Blue Eyed Birder: The Western Cape for Oriole Birding

It may have been the final day but there was still time for some serious birding before we all had to head for home and after breakfast we made our way to the False Bay NR. This vast wetland of pools and reedbeds gave us a good leg stretch in the still blowing gale and we reacquainted ourselves with many of the waterfowl including Cape Shovelers, Great White Pelican, Cormorants and Ibis – oh and of course Knobheads!

Knobhead

A group of White-faced Whistling Ducks were the only second we had seen and while watching them, a tiny rocket of blue and orange whizzed by and briefly perched up – a Malachite Kingfisher. It did not linger and was soon off into the reedbeds. Lesser Swamp Warblers were vocal but stayed hidden while the Levaillant’s Cisticolas were happy hanging on and singing from the top of the bushes.

White-faced Whistling Ducks, Cape Shoveler & Reed Cormorant

Levaillant’s Cisticola

Cape Wagtail

Three-banded Plover

Yellow-billed Kite

Great White Pelican and friends

Common Moorhen

Caspian Tern

There were many active Cape Dune Mole-rat hills and Ian even saw one briefly pop its head out! There were a few insects too and huge yellow Carpenter-type Bee entertained with its precision hovering and I also found several Dragonflies that I hope to be able to put names too. There were even a couple of Eristalinus hoverflies species that appear to be familiar European species!

Cape Dune Mole-rat hills

Carpenter-type Bee

Nomad

Tropical Blue-tailed Damselfly

Blue Emperor sp

One of the Geranium Bronzes I think

Possibly a Wool-type Carder Bee

Bee sp

Looks like Black Nightshade?

Brown Sage

This is the sedge they use for thatching in the Cape

Arum Lily - they have their own frog!

Sour Fig

Solanum sp

A Hummingbird Hawk-moth sp

Cape Grey Mongoose bin raiding

Cape Grey Mongoose - grab and run

Eristalinus taeniops?

Southern Marsh Terrapin

Eristalinus sepulchralis?

I do like a poorly thought out road sign

On to Kirstenbosch for a last and very pleasant walk around. Each visit has been different and although we saw nothing new it was a delight to be back amongst the Canaries and Sunbirds and to see hello to the tame male Cape Sugarbird once again. He really did not care about us in the slightest.

Cape Sugarbird

As close are I could get to the Sugarbird cover!

Southern Boubous were very vocal and we got a couple of views once again and even a couple of Sombre Greenbuls sat in the shaded open long enough to be watched. The African Paradise Flycatchers were again in the Dell where an Olive Woodpecker called and while watching some feeding Malachite Sunbirds we found a Four Striped Field Mouse up amongst the blooms licking up nectar too! One of the drinking fountains attracted several Cape Bulbuls, Brimstone Canaries and a Cape Robin Chat and we stood for a while and watched them quench their thirst.

Baby Mantids

Karoo Prinia

Cape Bulbul & Brimstone Canary

Brimstone Canary

Cape Bulbul

Cape Robin-chat

Malachite Sunbird

Sombre Greenbul

King Protea

Another large Carpenter Bee

Bronze Mannikin

Cape Spurfowl

Hadada Ibis

Cape Spurfowl

A couple in front of us paused by a tree and pointed before walking on. Interest piqued, I too stopped and there was one of the adult Spotted Eagle Owls sat on a bough perfectly framed by the tree and overlooking the Cape Town city scape below. As before he was not in the slightest bothered by us. We showed a young German couple the Owl and then noticed that they paused at the next tree along. Amazingly the other adult and one of the well grown youngsters were sitting quite low down and watching the world go by. Just how many pictures of Owls can you take?

Spotted Eagle Owl

The only bird to take any interest in them was the Brown-backed Honeybird that came into the canopy and shouted before moving on. Steppe Buzzard, Booted Eagle and Yellow-billed Kites cruised over and Alpine Swifts scythed through the blue before we retired for an ice-cream before the final drive back to the airport.