Pigeon Valley
Pigeon Valley is a Natural Heritage Park and formally declared municipal nature reserve in Durban, South Africa. It is an unusual example of an urban reserve with very high levels of biodiversity. It was established to provide protection for the Natal elm (Celtis mildbraedii) and other forest giants of the coastal climax forest.[1] Another rare tree that occurs here is Natal forest loquat (Oxyanthus pyriformis), which is endemic to the Durban area and to oNgoye Forest. Pigeon Valley is about 11 ha in extent, and is situated on the Berea, overlooking Durban Bay. Its unusual north-south orientation may contribute to the biodiversity, with the south-facing slope covered in canopy forest, while the north-facing slope has thorny thickets. An adjoining reservoir, previously part of the reserve, provides a patch of coastal grassland.
Animals
The park is home to red duiker and blue duiker. Other mammals include Large-spotted Genet, a troop of banded mongooses as well as slender and water mongooses. Blue vervet monkeys are constantly present. From early July 2019, a side-striped jackal has been seen in neighbouring roads and is apparently living in the reserve. This may be the southernmost sighting of this species.
Various species of forest birds are found here including; red-capped robin-chat, green twinspot, Cape white-eye, southern boubou, spotted ground thrush, purple-crested turaco and African paradise flycatcher. The black sparrowhawk breeds here annually. There are increasingly common visits by the Crowned Eagle, and it seems that two birds are now resident in the suburban area. Another bird that is seldom seen but that is generally present is buff-spotted flufftail.[2] Unusual sightings of note in recent years include European nightjar, Knysna warbler, lemon dove, mountain wagtail, black-throated wattle-eye, common scimitarbill, palm-nut vulture and Knysna turaco. The current bird list for Pigeon Valley includes 162[3] species.
The spotted ground thrush is of particular note, as Pigeon Valley is one of the places where this endangered bird can be most reliably found in winter. It arrives typically in late March or early April, and is present until August or September; earliest arrival date recorded has been 22nd March and latest (in 2015) 5th October, apart from a single January sighting. Summer migrants include, occasionally, black cuckoo, red-chested cuckoo and red-backed shrike.
Bird list
Number | Family | Species | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Apalis | Bar-throated | Breeding resident | |
2 | Apalis | Yellow-breasted | Breeding resident | |
3 | Barbet | Black-collared | Breeding resident | Recent decline in numbers |
4 | Barbet | White-eared | Breeding resident | Increasing in number |
5 | Barbet | Crested | Occasional visitor | |
6 | Batis | Cape | Breeding resident | |
7 | Batis | Chinspot | Occasional visitor | |
8 | Bee-eater | Little | Occasional visitor | |
9 | Blackcap | Black | Rare visitor | 22 August 2020 |
10 | Boubou | Southern | Breeding resident | |
11 | Brownbul | Terrestrial | Breeding resident | |
12 | Bulbul | Dark-capped | Breeding resident | |
13 | Bunting | Golden-breasted | Occasional visitor | April 1992, 30 March 2013 |
14 | Bush-Shrike | Gorgeous | Rare visitor | 2007 |
15 | Bush-Shrike | Grey-headed | Occasional visitor | 2012; winter 2014, 2019-2020 |
16 | Bush-Shrike | Olive | Winter and spring visitor | |
17 | Bush-Shrike | Orange-breasted | Occasional visitor | Last seen 2011 |
18 | Buzzard | Steppe | Infrequent visitor | March 2019 |
19 | Camaroptera | Green-backed | Breeding resident | |
20 | Canary | Brimstone | Regular visitor | |
21 | Canary | Yellow-fronted | Regularly present | |
22 | Chat | Familiar | Occasional visitor | |
23 | Cisticola | Zitting | Rare visitor | Pair present 2015; 2020 |
24 | Coucal | Burchell's | Occasional visitor | |
25 | Crested-Flycatcher | Blue-mantled | Rare visitor | Female present 2014-6 |
26 | Crow | Pied | Occasional visitor | |
27 | Cuckoo | Black | Occasional summer visitor | |
28 | Cuckoo | Diderik | Regular summer visitor | |
29 | Cuckoo | Emerald | Occasional summer visitor | |
30 | Cuckoo | Common | Rare visitor | 1979; November 2018 |
31 | Cuckoo | Jacobin | Rare visitor | October 2016 |
32 | Cuckoo | Klaas's | Breeding resident | Breeding 2014 |
33 | Cuckoo | Red-chested | Occasional summer visitor | 2015, 2017 |
34 | Cuckooshrike | Black | Occasional visitor | Mainly winter |
35 | Cuckooshrike | Grey | Occasional visitor | Mainly winter |
