On Wednesday, Rita and I joined the Tygerbird bird club for this outing. You will find this birding route about 40 Km from Cape Town on the R27. Turn right onto a gravel road marked Darling Hills road ( opposite the turn off to Grotto Bay.) We arrived about 07:45 and immediately heard a saw a Southern Black Korhaan. As the rest of the group arrived, birding started in all earnest. We were steadily adding birds species as we drove down the gravel road towards Darling. Some nice birds we saw on route were Banded Martens, Blue Cranes and the highlight , a Lessor Honey Guide. This was a lifer for some of the members. On route we also stopped and birded on the Mud River Farm. The group lunched at the Groote Post wine tasting venue for lunch. Although the mornings birding ended here, some of the members continued towards Darling to the Waylands Private Nature Reserve to see the flowers and performing Cape Clapper Larks .
If you have the Southern African Birdfinder book on page 46 , you will find a detailed write-up of this birding route.
Next time you travel on the tar road to Darling rather take this back route,you won't be disappointed.
The group saw a total of 77 bird species on this outing. Below some photo's I took and also the list of birds seen.
If you have the Southern African Birdfinder book on page 46 , you will find a detailed write-up of this birding route.
Next time you travel on the tar road to Darling rather take this back route,you won't be disappointed.
The group saw a total of 77 bird species on this outing. Below some photo's I took and also the list of birds seen.
Click in photo to see full size
Birds Seen
Apalis Bar-throated, Batis Cape, Bishop Southern Red, Bishop Yellow, Bokmakierie, Bulbul Cape, Bunting Cape, Canary Cape,
Coot Red-knobbed, Cormorant Reed, Crake Black, Crane Blue, Crow Pied, Cuckoo Klaas's, Darter African, Dove Laughing, Dove Namaqua ,
Dove Red-eyed, Egret Cattle, Fiscal Common, Flycatcher Fiscal,
Francolin Grey-winged, Goose Egyptian, Goose Spur-winged, Grebe Little, Guineafowl Helmeted, Gull Kelp, Heron Black-headed,
Honeyguide Lesser, Hoopoe African, Ibis African Sacred, Ibis Hadeda, Kite Yellow-billed, Korhaan Southern Black, Lapwing Blacksmith,
Lapwing Crowned, Lark Red-capped, Longclaw Cape, Martin Banded, Martin Brown-throated Martin Rock, Masked-Weaver Southern,
Moorhen Common, Mousebird Red-faced, Mousebird Speckled, Mousebird White-backed, Pelican Great White, Pigeon Speckled ,
Pipit African, Plover Kittlitz's, Plover Three-banded , Prinia Karoo , Robin-Chat Cape, Rush-Warbler Little, Scrub-Robin Karoo,
Shelduck South African, Sparrow Cape, Sparrow House,
Sparrow Southern Grey-headed, Starling Common, Starling Pied, Stonechat African, Sunbird Malachite, Sunbird Southern Double-collared, Swallow Greater Striped, Swallow Pearl-breasted, Swallow White-throated, Swamp-Warbler Lesser, Swift Little, Turtle-Dove Cape, Wagtail Cape, Waxbill Common, Weaver Cape, Wheatear Capped, White-eye Cape, Whydah Pin-tailed.
Coot Red-knobbed, Cormorant Reed, Crake Black, Crane Blue, Crow Pied, Cuckoo Klaas's, Darter African, Dove Laughing, Dove Namaqua ,
Dove Red-eyed, Egret Cattle, Fiscal Common, Flycatcher Fiscal,
Francolin Grey-winged, Goose Egyptian, Goose Spur-winged, Grebe Little, Guineafowl Helmeted, Gull Kelp, Heron Black-headed,
Honeyguide Lesser, Hoopoe African, Ibis African Sacred, Ibis Hadeda, Kite Yellow-billed, Korhaan Southern Black, Lapwing Blacksmith,
Lapwing Crowned, Lark Red-capped, Longclaw Cape, Martin Banded, Martin Brown-throated Martin Rock, Masked-Weaver Southern,
Moorhen Common, Mousebird Red-faced, Mousebird Speckled, Mousebird White-backed, Pelican Great White, Pigeon Speckled ,
Pipit African, Plover Kittlitz's, Plover Three-banded , Prinia Karoo , Robin-Chat Cape, Rush-Warbler Little, Scrub-Robin Karoo,
Shelduck South African, Sparrow Cape, Sparrow House,
Sparrow Southern Grey-headed, Starling Common, Starling Pied, Stonechat African, Sunbird Malachite, Sunbird Southern Double-collared, Swallow Greater Striped, Swallow Pearl-breasted, Swallow White-throated, Swamp-Warbler Lesser, Swift Little, Turtle-Dove Cape, Wagtail Cape, Waxbill Common, Weaver Cape, Wheatear Capped, White-eye Cape, Whydah Pin-tailed.
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