Ken Borland

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Vaal River 0

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Ken

The Vaal River area is famous for its many wedding venues but the variety of habitats makes for good birding and some secretive species are hiding out along the banks and in the general area known as the Vredefort Dome.

Amongst the birds passing through are the nomadic widowfinches – little seed-eating birds also known as Indigobirds that spend the winter in large flocks.

But come summer and the males wander far and wide and are conspicuous in their almost-glossy blue-black plumage as they sing from elevated call-sites. They move all over the eastern half of Southern Africa and the Highveld, and the Vaal River region is just the sort of area in which they would pop up.

And so it was in early February that I saw both Black Widowfinch, along the Venterskroon Road, and Steelblue Widowfinch at Vaal de Sioleh, one of the wedding venues that offers good birding along the river.

The riverine vegetation holds plenty of Redeyed Dove and Southern Masked Weaver, while Natal Francolin skulk around the thicker undergrowth and Redbilled Woodhoopoes pass noisily through. Bokmakierie also occasionally flies through in a burst of colour.

The river itself hosts African Darter, Reed Cormorant, Whitebreasted Cormorant, Cattle Egret, Yellowbilled Duck, Giant Kingfisher, Whitethroated Swallow, Southern Red Bishop, Greater Striped Swallow, Blackheaded Heron, Great White Egret and Egyptian Goose.

There is still a lot of natural bush along the Venterskroon Road and, coupled with all the rocky outcrops, this leads to good species diversity. Swainson’s Francolin, Whitebrowed Sparrow Weaver, Spotted Flycatcher, Redbilled Quelea, Redeyed and Blackeyed Bulbuls, Rufousnaped Lark, Sacred Ibis, Cinnamonbreasted Rock Bunting, Whitewinged Widow, Blackthroated Canary, Chestnutvented Tit Babbler and Amur Falcon were all seen from the road, while a Longcrested Eagle, imperiously perched on a telephone pole surveying all below him, was an interesting visitor from it’s moister preferred habitat.

Scimitar Oryx on a farm on the Venterskroon Road, Vaal River area

The most interesting sighting of the day, however, was the Scimitar Oryx, an antelope that is extinct in the wild (since 2000). Endemic to North Africa, it is now part of an extensive global breeding program and I was fortunate enough to see half-a-dozen of them on a farm adjoining the Venterskroon Road.

They are adapted to extreme heat and semi-desert conditions, and can go long periods without water (their kidneys prevent water loss through urination), so 29° and thorn scrub must have felt quite luxurious for them. Interestingly, there is speculation that the legend of the unicorn comes from seeing a Scimitar Oryx with one horn …

Sightings list

Redeyed Dove

Helmeted Guineafowl

African Darter

Reed Cormorant

Redbilled Woodhoopoe

House Sparrow

Crowned Plover

Springbok

Southern Masked Weaver

Whitebreasted Cormorant

Cattle Egret

Natal Francolin

Swainson’s Francolin

Laughing Dove

Common Myna

Glossy Starling

Fiscal Shrike

Whitebrowed Sparrow Weaver

Black Widowfinch

Spotted Flycatcher

Redbilled Quelea

Redeyed Bulbul

Rufousnaped Lark

Sacred Ibis

Cinnamonbreasted Rock Bunting

Ground Squirrel

Whitewinged Widow

Blackthroated Canary

Scimitar Oryx

Chestnutvented Tit Babbler

Amur Falcon

Blackeyed Bulbul

Stonechat

European Swallow

Warthog

Longcrested Eagle

Hadeda Ibis

Cape White-Eye

Yellowbilled Duck

Giant Kingfisher

Whitethroated Swallow

Southern Red Bishop

Greater Striped Swallow

Steelblue Widowfinch

Blackheaded Heron

Little Swift

Bokmakierie

Great White Egret

Egyptian Goose

Blacksmith Plover

Category Uncategorized

Vaalkop Dam Nature Reserve 2

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Ken

The view from the southern part of Vaalkop Dam Nature Reserve, looking across to the islands and Bulkop Hill.

