Zululand ringing

Next trip to Zululand, 14-29 March 2020, book now with Birds4Africa !

Zululand comprises the tropical north-eastern part of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It provides some of the highest bird diversity with good accessibility of sites for bird ringing, in southern Africa. Good sites are found around Richards Bay and Mtubatuba, easily reached from Durban airport.

Wetlands

Several wetland sites provide weavers and warblers, as well as a variety of other species in the surrounding tropical bush. A wide selection of weavers are present.

Top species (ringed in wetlands in the area): Yellow Weaver, Lesser Masked-Weaver, Southern Brown-throated Weaver, Village Weaver, and Yellow-fronted Canary.

Some specials (ringed in wetlands in the area): African Palm Swift, Pied Kingfisher, Black Cuckoo-shrike, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Olive Bush-Shrike, White-crested Helmet-Shrike, Purple-banded Sunbird and Scarlet-chested Sunbird.

 

 

Forests

The catch rate in forests is typically less than in other habitats, but with interesting species possible. An African Goshawk was the first bird in the net on one trip!

Top species (ringed in forests in the area): Red-capped Robin-Chat, Olive Sunbird, Tambourine Dove, Green-backed Camaroptera, and Yellow-bellied Bulbul.

Some specials (ringed in forests in the area): African Goshawk, Square-tailed Drongo, Terrestrial Bulbul, Woodwards Batis, Yellowspotted Nicator, Brown Robin, Collared Sunbird, and Grey Sunbird.

 

Garden

A private garden in a Sappi plantation attracts birds from the surrounding forest patches, providing relatively easy access to some incredible birds. Birds ringed regularly here include Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove, Brown-hooded Kingfisher, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Lesser Honeyguide, and Lesser Striped Swallow.

Top species (ringed in garden): Cape White-eye, Village Weaver, Olive Sunbird, Bronze Mannikin, Dark-capped Bulbul, and Red-backed Mannikin.

Some specials (ringed in garden): White-eared Barbet, Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, Golden-tailed Woodpecker, Ashy Flycatcher, Black-throated Wattle-eye, Yellow-throated Longclaw, Green Twinspot, and Grey Waxbill.

 

Some previous trips

Here is a list of blogs of some of my many previous ringing trips to Zululand (and Durban), showing a few highlights and species totals that were ringed.

• 9-21 October 2019, Pietermaritzburg
• 29-31 July 2019, Zululand (minimal ringing, 77 birds, of 22 species)
• 6-12 February 2012, Zululand (424 birds, 58 species)
• 14-19 November 2010, Zululand (363 birds, 42 species)
• Jan 2008, Durban and Pietermaritzburg

Species totals ringed and recaptured in Zululand

(species ringed by other ringers with me are not included here)

