South Africa 30/5/10 - 18/6/10

Species seen during our trip to South Africa

We stayed at Bushman's Kloof near Clanwilliam in the Cederberg for a week. Then drove down to Langebaan and the West Coast national Park for 2 nights

Then down to Arniston - an ideal base for De Hoop and Cape Algulhas in the Overberg.

Then across to Kleinmond for a few days, finishing in Cape Town for the Football World Cup

B = Bushman's Kloof, L = Langebaan/West Coast National Park, R = Rondevlei - a nice little reserve in the Cape Town suburbs

Bird List

Latin	English	Where	SASOL Number	Notes
Struthio camelus	Ostrich	B, L, Cape Point	1	Probably all re-introduced
Spheniscus demersus	Jackass Penguin	Stoney Point	3	Good numbers breeding
Podiceps cristatus	Great Crested Grebe	L, De Hoop	6	Small numbers
Podiceps nigricollis	Eared Grebe	L	7	One pair
Tachybaptus ruficollis	Little Grebe	L, De Hoop	8	very common at De Hoop
Puffinus griseus	Sooty Shearwater	Arniston	37	Small numbers feeding offshore
Pelecanus onocrotalus	Great White Pelican	De Hoop	49	10 birds or so
Morus capensis	Cape Gannet	Arniston, Kleinmond	53	Fairly common offshore
Phalacrocorax carbo	Great Cormorant	Common	55	Very common offshore
Leucocarbo capensis	Cape Cormorant	Common	56	Very common offshore
Phalacrocorax neglectus	Bank Cormorant	Arniston	57	Small numbers
Phalacrocorax africanus	Long-tailed Cormorant	R	58	Small numbers
Phalacrocorax coronatus	Crowned Cormorant	L	59	Small numbers
Anhinga rufa	African Darter	B, De Hoop	60	Small numbers - freshwater
Ardea cinerea	Grey Heron	Common	62	Seen daily
Ardea melanocephala	Black-headed Heron	Common	63	Seen daily
Ardea purpurea	Purple Heron	R	65	One bird
Ardea alba	Great Egret	De Hoop	66	Small numbers
Egretta garzetta	Little Egret	Common	67	Seen most days
Egretta intermedia	Intermediate Egret	De Hoop	68	Small numbers
Bubulcus ibis	Cattle Egret	Common	71	Seen most days
Threskiornis aethiopicus	Sacred Ibis	L, De Hoop	91	Fields and roadside
Plegadis falcinellus	Glossy Ibis	Kirstenbosch Gardens	93	Pair flying around
Bostrychia hagedash	Hadada Ibis	B, De Hoop, Company gardens - Cape Town	94	Heard most days !
Platalea alba	African Spoonbill	Clanwilliam dam, De Hoop	95	Few birds at south end of Clanwilliam Dam
Phoenicopterus ruber	Greater Flamingo	L	96	100+ birds in bay - I couldn't pick out any Lessers though
Alopochen aegyptiaca	Egyptian Goose	Common	102	Seen most days
Tadorna cana	South African Shelduck	Bushmans Kloof, Clanwilliam	103	Pair re-introduced at Bushmans Kloof, few birds at south end of Clanwilliam Dam
Anas undulata	Yellow-billed Duck	B, De Hoop	104	Very tame at Bushmans Kloof
Anas sparsa	African Black Duck	Near Velddrif	105	A few birds in the fog
Anas capensis	Cape Teal	L	106	Few birds on freshwater pool
Anas erythrorhyncha	Red-billed Duck	R	108	Few birds loafing around
Anas smithii	Cape Shoveler	L	112	Few birds on freshwater pool
Plectropterus gambensis	Spur-winged Goose	B	116	Pair on dam
Sagittarius serpentarius	Secretarybird	Potberg - De Hoop	118	One bird by roadside at Potberg entrance
Gyps coprotheres	Cape Vulture	Potberg - De Hoop	122	One or two birds overhead
Elanus caeruleus	Black-shouldered Kite	Common	127	Seen in most areas
Aquila verreauxii	Verreaux's Eagle	B, Kleinmond	131	Pair hunting Dassie at Bushman's Kloof, bird over Harold Porter gardens
Circaetus pectoralis	Black-chested Snake-Eagle	B	143	One or two birds overhead
Buteo trizonatus	Forest Buzzard	N7 out of Cape Town	150	Probable split from Mountain Buzzard
Buteo rufofuscus	Jackal Buzzard	near Langebaan	152	Seen overhead along N7
Circus ranivorus	African Marsh Harrier	L	165	One bird seen in mist
Circus maurus	Black Harrier	L	168	One bird seen in mist
Falco peregrinus	Peregrine Falcon	Kleinmond	171	Chasing pigeons over estuary
