Blue Eyed Birder: The Western Cape for Oriole Birding

The previous evening in Cape Town the wind got up and by morning it was absolutely howling as we made our way back around the coast to Rooi Els (adding drive past singing Chaffinch in a park on the way!). It was a very frustrating few hours working the coastal path at the bottom of a vast scree slope and we failed to find the fabled Rockjumper (despite two other crews getting lucky). It was just too windy and at times you could barely stand up.

The scenery was amazing and we did get some bird rewards with Familiar Chats, Neddicky, Karoo Prinias, showy Cape Buntings and incredibly tame Cape Siskins grovelling around our feet. I suspect they would have ended up miles away if they had got more than a few inches off the ground!

Cape Bunting

Cape Siskin

Cape Siskin - Neil Colgate

The gardens had flowering Proteas and we found several Sugarbirds and the hoped for Orange-breasted Sunbird with a male did sitting up for a while as it sheltered from the wind. The flora was amazing but the lack of a Rockjumper did smart.

Orange-breasted Sunbird

The lure of African Penguins was enough to keep everyone going though and before too long we were pulling into the car park at Betty’s Bay where dumpy pied waddlers could be seen immediately on the beach.

We all headed out to Stony Point passing more groups of Penguins on the way and made out way to the smelly Cormorant colony.

African Penguins

African Penguin

Cape Cormorants were in the majority but amongst them were White-breasted and Crowned and the hoped for Bank Cormorants. The latter are incredibly rare and it was good to see them displaying on their own rocky pinnacles.

Two Cape and a Bank Cormorant

Cape Cormorants

Cape Cormorant

Crowned Cormorants

Cape Cormorants

Cape Cormorant above Crowned Cormorant

Bank Cormorants

Bank Cormorants - displaying

Crowned Cormorants

White-breasted Cormorant

White-breasted Cormorants

Rock Hyraxes lounged like over stuffed sunbathers and a couple of smart Girdled Lizards were noted (the first Lizards of any type on this trip).

Rock Hyrax

Girdled Lizard - Neil Colgate

Girdled Lizard

Back down on the sandy beach there were more adorable African Penguins and the ones down here looked more ‘wild’ in the camera’s eye than the ones up on the rocks. They splashed in the clear pools and paddled in the surf while they shared the beach with Kelp and Hartlaub’s Gulls. Kittlitz’s Plovers merged into the sand and African Black Oystercatchers were commanding the most attention with their vociferous piping and strutting. They are magnificent. The only slight incongruity was the dozing Egyptian Geese amongst the Penguins!

African Penguins

Kittlitz’s Plover

African Black Oystercatchers

Gypos get everywhere

Hartlaub's Gull

From here we headed to the Harold Porter Botanical Gardens (affectionally mis-called Harry Potter) for lunch once we had navigated the Chacmha Baboons. The subsequent amble around the grounds was excellent and as well as the marshalled Baboon troops, we found some familiar friends with Fiscal and African Dusky Flycatchers, Bar-throated Apalis and Cape Batis, Karoo Prinia, Brimstone and Cape Canaries and clucking Cape Spurfowl.

You shall not pass!

Chacmha Baboons

Fiscal Flycatcher - Neil Colgate

Speckled Mousebird - Steve Cullum

There were Cape Sugarbirds flouncing around but they were outdone by the flamboyance of the displaying Yellow Bishops who, for the first time showed their true colour with expandable yellow rump and wing coverts when they flutter flew between display perches. Proper exhibitionists.

Yellow Bishop - Neil Colgate

Yellow Bishop - Neil Colgate

Yellow Bishop

Cape Spurfowl

Fork-tailed Drongo

Red-winged Starling

Speckled Mousebird

Cape Bulbul

Cape Sugarbird

Cape White-eye

Fiscal Flycatcher

We could hear Cape Grassbirds (again) but this time one decided that we were not too scary and put on a great show looking like a Prinia that had been down the gym.

Cape Grassbird

While watching the Grassbird two Swee Waxbills flew in started feeding on the grass seeds where they dangled like they weighed almost nothing. They were stunning close up and very quickly became one of the birds of the trip for some of the crew.

Swee Waxbill - Neil Colgate

Swee Waxbill

One of the Geranium Bronze species

Up slope we could hear Ground Woodpecker but were glad of our earlier stunning views giving how far away these invisible calling birds were. Up above there were Alpine and White-rumped Swifts and Black Sawwings swooshed low over the lawns.

I will try to add names in due course

We stopped here to take some scenic coastal pics in the gale on the way back

There was one White-fronted Plover here...

The day was winding down and we still had the long drive back to our hotel and I may have nodded a little. Once back some of us walked down to the local Keurboom Park which heaving with families, dog walkers and vaguely sporty people. The local Black Goshawks seemed to have deserted their nest but as a bonus family of Spotted Eagle Owls kept us entertained within their double fenced off enclosure around the nest tree.

Spotted Eagle Owl - Neil Colgate

Two big fluffy young crashed around the base while a watchful parent kept an eye on the crowd below. An urban wildlife spectacle with the public taking an interest in it with no official people there to engage with them and no signage. Quality.

Spotted Eagle Owlet - Neil Colgate

Road sign of the day - if not the trip. Time to play real 'Frogger!'

A final lovely meal at the Wild Olive guest house and a raised glass to our wonderful guides and drivers for the week.

There was still most of the final day to enjoy but the winds had already precluded an ascent of Table Mountain. I was sure we would find something else to do!

Blue Eyed Birder

Wednesday, 17 December 2025

The Western Cape for Oriole Birding - Day 10: 20th November 2025

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