Twitch On

12 January 2025 - Mkhombo Dam

We were a little late to the Yellowleg's party at Mkhombo Dam, but figured that today could be the last opportunity to try and connect with it, given the warnings about rising water levels from the dam which was slowly flooding the prime and preferred habitat of this vagrant wader.

The weather was overcast, but no forecast of rain for the morning. A 4x4 wasnt optional, but rather mandatory, as we found out later in the morning. I had an early start and picked up Rob Cliff on the way from Midrand and then meeting up with Mike K, Billy, Dale and Jarred on the Pienaar's River exit road. We opted for the longer way through Libangeni, to get to the dam.

Already the track along the dam were under water, so we took it slow, trying to stay on the firmer water-logged ground, before finding an open area to park where we exited the cars and started scanning.

Whilst searching, we did pickup good numbers of Yellow Wagtail

Western Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava) 

Did we finally see the mega 11th Lesser Yellowlegs? Yes, but views were distant, as it was flighty without being provoked and with many birders still to come, we wanted to ensure it remained present. But still, elation for our small group as well as the many other birders who had the same idea we had, given the weather predictions

Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)

But wait, there's more. The vagrant Red-throated Pipit had also been seen earlier, so it would have been silly not to have tried for it, since we were already here. We didnt succeed. But I did get this Yellow-billed Stork flyby amongst other species seen.

Yellow-billed Stork (Mycteria ibis)

However, this was when the adventure turned to carnage, as the muddy tracks deepened and slowly turned most routes into a quagmire and ended with many 4x4's of all brands getting stuck along much of the route in an out of the Dam.

It certainly was an adventure and a challenge, as most twitches should be and will be remembered and talked about for a long time.