Ringing courses in 2022:
Dates: 1-7 Sep 2022 and 31 Oct – 6 Nov 2022
Location: New Holme Lodge (Karoo Gariep NR), Northern Cape – between Hanover and Colesburg [coords for turn-off]
For: trainees and ringers
Email: ring@thebdi.org if you are interested in attending
There is great potential for a wide variety of birds, including some Karoo specials. Some of the sites and birds that could be caught for ringing are listed (with species ringed to date in the table below).
There is a patch of reeds near the research station, hosting warblers and breeding Southern Masked Weavers and some Southern Red Bishops in summer. These birds roost in the reeds when not breeding.
In autumn berry bushes attract fruit eaters like Red-eyed Bulbuls, White-backed Mousebirds, Wattled Starlings and others.
Extensive gardens with lawns and large trees host Fiscal Flycatcher, Cape Robin-chat, Karoo Thrush and others. Seeds on the lawn attract large numbers of Cape Sparrows, with some doves, weavers, queleas, bishops, and Red-headed Finches.
At the farm house Greater Striped Swallow, Rock Martin and possibly White-rumped Swifts breed under the roof eaves, so high nets can be used here.
In the karoo veldt we can try to catch specials like Spike-heeled Lark and other larks, prinias, Rufous-eared Warbler, chats and wheatears.
There are some surrounding farms where we will be able to ring as well.
Previous ringing totals
Previous ringing: 10-12 November 2019 and from 16 March to 21 April 2022.
Species summary for 2019 and 2022 ringing at New Holme (ringed and recaptured):
| Sp no | Species | Count |
|---|---|---|
| 316 | Ring-necked Dove | 1 |
| 391 | White-backed Mousebird | 7 |
| 397 | Malachite Kingfisher | 4 |
| 432 | Acacia Pied Barbet | 2 |
| 493 | Barn Swallow | 1 |
| 495 | White-throated Swallow | 2 |
| 502 | Greater Striped Swallow | 3 |
| 544 | African Red-eyed Bulbul | 15 |
| 570 | Familiar Chat | 1 |
| 581 | Cape Robin-Chat | 5 |
| 604 | Lesser Swamp-Warbler | 7 |
| 606 | African Reed-Warbler | 20 |
| 646 | Levaillant’s Cisticola | 4 |
| 650 | Black-chested Prinia | 1 |
| 658 | Chestnut-vented Tit-Babbler | 1 |
| 665 | Fiscal Flycatcher | 1 |
| 686 | Cape Wagtail | 3 |
| 707 | Southern Fiscal | 4 |
| 722 | Bokmakierie | 3 |
| 735 | Wattled Starling | 25 |
| 746 | Pied Starling | 23 |
| 786 | Cape Sparrow | 69 |
| 803 | Southern Masked-Weaver | 38 |
| 805 | Red-billed Quelea | 22 |
| 808 | Southern Red Bishop | 169 |
| 820 | Red-headed Finch | 3 |
| 865 | White-throated Canary | 2 |
| 1104 | Karoo Thrush | 3 |
| 1172 | Cape White-eye | 1 |
| 4139 | Karoo Prinia | 6 |
| 4142 | Southern Grey-headed Sparrow | 1 |
