Birds of the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve

Birds of the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve Mike Fraser

Birds of the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve Mike Fraser

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Photographs by Howard Langley, John Graham, Peter Ryan, and Mike Fraser

Published by The Singing Magpie Press

Published by The Singing Magpie Press, 2016 Text © Mike Fraser 2016. The moral right of Mike Fraser as the author of this work has been asserted.

Photographs © individual named photographers.

Front cover: Cape Sugarbird (John Graham) Title page: Helmeted Guineafowl (Liz Fraser) ISBN 978-0-9932754-0-1

CONTENTS Location and history Landscape Freshwater The Open Sea Climate Birds and Birding Birds of Fynbos Birds of Upland Mixed Fynbos Birds of Restionaceous Plateau Fynbos Birds of Restionaceous Tussock Marsh Birds of Broad-leaved Coastal Thicket or Strandveld Birds of Alien Vegetation Birds of Freshwater and Estuaries Birds of the Seashore Birds of the Open Sea Rarities Earlier Species Lists

Ducks and geese Family Anatidae Buttonquail Family Turnicidae Honeyguides Family Indicatoridae Woodpeckers Family Picidae Barbets Family Capitonidae Hornbills Family Bucerotidae Hoopoe Family Upupidae Scimitarbills Family Rhinopomastidae Rollers Family Coraciidae Kingfishers Families Cerylidae and Alcedinidae Bee-eaters Family Meropidae Mousebirds Family Coliidae Cuckoos Family Cuculidae Coucals Family Centropodidae Swifts Family Apodidae Owls Families Tytonidae and Strigidae Nightjars Family Caprimulgidae Pigeons and doves Family Columbidae Cranes Family Gruidae

Species Accounts and Systematic List Ostrich Family Struthionidae Francolins and quail Family Phasianidae

Flufftails, gallinules, moorhens and coots Family Rallidae Sandpipers, snipes, godwits, curlews and phalaropes Family Scolopacidae

Guineafowl Family Numididae 2

Painted-snipes Family Rostratulidae

Penguins Family Spheniscidae

Sheathbills Family Chionididae

Storm-Petrels Family Oceanitidae

Thick-knees Family Burhinidae

Albatrosses Family Diomedeidae

Oystercatchers Family Haematopidae

Petrels, shearwaters and prions Family Procellariidae

Avocets and stilts Family Recurvirostridae

Drongos Family Dicruridae

Plovers Family Charadriidae

Paradise flycatchers Family Monarchidae

Coursers Family Glareolidae

Boubous and bush shrikes Family Malaconotidae

Skuas, gulls and terns Family Laridae

Batises Family Platysteiridae

Osprey Family Pandionidae

Crows and ravens Family Corvidae

Vultures, eagles, buzzards, hawks and harriers

Shrikes Family Laniidae

Family Accipitridae

Tits Family Paridae

Secretarybird Family Sagittariidae

Swallows and martins Family Hirundinidae

Falcons and kestrels Family Falconidae

Bulbuls Family Pycnonotidae

Grebes Family Podicipedidae

African warblers and crombecs Family Macrosphenidae

Tropicbirds Family Phaethontidae

Bush warblers and allies Family Locustellidae

Gannets Family Sulidae

Reed warblers and allies Family Acrocephalidae

Cormorants Family Phalacrocoracidae

White-eyes Family Zosteropidae

Egrets and herons Family Ardeidae

Cisticolas, apalises and allies Family Cisticolidae

Hamerkop Family Scopidae

Larks and finchlarks Family Alaudidae

Flamingoes Family Phoenicopteridae

Thrushes and alethes Family Turdidae

Ibises and spoonbills Family Threskiornithidae

Chats and Old World flycatchers Family Muscicapidae

Storks Family Ciconiidae

Starlings Family Sturnidae 3

Sunbirds Family Nectariniidae Sugarbirds Family Promeropidae Weavers, bishops and widows Family Ploceidae Waxbills Family Estrildidae Whydahs Family Viduidae Sparrows Family Passeridae Wagtails, pipits and longclaws Family Motacillidae Finches, canaries, siskins and buntings Family Fringillidae References and further reading Author’s acknowledgements Easy reference species checklist and status Websites Location and map of the Reserve

Cape Town The Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve makes up the southern section of the Table Mountain National Park. It lies at the tip of the Cape Peninsula, 40 km south of Cape Town.

(Satellite image courtesy of NASA)

False Bay

Ground Woodpecker. A terrestrial species found in small groups in rocky areas throughout the Reserve. (John Graham)

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The Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve ~ location ~ landscape ~ climate ~ habitats ~ birds and birding

The “new� lighthouse, commissioned in 1919, at Cape Point with False Bay and the peaks of the Peninsula to the north.

White-breasted Cormorants nest on the cliffs here, and it is a prime spot for seeing albatrosses and petrels passing offshore in winter. (Mike Fraser)

Location and history The Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, also sometimes known more economically, but inaccurately, as Cape Point Nature Reserve, occupies the southern tip of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa. Its northern boundary lies 40 km south of Cape Town. The Cape of Good Hope, in its strictest geographical sense, represents the south-western extremity of not just the Reserve but the African continent. (Africa’s most southerly point is Cape Agulhas, 150 km to the east of the Cape of Good Hope).

The Reserve was established in 1939 and managed for many years by the Divisional Council of the Cape. In 1998 it was incorporated into the Table Mountain National Park, run by South African National Parks. It nevertheless retains a level of geographical and ecological independence from the rest of the Park and is securely separated from the Peninsula to the north by a game-proof fence. Historically, the Reserve was stocked with a variety of large mammals, many of which were not native to the area, for public spectacle. At present, the only reintroduced mammals are Bontebok, Eland, Red Hartebeest, Cape Mountain Zebra and Klipspringer. Current management aims to conserve the rich and diverse fynbos vegetation and the associated wildlife that occurs here naturally.

