Kyalami Estates - June Round-up

30 June 2022 - Kyalami Estates

Winter is truly upon us with blue skies and cold mornings and nights - typical of the Gauteng Highveld. As is expected, a fairly low count of the resident birds with only 49 species recorded.

As usual, there were some highlights with species that are not recorded on a regular or daily basis like, African Black Duck, Arrow-marked Babbler, Streaky-headed Seedeater, Burchell's Coucal and African Green Pigeon which has been scarce this winter.

However, the highlight for me this month was finally catching a Southern Boubou out in the open one early morning. They are vocal in the estate and I hear them almost every day, but finally after 18-months, I managed to get images of this skulker (at least in our Estate they are)

Female Southern Boubou (Laniarius ferrugineus)

I did manage to get a few images, some from my garden and balcony included; Dark-capped Bulbul

Dark-capped Bulbul (Pycnonotus tricolor)

Amethyst Sunbird

Male Amethyst Sunbird (Chalcomitra amethystina)

Red-eyed Dove

Red-eyed Dove (Streptopelia semitorquata)

And Sacred Ibis

African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus)

At the main park where much of the reed cover has been cut-back or removed for the winter, I had Reed Cormorant

Immature Reed Cormorant (Microcarbo africanus)

Both Blacksmith

Blacksmith Lapwing (Vanellus armatus)

and Wattled Lapwing

African Wattled Lapwing (Vanellus senegallus)

Hadeda Ibis foraging in the park

Hadeda Ibis (Bostrychia hagedash)

Along with African Hoopoe

African Hoopoe (Upupa africana)

and Thick-billed Weaver

Thick-billed Weaver (Amblyospiza albifrons)

I had a pair of Spotted Thick-knee in amongst the flower beds on the pavement

Spotted Thick-knee (Burhinus capensis)

At the St Ledger Dam, there was a single Black Duck

African Black Duck (Anas sparsa)