Tuesday 26th November: S. Africa Day 9: Betty’s Bay and Harold Porter Gardens

We left our hotel at 8am and headed towards Betty’s Bay, our first stop at Rooi-els, where our target bird was the endemic Cape Rockhopper. The road en route overlooked the coast, and with the huge swell and crashing waves noted from the bus, we were glad not to be out on the water in those conditions! 

On arrival, a green Malachite Sunbird perched in a bush showed very well at close range, possibly our best sighting of the trip. Once past the houses, we alighted from the bus and followed the track below towering, vertical cliffs, rising from a steep vegetated slope, scattered with large rocks and boulders. Cape Siskins twittered across the area in small groups, their white tipped tails showing clearly as they flew. They landed on the rocks or low scrub, rather endearing with a subtle yellow chest and brown head. Rock Martins prowled back and forth, and the ubiquitous Grey-headed Cisticola occasionally popped up on a bush. 

Malachite Sunbird

We scanned the rocks for the Cape Rockjumper, and after a few minutes I found a distant pair, although frustratingly they disappeared from view before I could get everyone onto the birds. However, we now knew where to look, and before long they reappeared and to our delight, chased each other closer and closer, looking a little like Hoopoes in flight, with rounded, black and white patterned wings. They dashed around, skirting the rocks before one landed about twenty feet in front of us, where it foraged for several minutes, giving a superb view of its simply stunning plumage. It was an incredible bird, and a definite highlight of the trip. A Verraux’s Eagle soared above us at cliff height, a great view, but it barely held our attention, with the Rockjumpers displaying so well, and now our fifth sighting of this huge bird. After drinking in the joys of Rockjumper, we returned back along the track, following a Familiar Chat, as it flew along the rocks, flicking its rufous tail frequently. A pair of Red winged Starlings added a splash of colour as they flew past and finally, a great view of a Cape Sugarbird, with a long tail dancing in the wing as it nectared on Protea flowers in a garden. 

Cape Rockjumper

Verraux’s Eagle

Cape Sugarbird

Our next stop was Stony Point, and our target bird became apparent as we approached the area:

Just a short distance from the car park, we followed the boardwalk beside the beach, and after around 100 metres we were standing just feet away from a colony of several hundred African Penguins, so close I could take a picture with my mobile phone! Many stood motionless, eyes closed enjoying the sunshine, while a few waddled into the water for a short swim, before emerging with a shake and some wing flapping, to dry themselves off and rest in the sun once more. Their donkey-like braying filled the air. They were very endearing creatures, completely unfazed by the many tourists gawping and clicking cameras in front of them. Unfortunately this delightful bird is classified as endangered, due to a serious population decline this century, linked to commercial fishing, pollution and climate change. 

African Penguins

Elsewhere on the beach, a gathering of Egyptian Geese was probably the largest number seen together, and a reflection of the overwhelming success of this species, in contrast to the nearby penguins. A pair of African Oystercatcher, sat amidst the seaweed was our closest view yet, and on a rocky bank in the sea, a Great Crested Tern, with huge yellow bill, stood out next to the gentle-faced Hartlaub’s Gulls. 

African Oystercatcher

Next we entered a nature reserve, where the boardwalk took us past a rocky area covered with a raucous crowd of Cormorants. We added three species to our list here, noting a small number of Bank Cormorant, all black with a dark bill and pale eye, another endangered species. There were large numbers of Cape Cormorant, with yellow-orange throat and blue-green eye, together with, on a cliff directly in front of us, some Crowned Cormorant nests, with begging youngsters. A few more Penguins were stood amongst the rocks here,and a family of fluffy Rock Hyrax, like giant Guinea Pigs,  also drew a crowd of admirers.

Cape Cormorant

Crowned Cormorant

After lunch in a local cafe,we drove to Harold Porter Gardens (or Harry Potter gardens as one of the group called them!). The weather was quite gloomy now, and we had a short shower during our visit, but managed to add several new species to our ever increasing list. First up was the Orange-breasted Sunbird, which intermittently popped up on a stick to sing, with both male and females noted. Our primary target here was Victorin’s Warbler, a secretive bird that looked rather like a Dartford Warbler, preferring boggy areas. One was heard singing from a shallow valley with a small stream embedded in vegetation, but we stood for an hour before we managed to find it, after our guide, Eric, walked to the other side of the valley and located it near the path, far above the patch we had been scanning. Although distant, we had a reasonable view of two birds, the long tail and cinnamon breast clearly visible. Also in the garden were Dusky Flycatcher, behaving exactly like our own ‘Spot Fly’, but with a darker back and unspotted crown. The now familiar but charming Cape White-eye, Fiscal Flycatcher, and a Brimstone Canary, were a great supporting cast, and a pair of White-necked Raven drifted overhead.

Orange-breasted Sunbird

Our final mission of the day was Denham’s Bustard, and we were given instructions to look for a white plastic bag. In fact our guide Eric spotted a bird on the ridge strutting its stuff with a puffed up chest in display. It was an impressive bird, around the size of a turkey, givng excellent but distant views.