Falco tinnunculus	Common Kestrel	B and Cederberg	181	Odd birds on posts or hovering
Pternistis capensis	Cape Spurfowl	B, De Hoop, Signal Hill, Kirstenbosch	195	Tame birds around car parks
Numida meleagris	Helmeted Guineafowl	De Hoop, Signal Hill, Kirstenbosh	203	Tame birds
Anthropoides paradiseus	Blue Crane	R316 to Arniston, Potberg	208	Small groups in stubble fields
Amaurornis flavirostra	Black Crake	De Hoop	213	One bird by freshwater pool
Porphyrio porphyrio	Purple Gallinule	R	223	Distant views
Gallinula chloropus	Common Moorhen	B, De Hoop	226	Fairly common
Fulica cristata	Red-knobbed Coot	De Hoop, R	228	Small numbers
Neotis denhami	Denham's Bustard	R316 Arniston	231	Small groups in stubble fields
Neotis ludwigii	Ludwig's Bustard	B	232	One pair - this is the southernmost part of range
Eupodotis vigorsii	Karoo Korhaan	De Hoop	235	One pair near Potberg entrance
Haematopus moquini	African Oystercatcher	L, Arniston	244	Small numbers
Charadrius pecuarius	Kittlitz's Plover	L, Arniston	248	Small numbers, usually in grassy areas at waters edge
Charadrius marginatus	White-fronted Plover	L	249	Small numbers
Vanellus coronatus	Crowned Lapwing	Overberg	255	Small numbers near Cape Algulhas and Potberg
Vanellus armatus	Blacksmith Lapwing	Common	258	Small numbers in fields
Tringa nebularia	Common Greenshank	L	270	One or two birds on mud
Philomachus pugnax	Ruff	L	284	Small numbers on mud
Numenius arquata	Curlew	L	289	One or two birds on mud
Recurvirostra avosetta	Pied Avocet	L	294	Small numbers on mud
Himantopus himantopus	Black-winged Stilt	Cape Town airport	295	A few birds in a drainage ditch
Burhinus vermiculatus	Water Thick-knee	De Hoop	298	Few birds roosting under bushes
Stercorarius antarcticus	Brown Skua	Kleinmond	310	One bird following a fishing boat
Larus dominicanus	Kelp Gull	Common	312	Every coastal area
Chroicocephalus hartlaubii	Hartlaub's Gull	Common	316	Every coastal area
Thalasseus bergii	(Swift) Great Crested-Tern	Common	324	Most coastal areas
Sterna vittata	Antarctic Tern	Kleinmond	329	Few birds feeding offshore
Columba livia	Feral Pigeon	Common	348	Urban areas
Columba guinea	Speckled Pigeon	B	349	Few birds in river gulleys
Streptopelia semitorquata	Red-eyed Dove	B, Kirstenbosch	352	Heard more often than seen
Streptopelia capicola	Ring-necked Dove	B, and gardens	354	Fairly common
Streptopelia senegalensis	Laughing Dove	B, and gardens	355	Fairly common
Colius colius	White-backed Mousebird	B	425	Small groups of birds around the gardens
Urocolius indicus	Red-faced Mousebird	B, De Hoop	426	Small groups of birds in thicker Fynbos
Ceryle rudis	Pied Kingfisher	Common	428	Near any large freshwater
Alcedo cristata	Malachite Kingfisher	B	431	One bird flying over dam
Mirafra apiata	Clapper Lark	B	495	A few birds displaying which was odd for winter-time. I missed out at Cape Algulhas though - this race is a possible split
Calandrella cinerea	Red-capped Lark	B, De Hoop	507	Small numbers in stubble fields
Ptyonoprogne fuligula	Rock Martin	B, L, De Hoop	529	Small numbers around buildings
Dicrurus adsimilis	Fork-tailed Drongo	N7	541	Small numbers on wires, especially near Cape Town
Corvus capensis	Cape Crow	Common	547	Common up the west coast
Corvus albus	Pied Crow	Common	548	More common in the south
Corvus albicollis	White-necked Raven	Kirstenbosch Gardens	550	1 overhead
Anthoscopus minutus	Cape Penduline Tit	L	557	A few of these tiny birds in the Fynbos
Pycnonotus capensis	Cape Bulbul	Common	566	In most thick vegetation
Andropadus importunus	Sombre Greenbul	Kirstenbosch Gardens	572	In wooded area
Turdus smithii	Karoo Thrush	B	577	Around gardens - this is now split from Olive Thrush T.olivaceous
Oenanthe monticola	Mountain Wheatear	B	586	Common in rocky areas
