Participants:
Paul and Pat Gaffan, Alistair Henderson and Steve Heath Guide: Duan Biggs
Day 1:
Kirstenbosch and Constantia Greenbelts
After picking up all at the airport, we headed straight to the scenic
Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Here we got good first looks at many of
the more common Fynbos species. These included Spotted Prinia, Cape Bulbul,
Olive Thrush, Cape Robin Chat and gorgeous Malachite Sunbirds. Our first
group of Helmeted Guineafowl delighted all and on the mammal front we
were treated to a friendly and tame Small Grey Mongoose. After Kirstenbosch
we travelled to the nearby Constantia Greenbelts, home of the very elusive
Knysna Warbler. The Warbler remained elusive but we did notch up Cinnamon
Dove. The day was not over yet and we made our way to the famous Strandfontein
Sewage Works where we were treated to a spectacle of waterbirds including
Red-billed and Cape Teal, Maccoa Duck, Greater Flamingo, Cape Shoveller,
and Great Crested and Black-necked Grebe. We were treated to good views
of three reed-dwelling LBJs – Lesser Swamp and Little Rush Warblers
as well as Levaillant’s Cisticola. In the late evening on route
to Simonstown we spotted a Spotted Eagle Owl perched up on the side of
the road.
Day 2: Pelagic
and Sheathbill
Today was a day to remember as a dawn start saw us heading out of Simonstown
harbour to the trawling grounds off the continental shelf about 30 miles
south of Cape Point. Our pelagic guide, the knowledgeable, sea-faring
Ross Wanless joined us for the day. Not far beyond the Cape Point we started
seeing pelagic species including White-chinned Petrel and Sooty Shearwater.
Further in, a Soft-plumaged Petrel did a brief fly-by over our boat and
we picked up on numerous Shy Albatrosses. When we got to the trawlers
we were treated to a spectacle of note - over 1000 seabirds including
Pintado Petrel, Black-browed and Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross and Wilson’s
Storm Petrel. It was not long at the trawling grounds when there was a
shout of Wandering Albatross which we all marvelled at. On route back
to Simonstown our boat stopped off at the breeding site for the range-restricted
Bank Cormorant. After such a successful pelagic, our confidence was boosted
and with high hopes we headed for Cape Town harbour to search for Greater
Sheathbill – which had been reported in the week prior. After some
negotiations with harbour security we were let in and after about 5 minutes
of scanning we had located this all-white somewhat chicken-like bird.
After relishing this sighting for a while, we returned to Simonstown very
satisfied with the day’s performance.
Day 3: Constantia
Greenbelts, Sir Lowry’s Pass and Rooiels
Early in the morning we were treated to a Black Sparrowhawk perched out
in the open. Stopping at another site for Knysna Warbler in the Constantia
Greenbelts we located Bar-throated Apalis and a calling Buff-spotted Flufftail
which as per usual was not showing itself. The dismay with the Flufftail
very soon ended when a Knysna Warbler flew in right in front of our noses!
We enjoyed marvellous views of this little bird for a few minutes before
it disappeared from view. We then decided to hit the mountains at Sir
Lowry’s Pass for the Cape Rockjumper. After many hours hard work
in a blustering wind we had had no luck. We did manage to find numerous
other good birds including Victorin’s Warbler, Cape Grassbird, Grey-backed
Cisticola, Cape Weaver, Yellow-rumped Widow and the colourful Orange-breasted
Sunbird. Birds of prey included Peregrine Falcon and an unexpected Black
Harrier. We then moved onto the town of Rooiels, another site for the
Rockjumper on the eastern slopes of False Bay. Upon stopping at Rooiels
we had 3 Black Eagles and a Secretarybird in the skies up above us. Other
birds included Neddicky, Cape Rock Thrush, Cape Siskin and Familiar Chat
but despite much climbing still no Rockjumper. We returned to Simonstown
in the late afternoon.
Day 4: Darling
Farm Loops and West Coast National Park
After navigating through Cape Town morning traffic we made our way to
the productive farm loops in the Darling area. Here we picked up Karoo
Scrub Robin, Northern Black Korhaan, Red-capped Thick-billed and Spike-heeled
Lark. After some searching we located the Cape Clapper Lark. Other species
included Yellow-bellied Eremomela, the majestic Blue Crane (South Africa’s
national bird) and the colourful Cape Longclaw. The afternoon was spent
in the West Coast National Park – here we enjoyed the colourful
Yellow Canary and Southern Red Bishop as well as Cape Francolin. The famous
hides at Geelbek delivered Kittlitz’s Plover among a range of regular
Palaearctic visitors. A visit to a nearby salt-pan found us our other
important target wader – the Chestnut-banded Plover. Birds of prey
included Pale Chanting Goshawk and Black Harrier. We overnighted at the
comfortable Falcon’s Rest in Langebaan.
