Tag Archives: birding

Spring Awakening: Exploring South Africa’s West Coast

After three years away, spring lured us back to South Africa’s West Coast—when the land wears its most dazzling colours and the air hums with renewal. Our journey had both heart and purpose: a long-overdue visit to a dear friend in a Langebaan retirement home, and a financial check-in with our adviser based in Dwarskersbos.

Note: To view the group of photographs, click on the first one to enlarge it. Use the arrows to navigate the slideshow. Press ‘escape’ to return to the blog post. On your phone, swipe to view each photo and tap the ‘x’ to return to the blog post. You may also need to tap the information icon to view the captions.

Before settling into our Airbnb in Langebaan on Day One, we made a beeline for the West Coast National Park. The Postberg section, open only in August and September, was in full bloom.

The bird life flitting among the spring blooms was a true delight which stirred a memory from long ago: an Afrikaans liedjie we once sang at school.
Al die veld is vrolik
Al die voeltjies sing
Al die kriekies kriek daar buit
Elke springkaans spring.

Loosely translated – The whole veld is cheerful, the birds sing, the crickets call outside, and each grasshopper hops.

The Cape Francolins certainly enjoyed the fields of flowers

The only mammals we found were these beautiful Cape Mountain Zebra.

Though primarily scavengers, yellow-billed kites also hunt small vertebrates and insects. Flower-rich fields attract pollinators and other insects, which in turn draw insectivorous birds like kites. We were thrilled to witness this in Postberg.

We also explored the other section of the West Coast National Park and the highlight was finding the Grey-Winged Francolin.

The ostrich family was also fascinating to watch. Those babies must be a lot of work!

Day Two led us to Velddrif for a financial meeting, followed by an impromptu river cruise on the Berg River. With no booking in hand, we simply Googled “boat cruises,” followed the directions, and hoped for the best. Luck was on our side. We spotted Nico’s sign, dialed the number, and he cheerfully invited us to join a group departing at 12:30. It was 12:10—we made it just in time.

The Earl, ever at peace on the water, was in his element. The cruise was pure magic. The vessel—a humble West Coast Chuckie—was far from fancy, but with only six of us aboard, it offered the perfect vantage for soaking in the scenery and spotting birds. The river mirrored the sky, and the bird life was a quiet joy.

As we were driving back to Langebaan we passed a wetland and stopped to observes some teal with their babies. A few stilts were wading in the ponds too,

Day Three
After packing up for departure from our accommodation, we enjoyed a lovely lunch with our dear friend Hanny, in Langebaan, then drove back to Cape Town, grateful for the springtime beauty, the meaningful connections, and the chance to revisit familiar places with fresh eyes. The West Coast gifted us not only wildflowers and birds, but moments of reflection and renewal.

Bird Watching at Strandfontein: A Hidden Gem

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The Earl and I are ex-Capetonians, now happily settled in the slow-paced seaside village of Struisbaai, perched at the southern tip of Africa. Every so often, we return to the Mother City to reconnect with family, catch up with friends, and check in with our trusted medical specialists.

This time, we set off on Sunday 17 August for a two-week visit—and I was unusually well-prepared! I drew up an itinerary, carefully slotting in medical appointments alongside dates with loved ones. Hopefully, no one important was left off the list!

On Sunday, 31 August, we had plans for afternoon tea with my aunt, but the morning was wide open. “Let’s go to our favourite bird watching spot,” I suggested to the Earl, and he readily agreed.

The Strandfontein Birding Area may be part of a wastewater treatment site, but it’s also a shimmering gem within the False Bay Nature Reserve. This reserve includes Rondevlei, Zeekoevlei, Pelican Park, Slangetjiebos, and the Zandwolf Coastal Strip. Strandfontein itself is a RAMSAR-designated wetland and one of the Western Cape’s premier birding destinations. Its wagon-wheel layout of ponds draws flamingos, pelicans, and a dazzling array of other water birds.

I’ve blogged about this special place before and have taken school groups there on several occasions. It never fails to delight.

With spring just a breath away, the weather graciously played its part—sunny, warm, and with just a gentle breeze. The ponds lay still, while wildflowers burst into bloom across the park. We were especially enchanted by the arum lilies, though the white daisies and the vibrant yellows, pinks, and purples scattered throughout stole our hearts just as easily.

