Photos with this report (click to enlarge) | |||
 Cape Sugarbird |
 Southern Black Korhaan |
 African Penguin |
|
 Strandfontein Sewage Works |
 Blue Crane |
 Red-breasted Swallow |
|
Overview
This custom eight-day Cape birding tour was put together for Wendy and Karen to try and see as much of the beautiful Cape and its incredible array of bird species as possible. The itinerary we decided on was very similar to our set-departure Best of Cape Town and Beyond Birding Tour however we did not include a Cape pelagic trip and instead spent this day exploring the Cape Peninsula.
This tour took place in April which is not the most productive time of the year for birding in the Cape, as a number of migrants have left by this time and it is also right at the end of the breeding season for most specials, as such some species were not as vocal as during other times of the year. Despite this we still had a wildly successful trip, managing to find almost all of our target birds, with many good laughs had along the way. Some of the standout species included Grey-winged Francolin, South African Shelduck, Karoo and Southern Black Korhaans, Namaqua Sandgrouse, Blue Crane, African Oystercatcher, African Penguin, Cape Gannet, Cape, Crowned and Bank Cormorants, Ground Woodpecker, Cape Rockjumper, Fairy Flycatcher, Grey Tit, Cape Penduline Tit, Spike-heeled, Karoo Long-billed, Cape Long-billed, Karoo, Cape Clapper and Large-billed Larks, Victorin’s, Namaqua, Rufous-eared, Cinnamon-breasted and Layard’s Warblers, Karoo Eremomela, Karoo Thrush, Sickle-winged, Karoo and Tractrac Chats, Orange-breasted and Dusky Sunbirds and Cape Siskin.
Further to the above specials, we also managed to find two very rare birds in the form of a national rarity Gull-billed Tern and Red-breasted Swallow (a first record for the Western Cape Province) which sent twitchers rushing around the Cape area.
Detailed Report
Day 1, 10th April 2022. Arrival in Cape Town
Wendy and Karen only arrived late in the evening at Cape Town airport, so unfortunately there was no time for birding today. I met them at international arrivals and transferred them to their beautifully set accommodation in the leafy suburb of Newlands, although the true beauty of the place would only be discovered the following morning, when the rising sun lit up Table Mountain.
Day 2, 11th April 2022. Cape Peninsula birding
We had a slightly later breakfast (after Wendy and Karen’s late arrival last night) and then made our way south down the Cape Peninsula with our first stop being at Boulders Beach in Simon’s Town where we visited the penguin colony. The African Penguins soon obliged and gave us lovely views as they went about their morning routine. They are always a crowd favorite, and we spent a while watching them here. Other nice birds in the gardens nearby included Cape Bulbul, Southern Double-collared Sunbird and Karoo Prinia with African Oystercatchers seen feeding on the rocky shores nearby.
From Simon’s Town we kept heading south and made our way to Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve (forming part of the Table Mountain National Park) and soon after entering the reserve we came across a large number of nectarivores feeding on protea flowers which included a number of showy Cape Sugarbirds as well as Orange-breasted, Malachite and Southern Double-collared Sunbirds, with Black Saw-wing, Yellow Bishop, Cape Grassbird, Cape Siskin and Cape Bunting seen in the surrounding fynbos vegetation. We then birded around Cape Point and enjoyed the dramatic views out over the ocean. The birding was a little slow here, but we did see Grey-backed Cisticola, Karoo Prinia, Fiscal Flycatcher, Familiar Chat, Cape White-eye, White-necked Raven and more Cape Siskins. We enjoyed an early lunch, while keeping an eye out for cheeky Chacma Baboons, before taking a drive to Cape of Good Hope. On the drive we saw another troop of Chacma Baboons as well as Bontebok and the massive Common Eland. At Cape of Good Hope, we found large numbers of Cape, White-breasted and Crowned Cormorants. Unfortunately, we could not find any (Cape) Mountain Zebras today however the good numbers of prehistoric-looking Common Ostriches kept us entertained.
