Blue Eyed Birder: The Western Cape for Oriole Birding

It was a glorious start to the day at Honeywood Farm with Cape Canaries twittering everywhere and the mewing of Forest Buzzards in the gums opposite. A pair of Olive Woodpeckers were playing chase and the Fork-tailed Drongos were hawking from the snags.

We all headed our pre breakfast to the Grootvadersbosch Forest Park and there were so many birds on the roadside that you almost had to close your eyes to avoid being distracted too much but we did stop for a magnificent Olive Pigeon that was perched up absorbing the early sunshine! After parking up we were greeted by a male Cape Batis getting seriously stroppy at his own reflection in every car mirror available but at least this gave us the chance to get more excellent views.

Olive Pigeon

Cape Batis

Unlike out on the West Coast Park, the Bar-throated Apalis here showed very well and were to become a feature of our stay here. There were African Dusky Flycatchers, Fiscal Flycatchers, Cape Robin-Chats and Olive Thrushes around the car park and Red-winged Starlings whistled overhead.

Bar-throated Apalis - Neil Colgate

African Dusky Flycatcher

Red-winged Starlings

The first big flowering tree gave us all excellent views of the beefy Greater Double Collared Sunbirds along with the regular SDCSs too. A Forest Buzzard perched up long enough to be scoped and a troop of Chacmha Baboons moved across the road. Two Swee Waxbills flew through and frustratingly we still had not had a good look at them.

Chacmha Baboon

Greater Double Collared Sunbird

A wide track took up down into the remnant forest and we could hear many Sombre Greenbuls and picked up Fork-tailed Drongos and African Paradise Flycatchers, Southern Boubou and three Rufous-chested Cuckoos and with some stealthy creeping we located one sitting above us in a canopy opening. A Bushbuck appeared on the path and a Red Duiker was seen bounding off ahead of us.

Rufous-chested Cuckoo

Red Duiker

Bushbuck

We turned off onto a steeper path and immediately heard a party of vociferous Terrestrial Brownbuls and I predicted where they would cross the path and got some good views as they crashed through the tangles. At the same time the first African Blue-Mantled Crested Flycatcher was heard and with some patience some excellent views were had of this flamboyant species as moved around the full height of the forest making it quite difficult to track. A Knysna Woodpecker appeared briefly and was in the same trees as more Drongos but we had to press on to the regular spot for our main target – the Narina Trogon.

African Blue-Mantled Crested Flycatcher - Neil Colgate

We stood patiently and waited but it was unresponsive but it was time well spent for we could hear Yellow-throated Woodland Warblers singing and picked up a Grey Cuckoo-shrike and heard a Red-necked Francolin off in the trees.

As we started to walk back out the Narina Trogon called and we quickly tracked it down as it fed in a smaller tree. Ridiculously close views were had and it even did that odd, head-cocked to one side contemptuous stare down at us we looked up! Down below an Olive Bush-shrike sung but we needed more time to find it while a pair of Olive Woodpeckers performed almost alongside the Trogon. With stomachs rumbling we climbed back up adding a Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk on the way and were pleased to see Ian waiting for us with the bus. Cape White-eyes foraged around us and Black-Sawwings swooped up and down the grassy paths.

Narina Trogon - Neil Colgate

Narina Trogon

Olive Woodpecker

We sat enjoying our breakfast overlooking the rolling fields and even then added singing Greater Honeyguide somewhere below us, a Plain-backed Pipit, Brimstone Canaries and a Speckled Mousebird.

Plain-backed Pipit

Speckled Mousebird - Neil Colgate

The bridge at the start of the Tradouw Valley was our first stop once we were back on the road and once again offered us some great birding. It was quite different from our first look with Brown-hooded Kingfishers breeding in the river bank while Giant Kingfishers patrolled up and down. Namaqua Warblers and Neddicky showed very well with the former seeing off a female Pin-tailed Whydah. Lesser Swamp Warblers paused in the open in the reeds below us and groups of both Bishops and Common Waxbills were coming down to feast of grass seedheads in the riverbed where Southern Grey Headed Sparrows, Bar-fronted Apalis and Karoo Prinias were added to the small bird tally. A male African Paradise Flycatcher with a very long tail flopped across the road and the same selection of hirundines as last night were still hawking around while Yellow-billed Kites and a Booted Eagle were up above.

Giant Kingfisher - Neil Colgate

Lesser Swamp Warbler

Neddicky

Southern Grey Headed Sparrow

The rest of the day was spent driving the long and dusty roads between Surrbraak (and delightful old missionary town) towards Malagas and the Buffelsjagrivier. It was hard work from the bus and the amount of traffic meant that spending time outside was fraught was dusty trauma but their were avian rewards.

There were Cape Clapper, Large-billed and Red-capped Larks and African Pipits along with Cape Sparrows and the four Weavers and Bishops along the roadsides where Capped Wheatears and African Stonechats perched.

Cape Clapper

African Pipit

Large Billed Lark

African Stonechats

Capped Wheatears

An African Hoopoe flew across the road and was the only one of the trip and a stop at a bridge for Southern Tchagra once again drew a blank but it was good to be out of the van a for a while and it did give us a gleaming male Dideric Cuckoo that flew around us before alighting on the fence.

Dideric Cuckoo

Red-faced Mousebirds - Neil Colgate

Red-faced Mousebirds

We got some better views of Cape Crows and White-necked Ravens and we found Crowned Lapwings and regular pairs of elegant Blue Cranes including one pair with a youngster that they were tending with delicate care.

Cape Crow

It is easy to see why Blue Crane is South Africa's national bird

Our scanning of the fields gave us so many large feeding flocks of Guineafowl along with mustard Yellow Mongooses, Grey Rhebok and Grey Duiker. A comfort stop gave us the chance to watch the Southern Masked Weavers displaying around their pendulous nests.

Grey Duiker

Southern Masked Weaver

Southern Masked Weaver - Neil Colgate

Laughing Dove - Neil Colgate

Laughing Dove

Back near Honeywood Farm our constant scanning of the rolling landscape gave us a our reward with a fine male Denham’s Bustard which generously flew across the road before striding around in a field with some more Grey Rhebok. A look round revealed another male on the next hill top and an incongruous African Spoonbill on a tiny pool where some Spur-winged Geese lounged.

Denham’s Bustard

Denham’s Bustard - Neil Colgate

Grey Rhebok

Back at Honeywood we were greeted by a very showy Greater Double-collared Sunbird and a pair of very frisky and spiky Milkweed Locusts before getting ready for another fine homecooked meal. John cooked on the braai and Miranda and here team prepared everything else inside. It was a fine way to spend our last evening here and was topped off by a pair of duetting African Wood Owls somewhere off in the Gums.