Stony Point & Kalk Bay

Looking into the bay from Stony Point.

Stony Point lives up to its name!

On 30th October my family & I left Pearly Beach for a leisurely drive along the coast to Stony Point. This drive is a visual feast, as the road hugs the coast for most of the way. Our main purpose to visit this area was to get close up & personal with African Penguins. We had all seen them previously on Dyer Island, but the views were quite distant. 

Nicci & Justin!

A young Rock Hyrax.

We all collected in the parking area to be greeted with a scattering of Rock Hyrax sunning themselves. 

It wasn't long before we found them!

I don't know the number of pairs of African Penguin which actually breed here. Numbers vary tremendously throughout the year. Today we estimated around 200+ birds ashore & they gave us all great views. This is a rapidly declining species & of course it is a regional endemic, being only found in South Africa & Namibia.

Quite surprisingly Egyptian Geese also nest

 on this rocky promontory

Cape (Kelp) Gull

Cape Cormorants

We estimated around 450 pairs

 breeding on the rocks.

Crowned Cormorant also nests here 

in small numbers.

Stony Point is one of the few places on the mainland where all four species of Cormorant breed. White-breasted; Cape; Brandt's & Crowned. Brandt's is another species in decline & today we didn't record any birds, which is both unusual & symptomatic of the times.

Gabe, Nicci & Justin

We then continued to Kalk Bay where we would stay for the next four nights. In the evening we all went out for a meal.

Kalk Bay

Looking towards the Cape Peninsula.

Cape Fur Seal on the harbour wall.

Notice the external ears!

Cape to Cuba Bar

This car was brought over from Cuba 

to South Africa!

Justin & Nicci

Rowan & Gabe.

Kirsty

Peaches

Kalk Bay was once a small fishing village, along the coast from Cape Town. It was one of those sleepy little places where nothing much happened. However, this all changed with apartheid, as the municipality became the only place in South Africa which refused to implement this policy. This made the place infamous & also attracted the middle class bohemian set with money to spend! Today it is a busy spot on the map, with a host of bars & restaurants & many boutique type shops. Our family set out to enjoy themselves.

The iconic Cape Point Lighthouse.

The weather can change 

in an instant here.

Next stop is Antarctica!

There are some terrific walks along the coast here.

Common Ostrich

Ostrich chicks.

The 1st of November saw us all going to Cape Point, which is just a short distance from where we were staying in Kalk Bay. It is a must visit on any tourists itinerary & so it proved today with hundreds of visitors thronging the place! We spent a few hours there, before heading back home, as we had a big night ahead!

Meal at the Harbour Heights Restaurant.

Rowan & her Daddy!

Kirsty & Peaches

Both my grand-daughter Peaches & my wife Delana share a birthday: 2nd November! It wasn't possible to have a shared celebration on the actual day, as the two young girls were jetting off to Sydney early in the morning. So the 1st it had to be! The girls are celebrating two Coldplay tickets in Sydney! A big surprise for them.

Wine, Whales & a Wedding Celebration!

 Delana & I actually got married on 14th September last year. However, we arranged it in a bit of a rush & not everyone could make the event at such short notice. Also, I was in the middle of chemotherapy & not feeling too great. So we thought why not have a celebration in the future & give everyone plenty of notice of the event. This is it! We decided to base the celebrations around our house in Pearly Beach & because most people were coming from far flung corners of the globe, decided to male a week of it! 

The Swartberg Mountains

Typical terrain in these parts.

Delana & I set off on our eight night trip around the Swartberg Mountains early on 27th September. We had been wanting to do this trip for a while, but never quite had the time! One is always busy when you are retired! Of course, we have passed through this area many times, but always on the main road en route between Pretoria & Pearly Beach. We thought a more in depth exploration might be in order. 

I am not feeling that great at the moment, still having great difficulty with my bowels, which both reduces my energy levels & stops me from walking far. The stoma reversal operation was straightforward. However, the complications from it are certainly not!

Male Cape Rock-thrush

Quite common in & around the pass.

Female

Cape Bunting

We drove through the incredibly scenic Seweweeks Pass. This is a stunning area, but difficult to explore, as the mountains are steep & one is restricted to birding along the gravel road. We took our time & saw a couple of good bird species. We also returned the next day for a more thorough exploration.

Wagendrift Lodge Bushcamp

Malachite Sunbird

Male

Cape Sparrows

Rock Martin on the side of the lodge.

Lechwe

The owner had introduced this species 

on to his farm!

Our destination was Wagendrift Lodge, we had booked a three night stay at their bush camp. This proved to be an excellent choice, as we were the only guests & had the entire place to ourselves. It was a very comfortable place & the facilities were great. We didn't really explore the farm properly, mainly because of my mobility problems, which was a shame, as the terrain looked interesting. 

The Karoo: open spaces & big skies.

The entrance to the reserve.

The road which transverses the reserve.

Gemsbok

White-backed Mousebird

Karoo Chat, flighty & elusive.

Difficult to photograph in the strong wind.

On 29th September we visited the Aynsberg Nature Reserve, which conserves some typical karoo habitat. It is a very scenic area & a great place for a day out. It is also a key area for the endangered Riverine Rabbit. Hardly anyone has seen this species, as it is nocturnal & very shy. No-one really knows its distribution & even some researchers who study this species haven't seen it! Needless to say we didn't see it!

We left the lodge the next day & drove to the small Karoo town of Prince Albert. This is a beautifully preserved historic town, with lots of quirky shops & nice restaurants. We enjoyed our time here, but it was bitterly cold. Luckily we were in a very cosy apartment & soon got the log burner started.

The lower elevation just after leaving Prince Albert.

Karoo Scrub Robin

Grey-backed Cisticola

This is of the southern race with streaks

 on the underparts.

Rufous-eared Warbler

Quite common here.

Fairy Flycatcher

Karoo Prinia

Just a few kilometers outside of the town we birded a patch of karoo vegetation with some larger trees scattered across the area. It proved to be very birdy, with not only the above species but two Protea Canaries seen but unfortunately not photographed.

1st October we left Prince Albert & started to climb towards the Swartberg Pass, but it was soon time to turn off on the long & tortuous road to De Hell. It turned out to be a beautiful drive & the weather was great!

The first part of this drive is quite easy,

 but you are surrounded by dramatic scenery 

all around you.

Klipspringer

Once one gets to higher elevation

 this species becomes quite common.

Young male.

Grey Rhebok

Common in the mountains.

This is a species that I don't see very often.

Jackal Buzzard

Orange-breasted Sunbird

Birds were scarce at

 the higher elevations.

We made it!

Each cottage in the valley is named after

 the original inhabitants.

Our cottage!