Drakensberg mountain behind our house

Seasonal migration

The Limpopo lowveld area have 500+ bird species. It is an arid bush-veld area with a low yearly rainfall.
In the south east lies the Drakensberg mountains which raises 1000 to 1200m above the low lying Limpopo basin. The mountains form an escarpment which drop down to the lowveld. The weather on the escarpment and the basin differ drastically and therefor the plant and animal life are drastically varied.

Living at the foot of the Drakensberg mountains give me the privilege to observe the seasonal migragtion of birds from between the escarpment and lowveld area in both directions.

Winter bring lowveld birds to the greener foothills in search for food while highveld birds move down to feed on winter fruiting trees and scrubs. During summer this migration is reversed.

This migration increases the species of birds visiting my garden throughout the year.

Sekororo Garden Bird List 2006/7/8 updated
Birds make the list if seen more than 3 times perching in garden (with Roberts numbers)

1. 71 Cattle Egret
2. 81 Hamerkop
3. 94 Hadeda Ibis
4. 127 Black-shouldered Kite
5. 128 African Cuckoo Hawk
6. 136 Booted Eagle
7. 154 Lizard Buzzard
8. 160 African Goshawk
9. 169 Gymnogene
10. 171 Peregrine Falcon
11. 172 Lanner Falcon
12. 203 Helmeted Guineafowl
13. 297 Spotted Dikkop
14. 352 Red-eyed Dove
15. 354 Cape Turtle Dove
16. 355 Laughing Dove
17. 358 Emerald-spotted Wood-dove
18. 359 Tambourine Dove
19. 361 African Green Pigeon
20. 373 Grey Lourie
21. 382 Jacobin’s Cuckoo
22. 385 Klaas’s Cuckoo
23. 386 Diederik Cuckoo
24. 391 Burchell’s Coucal
25. 392 Barn Owl
26. 401 Spotted Eagle Owl
27. 409 Mozambique Nightjar
28. 424 Speckled Mousebird
29. 426 Red-faced Mousebird
30. 429 Giant Kingfisher
31. 432 African Pygmy Kingfisher
32. 433 Woodland Kingfisher
33. 435 Brown-hooded Kingfisher
34. 437 Striped Kingfisher
35. 438 European Bee-eater
36. 444 Little Bee-eater
37. 451 African Hoopoe
38. 452 Red-billed Woodhoopoe
39. 457 African Grey Hornbill
40. 458 Red-billed Hornbill
41. 459 Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill
42. 464 Black-collared Barbet
43. 470 Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird
44. 473 Crested Barbet
45. 475 Scaly-throated Honeyguide
46. 487 Bearded Woodpecker
47. 522 Wire-tailed Swallow
48. 536 Black Saw-wing
49. 527 Lesser-striped Swallow
50. 538 Black Cuckooshrike
51. 541 Fork-tailed Drongo
52. 545 Black-headed Oriole
53. 548 Pied Crow
54. 568 Black-eyed Bulbul
55. 576 Kurrichane Thrush
56. 580 Groundscraper Thrush
57. 613 White-browed Scrub-robin
58. 648 Yellow-breasted Apalis
59. 655 Green-capped Eremomela
60. 657 Green-backed Bleating Warbler
61. 672 Rattling Cisticola
62. 683 Tawny-flanked Prinia
63. 689 Spotted Flycatcher
64. 696 Pallid Flycatcher
65. 701 Chin-spot Batis
66. 710 Paradise-flycatcher
67. 711 African Pied Wagtail
68. 713 Cape Wagtail
69. 733 Red-backed Shrike
70. 740 Puffback
71. 744 Black-crowned Tchagra
72. 748 Orange-breasted Bush Shrike
73. 751 Grey-headed Bush Shrike
74. 753 White Helmeted Shrike
75. 754 Red-billed Helmet Shrike
76. 761 Plum-coloured Starling
77. 764 Cape Glossy Starling
78. 785 Greater Double-collared Sunbird
79. 787 White-bellied Sunbird
80. 791 Scarlet-chested Sunbird
81. 801 House Sparrow
82. 804 Southern Grey-headed Sparrow
83. 807 Thick-billed Weaver
84. 810 Spectacled Weaver
85. 811 Spotted-backed Weaver
86. 819 Red-headed Weaver
87. 821 Red-billed Quelea
88. 829 White-winged Widow
89. 831 Red-collared Widow
90. 840 Blue-billed Firefinch
91. 842 Red-billed Firefinch
92. 844 Blue Waxbill
93. 855 Cut-throat Finch
94. 857 Bronze Mannikin
95. 858 Red-backed Mannikin
96. 860 Pin-tailed Whydah
97. 862 Paradise Whydah
98. 864 Black Widow Finch
99. 867 Steel-blue Widow Finch
100. 869 Yellow-eyed Canary
101. 884 Golden-breasted Bunting
102. 885 Cape Bunting
103. 886 Rock Bunting

Fly-overs:
1. 55 White-breasted Cormorant
2. 58 Reed Cormorant
3. 63 Black headed Heron
4. 92 Southern Bald Ibis
5. 99 White-faced Duck
6. 102 Egyptian Geese
7. 115 Knob-billed Duck
8. 142 Brown Snake Eagle
9. 140 Martial Eagle
10. 143 Black-breasted Snake Eagle
11. 148 African Fish Eagle
12. 417 Little Swift
13. 418 Alpine Swift
14. 547 Black Crow
15. 529 Rock Martin
16. 940 Yellow-billed Kite
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