There’s ongoing work to revamp the area and enhance both water quality and habitat diversity. The City of Cape Town, in collaboration with conservation groups, is regrading the settling pans to better accommodate a range of bird species. Reedbed management is also being improved to support breeding birds.

While these upgrades promise long-term benefits, I think that machinery noise and fluctuating water levels seem to have caused many birds to move elsewhere, and with fewer nesting and feeding areas available, the usual avian bustle was noticeably subdued. It’s also a touch early for the migrant waders. There were none in evidence on this day.

Normally, I can count on flamingos, pelicans, and purple swamphens to show up for me and when bringing guests, I usually promise that they will see them! Luckily, it was just us—so no risk of being exposed as a pretender! We did catch sight of flamingos in flight, though they must have settled at a pond we’d already passed. Their elegant fly-over was the only trace they left behind.

We may have missed a few familiar faces, but the drive was delightful, and the birds that graced the ponds were simply gorgeous. Some of the ponds, like the ones pictured below had teams of birds while there was little to be seen on others,

Gulls against a stunning backdrop of spring flowers

I don’t remember seeing the Cape Canary in this park, but I might have. This one certainly was enjoying the daisies and the arum lilies. The little Levaillant’s cisticola was also good enough to pose but getting that clear shot was not easy with the reeds in he background wanting to take the focus away.

True to form, the Yellow-billed Ducks graced several ponds, ever camera-ready and utterly unfazed by our lens-loving admiration.

We spotted flocks of Cape Shovellers in the distance and managed to get a couple a little closer for the lens. Cape Teal and red-billed teal were about but we only managed to photograph the Cape. Some Fulvous duck were hiding and we almost missed them. They are not as common as the other ducks.

Avocets and stilts made an appearance and seemed to be enjoying the calm ponds. We also found a few blacksmith lapwings but there were not as many as usual.

The herons were having a good time too.

Coots had not left the area and there were a number of faithful moorhen too,

Surprisingly there weren’t many Egyptian Geese. I always think they improve the scenery. There were also a few Spurwings around,

The egrets and ibises were quite entertaining

Even with fewer birds than usual, the reserve offered its own quiet charm—a reminder that nature doesn’t always need to dazzle to restore. We left with full hearts, grateful for the stillness, the spring blooms, and the joy of simply being.

Gecko Road Trip October 2024 Day 3,4 and 5 Karoo National Park

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Note: When viewing the groups of photographs click on first one to enlarge. Use arrows to see slide show. Press escape to return to the blog post. If you are on your phone you just need to swipe to see each photo and click on the x to return to the blog post. You might also need to click on the info icon to see the captions.

Wednesday 16 October 2024 to Friday, 18 October 2024

We spent three lovely days exploring the Karoo National Pak. On Wednesday, the weather started off cool but warmed up beautifully as the day progressed. Thursday, was very hot and we did not spend much time out. Today, Friday, started off quite cool but by the afternoon it was hot again.

On Tuesday we took the Klipspringer and Potlekkertjie Loop. We didn’t spot any klipspringers but we did encounter Grey Rhebok on the Potlekkertjie loop.
We stopped at the Doornhoek Picnic site for breakfast and a loo break.

Once again we were intrigued by the wonderland of ancient rock formations dating back to the Permian Period. Millions of years ago dinosaurs roamed these plains.

Below is a list of the creatures we encountered: the first group consists of mammals, and the second group comprises birds.

‘Mom who are those strange looking primates:” “Distant cousins, dear – pay them no attention – they’re the nasty side of the fmily’

We heard and saw a number of birds but of course, most of them did not stop to pose for their portraits. Thanks to those who indulged the Paparazzi. The Verreaux’s eagles were the highlight of the day. I spotted them when I stopped to look at pale-winged starlings. We got out at the viewpoint but could not see them from there so went back to just before that and got some reasonable shots.

Over the next two days, we saw much of the same, and I will let the photos below tell the story.

On Thursday, we popped in at Bulkraal Picnic Site near the gate and were impressed with the facilities. On Wednesday and Friday, we had our breakfast at Doornhoek Picnic Site, which is on the Potlettertjie Loop.

There is always some bird activity at picnic sites and Bulkraal did not disappoint.

Baboons are always so amusing and this morning as we were coming around the bend of we encountered a troop using the wall as a lookout. They were not impressed with us and one clung to the grooves in the wall hoping we would not spot him.

