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More web pages about the quelea:
Identification of the Red-billed Quelea
Influx of the Red-billed Quelea
Red-billed Quelea breeding near Worcester
Recent records of the Red-billed Quelea
The Red-billed Quelea (hereafter quelea) has not occurred in the Western Cape historically, but in recent years has started expanding its range into this province. There is a single record of a flock of quelea at Zeekoievlei in 1946. The next record is from the Karoo NP in 1986. These and successive records were published in SAJS 2006, with records up to the end of 2005.
In April and May 2007 there was an influx of quelea on the Cape Peninsula. Sightings reported on Capebirdnet and to me are listed below. Please check for errors and additions. Also keep sending in sightings as it is important to see if the quelea disappear or stay, and to what extent they stay. A remarkable observation is that most sites are reported from very close to the coast-line, and even from Robben Island. This indicates that the quelea moved from the interior and travelled as far as they could before being stopped by the ocean. The most likely reason for this influx is that a good breeding season was followed by drought.
Table: date is the reporting date unless an actual sighting date is reported. Records are listed chronologically. Note: newly reported records are shown in a second table below, even though some of the records fit in between records in the first table.
| Date | n | Locality | Coordinates | Reporter |
| Apr 2007 | up to 100 | Rooi Els | Helen Jones & Alison Ayre | |
| 18/04/2007 | 3 | Goedeontmoeting farm near Philadelphia | 3341S_1847E | Margaret McCall |
| 18/04/2007 | small flock | Where Palmiet River enters the Kogelberg NR | 3415S 1901E | Dave Persse |
| 21/04/2007 | 50-60 | Pringle Bay house | Erina Botha | |
| 21/04/2007 | c 50 | wynlandgoed Van Loveren tussen Robertson en Ashton | Maurits Perold | |
| 22/04/2007 | c100 | Vermont garden | John Bowman | |
| 22/04/2007 | c100 | Vermont, coastal path near us | John Bowman | |
| 22/04/2007 | ad m,f | De Hoop Opstal | 3429S 2024E | Peter Chadwick |
| 25/04/2007 | small flock | Hout Bay | Vernon Head | |
| 25/04/2007 | 1 | Tokai garden | Margaret Maciver | |
| 25/04/2007 | few | Hermanus | John Bowman | |
| 26/04/2007 | c100 | Vermont garden | John Bowman | |
| 27/04/2007 | 2 | Somerset West garden | John Carter | |
| 28/04/2007 | c8 | Betties Bay within 100 metres of the coast | Helm van Zijl | |
| 28/04/2007 | small group | Cape Point: Buffels Bay | Barrie Rose | |
| 28/04/2007 | flock | over Seal Island in False Bay | Patrick Cardwell | |
| 28/04/2007 | c10 | Robben island, S bch | Richard Sherly | |
| 30/04/2007 | 5 groups totaling c 200 | Cape Point: on the ridge between the old and new lighthouses | Barrie Rose | |
| 30/04/2007 | 6 | Cape Point: Carpark | Barrie Rose | |
| 30/04/2007 | 40 | Cape Point: Buffels Bay | Barrie Rose | |
| 30/04/2007 | 6 | Cape Point: Circular Drive | Barrie Rose | |
| 30/04/2007 | c50 | Geelbek restuarant | John McFarlane | |
| 30/04/2007 | c7 | Somerset West garden | John Carter | |
| 30/04/2007 | c12 | Van Schoors Drift (near Philadelphia) | John Carter | |
| 01/05/2007 | c200 | Rooi Els | Jill Mortimer | |
| 01/05/2007 | c100 | Vermont in Onrus near the lagoon | John Bowman | |
| 01/05/2007 | c40 | Boulders, Simonstown | Barry Watkins & Meidad Goren | |