Cercomela familiaris	Familiar Chat	B, Kirstenbosch	589	Very prominent with wing flicking displays
Cercomela schlegelii	Karoo Chat	B	592	A bit of a skulker under bushes
Saxicola torquata	African Stonechat	B, De Hoop	596	Few birds on roadside fences
Cossypha caffra	Cape Robin-Chat	R, Kirstenbosch	601	Fairly common
Cercotrichas coryphaeus	Karoo Scrub Robin	L	614	A fairly dull bird, one or two in in the Fynbos
Acrocephalus gracilirostris	African Reed Warbler	R	635	One or two in the reedbeds
Cisticola tinniens	Tinkling Cisticola	Kleinmond	677	aka Levaillants Cisticola. Near streams
Prinia maculosa	Spotted Prinia	L	686	Fairly common - perched up on bushes.
Phragmacia substriata	Namaqua Warbler	B	687	Scruffier than Spotted Prinia, in dry river beds
Muscicapa adusta	Dusky Alseonax	Harold Porter gardens	690	One bird feeding in burnt area
Batis capensis	Cape Batis	Harold Porter gardens	700	Pair near waterfall
Motacilla capensis	Cape Wagtail	Common	713	Probably the most common bird seen !
Anthus cinnamomeus	African Pipit	Potberg - De Hoop	716	aka Grassveld Pipit, common by roadsides
Lanius collaris	Common Fiscal	Common	732	Another very common bird
Laniarius ferrugineus	Southern Boubou	De Hoop	736	One around the car park
Telophorus zeylonus	Bokmakierie	B, L, Cape Algulhas	746	Seen daily at Bushmans Kloof, one or two others noted
Sturnus vulgaris	Common Starling	L, Cape Town	757	Birds seem fatter and brighter than their European cousins
Spreo bicolor	Pied Starling	L	759	Small groups on the outskirts of Langebaan
Promerops cafer	Cape Sugarbird	Potberg - De Hoop	773	Good numbers along the Klipspringer trail
Nectarinia famosa	Malachite Sunbird	B	775	Several birds in eclipse and breeding plumage around the gardens
Anthobaphes violacea	Orange-breasted Sunbird	Kleinmond	777	Several along the coastal walk
Cinnyris chalybeus	Southern Double-collared Sunbird	Common	783	Probably the most common Sunbird seen
Cinnyris fuscus	Dusky Sunbird	B	788	One or two seen out on the Fynbos
Zosterops pallidus	Pale White-eye	Bredasdorp	796	Small group in restaurant garden
Passer domesticus	House Sparrow	Common	801	Small numbers in urban areas
Passer melanurus	Cape Sparrow	Potberg - De Hoop	803	Small flocks in stubble fields
Ploceus capensis	Cape Weaver	B	813	Small colony by restaurant
Ploceus velatus	Southern Masked-Weaver	N7	814	Seen by pool near service station
Euplectes capensis	Yellow Bishop	B	827	One in gardens
Estrilda astrild	Common Waxbill	B	846	Few birds along tracks
Crithagra flaviventris	Yellow Canary	L	878	Few birds drinking from puddles
Crithagra albogularis	White-throated Canary	B	879	Seen in river gulley
Crithagra gularis	Streaky-headed Seedeater	B	881	Seen in river gulley
Emberiza capensis	Cape Bunting	B, Cape Point	885	Few birds seen in gardens

Mammals

At Bushman's Kloof most mammal species are re-introduced as the area was originally farmland and is being allowed to revert back to Fynbos

They do have the largest herd of Cape Mountain Zebra on private land and good numbers of Bontebok

Also Eland, Gemsbok, Red Hartebeest and Springbok

Grey Rhebok considered to be truly wild here having entered the area from the Cederberg Wilderness area

Klipspringer were probably always present here

Bat-eared Fox also here and Smith's Red Rock Rabbit

We also saw Aardwolf tracks and signs of Aardvark activity

Cape Grey Mongoose seen crossing a road near Clanwilliam

Yellow Mongoose seen at De Hoop

Right Whale seen offshore at De Hoop and Kleinmond

Dassie seen all along the south coast

Chacma Baboon - seen at roadsides near Citrusdal and Cape Point

Grey Squirrel introduced to the Company Gardens in Cape Town

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