Landscape The Reserve is 7,750 ha in area, roughly triangular in shape, and bounded on two sides by the sea. From Schuster’s Bay in the north to the Cape of Good Hope in the southwest is 23.5 km. The northern

Looking southeast from Teeberg to Paulsberg, the highest peak (366 m) in the Reserve. The fynbos here is dominated by Leucadendron bushes and Erica heaths. (Mike Fraser)

mountain range linking Rooihoogte (275 m) in the east and Bonteberg (227 m) in the west. The east (False Bay) coast is dominated in the north by a chain of four mountains, of which Paulsberg (366 m) is the highest point of the Reserve, and seacliffs from Rooikrans to Cape Point in the south. The north-west coast is more gentle, with a narrow coastal plain beneath a low escarpment running from Menskop to Hoek van Bobbejaan. Thereafter, the land rises as the Peninsula narrows to its tip at the cliffs (rising to 200 m) of the Cape Point/Cape Maclear/Cape of Good Hope massif. The Smitswinkel Flats, an extensive, poorly-drained plateau with occasional rocky outcrops, dominate the central area of the Reserve

boundary (13.5 km) is marked by the Smitswinkel fault and the 6

The ephemeral lagoon at Die Mond, the Krom River estuary in the northwest of the Reserve. The area is closed to the public to provide a sanctuary for nesting and roosting shorebirds. (Howard Langley)

The Reserve’s coastline is 40 km long. In the northwest a rocky, often boulder-strewn shore gives way to the ephemeral lagoon and backbeach pans at Die Mond, a sanctuary area closed to the public to protect breeding and roosting shorebirds. A long, almost unbroken,

Apart from the striking dune plume at Platboom, the pattern of sandy bays and rocky outcrops, and wave-cut platforms with occasional boulder beaches, continues down the west coast until the cliffs of the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Maclear. Between here and the towering cliffs of Cape Point (whose peak is 249 m above sea level) lies Dias Beach, a sandy cove about 500 m long.

vegetated dune system that ran from here to The Fishery was washed

West of Cape Point and north to Rooikrans the cliffs fall steeply into

away by a storm in 1984. A succession of broad beaches, new dunes

the sea, which is very deep at their base. There are some quite sizeable,

and erosion now characterises this dynamic stretch of coast.

but generally inaccessible, sea caves at the foot of Cape Point running

There are rocky sandstone outcrops at The Fishery and Menskoppunt, and the sandy beach finally gives way to more extensive outcropping from Olifantsbos to just north of Olifantsbos Point.

along faults in the granite. Apart from the popular sandy beach at Buffels Bay, the east coast is entirely rocky, comprising boulder beaches and rock platforms until Black Rocks. Here the sandstone forms very low cliffs at the edge of the sea, creating a narrow, steep 7

intertidal zone with deep gullies and rockpools. North of Venus Pool the coast becomes even more precipitous. The eastern slopes of the mountains between here and Smitswinkel Bay drop all but vertically into the sea.

The mix of rocky and sandy beaches attracts a variety of coastal birds, including breeding cormorants on the cliffs, migrant shorebirds from the northern hemisphere and a few resident waders and wildfowl. The west coast is best for shorebirds as it has the most extensive beaches where rotting washed-up seaweed supports the invertebrates that many of the birds eat.

Freshwater Freshwater bodies are scarce at the Reserve and are characteristically very low in nutrients, dark (the colour of strong tea), acidic and peaty.

Birds such as wildfowl and waders that are common at more nutritious, alkaline waterbodies elsewhere in the region are, consequently, rare at the Reserve.

The major catchment is the Krom River. This rises in the Smitswinkel Flats and flows northwest, joining the Klaasjagers River before flowing into the estuary at Die Mond. Smaller streams run into the sea at Brightwater, Platboom, Buffels Bay and Booi se Skerm. The largest of the Reserve’s 14 permanent or near-permanent open freshwater bodies is Sirkelsvlei (6.3 ha and 1.4 m deep when full). Groot Rondevlei, a shallow depression about 50 m in diameter in the old dunes near Die Mond, is the second largest, but dries up in summer. The remaining waterbodies are smaller and the shallow ones dry up in summer.

Numerous pans or vleis form in shallow, marshy depressions in winter.

The peaty Krom River winds through the north-western section of the Reserve before flowing to the sea at Die Mond. (Mike Fraser) 8

The Open Sea The Cape of Good Hope is not, contrary to popular opinion, the place where “Two Oceans” (nominally the Indian and Atlantic) meet. It is, however, part of a much larger region of overlap between a major ocean current and an upwelling system. These are, respectively, the warm-water Agulhas Current and the cold Benguela Upwelling System.

The Agulhas has its origins in the South Equatorial Current of the Indian Ocean and travels along South Africa’s east and south coast in a narrow arc, generally 10-60 km wide. When the current reaches the shallow waters of the Agulhas Bank off the southern tip of Africa, it is deflected offshore and turns back on itself in a vast, whirlpool-like zone of retroflection and heads back into the Indian Ocean along the Subtropical Convergence at about 40˚S. The Agulhas Current in its entirety does not, therefore, reach Cape Point. However, relics of

The cold, nutrient-rich waters of the Benguela Upwelling give rise to planktonic blooms along the Atlantic coast of the Reserve. (Mike Fraser)

filaments or eddies of warm water that have detached from the main

Climate

current as it spirals off Cape Agulhas do sometimes continue to

The Reserve shares with the rest of the south-western Cape a

meander westwards and past the Point.

“Mediterranean-type” climate. This essentially boils down to warm, dry

The Benguela Upwelling off the west coast is characterised by water

summers and cool, wet winters. Over and above this, the Cape of Good

that is bracingly cold and very rich in nutrients. The Benguela is

Hope has two climatic claims to fame: it is the windiest spot on

deepwater in origin and, when it comes to the surface along the Cape

continental Africa, and its temperature regime is the most equable in

west coast, it brings with it a rich supply of nutrients, powering great

South Africa. Superimposed on this is the influence of the sea, and it is

biological productivity of everything from plankton to whales, with

fair to say that the climate of the Reserve is essentially that of the sea

seaweed, sardines and seabirds in between. The Benguela Upwelling is,

around it.

consequently, one of the richest marine environments and commercial

In summer, the Cape weather is regulated by a belt of high-pressure

fisheries in the world and supports huge numbers of resident and

cells that encircles the globe at about 40˚S. When such a cell lies just to

migrant seabirds.