| 01/05/2007 | 8-10 | Rondebosch garden | Eve Gracie | |
| 01/05/2007 | few flocks of c50 | Along the Swartriver road which runs between the R43, near Fisherhaven and the N1 to Caledon | Barbara & Graham Palmer | |
| 06/05/2007 | 5 | Boontjieskraal (Remkuil) area close to Caledon | 3411S 1921E | Jacky Furno |
| 06/05/2007 | five flocks, each of about 30 birds | Caledon/Villiersdoorp area | John Bowman | |
| 06/05/2007 | seen | George, Sedgefield and Knysna | Brian Denman | |
| 06/05/2007 | c100 | Kurland at the Crags | Brian Denman | |
| 08/05/2007 | ? | Natures Valley | Brian Denman | |
| 08/05/2007 | ? | Plett (town & on Robberg) | Brian Denman | |
| 08/05/2007 | large group | Breede River somewhere | Erina Botha | |
| 10/05/2007 | some? | Stilbaai | Erina Botha |
| Date | n | Locality | Coordinates | Reporter |
| Feb-07 | 1 | Barrydale garden | Terry Oatley | |
| 17-26/03/2007 | ? | plot 10 km from Vioolsdrif-border, N Cape | Pieter en Marié van den Heever | |
| 12/04/2007 | c6 | just outside Fernkloof Nature Reserve in Hermanus | Phoebe Barnard with Rob Simmons and Mike Ford | |
| 16/04/2007 | 1 | farm dam about one kilometre from Barrydale | Terry Oatley for visiting birder | |
| 18/04/2007 | few | Gamtoos River estuary, E Cape | Tony Tree | |
| 20/04/2007 | 1 | Barrydale garden | Terry Oatley | |
| 21/04/2007 | 15-20 | Elsies Peak, Fish Hoek | Andrew Jenkins for Anthony van Zyl | |
| 22/04/2007 | 15-20 | Admiral's Kloof, Simonstown | Andrew Jenkins | |
| 22/04/2007 | 6 | next to our Lodge in Hunters Home, Knysna | Peter Ellis | |
| 22/04/2007 | 3 | Blouvlei (Intaka Island) | Margaret Maciver for Gerald Wingate et al | |
| 28/04/2007 | c20 | Doornkloof N R | Felicity Ellmore | |
| 29/04/2007 | 1 | Kleinemonde mouth, E Cape | Tony Tree | |
| 30/04/2007 | c20 | Doornkloof N R | Felicity Ellmore | |
| 30/04/2007 | up to 50 | Cape Point | Andrew Jenkins | |
| 30/04/2007 | several | St. Helena Bay | Trevor Hardaker | |
| 30/04/2007 | 3 small flocks | coming OFF the sea from the south at Cape Recife, E Cape | Tony Tree for Alf Taylor | |
| ~01/05/2007 | 40+ | Port Elizabeth garden, E Cape | Albert Schultz | |
| 02/05/2007 | 3 | Kleinemonde mouth (2-3 km inland from), E Cape | Tony Tree | |
| 05/05/2007 | 10 | near R27 entrance to West Coast Park | Trevor Hardaker | |
| 05/05/2007 | c50 | Geelbek Manor House | Trevor Hardaker | |
| 05/05/2007 | c100 | Geelbek hide in reeds and on salt marsh | Trevor Hardaker | |
| 05/05/2007 | 1 | Blouvlei (Intaka Island) | Margaret Maciver for Gerald Wingate et al | |
| 12/05/2007 | 1 | Garden near Silvermine River Wetlands | Brenda Anderson for friend | |
| 14/05/2007 | some | Plettenberg Bay area | Reinderd | |
| 26/05/2007 | 5 | Rietvlei Wetland Reserve | Margaret Maciver |
| Date | n | Locality | Coords | Reporter |
| 15/06/2007 | many | Birds of Eden | 3357S 2327E~ | Kevin Shaw for Isabel |
| 13/08/2007 | 15+ | Montagu Warmbaths | 3346S 2007E | Gabriel Jamie |
| 15/08/2007 | small flock | from Witsand to Malgas | 3416S 2037E | Berrie Ferreira |
| 05/09/2007 | flock | Farm of Mr Piet Fourie in Albertinia distr | 3409S 2140E | Rhett Hiseman |
| 6-7/09/2007 | flock | Van Heslandskull farm - Riviersonderend | 3408S 1951E | Stuart McLennan |
| 09/09/2007 | flock | Blydskap Farm | 3409S 1953E | John Jones |
| 08/10/2007 | 1 | Old Malmesbury Rd, & Botterberg Rd | 3342S 1834E | Gerald Wingate |
Contact: H Dieter Oschadleus, weavers4africa [at] gmail.com