36 | Dove | Red-eyed | Breeding resident | |
37 | Dove | Laughing | Breeding resident | |
38 | Dove | Rock | Occasional visitor | |
39 | Dove | Tambourine | Breeding resident | |
40 | Dove | Lemon | Rare visitor | 2012, 2018 |
41 | Drongo | Fork-tailed | Breeding resident | |
42 | Drongo | Square-tailed | Breeding resident | |
43 | Duck | White-faced | Infrequent visitor | November 2017 |
44 | Eagle | African crowned | Occasional visitor | |
45 | Eagle-Owl | Spotted | Occasional visitor | |
46 | Falcon | Lanner | Occasional visitor | |
47 | Firefinch | African | Breeding resident | |
48 | Firefinch | Red-billed | Breeding resident | First sighting January 2015; now established |
49 | Fiscal | Common | Not seen in recent years | |
50 | Flufftail | Buff-spotted | Breeding resident | Seen regularly |
51 | Flycatcher | Ashy | Breeding resident | |
52 | Flycatcher | Dusky | Breeding resident | |
53 | Flycatcher | Fiscal | Regular winter visitor | |
54 | Flycatcher | Spotted | Uncommon summer visitor | Present late 2014 |
55 | Flycatcher | Southern Black | Breeding resident | |
56 | Goshawk | African | Breeding resident | |
57 | Greenbul | Sombre | Breeding resident | |
58 | Greenbul | Yellow-bellied | Occasional visitor | Mainly winter and spring |
59 | Ground-Thrush | Spotted | Regular migrant | April to September; November 2014; January 2016 |
60 | Hamerkop | Occasional visitor | ||
61 | Harrierhawk | African | Regular visitor | |
62 | Hawk | African cuckoo | Rare visitor | Present June 2014 |
63 | Heron | Black-headed | Occasional visitor | |
64 | Hobby | Eurasian | Rare visitor | March 2015 |
65 | Honeybird | Brown-backed | Occasional visitor | |
66 | Honey-Buzzard | European | Rare visitor | First sighting January 2015 |
67 | Honeyguide | Greater | Rare visitor | Not seen in recent years |
68 | Honeyguide | Lesser | Usually present | |
69 | Honeyguide | Scaly-throated | Occasional visitor | |
70 | Hoopoe | African | Occasional visitor | |
71 | Hornbill | Crowned | Rare visitor | 2015 |
72 | Hornbill | Trumpeter | Rare visitor | 2011 |
73 | Ibis | Hadeda | Breeding resident | |
74 | Indigobird | Village | Uncertain as yet | First sighted June 2019 |
75 | Kingfisher | Brown-hooded | Breeding resident | |
76 | Kingfisher | Mangrove | Rare visitor | 2011, March 2016, 8 October 2017 |
77 | Kite | Yellow-billed | Breeding migrant | |
78 | Malkoha | Green | Infrequent visitor | 2010, 2017-8 |
79 | Mannikin | Bronze | Breeding resident | |
80 | Mannikin | Red-backed | Breeding resident | |
81 | Martin | Rock | Occasional visitor | |
82 | Mousebird | Speckled | Breeding resident | |
83 | Myna | Common | Frequent visitor | |
84 | Nightjar | European | Rare visitor | 2013; 18 December 2014 |
85 | Nightjar | Fiery-necked | Occasional visitor | |
86 | Oriole | Black-headed | Breeding resident | |
87 | Owl | Barn | Record from 1979 | |
88 | Palm Swift | African | Regularly present | |
89 | Paradise Flycatcher | African | Breeding resident | |
90 | Parakeet | Rose-ringed | Regular visitor | |
91 | Pigeon | Green | Record from 1979 | |
92 | Prinia | Tawny-flanked | Breeding resident | |
93 | Puffback | Black-backed | Breeding resident | |
94 | Pygmy-Kingfisher | African | Occasional visitor | |
95 | Quelea | Red-billed | Rare visitor | December 2017 |
96 | Robin | White-starred | Rare visitor | Not seen in recent years |
97 | Robin-Chat | Red-capped | Breeding resident | |
98 | Robin-Chat | Cape | Occasional visitor | Mainly winter |
99 | Robin-Chat | Chorister | Occasional visitor | Mainly winter |
100 | Saw-wing | Black | Regular visitor | |
101 | Scimitarbill | Common | Rare visitor | 11 November 2016 |
102 | Scops Owl | Southern white-faced | Rare vagrant | July 2018 |
103 | Scrub-Robin | White-browed | Formerly breeding resident | |
104 | Seedeater | Streaky-headed | Breeding resident | |
105 | Shrike | Red-backed | Infrequent summer visitor | Present Nov 2015 |
106 | Sparrow | Southern grey-headed | Occasional visitor | |
107 | Sparrow | House | Occasional visitor | |
108 | Sparrowhawk | Little | Occasional visitor | |
109 | Sparrowhawk | Black | Breeding resident | |
110 | Spurfowl | Natal | Breeding resident | |
111 | Starling | Black-bellied | Breeding resident | |
112 | Starling | Violet-backed | Occasional summer visitor | |
113 | Starling | Red-winged | Regularly present | |
114 | Starling | Glossy | Breeding resident | |
115 | Stonechat | African | Rare visitor | Not seen in recent years |
116 | Stork | Woolly-necked | Occasional visitor | |