Day 5: Velddrift
We had an early morning start getting us to a stakeout for Cape Clapper
Lark at dawn. The Clapper Lark was not playing the game but we did manage
to find Karoo Lark. After some brief birding at the Berg River Estuary
we took the long road north in windy conditions. A stop for an hour or
so at Paradyskloof near the town of Clanwilliam produced the difficult-to
find endemic, the Protea Canary as African Black Swift and stunning views
of a perched Black Eagle. After a long, windy drive we made our first
stop on the grassy desert plains between Springbok and Pofadder. Here
we had our first Grey-backed Finchlarks and Lark-like Buntings. Getting
closer to Pofadder we started our search for the localised endemic, the
Red Lark. After a long and hard search, we eventually had brief, distant
views of the dune form of this species. A group of Namaqua Sandgrouse
around sunset were enjoyed by all. We got to the small, rural town of
Pofadder after dark.
Day 6: Pofadder
to Augrabies
Another dawn start saw us birding the farm roads around Pofadder. A group
of Sclater’s Larks early in the morning was a good find. Other species
seen this morning included the colourful Black-headed Canary, Karoo and
Tractrac Chat as well as the diminutive Pygmy Falcon. A very windy, dusty
drive up towards the Namibian border at Onseepkans produced a Martial
Eagle and not much else. Due to recent good rains, the plains between
Pofadder and Augrabies were covered in grass and here we found our first
Black-eared Sparrow-larks among huge numbers of the Grey-backed variety.
A late afternoon walk around Augrabies Falls National Park delivered Alpine
Swift, African Pied Wagtail and Orange River White-eye.
Day 7: Augrabies
to the Kalahari
An early morning walk around the restcamp at Augrabies provided us with
lovely views of Namaqua Warbler and Golden-tailed Woodpecker as well as
pair of Klipspringer on the mammal front. The drive to the sizeable town
of Upington delivered our first Booted Eagle as well as Swallow-tailed
Bee-eater. In Upington itself we located Pearl-spotted Owlet and Malachite
Kingfisher. After a brief lunch we undertook the long road through Kalahari
dunefields to the world-famous Kgalagadi Transfronteir Park. In the Acacia
thornveld on route we found the exquisite Lilac-breasted Roller, the very
striking Crimson-breasted Shrike as well as Grey Hornbill. A walk around
the restcamp just before the sun set revealed the majestic Purple Roller.
Day 8: Kgalagadi
Transfronteir Park
Another early start saw us at the start of a very exciting day in the
Kalahari. Raptors abound here and on the day we counted no less than 27
Lanner Falcon’s among good numbers of Black-shouldered Kites, Pale
Chanting Goshawks, Black-chested Snake Eagle and Lappet-faced and African
White-backed Vultures. Also seen were the lovely Kalahari Scrub Robin,
Sociable Weaver, Scaly-feathered Finch and White-browed Sparrow-weaver.
Mammal-wise we were treated to the difficult to see Honey Badger as well
as Gemsbuck, Blue Wildebeest and Springbuck. A night drive proved to be
a special highlight. A nesting Barn Owl with 3 chicks in a giant Sociable
Weaver nest was quite a sight. We also managed to add Double-banded Courser
and Fiery-necked Nightjars to our lists. The main highlight bird-wise
on the night-drive was certainly the White-faced Scops Owl perched out
in the open. Mammal-wise the night drive was superb – we saw numerous
Springhares (odd, somewhat Kangaroo-like rabbit-sized rodents), the impressive
Porcupine and enjoyed good views of Bat-eared and Cape Fox.
Day 9: Kgalagadi
to Brandvlei
An early start produced beautiful early morning views of a group of Cape
Fox around their den. A birding stop in Acacia thornveld to the south
of the National Park produced an out of range Brown-crowned Tchagra as
well as Ashy Tit and Verraux’s Eagle Owl. We then undertook the
long drive to the small town of Brandvlei ticking Karoo Korhaan on route.
A late evening search for the plains form of Red Lark proved unsuccessful.
Day 10: Brandvlei
to Tanqua Karoo
An early start saw us Larking once more. Our first find was an interesting
colour form of the Karoo Long-billed Lark. Our Lark morning provided us
with further confusion as we came across a pair of out of range Sabota
Larks, and despite much further effort we could not locate the plains
form of the Red Lark. The road down to the Tanqua Karoo is very scenic
and produced Karoo Eremomela as well as South African Shelduck and South
African Cliff Swallow. A stop at the scenically impressive Akkerandam
Nature Reserve provided us with Layard’s Titbabbler and more looks
at Black-headed Canary. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the Cedarberg
and after passing though some splendid countryside in the full moonlight
we got to our guest house at Tanqua Karoo at about 2100. The days birding
was not over and we located Rufous-cheeked Nightjar in the grounds of
the guest house.
Day 11: Katbakkies
to Grootvadersbosch
A 0430 start saw us heading for the legendary Katbakkies pass for Operation
Cinnamon – the search for the tricky Cinnamon-breasted Warbler.
