|
Information Service:
Birding Seasons
| Itineraries | Health
Safety & Travel | Birding Etiquette
| Further Reading
Bird Clubs | Internet
| Recent Sightings | Reporting
Sightings
We
are hoping to contribute to the promotion of ecotourism in
Cape Town and beyond into Africa and would be glad to answer
any queries you might have on birding, natural history or
travel in this region as well as greater southern Africa and
the Indian Ocean Islands. Please feel
free to email info@capebirdingroute.org
or one of the contacts below.
Birding Seasons
The best time to go birding in the Western
Cape is springtime. This is because the majority of the region
receives its rain in winter, and the animals and plants must
use the small window of opportunity to breed while temperatures
are sufficiently high and moisture is still in good supply.
Birding picks up significantly towards the end of August,
and the very best birding months are September to December.
However, the weather at this time of year is unpredictable,
as the winter rains often linger. Spring is also the time
to witness the West Coast and Namaqualand flower displays,
with the peak flower season varying from late August to late
September (p.99).
Good birding continues into the summer, although things slowly
become less active when water supplies dwindle as this hot,
dry season progresses. In contrast, Bushmanland, the Nama
Karoo and the Kalahari experience summer thundershowers, resuscitating
the grasses and revitalizing the birdlife. Autumn is thus
the best birding season in these regions, although spring
is also very productive. As autumn progresses into winter,
pelagic birding off the Cape becomes increasingly exciting
(see the monthly table on p.35), but the persistent, rainy
cold fronts that buffet the coastal area in midwinter can
make birding impossible for days at a time.
Itineraries
Foreign birders visiting the western portion
of South Africa as part of a longer tour around the country
will need a very bare minimum of five days based in Cape Town.
Those interested in exploring Namaqualand, Bushmanland or
the Kalahari will clearly need more time. Good loops through
these areas would ideally need at least three days each, plus
additional driving time if travelling to the Kalahari from
Cape Town.
Those in Cape Town on business and with only a few hours to
spare can still see a good selection of Cape specials at sites
close to the city. The Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
(p.15) is undoubtedly the best such locality: it is a mere
15 minutes’ drive from the city centre. Furthermore,
it is easily accessible by public transport (consult Cape
Town Tourism, p.136). Other good localities within 30 minutes
of the city are the Strandfontein sewage works (p.26), Kommetjie
(p.21), Boulders Beach (p.24) and even the Atlantic shoreline
right outside the city centre (p.31) – within walking
distance of the Waterfront. For those with three or more days
to spend in Cape Town, we would recommend a day each on the
Cape Peninsula, the Tanqua Karoo, and either the West Coast
or the Overberg region. A very desirable addition would be
a day out at sea (Seabirding).
While an ideal visit to western South Africa would encompass
most if not all of the routes we describe in this book, this
is clearly not practical for those with limited time. Here
(below) we propose two itineraries for the serious birder
aiming to maximize coverage of endemic species.
One-week
itinerary:
Day 1: Cape Peninsula: Kirstenbosch, Cape
of Good Hope, Boulders
Day 2: Seabirding boat trip
Day 3: West Coast
Day 4: Cape Peninsula in morning: Constantia Greenbelt. Then
to Ceres via Paarl and Bain’s Kloof.
Day 5: Ceres – Tanqua Karoo – Cape Town
Day 6: Overberg: Sir Lowry’s Pass, Overberg farmland
loops to De Hoop, Swellendam
Day 7: Overberg: Grootvadersbosch, return to Cape Town
Two-week itinerary:
Day 1: Kirstenbosch, Cape of Good Hope, Boulders (Cape Peninsula)
Day 2: Seabirding boat trip
Day 3: Sir Lowry’s Pass – De Hoop – Swellendam
(Overberg and South Coast)
Day 4: Grootvadersbosch – Cape Town (Overberg and South
Coast)
Day 5: Cape Town – Darling and West Coast National Park
Day 6: West Coast – Kransvlei Poort– Brandvlei (West
Coast and Bushmanland)
Day 7: Brandvlei – Kenhardt (Bushmanland)
Day 8: Kenhardt – Kalahari Gemsbok National Park (Bushmanland
and Kalahari)
Day 9: Kalahari Gemsbok National Park
Day 10: Kalahari Gemsbok National Park
Day 11: Kalahari Gemsbok National Park – Pofadder (Kalahari
and Bushmanland)
Day 12: Pofadder – Port Nolloth – Springbok (Namaqualand)
Day 13: Springbok – Kamieskroon
Day 14: Kamieskroon – Cape Town
If you wish to visit the Garden Route forests, it is equally
possible to continue on to them from Swellendam. One can then
link to the central Bushmanland region via Swartberg Pass
and the Karoo National Park, rather than from the West Coast
as above, and instead visit the West Coast in a day trip from
Cape Town.
