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www.hiltoncollege.com |
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www.hiltoncollege.com |
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Birds on the Estate
| The bird life of the Hilton Estate is
fairly well documented. Reasonably accurate records have been kept by the
pupils and staff of the Natural History Society since 1982. Bird-ringing is
also done on a small scale. Because of the great variety of habitats, the Hilton Estate is a birdwatcher’s paradise. Some 280 species have been recorded within the boundaries of the estate. One can see about 70 species on a good walk through the valley bush and over 80 species have been recorded in the gardens on the school grounds in the space of a single year. |
Useful Links for Birders
Download a Hilton
College Estate Bird List Field cards can be obtained from the Wildlife Centre |
The
estate is blessed with a number of different eagles. Longcrested Eagles
breed in the valley; Black Eagles are regularly seen flying along the cliffs
in search of dassies and other small mammals, while Martial Eagles and
Crowned Eagles are also seen fairly regularly. Other birds of prey include
the Gymnogene, Jackal Buzzard, Wahlberg’s Eagle, Lanner Falcon, African
Goshawk, Little Sparrowhawk, Steppe Buzzard, Spotted Eagle Owl and Wood Owl.
Valley bush covers a large area of the
estate and this supports a wide variety of the smaller passerines (perching
birds). These include the Chorister and Cape Robins; Cape and Chinspot
Batises; Sombre, Terrestrial and Blackeyed Bulbuls; and the shrikes like the
Boubou, Puffback, and Brubru. The colourful Greyheaded, Olive and
Orangebreasted Bush Shrikes are also occasionally encountered in the thick
bush. One is also always certain to come across a small party of Trumpeter
Hornbills on any walk through this bush. They also visit the school grounds
regularly to feed on ripe fruit in the staff gardens.
Not all the species recorded for the estate are resident here. At least a third only visit the area at some time during the year. Summer visitors include a variety of species from Europe, Asia and other parts of Africa. These include six species of cuckoo, Spotted Flycatcher, Steppe Buzzard, European (Barn) Swallow and Willow Warbler.
Some species are recorded only in winter as
they move down to warmer valleys from the colder higher altitudes. The
Gurney’s Sugarbird is always found feeding on flowering proteas and aloes in
the Wild Garden at this time of the year. Starred Robin juveniles seem to
move down to the valley, presumably from neighbouring forests like those of
the Karkloof Range. The Fiscal Flycatcher, Redfaced Mousebird, Fair
Flycatcher and Sentinel Rock Thrush are also regular winter visitors.
While there are only three small dams on the property, the list of waterbirds is reasonably comprehensive. Many of these species have, however, been seen on only a few occasions. The most common are the Dabchick (Little Grebe), Yellowbilled Duck, Grey Heron, Redknobbed Coot, Reed Cormorant and Giant Kingfisher.
There are also many other ornithological delights whose plumage will impress even the most casual observer. These include African Finfoot, Narina Trogon, Plumcoloured Starling, Mocking Chat, Natal Robin, Crested Barbet, Blackheaded Oriole, Longtailed Wagtail and Green Pigeon.