At Olifantsbos Beach we saw good numbers of shorebirds/waders including White-fronted, Kittlitz’s and Common Ringed Plovers, Sanderling and Ruddy Turnstone as well as a few Plain-backed Pipits feeding around the washed-up kelp.
In the early afternoon we made our way back north up the Cape Peninsula where we birded the locally famous Strandfontein Sewage Works (part of the Table Bay Nature Reserve) which, as always, was full of bird activity. We spent a couple of hours driving around the various wetlands and settling ponds and added an assortment of waterbirds such as White-faced Whistling, Fulvous Whistling (a somewhat rare bird in these parts however this season they have shown up in good numbers), Yellow-billed and Maccoa Ducks, Cape Shoveler, Red-billed and Cape Teals, Southern Pochard, African Swamphen, Red-knobbed Coot, Little and Black-necked Grebes, Greater and Lesser Flamingos, Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, Kelp, Hartlaub’s and Grey-headed Gulls, Greater Crested Tern, Glossy Ibis, Grey, Black-headed and Purple Herons and African Darter. In the nearby scrub and reedbeds we had Cape Spurfowl, Black-winged Kite, African Marsh Harrier, Rock Kestrel and Spotted Thick-knee.
After a busy first day of birding, we headed back for dinner and then called it an evening, with an early start on the cards for the following morning.
Day 3, 12th April 2022. Mountain fynbos birding around Betty’s Bay
With a pre-dawn pickup we decided to try for some nearby African Wood Owls however we were probably just a little too late for the owls but did manage good perched views of an African Goshawk, a bird which can be tricky on this itinerary. We then headed east out of Cape Town with our next birding stop at Sir Lowry’s Pass where we had a pair of incredibly obliging Victorin’s Warblers which showed well for us and required almost no effort to see. This species normally skulks low down in fynbos vegetation and it was a pleasure to see these birds so well.
From here we made our way along the northeastern edge of False Bay towards the small coastal town of Rooi Els where Cape Rockjumper was top of the agenda. We slowly walked along the edge of a rocky mountain slope and soon heard the calls of the rockjumpers. It took some scanning but we eventually got good views of Cape Rockjumper and then within a few minutes we also saw three Ground Woodpeckers and a pair of Cape Rock Thrushes. Other common birds included Neddicky, Grey-backed Cisticola, Orange-breasted Sunbird and Cape Weaver. We had a quick scan out to sea which did not produce much except a couple of Cape Gannets and a distant school of Common Dolphins.
Next stop was the Stony Point penguin colony in Betty’s Bay where the African Penguins were out in full force and showed well for us, as well as Bank, Cape, Crowned and White-breasted Cormorants. Once we had had our fill of penguins, we made our way around the corner to Harold Porter Botanical Garden where we enjoyed a picnic lunch (again being wary of nearby Chacma Baboons) and then spent a productive couple of hours wandering around the garden. We had some great birds here including the likes of African Olive Pigeon, Jackal Buzzard, Olive Woodpecker, Cape Batis, Southern Boubou, Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher, Sombre Greenbul, Bar-throated Apalis, Olive Thrush, Amethyst Sunbird, Southern Grey-headed Sparrow, Swee Waxbill, Brimstone and Cape Canaries and Streaky-headed Seedeater.
We then made our way back towards Cape Town, stopping off at a wetland near Somerset West which added Intermediate Egret, Grey-headed Gull, Greater Striped and White-throated Swallows, Little Swift, Red-faced Mousebird and Fork-tailed Drongo. From here we headed back to our accommodation and enjoyed another lovely dinner after a thoroughly productive day’s birding.
