The Western Cape for Oriole Birding - Day 9: 19th November 2025

A pre-breakfast stroll up to the main road at Honeywood Farm started with the most astonishing noises coming from the Gum trees above my head and I quickly found a pair of Cape Crows making the most of the valley’s acoustics.  Close up there are a striking species with bright glossy plumage and an incredibly long and pointed bill. The dawn light was illuminating the low scrub by the road and it was alive with birds and we very quickly found Cape and Brimstone Canaries, showy Bar-throated Apalis, Speckled Mousebirds, a pair of stroppy Southern Boubou, bouncy Neddicky and Karoo Prinias.  A male Pin-tailed Whydah displayed from a prominent twig with that outrageous tail and a commotion in the nearest Gum gave me a female Greater Honeyguide who had outraged the local pairs of both Fiscal Flycatcher and Fork-tailed Drongos and they soon sent her packing.

Cape Crow

Cape Crow

Bar-throated Apalis

Bar-throated Apalis

Bar-throated Apalis

Bar-throated Apalis

Yellow Bishop

Dawn Hadada Ibises

Brimstone Canary

Neddicky

Fiscal Flycatcher and Greater Honeyguide

Speckled Mousebird

Speckled Mousebird

Pin-tailed Whydah

Pin-tailed Whydah

Pin-tailed Whydah

Fork-tailed Drongo

Southern Boubou

Southern Boubou

Everyone else staying closer to the farmhouse had seen a pair of Long-crested Eagles before coming down to meet me and news from Ian that they were back had us returning that way for some more quality pre-breakfast birds. One of the Eagles was still sat on a post in the meadow below with its crest bouncing around and it diligently stared at the ground around it waiting for some snack to foolishly appear.  Despite their fierce countenance, I always think that raptors look a little on the slow side.

Long-crested Eagle

Red-chested and Klaas’s Cuckoos sung down in the woods and a similar song to the right was in fact from a Black Cuckoo which put on a fine fly past for us.  There was lots of sunbird action with the two Double Collareds and a new one with a pair of Amethyst Sunbirds the male of which looked coal black with little flashes of green and pinky-purple as it danced around the stripy female.

Black Cuckoo - Neil Coilgate

Steppe and Jackal Buzzards circled and the Greater Striped Swallows and Plain-backed Pipits were still around the meadow where the Cape Batis shouted at us from the big Plane Tree.

Greater Striped Swallow

Plain-backed Pipit

Cape White-eye - Neil Colgate

A leisurely repast and then we bid farewell to our wonderful hosts, packed up and once again hit the tracks.  If you ever have the chance to visit the Moodies on their wonderful farm please do so.

The De Hoop dirt road was where we spent the next few hours, scouring the landscape for wildlife.  We encountered the now expected Geese, Ibis, Guineafowl and birds of prey while the Blue Cranes once again did not disappoint.

Egyptian and Spur-winged Geese

Egyptian and Spur-winged Geese

Blue Cranes

Sacred Ibis -  Neil Colgate

A riverside stop was very productive and for the first time on coming vehicles actually slowed down to crawl past us rather than enveloping us in dust.  A pair of Three-banded Plovers were getting agitated by our presence as they had two tiny fluffball chicks running around below and we soon moved to the opposite side of the road to allow the to return to their young. Crowned Lapwings saw off of Yellow-billed Kite and down in the acacia scrub we found our first Red-billed Queleas with the other Weavers and Sparrows as well as Fiscal Flycatchers and Shrikes. Levaillant’s Cisticolas showed very well in the gully below us and while looking at them we found some Ciclids stuck in an isolated pool with two heavily armed freshwater crabs for company!

Three-banded Plover

Three-banded Plover

Three-banded Plover - Neil Colgate

Three-banded Plover - tiny chick

Levaillant’s Cisticola

Levaillant’s Cisticola

Red-billed Queleas

Freshwater Crab

Back at the bus Ian and found a Lesser Honeyguide which soon gave excellent views on one of the giant Alloes. Like all the family it had obvious white tail sides. From here we passed many African Stonechat and Capped Wheatears on the wires along with another Pale Chanting Goshawk and a few Larks before taking the road to Potberg and the De Hoop reserve.

Lesser Honeyguide 

There was excitement on the way and I may just had shouted ‘SECRETARY BIRD!!!’ about 57 times before the dust from the sudden breaking settled.  It was striding around a field about 200m away looking like some prehistoric crane with impossibly long pink legs with black socks, a long balancing tail and elegant head topped with an eagles head. It would stalk along and them stop and stare at something before a calculated bend, tilt and grab and I can only think that it was catching Grasshoppers. It was hazy but it was still magnificent and their were smiles all round. I was pleased to see the bird sitting tight on the nest earlier in the trip but this was so much more satisfying.

Secretarybird

While enjoying the Stalker we found a fine male Yellow Canary on the wires and the Capped Wheatears came to see us. They are a very smart member of the tribe.

Capped Wheatear

Yellow Canary 

Closer to the reserve we started to see Ostriches again along with Grey Rhebok, Grey Duiker, Steenbok and the most impressive Bontebok. I have to admit to having never heard of this imposing and very rare antelope.

Steenbok

Steenbok

Bontebok

Bontebok

Bontebok

We stopped just by the reserve gate as this gave us the best chance to see the localised Cape Vultures and sure enough we soon picked out several birds cruising overhead looking like very pale Griffons.

From here it was a very long drive (for Ian) back to Cape Town for our last couple of days and once near the coast we could see a huge wildfire working its way along the mountain escarpment before we dropped down to Strand and the sweep around the bay through the traffic and back into the city.