Pigeon Valley Series – Article one: Buff-spotted Flufftails
The riches of Pigeon Valley Nature Reserve explained by Glenwood resident and chair of the Friends of Pigeon Valley.
This is the first in an ongoing series that highlights the riches of Pigeon Valley, the urban nature reserve in the heart of Glenwood. The focus on this column will be on the Buff-spotted Flufftail.
VERY few people actually get to see a Buff-spotted Flufftail in Pigeon Valley, yet it is a constant feature. It is most evident in late spring, when its haunting foghorn call sounds across the reserve. It otherwise keeps quietly to the dense thickets, depriving us of its considerable beauty, its rich chestnut front contrasting with the buff spots on the black background.
In the dry winter of 2014, the Flufftails came onto the main track of Pigeon Valley frequently, often close to the enthusiastic birders who came to see it. Yet generally, it only comes out to bath in one of the bird baths, usually early in the morning or late, though a chance encounter is always possible.
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In November I noticed one surreptitiously lurking at the edge of an eruption of the termite alates (flying ants). When it moves through leaf litter it is able to do so completely silently. Just as well, as it is vulnerable to predators, in particular pet cats, which are fortunately not often seen in the reserve.
Flufftails are found only in sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. The White-winged Flufftail is one of the rarest of all birds and critically endangered. It is known to migrate annually from a very limited area in Ethiopia to its few sites in South Africa, but it has just been discovered that there are some that do actually breed in South Africa.
Pigeon Valley has a bird list of 161 birds at present, and there have been several new sightings in recent years, a tribute to the value of an urban reserve.
Crispin Hemson chairs the Friends of Pigeon Valley, a group that undertakes clearing of alien plants, keeps records of bird and mammal sightings and alerting management to any problems. The Friends have a monthly walk at 7.30am on the second Saturday of each month. Email: friendsofpigeonvalley1@gmail.com.
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