Natal South Coast bird ringing tour program

Natal South Coast bird ringing tour
Forest Weaver
Puffback Shrike
Lemon Dove
Southern Bou-bou
© Dr. Pieter van Eeden (4)
Your host for your bird ringing tour in South Africa is Dr. Pieter van Eeden1. He is an accomplished and
experienced bird ringer, having ringed over 6000 birds of 344 species. Not only has he ringed extensively in
South Africa, but has also ringed in Namibia, Botswana, northern Mozambique and Turkey.
You are invited to come and enjoy our birds, our beautiful environment and our hospitality. Both experienced
ringers as well as trainee ringers are most welcome.
Bird ringing tour dates for 2012
The following tour dates are currently available:
1. 12 to 29 March 2012 (SCRT1)
2. 7 to 23 May 2012 (SCRT2)
3. 23 July to 8 August 2012 (SCRT3)
4. 10 to 26 September (SCRT4)
5. a date for end November to beginning December 2012 still needs to be finalised.
Note – the code in brackets is a reference number for each tour. You need to use this reference number when
making your payment.
Arrival and departure dates
1. For the March tour, you must arrive on the morning of 13 March and depart during the course of 27 March.
2. For the May tour, you must arrive on the morning of 8 May and depart during the course of 22 May.
3. For the July / August tour, you must arrive on the morning of 24 July and depart during the course of 7
August.
4. For the September tour, you must arrive on the morning of 11 September and depart during the course of
25 September.
Arrivals
Please ensure that your final flight destination is the new King Shaka International Airport, about 30km’s north
of Durban. You may arrive earlier, but this will be for your own expense. Should you arrive earlier, please
ensure that you are at the airport on the morning of the arrival dates as specified above.
Departures
On your last day, I will transport you to the King Shaka International Airport in time for your flight back home.
Please ensure that you book your flight back home on the departure dates indicated above and departing from
the King Shaka International Airport. Should you wish to stay longer, then all expenses will be for your own
account.
I am happy to assist with any further travel arrangements that you may require. Should you want to extend your
stay, especially for bird ringing purposes, then I can be at your service, my time allowing.
1
Cellphone +27-83-379-4419, email pieter@ecomonitor.co.za, efax 086-512-9285
35 Pretorius Street, van Riebeeck Park, Kempton Park, Gauteng, South Africa, 1619
PO Box 13434, Norkem Park, Kempton Park, Gauteng, South Africa, 1631
Cost per person
Please read the following information carefully.
The full cost of each tour is R18 000, £1 400, €1 800, $2 300 or AU$2 200
If you need to pay in another currency, please contact me and I will provide you with a cost in your currency of
choice.
Payment policy
1. Please ensure that a deposit of R10 000, £800, €1 000, $1 300 or AU$1 200 is paid into my account at least
50 days before the start date of a tour. Please email or fax proof of payments to pieter@ecomonitor.co.za or
086-512-9285. Use your name and the reference number for a particular tour as the reference on your
payment. Your paid deposit will ensure you a confirmed booking in the tour of your choice.
2. Please ensure that the remaining amount (R8 000, £600, €800, $1 000 or AU$1 000) is paid into my
account at least 14 days before the start date of a tour. Please email or fax proof of payments to
pieter@ecomonitor.co.za or 086-512-9285. Failure to pay the remaining amount in time means that you
will forfeit your confirmed booking and incur a cancellation fee.
3. You will not be allowed to participate in a tour if you have not paid in full and the full amount has been
cleared in my South African bank account.
Refund policy
If you have already paid the deposit and / or remaining amount but for whatever reasons you need to cancel,
then the following cancellation fees will apply:
Days notice
for the deposit amount
for payment in full
- > 40 days notice
= 10% cancellation fee
= 5% cancellation fee
- 39 to 30 days notice
= 25% cancellation fee
= 13% cancellation fee
- 29 to 15 days notice
= 50% cancellation fee
= 25% cancellation fee
- < 15 days notice
= 100% cancellation fee
= 50% cancellation fee
Note that bank charges to cover foreign exchange rates will also be deducted before a refund will be made.
Bank account details
Bank: ABSA,
Bank address: 7 Wolf Street, Kempton Park, Gauteng, South Africa, 1619
Branch code: ZA632005
SWIFT code: ABSAZAJJ
Account name: EcoMonitor
Account type: savings
Account number: 9107 855 206
Please email or fax proof of payments to pieter@ecomonitor.co.za or 086-512-9285
Black-collared Barbet
© Mr. Mike Ford (3)
Emerald-spotted Wooddove
Plum-coloured Starling
Itinerary
After all ringers have been collected on the specified date of arrival, we shall enjoy lunch in Mt. Moreland. You
and your luggage will be transported in a 4x4 vehicle to our first destination.