Day 4, 13th April 2022. West Coast birding and transfer to Langebaan
We had an even earlier start this morning as we went around the corner to a favored spot of a pair of African Wood Owls which eventually showed well for us. Other good birds seen as the sun rose included African Dusky Flycatcher, Common Chaffinch and Black Sparrowhawk. From here we headed out of Cape Town and made our way up the west coast with our first birding stop being at a small pan which, despite the thick mist, gave us nice views of an African Snipe. We carried on making our way north and birded the Darling Hills Road where we had some good farmland and strandveld birding, adding good birds such as Blue Crane, Southern Black Korhaan, Crowned Lapwing, Bokmakierie, Red-capped Lark, Pearl-breasted Swallow, Pied Starling, Capped Wheatear and African Pipit.
Our next stop was Tienie Versveld Wildflower Reserve where it did not take long to find our targets, with Cloud Cisticola and Cape Longclaw showing really nicely. From here we moved a bit further north and entered West Coast National Park which offers some fantastic strandveld birding. The park is probably best known for its shorebird/wader watching, which is done from a number of well-placed bird hides/blinds, located along the edge of the Langebaan lagoon.
We first stopped at Abrahamskraal Bird Hide which was fairly quiet, but we did see some nice birds such as Cape Shoveler, Cape Teal, Black Crake and African Swamphen. We heard an African Rail but it would remain unseen. In the vicinity we saw White-backed Mousebird, Yellow Canary, Rock Kestrel, and a Black Harrier as it went about hunting low over the vegetation — surely one of our most strikingly patterned raptors. We drove around the park and birded the strandveld where we bumped into a group of tiny Cape Penduline Tits which showed well for us and also had brief views of Grey-winged Francolins. We then birded around the Geelbek Manor House which was rather quiet although we did see a Cardinal Woodpecker. Unfortunately, the tide times were wrong for us today and so we did not spend much time looking for shorebirds/waders from the Geelbek Bird Hide.
In the late afternoon we moved round to the Seeberg Bird Hide which was full of birds and we worked through the various shorebirds/waders and tern roost and added Grey, White-fronted and Common Ringed Plovers and Caspian, Greater Crested, Sandwich, Common and Little Terns. We also had an incredibly showy Rock Kestrel which gave us incredible close-up views and a flyover Western Osprey.
We ended the day in Langebaan, where we were staying for the night, with a Black Sparrowhawk shooting by as we were busy with the evening’s list session.
Day 5, 14th April 2022. West Coast birding and transfer to Tankwa Karoo
We birded some nearby strandveld before breakfast which despite the gloomy weather did produce some nice target species. We had to work hard but eventually had good views of Karoo and Cape Long-billed Larks, Grey-winged Francolin, Southern Black Korhaan, Long-billed Crombec and Karoo Scrub Robin. We then went back to our accommodation for a delicious breakfast before we packed the car and headed out of town. Just before we left town, we had a beautiful sighting of a pair of Verreaux’s Eagles.
We made our way to some farmlands near the town of Vredenburg which are normally really productive and today was no different. We quickly found a very showy pair of Grey Tits which were soon followed by Sickle-winged and Ant-eating Chats, Large-billed and Cape Long-billed Larks and White-throated Canary. A pair of South African Shelduck was a welcome surprise at a drinking trough.
From the farmlands we carried on further north to some salt works in Velddrif where we worked through the shorebirds and terns. We found large numbers of Chestnut-banded Plovers, Little Stints and Curlew Sandpipers, as well as the (essentially resident) Red-necked Phalaropes which have been in the area for years now. While enjoying our lunch we then turned our attention to the small tern roost where we picked out Greater Crested, Sandwich, Caspian and GULL-BILLED Terns! The Gull-billed Tern is a national rarity and was an incredibly exciting find that soon had twitchers shooting through from Cape Town and showed unpredictably for twitchers over the next few days.
After the excitement of the tern, we left the salt works and started the long drive inland to the Tankwa Karoo. Along the drive we found African Stonechat, Grey-backed Sparrow-Lark and, as we entered the Tankwa Karoo, we saw Karoo Chat and a flock of Pale-winged Starlings to end another fantastic day of birding.
