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Pigeon Valley

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Hikers in 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. 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 11ha 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

Red duiker at Pigeon Valley
Male buff-spotted flufftail in Pigeon Valley, January 2014

The park is home to red duiker and blue duiker. There is a troop of banded mongooses as well as slender and water mongooses. Blue vervet monkeys are constantly present.

Various species of forest birds are found here including; Green Twinspot, Cape White-Eye, Southern Boubou, Spotted Ground-Thrush, Purple-crested Turaco and African Paradise-Flycatcher. The Black Sparrowhawk breeds here annually. Another bird that is seldom seen but that is generally present is Buff-spotted Flufftail. 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 158 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; in 2015 it was present until 5 October. Summer migrants include, occasionally, Black Cuckoo, Red-chested Cuckoo and Red-backed Shrike.


Bird list for Pigeon Valley
Number Family Species Status Notes
1 Apalis Barthroated 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 Breeding resident
8 Bee-eater Little Occasional visitor
9 Boubou Southern Breeding resident
10 Brownbul Terrestrial Breeding resident
11 Bulbul Dark-capped Breeding resident
12 Bunting Goldenbreasted Occasional visitor April 1992, 30 March 2013
13 Bush-Shrike Gorgeous Rare visitor 2007
14 Bush-Shrike Greyheaded Occasional visitor 2012; 2014
15 Bush-Shrike Olive Occasional visitor
16 Bush-Shrike Orange-breasted Occasional visitor Last seen 2011
17 Camaroptera Green-backed Breeding resident
18 Canary Brimstone Regular visitor
19 Canary Yellow-fronted Regularly present
20 Cisticola Zitting Rare visitor Pair present 2015
21 Coucal Burchell's Occasional visitor
22 Crested-Flycatcher Bluemantled Rare visitor Female present 2014-6
23 Crow Pied Occasional visitor
24 Cuckoo Black Occasional summer visitor
25 Cuckoo Diderik Regular summer visitor
26 Cuckoo Emerald Occasional summer visitor
27 Cuckoo Common Rare visitor 1979; November 2018
28 Cuckoo Jacobin Rare visitor October 2016
29 Cuckoo Klaas's Breeding resident Breeding 2014
30 Cuckoo Redchested Occasional summer visitor 2015, 2017
31 Cuckooshrike Black Occasional visitor Mainly winter
32 Cuckooshrike Grey Occasional visitor Mainly winter
33 Dove Redeyed Breeding resident
34 Dove Laughing Breeding resident
35 Dove Rock Occasional visitor
36 Dove Tambourine Breeding resident
37 Dove Lemon Rare visitor 2012, 2018
38 Drongo Forktailed Breeding resident
39 Drongo Squaretailed Breeding resident
40 Duck White-faced Infrequent visitor November 2017
41 Eagle African Crowned Occasional visitor
42 Eagle-Owl Spotted Occasional visitor
43 Falcon Lanner Occasional visitor
44 Firefinch African Breeding resident
45 Firefinch Red-billed Breeding resident First sighting January 2015; now established
46 Fiscal Common Not seen in recent years
47 Flufftail Buffspotted Breeding resident Seen regularly
48 Flycatcher Ashy Breeding resident
49 Flycatcher Dusky Breeding resident
50 Flycatcher Fiscal Regular winter visitor
51 Flycatcher Spotted Uncommon summer visitor Present late 2014
52 Flycatcher Southern Black Breeding resident
53 Goshawk African Breeding resident
54 Greenbul Sombre Breeding resident
55 Greenbul Yellowbellied Occasional visitor Mainly winter and spring
56 Ground-Thrush Spotted Regular migrant April to September; November 2014; January 2016
57 Hamerkop Occasional visitor
58 Harrierhawk African Regular visitor
59 Hawk African Cuckoo Rare visitor Present June 2014
60 Heron Black-headed Occasional visitor
61 Hobby Eurasian Rare visitor March 2015
62 Honeybird Brownbacked Occasional visitor
63 Honey-Buzzard European Rare visitor First sighting January 2015
64 Honeyguide Greater Rare visitor Not seen in recent years
65 Honeyguide Lesser Usually present
66 Honeyguide Scalythroated Occasional visitor
67 Hoopoe African Occasional visitor
68 Hornbill Crowned Rare visitor 2015
69 Hornbill Trumpeter Rare visitor 2011
70 Ibis Hadeda Breeding resident
71 Kingfisher Brownhooded Breeding resident
72 Kingfisher Mangrove Rare visitor 2011, March 2016, 8 October 2017
73 Kingfisher Pygmy Occasional visitor
74 Kite Yellowbilled Breeding migrant
75 Malkoha Green Infrequent visitor 2010, 2017-8
76 Mannikin Bronze Breeding resident
77 Mannikin Redbacked Breeding resident
78 Martin Rock Occasional visitor
79 Mousebird Speckled Breeding resident
80 Myna Common Frequent visitor