Haven Rock
Following lunch, we drive about 120km’s south to Umzinto, then turn inland towards a magnificent sugarcane
farm known as Invernetti. We shall spend 6½ days at a beautiful house called Haven Rock. We unpack all the
luggage then load the poles, pegs and nets and drive to our first ringing site and erect our nets. We ring at six
sites – three located within relatively pristine coastal forest patches and three located at gardens. We shall spend
one full day at each site. We start our day at about 3h30 to 4h00, depending on the season, have a quick
breakfast and pack lunch and drinks. We leave Haven Rock at about 4am to 5 am to arrive at the ringing sites
about ½ hour before dawn, then open the nets and start ringing. An hour before sunset, we shall pack up the
nets and drive to the next site and erect them again. As darkness descends, we will be back at Haven Rock for
drinks, shower and dinner. On day 7, we’ll sleep a bit later then usual as we will be ringing in the beautiful
gardens surrounding Haven Rock.
Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve
On day 8 we will continue to ring till about mid-morning, then pack up the nets and ringing equipment, have
lunch, then pack up our luggage and other equipment. We then depart for the Vernon Crookes NR, about
45km’s distance. Upon arrival, we unpack our luggage and then set up nets at one of the ringing sites. We will
stay in the reserve for 2½ days of ringing. We will keep to the same time schedules as set for Haven Rock. On
day 11, we will ring until mid-morning, then pack up and drive north towards Durban. We will be heading
towards the Umgeni River Bird Park and should be there by lunchtime.
Birds that have been caught and ringed at Invernetti and Vernon Crookes NR include several species of warblers, sunbirds, swallows,
firefinches, canaries, robins, weavers, bulbuls, drongos as well as Redbacked & Bronze Mannikins, Spotted and Dusky Flycatchers,
African Pygmy Kingfisher, Scaly-throated & Lesser Honeyguides, Black Cuckooshrike, Green Wood-hoopoe, etc.
Specials include Black & Little Sparrowhawk, African Goshawk, Lazy Cisticola, Barret’s Warbler, Buff-spotted Flufftail, Sharpbilled
Honeyguide, Starred Robin, Brown Robin, Olive Bushshrike, Olive Woodpecker, Grassbird, Gray Cuckooshrike, Tambourine Dove,
Lemon Dove, Knysna Turaco, Narina Trogon, Trumpeter Hornbill.
Umgeni River Bird Park
Upon arrival at the Umgeni River Bird Park, we will be free to roam around the park and enjoy the magnificent
collection of exotic birds from all over the world cockatoo’s, toucan’s, cranes, parrots and macaws, amongst
many others. At 14h00, we will attend a free-flight bird show arranged by the Park management. Afterwards,
we shall attempt to catch and ring wild, but quite tame, ducks and geese, including the huge Spurwinged Goose,
which frequent the local ponds. We pack up just as darkness descends and depart for our accommodation in Mt.
Moreland. Upon arrival, we will unpack the luggage, have a shower and then visit one of the local restaurants
for dinner.
Mt. Moreland and Umhlangha sewage works
On day 12, we shall leave an hour or so before dawn and drive about 6km’s to the Umhlangha sewage works,
erect our nets and set up our ringing station. We will have packed breakfast and lunch hampers. Due to safety
and security reasons, we will have to take down our nets just as dusk descends and make our way home for a
shower and then dinner at a local restaurant. On day 14, your last day, we shall pack up the nets about midafternoon and drive back to our accommodation. We will then have a sundowner on the banks overlooking the
huge Mt. Moreland wetlands. Depending on the season, we may witness millions of Barn Swallows descending
into the wetlands to roost. After a shower, we will enjoy a last meal and drinks together at another local
restaurant.
Birds that have been caught and ringed at the Umhlangha sewage works include several species of swallows, warblers, canaries,
weavers as well as Malachite and Brownhooded Kingfishers, Diederick Cuckoo, Redbacked & Bronze Mannikins, Common Waxbill,
Cape White-eye, etc.
Specials include Burchell’s Coucal, Brown-throated Weaver, Little Bee-eater, African Jacana, Red-faced Cisticola.
Your host, Dr. Pieter van Eeden
What you need to bring with
1. Sufficient clothing (there are no laundry facilities; hand-washing
only)
2. Hat, sun tan lotion / sun block
3. Raincoat (summer season)
4. Your own specific medical supplies
5. Toiletries and 2 towels
6. Boots or good hiking shoes, slip-slops, slippers (in winter)
7. Binoculars
8. Camera and spare batteries
9. Gloves, beanie, warm jacket, long pants, etc (winter season)
10. Warm sleeping bag (winter season)
11. Light sleeping bag or linen & duvet (summer season)
12. Cushion
13. Water bottle and lunchbox
14. Ringing pliers, caliper, wing and tail rulers, notebooks, etc.
15. Head torch and spare batteries
Please limit your luggage to one (1) standard-sized suitcase and
a small backpack.
with a Knysna Turaco
© Dr. Eike Neufeldt
What will be provided
1.
2.
3.
4.
All accommodation
Breakfast (coffee, tea, cereals, milk, rusks, yogurt, fruit, etc)
Lunch (usually sandwiches, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, tea, coffee, fruit juices, water, etc.)
