Birding at Likweti Bushveld Farm Estate – 4 June 2022
Enthusiastic birders gathered for a morning bird watching walk led by Marc Cronje at Likweti Bushveld Farm Estate this past Saturday. With us heading into winter the morning’s walk started out quite chilly, but nothing a warm cup of coffee couldn’t solve.
Our first birds for the morning were Spectacled Weaver, a very obliging Red-throated Wryneck pair, Golden-tailed and Cardinal Woodpeckers and a great sighting of a stunning Cape Grassbird singing and showing up nicely for the group. This was a first sighting of this specie for most of the group.
With the birds being active at the entrance we decided to walk around the area first, some of the birds seen included: Cape Starling, Crested Barbet, Black-collared Barbet, Green Wood Hoopoes in a nest cavity, Black-backed Puffback, African Golden Weaver, Yellow-breasted Apalis and a stunning Orange-breasted Bushshrike. The drumming of a Bearded Woodpecker caught our attention, and soon we had great views on this stunning bird.
Yellow-breasted Apalis
From here we progressed up to the lodge area which produced some more great birds, with highlights being, a stunning male Mocking Cliff Chat, calling Croaking Cisticola, White-bellied Sunbird, Brimstone Canary, Acacia Pied Barber, Brubru, Cut-throat Finch and Yellow-throated Longclaws displaying above us.
The Klaas’s Cuckoo which we only heard at first before enjoying spectacular views was a real treat! The sighting was surprising as we don’t generally see Cuckoo’s in winter because most of them migrate, but this individual is overwintering. The species is a brood parasite, and one of the hosts to the Klaas’s Cuckoo are the Sunbirds. It made sense that we saw the bird because we also saw White-bellied, Amethyst, Scarlet-chested and Collared Sunbirds in the same area.
Scarlet-chested Sunbird
Malachite Kingfisher
Some other highlights included: close views of Common Waxbill, African Stonechat, Neddicky, White-fronted Bee-eater, African Firefinch and a Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird.
Our final stop for the morning was at the dam nearby and here we enjoyed sightings of Hamerkop, Little Bee-eater, Reed Cormorant, Pied and Malachite Kingfishers.
A total of 59 species were seen collectively on the morning walk.
Marc will be leading more exciting bird watching walks throughout the year at Likweti Bushveld Farm Estate. Be sure to keep an eye on our Facebook page for all the details.
Written by Marc Cronje
083 705 6463.
Photos by Marc Cronje
