Rufous-winged Cormorant, Reed Cormorant, White-breasted Dove, Red-eyed Dove, Tambourine Drongo, Fork-tailed Egret, Little Fiscal, Common Fish Eagle, African Flycatcher, Dusky Flycatcher, Southern Black Goose, Egyptian

Green-Pigeon, African Greenbul, Sombre Gull, Kelp Heron, Black-headed Ibis, Hadeda Kingfisher, Brown-hooded Kingfisher, Giant Kingfisher, Pied Mannikin, Bronze Neddicky Oriole, Black-headed Plover, White-fronted Prinia, Tawny-flanked Robin-Chat, Red-capped Starling, Black-bellied Stork, Woolly-necked

Sunbird, Amethyst Sunbird, Collared Sunbird, Grey Sunbird, Olive Sunbird, Purple-banded Tern, Swift Tinkerbird, Yellow-rumped Tit, Southern Black Wagtail, Cape Wagtail, Pied Waxbill, Grey Weaver, Spectacled Weaver Yellow White-eye, Cape Woodpecker, Golden-tailed

(All photos property of photographer)