Day 6, 15th April 2022. Tankwa Karoo birding
We woke up early this morning with the exciting prospect of a full day to bird the Tankwa Karoo and track down as many of our target species as possible. We started the morning off by heading to a patch of mountain fynbos which yielded a pair of Cape Clapper Larks before we made our way into the plains where we soon found new birds in the form of Rufous-eared Warbler, Tractrac Chat, Spike-heeled Lark and Karoo Eremomela. As we came back to our accommodation for a lovely breakfast, we had a three Verreaux’s Eagles circling low above our heads – one can never tire of these majestic raptors.
After breakfast we headed back out with our first stop being at a tiny patch of acacia trees which yielded Yellow-bellied Eremomela, Namaqua and Chestnut-vented Warblers, Fairy Flycatcher and Pririt Batis. From here we headed north towards the Tankwa Karoo National Park and found Common Ostrich, Tractrac and Karoo Chats, Namaqua Sandgrouse and a couple of groups of Karoo Korhaans which showed beautifully for us. We had our lunch in the shade of a dry acacia-lined riverbed where we enjoyed the likes of Three-banded Plover, Dusky Sunbird, Pririt Batis and Karoo Thrush. After our lunch we made one more stop to look for Karoo Long-billed Lark (which eventually showed just as we were about to give up) before taking the long road back towards our accommodation.
We birded the nearby Skitterykloof in the late afternoon in the hopes of finding Cinnamon-breasted and Layard’s Warblers however they did not oblige and would have to wait until tomorrow. We did however see a number of attractive Mountain Wheatears. After another enjoyable dinner, we took a night drive which unfortunately did not produce much of interest besides a Scrub Hare.
Day 7, 16th April 2022. Tankwa Karoo to Cape Town
We awoke very early this morning and took a drive through the Katbakkies Pass and beyond. We had hoped to perhaps bump into the mythical (Cape Mountain) Leopard or a nightjar or two, but things were very quiet, however we did enjoy a fantastic sunrise. Once back at Skitterykloof we very easily found Cinnamon-breasted Warbler, right as the sun rose, and then also saw a co-operative Layard’s Warbler too. We enjoyed our late-morning breakfast before packing our bags and slowly making our way out of the Tankwa Karoo and heading back towards Cape Town. As we were leaving the arid plains, we managed to find a couple of Pale Chanting Goshawks which we had strangely not yet seen. We also made a stop off in Ceres where we found a showy Giant Kingfisher.
We had yet to find Protea Canary and so spent time searching at Michell’s Pass and also at Dutoitskloof Pass, where we enjoyed our lunch but despite our best efforts the birds would not show today and we had to accept defeat with this tough Cape endemic.
Once back in Cape Town we dropped our bags off and immediately made our way out again and headed to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden where we spent the remainder of the afternoon. We spent a good couple of hours walking around the gorgeous garden, with Table Mountain serving as a spectacular backdrop. Interesting birds while wandering around here included African Goshawk, African Dusky Flycatcher, Cape Bulbul, Orange-breasted, Malachite and Southern Double-collared Sunbirds, Sombre Greenbul and Forest Canary. We then enjoyed our final dinner of the trip before heading to bed after yet another successful day out.
Day 8, 17th April 2022. Cape Town birding and tour conclusion
For our last day of the tour, we spent the day around Cape Town targeting any species we were still missing. We started the day along the Liesbeek River where we soon found African Black Duck and Little Rush Warbler. We then headed back to the Strandfontein Sewage Works, which offers fantastic photographic opportunities in the early morning, where we spent the next couple of hours chasing our targets. We soon found the likes of Blue-billed Teal, Maccoa Duck, Spotted Eagle-Owl, Pied Kingfisher, Peregrine Falcon and Zitting Cisticola. During our time here we also came cross Fulvous Whistling Duck, South African Shelduck, Three-banded Plover, Great White Pelican, Black Sparrowhawk and African Marsh Harrier.
