Bufftail Hoot

It’s been a long time since I last heard the plaintive, mournful-sounding hoot of the Buff-spotted Flufftail, Sarothrura elegans, while lying in my own bed. But the last few nights he has been hooting gently outside my window in Westville above the Palmiet River:

Hope they stay awhile . . .

I heard it for fifteen years at 7 River Drive on the Mkombaan River in Westville, but although I searched and stalked and lay in wait at all hours, the only one I saw was one the bloody next door cat killed! Something like this:

~~~oo0oo~~~

And then at last I saw one of Crispin Hemson’s tame*** flufftails at Pigeon Valley in Durban. One lone male. And just for a few seconds before he ducked into the undergrowth. I was pleased to see one of Crispin’s pictures has been used in wikipedia.

*** not really tame – just on his famous patch!

~~~oo0oo~~~

Friend Rob Davey is a security camera boffin. He aimed one at his birdbath out north of Durban:

List of Birds of 7 River Drive – my patch

Mkombaan River valley, Westville KZN – Jan 1989 – Dec 2003

Breeds – Y means we have seen an active nest or young fledglings being fed here.

	Spotted Thrush	Seen three separate winter-times in 15 years
	Kurrichane Thrush		Y
	Olive Thrush
	Narina Trogon	Three times in 15 years, once stayed a week
	Pigmy Kingfisher	Three times
	Brown-hooded Kingfisher	Nests in a bank in Deon’s yard next door (no. 5)	Y
	Malachite Kingfisher	Once
	Olive Bush-shrike (ruddy form	Once – stayed about a week. Lovely song
	Orange-breasted Bush-shrike	Heard quite often, seen about three times
	Black Sparrowhawk	Raises a chick here most years	Y
	Gymnogene	Raises a chick here most years	Y
	Crowned Eagle	Flying & calling overhead
	Fish Eagle	Flying & calling overhead
	African Goshawk	Resident King of the woods	Y
	Black-headed Heron	Flying overhead
	Pied Crow	Flying overhead
	Barn Swallow
	Lesser Striped Swallow
	Rock Martin
	White-rumped Swift
	Little Swift
	Palm Swift
	Reed Cormorant	Once, flying overhead, then circled and landed in the Mkombaan River!
	Woolly-necked Stork	Perched on a garage roof at top of our valley!
	Bush Blackcap	One winter, stayed ten days
	Willow Warbler	Arrives every summer from frosty England
	Red-backed Mannikin
	Bronze Mannikin		Y
	Bar-throated Apalis
	Yellow-breasted Apalis
	Rudd’s Apalis !!?	Unlikely, yet seen close-up by Trish and I on potplant on the driveway! Nov 2003; Needs verification!
	Natal Francolin	Heard often, seen once
	Buff-spotted Flufftail	Heard very often, never seen
	Red-chested Cuckoo	Juvenile seen once in fig tree over pool
	Emerald Cuckoo	Including a juv being fed by Olive sunbird	y
	Klaas’ Cuckoo
	Black Cuckoo
	Diederik Cuckoo
	Longbilled Crombec
	Tambourine Dove	Often
	Emerald-spotted Dove	Seldom
	Red-eyed Dove	Most common dove	y
	Laughing Dove		y
	Ring-necked parakeet	Once, flying past into no. 14
	Fiery-necked nightjar	Heard often, seen twice
	Paradise flycatcher	Nests every year	y
	Dusky Flycatcher	Nests every year	y
	Blue-grey Flycatcher	Nests most years	y
	Spotted Flycatcher	A few visits
	Black Flycatcher		y
	Purple-crested Lourie	Nested in Umdoni tree on River Drive	y
	African Hoopoe	Once at top of River Drive
	Red-billed Wood Hoopoe	Have nested in our nestboxes about 3 times	y
	Lesser Honeyguide	Often
	Greater Honeyguide	Seldom
	Scaly-throated Honeyguide	Seldom
	Sharp-billed Honeyguide	Twice
	Blackbellied Glossy Starlings	Nest most years	y
	Green Twinspot	Seen four times, heard more times
	Long-tailed Wagtail	Up & down the river, occasionally next to pool	y
	Cape Wagtail	Nests in Dracaena outside front door
	Pied Wagtail	Next to pool	y
	Southern Boubou	Heard all the time, seldom seen	y
	Golden-tailed Woodpecker	Nests most years	y
	Cardinal Woodpecker
	Olive Sunbird	The Boss; Once raised an Emerald Cuckoo chick	y
	White-bellied Sunbird	Usually behind house, seldom in front garden!
	Collared Sunbird	Nests most years	y
	Black Sunbird	Occasional
	Grey Sunbird	Often
	Black-collared Barbet	Always	y
	Crested Barbet	Once
	Golden-rumped Tinker	Always
	Hamerkop	Often – heard more than seen
	Yellow-billed Kite
	Burchell’s Coucal
	Grey-headed Sparrow	Seen twice
	Streaky-headed Canary
	Yellow-eyed Canary
	Bully Canary
	Tawny-flanked Prinia	Nests every year in long grass above washline	y
	Natal Robin	Trish’s friend – also spotted chicks most years	y
	White-browed Scrub-robin
	Southern Black Tit
	Terrestrial Bulbul	Outside bedroom window
	Black-eyed Bulbul		y
	Sombre Bulbul
	Black-headed Oriole
	Black Cuckoo-shrike	In fig tree most years
	Fork-tailed Drongo		y
	Puffback
	White-faced Whistling Duck	Whistling high overhead at night
	Cape White-eye		y
	Bleating Bush Warbler
	Neddicky
	Indian Mynah
	Cape Glossy Starling
	Plum-coloured Starling
	Thick-billed Weaver
	Spotted-backed Weaver		y
	Spectacled Weaver	Nests every year	y
	Forest Weaver	Seldom
	Blue-billed Firefinch
	Common Waxbill
	Grey Waxbill	Regular in early years, scarce lately
	Swee Waxbill	Twice
	Redwing Starling
	Chin-spot Batis
	Cape Batis
	Hadeda Ibis		y
	Sacred Ibis	Flying overhead
	Speckled Mousebird		y

~~~oo0oo~~~