Weaver ringing trip, Zululand
6-12 February 2012
Graham Grieve and Karin Nelson joined me for a few days of ringing in coastal Zululand. Having given a talk about PHOWN at BirdLife Zululand (bird club in Richards Bay) on 6 Feb, bird club members were invited to attend ringing sessions. Selected photos are shown from each ringing session, and species totals caught are shown in the Table at the end.
After the ringing, the 20th anniversary celebration was held at the KwaZulu-Natal National Botanical Gardens (11 Feb), with talks on ADU projects, including SAFRING, and PHOWN - see news item.
PHOWN records from this trip may be viewed here.
Thulazihleka Pan, Richards Bay, 7 Feb
Our first morning was at the Pan. The most caught species was Yellow Weaver. Two birds were recaptured from previous ringing here: a Tawnyflanked Prinia from July 2011 and a Yellow Weaver (BH31164) from 2006. For previous ringing here, see news item and trip report. Ringing at the pan |
 Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, special of the day |
 Red-backed Shrike, male |
 Southern Brown-throated Weaver, female showing distinctive cinnamon wash |
 Yellow Weaver, male |
 Lesser Masked Weaver, male |
 Mozambique Tilapia, bycatch of Pied Kingfisher! |
 Photographing Wattle-eyed Flycatcher |
Amangwe forest, KwaBonambi, 8 Feb
All day was spent in the forest. The first bird was an African Goshawk, and the most caught species was the Green-backed Camaroptera. No weavers were caught here, although Dark-backed Weavers were seen. African Goshawk, first bird from the nets |
 Graham, Alan, and Tina photographing the goshawk ringed by Karin |
 Green-backed Camaroptera, juvenile |
 Terrestrial Bulbul |
Teza lake, north of KwaBonambi, 9-10 Feb
Some special birds caught were Fiery-necked Nightjar, Garden Warbler, Red-headed Quelea, and Purple-banded Sunbird. The most caught species was Yellow Weaver. Four birds were recaptured from previous ringing here: a Dark-capped Bulbul, a Green-backed Camaroptera, a male Spectacled Weaver, and an African (Bluebilled) Firefinch, all ringed in July 2011. For previous ringing here, see news item. Ringing group |
 Fiery-necked Nightjar |
 Pygmy Kingfisher, juvenile |
 Garden Warbler |
 Lesser Masked Weaver, with dark eye! |
 Spectacled Weaver, juvenile |
 Diederik Cuckoo male |
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Species totals caught
A total of 424 birds of 58 different species were caught in 4 days. A few were recaptures from previously (see under sites above).| SAFRING no | Species | Thulazihleka | Amangwe | Teza |
| 160 | African Goshawk Accipiter tachiro | 1 | ||
| 319 | Tambourine Dove Turtur tympanistria | 1 | 3 | |
| 321 | Green-spotted Dove Turtur chalcospilos | 1 | ||
| 322 | Lemon (Cinnamon) Dove Aplopelia larvata | 1 | ||
| 352 | Diederik Cuckoo Chrysococcyx caprius | 1 | ||
| 373 | Fiery-necked Nightjar Caprimulgus pectoralis | 1 | ||
| 385 | Little Swift Apus affinis | 1 | ||
| 390 | Speckled Mousebird Colius striatus | 1 | 1 | |
| 394 | Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis | 13 | ||
| 397 | Malachite Kingfisher Alcedo cristata | 3 | 3 | |
| 398 | Pygmy Kingfisher Ispidina picta | 4 | ||
| 402 | Brown-hooded Kingfisher Halcyon albiventris | 3 | 2 | |