The birds were particularly active today but not all would pose for the Paparazzi. We had a stunning sighting of two secretary birds. One was in a tree and another flew in to say hi to him and then they scurried away at great speed making photography extremely difficult. The photos are simply too bad to be published! Below are the more obliging of the feathered friends.

Very common and very pretty – Cape Sparrow

These female ostriches camouflage so well. We wonder if they’re sitting on eggs?

The mammals also gave us some lovely Kodak Moments.

Mountain zebras are particularly photogenic

A Grey Rhebok surprised us on the road and leaped off into the bush but we still managed to get some shots of him.

This afternoon, we packed as much as we could for our departure tomorrow. In the evening, we dined at the camp’s restaurant. Earl, Cathy, and Alec savored the oxtail potjie, while I indulged in the venison potjie—sorry, Bambi!

And it looks like this will be my last post on WordPress as I have run out of free space. I will have to think about what I am going to do – give up blogging or set up a paid space.

Budding Little Birders – An Outing to False Bay Nature Reserve

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While visiting Cape Town last week I had the privilege of guiding a class of Grade Three girls, whose teacher is an ex-colleague of mine, on a bird-watching excursion. Each year she does a theme on birds which includes an outing to The False Bay Nature Reserve formerly the settling ponds of the Strandfontein Sewerage Works. I know this park and its birds very well which is why the teacher asked me to be their guide. Of course, I took my ‘driver’ along with me and he enjoyed it just as much as I did.

He and I visited the park the day before to get an idea of where the various species were likely to be found. The photos posted in the blog are from both days. It was rather windy on our recci day and most of the birds were gathered in large groups on P1 and P2. On the day of the excursion, the wind had dropped but it was overcast with a spit and spot of rain which did not dampen the spirits of the little girls at all. There were seven cars filled with eager little girls and their equally interested parents. We were able to get out of the cars quite frequently and at all the ponds we visited we managed to see a variety of beautiful water birds.

In preparation for the outing, the girls had been assigned a bird to research and then had to present an oral to the rest of the class. This also helped them to remember the names of the birds as they associated the bird with the girl who did the oral.

The girls were delighted to tick off most of the assigned birds. I am sure the girls who didn’t find their bird will see them at another time.

**Arabella’s** Black-winged stilts were seen in many of the ponds.

Aren’t **Nuhaa’s** birds pretty – Cape Teals

**Ava** had Cattle Egret and she saw quite a number of them.

Greater Flamingo was **Nura’s** bird and what a lot there were!

Oh, put your wings down! It’s just a Cape Shoveler passing by!

**Jade’s** bird – A black-headed Heron observing the masses of birds of P1

**Abigail,** I think the Egyptian Geese always improve the scenery.

**Risima** got Pied Avocet and we saw lots.

Look, **Thea** – Lots of your birds! A flotilla of shovelers

**Nuhaa’s** Cape Teal with the pink bills and **Thea’s** Cape Shoveler socialising with them

A gathering of Bianca’s Blacksmith Lapwings with stilts and avocets in attendance

**Kayla** was delighted to find her bird. It’s a dabchick, she said but also knew its new name – Little Grebe.

Lots of **Alia’s** Hartlaub’s Gulls – I wonder what happened to the one in the middle!

It was wonderful to find Lesser Flamingo. They are not as common as Greater Flamingo in this park.

There were lots of Elle’s bird, the Kelp Gull, to be found. Here they are with Olivia’s Sacred Ibis and **Arabella’**s Black-winged Stilts.

**Fatima’s** Bird – Great White Pelicans

**Sara’s** bird appeared from time to time – Glossy Ibis

We were surprised to see large groups of **Talullah’s** Bird, The Common Moorhen

Usually, she is shy and tries to hide away.

**Frances’s** Yellow-billed Duck was at our very first pond.

**Annabelle** was assigned the handsome Spur-winged goose and a number of them were happy to come along to greet the girls.

**Emma** was assigned the Swift Tern now known as a Greater Crested Tern – There were many of them with their yellow bills among the Hartlaub’s Gulls.

Rania Did you see a red-billed teal? I don’t remember seeing one but I believe some of the girls did. So here is a photo from another time.

Some of the girls didn’t get to see their birds on their outing day so the challenge to them is to try to see it in the near future. I am sure they will.

Below are photographs from my archives – not necessarily taken at Strandfontein.

