Dabchick Wildlife Reserve

6 days ago

𝘿𝘼𝘽𝘾𝙃𝙄𝘾𝙆 𝙒𝙄𝙇𝘿 𝘽𝙄𝙍𝘿𝙎

𝐃𝐖𝐑 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡!

March 2026

🦅 Brown Snake Eagle
(Circaetus cinereus)

𝐈𝐔𝐂𝐍 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬: Least Concern

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🔍 𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

A large, powerful eagle with uniform dark brown plumage, bright yellow eyes and a large angular head. In flight, the brown-and-white banded tail and pale underwing pattern are distinctive. The species often sits upright on a prominent perch scanning the ground below for prey. 

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💡 𝐃𝐈𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖?

🪶 The Brown Snake Eagle feeds mainly on snakes, including venomous species.
🪶 Thick, scaled legs provide protection from snake bites.
🪶 It hunts mostly from a perch, dropping onto prey on the ground.
🪶 Pairs usually raise only one chick due to the long breeding cycle.

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🏞 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐁𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 & 𝐇𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐓

Occurs widely across sub-Saharan Africa in wooded savanna, thornveld, bushveld and open woodland areas. It prefers landscapes with scattered trees and open ground where snakes are abundant.

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🪺 𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 & 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆

The nest is a relatively small platform of sticks placed high in a tree or occasionally on a pylon. Only one egg is laid and the chick remains dependent on the parents for an extended period, making breeding slow and energy-intensive.

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🌍 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄

Although listed as Least Concern, the Brown Snake Eagle depends on intact woodland ecosystems and healthy reptile populations. The recent release of this species at Dabchick Wildlife Reserve forms part of ongoing rewilding efforts to restore natural predator–prey balance and ecosystem function. Dabchick has rewilded large areas of previously degraded land and runs hands-on conservation and rewilding programmes focused on ecological restoration and wildlife reintroductions. 

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🗨 Quote of the Month

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘚𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘌𝘢𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘋𝘢𝘣𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬. 𝘈𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴, 𝘪𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴.
— Drs Peter & Pamela Oberem

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🦆 Dabchick Wildlife Reserve offers outstanding bird watching and photography. Book your stay now!
Dabchick Wildlife Reserve @top fans
📩 Reservations: admin@dabchick.co.za
🌐 More info: www.dabchick.co.za
🌿 Rewilding Programme:
👉 www.dabchick.co.za/new-dabchicks-rewilding-programme/

📍 As custodians of biodiversity, we are committed to preserving habitat, raising awareness, and supporting collaborative conservation action.
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🎼 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 & 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬

Brown Snake Eagle – eBird species page:
👉 ebird.org/species/brseag1
(Photos, distribution maps, calls and recordings) 

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Waterberg Biosphere Reserve
Waterberg Tourism
Rewilding Africa Global Rewilding Alliance
BirdLife South Africa BirdLife International

#ConserveWildlife #ProtectBiodiversity #Africa #DabchickWildlifeReserve #ProtectWhatMatters #RewildingSouthernAfrica #BirdsOfSouthernAfrica #CitizenScienceMatters #ConservationInAction ... See MoreSee Less

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Dabchick Wildlife Reserve

1 month ago

𝘿𝘼𝘽𝘾𝙃𝙄𝘾𝙆 𝙒𝙄𝙇𝘿 𝘽𝙄𝙍𝘿𝙎
𝐃𝐖𝐑 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡!
February 2026
Black Cuckooshrike (𝘾𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙥𝙝𝙖𝙜𝙖 𝙛𝙡𝙖𝙫𝙖)
𝐈𝐔𝐂𝐍 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬: Least Concern 

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🔍 𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍
The Black Cuckooshrike is a sleek, medium-sized passerine often found in woodland and savanna habitats. Males exhibit striking glossy black plumage, while females are more subtly coloured — greyish with olive tones and fine barring. Its long tail and streamlined build make it an elegant yet unobtrusive presence in the treetops. 