the southwest of the Cape, the wind over the Peninsula reaches gale force from the southeast: the famous (or infamous) “Cape Doctor”. At 9

the Reserve, the southeaster is funnelled between the mountains of the

In winter, the southern hemisphere cools and the band of pressure

Peninsula and the Hottentots’ Holland across False Bay and so is

cells moves north to lie directly across the Cape. This brings a regular

particularly fierce when it hits the Reserve’s eastern coastline. Once the

succession of cold fronts (at least one a week in midwinter) to the

high has moved on, a low-pressure saddle then lies directly south of the

Peninsula, with high winds and rain arriving from the west and

country. This is generally too far to bring rain, but occasionally a low

northwest. These are preceded by low cloud which forms against the

will brush the edge of the Peninsula, bringing low cloud and light

mountains to the north of the Reserve and, occasionally, on the

showers to the Reserve. More often, as the high moves eastwards the

summit of Paulsberg. The wind becomes gusty and strengthens and

wind abates in the northern Peninsula, giving calm and hot conditions

heavy rain soon follows. After the passage of a cold front the wind

there but not always over its tip. Here, sea breezes caused by the

backs southwesterly then southerly, and a few showers occur as the

landward movement of cool air from the sea to replace warm air which

clouds disperse. Clear, cold weather then sets in and the southeaster

has risen over the land as the day heats up, act to maintain the

may blow for a day or two, or there are a few calm days before the

Reserve’s cooler, windy weather.

weather deteriorates with the approach of another front. In spring, vigorous depressions may deposit wayward American vagrants at the Cape; in winter and spring, the fronts displace seabirds from their migration routes and pelagic (open sea) feeding grounds, bringing them close to the shore.

Birds and Birding In comparison with other parts of the subcontinent, particularly those of savanna and subtropical forest, the Reserve is perhaps not the most exciting spot for casual birding. Its tally of 286 species, just under a third of southern Africa’s 850 or so species, is rather low when compared with other reserves in the subcontinent. In general, it attracts rather few of the land- or freshwater birds that characterise other parts, often quite close by, of the south-western Cape. This is a consequence of the low-nutrient status and the simple structure of the

An unusual summer “black southeaster” darkens the sky and whips up seaspray in False Bay. Photographed from Bordjiesrif. (Mike Fraser)

fynbos vegetation (areas of low, sparse heath and scattered bushes predominate, rather than dense thicket or tall woodland), the shortage 10

Looking north from the main road across the Smitswinkel Flats. The vegetation in the foreground is Upland Mixed Fynbos which is typical of much of the Reserve, with exposed sandstone outcrops, low-growing protea bushes and colourful (when in flower) ericas. Grey-backed Cisticola is the most common non-nectarivore in this habitat. (Howard Langley)

Nevertheless, the Reserve is reliable for a good variety of common species and some Cape ‘specials’, and can claim to be one of the best spots in South Africa for rare vagrants on a national and local scale.

For the specialist birder, it also ranks among the best places in the

of open, nutrient-rich freshwater and muddy estuaries, and the

world for land-based seawatching. Overall, the impressive number of

exposed nature of the landscape, buffeted as it is almost constantly by

local, regional and national rarities recorded here demonstrate that if

salt-laden winds.

you are prepared to work a little harder at your birding and judge the 11

value of each sighting in the context of its rarity at the Reserve, then

heathy shrubs and restios. (Restios are “Cape reeds� - tall, leafless,

the place definitely has its merits.

clump-forming, reed-like plants that are a defining feature of fynbos vegetation).

Birds of Fynbos Fynbos, the heathy shrubland that defines the Cape Floral Kingdom, is the most extensive habitat at the Reserve. A detailed description of the Reserve’s fynbos vegetation and other habitats can be found here but, basically, it can be divided according to its component plant communities. These are: Upland Mixed Fynbos, Restionaceous Plateau Fynbos, and Restionaceous Tussock Marsh.

Each of these supports

fairly distinct assemblages of birds which, in turn, vary according to the age of the veld, being the time since the last fire. (Fire is a natural, and essential, part of the fynbos ecosystem and an important part of

As the fynbos grows in the years following a fire a gradual shift takes place from a predominantly insectivorous (insect-eating) bird community in the youngest post-fire veld to one dominated by nectarivores (nectar feeders) in the oldest. This is a result of the maturing of the protea and pincushion bushes and the tubularflowered Erica heaths that provide nectar for Cape Sugarbirds and the three local sunbird species. Where these particular plants are absent or not in bloom, it can be hard to find many, or even any, birds in Upland Mixed Fynbos.

Reserve management aimed at maintaining the vigour and diversity of

When the bird-pollinated protea bushes and heaths are in flower,

the vegetation). In the immediate post-fire period, birds tend not to

sugarbirds and sunbirds will be found, often in abundance. Sweeps of

discriminate between vegetation types, largely because there is no

Erica coccinea below the Smitswinkel viewing site and near Sirkelsvlei,

vegetation! Open-country species, such as pipits and plovers,

for example, are very attractive to Orange-breasted Sunbirds in early

predominate across the board, and it is only when the plants begin to

winter. Yellow-flowered Erica mammosa is widespread, with extensive

recover that the different bird species return to colonise their preferred

stands near the Cape of Good Hope/Main Road junction and on the

type and age of vegetation, as described below.

slopes of Vasco da Gama Peak. These and smaller patches alongside

~ Birds of Upland Mixed Fynbos

the Main Road attract nectar feeders, particularly Orange-breasted Sunbirds, in summer and autumn. In winter and spring many protea

Upland Mixed Fynbos grows on shallow soils of coarse white sand,

species come into flower. The Protea repens and Protea lepido-

which on slopes is very well drained. The oldest vegetation is a three-

carpodendron patches on the slopes of Rooihoogte and the Teeberg-

layered affair, with the characteristically dome-shaped bushes of

Bonteberg range attract hundreds of birds. These include species that

Mimetes fimbriifolius and Leucospermum conocarpodendron the

might not be considered typical nectarivores, such as Speckled

tallest (up to 3.5 m) elements, a middle layer of Leucadendron

Mousebird, Cape Weaver and Brimstone Canary, but many birds are

laureolum 90-120 cm high, and the lowest a mixture of small-leaved

opportunists and will not miss the chance of a sweet treat.

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Leucospermum conocarpodendron at The Meadows just south of Buffels Bay. The striking yellow inflorescences of this pincushion protea attract sunbirds, Cape Sugarbirds and Red-winged Starlings in spring and summer. (Mike Fraser) 13

A male Cape Sugarbird on Mimetes fimbriifolius, another member of the protea family that is important for nectar-feeding birds. Sugarbirds nest in winter and early spring when most of their food plants are in flower. Males are highly territorial and defend their protea patches against all-comers. (Peter Ryan) 14

From late August almost to the year’s end, flowering Leucospermum

and Restionaceous Tussock Marsh), gave an estimated population of

conocarpodendron attract Cape Sugarbirds and a variety of opportun-

310 birds. It is possible that it was overlooked in the intervening

ists, notably Red-winged Starling. While probing the flowerheads for

period, although the buttonquail may experience fluctuations in its

nectar, the starlings get brushed with pollen and many of them sport

population in response to factors such as vegetation age or rainfall.

bright yellow heads, so beware of your identification!

