Atlasville, 01 Jan 2008
I finished 2007 with a visit to Marievale on 29th December taking my 2007 list to 434 species and started the New Year at Marievale this morning with an impressive 78 species in a little over 3 hours.
It is mid-summer and Marievale is buzzing with the juveniles of many of the breeding species as well as a good number of summer migrants.
The 434th and last name on the 2007 list and probably highlight of the day’s birding even though it was my first photograph was Little Bittern. Also photographed were Yellow-billed Stork, Malachite Kingfisher, Cape Longclaw, Levaillant’s Cisticola, Cape Sparrow, Great Crested Grebe, Red-billed Quelea, White-throated Swallow, Long-tailed Widowbird, Reed Cormorant, and Red-knobbed Coot.
Of the 78 species starting off the 2008 list the best photographs were of Southern Red Bishop, Common Ringed Plover, Yellow-crowned Bishop, Red-billed Quelea, Blue-billed Teal, Black-winged Stilt and Lesser Swamp Warbler. Good sightings too of White-winged Tern, Little Rush Warbler and Horus Swift.