4 hours of hard work and effort were finally rewarded with brief but good
views of this little bird. The dainty Fairy Flycatcher was commonly seen
during the 4 hour haul. A brief stop at Eierkop provided us with Southern
Grey Tit. After some delays with the vehicle upon getting back to the
tarred roads we were on our way to Grootvadersbosch enjoying another Cape
Clapper Lark on route. We enjoyed beautiful scenery in the setting sun
and got to Grootvadersbosch at 2030 but not before spot-lighting a Cape
Eagle Owl (and numerous Spotted Eagle Owls) on route over the Tradouw’s
Pass.
Day 12: Grootvadersbosch
and Wilderness
The famous forests of Grootvadersbosch were very alive. The sometimes
difficult Knysna Woodpecker was remarkably easy in the parking-lot and
was seen after Swee Waxbill, Forest and Bully Canary and Red-necked Francolin
were already under the belt. Other birds included Blue-mantled Flycatcher,
Olive Woodpecker, Terrestrial Brownbul, Yellow-throated Woodland Warbler,
Red-chested Cuckoo and a brief Brown-backed Honeybird. We arrived at Wilderness
shortly after lunch and some afternoon birding produced Knysna Turaco
and Forest Buzzard. Night-time birding provided us with lovely views of
African Wood Owl.
Day 13: Wilderness
to Nature’s Valley
A morning birding session at Wilderness produced Starred Robin, Chorister
Robin Chat, African Paradise Flycatcher, more Knysna Turacos, Black Sunbird,
African Fish Eagle, Half-collared Kingfisher and Pin-tailed Whydah. The
highlight of the day was certainly our stop at the Kaaiman’s river
after breakfast. Upon arrival a bird was spotted swimming out in the open
– we could not believe our luck as it turned out to be a male African
Finfoot that kept swimming closer and closer to us. We enjoyed watching,
photographing and videoing the display that this bird gave for about 30
minutes before it finally disappeared into the fringe vegetation. As if
this was not enough for one day, a stop at a hide near Wilderness on route
to Nature’s Valley provided us with very good views of the skulking
Red-chested Flufftail! After such a spectacular morning’s birding,
the rest of the day seemed rather quiet with more Swee Waxbills and Forest
Canaries being the highlight.
Day 14: Nature’s
Valley
The morning walk around Nature’s Valley produced the remarkable
Narina Trogon as well as Scaly-throated Honeyguide, more Knysna Woodpeckers,
Lazy Cisticola and a wonderful view of Crowned Eagle interacting with
an African Fish Eagle. After breakfast we drove east on the mountain passes
towards the Storms River. Just beyond the Storms River, on a farm track,
a sighting of Black-winged Lapwings meant that we could add these to our
list. The late afternoon was spent back in Nature’s Valley, despite
much searching the Black-bellied Starling was nowhere to be found but
African Goshawk and Brown-hooded Kingfisher were seen.
Day 15: Nature’s
Valley to De Hoop
Another early departure saw us undertaking some spectacular mountain passes
in search of Cape Rockjumper and Ground Woodpecker. The Woodpecker succumbed,
but not the Rockjumper – that ended up requiring further effort.
At the town of Swellendam a quick visit to the Bontebok National Park
delivered Cloud Cisticola and Cape Mountain Zebra and Bontebok on the
mammal front. In the afternoon the Agulhas plain produced numerous Agulhas
Long-billed Larks as well as a single Agulhas Clapper Lark after some
work. The day came to a close with us enjoying Blue Cranes lit up by beautiful
afternoon light. We arrived at our accommodations shortly after dark.
Day 16: De
Hoop to Cape Town
An early morning search for the cryptic and skulking Hottentot Buttonquail
was unsuccessful. A few hours in De Hoop Nature Reserve found us the endemic
Southern Tchagra and Greater Honeyguide. We moved on to the Potberg section
of the reserve where we found good numbers of Cape Vulture and a calling
Lesser Honeyguide (no visual). The highlight of our visit to Potberg was
a group of out of range Black-bellied Starlings which we all enjoyed.
These were followed by a short game of cricket on the lawns of Potberg
before travelling back to Sir Lowry’s Pass for another go at the
Cape Rockjumper. In the strong winds, things did not look hopeful and
we moved on to the Rooiels site. Here it took us some time and a fair
bit of climbing to get everyone a good look at this bird. We arrived in
Cape Town shortly after dark, and enjoyed a well-served drink and meal.
Day 17: Cape
Town, Cape Point and fly out
A lazy, relaxed start at 08:30 saw us travelling to the Constantia Greenbelts
once again – this time to add the very local, introduced Chaffinch
to our lists. The quest was successful, but our search for the Red-chested
Sprrowhawk proved fruitless. After a brief visit to Cape Point and the
Cape of Good Hope it was time to go back to the airport. Here, we waved
our sad goodbyes at the end of an incredibly successful trip on which
over 350 species were seen.