Sp no.	Species	Latin	Count
160	African Goshawk	Accipiter tachiro	3
228	African Jacana	Actophilornis africanus	3
238	Three-banded Plover	Charadrius tricollaris	1
314	Red-eyed Dove	Streptopelia semitorquata	6
319	Tambourine Dove	Turtur tympanistria	12
321	Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove	Turtur chalcospilos	8
373	Fiery-necked Nightjar	Caprimulgus pectoralis	1
385	Little Swift	Apus affinis	1
387	African Palm-Swift	Cypsiurus parvus	2
390	Speckled Mousebird	Colius striatus	4
394	Pied Kingfisher	Ceryle rudis	1
397	Malachite Kingfisher	Alcedo cristata	3
398	African Pygmy-Kingfisher	Ispidina picta	2
402	Brown-hooded Kingfisher	Halcyon albiventris	4
410	Little Bee-eater	Merops pusillus	1
431	Black-collared Barbet	Lybius torquatus	2
432	Acacia Pied Barbet	Tricholaema leucomelas	1
433	White-eared Barbet	Stactolaema leucotis	1
436	Red-fronted Tinkerbird	Pogoniulus pusillus	1
438	Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird	Pogoniulus bilineatus	13
439	Crested Barbet	Trachyphonus vaillantii	3
440	Greater Honeyguide	Indicator indicator	1
441	Scaly-throated Honeyguide	Indicator variegatus	3
442	Lesser Honeyguide	Indicator minor	23
447	Golden-tailed Woodpecker	Campethera abingoni	1
493	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	14
503	Lesser Striped Swallow	Hirundo abyssinica	17
509	Brown-throated Martin	Riparia paludicola	1
513	Black Cuckooshrike	Campephaga flava	2
517	Fork-tailed Drongo	Dicrurus adsimilis	1
521	Black-headed Oriole	Oriolus larvatus	1
545	Dark-capped Bulbul	Pycnonotus tricolor	67
546	Terrestrial Brownbul	Phyllastrephus terrestris	1
551	Sombre Greenbul	Andropadus importunus	5
552	Kurrichane Thrush	Turdus libonyanus	10
576	African Stonechat	Saxicola torquatus	2
579	Red-capped Robin-Chat	Cossypha natalensis	26
581	Cape Robin-Chat	Cossypha caffra	2
588	White-browed Scrub-Robin	Cercotrichas leucophrys	5
595	Garden Warbler	Sylvia borin	1
604	Lesser Swamp-Warbler	Acrocephalus gracilirostris	10
606	African Reed-Warbler	Acrocephalus baeticatus	14
607	Marsh Warbler	Acrocephalus palustris	1
609	Little Rush-Warbler	Bradypterus baboecala	2
621	Long-billed Crombec	Sylvietta rufescens	2
625	Yellow-breasted Apalis	Apalis flavida	1
627	Green-backed Camaroptera	Camaroptera brachyura	14
642	Rattling Cisticola	Cisticola chiniana	8
645	Rufous-winged Cisticola	Cisticola galactotes	6
646	Levaillant’s Cisticola	Cisticola tinniens	1
649	Tawny-flanked Prinia	Prinia subflava	18
654	Spotted Flycatcher	Muscicapa striata	2
655	African Dusky Flycatcher	Muscicapa adusta	3
656	Ashy Flycatcher	Muscicapa caerulescens	3
664	Southern Black Flycatcher	Melaenornis pammelaina	2
665	Fiscal Flycatcher	Sigelus silens	2
666	Dark-capped Yellow Warbler	Chloropeta natalensis	16
677	Black-throated Wattle-eye	Platysteira peltata	1
682	African Paradise-Flycatcher	Terpsiphone viridis	1
686	Cape Wagtail	Motacilla capensis	2
704	Yellow-throated Longclaw	Macronyx croceus	1
709	Southern Boubou	Laniarius ferrugineus	4
712	Black-backed Puffback	Dryoscopus cubla	1
717	Olive Bush-Shrike	Telophorus olivaceus	2
719	Orange-breasted Bush-Shrike	Telophorus sulfureopectus	1
727	White-crested Helmet-Shrike	Prionops plumatus	2
745	Red-winged Starling	Onychognathus morio	1
766	Olive Sunbird	Cyanomitra olivacea	56
771	Collared Sunbird	Hedydipna collaris	2
774	Scarlet-chested Sunbird	Chalcomitra senegalensis	8
784	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	17
791	Spectacled Weaver	Ploceus ocularis	30
792	Lesser Masked-Weaver	Ploceus intermedius	106
797	Village Weaver	Ploceus cucullatus	109
799	Cape Weaver	Ploceus capensis	2
800	Yellow Weaver	Ploceus subaureus	258
802	Southern Brown-throated Weaver	Ploceus xanthopterus	51
804	Thick-billed Weaver	Amblyospiza albifrons	9
805	Red-billed Quelea	Quelea quelea	1
806	Red-headed Quelea	Quelea erythrops	9
808	Southern Red Bishop	Euplectes orix	10
816	Fan-tailed Widowbird	Euplectes axillaris	5
823	Bronze Mannikin	Spermestes cucullatus	46
824	Red-backed Mannikin	Spermestes bicolor	34
827	Green Twinspot	Mandingoa nitidula	17
833	African Firefinch	Lagonosticta rubricata	8
837	Red-billed Firefinch	Lagonosticta senegala	2
842	Grey Waxbill	Estrilda perreini	1
843	Common Waxbill	Estrilda astrild	26
846	Pin-tailed Whydah	Vidua macroura	2
859	Yellow-fronted Canary	Crithagra mozambicus	66
863	Brimstone Canary	Crithagra sulphuratus	1
1172	Cape White-eye	Zosterops virens	212

Research articles from my Zululand ringing

Oschadleus HD & Underhill LG. 2006. Breeding seasonality and primary moult in weavers in eastern South Africa. Durban Museum Novitates 31: 24-31 (pdf).

Oschadleus HD. 2015. Ringing birds in a Sappi forest garden. KZN Birds 44:12-13.

Oschadleus D. 2015. The Cape Weaver in eastern Zululand. KZN Birds 46:23-25.

Oschadleus HD. 2016. Oldest Southern Red Bishop recorded in KZN. KZN Birds 49:22.

Booking

Book your ringing trip to Zululand with Birds4Africa ! You will be picked up at Durban airport, and a 2 hour drive takes us to Richards Bay. Accommodation is in comfortable bnbs in Richards Bay and later near Mtubatuba, to be near different ringing sites. Durban and Pietermaritzburg ringing sites can also be added to the itinerary, depending on interest. A typical expedition lasts 10 days, but this can be extended. To make a booking (or enquiry), send an email to Dieter at dieter@birds4africa.org