The best feature of Vaalkop Dam Nature Reserve, 50km north-west of Brits, is the overwhelming sense of peace and natural tranquility you get sitting on the shore of the large dam.

On a steamy hot February morning, it was beautiful just to sit and soak in the clear blue skies, the odd koppie and the sounds of the waterbirds going about their business. I even used the opportunity to indulge in one of my favourite treats – dipping my cap into the cool water and then throwing it over my head … Bliss!

I judged the spot where I tiptoed into the water to be crocodile-free because moments earlier a large carp had come to that spot and briefly frolicked in the shallow water …

February 16 was a very hot day, but nevertheless it was a good birding trip.

I stopped at the little bridge across the Elands River and made a great start – a couple of Blackcrowned Night Herons roosting in the overhanging riverine trees.

It was a good spot, also throwing up African Darter, a fleeing Greenbacked Heron with its orange legs dangling conspicuously, Reed Cormorant, a fleeting glimpse of a Woodland Kingfisher, Cape Wagtail, a large flock of Greater Striped Swallows, Southern Red Bishop, Whitewinged Widow, Southern Masked Weaver and Pied Kingfisher. I also heard some rustling down below the bridge and shortly afterwards a large Nile Monitor came shuffling out with a plastic bag and some vegetable/reedy matter clamped tight in its jaws.

The people at Bushwillow kindly allowed me into their bird sanctuary and highlights there were Scalyfeathered Finch, my first European Roller of the summer (leaving it late!), Jameson’s Firefinch, an Ostrich, a nicely posing Lesser Grey Shrike and Goliath Heron.

I then took a little walk down to the dam and spotted a dashing Bluecheeked Bee-Eater, swooping around like a green bullet, as well as a Whiskered Tern that was meandering across the dam before suddenly changing direction and swooping back into the water to catch something small. A couple of dainty Black Heron were also amongst the waterbirds.

A lovely shaded little pool threw up a brilliant Malachite Kingfisher that posed all-too-briefly on a reedstem for me before vanishing in a blur of dazzling colours.

I stopped for lunch at the picnic site and spotted my second ever Great Sparrow (the first was in November at Mapungubwe), hopping about in an Acacia tree along with a Crested Barbet.

The signs warning anglers about the crocodiles are true because I spotted a two-metre reptile cruising in towards the shoreline before my attention was grabbed by a pair of fairly distant African Fish Eagle.

A very yellow Cape White-Eye also popped in to visit and, just before leaving Vaalkop, I spotted an Icterine Warbler in the thicker Acacia woodland in the southern part of the reserve.

By far the most common bird of the trip was the Spotted Flycatcher … there seemed to be one lurking under a tree ever 50 metres or so! As someone who’s birding foundation was in KZN, I’m used to Blackeyed Bulbuls dominating … in fact I didn’t see a single Toppie!

But another wonderful piece of African heaven discovered not that far from home and definite food for the soul …

Sightings list

Blackcrowned Night Heron

African Darter

Greenbacked Heron

Reed Cormorant

Woodland Kingfisher

Cape Wagtail

Greater Striped Swallow

Nile Monitor

Southern Red Bishop

Whitewinged Widow

Southern Masked Weaver

Pied Kingfisher

Laughing Dove

Little Egret

Grey Hornbill

Grey Lourie

Impala

Glossy Starling

European Bee-Eater

Scalyfeathered Finch

Redbilled Quelea

Southern Greyheaded Sparrow

Lilacbreasted Roller

Pied Crow

Kudu

European Swallow

Rufousnaped Lark

Cape Turtle Dove

European Roller

Fantailed Cisticola

Nyala (females)

Jameson’s Firefinch (female)

