GRAAFF-REINET NEWS — Ten members of the Graaff-Reinet Bird Club - Cas and Liz Labuschange, Gerald and Liz Buisman, Pierre and Maeve Strydom, Ilse Burger, Lee Visser, Steve Grewar, William Luckhoff and Alan Collett - enjoyed an outing to Graaff-Reinet's Mountain Drive in February.
At the pool alongside the road, the birders recorded the stunning Red Bishop birds with a lone Common Moorhen letting them know he was there with its familiar call.
In the bush along the riverbed, the birders first heard the Southern Tchagra’s alarm call and were then treated to its full display call which put its identification beyond doubt.
From there the Club members drove up to Koedeoskloof hoping to see the birds coming in to drink at the round trough, but after the recent rains, the casual water available everywhere made it unnecessary for the birds to come to an isolated water source, so the birders did another walk up the mountain instead.
On the way to brunch at Ribokberg, the birders recorded the Capped Wheatear - this particular pentad has been recorded 150 times for SA Bird Atlassing projects but it is only the second recording for the Club itself - a genuinely rare sighting.
While having brunch on the mountain and looking out over a fast-emptying Nqweba Dam, the birders could only hope that when they pass that way again, they would be looking at more water.
• The Graaff-Reinet Bird Club's next outing will be held on Doornplaats, the farm of James and Sandy Brodie, on Saturday, 3 March at 05:45.
All avid birders are to meet in Bourke Street (opposite Elsona's) and to bring along a chair, brunch and something to drink.
'Ons bring jou die nuutste Graaff-Reinet, Karoo nuus'
