The Western Cape for Oriole Birding - Day 3: 13th November 2025

Not quite so early a start and we even got breakfast at tables and it gave us a little time to stand outside and watch the birds in the garden opposite, through our security fence.  The word ‘Cape’ came up a lots with Canary, White-eye and Sparrow but there was a new addition too with almost orange Cape Weavers.

Cape Weaver

Cape Weaver

Red-eyed Dove

Cape Sparrows

Laughing Dove

Speckled Pigeons

Rock Kestrel

A strange song kept me searching and I soon found a Pied Barbet.  He was coming down to the closest fruiting tree which was also home to two White-backed Mousebirds.  SDC Sunbirds zipped around and a Peregrine made two passes before we were called in to breakfast.

Pied Barbet

I saw a dashing Black Goshawk during breakfast (always staring out of the windows!) and there were Cape Cormorants and Hartlaub’s Gulls down on the tidal channel.

Our first stop was in the nearby suburb of Rondabosch where Wilfred took us across the road to a stand of pines where we very quickly found our quarry, a male Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk which was built very much along the lines of our own Eurasian Sparrowhawk. 

Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk 

Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk 

Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk 

Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk 

On again to the higher gate of Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens for a proper look round.  This early in the morning there was only us and the happy ground staff around and we had a fabulous couple of hours wandering through the various biomes in cooler conditions than yesterday afternoon. Sombre Greenbuls were singing around us and gave occasional views but a singing Cape Batis refused to show itself.  Southern Boubous are easy to hear but tricky to see but seemingly not for us and one popped out just a few metres away.

Sombre Greenbul - Neil Colgate

Southern Boubou - Neil Colgate

There were Cape Bulbuls and White-eyes and Karoo Prinias were not bothered by us in the slightest as they collected food in the flower beds where Cape Robin-chats and Olive Thrushes foraged.  Some Swee Waxbills flew off while we were watching a group of Cape Spurfowl and in searching for them we found some Bronze Mannikins on the lawns.

Cape Spurfowl

Cape Spurfowl

Karoo Prinia

Karoo Prinia

Karoo Prinia

The views up to the mountains were magnificent and scanning around gave us Yellow-billed Kites, Steppe Buzzard, White-necked Ravens and a dark phase Booted Eagle. 

As we dropped down to the Protea beds we found our first Cape Sugarbird that was dragging round a preposterous tail.  I did not realise that they were such a robust bird.  There were several of both sexes and the views were outrageous.  One male in particular sat there and sung within touching distance.  SDC Sunbirds were common and we got our first view of a female Malachite Sunbird too and then noticed that there were Canaries feeding around our feet in the beds too with Cape and chunky Brimstone and dark faced Forest.

Cape Sugarbird - just such a photogenic bird

Cape Sugarbird

Cape Sugarbird

Cape Sugarbird

Cape Sugarbird

Cape Sugarbird

Cape Sugarbird

Cape Sugarbird

Cape Sugarbird

Cape Sugarbird

Cape Sugarbird

Cape Sugarbird - I do not normally put up many images of the same bird but each has its own merits and it was just so confiding

Forest Canary - Neil Colgate

Forest Canary 

Brimstone Canary 

Cape Sugarbird

There were more Spurfowl wandering amongst us and two screaming American teenagers drew us, not to a coiled snake but a rather small Leopard Tortoise – go figure.  Two small brown birds were flying round playing chase and making loud metallic ‘zink’ noises.  Wilfred identified them as Brown Backed Honeybird which is a poor new name substitute for Wahlberg’s Honeyguide!

Southern Double Collared Sunbird

Southern Double Collared Sunbird

Silver Tree - Leucadendron argenteum

It looked like a Large White?

A Rose Chafer

Black-headed Heron

Leopard Tortoise - screeeeeeaaaaaam - run away!

Down in the Dell and Olive Pigeon flew across and Red-eyed Doves were nest building and we at last got to see a male Malachite Sunbird whilst trying to relocate a swishy tailed male African Paradise Flycatcher.  One of the key birds in the garden that every single visitor wants to see and we were pointed to a small tree where an adult Spotted Eagle Owl was watching us with complete disinterest.  We could not find either of the fledged chicks though.