Spotted Flycatcher

Ostrich

Whitebreasted Cormorant

Lesser Grey Shrike

Grey Heron

Goliath Heron

Blacksmith Plover

Egyptian Goose

Bluecheeked Bee-Eater

Cattle Egret

Whiskered Tern (non-breeding)

Black Heron

Sabota Lark

Malachite Kingfisher

Longtailed Shrike

Vervet Monkey

Crested Barbet

Great Sparrow (male)

Common Myna (grrrrr)

Nile Crocodile

Redknobbed Coot

African Fish Eagle

Cape White-Eye

Sacred Ibis

Rattling Cisticola

Red Hartebeest

Bushbuck

Waterbuck (pregnant young cow)

Forktailed Drongo

Southern Black Tit (female)

Redbacked Shrike (male)

Icterine Warbler

Tags: Blackcrowned Night Heron Bluecheeked Bee-Eater Brits dam Icterine Warbler Lesser Grey Shrike peace Scalyfeathered Finch tranquility Vaalkop Dam Nature Reserve
Category Birding/Wildlife

Signing of Delport & Jones loans formidable look to white-ball Lions 0

Posted on May 26, 2022 by Ken

The Central Gauteng Lions may have just won the One-Day Cup, but the signing of explosive batsmen Cameron Delport and Evan Jones, both of whom are also part-time seamers, loans an even more formidable look to their white-ball squads for 2022/23.

Despite their incredible, Reeza Hendricks inspired victory in the One-Day Cup final against the Northerns Titans, the Lions have taken a pragmatic view in their recruiting for next season. Losing most of their side to national call-ups, they struggled in the CSA T20 Challenge, finishing second-last, and they were certainly the underdogs in the 50-over final.

Although their four-day campaign ended in disappointment, finishing third after holding top spot for most of the competition, the fact that there are 30 promotion/relegation points on offer for limited-overs cricket and just 15 for the first-class game, has convinced the Lions to concentrate on the white-ball game.

They were in danger of being dragged into next season’s relegation battle before winning the One-Day Cup, but after 2021/22 they are now second, 12 points behind the Titans.

The 32-year-old Delport has been signed from the KZN Inland Tuskers and is a global T20 nomad who has scored more runs in the format than any other batsman who has not played for their country. The left-handed opener scores at a strike-rate of 139 in T20s and 105 in 50-over cricket.

The 25-year-old, Pretoria-born Jones averages 71 in first-class cricket and has a strike-rate of 95 in one-dayers and 153 in T20s. A dominant presence at the crease, he led the Northern Cape charge to the top of the Division II standings with his destructive batting.

“There were a couple of spots open and certain players we wanted to attract,” CGL chief executive Jono Leaf-Wright told The Citizen. “Evan and Cameron are both really strong white-ball batsmen.

“Our T20 campaign was not great and we decided to push the reset button and make strategic signings.

“Winning the One-Day Cup was a relief because we were in the middle of the promotion/relegation pool after the bitter pill of our four-day finish and the T20 Challenge. Now we are second.

“Seven players left us to play for South Africa, that’s our role, to keep providing players for the national team, but to lose them meant we were victims of our own success. We have to make sure the depth of the talent pool is there,” Leaf-Wright said.

Bjorn Fortuin, who played a crucial role in getting the Lions across the finish line in the One-Day Cup final, has been rewarded with a two-year contract, joining Sisanda Magala, Ryan Rickelton, Dominic Hendricks and Lutho Sipamla in that category.

Duanne Olivier, Mitchell van Buuren and Codi Yusuf have signed new contracts with the Lions, while wicketkeeper/batsman Ruan Haasbroek and spinner Tshepo Ntuli have been released.

Former SA U19 captain Wandile Makwetu has decided to cross the Vaal River and join Central Gauteng from the Free State Knights, but he has not been contracted.

Tags: 2022/23 also batsmen both but Cameron Delport Central Gauteng Lions Evan Jones even more explosive formidable loans look may have One-Day Cup part-time seamers signing squads white-ball won
Category Cricket, Sport