The birdwatchers standing together immersed in their passion. One wonders if it is the size of the binoculars or the brand that determines the pecking order here? 🙂
Birdwatching is one of the fastest growing outdoor activities in the world and many birdwatching clubs and organisations make meaningful contributions to the knowledge and conservation of birds. Last Saturday, members of Birdlife Lowveld visited Mountainlands to look for birds in riverine thicket areas. They were fortunate to spot a Dark-backed Weaver (Ploceus bicolor), which is a second sighting for the reserve, and a Bearded Scrub-Robin (Cercotrichas quadrivirgata) which is a new record. Overall, 54 species were recorded for the morning. These records will be submitted to the national database that is used for atlassing birds.
From left: Bearded Scrub-Robin and Dark-backed Weaver. Photos: Warwick Tarboton
“What struck me was that the crowd comprised old Barberton birders, knowledgeable local birders as well as a smattering of very new birders. And everyone spoke of how they learnt something new and experienced new birds on the day. We were certainly privileged to have been allowed the opportunity to bird and relax on the Mountainlands Reserve,” said Don Williams, chairman of Birdlife Lowveld.
Mountainlands is very good for birdlife with a rich variety of habitats which include grasslands, savanna, thickets, bushveld, Afromontane forests, cliffs, wetlands and perennial streams. Add to that the high floral diversity of the Barberton Centre of Plant Endemism and you can understand why the reserve is home to nearly 300 species of our winged friends.
