In the column of 27 September, the bird in the main photograph is not the Pale batis (Batis soror).
It is in fact a Puffback, Dryoscopus cubla, and first off the mark to point this out to me was Professor Rob Midgley of Unizulu, followed by a host of friendly bird-watchers.
I’m publishing the very informative letter from Tony Roberts of KwaMbonambi. Tony is the Fire Protection Officer of the Zululand Fire Protection Association (ZFPA).
`I would like to correct you on the identification of the bird which is a Puffback or Black-backed Puffback (R740), Dryoscopus cubla, (Sneeubal in Afrikaans due to the white puff on the rump when the male gets excited) and is often found together with other birds in mixed feeding parties.
`They generally spend most of their time in canopies of trees, but have been known to descend to lower sub-stratums when feeding and often creep around on the edges of forests.
`Often the flight between trees is accompanied by the distinct purring sound of the flight feathers. These birds are insectivorous and belong to the Shrike family.
`The Pale batis (R702) is much smaller at 10cm and the males and females are sexually dimorphic as the sexes can be told apart visually.
`These birds are found mainly from Inhambane to Mozambique northwards and in eastern Zimbabwe. The eye in this species is yellow. These birds are leaf-gleaning flycatchers.
`The Pale batis can be considered a national rarity and inciting out of range documentation and hundreds of birders wanting to see it as a `Lifer’ (a new tick) or for KZN score!
`Thank you so much for these articles in the Zululand Observer.’
Reader responses also on the scale pest (Aulacaspis yasumatsui) which is attacking cycas and cycads in Zululand, are also flowing in and the attack seems to be widespread and pernicious, with readers reporting dead plants by the dozens over the past year.
I’m hesitant to give any advice on this new pest to Bongwani Mthethwa of RBM’s Plant Controller division who asked me what is to be done about it. I’m presently using a contact and stomach pesticide with main ingredient Mercaptothion.
My wife sprays every ten days, fine mist, and then five days later thoroughly hoses down dead scales. It’s far too early to claim any success.
These exotic scale pests have no local predators, they reproduce rapidly, are spread by the wind and also attack the root system of Cycads by being laid directly on fallen cycad seeds.
US research (Howard 1999, Mannion 2006, Womack 1999, Haynes 2005) indicates up to 3 000 eggs/sq.inch.
In the USA they’re developing wasp and beetle biological controls. They’re also testing acephate, dimethoate, dinotefuran, imidacloprid and disyston systemic poisons.
Unless we in SA tackle this pest collectively our entire wild Cycad population WILL be wiped out, never mind those in private possession.
Read the US research on Asian Cycad scale infestation!
