Chairman s Chatter - John Kinghorn

Transcription

1 YAB Monthly Newsletter December 2016 Fiery-Necked Nightjar Chairman s Chatter - John Kinghorn I cannot believe how quickly this year has passed! It felt like just yesterday when we were all twitching a Red Phalarope at Mkhombo, enjoying a fantastic weekend with Faansie Peacock at the first ever Warbler Weekend or sitting back to read the first issue of the Fledgling! This year has been full of many incredible highlights for YAB, all of which I will try highlight in my Chairman s year end summary in the next issue but I would like to take this moment now to give my thanks; not only to all fellow YAB ers but to everybody else who has continuously shown their support to us as a group throughout the 2016 year. Firstly, a massive thank you to the 2016 YAB committee, comprised of Werner van Der Walt, CF Truter, Toni Geddes, Jordan Ralph and Mike Myburgh. Although sometimes not all that active on the YAB Facebook page itself these individuals worked tirelessly behind the scenes in order to bring to you events, newsletters, competitions, quizzes and more. I could not have asked for a more dedicated, passionate and enthusiastic committee to work with! Secondly, a thank you to Henk Nel and the team from BirdLasser who were able to answer any BirdLasser related queries or technical issues and who ran our Lasser Year List Challenge flawlessly! Not only did they do this but the BirdLasser team has been a supporter of YAB since its humble beginnings and we trust that this relationship will be continued and nurtured in the years to come. Thirdly, a big thank you must go to our other sponsors and endorsers who have supported us throughout the year and assisted us in our growth in some or other way, either of which has meant the world to us all! These include: Birdlife South Africa, the African Bird Club, Birding Ecotours, Julian Teh and Faansie Peacock. In conclusion I would like to say a thank you to all our YAB members and anybody else who has assisted us as a group. This year has been a success in various aspects and that is all because of your support, enthusiasm, passion and drive to further birding and the youth birding scene here in South Africa and Africa as a whole. Seeing our membership base rise from just under 200 to close on 500 in a single year is an extraordinary site, so thank you all! Yours in Birding, John Kinghorn As we start a new year, we decided to have a look back on the year that has passed and to say thank you to all of the YABers who help make YAB what it is. This issue pays tribute to some of the excellent photography produced by some of our members last year and to showcase just a small portion of the incredible birdlife we are blessed with in this part of the world. Thank you to everyone who sent in images and we hope that the next time we do a special edition, we get a lot more contributors was a great birding year, and we hope you enjoy this issue of the Fledgling. Cheers Editor s Note - Mike Myburgh

2 Water associated birds Pied Kingfisher Yellow-Billed Duck Malachite Kingfisher Pintado Petrel White-Throated Swallow Cameron Meyer

3 Water associated birds Melodious Lark Great White Pelican Sidney Shema Kamanzi Greater Sand Plover Jo Balmer Grey-Headed Gull Monica Myburgh Lesser Moorhen Jo Balmer Hamerkop Wian van Zyl

4 Water associated birds White-Throated Swallow Little Bittern Mayur Prag Squacco Heron Mike Myburgh Greater Flamingo Monica Myburgh Cape Shoveler Wian van Zyl

5 Bushveld birds The Fledgling Red-Billed Firefinch Woodland Kingfisher Mayur Prag Orange-Breasted Bushshrike Common Fiscal Mayur Prag Red-Billed Oxpecker Wian van Zyl

6 Bushveld birds Rufous-Cheeked Nightjar Golden-Breasted Bunting Yellow-Fronted Tinkerbird Bar-Throated Apalis Wian van Zyl European Roller Mike Myburgh

7 Bushveld birds Crested Guinefowl Mike Myburgh Marico Sunbird Banded Martin Rufous-Cheeked Nightjar European Bee-Eater Mike Myburgh Arrow Marked Babbler Wesley Jarvis

8 Western Cape Specials Orange-Breasted Sunbird Cape Rockjumper Cameron Meyer Karoo Eremomela Cape Sugarbird Mayur Prag

9 Western Cape Specials Cape Rockjumper Ground Woodpecker Common Chaffinch Mayur Prag Southern Tchagra

10 Grassland Birds African Quailfinch Kori Bustard Ricci Goldstein Cape Longclaw Mayur Prag Double Banded Courser Southern Ground Hornbill Mike Myburgh

11 Grassland Birds Orange-Breasted Waxbill Rufous-Naped Lark Ricci Goldstein Spike-Heeled Lark Monica Myburgh Cape Longclaw Long Tailed Widowbird Ricci Goldstein

12 Raptors African Barred Owlet (Eastern Cape Sub-species) Jo Balmer African Grass Owl Western Osprey Pel s Fishing Owl Wian van Zyl Ayre s Hawk Eagle Ovambo Sparrowhawk Cameron Meyer

13 Raptors African Grass Owl Gabar Goshawk Cameron Meyer Yellow-Billed Kite Monica Myburgh Southern White-Faced Owl Spotted Eagle Owl Ricci Goldstein

14 Forest Birds Yellow-Throated Woodland Warbler Lemon Dove Grey Waxbill Blue-Mantled Crested Flycatcher Bronzy Sunbird

15 Forest Birds Barratt s Warbler Jo Balmer Red-Capped Robin-Chat White-Starred Robin African Emerald Cuckoo Knysna Turaco Cape Batis

16 Twitches Temminck s Stint John Kinghorn Golden Pipit John Kinghorn Rufous-Tailed Scrub Robin Jo Balmer Gull-Billed Tern John Kinghorn

17 Twitches Yellow-Throated Leaflove John Kinghorn Spotted Crake Tristan Spurway Golden Pipit Rufous-Tailed Scrub Robin Monica Myburgh

18 Our Sponsors A huge thank you goes out to the following sponsors for their unwavering support: YAB has its own group on WhatsApp for organizing twitches among youth, YAB Twitchers. For further information drop John Kinghorn a message on Facebook! Design by