Although very occasionally flushed from the roadside, the buttonquail

There are rather few birding attractions other than nectar-feeders in Upland Mixed Fynbos, much of which is characterised by a good deal

is likely to require a walk along one of the Reserve trails (and, please, always stay to the paths).

of exposed rock and sparse, stunted vegetation. A few species are,

The most accessible Restionaceous Plateau Fynbos occurs on the

however, worth looking for: you are most likely to find Sentinel Rock

northern and southern arms of Circular Drive. It is (or at least was in

Thrush and Ground Woodpecker in this habitat, and Cape Siskins are

the days of more regular management burns) possible to see or hear

regular in small numbers on the hillsides and rocky plateaux.

the cisticola and the lark, together with the occasional Plain-backed

~ Birds of Restionaceous Plateau Fynbos Restionaceous Plateau Fynbos occurs at an altitude of 90-135 m from

Pipit, from your car along this stretch. ~ Birds of Restionaceous Tussock Marsh and Seeps

the southern arm of Circular Drive out across the Smitswinkel Flats

These vegetation types are included under the botanical umbrella of

and into the Krom River valley in the northwest of the Reserve. The

“fynbos”, although from the birds’ perspective they would fit just as

major vegetation feature is a dense layer of restios above which

comfortably into the “Freshwater” section because Restionaceous

Leucadendron laureolum shrubs form a broken canopy.

Tussock Marsh is, by definition, flooded in winter, and the seeps are

This is one of the most uninspiring habitats on offer, at all ages, to

permanently wet to one degree or another.

birds and birders. It is generally characterised by very low densities of

Restionaceous Tussock Marsh is found in those low-lying, flat areas of

small insectivorous species, but the presence of Hottentot Buttonquail,

the Reserve on which water collects in winter but dry out in summer.

Cloud Cisticola and Clapper Lark makes it worth exploring if you need

Where drainage is particularly poor, with bedrock very near the

these birds for your list. An enigmatic and poorly-known species, the

surface, small pans are formed which hold water (and frogs) in winter,

buttonquail is perhaps the Reserve’s most interesting and sought-after

but are too shallow to persist more than a short time into summer

landbird. Recorded sporadically in the mid-1980s it was assumed to

when the rains stop. Because the ground is wet, the vegetation and its

have disappeared from the Reserve until “rediscovered” in 1994 when a

associated bird populations recover relatively quickly after a fire and

survey of its favoured habitats (young Restionaceous Plateau Fynbos

within a year or two of a burn will virtually be back to its prefire state, a 15

condition that can take 10 years or more to be re-attained in Upland Mixed Fynbos.

There are plenty of patches of Tussock Marsh around Circular Drive, and in the early post-fire period this is a good place to find opencountry birds such as Plain-backed Pipit and Blacksmith Lapwing.

Other birds that are uncommon and localised in the Reserve but which can be found in tussock marsh include African Snipe in recently-burnt marshy valleys, and Levaillant’s Cisticola. The latter is the most characteristic species of the tall, uniform stands of restios.

A welcome break from the Reserve’s rather featureless central plains are patches of tall, lush, dense vegetation containing woody shrubs and often fringed with Bracken. These patches comprise mainly Berzelia abrotanoides and Osmitopsis asteriscoides and are restricted to permanent seeps (small areas of deep, waterlogged, peaty soil that bank up behind ledges or steps of sandstone). The damp ground and, in some cases, the proximity of running water and vleis, also afford the seepage vegetation a measure of protection against fire so that little islands of it can remain intact when the surrounding vegetation has been burnt. Mimetes hirtus, a rather scarce protea, is an occasional component of the seeps and forms dense stands at Olifantsbos, Gilli Dam and in a small area by the roadside not far north of Buffelsfontein. Dozens of Orange-breasted Sunbirds and other nectarivores are attracted to this shrub when it is in flower. Throughout the year, seepage vegetation supports other bird species that would otherwise be absent from the Smitswinkel Flats and similar landscapes elsewhere on Yellow Bishop (this is a male) is a characteristic and conspicuous species of the patches of lush seepage vegetation that are dotted around the Reserve.

(Howard Langley)

the Reserve. The likes of Cape Grassbird and Yellow Bishop are characteristic occupants of these lush little islands.

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Birds of Broad-leaved Coastal Thicket or Strandveld The narrow strip of Coastal Thicket that runs in a broken ribbon along much of the Reserve’s coast provides a contrasting habitat to the fynbos of the interior. Here the soils are relatively deep and nutritious, and a variety of evergreen, berry-bearing shrubs supports a suite of birds that differs markedly to that of fynbos. Although the structure of the vegetation often resembles the densest mature Upland Mixed Fynbos, with relatively tall, compact shrubs, the birds that characterise it are very different. Nectar feeders are rare (Southern Double-collared Sunbird is mainly insectivorous in Coastal Thicket) and frugivores (fruit eaters, such as Cape White-eye and Cape Bulbul) and folivores (leaf- and bud-eaters, such as Speckled Mousebird), which are all but absent in fynbos, are relatively common. There is some overlap between the habitats of insectivores (Karoo Prinia and Grey-backed Cisticola) and generalist feeders (Cape Robin-Chat), but these occur in much higher densities in Coastal Thicket than in fynbos.

The average density of birds in Coastal Thicket can be more than 10 times that of mature, protea-dominated Upland Mixed Fynbos, and almost 50 times that of recently-burnt Restionaceous Tussock Marsh.

This is the case even where the habitats are within a couple of hundred metres of each other. Seasonal variation in the number and density of birds is also less marked in Coastal Thicket, so you will at least have a reasonable chance of finding some birds in this habitat at any time of year, unlike in fynbos where birds can often be hard to find unless the proteas and ericas are blooming.

