Western Cape: Hottentots Holland Trip Report - 25 January 2015
Highlights included: a large pod of Bottlenose Dolphins socialising near Gordon's Bay; extended views of Cape Rockjumper at Rooi Els; good views of Cape Sugarbird, Cape Grassbird, African Paradise-flycatcher and Orange-breasted Sunbird; and an excellent diversity of wetland birds at Strandfontein Sewage Works, including Maccoa Duck, Black-necked Grebe, African Marsh-harrier and African Reed Warbler.
I met up with Doug and Judy at Lakeside and we headed east along the coast towards the Hottentots Holland mountain range. Shortly after passing Gordon's Bay we noticed some movement out at sea, which turned out to be a large pod of Bottlenose Dolphins, and we watched as a small contingent broke off to investigate a nearby paddle-boarder. At Rooi Els, we had good early sightings of Orange-breasted, Malachite and Southern Double-collared Sunbirds, before picking up on a female Cape Rockjumper moving about quietly among the rocks. The fynbos above this first section of the road has had a recent burn, making many of the smaller rocks visible through the short vegetation. This makes the task of finding Rockjumpers much easier as they are normally out of sight while foraging close to the ground. We watched this female creep about before a male came roaring downslope, perching atop a large nearby boulder and allowing good scope views. Later on we picked up another pair, this time closer in. Victorin's Warbler was heard calling high upslope, tantalisingly out of reach. Other birds found here and on the way out included Grey-backed Cisticola, Rock Martin, Familiar Chat and the beautiful Cape Grassbird.
As Doug and Judy had already seen all of the coastal cormorants and African Penguin, we decided to head straight to the Harold Porter Botanical Gardens before finishing the day with some wetland birding at Strandfontein. It was a hot day and birding at the botanical gardens was relatively slow, even for late summer. Nevertheless, we managed to find a few nice birds, including African Paradise Flycatcher, Cape Batis (including a pair feeding a youngster and providing great close-up views), Swee Waxbill and Black Saw-wing. A trip up towards Luiperdskloof in search of Victorin's Warblers proved fruitless, but did turn up a Southern Stiletto Snake.
Cape Sugarbirds had been remarkably thin on the ground, so to speak, and we had only managed brief and unsatisfactory views while driving, so on the way back we paid another visit to Rooi Els. Here we caught up with a male resting up in the shade of a Keurboom (Virgilia sp.), showing off his long tail and calling quietly. We also had good views of a female Fiscal Flycatcher here. On the spectacular return journey we again saw a group of Bottlenose Dolphins, likely to have been the same group from earlier, this time frolicking in the surf.
Strandfontein was packed with birds and our first stop produced Cape and Red-billed Teals, Cape Shoveller, Maccoa Duck, Southern Pochard and a pair of Black-necked Grebes in their striking breeding plumage, along with a host of more common waterfowl. At pan P1 we found a few Hottentot Teals, while a Cape Longclaw mewed from the road verge, its striking orange throat standing out among the dry, hay-yellow grass. Greater Flamingos were in super-abundance along with a good number of Pied Avocet and noisy Black-winged Stilt, and a few Great White Pelicans sailed serenely overhead. Aerial masters abounded, including Brown-throated Martin(both white- and dark-bellied forms) and Black and White-rumped Swifts, picked out among the masses of Barn Swallows. A single African Marsh-harrier was seen uncharacteristically soaring very high, while later on another pair passed by us in more typical harrier fashion. Levaillant's and Zitting Cisticolas called and displayed actively as the day began finally to cool down.
On the way out we found a pair of Brimstone Canaries, and spent time searching for three species of warbler, all calling actively but none particularly willing to come out of cover. In the end we only managed good views of African Reed-warbler, the most active of the three, and also the least likely to sit still for more than a second. Overall it was a typically slow day for this time of year, but patience and persistence paid off as we managed to find a good number of species, including a few of the Hottentots Holland's specials.
A Birding Africa Trip Report by Tour Leader Seth Musker.
For a full list of species from this trip, please
contact us.
Many of the birding sites on this trip are described in detail
in the Southern African
Birdfinder which is widely available in South African bookshops
and on the internet. (e.g., www.netbooks.co.za
or www.wildsounds.co.uk). However
you're always welcome to contact
us if you're interested in a guided trip in this area.
Practical
tour information: Cape Day Trips and Western Cape Tours
Please click this link for more
detailed information about our upcoming
Cape Tours.
Focus
Our Cape tours and day trips are aimed at keen birders and
nature enthusiasts. They have been designed to see as many endemic
birds as possible. While on the walks, we spend a lot of time
looking for other aspects of wildlife such as mammals, chameleons,
geckos, butterflies and interesting plants. We can also customise
any itinerary to suit to the keen birder, the wildlife enthusiast
or both.
Photography
Many participants on our tours and day trips are amateur wildlife
photographers. And when we get excellent views of a bird or
mammal, some time is usually spent watching and photographing
it. However, this is not a photographic tour and once the majority
of the people have felt that they have absorbed the animal or
bird to their satisfaction, then we move on in search of the
next encounter. Thus, while the photographic
opportunities are very good, the group will only occasionally
wait for somebody who wants to spend even longer getting better
photos.
Fitness
Only a low level of fitness is required.
Timing
Throughout the year.
Climate
Moderate; can be warm in summer and chilly in winter.
Comfort
A good standard of accommodation in guest houses, lodges and
small hotels.
Birding Africa is a specialist birding
tour company customising tours for both world listers and more relaxed
holiday birders. We combine interests in mammals, butterflies,
dragonflies, botany and other natural history aspects and will guide
you to Africa's and Madagascar's most diverse birding destinations.
Our guides' knowledge of African
birds and birding areas is our greatest strength and together we
have rediscovered species, shared exciting observations with the
birding community and had a fun time exploring our home continent.
We've even written two acclaimed guide
books on where to find Southern Africa's and Madagascar's best
birds. Birding is more than our passion, it's our lifestyle, and
we are dedicated to making professional, best value trips filled
with endemic species and unique wildlife experiences. Since 1997,
we've run bird watching tours
in South Africa and further into Africa for individual birders,
small birding groups and top international tour companies. We've
run Conservation Tours
in association with the African Bird Club and work with and consult
for a number of other top international tour companies and the BBC
Natural History Unit.