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💡 𝐃𝐈𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖?
🪶 Black Cuckooshrikes are often encountered in pairs, quietly gleaning insects from leaves and branches in woodland and forest edges. 
🪶 Their call is a high-pitched trill that can reveal their presence long before they are seen.
🪶 In southern Africa they breed mainly from September to March, with the female building a shallow cup nest high in the tree forks. 
🪶 They feed primarily on insects — including caterpillars, grasshoppers and ants — and may occasionally take fruit. 

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🏞 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐁𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 & 𝐇𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐓
This species ranges widely across sub-Saharan Africa, from southern Sudan and Kenya through to southern Africa, favouring broadleaf woodlands, forest edges and mature riparian vegetation. 

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🪺 𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 & 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆
The nest is a neat cup of moss, lichens and spider web, placed high in the vertical fork of a branch. The female incubates 1–3 eggs while the male brings food to the nest. 

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🌍 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄
While currently assessed as Least Concern, the Black Cuckooshrike depends on healthy woodland and forest edge ecosystems for breeding and foraging — highlighting the importance of conserving these habitats across the Waterberg Biosphere and beyond. 

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🗨”𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘊𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘺 — 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘵 𝘋𝘢𝘣𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬.”
— Drs Peter & Pamela Oberem

🗨”𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬-𝘢𝘯𝘥-𝘺𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘰𝘰 𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦 — 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘊𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘴.”
— Dr Pamela Oberem

🦆 Dabchick Wildlife Reserve offers outstanding birdwatching and photography opportunities.
📩 Reservations: admin@dabchick.co.za
🌐 More info: www.dabchick.co.za
@top fans
📍 As custodians of biodiversity, we are committed to preserving habitat, raising awareness, and supporting collaborative conservation action.

🎼 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 & 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬
ebird.org/species/blkcus1?siteLanguage=en_ZA
📸 Warwick Tarboton
Waterberg Biosphere Reserve
Waterberg Tourism
Rewilding Africa
BirdLife South Africa
BirdLife International

#ConserveWildlife #ProtectBiodiversity #Africa #DabchickWildlifeReserve #BirdsOfSouthernAfrica #CitizenScienceMatters #ConservationInAction ... See MoreSee Less

Dabchick Wildlife Reserve

2 months ago

𝘿𝘼𝘽𝘾𝙃𝙄𝘾𝙆 𝙒𝙄𝙇𝘿 𝘽𝙄𝙍𝘿𝙎
𝐃𝐖𝐑 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡!
January 2026
🦅 Gabar Goshawk (𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙪𝙨 𝙜𝙖𝙗𝙖𝙧)
𝐈𝐔𝐂𝐍 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬: Least Concern
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🔍 𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍
A small but formidable raptor with a compact build, long legs and striking red eyes. Adults occur in two colour forms: a pale grey morph with a barred chest, and a rarer all-black (melanistic) morph. Despite its size, the Gabar Goshawk is bold, agile and highly territorial.
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💡 𝐃𝐈𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖?
🪶 The Gabar Goshawk has a specialised and destructive hunting relationship with colonial weaver birds.
🪶 Rather than entering nests through narrow tunnels, it lands on top and tears through the woven roof using its beak and talons.
🪶 This allows it to remove eggs and chicks directly from inside the nest.
🪶 Weaver colonies often mob the goshawk in defence, but repeated raids can clear multiple nests in a single area.
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🏞 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐁𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 & 𝐇𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐓
Widespread across sub-Saharan Africa, the Gabar Goshawk favours open woodland, savanna and thornveld, particularly areas supporting large weaver colonies. It is well adapted to both natural and modified landscapes.
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🪺 𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 & 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆
Its nest is a small, neat platform of fine twigs, usually placed high in the fork of a thorny tree such as an Acacia. Uniquely, Gabar Goshawks often incorporate live colonial spiders into the nest — their webs provide camouflage while the spiders help reduce parasites.
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🌍 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄
Although listed as Least Concern, the Gabar Goshawk relies on healthy woodland systems and intact bird communities. Its presence is an indicator of functional predator–prey relationships within the ecosystem.
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🗨 “The Gabar Goshawk is small in stature but relentless in strategy — a remarkable reminder of how finely balanced predator and prey interactions are within our wetland and woodland systems.”
— Drs Peter & Pamela Oberem
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@top fans
🦆 Dabchick Wildlife Reserve offers outstanding birdwatching and wildlife photography opportunities.
📩 Reservations: admin@dabchick.co.za
🌐 More info: www.dabchick.co.za

