One of the best birding areas to explore is that between Swellendam and De Hoop Nature Reserve. Three good gravel roads (see map, p.58) run between the two, flanked by a mosaic of wheatfields, fallow lands, and, on the steeper hillsides and valleys, islands of natural renosterveld scrub (see p.7). A rewarding loop that offers access to all the important birds is the following: take the N2 national road past Swellendam, and continue for 7 km to the hamlet of Buffeljagsrivier. Just beyond the BP service station, turn right onto the gravel road (signposted ‘Malgas’); turn left after 3.3 km and continue for a further 4.3 km before pulling off. Search the scrub along the road edge for Agulhas Long-billed Lark and Clapper Lark. Both are common here and are especially conspicuous when aerially displaying in spring. This road is also good for the scarce Stanley’s Bustard, Karoo Korhaan (rather atypically, in such moist habitat), Southern Black Korhaan (p.57*), Grey-wing Francolin (seen feeding on the road verges in the mornings and late afternoons) and Long-billed Pipit. Exactly 28.3 km from the N2, shortly after you cross two cattle grids, look for one of the Cape’s few Horus Swift colonies in a gully on the western (right-hand) side of the road. Four kilometres further on, the road crosses the Breede River at the village of Malgas. Here, you can enjoy the quaint experience of having your car inched across the river on South Africa’s last working pont.

Just past Malgas, the route joins the gravel road that leads to Potberg and the De Hoop Nature Reserve, and ultimately to the town of Bredasdorp. The remnant patches of indigenous scrub near this junction are good for Clapper Lark, and the stretch from here to Bredasdorp (especially around the main De Hoop turn-off) is excellent for Stanley’s Bustard. If you wish to return to the N2, you can turn right at the fork 1 km later (see map p.58), and follow another gravel road to Swellendam, along which there are also good numbers of Agulhas Long-billed Lark and Blue Crane. The latter is a fairly common sight throughout this region.

The whole of the Overberg region is good raptor country; regularly seen species include Secretarybird, Martial Eagle, Lesser Kestrel and Black Harrier. Common and characteristic species of the agricultural lands are White Stork, Black Crow, Southern Thick-billed and Red-capped Larks, Capped Wheatear, Orange-throated Longclaw, Pied Starling, Pin-tailed Whydah, Yellow Canary and, particularly in stubble fields, Cloud Cisticola (p.57*).