The Western Cape for Oriole Birding - Day 5: 1st November 2026

A packed breakfast and we were on the road nice and early and back in the Soldanha Lark Alley where we were greeted by a couple of singing Cape Long-billed Larks and showy Bokmakierie at the first stop where a pair of Lanners whipped through on elastic wings.  Jackal and Steppe Buzzards were sitting around and we watched a Pied Crow successfully raid the nest of a pair of Southern Fiscal.

Bokmakierie

At the main site a Cape Clapper Lark was heard performing his flappy clappy dance and we found him returning to one of three regular perches.  Karoo, Large-billed and Red-capped were all quickly picked up too and a scan round gave us African Pipits and Stonechats, White-backed Mousebirds and Karoo Scrub Robins. A Cape Grey Mongoose ran across the road.

Large-billed Lark - a juv

Red-capped Lark

Karoo Scrub Robin

There were two chance encounters too, with a fledged young Spotted Eagle Owl watched running through the scrub before hopping up to pose nicely only to be outdone by a male Black Harrier that cruised across the road!  We had breakfast while watching these and also added smart Capped Wheatears to the list.  With much to do we moved on but at the junction Wilfred heard the distinctively nasal call of a Grey Tit – another of those species we had managed to avoid last year.  A pair posed nicely along side us before carrying on their way.

Spotted Eagle Owl

Spotted Eagle Owl

Capped Wheatear

The next area of farmland around the Mauritz Bay road was magnificent.  A simple stop at a roadside pool for Three-banded Plovers very quickly became an excellent grassland session with several singing Common Quails to get us started.  These are European breeders here for there winter where they breed again before heading back north!  As usual the evaded human eyes.  Twelve Ostriches were out on a dusty field where they blended in rather well.

Ostriches

Ostriches

Capped Wheatears (the sexes look the same) dotted posts with African Pipits and Zitting Cisticolas and up above us two Cloud Cisticolas were singing and appeared very Zitter in shape but not sound.  Better views were achieved of Orange-throated Longclaw and we even had a Cape Long-billed Lark striding up the middle of the road before a juvenile Sickle-winged Chat added itself to the increasing morning tally.

African Pipit

Orange-throated Longclaw

Orange-throated Longclaw

Theba pisana - the reason that these estivating snails look like the ones in the Med is that they are the same species that was accidentally imported here in the 1880s

Another pool held a gaggle of Egyptian and Spur-winged Geese along with 12 Blacksmith Lapwings.  Whilst watching them two Spotted Thick-knees walked out of the sedge bed in the middle which was an improvement on watching from inside the van whilst stuck in traffic. Blue Cranes and Black-headed Herons were found in the fields and amongst the hirundines we once again found Banded Martin.

Black-headed Heron

Spotted Thick-knee

Blue Crane

Brian had arranged for a guided visit to the Cliphoek salt works and the ex-site owner met us and took us into this otherwise private spot.  Chestnut-banded Plover was the target and it took only a few minutes to find them and unlike last year there were many dotted around including several colour ringed birds.  They are such a smart little plover. As with the West Coast NP there were heaps of waders to go through with a very similar spread of species discovered and two Ruff were the only addition.

Chestnut-banded Plover 

There were many Greater Flamingos but we could find no Lessers but there were six African Spoonbills, 13 Great White Pelicans, odd looking African Darters and another new South African bird for me – Goliath Heron.  What a beast.  Little and Black-necked Grebes dotted one of the more vegetated pools.

Great White Pelicans

Great White Pelican, Greater Flamingos & African Spoonbills

Kelp Gull - what a bill!

I checked the roosting terns and picked up five Great Cresteds amongst the Sandwich along with a lone Common.  Four Caspian Terns were sitting off to one side and every tern was facing inconveniently into the wind. 

Great Crested & Caspian Terns & Little Stints

Great Crested and Sandwich Terns

Up near the works compound there was a freshwater pool and it was attracting a host of small birds and with the Weavers and Bishops there were at least 20 Red-billed Queleas many of which were breeding plumaged males.  Smart little birds.  A pair of Bokmakierie came down as well as diminutive Namaqua Doves and Cape Bulbuls.  If you had a small hide there you would have got some great shots.

Red-billed Queleas, Bishops and Weavers

Red-billed Queleas and Southern Red Bishops

We dropped our host back home at the adjacent farmhouse and were invited in to look at the three Barn Owls tucked up in the crown of the fat palm tree in the garden.  Slightly better than my wing feather visible in a box the last time! The gardens also held a roosting Night Heron, Malachite and Southern Double Collared Sunbirds, all the Weavery things again as well as Fiscal Flycatchers, both Sparrows and a floppy but flighty African Hoopoe.