| 405 | Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops persicus | 1 | ||
| 410 | Little Bee-eater Merops pusillus | 4 | ||
| 431 | Black-collared Barbet Lybius torquatus | 2 | 3 | |
| 438 | Golden-rumped Tinker Barbet Pogoniulus bilineatus | 2 | 4 | |
| 442 | Lesser Honeyguide Indicator minor | 5 | ||
| 545 | Dark-capped Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus | 3 | 15 | |
| 546 | Terrestrial Bulbul Phyllastrephus terrestris | 6 | ||
| 551 | Sombre Greenbul Andropadus importunus | 1 | ||
| 552 | Kurrichane Thrush Turdus libonyana | 1 | ||
| 579 | Red-capped Robin-Chat Cossypha natalensis | 2 | 2 | |
| 588 | White-browed Robin Erythropygia leucophrys | 3 | ||
| 595 | Garden Warbler Sylvia borin | 3 | 9 | |
| 599 | Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus | 6 | ||
| 603 | Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus | 1 | ||
| 604 | Lesser Swamp Warbler Acrocephalus gracilirostris | 2 | ||
| 606 | African Reed Warbler Acrocephalus baeticatus | 1 | ||
| 607 | European Marsh Warbler Acrocephalus palustris | 1 | 2 | |
| 627 | Green-backed Camaroptera Camaroptera brachyura | 1 | 16 | 6 |
| 642 | Rattling Cisticola Cisticola chiniana | 3 | ||
| 645 | Rufous-winged Cisticola Cisticola galactotes | 1 | 2 | |
| 649 | Tawny-flanked Prinia Prinia subflava | 1 | 13 | |
| 654 | Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata | 1 | 3 | |
| 677 | Black-throated Wattle-eye Platysteira peltata | 2 | ||
| 682 | Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone viridis | 2 | ||
| 707 | Fiscal Shrike Lanius collaris | 1 | ||
| 708 | Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio | 2 | ||
| 756 | Purple-banded Sunbird Nectarinia bifasciata | 1 | ||
| 766 | Olive Sunbird Nectarinia olivacea | 8 | 2 | |
| 774 | Scarlet-chested Sunbird Nectarinia senegalensis | 2 | ||
| 791 | Spectacled Weaver Ploceus ocularis | 1 | 12 | |
| 792 | Lesser Masked Weaver Ploceus intermedius | 1 | 2 | |
| 797 | Village Weaver Ploceus cucullatus | 3 | ||
| 799 | Cape Weaver Ploceus capensis | 1 | ||
| 800 | Yellow Weaver Ploceus subaureus | 43 | 53 | |
| 802 | Southern Brown-throated Weaver Ploceus xanthopterus | 3 | 12 | |
| 804 | Thick-billed Weaver Amblyospiza albifrons | 3 | ||
| 806 | Red-headed Quelea Quelea erythrops | 11 | ||
| 808 | Southern Red Bishop Euplectes orix | 5 | ||
| 816 | Fan-tailed Widow Euplectes axillaris | 1 | ||
| 823 | Bronze Mannikin Spermestes cucullatus | 2 | ||
| 833 | African (Bluebilled) Firefinch Lagonosticta rubricata | 6 | ||
| 837 | Red-billed Firefinch Lagonosticta senegala | 3 | ||
| 843 | Common Waxbill Estrilda astrild | 12 | ||
| 859 | Yellow-fronted Canary Serinus mozambicus | 1 | 38 | |
| 863 | Brimstone Canary Serinus sulphuratus | 1 | ||
| 1172 | Cape White-eye Zosterops capensis | 1 | 1 | 22 |
| Totals | 102 | 40 | 282 |
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Tony and Monika Roberts for accommodation and catering suppers!Thanks to Sappi for permission to ring at Amangwe forest and Teza Lake.
Thanks to Karin Nelson, Graham Grieve, Alan van Zyl, Tina Lickfold, Daniel Oschadleus, Heather and Sharon Blignaut, Dominic Rollinson for their help.
Thanks to Charlie and Denise for accommodation in Pietermaritzburg!
The trip was funded mostly by Project for the Enhancement of Research Capacity (PERC, UCT).