Ringing trip to coastal Zululand, 14-19 Nov 2010
A team of ringers visited ringing sites near St Lucia, initially staying at Futululu. One of the aims was to ring Southern Brown-throated Weavers Ploceus xanthopterus and a total of 44 were handled (including 3 chicks). In addition, many Lesser Masked and Yellow Weavers were caught and a wide diversity of forest species. A total of 363 birds and 42 species were handled. A large number of Virtual Museum records were submitted by the team, especially of weaver colonies (see here), but also butterflies, frogs, reptiles, dragonflies, and mammals (see here).The ringers were Dieter Oschadleus, Graham Grieve, Cliff Wright, Gert Opperman and trainee Carol Milan. A list of ringing totals is listed below.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Futululu, Bonamanzi, Twinstreams and Sappi Stanger for allowing us to ring on their properties. Special thanks to Barry Taylor, Ewart and Rebecca, Chris MacDonald for thier help in making this trip successful! Click on the sites to see their web sites.Futululu, 14-16 Nov
On the first afternoon we put up nets around the caravan park and caught a few interesting species over the 3 days we spent here. A large number of birds caught were recaptures, due to other ringers visiting here previously.
 Adult Pygmy Kingfisher |
 Graham with an African Goshawk |
 Cliff with a Narina Trogon |
 Group ringing |
 Yellow-spotted Nicator |
 Scaly-throated Honeyguide |
Bonamanzi, 16 Nov
On 16 November we joined Barry Taylor who kindly organised for us to ring with him at Bonamanzi. Inside the reserve the first bird caught was a nightjar retrap. Our first target species was Southern Brown-throated Weavers at a small colony. We caught 15 weavers plus a few other species, and then checked the nests in the colony. Three nests had eggs, and one had chicks that could be ringed - see Virtual Museum record. Then we proceeded to ring inside the crocodile enclosure at the reception! Rangers Ewart and Rebecca bravely kept the big crocs at bay while we warily extracted Lesser Masked, Yellow and Thick-billed Weavers from the nets.
 Graham with a Mozambique Nightjar |
 Adult male Southern Brown-throated Weaver |
 Ewart watching a croc from the net |
 Ringing (outside the croc enclosure!) |
Thulazihleka Pan in Richards Bay, 17-18 Nov
On 17 November we left Futululu very early in the morning to ring at Thulazihleka Pan on the way to Twinstreams. Unfortunately it was raining intermittently and after a short while we took the nets down and after a relaxing breakfast proceeded to Twinstreams. At Twinstreams we put nets up as the rain had stopped. On 18 November some ringers stayed at Twinstreams while Dieter and Carol returned to Thulazihleka Pan to ring more weavers, mostly Yellow and Southern Brown-throated Weavers: it was overcast early in the morning and we also caught 14 Barn Swallows.
 Unpleasant scenery but still many birds |
 Ringing station |
Twinstreams, 17-18 Nov
Ringing at Twinstreams in Mtunzini was more forest species. Carol handled her first raptor here, an African Goshawk.
 Yellow-bellied Bulbul |
 Square-tailed Drongo |
Stanger Sappi, 19 Nov
On 19 November we left Twinstreams to ring at Sappi in Stanger, with manager Chris MacDonald. We had a late start but still ringed some weavers. Graham ringed a Southern Brown-throated Weaver chick - note the cinnamon colour is already visible on the back - a distinctive feature in this species (other than adult males in breeding plumage). Opposite the hide was a Yellow Weaver colony with nesting Darters and cormorants.
 Southern Brown-throated Weaver chick |
 Yellow Weaver colony with nesting waterbirds |
Species totals by site
Ringing and recaptures combined, dates in Nov 2010| No. | Species | Totals | 14-16 | 16 | 17-18 | 17-18 | 19 |
| Futu | Bona | Thul. | Twin | Sappi | |||
| 158 | Little Sparrowhawk Accipiter minullus | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 160 | African Goshawk Accipiter tachiro | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 228 | African Jacana Actophilornis africanus | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 319 | Tambourine Dove Turtur tympanistria | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| 376 | Mozambique Nightjar Caprimulgus fossii | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 352 | Diederik Cuckoo Chrysococcyx caprius | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 393 | Narina Trogon Apaloderma narina | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 398 | Pygmy Kingfisher Ispidina picta | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 438 | Goldenrumped Tinker Barbet Pogoniulus bilineatus | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 441 | Scalythroated Honeyguide Indicator variegatus | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 442 | Lesser Honeyguide Indicator minor | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 493 | Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica | 16 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 518 | Squaretailed Drongo Dicrurus ludwigii | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 545 | Blackeyed Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 546 | Terrestrial Bulbul Phyllastrephus terrestris | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 509 | Brownthroated Martin Riparia paludicola | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 550 | Yellowbellied Bulbul Chlorocichla flaviventris | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 579 | Natal Robin Cossypha natalensis | 28 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| 584 | Brown Robin Erythropygia signata | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 604 | Cape Reed Warbler Acrocephalus gracilirostris | 15 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 606 | African Marsh Warbler Acrocephalus baeticatus | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 609 | African Sedge Warbler Bradypterus baboecala | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 625 | Yellowbreasted Apalis Apalis flavida | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 627 | Green-backed Cameroptera Camaroptera brachyura | 11 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 645 | Blackbacked Cisticola Cisticola galactotes | 8 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 649 | Tawnyflanked Prinia Prinia subflava | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 676 | Woodwards Batis Batis fratrum | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 677 | Wattle-eyed Flycatcher Platysteira peltata | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 717 | Olive Bush Shrike Telophorus olivaceus | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 725 | Yellowspotted Nicator Nicator gularis | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 765 | Grey Sunbird Nectarinia veroxii | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 766 | Olive Sunbird Nectarinia olivacea | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 771 | Collared Sunbird Anthreptes collaris | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 792 | Lesser Masked Weaver Ploceus intermedius | 22 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 797 | Spottedbacked Weaver Ploceus cucullatus | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 800 | Yellow Weaver Ploceus subaureus | 102 | 1 | 24 | 63 | 0 | 14 |
| 802 | Brownthroated Weaver Ploceus xanthopterus | 44 | 0 | 13 | 29 | 0 | 2 |
| 804 | Thickbilled Weaver Amblyospiza albifrons | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 805 | Redbilled Quelea Quelea quelea | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 808 | Southern Red Bishop Euplectes orix | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 843 | Common Waxbill Estrilda astrild | 9 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 1172 | Cape White-eye Zosterops pallidus | 13 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 0 |
| Totals per site | 363 | 57 | 79 | 147 | 61 | 19 |