Ann Rose, one day I am sure you will see a shelduck. As you know the male and female are not alike. These two were taken at Addo Elephant Park

Audrey, your bird is the beautiful African Darter. Keep your eyes open for one.

Grace, I was very surprised we didn’t see any cormorants. They usually love visiting Strandfontein.

What a great time we all had on this excursion. For me, it was great to see the enthusiasm of such young children. Their teacher has certainly kindled an interest in birds and wildlife in them. These little girls have been introduced to a hobby they can be involved in for the rest of their lives.

A Gecko Getaway – Ebb and Flow, Wilderness – Day 4

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Last night we put our camp chairs into the back of the car just in case it rained and rain it did! We had quite a few downpours during the night but by morning it had all gone away and we awoke to sunny skies.

This morning I was at the showers by half past seven and the Earl and I left camp at half past eight to meet our daughter and granddaughter at the Sedgefield Market. Only I had misread the time on my watch – it doesn’t have numbers – and it was an hour earlier! It was only when we saw the digital time in the car that we realised my mistake! So we did a scenic tour around Wilderness and then wandered around the Wild Oats Market until Lauren and Shannon met us at 9.

The Farmers’ Market at Sedgefield is well worth a visit. It is held every Saturday morning and is popular with locals and tourists alike.

Opposite the market grounds are a few shops and more craft market stalls and when the kids arrived we went there and found a lovely restaurant where we could sit comfortably, have breakfast and chat. It was lovely to catch up with Shannon as we did not see when we visited for the Christmas holidays as she was in Queenstown with her fiance. She is getting married in March and the whole family will be gathering at St Francis Bay for the Easter Weekend. As you can imagine most of our conversation was about the forthcoming Big Event!

The other side of The Market – Lovely sculptures

The rest of the Gecko gang did their own thing all day today and gathered for a communal braai for the last evening which we missed as we had to leave to attend a function in Struisbaai. Our good friends Cath and Alec kindly left with us to provide support should anything go wrong. We really appreciate their support.

Thanks to all the Gecko Gang for a fantastic getaway. We had such fun and thoroughly enjoyed bonding with everybody at Ebb and Flow.

John Magner as I mentioned before took the opportunity to do a pentad for SABAP2. This project is very important for tracking the movement of birds in South Africa and where they are likely to be found. Many dedicated birders send in their cards to help with this project and we really appreciate their contributions.

This is the list that John got during our Gecko Camp. I have put an asterisk on the ones I personally saw too.

Laughing Dove,*

White-throated Swallow*

Red-eyed Dove*

Ring-necked Dove*

Knysna Turaco,*

Black-headed Oriole,

Bar-throated Apalis*

Southern Grey-headed Sparrow

Cape White-eye*

White-breasted Cormorant*

Egyptian Goose*

Helmeted Guineafowl*

African Hoopoe*

Sombre Greenbu*l

Southern Boubou*

Fork-tailed Drongo*

Reed Cormorant*

Common Moorhen*

African Fish Eagle

Cape Batis*

Purple Heron

Burchell’s Coucal

Hadada Ibis,*

Fiery-necked Nightjar

Cape Weaver*

African Black Swift

Little Swift

Pied Kingfisher

Red-faced Mousebird*

Barn Swallow*

Lesser Swamp Warbler*

Pied Crow*

Hartlaub’s Gull*

Little Grebe*

Blacksmith Lapwing*

Kelp Gull*

Southern Double-collared Sunbird*

Red-knobbed Coot,*

Malachite Kingfisher*

Western Cattle Egret*

Cape Wagtail*

African Swamphen*

Little Rush Warbler,

Great Crested Grebe*

Domestic Goose*

Giant Kingfisher,

Fiscal Flycatcher*

Black Saw-wing*

Southern Fiscal*

African Sacred Ibis*

Yellow-billed Kite*

Red-winged Starling*

Swee Waxbill

Forest Canary

Cape Bulbul*

Bird List of John Magner

A Gecko Getaway – Ebb and Flow, Wilderness – Day 3

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The day started a little later for me this morning and I only emerged from my Gecko just before 08h00. It was slightly cooler weather and it looked like it might rain. Once again we were all left to spend the day as we chose. John popped by to say that he and Jane would be going into town and then to do some bird trails. I asked him to please fetch me after the shopping and take me with him which he kindly agreed to.