Speckled Mousebirds are most commonly found in Coastal Thicket where they move through the bushes in small parties of up to 20 or so, feeding on buds, foliage, flowers and berries. (Howard Langley)

localised records for the Reserve, together with the occasional vagrant such as Icterine and European Marsh Warblers (both first records for

The Olifantsbos area is the most well-watched and accessible Coastal

the south-western Cape). Other thicket patches elsewhere are probably

Thicket. As a result, it has produced some of the most uncommon and

equally or even more productive, notably at Gifkommetjie and along 17

the False Bay coast north of Bordjiesrif, but are rarely visited by

in the Leonotis, with the sunbird sometimes being the most abundant

birders.

species there.

A major attraction to birds is the Leonotis leonurus patch at Olifants-

Birds of Alien Vegetation

bos Bay. This flowers in November-December and March-April and draws in hordes of nectar feeders, particularly Malachite Sunbirds that may occur in their hundreds. Occasionally, the sharp divide between typical Coastal Thicket and fynbos bird assemblages breaks down and the likes of Cape Sugarbird and Orange-breasted Sunbird will be found

In common with many areas of the south-western Cape, the Reserve has been invaded or infested by a variety of alien (non-native) plants.

These were originally introduced to the Cape to supply timber, firewood or forage, to create shelterbelts, or as garden ornamentals.

The majority of the most invasive alien species come from parts of the world with a similar climate to the Cape, particularly Australia. Their invasion and transformation of the indigenous Cape flora has been extremely damaging, with an additional and inevitable knock-on effect on birds.

Alien shrubland and woodland formerly dominated large parts of the Reserve. Invasive Australian shrubs, such as the wattles Acacia cyclops, Acacia saligna and Acacia longifolia, were particularly widespread and formed dense, often uniform, impenetrable stands in coastal areas, on dune plumes, and in areas disturbed by road and building construction. Frequent fires facilitated their spread into previously uninfested fynbos vegetation, a process compounded, in the case of Acacia cyclops, by dispersal of its seeds by birds such as Redwinged Starling and Cape Bulbul. Stands of regenerating and coppiced eucalyptus trees, 10 m or more high, once dominated the Krom Valley and Theefontein. Specimen trees, including eucalyptus and oak, and a variety of ornamental shrubs were planted round homesteads at

An eclipse-plumaged male Malachite Sunbird at the Olifantsbos Leonotis patch. Hundreds of sunbirds and other nectar-feeders gather here when the Leonotis is in flower in mid- and late summer. (Howard Langley)

Klaasjagersberg, Olifantsbos, Smith’s Farm, and elsewhere.

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This is a remarkable conservation achievement and a credit to the Park authorities. Some historical, non-invasive specimen trees have been retained, notably the Monterey Cypress and the large fig at the Homestead that are considered part of the site’s cultural heritage.

Where the Reserve’s natural vegetation is (or was) infested with alien plants, fynbos birds are replaced with species more typical of woodland or coastal scrub. The extent and exact nature of this replacement depends upon the type of indigenous vegetation and on the species of invading aliens. Generally, with increasing infestation Cape Sugarbird and Orange-breasted Sunbird become increasingly scarce, and species such as Southern Boubou, Cape White-eye and Dusky Flycatcher, which were generally absent from the original uninfested fynbos, colonise the alien thickets.

An important and worrying consequence of this alien-induced shift is that if the bird pollinators of the few remaining fynbos flowers are excluded by alien vegetation, the potential exists for the breakdown of the critical bird/plant pollination relationship. If the sugarbirds and sunbirds become scarce or disappear altogether, any remaining birdCape White-eye is one of the few bird species that could be found in the dense thickets of non-native, ecologically-damaging Acacia wattles that once infested large areas of the Reserve. (John Graham)

pollinated plants, notably the proteas and ericas, will experience reduced pollination and lower seed-set, a situation that would exacerbate the decrease in indigenous plant density initiated by the

Clearance of alien vegetation to restore and conserve the Reserve’s

infestation by alien plants.

unique fynbos and its wildlife has been on-going since the 1970s. Alien

In the Reserve as a whole, the presence of some bird species was a

trees and woody shrubs have now been all but eliminated by a

direct result of the alien vegetation. For example, African Fish Eagle,

programme of mechanical, chemical and biological techniques. The

Rufous-chested Sparrowhawk and Hadeda nest in the alien trees at

huge thickets of wattles that once smothered swathes of the Reserve

Klaasjagersberg, and woodland or forest-edge species such as African

have been removed and the land restored to natural fynbos vegetation.

Harrier-Hawk, Fork-tailed Drongo and Lesser Honeyguide have been 19

seen in the gum trees there. The control and eradication of aliens has

Dabchick also occur, but the flocks of waterfowl typically associated

resulted in the decline or disappearance of some of these species from

with open freshwater are absent.

the Reserve. This should be welcomed, as from a conservation perspective the retention of non-native invasive plants can never be justified nor defended on the grounds that they support locally unusual or nominally charismatic species of birds, such as raptors. The Reserve will also become even more important in this respect as other parts of the Fynbos Biome and the Cape Floral Kingdom as a whole, with its astonishing and globally-unique levels of botanical richness and endemism, become overrun with pernicious alien vegetation.

Birds of Freshwater and Estuaries The Reserve’s few freshwater bodies attract rather few birds. This is a consequence of the fynbos “blackwater� syndrome, being very low levels of nutrients and high levels of antimicrobial tannins leached from decomposing plants. This results in the ponds supporting very few invertebrates that would be eaten by birds. So, while their muddy Lapwing is about the best that can be hoped for. Similarly, the open

Sirkelsvlei is a nutrient-poor, blackwater lakelet, and the largest freshwater body on the Reserve. The pink-flowered shrub is Pelargonium cucullatum, one of 10 Pelargonium species occurring here. (Mike Fraser)

water itself rarely attracts wildfowl.

Freshwater is less abundant on the Reserve as open water than in the

The pond at Buffelsfontein is too small to support resident waterfowl,

seeps and marshes that are dotted over the level or more gently sloping

but the occasional Moorhen makes an appearance, and the Typha

plains and foothills. In winter, ephemeral flooded vleis and pans on the

capensis beds sometimes hold Lesser Swamp and African Sedge

flatter parts of the Reserve do attract Yellow-billed Duck, plus the

Warblers. There is also a roost of Black-crowned Night Herons in the

occasional Hamerkop or Little Egret in search of frogs. Streamside

Tarchonanthus camphoratus trees here.

vegetation, such as along the banks of the Krom River, is taller and

margins may look just right for waders, often enough a Blacksmith

Sirkelsvlei is occasionally visited by Egyptian and Spur-winged Geese, but these are not permanent residents. The odd Black Duck and

lusher than the surrounding fynbos and provides cover for the likes of Cape Robin-Chat and Karoo Prinia. Displaying cock Yellow Bishops are conspicuous in this habitat in spring.