117 | Sunbird | Grey | Breeding resident | |
118 | Sunbird | Amethyst | Breeding resident | |
119 | Sunbird | Olive | Breeding resident | |
120 | Sunbird | Purple-banded | Regular visitor | Winter |
121 | Sunbird | Collared | Breeding resident | |
122 | Sunbird | White-bellied | Breeding resident | |
123 | Swallow | Barn | Regular visitor | Summer |
124 | Swallow | Lesser-striped | Regular visitor | |
125 | Swallow | White-throated | Occasional visitor | |
126 | Swift | Black | Rare visitor | |
127 | Swift | White-rumped | Occasional visitor | |
128 | Swift | Little | Regularly present | |
129 | Swift | Alpine | Rare visitor | Not seen in recent years |
130 | Tchagra | Southern | Rare visitor | 2017, 2018 |
131 | Thrush | Kurrichane | Breeding resident | |
132 | Thrush | Olive | Winter visitor | Present March 2014, 2018 |
133 | Tinkerbird | Red-fronted | Occasional visitor | October 2017, July 2020 |
134 | Tinkerbird | Yellow-rumped | Breeding resident | |
135 | Tit | Southern black | Breeding resident | |
136 | Trogon | Narina | Occasional visitor | |
137 | Turaco | Knysna | Rare visitor | September 1991; 1 October 2017 |
138 | Turaco | Purple-crested | Breeding resident | |
139 | Twinspot | Green | Regular visitor | Breeding record 2014 |
140 | Vulture | Palm-nut | Rare visitor | 22 October 2017, May 2020 |
141 | Wagtail | Cape | Occasional visitor | |
142 | Wagtail | Mountain | Rare visitor | Seen once in 1990s, again in 2013 |
143 | Warbler | Barratt's | Infrequent winter visitor | June 2014, 2017 |
144 | Warbler | Garden | Rare visitor | Present winter 2015 |
145 | Warbler | Knysna | Rare visitor | 20 August 2017, 2018 |
146 | Warbler | Marsh | Summer visitor | Several 2017-9 |
147 | Warbler | Willow | Rare summer visitor | December 2014 |
148 | Wattle-eye | Black-throated | Rare visitor | 2013; present in 2015 |
149 | Waxbill | Common | Regular visitor | |
150 | Waxbill | Grey | Breeding resident | |
151 | Weaver | Yellow | Rare visitor | Winter 2015 |
152 | Weaver | Dark-backed | Breeding resident | |
153 | Weaver | Village | Breeding resident | |
154 | Weaver | Spectacled | Regularly present | |
155 | Weaver | Thick-billed | Breeding resident | |
156 | White-eye | Cape | Breeding resident | |
157 | Wood-hoopoe | Green | Regular visitor | |
158 | Woodland-Warbler | Yellow-throated | Rare visitor, winter | 13 August 2016 |
159 | Woodpecker | Golden-tailed | Breeding resident | |
160 | Woodpecker | Cardinal | Breeding resident | |
161 | Woodpecker | Olive | Rare visitor | 2009, 2017, 2018 |
162 | Whydah | Pin-tailed | Irregular visitor | 2015, 2017 |
Butterflies
The reserve is excellent for its butterflies, and the total listing is now 92 species. In September 2018 the first pupae of the short-barred sapphire were found on a Celtis mildbraedii tree. The host plant is the Oncocalyx quinquenervius mistletoe, which grows profusely on the tree. Subsequently a red-line sapphire was found at the same spot. The first forest queen was found in 2019.
Plants
There are over 110 species of trees occurring in Pigeon Valley, almost all of which are locally indigenous.[4] Pigeon Valley is also notable for large stands of buckweed (Isoglossa woodii), which grow in more open areas under the forest canopy and in forest glades. In recent years there have been a few discoveries of plants not previously identified.
Pigeon Valley is unique in having large numbers of the rare Natal elm, and of Natal forest loquat. A Cryptocarya specimen found adjacent to the main track has so far not been definitively identified; it may be a species seldom found in the area or alternatively a hybrid.
Public access
The reserve is open from 07:30 to 16:00 daily throughout the year. The entrance is in Princess Alice Avenue, Glenwood, opposite Rhodes Avenue.
Community
An active grouping, Friends of Pigeon Valley, undertakes clearing of invasive alien plants, ensuring that the park is unusually free of alien species. It also liaises with the municipal managers of the reserve to address relevant issues. The Friends operate a monthly walk open to the public on the second Saturday of each month, at 07h30. There is a Facebook page, Friends of Pigeon Valley, at https://www.facebook.com/FriendsOfPigeonValley/.
References
- Bodenstein, J. (2009)
- Birds in Reserves, ADU
- http://birp.adu.org.za/site_summary.php?site=29523059
- Hemson, C. (2014)
Bibliography
- Pooley, T. and Player, I. (1995). KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife Destinations. ISBN 1-86812-487-8.