Monday 18th November 2024: Cape Town S. Africa, Day 1 - waste water treatment works, False Bay

We arrived at Cape Town late morning, and ate lunch at the airport before setting out for some birding. We noted our first Pied Crows and Red-winged Starlings on our way to the Strandfontein waste water treatment works within the False Bay nature reserve. Despite the grim description, this location is a Ramsar site with a series of lagoons and channels lining a narrow road and the area was teeming with wildlife. We had a great start when someone spotted a Three-banded Plover beside a shallow pool right next to the road, an attractive bird with distinctive chest bands and striking red eye ring. Sadly Tim was the wrong side of the bus for a photo.

There were many gulls spread across the reserve, mainly Hartlaubs and Kelp Gulls, plus good numbers of diminutive Whiskered Terns feeding busily over the water. Greater Flamingos stood motionless in the water, showing distinctive black and pink bills, with others looking resplendent in flight, revealing beautiful carmine pink wings, tipped with inky black. On a small grassy bank we found an assortment of ducks, including Cape Teal with pink bills and green speculum, Cape Shoveler with blue forewing, Red-billed Teal with a dark cap contrasting with clean white cheeks, and the larger Yellow-billed Duck. Red knobbed Coots and Moorhens were also plentiful and on a platform in the water, we found a single White-breasted Cormorant with striking breast gleaming in the sunshine.

Greater Flamingos 

Red-billed Teal

Continuing on round the reserve, we encountered a large flock of Lesser Flamingos, together with a single, distant Maccao Duck, somewhat reminiscent of Ruddy Duck with a blue bill and cocked tail. A Black-necked Grebe in breeding plumage and a group of Cape Shoveler were on the same lagoon, whilst on a shallow pan opposite there were many waders making use of the muddy pools. These included the striking Blacksmith Lapwings, Black-winged Stilt, Grey Plover, and Bar-tailed Godwits. 

A brilliant, rufous tailed Jackal Buzzard flew over and was bombarded by Yellow-billed Kites which were plentiful all around the reserve. There were flocks of Sacred Ibis here too, and one of our group noted red fringing underneath the wings, an indicator of breeding plumage. On the final lagoon we found a single specimen of the uncommon and tiny Blue-winged Teal, while at the other end of the size spectrum we encountered hulking Caspian Terns with their enormous carrot bills, and slightly smaller Greater-crested Terns with distinct yellow bills.

Cape Teal, Blue-winged Teal (Stephen Hawkins)

As you would expect, many hirundines took advantage of this great feeding resource, and we noted Barn Swallows, Brown-breasted Martins and White-throated Swallows all busy feeding over the ditches and channels which lined the track. In the low scrub and reeds an African Marsh Harrier quartered the reedbeds and we found plenty of Levaillant‘s Cisticola, frequently calling from the vegetation and occasionally posing briefly on top. We also had decent views of a Lesser Swamp Warbler foraging in a patch of reeds, with a fan shaped tail not dissimilar to that of a Cetti’s Warbler.

White-throated Swallow

A Cape Francolin was spotted on a grassy truck beside the road, but quickly melted into the long grass and disappeared from view. A couple of Helmeted Guineafowl were also seen by some. As we departed, several Black-headed Herons skulked in the grass, showing a long, thin, snake like neck. We learnt that these are associated with agricultural areas rather than water. Cape Wagtail, African Pipit and Plain-backed Pipit also foraged on the ground nearby.

As we arrived at our hotel, both Laughing Dove and Red-eyed Dove were perched on the telephone wire, with a Cape Weaver in the hedge. Cape and House Sparrows flitted around the grounds too. With over fifty birds seen in our first afternoon of birding, the holiday was off to a flying start. 

Red-eyed Dove

Evening View from restaurant