From here we went to Rondevlei Nature Reserve which is right next door to the sewage works. The birding was rather quiet here, but we did manage to see Red-faced Mousebird, Fiscal Flycatcher and Karoo Prinia, however the very low water levels meant we did not record many waterbirds. Next stop was a small wetland where we quickly found roosting Water Thick-knees before we popped into Dolphin Beach Pans which had African Palm Swift (a recent colonist of the greater Cape Town area) and Acacia Pied Barbet.
Our last stop for the tour was Rietvlei Nature Reserve where almost immediately we found a Red-breasted Swallow which is a mega rare bird in the Cape and represented a first record for the Western Cape Province. Within 30 minutes, the first twitchers had arrived on the scene and the bird would remain in the area over the next couple of days. Other good birds here included Intermediate Egret, White-backed Duck and Pin-tailed Whydah. We then headed to the waterfront where I dropped off Wendy and Karen after what had been an extremely successful week of Cape birding. Thank you, Wendy and Karen, for a great trip!
Bird List - Following IOC (12.1)
Birds ‘heard only’ are marked with (H) after the common name, all other species were seen.
The following notation after species names is used to show conservation status following BirdLife International: EN = Endangered, VU = Vulnerable.
Common Name/Scientific Name
Ostriches (Struthionidae)
Common Ostrich/Struthio camelus
Ducks, Geese, Swans (Anatidae)
White-faced Whistling Duck/Dendrocygna viduata
Fulvous Whistling Duck/Dendrocygna bicolor
White-backed Duck/Thalassornis leuconotus
Spur-winged Goose/Plectropterus gambensis
Knob-billed Duck/Sarkidiornis melanotos
Egyptian Goose/Alopochen aegyptiaca
South African Shelduck/Tadorna cana
Blue-billed Teal/Spatula hottentota
Cape Shoveler/Spatula smithii
African Black Duck/Anas sparsa
Yellow-billed Duck/Anas undulata
Cape Teal/Anas capensis
Red-billed/Teal Anas erythrorhyncha
Southern Pochard/Netta erythrophthalma
Maccoa Duck - VU/Oxyura maccoa
Guineafowl (Numididae)
Helmeted Guineafowl/Numida meleagris
Pheasants & Allies (Phasianidae)
Grey-winged Francolin/Scleroptila afra
Cape Spurfowl/Pternistis capensis
Swifts (Apodidae)
African Palm Swift/Cypsiurus parvus
Little Swift/Apus affinis
White-rumped Swift/Apus caffer
Bustards (Otididae)
Karoo Korhaan/Eupodotis vigorsii
Southern Black Korhaan - VU/Afrotis afra
Sandgrouse (Pteroclidae)
Namaqua Sandgrouse/Pterocles namaqua
Pigeons, Doves (Columbidae)
Rock Dove/Columba livia
Speckled Pigeon/Columba guinea
African Olive Pigeon/Columba arquatrix
Red-eyed Dove/Streptopelia semitorquata
Ring-necked Dove/Streptopelia capicola
Laughing Dove/Spilopelia senegalensis
Rails, Crakes & Coots (Rallidae)
Common Moorhen/Gallinula chloropus
Red-knobbed Coot/Fulica cristata
African Swamphen/Porphyrio madagascariensis
Black Crake/Zapornia flavirostra
African Rail (H)/Rallus caerulescens
Cranes (Gruidae)
Blue Crane - VU/Grus paradisea
Grebes (Podicipedidae)
