House Sparrows, Vanrhynsdorp, 19/11/2024
We were surprised to catch 11 House Sparrows in our nets during normal ringing at the VRD sewage works. This was the second highest species total for this morni...
Category: Special
This shows a list of posts of some of my special ringing moments, usually species focussed.
Eurasian Golden Oriole, Vanrhynsdorp, 30/06/2023
Very unexpectedly a Eurasian Golden Oriole was found in a net at Botuin near a fig tree. This oriole is a migrant species, breeding in the northern hemisphere. ...
Spotted Eagle Owl, Vondeling, 10/06/2023
Early one morning, before sunrise, this adult Spotted Eagle Owl flew into a large mesh net, even though this net was fairly low. This individual ...
European Bee-eater, Vanrhynsdorp, 25/01/2020
The first European Bee-eaters I ringed were a complete surprise. During normal ringing at Botuin, a juvenile was found in a net below a telephone line in...
Sickle-winged Chat, Vanrhynsdorp, 2/07/2023
On our recent Botuin course we caught two Sickle-winged Chats in the karoo veld outside Vanrhynsdorp. The first one was caught in a spring trap and the second i...
Burchell’s Courser, New Holme, 6/09/2023
On a New Holme ringing course we caught one of a pair of Burchell’s Coursers in the karoo veld on the farm. I had placed a spring trap near a termite mo...
Rufous Flycatcher-Thrush, Kakoma, Zambia, 3/10/2023
On a recent Zambia ringing expedition we caught a Rufous Flycatcher-Thrush Stizorhina fraseri in the forest on the banks of the West Lunga River. This ap...
Trapping weavers, Vondeling, 17-18/09/2024
A small group arrived at Vondeling on 17 Sep for a 2 night visit. While settling in, I noticed that weavers were coming to feed on the ground outside our cottag...
Catching larks, New Holme, 14/09/2024
Catching larks is not easy, unless flocks (or single birds) come to drink at water. While ringing at New Holme in the Northern Cape, we brought 4 larks, all of ...
Cape Penduline-tit, Grotto Bay, 31/08/2024
The two penduline-tits are of the smallest birds in southern Africa, at a mere 9cm in length. They are best known, however, for their remarkable nests with a fa...