Blue Eyed Birder: The Western Cape for Oriole Birding

An early start felt even earlier for our first full day but the sun comes up quickly here and the trees across the road were once again hosting new birds. Pre-dawn was dominated by the sound of singing Olive Thrushes and a once the sky lightened we could see dapper Cape Sparrows as the culprit of the rather tuneful sparrowesque voices we could hear. Cape Wagtails scurried around the pavement and Cape Canaries and Red-winged Starlings were in the gardens with Common Starlings, the usual Doves and a couple of brief Speckled Mousebirds.

Olive Thrush

Glossy Ibis flock - one of three species over

Red-eyed Dove

Cape Sparrow

Red-winged Starling - female

With breakfast in hand we headed around the coast and over the top down to Hout Bay for our pelagic to the deep offshore waters. Many of these special trips this time of year do not actually go ahead due to the strength of the summer south-easterlies but the bird gods were smiling on us and we were good to go. A scan of the harbour before we headed out gave us a Giant Kingfisher on the breakwater along with Cape Cormorants, Kelp Gulls and African Black Oystercatchers while Cape Fur Seals lounged on the boons and waved flippers but more of those later.

Two boats headed out, one with us and the other with Birdquest on board and the plan was to communicate throughout the day. I am not the best sailor and wedged myself at the back in the middle and watched the coast line until it disappeared and then the somewhat undulating horizon from then on.

We passed through a bank of coastal fog where the first Cape Gannets and White-chinned Petrel were seen before an adult Sabines Gull was found bobbing around and an Arctic Skua sped by.

My only Cape Gannet pic as most were on the way out where I was concentrating on other things!

Sabine's Gull

White-chinned Petrel

Pressing on, we still had miles to go and were aiming for 32 miles out where the trawlers were to be found but the Birdquest boat blew a gearbox in an engine and unfortunately had to limp back before we reached the first Albatrosses. I am not sure if they got back out again later in the day.

Suddenly we were amongst the birds and the next few hours were spent in rolling seas surrounded by seabirds. Our boat guide Alvin, was incredibly disappointed with what we saw but I reassured him that we were over the moon with what we encountered and the fact that we had even managed to get out in the first place!

And so to the birds. Heavy set White-chinned Petrels were in the majority and amongst them I was lucky to find a splendid Spectacled Petrel which Neil somehow got some pics of before it headed away from us. A few Sooty Shearwaters were made to look small against the White-chins and there were several Greats and a single Cory’s too. Amazing to think that the first two are back in their breeding waters and the later has left its natal grounds in the western Mediterranean and Macronesia and moved south.

White-chinned Petrel

White-chinned Petrel - masterful

White-chinned Petrel

White-chinned Petrel - Neil Colgate

Spectacled Petrel - Neil Colgate

Great Shearwater - Neil Colgate

Great Shearwater

A Pintado Petrel was one of those birds I had always wanted to see as were the two monstrous Giant Petrels with both Northern and Southern species seen. Having seen images of these on the Falklands tearing into a seal body it was a highlight to see these powerful mega petrels close up.

Pintado Petrel, Great Shearwater & Indian YN Albatross

Sooty Shearwater, Pintado Petrel & White-chinned Petrel

Northern Giant Petrel - Neil Colgate

Northern Giant Petrel

Southern Giant Petrel & White-chinned Petrel

Southern Giant Petrel

Southern Giant Petrel - Neil Colgate

Southern Giant Petrel

But of course it was the Albatrosses that wowed us and distracted minds from the height of the swell. There were Black-browed and both Indian and Atlantic Yellow-nosed as well as the much bigger and heavier Shy Albatrosses with various ages of each species seen. Apparently we were not seeing them at their best as it was not windy enough but trust me when I say that we were very happy with almost no breeze whatsoever and still got to see them cruising around us.

Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross - Neil Colgate

Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross

Atlantic (top) and Indian (below) Yellow-nosed Albatross and the solo Pintado

Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross

Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross - imm

Both Yellow-nosed Albatross are tricky and obviously I had not seen either before but I think I got my eye in on whiteness of heads and shape of yellow 'noses'. The Indian narrows and is pointed while the Atlantic seems to stay even and then round off? My image assessments may of course not all be correct!

Shy Albatross is noticeably larger than the others but I still can’t comprehend how much longer winged one of the Great Albatrosses look but I will save that for another day.

Shy Albatross - Neil Colgate

Shy Albatrosses & and imm Black-browed

Shy Albatross

Cape Gannets drifted by and Common Terns were around the two trawlers and several Sub-Antarctic Skuas popped in now and then to have a poke at a petrel. We waited for the trawlers to haul in but it never seemed to be getting any more likely and even the herds of Cape Fur Seals following them were looking bored. I was very surprised to see them this far out – I had no idea.

Sub-Antarctic Skua

Common Tern - Neil Colgate

A smallish green sea turtle was watched just below the surface and a couple of Tuna breached before we opted for an early return to shore which was still nearly two hours away. Most of the birds were left behind and just a few White-chins, Sooties and Cape Gannets were seen on the way back in although we did get a close view of a couple of huge container ships and three tugs pulling an immense mobile oil rig.

Cape Gannet - Neil Colgate

I may actually have been asleep - Mandy Colgate

Closer in Cape Cormorants passed us by and there were more Common and a couple of Sandwich Terns too while in the harbour we now had a few moments to watch the Cape Cormorants at close range and marvel at the size of the Fur Seals with their point little ears!

African Black Oystercatchers

Cape Cormorants and a Kelp Gull

Cape Fur Seals

Back on shore I may have done a little dance for having successfully survived the vaguely high seas with my insides still inside. We stopped for a drink in the fine restaurant (but passed on food) before making our way back towards base but with a good window of opportunity to pay our first visit to the fabled Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.

It was quite warm and quiet for our first visit but it was just good to have a walk in the sunshine and enjoy the wonderful plants. There were of course plenty of birds to see and everyone got a good look at the Southern DC Sunbirds at last as well as Olive Thrushes and incredibly confiding Cape Robin-chats. Sombre Greenbuls sung throughout the gardens and we were lucky enough to get a good view of a beady eyed singer in a tree top and Cape Bulbuls, Karoo Prinias, Cape Canaries and Cape White-eyes all showed well. Birds in these gardens tended to give good views and the constant stream of visitors has obviously made them accustomed to human company. A female African Paradise Flycatcher hunted in the shadowy glen and fizzy African Dusky Flycatchers took mare traditional exposed out vantage points. A Cape Batis was seen very briefly and we would have to wait for some days to get views again and a Fork Tailed Drongo hunted above us.

Fork Tailed Drongo - Neil Colgate

Karoo Prinia - Neil Colgate

Karoo Prinia

Cape White-eye

Cape White-eye - Neil Colgate

Sombre Greenbul

Cape Robin-chat

Cape Robin-chat and Eric

Cape Bulbul

Olive Thrush

Cape Canary

Speckled Pigeons, Ring-necked and Red-eyed Doves were numerous and I was especially pleased to find two Lemon Doves given that my only previous one was in Uganda on the breathless climb back up from the Gorillas!

Ring-necked Dove

Lemon Dove - Neil Colgate

Speckled Pigeon - Neil Colgate

Despite the blooms there were very few insects with just three Butterflies with a ‘Large’ White, typical Painted Lady and one of the Acraea species with transparent outer forewings. A strange insect was hurtling around at ridiculous speed making loud clicking noises but never landed and I had no idea what family it even belonged too.

Acraea sp Any one know which one?

Acraea sp

Painted Lady

A Cockroach sp?

A large Bug - I loved the shadow

A hairy Grasshopper

It was soon time to head back to Milnerton. I am not sure that any of us (even Hazel) believed that we had managed our South African pelagic and we all enjoyed another fine meal down at the Bossa.