The second leg of our Pilanesberg challenge will be on the birds of Pilanesberg.
You can start posting pics of any bird found in the Pilanesberg and the mods will assist and move your pic into the relevant post. Please post only one species per post.
Rule 1: The pic must be taken in the Pilanesberg Game Reserve.
Rule 2: Scores will be given per bird pic (only 1 pic per bird per member allowed unless you can post male/female/juveniles). See score card below.
Rule 3: Only post pics. No comments please but you are welcome to add anything interesting about the bird.
An index will be added later as we continue with the listings.
The prize is to have fun with the challenge and all contributors will be winners.
Bird watching in the Pilanesberg Game Reserve is excellent with some 350 bird species being recorded.
Birding habitats of the Pilanesberg Game Reserve include rocky ridges, hill slopes, grasslands, woodlands, dams with connecting streams, and a vlei adjoining one of the dams.
The hill slopes have Pied Babbler, Sabota Lark, Rufous-naped Lark, Little Bee-eater and White-fronted Bee-eater,
The grasslands and savannas support Lilac-breasted Roller, Purple Roller, Ostrich, Secretarybird, Pale Chanting Goshawk and Longtailed Shrike. Kori Bustard, White-winged Korhaan and Redcrested Korhaan are common.
The woodland thickets have Red-billed Hornbill, Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill, Grey Hornbill, Greenspotted Dove, Marico Flycatcher, Golden-breasted Bunting, Violeteared Waxbill and Blue Waxbill. Many west-east species pairs occur at Pilanesberg, e.g. Whitebacked Mousebird and Speckled Mousebird, Ashy Tit and Southern Black Tit, Pied Babbler and Arrow-marked Babbler, Redeyed Bulbul and Dark-cappedBulbul, Kalahari Scrub-Robin and White-browed Scrub-Robin, and Shaft-tailed Whydah and Pin-tailed Whydah.
In the rocky areas one may see Black Eagle, Rock Kestrel, Jackal Buzzard, Rock Pigeon, Rameron Pigeon, Mocking Cliff-Chat, Rock Martin and Rock Bunting. Other raptors include Black-chested Snake-Eagle, African Hawk-Eagle, and several true eagles (Tawny Eagle, Wahlberg's Eagle, Martial Eagle). Pearl-spotted Owl and Spotted Eagle-Owl are common.
There are many small dams in the reserve in addition to the large central Mankwe Dam. These have African Fish-Eagle, Hamerkop, Greater Flamingo, Lesser Flamingo, African Spoonbill and terns. A large vlei at the eastern end of Mankwe Dam attracts African Crake, Redchested Flufftail, and Grass Owl. Osprey is a vagrant but has often been recorded at Mankwe Dam during the rainy season.
A vulture restaurant near reserves Manyane Gate (on the eastern side of the Pilanesberg National Park) attracts 30-40 Cape Vultures, and occasionally Whitebacked Vulture and Lappetfaced Vulture, and Marabou Stork.
Pilanesberg Birding Specials include African Crake, Red-chested Flufftail, Grass Owl, Osprey, raptors, Cape Vulture, White-backed Vulture, Lappet-faced Vulture, Green Sandpiper, African Cuckoo, Red-billed Oxpecker and typical bushveld species.
Easily spotted – 20 points (any bird showing in black falls under this catergory and will change to blue once there is a link to it)
Common – 40 points
Rare – 60 points
Any other species (not listed below) - 100 points
Any pics of multiple bird sightings:
Two-in-one - add the points for each species plus an additional 30 points
Three-in-one - add the points for each species plus an additional 40 points
Four-in-one - add the points for each species plus an additional 50 points
Five-in-one - add the points for each species plus an additional 60 points
Any hybrid or introduced exotic – 10 points
Anybody who ID’s a bird correctly for another member – 30 points
Apodiformes (Swifts) 411 Common Swift (European Swift) Apus apus 412 African Black Swift Apus barbatus
415 White-rumped Swift Apus caffer 416 Horus Swift Apus horus
417 Little Swift Apus affinis 418 Alpine Swift Tachymarptis melba
421 African Palm-Swift Cypsiurus parvus
Identification
64-82 cm. Pure to dirty white feathers cover most of the body. Blue-black scapular plumes form a tuft that falls over the short, square-shaped tail and closed wings. The flight feathers are white with dark blue-green tips. Sacred ibises have long necks and bald, dull grey-black heads. The eyes are brown with a dark red orbital ring and the bill is long, downwardly curving, and with slit-like nostrils. Red bare skin is visible on the side of the breast and on the underwings. The legs are black with a red tinge.
In breeding plumage it shows a bright scarlet line on the underwing and buffy thighs.
Juveniles have feathered heads and necks that are mottled white with black streaks. Their scapular feathers are greenish-brown and there is more black on their outer primaries and primary coverts. The underwing coverts have dark streaks. The tail is white with brown corners.
Identification
21-24 cm. Streaked or 'arrowed' head and breast very distinctive. Two-tone eyes (yellowish centre and reddish rim) give an orange appearance. Sexes are similar; juveniles similar to adults but lack white streaks - spotted dusky below and brown eyes. Their harsh babbling chatter, often in chorus and rising to a crescendo, makes them easy to find.
Identification
14-17 cm. The smallest bee-eater in the region. It is easily identified by its combination of small size, yellow throat, black collar, buff-yellow bell and square-ended, dark-tipped tail. In flight it shows conspicuous, russet underwings.
by Toko
by Amoli
by Riley
by Flutterby
by Flutterby
by Amoli
by Riley