By Etienne Marais
BirdLife Northern Gauteng members
made an interesting find on Saturday 2 June while visiting a farm
east of Bronkhorstpruit Dam in Gauteng. Farm owners Pierre and
Nelene Prinsloo want to promote the area among birders, and provided
photographic evidence of a Crake they had rescued from a barbed
wire fence crossing a small vlei near their front gate. The bird
was returned, apparently not seriously hurt, after being found
in Feb 2000. The image is undoubtedly of a Striped Crake, for
which very few records exist, south of Nylsvley. There are only
a handful of records from further south. The pan is also home
to Baillon's Crake, and while currently dry, will no doubt be
visited by local birders next summer. At the front of the house,
on the farm Groenfontein, is the main pan - about 50 ha in extent.
10 duck species and large numbers of African Snipe, are presently
in residence. Other good birds from this winter outing included
Ovambo Sparrowhawk, Fairy Flycatcher and Marsh Owl.
