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Birding Visitors

We have had several visitors last year from different countries. There is nothing more encouraging to go birding with foreign birders. They make even the birds which have became very common to me very interesting as I share in their excitement seeing them for the first time. Remember you are all very welcome.

Cape visit

WE really enjoyed our Cape holiday. The best part was at Boulders Bay in Cape Town where we could walk and swim with the African Peguins. What a rare privilege to be so near to them and did the children enjoy it!

Birding in Kruger Park

As we drove along a dirt road the Giant Eagle Owl swooped down in the road. We couldn't see what it caught as it quickly flew back up to it's perch in a huge Jackal-berry tree. What a huge bird and how cute it's bright pink eye-lids. It made screeching noises at us before flying off to another big tree further away from the road.

Updated Bird List

Sekororo Garden Bird List 2006/7 updated
Birds seen more than 3 times perching in garden (with Roberts numbers)

1. 71 Cattle Egret
2. 81 Hamerkop
3. 94 Hadeda Ibis
4. 127 Black-shouldered Kite
5. 128 African Cuckoo Hawk
6. 136 Booted Eagle
7. 154 Lizzard Buzzard
8. 169 Gymnogene
9. 171 Peregrine Falcon
10. 172 Lanner Falcon
11. 203 Helmeted Guineafowl
12. 352 Red-eyed Dove
13. 354 Cape Turtle Dove
14. 355 Laughing Dove
15. 358 Emerald-spotted Wood-dove
16. 359 Tambourine Dove
17. 361 African Green Pigeon
18. 373 Grey Lourie
19. 382 Jacobin’s Cuckoo
20. 385 Klaas’s Cuckoo
21. 386 Diederik Cuckoo
22. 391 Burchell’s Coucal
23. 392 Barn Owl
24. 401 Spotted Eagle Owl
25. 409 Mozambique Nightjar
26. 424 Speckled Mousebird
27. 432 African Pygmy Kingfisher
28. 433 Woodland Kingfisher
29. 435 Brown-hooded Kingfisher
30. 437 Striped Kingfisher
31. 438 European Bee-eater
32. 444 Little Bee-eater
33. 451 African Hoopoe
34. 452 Red-billed Woodhoopoe
35. 457 African Grey Hornbill
36. 458 Red-billed Hornbill
37. 459 Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill
38. 464 Black-collared Barbet
39. 473 Crested Barbet
40. 475 Scaly-throated Honeyguide
41. 487 Bearded Woodpecker
42. 522 Wire-tailed Swallow
43. 527 Lesser-striped Swallow
44. 538 Black Cuckooshrike
45. 541 Fork-tailed Drongo
46. 545 Black-headed Oriole
47. 548 Pied Crow
48. 568 Black-eyed Bulbul
49. 576 Kurrichane Thrush
50. 580 Groundscraper Thrush
51. 613 White-browed Scrub-robin
52. 655 Green-capped Eremomela
53. 672 Rattling Cisticola
54. 683 Tawny-flanked Prinia
55. 689 Spotted Flycatcher
56. 696 Pallid Flycatcher
57. 701 Chin-spot Batis
58. 710 Paradise-flycatcher
59. 711 African Pied Wagtail
60. 713 Cape Wagtail
61. 733 Red-backed Shrike
62. 740 Puffback
63. 744 Black-crowned Tchagra
64. 748 Orange-breasted Bush Shrike
65. 751 Grey-headed Bush Shrike
66. 753 White Helmeted Shrike
67. 761 Plum-coloured Starling
68. 764 Cape Glossy Starling
69. 791 Scarlet-chested Sunbird
70. 801 House Sparrow
71. 804 Southern Grey-headed Sparrow
72. 807 Thick-billed Weaver
73. 810 Spectacled Weaver
74. 811 Spotted-backed Weaver
75. 819 Red-headed Weaver
76. 821 Red-billed Quelea
77. 829 White-winged Widow
78. 831 Red-collared Widow
79. 840 Blue-billed Firefinch
80. 842 Red-billed Firefinch
81. 844 Blue Waxbill
82. 855 Cut-throat Finch
83. 857 Bronze Mannikin
84. 858 Red-backed Mannikin
85. 860 Pin-tailed Whydah
86. 862 Paradise Whydah
87. 864 Black Widow Finch
88. 867 Steel-blue Widow Finch
89. 869 Yellow-eyed Canary
90. 884 Golden-breasted Bunting
91. 885 Cape Bunting
92. 886 Rock Bunting

Fly-overs:
1. 55 White-breasted Cormorant
2. 58 Reed Cormorant
3. 63 Black headed Heron
4. 99 White-faced Duck
5. 102 Egyptian Geese
6. 115 Knob-billed Duck
7. 142 Brown Snake Eagle
8. 140 Martial Eagle
9. 148 African Fish Eagle
10. 417 Little Swift
11. 418 Alpine Swift
12. 529 Rock Martin
13. 940 Yellow-billed Kite

GREAT SUMMER BIRDING!

Just watched the Gymnogene raid the Paradise Flycatcher's nest in our Boabab tree!
New additions to garden bird list (thanks to birding visitors Tony & Marilyn from Australia) are the White Throated Swallow and the Black Saw-wing.
We drove up to Magoebaskloof and ticked the Bat Hawks once more, Olive Bush Shrike, Starred Robin and Grey Cuckooshrike.

Cape Glossy Starling

Moholoholo Rehab center for birds & animals

Moholoholo is a 40min. drive from home. Here you can have vultures sitting on your arm while feeding them. Have a Yellow bill Kite sit on your head. Except for the other animals you can touch, you'll learn about the explanation of the links in the ecosystem of vultures, Hiena's and predators.

Day visit to nearby Kruger Park

Highlight of today's visit wasn't a bird but a pride of 7 lions who killed a Giraffe! It is always a hair raising experience to see them so close up. Those yellow eyes looking right through you.

Our mountain

The northern Drakensberg mountain passing behind our house and home of the rare Taita Falcon that nests here.

The pond area is getting more covered and bushy. More and more birds utilize the pond to drink and bath. An African Pygmy Kingfisher stayed here the whole summer and I had to stock up with small fishes from the nearby dam every now and then.

The garden is coming on great! While the lawn is establishing itself I am adding some endemic trees all around the house and some flowering crawlers on the fences to attrack sunbirds.

Some special visitors to the garden: The Gymnogene has been hunting almost weekly among the acacia's, especially at the squirrel hole in front of the house, but no luck so far. I think the hole, on the left of the larger tree trunk, is to deep.
The White helmeted Shrikes and all three- yellow, red and grey-billed hornbills frequent the jackalberry tree.
The grey-headed bush shrike has been very active all around the garden this winter calling most of the day.