Little Grebe/Tachybaptus ruficollis
Great Crested Grebe/Podiceps cristatus
Black-necked Grebe/Podiceps nigricollis
Flamingos (Phoenicopteridae)
Greater Flamingo/Phoenicopterus roseus
Lesser Flamingo/Phoeniconaias minor
Stone-curlews, Thick-knees (Burhinidae)
Water Thick-knee/Burhinus vermiculatus
Spotted Thick-knee/Burhinus capensis
Oystercatchers (Haematopodidae)
African Oystercatcher/Haematopus moquini
Stilts, Avocets (Recurvirostridae)
Black-winged Stilt/Himantopus himantopus
Pied Avocet/Recurvirostra avosetta
Plovers (Charadriidae)
Blacksmith Lapwing/Vanellus armatus
Crowned Lapwing/Vanellus coronatus
Grey Plover/Pluvialis squatarola
Common Ringed Plover/Charadrius hiaticula
Kittlitz's Plover/Charadrius pecuarius
Three-banded Plover/Charadrius tricollaris
White-fronted Plover/Charadrius marginatus
Chestnut-banded Plover/Charadrius pallidus
Sandpipers, Snipes (Scolopacidae)
Eurasian Whimbrel/Numenius phaeopus
Ruddy Turnstone/Arenaria interpres
Ruff/Calidris pugnax
Curlew Sandpiper/Calidris ferruginea
Sanderling/Calidris alba
Little Stint/Calidris minuta
African Snipe/Gallinago nigripennis
Red-necked Phalarope/Phalaropus lobatus
Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae)
Grey-headed Gull/Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus
Hartlaub's Gull/Chroicocephalus hartlaubii
Kelp Gull/Larus dominicanus
Gull-billed Tern/Gelochelidon nilotica
Caspian Tern/Hydroprogne caspia
Greater Crested Tern/Thalasseus bergii
Sandwich Tern/Thalasseus sandvicensis
Little Tern/Sternula albifrons
Common Tern/Sterna hirundo
Penguins (Spheniscidae)
African Penguin - EN/Spheniscus demersus
Gannets, Boobies (Sulidae)
Cape Gannet - EN/Morus capensis
Anhingas, Darters (Anhingidae)
African Darter/Anhinga rufa
Cormorants, Shags (Phalacrocoracidae)
Reed Cormorant/Microcarbo africanus
Crowned Cormorant/Microcarbo coronatus
Bank Cormorant - EN/Phalacrocorax neglectus
Cape Cormorant - EN/Phalacrocorax capensis
White-breasted Cormorant/Phalacrocorax lucidus
Ibises, Spoonbills (Threskiornithidae)
African Sacred Ibis/Threskiornis aethiopicus
Hadada Ibis/Bostrychia hagedash
Glossy Ibis/Plegadis falcinellus
African Spoonbill/Platalea alba
Herons, Bitterns (Ardeidae)
Western Cattle Egret/Bubulcus ibis
Grey Heron/Ardea cinerea
Black-headed Heron/Ardea melanocephala
Purple Heron/Ardea purpurea
Intermediate Egret/Ardea intermedia
Little Egret/Egretta garzetta
Pelicans (Pelecanidae)
Great White Pelican/Pelecanus onocrotalus
Ospreys (Pandionidae)
Western Osprey/Pandion haliaetus
Kites, Hawks, Eagles (Accipitridae)
Black-winged Kite/Elanus caeruleus
Verreaux's Eagle/Aquila verreauxii
Pale Chanting Goshawk Melierax canorus
African Goshawk/Accipiter tachiro
Black Sparrowhawk/Accipiter melanoleucus
African Marsh Harrier/Circus ranivorus
Black Harrier - EN/Circus maurus
Jackal Buzzard/Buteo rufofuscus
Owls (Strigidae)
Spotted Eagle-Owl/Bubo africanus
African Wood Owl/Strix woodfordii
Mousebirds (Coliidae)
Speckled Mousebird/Colius striatus
White-backed Mousebird/Colius colius
Red-faced Mousebird/Urocolius indicus
Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)
Malachite Kingfisher/Corythornis cristatus
Giant Kingfisher/Megaceryle maxima
Pied Kingfisher/Ceryle rudis
African Barbets (Lybiidae)
Acacia Pied Barbet/Tricholaema leucomelas
Woodpeckers (Picidae)
Ground Woodpecker/Geocolaptes olivaceus
Cardinal Woodpecker/Dendropicos fuscescens
Olive Woodpecker/Dendropicos griseocephalus
Caracaras, Falcons (Falconidae)
Rock Kestrel/Falco rupicolus
Peregrine Falcon/Falco peregrinus
Wattle-eyes, Batises (Platysteiridae)
Cape Batis/Batis capensis
Pririt Batis/Batis pririt
Bushshrikes (Malaconotidae)
Bokmakierie/Telophorus zeylonus
Southern Boubou/Laniarius ferrugineus
Shrikes (Laniidae)
Southern Fiscal/Lanius collaris
Drongos (Dicruridae)
Fork-tailed Drongo/Dicrurus adsimilis
Monarchs (Monarchidae)
Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher/Trochocercus cyanomelas
Crows, Jays (Corvidae)
Pied Crow/Corvus albus
White-necked Raven/Corvus albicollis
Rockjumpers (Chaetopidae)
Cape Rockjumper/Chaetops frenatus
Tits, Chickadees (Paridae)
Grey Tit/Melaniparus afer
Penduline Tits (Remizidae)
Cape Penduline Tit/Anthoscopus minutus
Larks (Alaudidae)
Spike-heeled Lark/Chersomanes albofasciata
Karoo Long-billed Lark/Certhilauda subcoronata
Cape Long-billed Lark/Certhilauda curvirostris
Grey-backed Sparrow-Lark/Eremopterix verticalis
Karoo Lark/Calendulauda albescens
Cape Clapper Lark/Mirafra apiata
Large-billed Lark/Galerida magnirostris
Red-capped Lark/Calandrella cinerea
Bulbuls (Pycnonotidae)
Sombre Greenbul/Andropadus importunus
Cape Bulbul/Pycnonotus capensis
Swallows, Martins (Hirundinidae)
Black Saw-wing/Psalidoprocne pristoptera
Brown-throated Martin/Riparia paludicola
Rock Martin/Ptyonoprogne fuligula
Pearl-breasted Swallow/Hirundo dimidiata
White-throated Swallow/Hirundo albigularis
Barn Swallow/Hirundo rustica
Red-breasted Swallow/Cecropis semirufa
Greater Striped Swallow/Cecropis cucullata
Crombecs, African Warblers (Macrosphenidae)
Cape Grassbird/Sphenoeacus afer
Long-billed Crombec/Sylvietta rufescens
Victorin's Warbler/Cryptillas victorini
Reed Warblers & Allies (Acrocephalidae)
Lesser Swamp Warbler/Acrocephalus gracilirostris
Grassbirds & Allies (Locustellidae)
Little Rush Warbler/Bradypterus baboecala
Cisticolas & Allies (Cisticolidae)
Grey-backed Cisticola/Cisticola subruficapilla
Levaillant's Cisticola/Cisticola tinniens
Neddicky/Cisticola fulvicapilla
Zitting Cisticola/Cisticola juncidis
Cloud Cisticola/Cisticola textrix
Karoo Prinia/Prinia maculosa
Namaqua Warbler/Phragmacia substriata
Bar-throated Apalis/Apalis thoracica
Rufous-eared Warbler/Malcorus pectoralis
Cinnamon-breasted Warbler/Euryptila subcinnamomea
Yellow-bellied Eremomela/Eremomela icteropygialis
Karoo Eremomela/Eremomela gregalis
Sylviid Babblers (Sylviidae)
Layard's Warbler/Curruca layardi
Chestnut-vented Warbler/Curruca subcoerulea
White-eyes (Zosteropidae)
Cape White-eye/Zosterops virens
Sugarbirds (Promeropidae)
Cape Sugarbird/Promerops cafer
Starlings, Rhabdornis (Sturnidae)
Common Starling/Sturnus vulgaris