20

Marginally more ornithologically attractive than the vleis and streams

Such rich pickings are to be had that even bushbirds make their way

are the estuaries and lagoons, but even these are limited by their often

across the beach and onto the steaming kelp: Helmeted Guineafowl

temporary nature and their nutrient-poor freshwater input. The Die

scratch around like barnyard hens, and Karoo Prinias, Levaillant’s

Mond lagoon, where the Krom River flows into the sea, is the Reserve’s

Cisticolas and Red Bishops hop around the heaps. Even aerial-feeding

largest estuarine system, but its ephemeral unpredictability reduces its

Barn Swallows will swoop low over the beach to catch hopping

usefulness to birds. The lower reaches of the river are visited by

sandhoppers escaping the advancing waves. In autumn, the bay is the

Yellow-billed Duck and, occasionally, Moorhen. When the lagoon is full

best place to find Plain-backed Pipits, with 20 or more foraging for

its shallows attract foraging Common Greenshank, Pied Avocet and

kelp-fly larvae.

occasional parties of Black-winged Stilt and Greater Flamingo. It is, however, very important as an undisturbed roost and ablution facility.

Gulls and cormorants are almost always to be found bathing and preening here, and in summer it is visited by up to 45,000 Common Terns. The White-fronted Plover roost on the adjacent beach regularly numbers 100-200 birds.

More in keeping with typical intertidal habitat, Olifantsbos Bay attracts Kittlitz’s, White-fronted and Three-banded Plovers and African Black Oystercatcher, together with Hartlaub’s and Kelp Gulls and the occasional Grey-headed Gull, at any time of year. In summer, it used to be the favoured haunt of Ruddy Turnstone, Curlew Sandpiper and Common Ringed Plover. Over the last 15 years, however, the numbers

Smaller, but similarly unpredictable lagoons can be found at

of these northern-hemisphere visitors have crashed and Ruddy

Olifantsbos Bay and Buffels Bay. The former displays reasonably

Turnstone and Curlew Sandpiper, in particular, are now rare or

consistent pulling power for a variety of birds and is the best place for

completely absent. Some 20-30 Common Ringed Plovers still remain,

Three-banded and Kittlitz’s Plovers, with occasional Reserve rarities

however, the last such flock on the Peninsula.

such as Little Stint and Ruff. Buffels Bay is not a good feeding area but is a popular bathing and roosting spot for gulls, terns and cormorants.

Birds of the Seashore In welcome contrast to much of the Reserve’s dry land, the seashore is, in places, fairly rich in bird life. Most productive are those beaches of mixed rock and sand where heaps of kelp have been thrown up by the

This marked reduction in migrant waders is not restricted to the Reserve but is part of a much wider decline in the western Cape over the past 30 years. While these species have declined others, notably Sacred and Glossy Ibises, Hadedas and Egyptian Geese have increased to such an extent that they are now the characteristic birds of the Reserve beaches.

tide. No spot is better than Olifantsbos Bay where the festering

Although Olifantsbos Bay is the most well-watched coastal area, there

mounds provide a bountiful food supply for sandhoppers and the

are potentially good birding sites anywhere along the western

larvae (maggots) of kelp flies which, in turn, attract a variety of birds.

seaboard. The wide rocky platform and boulder beaches at Hoek van 21

Olifantsbos Bay on the west coast is the best place to see shorebirds, including migrant waders and gulls and terns. It and the adjacent coastal thicket are also a hotspot for Reserve rarities. (Howard Langley)

Bobbejaan attract Little Egret, Whimbrel, Common Greenshank and Ruddy Turnstone, and the small sandy bays between the Cape of Good Hope and Neptune’s Dairy used to be crowded with jostling Sanderling, and may yet be again.

cormorants to wagtails. On the more gently sloping sandy beaches, such as at Mast Bay and Platboom, Pied Avocets feed in the swash zone, the shallow waters of the receding waves. On the east coast, the Buffels Bay beach tends not to attract many waders, but there are tern roosts just to the south that can be scrutinised from your car. It is well worth scanning through these flocks, as amongst the Swift Terns and, in summer, Common and Sandwich Terns, a rarity might be lurking.

Less productive are the long stretches of gleaming white sand such as

And few birders would have predicted that South Africa’s first Western

at Die Mond and Platboom. Unless there is a good deposit of seaweed,

Reef Heron would have pitched up here.

these beaches are rather birdless, barring White-fronted Plovers. An outcrop of rock, such as The Fishery, will break the monotony and provide feeding and roosting areas for a good variety of birds, from 22

Birds of the Open Sea Compensation for the general shortage of landbirds at the Reserve is provided by an abundance of seabirds. Seawatching, the art or science (for it is a bit of both) of watching seabirds from the shore, requires that you position yourself on an exposed cliff-top or ledge in a strong wind with a tripod-mounted telescope, or at least good binoculars. It can be cold, wet and miserable under such conditions, but if your timing is right and the elements are in your favour, one of the most amazing birding sights is yours for the taking at the tip of the Cape Peninsula, a spectacle that many seasoned seawatchers consider unmatched.

The Benguela Upwelling off South Africa’s west coast is rich in fish and plankton. This abundant food supply attracts huge numbers of a variety of seabird species that nest in the subantarctic and Antarctic and then move north in winter. Millions of albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters spend their winter off the Cape, with the Cape of Good Hope a pivotal point as they move between their wintering and

Seawatching from the ledges at the Cape of Good Hope can be very exciting and productive during and just after winter storms, but is probably not for the faint-hearted! (Mike Fraser)

their thousands stream past the Cape, often lingering when they reach the corner of the continent.

breeding grounds in spring and autumn. Although most of the birds

Seabirds may be watched from Cape Point and from any vantage point

tend to forage in deeper water some way offshore, a brisk wind will

along the west coast, but the plum site is the Cape of Good Hope itself

bring them closer in.