📍 As custodians of biodiversity, we are committed to protecting habitat, raising awareness, and supporting collaborative conservation action.

🎼 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 & 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬
ebird.org/species/gabgos2?siteLanguage=en_ZA
📷 Warwick Tarboton

Waterberg Biosphere Reserve
Waterberg Tourism Waterberg Tourism Members Waterberg Nature Conservancy
Rewilding Africa REWILDING Southern Africa
BirdLife South Africa BirdLife International

#ConserveWildlife #ProtectBiodiversity #DabchickWildlifeReserve #BirdsOfSouthernAfrica #RewildingSouthernAfrica #CitizenScienceMatters #ConservationInAction ... See MoreSee Less

+1

Dabchick Wildlife Reserve

3 months ago

𝘿𝘼𝘽𝘾𝙃𝙄𝘾𝙆 𝙒𝙄𝙇𝘿 𝘽𝙄𝙍𝘿𝙎
𝐃𝐖𝐑 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡!
𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓
𝐑𝐄𝐃-𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐑 (𝘼𝙣𝙖𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙧𝙪𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙥𝙨)
𝐈𝐔𝐂𝐍 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬: Least Concern

🔍 𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍
The red-headed weaver is among Africa’s most striking birds — and arguably the most visually arresting of the weaver family.

Males are unmistakable, with a vivid scarlet head, bright orange-red bill and feet, a clean white belly, and yellow-edged wing panels. Females lack the red head but retain the bright orange bill.

💡𝐃𝐈𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖?
🪶 Red-headed weavers are largely insectivorous, feeding on spiders and insects gleaned from foliage — and even catching prey mid-air.
🪶 They often join mixed-species foraging parties, moving actively through trees and creepers.
🪶 Although primarily insect-eaters, they will occasionally feed on seeds and fruit.
🪶 Their distinctive nests, once abandoned, are frequently used by cut-throat finches for roosting and breeding.

🏞 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐁𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 & 𝐇𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐓
This species favours wooded savanna, riverine woodland and well-treed wetlands across sub-Saharan Africa. At Dabchick Wildlife Reserve, they are often seen foraging in tall trees and are remarkably tolerant of human presence, sometimes nesting close to buildings.

🪺 𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 & 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆
Red-headed Weavers construct distinctive retort-shaped nests with long entrance tunnels, woven from freshly plucked leaf midribs that harden as they dry, forming a strong, rigid structure. Leaves are often entwined above the nest for added waterproofing.

Nests are typically placed in tall trees such as baobabs (𝘼𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙖 𝙙𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙖) and ana trees (𝙁𝙖𝙞𝙙𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙗𝙞𝙖 𝙖𝙡𝙗𝙞𝙙𝙖), but are also commonly built on man-made structures near homes.

The species is polygynous, with a single male often constructing several nests to attract multiple females. Breeding takes place during the summer months.

🌍 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄
Listed as Least Concern, the red-headed weaver remains widespread and adaptable. Its success is closely linked to intact woodland and insect-rich environments, and its presence reflects a healthy, functioning ecosystem.

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘰𝘰𝘴.”
— Drs Peter & Pamela Oberem

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘦𝘱 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳!”
— Dr Pamela Oberem
@top fans
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🎼 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 & 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬
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