From Strandfontein Wetlands

We were blessed with good weather while at the Cape.  Prepared for rain and low temperatures, we were happily spared both, although South Africa as a whole needs rain.

Our second day, August 26, we traveled south from Cape Town to Strandfontein Wetlands.  This is actually a sewerage treatment area, but there’s little olfactory evidence of its actual purpose.  (In the US, we would use “sewage” instead of “sewerage,” the word used by the facility in South Africa.)  The area is also highly attractive to birds, both grassland species and waterbirds.  We saw some little grassland species, such as the Karoo Prinia and Levaillant’s Cisticola.  The Prinia’s call is a regular buzzy call, but the Cisticola’s is more melodious.

Levaillant’s Cisticola, Front

When we arrived we learned that several avid birders, Twitchers by nick-name, were hoping for another glance of the Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin, the wayward migrant I mentioned in an earlier post.  We had several brief glimpses of the Fiscal Flycatcher while waiting.  We walked along, looked at the Prinia and Cisticola, then returned, just as the Scrub Robin appeared on a log, perking up its tail similarly to a wren.

Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin

Julie Zickefoose Amid Flowers

That lovely surprise was followed by beautiful flowers and lots of waterbirds.  We saw Cape Teal and Red-billed Teal.  Teal are small ducks; we have a few species in North America, as well.  Both the Red-billed Teal and the Cape Teal have red bills.  The Red-billed, however, also has a black head.  Easy to tell them apart with that field mark.  We also saw Cape Shovelers, with that unique filtering bill that shovelers have.  The sexes look alike except for eye color; the male’s is yellow.

Cape Shoveler Pair, #1

The teal seemed to enjoy the company of a Black-winged Stilt.  The reason for its name is obvious!  We made our way to an observation blind, called a hide locally, where Greater Flamingos abounded, flying back and forth.  Trying to capture these beautiful, but ungainly, flyers was quite a challenge.

Greater Flamingo Duet

Hanging out on some piers were Sacred Ibis, Hartlaub’s Gulls, and Swift Terns, also known as Greater Crested Terns.

Swift Tern Landing

After a long but lovely morning at the wetlands we sought out some lunch, then made our way to Table Mountain.  It was a beautiful day–no rain, not a lot of wind–so our hopes were high that we would ride the cable car to the top for some magnificent views of Cape Town and the rest of the vicinity.  No such luck.  We unloaded from the van, which Kim parked, then strolled down to the ticket booth, only to learn that summer hours didn’t begin until next week.  Nor were we the only ones disappointed.  As we engaged (argued) with the agent, another tour guide, with her entourage and a similar understanding as ours, aonly to be equally surprised and disappointed.  The cable cars were indeed running, but the final group had already ascended, and the cars were only bringing people down.  We debated briefly about trying to come the next day, but rejected that plan since it would come at the cost of something else more desirable.  Still, the view of Cape Town from the parking area is nevertheless lovely.

Cape Town from Table Mountain

We ended the day with a beautiful sunset over Chapman’s Bay.

Chapman’s Bay Sunset

Enjoy these images from south of Cape Town. 

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Kirstenbosch Garden

Fresh off the plane from hours and hours of travel (Providence to Philly to London to Cape Town for me), our little band of safariers loaded into a van and headed to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, one of the world’s greatest gardens.  It sits on the eastern slope of Table Mountain, a sandstone uplift that dominates the skyline of Cape Town, South Africa.  Home to a multitude of flowering plants, many from the unique fynbos floristic kingdom, Kirstenbosch also attracts a wide variety of birds.  We walked around, crossing the canopy bridge, then ate lunch at the tea room.  After lunch we walked more, then stumbled back into the van for the drive to our lodging at De Noordhoek Hotel.  Many names in South Africa are from the Afrikaans language.  “Noord” means north and “hoek” means corner, so we were staying in the north part of Cape Town.

Our guide, Kim Walsh, works for Lawson’s Safaris, and is thoroughly versed in local wildlife, providing us with both common and scientific names of birds and plants.  It was a pleasure being with her for the first week of our trip.  Kim explained that fynbos is an Afrikaans name meaning “fine-leaved bush.”  Also, “y” in Afrikaans is pronounced like a long “a”.  Fynbos refers both to a biome and a vegetation type occurring on nutrient-poor sandy soils.  The dramatically balanced sculpture “Cheetah Chasing Buck” invites visitors to explore the garden’s treasures.

Cheetah Chasing Buck

Some birds, like the Helmeted Guineafowl, were plentiful and easily seen.  Others, when seen, are back-lit, making their brilliant colors harder to see but not to appreciate.  Still others, like the Sombre Greenbul, shun the light, preferring to shelter deep in the branches of trees.

Helmeted Guineafowl

Brimstone Canary, Front

Sombre Greenbul

Among the most colorful and songful are the sunbirds.  No hummingbirds are found in the Eastern Hemisphere, but that ecological niche needs to be filled.  Both sunbirds and sugarbirds provide the service of pollinating nectar-producing flowers.  They are larger than our hummers and do not hover, but they do move about quickly, sometimes perching in the open to sing, like this Southern Double-collared Sunbird.

Southern Double-collared Sunbird Singing

Enjoy this little taste of Kirstenbosch.