Health, Safety and
Travel
Please consult local tourist information
offices (see p.136) for further information on the topics
discussed below. None of the sites covered in this book are
unusually dangerous, although we do urge visitors to be
cautious and alert, particularly in Cape Town and on the Cape
Peninsula, as birders’ inevitable need to carry conspicuously
valuable equipment makes them potential targets for casual
muggings. Sites that are perhaps best not visited alone are
Strandfontein sewage works (p.26) and Sir Lowry’s Pass
(p.60), although years of birding activities at these sites
have yet to result in any incidents. Petty theft is common;
never leave bags or birding equipment unattended on car seats.
Visitors may be relieved to hear that there is no malaria
in the region covered by this book, although it has been recorded
previously in the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park (p.107; enquire
before visiting). Should you be lucky enough to see a snake
or scorpion, please be cautious as some species are potentially
dangerous.
Road infrastructure in South Africa is excellent, and none
of the routes recommended in this book require a four-wheel-drive
vehicle. However, there might be potential driving hazards
in rural areas for those unaccustomed to unsurfaced roads.
We refer the reader to pp.77 and 87. If you need to travel
long distances in the Northern Cape, please be sure to carry
a good water supply in case of breakdowns. In the latter respect,
be aware that mobile phone coverage in remoter areas is far
from complete.
A wide range of accommodation is available across most of
the region, especially in the coastal areas; consult tourist
information for further details (p.136). Accommodation in
the national parks and most nature reserves is superb and
great value for money. All small rural towns have service
stations and basic, inexpensive hotels, and many have municipal
campsites. Tap water in towns is invariably potable. Public
transport is limited, often unsafe, and best avoided.
Birding
Etiquette
With the ever-increasing popularity of
birding in South Africa, there is inevitably pressure on certain
well-visited sites. While the roadside often provides excellent
birding in rural areas, please ask permission at the nearest
farmhouse if you would like to enter private land. Playback
of bird calls is a very helpful birding tool, and limited
tape playing is unlikely to have a detrimental effect in most
cases. However, we urge birders to refrain from excessive
playback, especially during the breeding season and at popular
sites such as those for Knysna Warblers on the Cape Peninsula
(p.19), and Cinnamon-breasted Warblers at Katbakkies (p.79).
Information
- Further reading
Lists of recommended
field guides, sources for further reading and useful contacts
appear on pp.135 and 136.
Bird
Clubs
Local birders are encouraged to join the Cape
Bird Club, currently Africa’s largest bird club,
and one of 20 regional branches of BirdLife
South Africa (see Useful Contacts, p.136). This is a friendly
and informal club; regular club activities include a monthly
evening meeting in Newlands (Cape Town) and numerous monthly
half-day outings and other events. All members receive a quar-
terly magazine. The Cape Bird Club and BirdLife South Africa
are committed to the conservation of birds and their habitats.
Internet
birding
The local e-mail list, Cape BirdNet, provides an active forum
of over 400 birders for local observations, rarity updates,
trip reports and local birding events in the region covered
by this book (to join, see "Recent Sightings").
E-mail lists provide the visitor with all sorts of helpful
titbits for trip preparation. You may also wish to join SA
BirdNet, a similar birding forum serving the whole of southern
Africa (to join, contact norman@nu.ac.za).
Recent
Sightings
Direct
link to Cape BirdNet postings
The
local e-mail list, Cape BirdNet, provides an active forum
of over 400 birders for local observations, rarity updates,
trip reports and local birding events in the region covered
by this book. E-mail lists provide the visitor with all sorts
of helpful titbits for trip preparation and the very latest
sightings from the region.
To
join instantaneously, send a blank email to:
capebirdnet-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
and
then view the up to date emails on the web at
www.yahoogroups.com/list/capebirdnet
(when
prompted for a password, you will need to "Sign Up"
with Yahoo! and choose your own password).
Reporting
sightings
Please report all sightings of colour-ringed birds, and ring
numbers from dead birds, to SAFRING (see p.136). Birders can
also
contribute to other valuable projects run by the Avian Demography
Unit. If you see any species that are either very rare or
not recorded for this region, please contact the local or
national rare bird committees via the Cape Bird Club and BirdLife
South Africa respectively (p.136).
|
