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18-21 march 2011 - elim |
We spent a family weekend together with Margaret's family on a farm just 3km outside of the small village of Elim basing ourselves at the Zoetendal Wine Estate in a self catering guest house there called "Draaihoek". It is situated along the banks of the Nuwejaars River and offered nice views across the river and the surrounding farmlands. As per usual, we did take a few opportunities over the weekend to break away from the family gathering and get out to do some birding and photography. Although it wasn't a hardcore birding or wildlife weekend, we were still pretty satisfied to get to Western Cape rarities on the weekend, African Pied Wagtail and European Roller, the former bird being a fantastic addition to our challenge list. Other very tough to get challenge birds which we managed to connect with on the weekend included Black Stork and African Quailfinch, so all in all, it was not too bad considering it was a family getaway! |
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female Denham's Bustard |
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Cape Bulbul |
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Levaillant's Cisticola |
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male Orange-breasted Sunbird |
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African Pied Wagtail |
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European Roller |
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Southern African Pygmy Mouse |
Full list of species recorded on the weekend | |
Links to pages with additional photos highlighted in red | |
Common Name | Scientific Name |
Birds - 84 species | |
Cape Spurfowl | Pternistis capensis |
Egyptian Goose | Alopochen aegyptiaca |
Spur-winged Goose | Plectropterus gambensis |
African Black Duck | Anas sparsa |
Yellow-billed Duck | Anas undulata |
Cape Shoveler | Anas smithii |
European Roller | Coracias garrulus |
Giant Kingfisher | Megaceryle maximus |
Klaas's Cuckoo | Chrysococcyx klaas |
Little Swift | Apus affinis |
White-rumped Swift | Apus caffer |
Barn Owl | Tyto alba |
Spotted Eagle Owl | Bubo africanus |
Fiery-necked Nightjar | Caprimulgus pectoralis |
Rock Dove | Columba livia |
Speckled Pigeon | Columba guinea |
Laughing Dove | Streptopelia senegalensis |
Cape Turtle Dove | Streptopelia capicola |
Red-eyed Dove | Streptopelia semitorquata |
Denham's Bustard | Neotis denhami |
Blue Crane | Anthropoides paradiseus |
Blacksmith Lapwing | Vanellus armatus |
Crowned Lapwing | Vanellus coronatus |
Kelp Gull | Larus dominicanus |
Hartlaub's Gull | Larus hartlaubii |
Black-shouldered Kite | Elanus caeruleus |
African Fish Eagle | Haliaeetus vocifer |
African Goshawk | Accipiter tachiro |
Jackal Buzzard | Buteo rufofuscus |
Rock Kestrel | Falco rupicolis |
African Darter | Anhinga rufa |
Reed Cormorant | Phalacrocorax africanus |
Black-headed Heron | Ardea melanocephala |
Hadeda Ibis | Bostrychia hagedash |
African Sacred Ibis | Threskiornis aethiopicus |
African Spoonbill | Platalea alba |
Black Stork | Ciconia nigra |
Fork-tailed Drongo | Dicrurus adsimilis |
Southern Boubou | Laniarius ferrugineus |
Bokmakierie | Telophorus zeylonus |
Cape Batis | Batis capensis |
Cape Crow | Corvus capensis |
Pied Crow | Corvus albus |
White-necked Raven | Corvus albicollis |
Common Fiscal | Lanius collaris |
Brown-throated Martin | Riparia paludicola |
Barn Swallow | Hirundo rustica |
White-throated Swallow | Hirundo albigularis |
Pearl-breasted Swallow | Hirundo dimidiata |
Greater Striped Swallow | Hirundo cucullata |
Black Saw-wing | Psalidoprocne holomelaena |
Cape Bulbul | Pycnonotus capensis |
Little Rush Warbler | Bradypterus baboecala |
Cape Grassbird | Sphenoeacus afer |
Cape White-eye | Zosterops capensis |
Grey-backed Cisticola | Cisticola subruficapilla |
Levaillant's Cisticola | Cisticola tinniens |
Karoo Prinia | Prinia maculosa |
Red-capped Lark | Calandrella cinerea |
Large-billed Lark | Galerida magnirostris |
Fiscal Flycatcher | Sigelus silens |
Cape Robin-Chat | Cossypha caffra |
African Stonechat | Saxicola torquatus |
Capped Wheatear | Oenanthe pileata |
Pied Starling | Spreo bicolor |
Common Starling | Sturnus vulgaris |
Orange-breasted Sunbird | Anthobaphes violacea |
Malachite Sunbird | Nectarinia famosa |
Southern Double-collared Sunbird | Cinnyris chalybeus |
Cape Sugarbird | Promerops cafer |
Cape Weaver | Ploceus capensis |
Southern Red Bishop | Euplectes orix |
Yellow Bishop | Euplectes capensis |
African Quailfinch | Ortygospiza atricollis |
Common Waxbill | Estrilda astrild |
House Sparrow | Passer domesticus |
Cape Sparrow | Passer melanurus |
African Pied Wagtail | Motacilla aguimp |
Cape Wagtail | Motacilla capensis |
African Pipit | Anthus cinnamomeus |
Cape Canary | Serinus canicollis |
Yellow Canary | Serinus flaviventris |
Brimstone Canary | Serinus sulphuratus |
Streaky-headed Seedeater | Serinus gularis |
Mammals - 4 species | |
Striped Mouse | Rhabdomys pumilio |
Southern African Pygmy Mouse | Mus minutoides |
Grey Rhebok | Pelea capreolus |
Common Duiker | Sylvicapra grimmia |
Reptiles - 1 species | |
Common Slugeater | Duberria lutrix |
Frogs - 2 species | |
Common Platanna | Xenopus laevis |
Flat Caco | Cacosternum platys |