Blue Eyed Birder

Pre-breakfast gave everyone the chance to get accustomed with the regular Cape garden birds although being able to watch African Spoonbills and Caspian Terns overhead is not quite normal garden birding!

Speckled Pigeons - Sue Westoby

Our pelagic had been cancelled due to high offshore winds so Brian had arranged for us to go up Table Mountain and after winding our way through town we joined the queue to get the revolving gondola to the top. The view on the way up was spectacular with the city, harbour, docks, rugby stadium spread out below us. At the top we found ourselves in highly eroded sandstone country with bizarrely not a whiff of breeze to ruffle our hair! It was quite easy to escape from the tourist throng and amble the paths to various points overlooking the vista. The plant life was wonderful and varied and I was particularly pleased to find a Sundew and funny little Orchid.

Erica imbricata

Geissorhiza ovata

Hooded-leaf Pelargonium - Pelargonium cucullatum

Krantz Aloe - Aloe arborescens

Noughts & Crosses - Penaea mucronata

Peninsula Cliff Ruschia - Ruschia promontorii

Peninsula Conebush - Leucadendron strobilinum

Red Heath - Erica abietina

Small Sundew - Drosera trinervia

South African Weed Orchid - Disa bracteata

Cape Everlasting - Edmondia pinifolia

There were few birds with inquisitive Red-winged Starlings following people around and the odd Dove but two male Orange-breasted Sunbirds rockets by but did not stop. Looking off the top gave us Pied Crow and a White-necked Raven and a pale Booted Eagle circled above with Black and Alpine Swifts. There were lizards everywhere and I think I have identified three different species.

Red-winged Starling - Sue Westoby

Red-winged Starling

Southern Rock Agama - Agama atra

Black Girdled Lizard - Cordylus niger

Cape Crag Lizard - Pseudocordylus microlepidotus

We had agreed to not spend too long up there and so looped back towards the visitors centre where a glance south west was suddenly filled with a pair of Verreaux’s Eagles in all their pied majesty. I managed to get everyone back out of the shop in time to see them as they cruised below us.

Verreaux’s Eagles

Slangkop Lighthouse

I picked up a mass of agitated white water and thought I had found a bait ball until I realised that it was just a bit too far away to be fish. Bins up and the puff of whale blows filled my view. We watched them for 15 minutes during which time we estimated the best part of 40 were loafing near the surface and when they started fin and tail slapping and full on flying behemoth breaching we knew that we had found the Humpbacks. Distance was of no consequence. It was a spectacle to behold. I looked around and saw an oriental chap with bins and with the joy of the internet I was able to point a subsequently very happy couple in the right direction. No one else up there was even taking in the view, let alone the Humpbacks with selfies being the priority. Oh well…

Humpback Whales!

Oude Schip Peninsula - the Whales were to right of the breaking waves!

We descended with huffing and puffing whales in our heads.

Onwards and unfortunately into traffic but the bird eyes never stop and I found a pair of Spotted Thick-knees sheltering under a small tree in a roadside paddock. Tick and, well, not run, more of a crawl.

Lunch was taken at the café by the Paarl Mountain Reserve with the towering Afrikaanse Taalmonument looming above us. Southern Boubou and Fiscal Flycatchers were in the car park while we ate and pairs of Booted Eagle and Jackal Buzzard were pestered by the Pied Crows.

Afrikaanse Taalmonument

Booted Eagle

Jackal Buzzard

Fiscal Flycatcher - Sue Westoby

We spent the next few hours walking the roads and wonderful tracks through the indigenous flora. There were plenty of birds to be found and this time Protea Canary gave itself up, albeit briefly, but Brimstone, Streaky-headed and Cape Canaries were also seen along with Karoo Prinias and inquisitive Bar-throated Apalis. Some Swee Waxbills were feeding in the grasses but did not linger for us to get out of the van.

Streaky-headed Seedeater - no idea why this is not called a Canary

Bar-throated Apalis

Malachite and Southern Double-collared Sunbirds zipped around and in the trees we found Cape Batis, Cape Robin-Chats, Bulbuls and White-eyes. An African Goshawk was found perched up but once noticed it was on the move and a short while later we saw it with prey as it skimmed over the bushes.

Malachite Sunbird - Sue Westoby - looks at that tongue!

Malachite Sunbird

African Daisy - Arctotis acaulis

African Iris - Dietes grandiflora

Cape Bugle-lily - Watsonia borbonica

Cape Heath - Erica vestita

Cape sumach - Osyris compressa

Common Sugarbush - Protea repens

Coulter bush - Athanasia trifurcata

Devil's Tresses - Cassytha ciliolata - a close relative of Dodder

Giant Bell - Roella ciliata

Golden Satyr Orchid - Satyrium coriifolium

Golden Satyr Orchid - Satyrium coriifolium

Grey-leaved Fountain Pincushion - Leucospermum grandiflorum

Horseshoe Geranium - Pelargonium zonale
I love seeing familiar plants growing where they should be

Jade Plant - Crassula ovata
and yes it is closely related to the familiar Moneyplant that you have at home

King Protea - Protea cynaroides

Lady's Hand - Cyanella hyacinthoides

Mickey Mouse Plant - Ochna serrulata

Mitre Aloe - Aloe perfoliata

Night-scented Pelargonium - Pelargonium triste

Painted Lady - Gladiolus carneus

Polygala myrtifolia

Purple Broom - Polygala virgata

Ribbon pincushion - Leucospermum tottum

Striped Tamarak - Albuca suaveolens

Swaying Kalossie - Ixia flexuosa

Variagated Heath - Erica versicolor

Watsonia meriana

Our loop took us down towards the bus and some Black Saw-wings perched up for us while an African Olive Pigeon lingered long enough to see the yellow bill and legs. A pond held more amazing flora including the Blue Water Lilies and a Cape White-eye was watched at close range collecting small caterpillars while a Short-legged Seps was lounging with a Southern Rock Agama just in front of me.