The view from the house.
Coastal fynbos in the dunes.
Home to many endemic species.
Cape Cormorants
Hartlaub's Gull
Rock Kestrel
African Black Oystercatcher
White-fronted Plover
Several pairs breed on this stretch of the coast.
We survived the night! It is a beautiful morning here on 1st January & Delana & I decided to do a walk down the coast for a couple of hours. We didn't see anything particularly noteworthy, but it was a nice little outing.
Looking towards the coast.
The road to Witkrans
Knysna Woodpecker
Brilliant to see this species!
On 2nd January I decided to bird Flower Valley, an area of indigenous forest, fynbos & high hills. It is a great place for birding/hiking. Despite their website saying it was open, I arrived at the gate to be greeted by a notice saying that they were closed! I had no choice but to bird the small patch of forest at Witkrans. Delana & I had birded this area before. it is a known site for Knysna Woodpecker, one of Delana's most wanted birds! Last time, we heard the Woodpecker but didn't see it. Today I was on my own, as Delana had gone snorkelling. It started out very quiet, infact, I couldn't find anything at all! Then out of the blue I saw a Woodpecker land on a nearby tree. It was a Knysna Woodpecker! It stayed there for ages, preening & just looking at me. It was only my second sighting of this species, so it was pretty special!
Male Black Cuckooshrike
Female
I also managed to photograph a pair of Black Cuckooshrike in the same spot. This is a scarce & hard to find species in the Cape region.
Platbos Forest
I then decided to bird the nearby Platbos Forest, which is a remnant patch of indigenous forest amid all the exotic vegetation found here. It is a nice place to bird, as one has the place to oneself as visitor numbers are low. However, it is a difficult place to bird, as all the special species are very tough to see.
Cinnamon Dove through the windscreen!
Birding started well, as on the drive in, I spotted a Cinnamon Dove on the ground in the forest. The dirt track is narrow & I couldn't maneuver the car to get aa photo, so I had to shoot through the dirty windscreen!
A tree sculpture of a forest man!
There are a couple of trails through the forest & on one of them I discovered this!
Olive Bushshrike
A rare & difficult species to see in the Cape.
Cape Batis
Swee Waxbill
Male
Difficult to photograph in the forest.
I spent a couple of hours in the forest seeing a grand total of 12 species! But it was a lovely outing & the old forest is lovely.