Wattled Starling/Creatophora cinerea
Pied Starling/Lamprotornis bicolor
Red-winged Starling/Onychognathus morio
Pale-winged Starling/Onychognathus nabouroup
Thrushes (Turdidae)
Olive Thrush/Turdus olivaceus
Karoo Thrush/Turdus smithi
Chats, Old World Flycatchers (Muscicapidae)
Karoo Scrub Robin/Cercotrichas coryphoeus
Fiscal Flycatcher/Melaenornis silens
African Dusky Flycatcher/Muscicapa adusta
Cape Robin-Chat/Cossypha caffra
Cape Rock Thrush/Monticola rupestris
African Stonechat/Saxicola torquatus
Sickle-winged Chat/Emarginata sinuata
Karoo Chat/Emarginata schlegelii
Tractrac Chat/Emarginata tractrac
Ant-eating Chat/Myrmecocichla formicivora
Mountain Wheatear/Myrmecocichla monticola
Capped Wheatear/Oenanthe pileata
Familiar Chat/Oenanthe familiaris
Sunbirds (Nectariniidae)
Orange-breasted Sunbird/Anthobaphes violacea
Amethyst Sunbird/Chalcomitra amethystina
Malachite Sunbird/Nectarinia famosa
Southern Double-collared Sunbird/Cinnyris chalybeus
Dusky Sunbird/Cinnyris fuscus
Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches (Passeridae)
Cape Sparrow/Passer melanurus
Southern Grey-headed Sparrow/Passer diffusus
House Sparrow/Passer domesticus
Weavers, Widowbirds (Ploceidae)
Cape Weaver/Ploceus capensis
Southern Masked Weaver/Ploceus velatus
Southern Red Bishop/Euplectes orix
Yellow Bishop/Euplectes capensis
Waxbills, Munias & Allies (Estrildidae)
Swee Waxbill/Coccopygia melanotis
Common Waxbill/Estrilda astrild
Indigobirds, Whydahs (Viduidae)
Pin-tailed Whydah/Vidua macroura
Wagtails, Pipits (Motacillidae)
Cape Wagtail/Motacilla capensis
Cape Longclaw/Macronyx capensis
African Pipit/Anthus cinnamomeus
Plain-backed Pipit/Anthus leucophrys
Finches, Euphonias (Fringillidae)
Common Chaffinch/Fringilla coelebs
Forest Canary/Crithagra scotops
Cape Siskin/Crithagra totta
Yellow Canary/Crithagra flaviventris
Brimstone Canary/Crithagra sulphurata
Streaky-headed Seedeater/Crithagra gularis
White-throated Canary/Crithagra albogularis
Cape Canary/Serinus canicollis
Buntings (Emberizidae)
Cape Bunting/Emberiza capensis
Total seen 212
Total heard only 1
Total recorded 213
Mammal List
Common Name/Scientific Name
Mongooses (Herpestidae)
Cape Grey Mongoose/Herpestes pulverulentus
Bovids (Bovidae)
Common Eland/Tragelaphus oryx
Springbok/Antidorcas marsupialis
Bontebok/Damaliscus pygargus pygargus
Klipspringer/Oreotragus oreotragus
Steenbok/Raphicerus campestris
Hyraxes (Procaviidae)
Rock Hyrax/Procavia capensis
Old World Monkeys (Cercopithecidae)
Chacma Baboon/Papio ursinus
Rabbits and Hares (Leporidae)
Scrub Hare/Lepus saxatilis
Squirrels, Chipmunks, Marmots, Prairie Dogs (Sciuridae)
Eastern Grey Squirrel/Sciurus carolinensis
Oceanic Dolphins (Delphinidae)
(Long-beaked) Common Dolphin/Delphinus delphis
Eared Seals (Otariidae)
Afro-Australian Fur Seal/Arctocephalus pusillus
Total seen 12
Reptiles and Amphibians List
Common Name/Scientific Name
Girdled Lizards and Relatives (Cordylidae)
Black Girdled Lizard/Cordylus niger
Agamas (Agamidae)
Southern Rock Agama/Agama atra
Total seen 2