Ringing on Ouberg Private Nature Reserve, 21-25 October 2020
The BDI held a biobash on Ouberg Private Nature Reserve, a karoo farm near Montagu. A group of citizen scientists searched for birds, scorpions, dragonflies, and other fauna to submit photos to the UCT Virtual Museum.
Ringing was done daily around the farm house to help survey the birds, and to help train Karis and Salome. A total of 164 birds of 35 species were ringed and 17 birds were recaptured on days subsequent to the ringing date.
Top species were the Southern Masked-Weaver (25) and Cape White-eye (22). At least one of all 3 South African mousebird species were ringed. Two species, Cardinal Woodpecker and Pin-tailed Whydah, may have been missed on this trip if they had not been caught in the nets (although recorded on the farm previously).
Some other special catches were Acacia Pied Barbet, Pearl-breasted Swallow, Chestnut-vented Tit-Babbler and Fairy Flycatcher.
Breeding
23 species had at least one bird with a brood patch, showing a high degree of breeding after some good rain in the area. A Red-winged Starling nest on the stoep had 3 large nestlings which were ringed. They were well fed and it we observed the parents bringing beetles, millipedes, berries, etc. A Rock Martin pair had a nest in the garage, containing 2 eggs and 2 new chicks – these were inexplicably found on the ground far from the nest early one morning. After placing them back, they were still being tended by the parents. One Southern Masked Weaver colony had three nests from which chicks probably recently fledged successfully.
Table – ringing totals (BP=number of birds with brood patches, retraps on subsequent days)
| Sp no. | Species | Latin | Ringed | BP | Retraps |
| 316 | Cape Turtle Dove | Streptopelia capicola | 1 | ||
| 317 | Laughing Dove | Spilopelia senegalensis | 2 | ||
| 318 | Namaqua Dove | Oena capensis | 3 | 2 | |
| 390 | Speckled Mousebird | Colius striatus | 1 | ||
| 391 | White-backed Mousebird | Colius colius | 4 | ||
| 392 | Red-faced Mousebird | Urocolius indicus | 1 | ||
| 432 | Acacia Pied Barbet | Tricholaema leucomelas | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 442 | Lesser Honeyguide | Indicator minor | 1 | ||
| 450 | Cardinal Woodpecker | Dendropicos fuscescens | 1 | 1 | |
| 498 | Pearl-breasted Swallow | Hirundo dimidiata | 1 | ||
| 506 | Rock Martin | Ptyonoprogne fuligula | 2 | 1 | |
| 543 | Cape Bulbul | Pycnonotus capensis | 7 | 5 | |
| 581 | Cape Robin-chat | Cossypha caffra | 10 | 3 | 2 |
| 609 | Little Rush Warbler | Bradypterus baboecala | 1 | ||
| 622 | Bar-throated Apalis | Apalis thoracica | 2 | ||
| 658 | Chestnut-vented Tit-Babbler | Sylvia subcoerulea | 1 | 1 | |
| 665 | Fiscal Flycatcher | Melaeornis silens | 2 | 1 | |
| 678 | Fairy Flycatcher | Stenostira scita | 1 | 1 | |
| 745 | Red-winged Starling | Onychognathus morio | 3 | ||
| 746 | Pied Starling | Lamprotornis bicolor | 2 | 1 | |
| 751 | Malachite Sunbird | Nectarinia famosa | 3 | 1 | |
| 760 | Southern Double-collared Sunbird | Cinnyris chalybeus | 8 | 3 | 1 |
| 784 | House Sparrow | Passer domesticus | 1 | 1 | |
| 786 | Cape Sparrow | Passer melanurus | 10 | 6 | 1 |
| 799 | Cape Weaver | Ploceus capensis | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| 803 | Southern Masked Weaver | Ploceus velatus | 25 | 5 | 4 |
| 808 | Southern Red Bishop | Euplectes orix | 4 | 1 | |
| 843 | Common Waxbill | Estrilda astrild | 10 | 5 | |
| 846 | Pin-tailed Whydah | Vidua macroura | 1 | ||
| 865 | White-throated Canary | Crithagra albogularis | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 867 | Streaky-headed Seedeater | Crithagra gularis | 6 | 3 | |
| 873 | Cape Bunting | Emberiza capensis | 1 | 1 | |
| 1105 | Olive Thrush | Turdus olivaceus | 8 | 4 | 1 |
| 1172 | Cape White-eye | Zosterops virens | 22 | 12 | 5 |
| 4139 | Karoo Prinia | Prinia maculosa | 4 | ||
| TOTALS | 164 | 17 |
Thanks to Susan Gie for hosting us all! Thanks to Les Underhill for catering and driving. It was great meeting new people, all passionate citizen scientists!
