A South
African country birding and hiking experience
Glen Avon Top 10 Resident Birds
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Knysna Woodpecker
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African Scops-Owl
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Buff-streaked Chat
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Bush Blackcap
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Southern Tchagra
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Half-collared Kingfisher
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Narina Trogon
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Knysna Turaco
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Verreaux’s Eagle
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African Crowned Eagle
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Boasting a
list just short of 250 species, the diversity of both birds
and habitats makes Glen Avon a wonderful birding destination.
Habitats range from afro-montane forests on the slopes of
the Boschberg to dohne sourveld on top and thornveld
as well as bushveld on the plains below. There is also riverine habitat,
cultivated fields, farm and
storage dams and an element of karoo veld. The
altitude ranges from 700 to 1400 metres above sea level and
average annual rainfall from 500 to over 900mm.
Knysna
Woodpecker and African Scops-Owl are the two special
birds to be found in and around the garden. A pair of African
Crowned Eagles has recently built a nest within sight of the
garden.
A foray into the
indigenous forest against the mountain could produce Knysna
and Olive Woodpecker, White-starred Robin, Chorister Robin-Chat,
Narina Trogon, Grey
Cuckooshrike, Knysna Turaco, Forest Canary and
Swee Waxbill. While the forest floor is frequented by Terrestrial Brownbul and
Lemon Dove, keeping a look
out above the forest one may spot African Crowned, Verreaux’s and
Martial Eagle. Other interesting
raptors include a breeding pair of Lanner Falcons, Booted Eagle,
Gabar Goshawk, Black Harrier and
Little and Black Sparrowhawk.
The Dohne
Sourveld on top of the Boschberg is home to Buff-streaked
Chat, White-necked Raven, Rock Bunting, Cape Rock-Thrush,
Wing-snapping and Wailing
Cisticola as well as breeding pairs of Verreaux’s Eagle
and Blue Crane, which arrive to breed every year.
The acacia
thornveld and bushveld is home to Southern Black Tit, Karoo and
White-Browed Scrub-Robin, Fiscal
Flycatcher, Golden-Breasted Bunting and Southern
Tchagra.
A walk along the
river could reward one with sightings of African Black Duck,
Half-collared Kingfisher, Giant Kingfisher and Mountain Wagtail. Even the
African Finfoot has been
sighted!
Other interesting
birds to be found include breeding Pearl-Breasted Swallows
and African Wood-Owl and the hybridising of Dark-capped and
Red-eyed Bulbul.
The following species are well represented on Glen Avon:
Kingfishers (5), Owls (5),
Cisticolas (7), Flycatchers (7),
Eagles (7) and Cuckoos (8).
Guided and self-guided walks are available.
A list of birds which have been spotted at Glen Avon
(Roberts's numbering, ** = endemic, * = near endemic)
(©
= photo copyright and displayed with the kind permission of Mark
Senekal)
Click here for a
printable birdlist.
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8 Dabchick
58 Reed Cormorant
60 African Darter ©
62 Grey Heron
63 Blackheaded Heron
64 Goliath Heron
67 Little Egret
71 Cattle Egret
76 Blackcrowned Night Heron
81 Hamerkop
83 White Stork
84 Black Stork
89 Marabou Stork
91 African Sacred Ibis ©
94 Hadeda Ibis
95 African Spoonbill
99 White-faced duck
102 Egyptian Goose
103 South African Shelduck**
104 Yellowbilled Duck
105 African Black Duck
108 Red-billed Teal
116 Spur-winged Goose
117 Maccoa Duck
118 Secretary Bird
122 Cape Vulture **
126 Yellow-billed Kite
127 Black-shouldered Kite
131 Verraux's (Black) Eagle
©
136 Booted Eagle
139 Long-crested Eagle
140 Martial Eagle
141 African Crowned Eagle
142 Brown Snake-Eagle
148 African Fish Eagle
149 Steppe Buzzard
150 Forest Buzzard**
152 Jackal Buzzard**
155 Rufous-chested Sparrowhawk
157 Little Sparrowhawk
158 Black Sparrowhawk
160 African Goshawk
161 Gabar Goshawk
162 Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk*
165 African Marsh Harrier
168 Black Harrier**
169 African Harrier-Hawk
171 Peregrine Falcon
172 Lanner Falcon
173 Eurasian Hobby
180 Amur Falcon
181 Rock Kestrel
183 Lesser Kestrel