81 Nightjar European Rare visitor 2013; 2014 18 December 2014
82 Nightjar Fierynecked Occasional visitor
83 Oriole Blackheaded Breeding resident
84 Owl Barn Record from 1979
85 Palm-Swift African Regularly present
86 Paradise-Flycatcher African Breeding resident
87 Parakeet Rose-ringed Regular visitor
88 Pigeon Green Record from 1979
89 Prinia Tawnyflanked Breeding resident
90 Puffback Blackbacked Breeding resident
91 Pygmy-Kingfisher African Occasional visitor
92 Quelea Red-billed Rare visitor December 2017
93 Robin White-Starred Rare visitor Not seen in recent years
94 Robin-Chat Redcapped Breeding resident
95 Robin-Chat Cape Occasional visitor Mainly winter
96 Robin-Chat Chorister Occasional visitor Mainly winter
97 Saw-wing Black Regular visitor
98 Scimitarbill Common Rare visitor 11 November 2016
99 Scops-Owl Southern White-faced Rare vagrant July 2018
100 Scrub-Robin White-browed Breeding resident
101 Seedeater Streaky-headed Breeding resident
102 Shrike Fiscal Occasional visitor
103 Shrike Red-backed Infrequent summer visitor Present Nov 2015
104 Sparrow Southern Greyheaded Occasional visitor
105 Sparrow House Occasional visitor
106 Sparrowhawk Little Occasional visitor
107 Sparrowhawk Black Breeding resident
108 Spurfowl Natal Occasional visitor
109 Starling Blackbellied Breeding resident
110 Starling Violetbacked Occasional summer visitor
111 Starling Redwinged Regularly present
112 Starling Glossy Breeding resident
113 Stonechat African Rare visitor Not seen in recent years
114 Stork Woollynecked Occasional visitor
115 Sunbird Grey Breeding resident
116 Sunbird Amethyst Breeding resident
117 Sunbird Olive Breeding resident
118 Sunbird Purplebanded Regular visitor Winter
119 Sunbird Collared Breeding resident
120 Sunbird Whitebellied Breeding resident
121 Swallow Barn Regular visitor Summer
122 Swallow Lesser-striped Regular visitor
123 Swallow Whitethroated Occasional visitor
124 Swift Black Rare visitor
125 Swift Whiterumped Occasional visitor
126 Swift Little Regularly present
127 Swift Palm Regularly present
128 Swift Alpine Rare visitor Not seen in recent years
129 Tchagra Southern Rare visitor 2017,, 2018
130 Thrush Kurrichane Breeding resident
131 Thrush Olive Winter visitor Present March 2014, 2018
132 Tinkerbird Redfronted Occasional visitor October 2017
133 Tinkerbird Yellow-rumped Breeding resident
134 Tit Southern Black Breeding resident
135 Trogon Narina Occasional visitor
136 Turaco Knysna Rare visitor September 1991; 1 October 2017
137 Turaco Purple-crested Breeding resident
138 Twinspot Green Regular visitor Breeding record 2014
139 Vulture Palm-nut Rare visitor 22 October 2017
140 Wagtail Cape Occasional visitor
141 Wagtail Mountain Rare visitor Seen once in 1990s, again in 2013
142 Warbler Barratt's Infrequent winter visitor June 2014, 2017
143 Warbler Garden Rare visitor Present winter 2015
144 Warbler Knysna Rare visitor 20th August 2017, 2018
145 Warbler Marsh Summer visitor Several 2017-8
146 Warbler Willow Rare summer visitor December 2014
147 Wattle-eye Black-throated Rare visitor 2013; present in 2015
148 Waxbill Common Regular visitor
149 Waxbill Grey Breeding resident
150 Weaver Yellow Rare visitor Winter 2015
151 Weaver Darkbacked Breeding resident
152 Weaver Village Breeding resident
153 Weaver Spectacled Regularly present
154 Weaver Thickbilled Breeding resident
155 White-eye Cape Breeding resident
156 Wood-Hoopoe Green Regular visitor
157 Woodland-Warbler Yellowthroated Rare visitor, winter 13 August 2016
158 Woodpecker Goldentailed Breeding resident
159 Woodpecker Cardinal Breeding resident
160 Woodpecker Olive Rare visitor 2009, 2017, 2018
161 Wydah Pin-tailed Irregular visitor 2015, 2017

Plants

A Natal elm, showing its extensive buttressing, Pigeon Valley, May 2013

There are over 110 species of trees occurring in Pigeon Valley, almost all of which are locally indigenous. 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.

A Spotted Ground-Thrush, a migrant to the urban reserve, Pigeon Valley, Durban



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/.

See also

References

  1. Bodenstein, J. (2009)
  2. Birds in Reserves, ADU
  3. http://birp.adu.org.za/site_summary.php?site=29523059
  4. Hemson, C. (2014)

Bibliography

  • Pooley, T. and Player, I. (1995). KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife Destinations. ISBN 1-86812-487-8.
Nature Reserves in eThekwini
eThekwini Municipality D'MOSS
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife
Privately Managed

29°51′52″S 30°59′19″E / 29.86444°S 30.98861°E / -29.86444; 30.98861

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