African Paradise Flycatcher - the female - Neil Colgate

Spotted Eagle Owl

Spotted Eagle Owl

Spotted Eagle Owl

Spotted Eagle Owl - such majesty

A Weeping Boer-bean tree was attracting lots of SDC Sunbird and White-eye action and a Cape Golden Mole scuttled across the path to go with the deceased one I found yesterday.  Black Saw-wings cruised the linear lawns and a Brown Backed Honeybird joined us and actually perched up to show us just how drab a little bird it is but it was certainly one we would not see again.

Crinum moorei

Streptocarpus sp - the only one still in flower but so good to see them in their natural surroundings almost growing in the dark, dry shade

Micky Mouse Tree - Ochna serrulata

Southern Double Collared Sunbird on Weeping Boer-bean - Schotia brachypetala

Cape Skimmer - Orthetrum capicola

Brown-backed Honeybird

Cape Golden Mole - 'tis no more

A drink in the shade was required before we moved on and a family of Red-winged Starlings came to join us and the red sunshades gave then some very strange hues.

Red-winged Starlings

Red-winged Starling

Onwards and out of town and down to the coast at Melkbos Strand for a short walk along the front which very quickly gave us excellent views of several Crowed Cormorants with their little tufted crests among the rangier Cape Cormorants on the rocks.  There were African Black Oystercatchers and a couple of parties of Common Terns while Kelp Gulls patrolled.  The Kelp forest waving offshore looked amazing and for all the world like various forms of sealife trying to emerge from the waves.

Crowned Cormorant

Common Terns

Cape Cormorants with Crowned on the right

Robben Island offshore

Cape Wagtails clockwork ran along the prom and there were Cape and House Sparrows in the flower beds with a few Cape Weavers while Large Rock Martins, Barn Swallows and our first Greater Striped Swallows were enjoying the onshore wind.

Cape Wagtail

Greater Striped Swallow - Neil Colgate

Cape Sparrow - Neil Colgate

House Sparrow 

Lunch nearby at Ou Meul Bakery we had a fine lunch and were joined by a family of Southern Fiscals, Greater Striped Swallows, Cape Wagtails and worm hunting Hadada Ibises.  It was all very convivial.

They do great pies!

Southern Fiscal - juvenile

Southern Fiscal - juvenile

Southern Fiscal - juvenile

Southern Fiscal - adult

Hadada Ibis with a snack which he patiently extracted

Cape Wagtail

From here we took the very long straight R27 and then a couple of side roads in search of Korhaan’s and Cape Penduline Tits but only found a windblown Black-winged Kite and several Southern Fiscals  before retracing our steps but once back on the main road I spied a male Black Harrier quartering the landscape alongside.  Cue a sudden stop and emergency pile out to watch this spectacular raptor as it masterfully hunted into the wind before skimming low over the main road and off into the distance.  It became ‘bird of the day’ instantly for some.

Black Harrier 

Black Harrier 

Black Harrier 

Black Harrier 

Black Harrier  - Neil Colgate

Inland a little way now and we spent the rest of the day touring the dusty byways around Philadelphia which gave a whole slew of new birds with our very first couple of Blue Cranes requiring another van exit while a Jackal Buzzard drifted over.  We were to see quite a few other Cranes by the end of the afternoon.  Those elongated tertials are astonishing.  

Blue Crane

Blue Crane

Jackal Buzzard

Jackal Buzzard

Black-headed Herons, Egyptian Geese, African Sacred Ibis and Western Cattle Egrets were encountered frequently and Helmeted Guineafowl ran around in deranged groups.  A distant lake held some Great White Pelicans but it was all a bit hazy.

A large Mole Snake across the road - Neil Colgate

Yep, pylon roosting Egyptian Geese

A vast landscape post-harvest

There were plenty of small birds during our stops with an olive Bokmakerie, African Stonechats, striking Capped Wheatears, African Pied Starlings, and various Weavers that were made up Southern Red and Yellow Bishops and both Cape and Southern Masked Weavers.  

Capped Wheatear

Our final proper stop around a farm gave us all of this along with bugling Blue Cranes, both Crowned Lapwings and Kittlitz’s Plovers, pruukking European Bee-eaters, Common Waxbills, striding African Pipits and boldly marked Red-capped Larks while Barn, Greater Striped and White-throated Swallows and both Brown-throated and Large Rock Martins hunted for airborne insects around the livestock.  It was just too hot and hazed out for even images of the closest birds.

We were soon back at Woodbridge Lodge before a final meal down at the Bossa and off course another sunset pic or two.