Black-crowned Night Heron

Western Barn Owl

Southern Double Collared Sunbird

Hadada Ibises

Chiasmia observata

A stunning Angulate Tortoise

We could see the river too and a Pied Kingfisher was hovering over the middle which was cool.  Whimbrel and Grey Plover were added to the day wader list and after consuming a gorgeous piece of cheesecake we bid our farewells and headed off.

This extra bonus stop had eaten slightly into the day but we still checked the river for Grey-headed Gulls (fail) but did get close to a pair of Pied Kingfishers here too.

Pied Kingfisher

Some nodding dog may have followed as we hit the road eastish towards Ceres but a series of roadside dam (lake) stops provided us with some van respite and a good selection of species with a brood of White-faced Whistling Ducks along with the usual dabblers, geese and Red-knobbed Coots.  Another Goliath Heron stalked a lake bank and a Giant Kingfisher flew past and out of view – the two biggest of each of their tribes.

Goliath Heron

Red-billed Teal & Cape Shoveler

White-faced Whistling Ducks

Several pools had Three-banded Plovers

A broken river bridge gave us the chance to scan either way and another pair of Pied Kingfishers were found along with a selection of hirundines.  The reeds held African Reed Warblers and melodious Lesser Swamp Warblers and the latter showed incredibly well for us.  They sit somewhere between Reed and Great Reed in size but sound nothing like either.  Southern Masked Weavers and Red Bishops had their nests in the same reeds.  A very distant African Fish Eagle and pale Booted Eagle added interest before it was time for the final push up through Mitchell’s Pass and then down into Ceres – our base for the next couple of days.

Southern Masked Weavers

Lesser Swamp Warbler

Lesser Swamp Warbler

But first we stopped at the river in town to pick up the hoped for African Black Ducks that were furtively feeding in the aquatic grasses.  A subtle duck but always a good one to see.  From here we headed up into the foothills to try for Protea Canary.  It was getting late and little was moving around the stream but we did see some good Olive Thrushes, Cape Sugarbird, Paradise Flycatcher and Robin Chats and watched a couple of White-necked Ravens before heading back down for a late dinner after a tiring but rewarding day.

The Western Cape for Oriole Birding - Day 4: 31st October 2026

We packed up and headed out of Cape Town after breakfast and stopped to check for White-backed Duck on the roadside pools but had no joy as there was very little emergent vegetation.  The now expected range of dabblers were seen along with Great Crested and Little Grebes, Reed Cormorants, Flamingos and Great White Pelicans.  An African Marsh Harrier quartered and Rock Kestrel, Yellow-billed and Black-winged Kite were also seen. 

Levaillant’s Cisticolas and Karoo Prinias sung and White Rumped Swifts rocketed in and out of the road bridge where they were nesting.  On again and onto the coast N27 where a haa was creeping in from the coast to our left. A couple of tracks were tried and the murk lifted at just the right time to prompt the birds into song and we quickly found Bokmakierie and Grey-backed Cisticola replaced the Levaillant’s in this dry habitat. Karoo Scrub Robins were seen by the whole group this time as they bounded along the road verge and this stop proved productive with Chestnut-vented Warblers showing incredibly well along with Yellow Canary, Malachite Sunbirds and breeding Pearl-breasted Swallows.

Pearl-breasted Swallow

We searched the landscape for Black Harriers but only found Black-winged Kites and a beady eyed Crowned Lapwing and pointy tailed Namaqua Doves were found on the verges.

Crowned Lapwing

Angulate Tortoise - the first of several road rescues

On and into the expansive West Coast NP where we spent most of the rest of the day.  We began at the Geelbek mud flats where our timing was pretty good to see the huge number of waders strewn across the mud.  There was a good selection of northern hemisphere species to be seen with Avocet, Whimbrel, Curlew, Greenshank, Curlew Sandpipers, Little Stints, Ring Plover, Grey Plover , Sanderling and Turnstone but try as I might I could not conjure up a Marsh or Broad-billed Sandpiper. 

Whimbrel

Greater Flamingo

Perfectly identifiable waders and a mingo

Hartlaub’s Gulls were dotted amongst them and over the outgoing tide there were Sandwich and Caspian Terns and two adult African Fish Eagles were patrolling the area but keeping very low to the water while two Ospreys were higher up in their hunting efforts.   The saltmarsh on the walk back was home to pairs of Kittlitz’s Plovers, Black-winged Stilts and Blacksmith Lapwings and I was pleased to find a small party of Orange-throated Longclaws that unfortunately flew over the reedbed after just a minute.

Hartlaub’s Gulls 

Kittlitz’s Plover

Kittlitz’s Plover

African Marsh Harriers and Yellow-billed Kites were noted and the Black-headed and Grey Heron colony was noisy in the eucalypts. There were various hirundines being blown around with Large Rock and Brown-throated Martins, White-throated, Pearl-breasted and Greater Striped Swallows and just like last year there was a small group of Banded Martins too which make some very peculiar noises.

