It’s been a long time since I last heard the plaintive, mournful-sounding hoot of the Buff-spotted Flufftail, Sarothrura elegans, while lying in my own bed. But the last few nights he has been hooting gently outside my window in Westville above the Palmiet River:
Hope they stay awhile . . .
I heard it for fifteen years at 7 River Drive on the Mkombaan River in Westville, but although I searched and stalked and lay in wait at all hours, the only one I saw was one the bloody next door cat killed! Something like this:
~~~oo0oo~~~
And then at last I saw one of Crispin Hemson’s tame*** flufftails at Pigeon Valley in Durban. One lone male. And just for a few seconds before he ducked into the undergrowth. I was pleased to see one of Crispin’s pictures has been used in wikipedia.
*** not really tame – just on his famous patch!
~~~oo0oo~~~
Friend Rob Davey is a security camera boffin. He aimed one at his birdbath out north of Durban:
List of Birds of 7 River Drive – my patch
Mkombaan River valley, Westville KZN – Jan 1989 – Dec 2003
Breeds – Y means we have seen an active nest or young fledglings being fed here.
| Spotted Thrush | Seen three separate winter-times in 15 years | ||
| Kurrichane Thrush | Y | ||
| Olive Thrush | |||
| Narina Trogon | Three times in 15 years, once stayed a week | ||
| Pigmy Kingfisher | Three times | ||
| Brown-hooded Kingfisher | Nests in a bank in Deon’s yard next door (no. 5) | Y | |
| Malachite Kingfisher | Once | ||
| Olive Bush-shrike (ruddy form | Once – stayed about a week. Lovely song | ||
| Orange-breasted Bush-shrike | Heard quite often, seen about three times | ||
| Black Sparrowhawk | Raises a chick here most years | Y | |
| Gymnogene | Raises a chick here most years | Y | |
| Crowned Eagle | Flying & calling overhead | ||
| Fish Eagle | Flying & calling overhead | ||
| African Goshawk | Resident King of the woods | Y | |
| Black-headed Heron | Flying overhead | ||
| Pied Crow | Flying overhead | ||
| Barn Swallow | |||
| Lesser Striped Swallow | |||
| Rock Martin | |||
| White-rumped Swift | |||
| Little Swift | |||
| Palm Swift | |||
| Reed Cormorant | Once, flying overhead, then circled and landed in the Mkombaan River! | ||
| Woolly-necked Stork | Perched on a garage roof at top of our valley! | ||
| Bush Blackcap | One winter, stayed ten days | ||
| Willow Warbler | Arrives every summer from frosty England | ||
| Red-backed Mannikin | |||
| Bronze Mannikin | Y | ||
| Bar-throated Apalis | |||
| Yellow-breasted Apalis | |||
| Rudd’s Apalis !!? | Unlikely, yet seen close-up by Trish and I on potplant on the driveway! Nov 2003; Needs verification! | ||
| Natal Francolin | Heard often, seen once | ||
| Buff-spotted Flufftail | Heard very often, never seen | ||
| Red-chested Cuckoo | Juvenile seen once in fig tree over pool | ||
| Emerald Cuckoo | Including a juv being fed by Olive sunbird | y | |
| Klaas’ Cuckoo | |||
| Black Cuckoo | |||
| Diederik Cuckoo | |||
| Longbilled Crombec | |||
| Tambourine Dove | Often | ||
| Emerald-spotted Dove | Seldom | ||
| Red-eyed Dove | Most common dove | y | |
| Laughing Dove | y | ||
| Ring-necked parakeet | Once, flying past into no. 14 | ||
| Fiery-necked nightjar | Heard often, seen twice | ||
| Paradise flycatcher | Nests every year | y | |
| Dusky Flycatcher | Nests every year | y | |
| Blue-grey Flycatcher | Nests most years | y | |
| Spotted Flycatcher | A few visits | ||
| Black Flycatcher | y | ||
| Purple-crested Lourie | Nested in Umdoni tree on River Drive | y | |
| African Hoopoe | Once at top of River Drive | ||
| Red-billed Wood Hoopoe | Have nested in our nestboxes about 3 times | y | |
| Lesser Honeyguide | Often | ||
| Greater Honeyguide | Seldom | ||
| Scaly-throated Honeyguide | Seldom | ||
| Sharp-billed Honeyguide | Twice | ||
| Blackbellied Glossy Starlings | Nest most years | y | |
| Green Twinspot | Seen four times, heard more times | ||
| Long-tailed Wagtail | Up & down the river, occasionally next to pool | y | |
| Cape Wagtail | Nests in Dracaena outside front door | ||
| Pied Wagtail | Next to pool | y | |
| Southern Boubou | Heard all the time, seldom seen | y | |
| Golden-tailed Woodpecker | Nests most years | y | |
| Cardinal Woodpecker | |||
| Olive Sunbird | The Boss; Once raised an Emerald Cuckoo chick | y | |
| White-bellied Sunbird | Usually behind house, seldom in front garden! | ||
| Collared Sunbird | Nests most years | y | |
| Black Sunbird | Occasional | ||
| Grey Sunbird | Often | ||
| Black-collared Barbet | Always | y | |
| Crested Barbet | Once | ||
| Golden-rumped Tinker | Always | ||
| Hamerkop | Often – heard more than seen | ||
| Yellow-billed Kite | |||
| Burchell’s Coucal | |||
| Grey-headed Sparrow | Seen twice | ||
| Streaky-headed Canary | |||
| Yellow-eyed Canary | |||
| Bully Canary | |||
| Tawny-flanked Prinia | Nests every year in long grass above washline | y | |
| Natal Robin | Trish’s friend – also spotted chicks most years | y | |
| White-browed Scrub-robin | |||
| Southern Black Tit | |||
| Terrestrial Bulbul | Outside bedroom window | ||
| Black-eyed Bulbul | y | ||
| Sombre Bulbul | |||
| Black-headed Oriole | |||
| Black Cuckoo-shrike | In fig tree most years | ||
| Fork-tailed Drongo | y | ||
| Puffback | |||
| White-faced Whistling Duck | Whistling high overhead at night | ||
| Cape White-eye | y | ||
| Bleating Bush Warbler | |||
| Neddicky | |||
| Indian Mynah | |||
| Cape Glossy Starling | |||
| Plum-coloured Starling | |||
| Thick-billed Weaver | |||
| Spotted-backed Weaver | y | ||
| Spectacled Weaver | Nests every year | y | |
| Forest Weaver | Seldom | ||
| Blue-billed Firefinch | |||
| Common Waxbill | |||
| Grey Waxbill | Regular in early years, scarce lately | ||
| Swee Waxbill | Twice | ||
| Redwing Starling | |||
| Chin-spot Batis | |||
| Cape Batis | |||
| Hadeda Ibis | y | ||
| Sacred Ibis | Flying overhead | ||
| Speckled Mousebird | y |
~~~oo0oo~~~