(not to be confused with Cape Point, although that itself is also a very

The Cape climate is typified in winter by processions of low-pressure systems that sweep in from the northwest, bringing high winds and rain. As the frontal depressions move through, the wind often veers to the southwest and the skies clear for short time. Although any wind from the western sector can bring you birds, the periods between the depressions, with an onshore wind, that provide the most productive seawatching. Under such conditions in April to October, seabirds in

profitable seawatching position). A short, steep climb up the trail from the sea-level car park will take you to the ledges at the top of the massif where you can get some shelter in the lee of the cliffs and large boulders. Do take extreme care when climbing the cliff track here and when positioned on the ledges – the site is very exposed and can be slippery, and there are no rails or other safety measures for your protection.

23

While not able to rival the specialist birding boat-trips that put out of

vagrants. The number of national and regional rarities found here

Simon’s Town and Hout Bay to the rich fishing grounds in deep waters

certainly compares very favourably with any other site in South Africa.

20-30 km to the west, the Cape of Good Hope is reckoned to provide knowledgeable and patient birders with some of the best, if not the best, land-based seabird watching in the world. When it is too stormy for the charter vessels to go to sea, the seabirds passing through the Reserve’s inshore waters and milling around Bellows Rock will potentially be at their best. And at least you don’t get seasick.

Finding rarities at the Reserve requires little more than persistence and luck, but timing does help. In the case of New World waders, their potential arrival is relatively predictable as most are coincident with north-westerly gales in the late austral spring (October-November).

This indicates a direct trans-Atlantic route for such birds, rather than trickling down from the northern hemisphere where they had arrived

In summer the majority of pelagic-feeding seabirds have headed south.

earlier in the boreal autumn and reoriented to continue their southerly

This is the season of the southeaster and it generally doesn’t blow any

migration. Some American waders may, however, ultimately find their

birder any good. Nevertheless, it is possible to see the occasional

way to the Cape by the latter route and may potentially be found at any

White-chinned and giant petrels off either coast. Cory’s Shearwater

time during the summer and not just their migration periods.

and Sabine’s Gull, two northern-hemisphere visitors, can be seen from the Point, and Arctic Skuas (and sometimes Pomarine and Long-tailed) harry the terns off Buffels Bay.

Other Reserve rarities include species that are well out of their range in southern Africa (for example, Grey-headed Kingfisher and Whitewinged Widowbird) and, on more local scale, in the south-western

At present, the Reserve’s pelagic seabird tally stands at two storm-

Cape (such as Temminck’s Courser and Greater Scimitarbill). Why

petrels, eight albatrosses, 13 petrels, and six shearwaters. Many other

such species should have occurred at the Reserve and rarely or never

seabird species, some of them extremely rare in a national context,

elsewhere in the region may be an observational artefact reflecting a

have been seen from boats not far from Cape Point. It is realistic to

relatively high number of visiting birders. It may also, and to my mind

expect, therefore, that given the strategic position of the Peninsula’s

more likely (or at least in combination with the frequency of birders),

rocky tip and the dedication and enthusiasm of the few regular

be a consequence of overshooting, reverse or drift migration, or other

seawatchers who park themselves there come rain or shine, the seabird

generally lost birds being gradually funnelled down the country or

list will rise. And almost anything might swing by…

along the coast until they are steered into the “cod-end” of the Cape

Rarities Birding at the Reserve is boosted by two important aspects at which

that is the Peninsula. Once here, they are eventually squeezed into the Reserve at its tip. Either way, the number of regional rarities recorded here is exceptional.

the site excels: its pelagic seabirds (described above), and its rare 24

lodged in some birder's notebook). These range from birds that are common not a stone’s throw from the Reserve, to those that are the stuff of twitchers’ fantasies, notably trans-Atlantic and other extreme vagrants.

The first of these categories includes species that may be comfortably predicted to make an appearance before long (if they haven’t already), such as the likes of Purple Heron, a sprinkling of wildfowl, and a variety of passerines (have, for example, Pied Starling and Red-capped Lark really never made their way over the boundary fence?). As it stands, there have been more records here of, for example, American Baird’s Sandpiper at Olifantsbos Point in October 1984. The first South African and only the second African record (the first was in Namibia in 1863) of this American wader, and one of a number of extreme rarities that has occurred at the Reserve. (John Graham)

Golden Plover and Pectoral Sandpiper (both Nearctic waders), than African Pipit and Red-faced Mousebird, two species that are otherwise numerous and widespread in the south-western Cape. A dedicated patch-watcher at the Reserve could do much to address this paradox

Because the Reserve is a geographically delimited area (and all but an

and establish the current status of “common” south-western Cape and

island), it is possible to note birds’ movements and gross changes in

northern Peninsula species at the Reserve.

abundance that would be difficult to detect or monitor on the adjacent “mainland”. So it is that a House Sparrow, which would not receive a second glance anywhere else, is a bird of some interest here, and the sort of movements observed at the Reserve are almost unique nationally. A similar situation exists with Cape Weaver, where a distinct passage or, at least, regional movements, are detectable at times. Influxes of species such as Namaqua Dove and Wattled Starling are, similarly, likely to go largely unregistered or undetectable elsewhere.

The second category can include whatever your imagination can conjure up. My personal twitching ambition (sadly never realised) was to find a New World passerine in my mistnets set up to catch birds for ringing/banding at Olifantsbos. This is not altogether the American Pie in the sky that it might seem, as small migrant songbirds from North America occur every year in Europe and may subsequently trickle south. A few have even been sighted at Tristan da Cunha, a mere 3,000 km or so west of the Cape. The fact that American Purple Gallinule, whose nearest breeding grounds are 6,000 km or so to the west across

There are many new species that may find their way onto the Reserve

the Atlantic, is on the Reserve list (twice!), but Purple Gallinule, which

list in future (or which may already be there, but the records remain

probably breeds not much more than 10 km away, has yet to make an 25

Institute of African Ornithology at the University of Cape Town. This put the species total at 142, exactly half the number recorded for the Cape Peninsula as a whole at the time. An updated list of 165 species was published in 1975 by Middlemiss in collaboration with ranger Howard Langley, based mainly on the latter’s records.

I lived on the Reserve in 1984-86 and made regular birding and ringing trips there over the following ten years. Many of the sightings reported here are from this period and provide at least an historical context for subsequent observations. More recent records have relied on local publications, on-line reports and information from local birders.

