A rare sighting at Amanzimtoti Bird Sanctuary
An avid bird-watcher posted his sighting on a rare bird alert group, and within half an hour, people started to arrive.
BIRD lovers from in and around the area flocked to the Amanzimtoti Bird Sanctuary recently to see and take photographs of a rare sighting: the Grey Wagtail.
Garth Aiston, an avid bird-watcher for the last 25 years, was the first to spot the bird at the park while on his way down the South Coast. “I have seen one in Spain, so when I got a brief view of it flying past, I immediately recognised it,” he said.
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Aiston, who is part of a WhatsApp group called KZN Rare Bird Alert, which has about 600 members, posted his sighting. “Within half an hour, people started to arrive. At least 50 people arrived that morning,” he said.
He said Grey Wagtails breed in Europe and visit northern Africa in the winter. “In South Africa, they are considered to be rare Palearctic migrants, and in KZN, the odd bird pops up every few years. At this time of the year, they are normally returning to their breeding grounds, and some migrate in the wrong direction, going south instead of north. They are normally found in well-wooded streams, so that’s why it probably stopped here for a while,” said Aiston.
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Nicolette Forbes, aquatic ecologist and chairperson of BirdLife eThekwini KZN, which falls under BirdLife SA, confirmed the sighting and said, “Although it’s rare, it’s not uncommon, especially during reverse migration that occurs in winter. This particular sighting highlights the need and importance of having clean, natural habitats,” she said.
For more information, contact BirdLife eThekwini KZN at chair@bekzn.org, or visit their website www.blpn.org.
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