Ingula Nature Reserve and the Ladysmith area BirdLife KZN Forum | March 2023

Chittenden, editor of the Southern African Roberts Bird Field Guide, and "The Microhabitat Requirements of Understory Bird Forest Specialists" by Ms. Nasiphi Bitani, a PhD candidate at UKZN. Additionally, talks on Bald Ibis and Oxpecker introductions addressed interesting and relevant work and research specific to the areas birds and habitats. Steve Davis’s talk on cisticolas larks and pipits proved extremely useful in the grasslands of Ingula, where LBJs lurk on every grass stalk, tempting birders into guessing identities.

The BirdLife KZN Forum Autumn meet, a five-day event held from 17- 21March, 2023, was a resounding success. Birding enthusiasts and experts from various locations across KZN gathered in the Ladysmith district, with the Ingula Nature Reserve serving as the focal point for the forum day of talks and BL KZN Forum committee meeting.

The event kicked off on Friday 17 March with participants settling into the Ladysmith area and enjoying dinner together at the various establishments where groups had taken up residence. Bokmakierie Lodge hosted a particularly large group of 21 participants and they handled the arrangements of us all dining together with ease.

The next day's programme consisted of birding trips to the KZN side of the Ingula Nature Reserve, offering an opportunity to explore the reserve's grassland birds. Informative sessions on the reserve's function, as well as the Eskom hydroelectric plant and dam, were held out in the field as birders moved through the reserve. Following the birding trips, everyone convened at the Ingula Visitor Centre for lunch and then an afternoon of talks on birds and birding.

The forum covered a range of topics, with notable presentations including "A Visual Guide to the Southern African Nightjar Species" by Hugh

During the drive out of the reserve at the end of the talk programme, the BirdLife eThekwini KZN Bird Bus occupants were fortunate enough to spot a Serval perched approximately 1m off the ground, in the fork of an acacia—a remarkable sighting that added to the excitement.

The day concluded with a wonderful dinner hosted at the local Country Club, where the Ladysmith Birders were consummate hosts providing us with a sumptuous braai with the food generously sponsored by Ian Gracie and his law firm, CW&T.

At the dinner, Peter Nelson the Chair of Ladysmith Birders thanked the speakers of the day and they were honoured to receive for their contributions a beautiful hardcover coffee table book documenting the history and details of the Ingula Reserve - a wonderful gesture that underscored the BirdLife KZN Forum's appreciation for their time, expertise and dedication to the birds..

The following day commenced with an early start as participants embarked on an exploration of the Ingula Nature Reserve, this time on the Free State side. This required traversing some fairly rough terrain, making their way down Collins Pass to the Elandslaagte wetland area. This tested the capabilities of the vehicles, but ultimately all vehicles, including the BeKZN Bird Bus, triumphed. The group was rewarded with spectacular views and excellent grassland and wetland birding opportunities.

On Monday, 20 March, the itinerary began at the Malandeni Ladysmith Sewage Works, which provided delightful sightings of waterbirds, keeping participants engaged in atlassing and photography for several hours. The surrounding bushland also contributed to the group's bird list. The next stop was Spionkop Nature Reserve, where some participants visited a vulture restaurant while others enjoyed lunch in the grassland adjacent to the dam. The day culminated with a visit to Winterton to witness the return of the Amur Falcons to their evening roost. The sight of thousands of birds gathering against the backdrop of stormy skies was awe-inspiring, creating a memorable experience for all. As a major storm began, the group sought shelter and reconvened for supper at nearby restaurants.

On Tuesday, participants bid farewell and began their journey back home. Before departing, some engaged in morning birding activities in and around the Winterton area, which yielded exciting records of waterfowl and other grassland species.

An atlassing challenge was run for the duration of the event. A total of 256 species was recorded in the challenge area within 50km of Ladysmith by the 20 birders who recorded sightings on BirdLasser. This list included a few special additions, including Lesser Moorhen and the BeKZN Bird Bus and even Red-billed Oxpecker which was subject of Ian King's descriptive talk on Saturday.

The BirdLife KZN Forum Committee met early on the Sunday morning while the various groups headed out to bird. The business of the meeting covered a number of aspects that were relevant to regional birds and birding including; Feedback from BirdLife South Africa represented by Shireen Gould (BLSA Membership Manager) who updated the group on relevant BLSA news including the photographic competition, Flock to the Wilderness in May which would include the first Bird Club Indaba in the prpgramme and also a Layman and Scientific Learn About Birds programme, and the upcoming African Bird Fair. Shireen also updated the chairs on the new membership database programme and that it was working much better but that the membership managment had requested additional training. The issues regarding delivery of the magazine were also discussed and BLSA is working hard to resolve any outstanding issues. Nicky as Chair thanked Shireen and BLSA for

attending the regional forum and for the feedback.

The rest of the meeting covered a number of additional business requirement including the financial report, Election of office bearers and an update about KZN Birds the e-magazine of the KZN Forum. The only change to the office bearers was in the position of Treasurer. Doug Bell had resigned prior to this meeting and was thanked for his contribution. Tony Coetzer happily volunteered to take on this role and this was accepted by all chairs present. Nicolette Forbes, Carron Dove and Ticky Forbes agreed to stay on as Chair, Secretary and Editor of KZN Birds, respectively. Written reports from the affiliated bird clubs had been received and were accepted with a few discussion points. Report backs were also received from the other KZN bodies represented at the meeting that deal with birds including the KZN Rarities committee, SABAP2 KZN, and the KZN Ornithological Trust.

All in all the BirdLife KZN Forum had provided an exceptional platform for birding enthusiasts to connect, learn, and appreciate the rich bird diversity of the region. It was agreed at the meeting that the combination of informative sessions/talks, birding trips, and memorable sightings had made the event a huge success, with fantastic attendance considering the distance and location. The chair made a special vote of thanks to Peter Nelson and the Ladysmith Birders for all their hard work and planning.

The dates for the next Forum were confirmed to be from 21-25 September 2023 (cf page 19) in Zululand. There is a very excited and positive vibe growing within the KZN Forum. There has been increased collaboration and communication between the Chairs of the KZN Clubs. This has even extended to increased networking amongst club members of BirdLife-affiliated clubs.

The excitement seems to be growing with each Forum event (this is based on the experiences and feedback from the previous two events) and is reflected in the increased interactions and attendance of the birding community. The enthusiasm for the next forum was already building while everyone was at this one so we hope to see as many of the KZN birders as possible joining us at the next one.

Right | A Cape posed for us showing the long hind claw which gives these birds their name.

Left | We were treated to some spectacular stormsthis particular photo is taken at 07h30 in the morning and yes it really got that dark.

| one of the many grassland species encountered on the trip.