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With both Nicola and I now having seen more than 725 southern African bird species, picking up new ones are becoming increasingly difficult. A few weeks ago, news arrived of an almost annual vagrant individual Bridled tern having been seen again at Cape Recife in Port Elizabeth (PE). PE is a bit out of the way for us so we didn't pay the news much attention. But as the tern continued to show fairly well (although erratically), I did some research and found out that both Antarctic and Roseate terns may still be around in late August and that three terrestrial species, Knysna warbler, Knysna woodpecker and Victorin's warbler have all been recorded quite close to or even in PE. I contacted Dr Paul Martin of
Bird and Eco-Tours who I used as a guide in PE last year; he confirmed that there were actually still both Antarctic and Roseate terns around and that all three terrestrial species can be found near PE (although the chance of seeing especially the warblers was less than 10%). He thought the Bridled tern would be a long shot but still recommended we give it a go. So with high hopes and building excitement, I booked us flights to PE for the first weekend of September.
On the evening of 02 Sep, we hopped on the SAA flight and arrived to a wet and overcast PE with a terrible forecast for the weekend. Drizzle greeted us on Saturday morning but the warm welcome of Dr Martin dispelled any concerns and soon we were off, driving towards Van Stadens river bridge. The old road that passes through the bottom of the valley is bordered by lush forest and we stopped here to try and get Knysna warbler. But the weather was not cooperating and frequent spells of heavier rain kept the windows closed. All we could hear were Sombre greenbuls. We drove around the wet picnic areas and were eventually also able to tick Fork-tailed drongo, Amethyst sunbird, Forest canary, Knysna turaco and African dusky flycatcher before giving up on the forest. We ascended back up the hill and entered Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve where we added a few fynbos species: Cape sugarbird, Brimstone canary, Karoo prinia, Neddicky, Cape grassbird etc. An open building housed some of the indigenous fynbos species as a small museum and this turned into our morning coffee break shelter. By the time we had polished a few muffins with our coffee, the rain had eased off a little and we headed back down to the forest. Activity was now much higher and the moment we stepped out of the car, we could already hear Knysna warbler calling close to the road. Clambering through wet undergrowth, we tried to position ourselves in the best possible place, hoping that one of these secretive skulkers would pop out. But over an hour of trying delivered nothing but the fleetest of glimpses. An African goshawk swamping a pair of Olive woodpeckers put a smile back on our faces and happy that we got to tick our first lifer, albeit not the best of sightings, we called it a morning and headed for Cape Recife to try for the terns. The strandveld on the way to the lighthouse produced a few common species but the moment that we stopped at the lighthouse entrance, I noticed a large dark-backed tern flying away from us. Binoculars pinned to our eyes, we followed it until it disappeared behind the lighthouse - sadly this was the first and only time we laid our eyes on the big prize - it was the Bridled tern! Over the next four hours we walked all around the lighthouse, watching the tern colonies move and grow in response to the incoming tide. We had fantastic views of Swift, Common and Sandwich terns but it was the much sought after Roseate, Damara and Antarctic terns that held our interest. Dr Martin carefully explained the the subtle differences in appearance and habits and then it was easy to pick out the small dainty Damara terns, always sitting aside from the main colony, the flashy Roseates with their coal-black caps, fiery red legs and some even with a blush of pink still on the chest. The Antarctic terns were a little more difficult to tell from the Common terns but through binoculars or the scope, you could easily see the dark-red legs and larger, dumpier appearance. Other birds included White-fronted plovers, African black oystercatcher, Ruddy turnstone, Grey heron, Grey plover, Common whimbrel, Common greenshank, Cape and White-breasted cormorants. At regular intervals we had to run to the car to avoid the squalls blowing in from the south-east but with four lifers in the bag, this did not dampen our spirits at all. After lunch we picked up a single African penguin swimming in the surf and not long after, a few pelagic species including Indian yellow-nosed albatross and Subantarctic skua were also seen. At times taking centre stage away from the birds, several groups of Humpback whales were spotted in deeper waters, often breaching spectacularly, waving flippers, blowing large plumes or tail-slapping. Around 4pm, having not seen the Bridled tern again, we left Cape Recife and visited the salt pans at Swartkops estuary to add a whole bunch of waterbirds, ending the day with a count of 104. Despite rather awful weather, we had a brilliant day and after Dr Martin dropped us off just after sunset, we treated ourselves to fish and sushi takeaway.
Despite a forecast to the contrary, heavy drizzle greeted us again on Sunday morning. Today we were heading into the clouds to look for Victorin's warbler. Driving towards Lady Slipper Nature Reserve, we saw Cape siskin, Forest buzzard, Red-necked spurfowl, Bokmakierie, Black saw-wing and Yellow bishop. By the time we stopped at the gate, we were completely socked in and we could barely see twenty metres. However, just 50m from where we left the car, we heard our first Victorin's warbler. It was impossible to see though and we moved higher up on the mountain, eventually walking all the way to the summit. Although it didn't rain, it was cold, windy and thick with fog. As we descended, the heavy fog slowly started to lift and when we reached the spot where we first heard the warbler, we could occasionally see the valley below us. Again we heard Victorin's warblers calling, but this time it was right up against the road and we followed the calls as they moved. After about ten minutes I finally got a nice view and five minutes later, Nicola also got good views. And then suddenly, the pair, possibly even three warblers, came out into the open, calling incessantly, and gave us the best possible views we could hope for! They were incredibly restless though and photographing one was kind of impossible. With five lifers in the bag for the weekend, we basically had our fill but we were still going to try and find Knysna woodpecker at Settler's Park. It was past noon when we arrive at Settler's, the heavy morning overcast had gone and it was a pleasant afternoon. A Black sparrowhawk flew past as we entered the park and numerous Fiscal flycatchers and various sunbirds flitted about the flowering Erythrinas. Throughout the park, but especially along the shadier stream at the bottom, we scanned every tree, tapped on dead trunks and listened carefully, but there was nothing. It looked like it was just too late in the day to hope for the woodpecker. We returned to the car for a late lunch before a last-ditch effort on the other side of the park also revealed nothing. Dr Martin drove us back to our guesthouse (they kindly allowed us a late check-out) and just before 4pm we left for the airport and an uneventful flight home.
We dipped on the woodpecker but I can't say that I'm disappointed at all. I knew the terrestrial birds were going to be very hard and the terns could've been a hit and miss thing. But we bagged FIVE out of a possible six lifers and are simply ecstatic! Again, Dr Martin was as capable a guide as you can imagine and went out of his way to help us find our target birds, prepared scrumptious lunches and snacks and even cleaned the car on Saturday night after we trampled it full of mud. And on top of that he's got a wealth of information about birds, flowers, trees and other plants, geology, hydrology, history and almost anything else you can think of. What a pleasurable weekend!
