10 October 2009    
West Coast    
     

Andrew Stainthorpe was down from Kimberley for the weekend hoping to get out on one of our pelagic trips, but since it was cancelled due to weather, we decided to head up the west coast in the hope of catching up with a few birds that Andrew still needed for his various lists. Our first stop was Velddrif where we hoped to find the Common Redshank that had been present there recently. However, despite intensive searching for several hours, we were unable to locate the bird. Then, we made our way down to the West Coast National Park with the aim being to visit Seeberg to find the Lesser Sand Plover that had been hanging around there but, once again, despite developing a serious case of "scope eye", we were unable to find the beast in question. Nevertheless, it was still an enjoyable day and Andrew managed to at least get a few species for his Western Cape list whilst I managed to catch up with a few species for my photographic yearlist. We also picked up a Lark-like Bunting at Seeberg, a rather rare bird for the west coast.

     
Little Egret Black-winged Stilt Marsh Sandpiper
     
Grey Plover Pied Avocet Common Greenshank
     
Bar-tailed Godwit Black-necked Grebe Knox's Desert Lizard
     
Lark-like Bunting Bush Karoo Rat Grey-winged Francolin
     

 

Full list of species recorded on the day
   
Links to pages with additional photos highlighted in red
   
Common Name Scientific Name Additional notes
     
Birds - 118 species    
     
Common Ostrich Struthio camelus  
Grey-winged Francolin Scleroptila africanus  
Cape Spurfowl Pternistis capensis  
Common Quail Coturnix coturnix  
Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris  
Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca  
South African Shelduck Tadorna cana  
Spur-winged Goose Plectropterus gambensis  
Cape Teal Anas capensis  
Yellow-billed Duck Anas undulata  
Cape Shoveler Anas smithii  
Red-billed Teal Anas erythrorhyncha  
Acacia Pied Barbet Tricholaema leucomelas  
African Hoopoe Upupa africana  
Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis  
European Bee-eater Merops apiaster  
White-backed Mousebird Colius colius  
Red-faced Mousebird Urocolius indicus  
Klaas's Cuckoo Chrysococcyx klaas  
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  
Namaqua Dove Oena capensis  
Southern Black Korhaan Eupodotis afra  
Blue Crane Anthropoides paradiseus  
African Rail Rallus caerulescens  
Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus  
Red-knobbed Coot Fulica cristata  
Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica  
Common Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus  
Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis  
Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia  
Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres  
Sanderling Calidris alba  
Little Stint Calidris minuta  
Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea  
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus  
Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta  
Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola  
Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula  
Kittlitz's Plover Charadrius pecuarius  
Chestnut-banded Plover Charadrius pallidus  
White-fronted Plover Charadrius marginatus  
Blacksmith Lapwing Vanellus armatus  
Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus  
Grey-headed Gull Larus cirrocephalus  
Hartlaub's Gull Larus hartlaubii  
Caspian Tern Sterna caspia  
Swift Tern Sterna bergii  
Common Tern Sterna hirundo  
Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus  
Yellow-billed Kite Milvus [migrans] migrans  
African Marsh Harrier Circus ranivorus  
Black Harrier Circus maurus  
Rock Kestrel Falco rupicolis  
Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis  
Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis  
African Darter Anhinga rufa  
Reed Cormorant Phalacrocorax africanus  
White-breasted Cormorant Phalacrocorax lucidus  
Cape Cormorant Phalacrocorax capensis  
Little Egret Egretta garzetta  
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea  
Black-headed Heron Ardea melanocephala  
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea  
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis  
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber  
Lesser Flamingo Phoenicopterus minor  
Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus  
Hadeda Ibis Bostrychia hagedash  
African Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus  
African Spoonbill Platalea alba  
Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus  
Bokmakierie Telophorus zeylonus  
Pied Crow Corvus albus  
Common Fiscal Lanius collaris  
Cape Penduline-Tit Anthoscopus minutus  
Brown-throated Martin Riparia paludicola  
White-throated Swallow Hirundo albigularis  
Pearl-breasted Swallow Hirundo dimidiata  
Rock Martin Hirundo fuligula  
Cape Bulbul Pycnonotus capensis  
Little Rush Warbler Bradypterus baboecala  
Lesser Swamp Warbler Acrocephalus gracilirostris  
Long-billed Crombec Sylvietta rufescens  
Chestnut-vented Tit-Babbler Parisoma subcaeruleum  
Cape White-eye Zosterops capensis  
Grey-backed Cisticola Cisticola subruficapilla  
Levaillant's Cisticola Cisticola tinniens  
Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis  
Karoo Prinia Prinia maculosa  
Bar-throated Apalis Apalis thoracica  
Large-billed Lark Galerida magnirostris  
Cape Robin-Chat Cossypha caffra  
Karoo Scrub-Robin Cercotrichas coryphoeus  
African Stonechat Saxicola torquatus  
Capped Wheatear Oenanthe pileata  
Pied Starling Spreo bicolor  
Wattled Starling Creatophora cinerea  
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 Longclaw Macronyx capensis  
African Pipit Anthus cinnamomeus  
Cape Canary Serinus canicollis  
Yellow Canary Serinus flaviventris  
White-throated Canary Serinus albogularis  
Lark-like Bunting Emberiza impetuani  
Cape Bunting Emberiza capensis  
     
     
Mammals - 3 species    
     
Bush Karoo Rat Myotomys unisulcatus  
Small Grey Mongoose Galerella pulverulenta  
Steenbok Raphicerus campestris  
     
     
Reptiles - 2 species    
     
Angulate Tortoise Chersina angulata  
Knox's Desert Lizard Meroles knoxii