Twitch on

20 October 2024 - Mkhombo Dam

This would be my second twitch of a Sandpiper on the Highveld. News broke of the 'mega' Broad-billed Sandpiper at Mkhombo Dam earlier in the week, but I was unable to get away until this weekend.

Together with my good friend Richard Crawshaw we left early for the longer than expected drive to Mkhombo Dam to discover of course, we were not the only ones with the same idea. More eyes are always better..

An hour passed and no sign of the bird from the various small groups that were scouring different areas of the Dam when suddenly a shout went up "Its here".

We all moved quietly and quickly to the spot and enjoyed watching this diminutive wader feeding and preening amongst the more common summer waders, some of which did not take kindly to this intruding vagrant - how do they know?

Broad-billed Sandpiper (Calidris falcinellus)

After some time, it flew further up the dam, so we didnt bother to try and re-find it as we had had our fill, albeit distant, plus we had some time constraints on getting back home. On the way out, we stopped for some 'umbrella' fishing Black Herons

Black Heron (Egretta ardesiaca)

And then the breeding Collared Pratincole's

Collared Pratincole (Glareola pratincola)

Before heading home, more than satisfied.

Rondebosch Common - Hit and miss

14 October 2024 - Rondebosch Common

My Hotel was close to work, so I had an early breakfast and headed to the nearby Rondebosch Common for a morning walk, but to also try and locate the resident Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk.

After I found a parking, I decided to do a quick recce walk (stupidly without my camera) amongst the walkers, runners and dog walkers at this popular spot. Of course, at the furthermost point from my car, one of the Sparrowhawk's flew past me at eye level - great view in my memory, but so cross with myself not to have taken my camera.

I hurried back to the car, got my camera and inadvertently brought Murphy along with me. I headed back to the same spot where of course the Sparrowhawk was nowhere to be found. Disappointed, I had to make due with this magnificent view on the way back to the car

Rondebosch Common View

I did pick up a family of Levaillant's Cistic's

Levaillant's Cisiticola (Cisticola tinniens)

And an unidentified Dragonfly

Dragonfly sp.

Before heading to the office for another productive day, before flying back to Jozi tomorrow afternoon. 

The famed Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

13 October 2025 - Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens; Site 3

Fortunately I didnt have to take the slow coastal road to the famed Botanical Gardens, but by the time I arrived after lunch, the clouds had started rolling in. Again, many tour buses in the car park. 

Whilst walking to the ticket office I had a large raptor circling overhead and stopped to grab a few pics before hearing a car hoot, as I had been oblivious to standing in the middle of the road - it does happen, as I'm sure many will attest to. We still do not have 100% consensus on what it is - but for now a 'Steppe' Buzzard. Although there are records of 'Cape' Buzzard which is a possible hybrid between Steppe and Mountain Buzzard. If anyone has any thoughts/opinions on this raptor, do let me know.

Possible Steppe Buzzard (Buteo b. vulpinus)

At the ticket office, again I was assumed to be a tourist, despite my SA accent. But once through the gate, I was into these magnificent gardens which like Strandfontein, I hadn't visited in over 30-years. If you haven't visited, I can highly recommend that you do - not just for the birds, but the gardens themselves.

I had hardly got into the main gardens and was already onto many birds in the first section as it slowly got gloomier where I easily spent over an hour. 

I had the grey form Cape White-Eye's 

Cape White-Eye (Zosterops v. capensis)

Common Waxbill's

Common Waxbill (Estrilda astrild)

Numbers of Cape Canary's including juveniles

Cape Canary (Serinus canicollis)

Juvenile Cape Canary (Serinus canicollis)

a cracking male Eurasian Chaffinch

Eurasian Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)

Countless Southern Double-collared Sunbirds

Southern Double-collared Sunbird (Cinnyris chalybeus)

and was astounded by the number of obliging Forest Canary's

Female Forest Canary (Crithagra scotops)

Not sure if this abstract works?

Male Forest Canary (Crithagra scotops)

Conscious of the time, I continued upward to the main Protea Garden where one of my photographic targets was Orange-breasted Sunbird. I started off a Dusky Flycatcher sitting quietly in some cover

African Dusky Flycatcher (Muscicapa adusta)

Followed by a couple of Cape Bulbul

Cape Bulbul (Pycnonotus capensis)

Then Cape Spurfowl

Cape Spurfowl (Pternistis capensis)

Followed by numbers of Cape Sugarbird which were quite abundant. Not surprising that many of the species seen here have 'Cape' in their names....

Female Cape Sugarbird (Promerops cafer)

Male Cape Sugarbird (Promerops cafer)

As it got gloomier and darker with some light drizzle, the Olive Thrushes made an appearance and a killing on the emerging earthworms.

Olive Thrush (Turdus olivaceus)

No luck at all with the Sunbird, so I made my way back toward the entrance, only to be stopped by a small flock of the diminutive and colourful Swee Waxbill's feeding on the grass and occasionally being flushed by visitors into the surrounding flower beds

Female Swee Waxbill (Coccopygia melanotis)

Male Swee Waxbill (Coccopygia melanotis)

Here a Cape Robin-Chat calling from the top of a shrub

Cape Robin-Chat (Dessonornis caffra)

Back down near the entrance, a Cape Grassbird popped up from the undergrowth and seemingly took cover from the rain under a Lily and started singing - I call this image "Gimme Shelter'

Cape Grassbird (Sphenoeacus afer)

The last bird, was a male Malachite Sunbird on the top of an Aloe

Male Malachite Sunbird (Nectarinia famosa)

On the way out, I took a few floral images. I would have done my visit to these gardens a dis-service had I not!

Floral display

followed by the impressive and magnificent mature trees along the service road, just outside the entrance - colour or B&W?

Magnificent trees

By now it was raining a little harder and it was almost closing time on what had been a thoroughly enjoyable day exploring a few birding sites in and around Cape Town. So, back into my car and off to check into my hotel near Rondebosch for a shower and a well-deserved meal with a few cold ones!