While sitting enjoying the ambiance of our campsite and waiting to bird with John and Jane, I spotted a flash of red wings and leaped for my camera and then ran to the tree where I was sure the bird had landed. This roused the curiosity of the others in our laager and I excitedly pointed out the beautiful green bird. There were in fact three of them and everybody managed to see them.

One gave up his game of hide and seek and posed for his portrait

I really don’t know what the fuss is about!

While all this fuss was going on Jane rang to tell me to come to their site but I didn’t hear my phone so she came to fetch me – Thanks Jane – I should have been ready and waiting!

We did three different trails one of which was the Galinule Hide near the Fairy Knowe Hotel. You need to get a key to the hide from the hotel and then do a walk to the hide. It was very quiet and we did not see many birds. The most interesting flying creatures we saw were in fact human beings paragliding over the beautiful holiday homes of The Wilderness.

We then did a kingfisher trail along a boardwalk and only saw a few birds at a distance. Near where John parked the car, however, we saw double-collared sunbirds. (I will post a complete list of birds seen in my final blog tomorrow.)

A very distant photograph of a Hartlaub’s gull – We also saw kelp gulls and cororants

The last place we stopped was also part of the Garden Route National Park and is next to the Island Holiday Resort. This proved to be a very rewarding spot. The most prominent birds were the red-knobbed coots – hundreds of them. We also saw a malachite kingfisher but my photo is so blurred it is not fit for publication.

With wings folded and now looking for evidence of fish beneath the surface

Cattle Egrets – the one on the right is a juvenile

A Purple Swamphen – a little too far away for a good photograph

A White-throated Swallow taking a break from constantly flying about.

A feral domestic goose! He was hanging with the Egyptian Geese hoping to be adopted, I think.

After enjoying a great day at the Wilderness and surrounds most of us went off for dinner at a few of the local restaurants, all of which offer great food at reasonable prices. We opted for The Girls on the Square and were not disappointed. Earl had Mediterranean Calamari and Alec, Cathy and I settled for Caeser Salad served with a really stunning dressing. Cath and Alec shared a Melba Pudding and Earl and I shared a Creme Brule. We were not disappointed.

I thought the salt and pepper with their mussel shell spoons were rather cute

And the sculptures of The Three Little Pigs, AKA Warthogs were just too adorable

When we got back to camp we joined the ‘after party’ of people returned from the restaurants or beginning their own braai. The fun does not stop when you’re camping with fellow Gecko Okes!

Dankie vir ‘n lekker day, almal. Ons sien uit na meer pret môre

Gecko Getaway – Ebb and Flow, Wilderness. Day 2

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It was a little cooler when we woke up this morning but still a very pleasant day. In fact, we are quite pleased that it is neither too hot nor too cold. By the time I peeked outside my Gecko just after 7 this morning, a handful of others were already drinking coffee and visiting others in the laager. There is such a relaxed, friendly atmosphere here and it is clear that everybody is having a good time.

The laager taken from outside the perimeter looking in.

The Earl and I had a little wander around the campsite before breakfast and I took a few more bird photographs. Of course, the really interesting birds were hiding in the foliage of the trees but at least we got to see them with our eyes even if they scorned the camera!

John and Jane are also here and they are keen birders too. For many years, John and I served on the Cape Bird Club committee and John still leads many birding outings. While here he is Atlassing for SABAP 2 so is keeping a list which he will give me at the end of the week. I will then post which birds we have seen in my final blog. Today John, Jane, Earl, Nida and I did the Half-collared Kingfisher Trail. Earl and Nida turned back a little earlier but John, Jane, and I continued up until the pont before turning back. It is a very pretty route through the forest but some of it is up and down steep steps and the ground is quite uneven. It was also quite humid as we did it in the middle of the day. It was pretty quiet as far as birds were concerned but we heard bar-throated apalis, sombre bulbul, southern boubou, and Knysna Turaco. We caught sight of the turaco but it refused to look at the camera. The half-collared kingfisher was conspicuous by its absence!

Looking across to North Camp from the trail.

We saw some lovely flora – Jane identified this as Wild Hibiscus

We did not cross over on the pont but these hikers allowed me to photograph them doing it,

And a paddle ski comes through from the other direction.

Everybody did their own thing today, some chatting at each other’s sites, going for walks or excursions to surrounding places of interest or simply chilling with a book or having a nap. We also took care of our own cooking for the evening but many shared fires and a lot of ‘kuiering’ took place.