The farm buildings at the end were checked for Pied Starlings but they rapidly left but we did find a Lesser Honeyguide and both the Weavers while a couple of male Ostrich strode along the skyline.

Common Ostrich

Onwards with ears open for Black Bustard and it did not take long for the guys to hear one seemingly close to the bus.  We crept out but could not pin point it until I realised that it was actually on to crest of the hill in the scrub where I could see his black and white head and red bill poking out.  He eventually walked out into the open and continued to throw his voice.

Black Bustard

The Shark Bay Shack was our lunch time destination.  They have one thing on the menu – a toasted bacon, egg and cheese sandwich and it was magnificent especially combined with the amazing view over the silver sand and blue water tidal flats where Common, Sandwich, Caspian, Great Crested and even an Arctic Tern dipped and dove whilst the humans tore up and down on kite surfboards and others paddled in the shallow sea.

Lunch here was about the quietest the crew was all tour.  Magic spot.

Large Rock Martins and even a Banded Martin flicked around us and the first Cape Bunting sang from the scrubby bits.  A male Yellow Canary sat up briefly.

Yellow Canary

Back into the park proper to be greeted by three humungous Ostriches close to the road only to be eclipsed by a male Black Bustard flying past the window and dropping in along us for a proper ‘look at me’ session. They are a properly smart bird and we were lucky to see one so close.

Common Ostriches

Black Bustard 

Black Bustard 

The track up to the Seeberg gave us more views of the first Black Bustard and as predicted a covey of eight Grey-winged Francolins fed in the open rocky area with one plump male keeping watch from the rear.  Up on the top it had suddenly become almost as windy as last year and resulted inevitably with everyone behaving like kids…

Rock Kestrels demonstrated their aerial prowess despite the wind and scanning around have us five beautiful Bontebok and more Ostriches.  There were many flowers to check out too and I have made another stab at identifications.  If you know any better please do message me with corrections.

Red Milkweed Locust - Phymateus morbillosus 
This monster is as big as it looks.

Common Fiddleneck - Amsinckia menziesii

Dwarf Felicia - Felicia dubia

Edging Lobelia - Lobelia erinus

Granite Trumpet - Babiana tubulosa 

Mini Beetledaisy - Gorteria personata

Moon Silverpod - Argyrolobium lunare

Nestlera biennis

Crystalline Ice Plant - Mesembryanthemum crystallinum

Black Harrier was probably the most desired bird on this leg of the trip and as if by magic a male appeared with three Kites over the road and we leapt out to get better views before it was blown over the ridge.  Just a minute later it came back and started hunting the other side of the road affording everyone breathtaking views.  It was close but the haze make the images look like it was a long way off.  It was the closest one I have seen.

Black Harrier 

Black Harrier 

Black Harrier 

Yellow-billed Kite

Given the vast landscape in which we are searching I find it amazing that we get to see these (and other birds) so close to the roads.  He could have been a hazy pinprick a few pixels across in a scope quartering a distant hillside and not 30m away where you could see the glint in his eye.  A rather incongruous juvenile Wattled Starling was found in the verge just as we got back on the bus!

Wattled Starling

Wattled Starling

A final West Coast NP stop and a walk down towards the beach hide in the hope of finding Cape Penduline Tit.  While Brian and Wilfred were looking I scanned the sandbar for terns and waders and picked up our first and only Little Terns with the throng and among the hefty African Black Oystercatchers I found the snoozing Eurasian Oik too in what I think is his third year way down south.

A Cape Bunting sat up and sung and a nesting pair of Black-winged Kites were seeing off the local Pied Crows while back towards the van there were Bokmakierie and Karoo Scrub Robins to be seen.  I picked up the song of the Cape Penduline Tit and the group reconvened for excellent views of this tricky to see species.

It was time to go so we rejoined the road back north passing the male Black Harrier again on the way before leaving the park and dropping down towards Langebaan and then onwards into the countryside for a late afternoon check of the famous Lark Alley by the imposing façade of the Saldanha Iron Works.

It was a shrewd move as the larks were active at the end of the day and we quickly had good views of Karoo, Large-billed and Red-capped Larks and a brief sighting of Cape Long-billed Lark too.  There were African Stonechats and many Karoo Scrub Robins along with showy Bokmakierie and White-throated Canaries and it was a fine ending to our day exploring this part of the Cape coast.  We retired to the Albatross guesthouse back in Langebaan before heading out swiftly for dinner in town.

Karoo Lark

Karoo Lark

New Birds:

3: Chestnut-vented Warbler

4: Orange-throated Longclaw