24 August 2008    
Veldrif region    
     

After a rather late night last night socialising with the other birders at the Veldrif weekend, we had a rather late morning and then continued with the laziness having a really large and long breakfast which was absolutely delicious. After packing up and leaving our accommodation, we then headed off to the West Coast Fossil Park where we were going to attend a lecture on the origins of birds whereafter we would take a guided tour through the actual fossil diggings. It was quite interesting to hear about the discovery of various fossilised remains and how these had been likened to birds, but by the time we eventually finished up there, it was too late to really do anything decent birdingwise. So, we took a slow drive home via Hopefield and Malmesbury stopping at a couple of places along the way to see if we could find anything to photograph, but we were home early enough to see the start of the Grand Prix for a change, much to Margaret's delight.

     
male Cape Weaver male Fiscal Flycatcher male Common Fiscal
     
Capped Wheatear Pied Crow male Southern Masked Weaver
     
male Southern Red Bishop Cape White-eye female Cape Sparrow
     

 

Full list of species recorded on the day
   
Common Name Scientific Name Additional notes
     
Birds - 70 species    
     
Common Ostrich Struthio camelus  
Cape Spurfowl Pternistis capensis  
Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris  
Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca  
Spur-winged Goose Plectropterus gambensis  
Yellow-billed Duck Anas undulata  
Cape Shoveler Anas smithii  
Red-billed Teal Anas erythrorhyncha  
Acacia Pied Barbet Tricholaema leucomelas  
African Hoopoe Upupa africana  
White-backed Mousebird Colius colius  
Red-faced Mousebird Urocolius indicus  
African Black Swift Apus barbatus  
Little Swift Apus affinis  
Rock Dove Columba livia  
Speckled Pigeon Columba guinea  
Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis  
Cape Turtle Dove Streptopelia capicola  
Red-eyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata  
Blue Crane Anthropoides paradiseus  
Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus  
Red-knobbed Coot Fulica cristata  
Blacksmith Lapwing Vanellus armatus  
Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus  
Hartlaub's Gull Larus hartlaubii  
Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus  
African Fish Eagle Haliaeetus vocifer  
Rock Kestrel Falco rupicolis  
African Darter Anhinga rufa  
Reed Cormorant Phalacrocorax africanus  
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea  
Black-headed Heron Ardea melanocephala  
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis  
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber  
Lesser Flamingo Phoenicopterus minor  
Hadeda Ibis Bostrychia hagedash  
African Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus  
Bokmakierie Telophorus zeylonus  
Pied Crow Corvus albus  
Common Fiscal Lanius collaris  
Brown-throated Martin Riparia paludicola  
Banded Martin Riparia cincta Early returning migrant
White-throated Swallow Hirundo albigularis Early returning migrant
Greater Striped Swallow Hirundo cucullata Early returning migrant
Rock Martin Hirundo fuligula  
Little Rush Warbler Bradypterus baboecala  
Lesser Swamp Warbler Acrocephalus gracilirostris  
Cape White-eye Zosterops capensis  
Grey-backed Cisticola Cisticola subruficapilla  
Le Vaillant's Cisticola Cisticola tinniens  
Karoo Prinia Prinia maculosa  
Large-billed Lark Galerida magnirostris  
Karoo Thrush Turdus smithi  
Fiscal Flycatcher Sigelus silens  
Cape Robin-Chat Cossypha caffra  
Karoo Scrub Robin Cercotrichas coryphoeus  
Capped Wheatear Oenanthe pileata  
Pied Starling Spreo bicolor  
Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris  
Southern Double-collared Sunbird Cinnyris chalybeus  
Cape Weaver Ploceus capensis  
Southern Masked Weaver Ploceus velatus  
Southern Red Bishop Euplectes orix  
Yellow Bishop Euplectes capensis  
House Sparrow Passer domesticus  
Cape Sparrow Passer melanurus  
Cape Wagtail Motacilla capensis  
Cape Canary Serinus canicollis  
Yellow Canary Serinus flaviventris  
Cape Bunting Emberiza capensis  
     
     
Mammals - 2 species    
     
Small Grey Mongoose Galerella pulverulenta  
Steenbok Raphicerus campestris  
     
     
Frogs - 1 species    
     
Clicking Stream Frog Strongylopus grayii