Lowveld birders looking at African Firefinches in hilly grasslands on a forest margin
Early last Sunday morning, 35 members of Birdlife Lowveld, a club that is part of Birdlife South Africa, visited the reserve with a focus on spotting birds that occur in grasslands, riverine forests and thickets. With an assortment of nearly 300 bird species that occur in diverse vegetation types, Mountainlands offers a rich and rewarding bird watching experience.
African Firefinch (photo: Warwick Tarboton)
The birders broke into 3 groups for a short walk, guided by members with a gob-smacking depth of knowledge and experience about birds. In the process of admiration, commentary and learning, 42 species were logged. This information will be added to the South African Bird Atlas Project that, amongst others, supply data on bird distributions and reporting rates.
From left: Square tailed Drongo, Striped Pipit and Dark-backed Weaver. (Photos: Warwick Tarboton)
Some highlights were species associated mostly with the eastern part of the country such as Striped Pipit, Dark -backed Weaver, Square tailed Drongo, Olive Woodpecker and African Firefinch. Below are the names of the all the species seen.
1. Olive Sunbird
2. African Paradise Flycatcher
3. Swee Waxbill
4. African Olive Pigeon
5. Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird
6. Gorgeous Bushshrike
7. Emerald-spotted Wood Dove
8. Striped Pipit
9. Knysna Turaco
10. Thick-billed Weaver
11. Black-backed Puffback
12. Scaly-throated Honeyguide
13. Grey-headed Bushshrike
14. Rock Martin
15. Amethyst Sunbird
16. Collared Sunbird
17. Brubru
18. Dark-backed Weaver
19. Cape Batis
20. Olive Woodpecker
21. Bearded Scrub Robin
22. Red-faced Cisticola
23. Common Square-tailed Drongo
24. Fork-tailed Drongo
25. Yellow-breasted Apalis
26. Bar-throated Apalis
27. Kurrichane Thrush
28. Brown-hooded Kingfisher
29. Terrestrial Brownbul
30. Eastern Nicator
31. Purple-crested Turaco
32. Dark-capped Bulbul
33. Mountain Wagtail
34. Green-backed Camaroptera
35. Greater Double-collared Sunbird
36. Cape White-eye
37. Yellow-fronted Canary
38. African Black Swift
39. Black-collared Barbet
40. Sombre Greenbul
41. Lazy Cisticola
42. African Firefinch