Dinner (hot meals, salad, pudding, tea / coffee, etc (when at Mt. Moreland, we will have dinner at the local
restaurants)
5. All crockery and cutlery
6. Selection of South African red and white wines, hard liquor and a variety of beers
7. I will provide sufficient bird identification guidebooks, but should you want to bring your own bird
identification guides with, then you are welcome to do so.
8. Chairs, tables, water-proof gazebo,
9. Nets, poles, pegs, hammer, and other equipment, etc.
10. Rings, colour rings, balances, etc.
11. Electrical extension cord and 2-pin and 3-pin plugs
12. If you are a vegetarian or have other special food requirements, please inform me well in advance.
African Goshawk
© Dr. Pieter van Eeden
Crowned Hornbill
© Dr. Eike Neufeldt
Umgeni River Bird Park, Durban
Designed and built in an old quarry site on the banks of the Umgeni River, just 10 minutes outside Durban, the
Umgeni River Bird Park is one of the greatest attractions of the city. Walk-through aviaries, birds out on
perches, wonderful green vegetation, some amazing waterfalls and rock faces all combine to make this a very
special place to visit. The Umgeni River Bird Park’s main feature is a free-flight show that has as its focus a
conservation theme to inspire visitors, as birds glide past them in full and unrestricted flight. To appreciate the
beauty of the natural world around them. Macaws, a Cape Vulture, the critically endangered Wattled Crane and
others take part in a show unique in Africa. Conservation is high on the park’s list of priorities. They breed 17
of the 23 endangered bird species that are kept in the park, and young chicks are fed hourly around the clock,
avidly watched from a viewing window by visitors. Together with the South African Crane Working Group,
they are involved in a Wattled Crane breeding and release program to try and counter the fact that there are just
250 of these beautiful birds left in the country. They are hand-reared using a glove puppet, lest they think they
are human, and then released near Dullstroom. Other birds you can look forward to seeing include the Palm
Cockatoo, Caribbean Flamingo and the Plalawan Peacock Pheasant. The park tries to do without caging
wherever they can, so that one has the feeling that the birds are in their natural habitat. A pair of Fish Eagles
nest just outside the park, away from view, but if you are lucky you might hear them call.
Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve
Set high along the famously lovely Ixopo road, the secluded Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve overlooks the
forested slopes of KwaZulu-Natal. Just 80 km from Durban, the reserve is richly populated with indigenous
fauna and flora. Zebra wander freely above the Zulu villages dotted over the grassy, rolling hills, which are a
photographer’s dream with the blossoming of wildflowers in spring. The reserve's wooded slopes, grassland
ridges and clear views of the ocean to the east offer the ideal setting for communing with nature while enjoying
the excellent trails, picnic facilities and self-drive trail. The reserve boasts 56 mammal species. These include
zebra, blue wildebeest, bushbuck, blesbok, oribi, reedbuck, blue and grey duiker, black-backed jackal, vervet
monkeys, rock hyrax, tree hyrax, caracal, slender mongoose, white tailed mongoose, egyptian mongoose,
banded mongoose and porcupine. The abundant birdlife (some 300 confirmed species2) includes a number of
spectacular raptors like the Crowned and Marshall Eagles, which nest in the reserve, while an interesting
variety of indigenous flora adds to the reserve's attractions, not least in spring when the veld is alive with
colour.
Mt. Moreland
Mount Moreland is a small village located in the eThekwini Municipality. It is located slightly inland of
Umdloti, about 30km’s north of Durban and about 3km’s from the King Shaka International Airport. The
village is especially renowned as being the location of an important and very large roosting site for the Barn
Swallow. The arrival and nightly roosting of approximately 3 million Barn Swallows at Mount Moreland
during the South African spring and summer months attracts thousands of visitors and enjoys a world-wide
audience to this awesome phenomenon.
Umhlangha sewage works
The popular "Ponds" lie next to the Umhlanga River and close to the well-known suburb of Umhlanga Rocks.
There are four maturation ponds, two are extensively overgrown but the other two are mostly open water. Some
215 bird2 species have been recorded here. In summer at least 70 species can be sighted, with about 40 species
in winter. Many waterfowl visit these ponds, and a variety of duck have been recorded here. Black Crake,
Common Moorhen and African Purple Swamphen are resident, and African Jacana are common, while African
Crake and Lesser Jacana are rare visitors. A pair of African Fish-Eagle that is resident in the conservancy is
regularly seen here. The thick vegetation surrounding the ponds provides refuge for Village and Yellow
Weavers as is also the most southern distribution for the Brown-throated Weaver. Many species of warblers can
be found, with the Dark-capped Yellow Warbler being a conspicuous winter visitor. Red-faced Cisticola are
usually to be heard calling loudly from the rank weeds, and Malachite Kingfisher perches low down on the
plants overhanging the water. A hedge of hibiscus attracts many sunbirds when in flower and Olive Sunbird,
Grey Sunbird and Purple-banded Sunbird are among the more interesting ones recorded here. Recently, Blackthroated Wattle-eye and Grey Waxbill have been recorded at the office end of the ponds. In this area, water is
discharged from the primary works into the first pond, and this is a good place to look for rails and crakes.
2
Bird lists are available upon receipt of an email.