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.
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.
Each cottage in the valley is named after
the original inhabitants.
Our cottage!
This really is a very remote area.
Leopard Tortoise
The next few days were spent exploring the valley, which was spectacular. Unfortunately I was not at my best & couldn't do the hikes that we wanted to do.
Top of the pass
The little Jimny proved to be an excellent vehicle
for this trip.
We returned to civilisation via the Swartberg Pass, hoping for species like Ground Woodpecker & Cape Rockjumper. However it was blowing a gale up there & birding was very tough. It had been a nice little trip, a little different from the places we normally go to. However, due to my health issues I couldn't do all the things I wanted to do, which was very frustrating.