190 Grey-winged Francolin**
198 Red-necked Spurfowl
200 Common Quail
203 Helmeted Guineafowl
205 Small Buttonquail
208 Blue Crane**
211 Corn Crake
226 Common Moorhen
228 Red-knobbed Coot
©
229 African Finfoot
231 Denham's Bustard
249 Three-banded Plover
255 Crowned Lapwing
258 Blacksmith Lapwing
269 Marsh Sandpiper
286 African Snipe
297 Spotted Thick-knee
348 Rock Pigeon
349 Speckled Pigeon
350 African Olive-Pigeon
352 Red-eyed Dove
354 Cape Turtle Dove
355 Laughing Dove
356 Namaqua Dove
359 Tambourine Dove
360 Lemon Dove
370 Knysna Turaco**
374 Common Cuckoo
377 Red-chested Cuckoo
378 Black Cuckoo
380 Great Spotted Cuckoo
382 Jacobin Cuckoo
384 African Emerald Cuckoo
385 Klaas's Cuckoo
386 Diederik Cuckoo
391 Burchell's Coucal*
392 Barn Owl
394 African Wood-Owl
396 African Scops-Owl
401 Spotted Eagle-Owl
402 Verreaux's Eagle-Owl
405 Fiery-necked Nightjar
406 Rufous-cheeked Nightjar
412 African Black Swift
415 White-rumped Swift
417 Little Swift
418 Alpine Swift
424 Speckled Mousebird
426 Red-faced Mousebird
427 Narina Trogon
428 Pied Kingfisher
429 Giant Kingfisher
430 Half-collared Kingfisher
431 Malachite Kingfisher
435 Brown-hooded Kingfisher
438 European Bee-eater
446 European Roller
451 African Hoopoe
452 Green Wood-Hoopoe
460 Crowned Hornbill
464 Black-collared Barbet
465 Acacia Pied Barbet
469 Red-fronted Tinkerbird
474 Greater Honeyguide
476 Lesser Honeyguide
480 Ground Woodpecker
484 Knysna Woodpecker**
486 Cardinal Woodpecker
487 Bearded Woodpecker |
488
Olive Woodpecker
489 Red-throated Wrynek
494 Rufous-naped Lark
495 Clapper Lark **
506 Spike-heeled Lark*
518 Barn Swallow
520 White-throated Swallow
523 Pearl-breasted Swallow
526 Greater Striped Swallow*
527 Lesser Striped Swallow
529 Rock Martin
530 Common House-Martin
533 Brown-throated Martin
534 Banded Martin
536 Black Saw-wing
538 Black Cuckooshrike
540 Grey Cuckooshrike
541 Fork-tailed Drongo
543 European Golden Oriole
545 Black-headed Oriole
547 Cape Crow
548 Pied Crow
550 White-necked Raven
554 Southern Black Tit*
565 Bush Blackcap**
566 Cape Bulbul**
567 African Red-eyed Bulbul*
568 Dark-capped Bulbul
569 Terrestrial Brownbul
572 Sombre Greenbul
577 Olive Thrush
581 Cape Rock-Thrush**
586 Mountain Wheatear*
588 Buff-streaked Chat**
589 Familiar Chat
593 Mocking Cliff-Chat
596 African Stonechat
598 Chorister Robin-Chat**
601 Cape Robin-Chat
606 White-starred Robin
613 White-browed Scrub-Robin
614 Karoo Scrub-Robin**
621 Chestnut-vented Tit-Babbler*
622 Layard's Tit-Babbler**
631 African Reed-Warbler
635 Lesser Swamp-Warbler
643 Willow Warbler
644 Yellow-throated Woodland-Warbler
645 Bar-throated Apalis
648 Yellow-breasted Apalis
651 Long-billed Crombec
657 Green-backed Camaroptera
664 Zitting Cisticola
665 Desert Cisticola
667 Wing-snapping Cisticola
670 Wailing Cisticola
677 Levaillant's Cisticola
679 Lazy Cisticola
681 Neddicky
686 Karoo Prinia**
689 Spotted Flycatcher
690 African Dusky Flycatcher
694 Southern Black Flycatcher
698 Fiscal Flycatcher**
700 Cape Batis**
701 Chinspot Batis
706 Fairy Flycatcher**
708 Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher
710 African Paradise Flycatcher
713 Cape Wagtail
716 African Pipit
717 Long-billed Pipit
719 Buffy Pipit
727 Cape Longclaw**
732 Common Fiscal Shrike
736 Southern Boubou**
740 Black-backed Puffback
742 Southern Tchagra**
746 Bokmakierie*
750 Olive Bush-Shrike*
751 Grey-headed Bush-Shrike
757 Common Starling
759 Pied Starling**
760 Wattled Starling
764 Cape Glossy Starling*
769 Red-winged Starling
775 Malachite Sunbird
783 Southern Double-collared Sunbird**
785 Greater Double-collared Sunbird**
789 Grey Sunbird
792 Amethyst Sunbird
796 Cape White-eye**
801 House Sparrow
803 Cape Sparrow*
804 Southern Grey-headed Sparrow
805 Yellow-throated Petronia
807 Thick-billed Weaver
808 Dark-backed Weaver
813 Cape Weaver**
814 Southern Masked Weaver
821 Red-billed Quelea
824 Southern Red Bishop
826 Yellow-crowned Bishop
827 Yellow Bishop
831 Red-collared Widowbird
840 African Firefinch
842 Red-billed Firefinch
846 Common Waxbill
850 Swee Waxbill*
852 African Quailfinch
860 Pin-tailed Whydah
864 Dusky Indigobird
869 Yellow-fronted Canary
870 Black-throated Canary
872 Cape Canary
873 Forest Canary**
877 Brimstone Canary
878 Yellow Canary*
881 Streaky-headed Seedeater
884 Golden-breasted Bunting
885 Cape Bunting
886 Cape Bunting
887 Lark-like Bunting* |
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