The early lists provided more than just a list of names, but details of many of the scarcer species are lacking. Nevertheless, they are a valuable reference with which the present status of the Reserve's birdlife can, to some extent, be compared. The lists show that some species have disappeared altogether, others have become rare, and Cape Batis has apparently occurred only twice at the Reserve. As it is common and familiar elsewhere, visiting birders might not appreciate its rarity here nor record any that they do see. (John Graham)

many have been recorded for the first time. These changes in status can be viewed in a local or regional perspective - for example, are the changes noted at the Reserve reflected in the south-western Cape as a

appearance, epitomises the enigmatic but alluring nature of birding at

whole, or are changes in the broader region also manifested at the

the Cape of Good Hope.

Reserve? And is the overall increase in species a reflection of increased birding interest and coverage rather than the product of any ecological

Earlier Species Lists The first account of the Reserve’s birds, compiled in 1960 by the then warden Ernest Middlemiss, listed 105 species. By the following year the total had risen to 122, mainly through consulting other birders and sources rather than the arrival of new species. In 1969 a new list was published in the South African Avifauna Series of the Percy FitzPatrick

drivers, or a combination of both?

Many birds recorded in the literature of the 18th to early 20th centuries were reported or “obtained” (a convenient euphemism for shot and stuffed) from "The Cape of Good Hope". This does not necessarily mean that they were found at the area now Reserve; indeed it very rarely did. Rather, it was a geopolitical term used to describe 26

anything from the headland that now holds the name, to the whole of the Peninsula and to the entire Cape Province. The Cape of Good Hope in its strictest sense, being the southwestern-most buttress of the three sandstone projections that form the tip of the Peninsula, was officially named as recently as 1957.

For a more detailed (but not illustrated) description of the Reserve’s birds, including all the twitchers’ minutiae of dates and observers etc, plus information on bird densities in different habitats, a more comprehensive description of the Reserve’s physical and ecological attributes, and a full bibliography, please refer to my article in Ornithological Observations, the on-line journal of the Animal Demography Unit at the University of Cape Town.

The noisy and conspicuous Karoo Prinia is easy to see in scrub and tall restios throughout the Reserve. (Howard Langley)

Exposed quartzitic sandstone in restio-dominated fynbos. (Mike Fraser) 27

Bright yellow Leucadendron laureolum bushes and bronzy restios dominate this middle-aged fynbos in the northern part of the Reserve. The grey clumps are Syncarpha vestita. This habitat supports mainly insectivores, such as Grey-backed Cisticola and Grassbird. (Howard Langley) 28

Young post-fire fynbos attracts grazing Bontebok, open-country birds such as pipits and larks, and wandering sunbirds and other nectar-feeders to the blooms of resprouting plants such as the bright red, tubular-flowered Erica cerinthoides. (Mike Fraser) 29

Looking south and west from the rocky summit of Bonteberg over the Smitswinkel Flats to the Atlantic. The exposed hilltops are not brilliant for birds (the occasional Cape Bunting might be the best you can hope for), but the lower slopes have patches of proteas that attract nectar-feeders in winter. (Mike Fraser) 30

Weathered sandstone blocks in fynbos with restios and clumps of white flowering Syncarpha vestita on the west coast. A skeletal Leucospermum concocarpodendron is a relic of a past fire, while a young bush with yellow flowerheads grows up behind it. (Howard Langley) 31

The S. H. Skaife Environmental Station, now the ‘Olifantsbos Guest House’. My home at the Reserve, and a great place for seeing bushbirds in the coastal scrub, waders and gulls on the beach, and seabirds offshore. Baboons, bats and Red-winged Starlings roosted on the cliffs behind. (Howard Langley) 32

On the coastal dunes at places such as Skaife Beach, colourful spring annuals provide seeds for Cape Canaries and other granivores. The beach here is popular with Hartlaub’s Gulls and Pied Avocets. (Howard Langley) 33

Paulsberg (centre) and Judas Peak (far right) above False Bay are striking landmarks on the False Bay coast. The Da Gama Cross at Bordjiesrif can be seen centre left. (Mike Fraser) 34

Viewed from the summit of Kanonkop, the Peninsula snakes south towards its end at Cape Point. In the sea to the west (right), the churning white waters of the Bellows are just visible. These are a major focal point for seabirds and birders watching them from the Cape of Good Hope. (Mike Fraser) 35

Atlantic breakers pound the rocky beaches at the Cape of Good Hope. This is a wild and windy spot! (Mike Fraser) 36

Seaweed washed up by winter storms on the rocky beach at the Cape of Good Hope. Rotting kelp is eaten by sandhoppers and kelp-fly larvae which, in turn, are an important food source of shorebirds. (Mike Fraser)

A stretch of mixed shoreline along the south-western coast of the Reserve contains sand, rock and stranded kelp, making it attractive to a variety of shorebirds. (Mike Fraser) 37

Some adult male Ostriches can be very aggressive when defending a territory or mate and should not be meddled with. The youngsters and females are less feisty and have dusty-brown plumage. (Howard Langley)

Species Accounts Details of the bird species recorded at the Reserve are presented in the following systematic list. Where I describe a species’ status in respect of the “south-western Cape”, this is the region that falls under the remit of the Cape Bird Club and its Atlas of the Birds of the Southwestern Cape. An area of some 55,000 km2, it extends from the Olifants River in the north, down to Cape Town, and east to Cape Infanta. A diagonal line drawn roughly between the first and last of these locations marks the north-eastern boundary.

“Skaife” is the former S. H. Skaife Field Station for Environmental Education situated on the west coast of the Reserve just south of Olifantsbos, where I lived during my time at the Reserve. “The Homestead” is the area around the former restaurant of that name, now the Buffelsfontein Information Centre, at Smith’s Farm.

The number of records from Olifantsbos reflects the disproportionate amount of time that I spent there: it was the best birding spot close to Skaife, and I regularly ringed (banded) there for 12 years. Had the same effort been devoted to other sites, they may well have featured as highly. Certainly there are potentially good sites for local rarities elsewhere, such as the Coastal Thicket and relict forest at Bordjiesrif, and the thicket and Typha capensis patch in the Buffels River Valley.

These provide relatively lush refuges in the otherwise generally unappealing (to birds) fynbos.

The scientific names of plants and animals, together with those birds that don’t have their own individual species account, are given at the end of the book. Very few Cape plants have common names.

Please don’t feed the ostriches, despite their pleading (?) looks. (Peter Ryan) 39

Ostrich Family Struthionidae

were one of the most characteristic early-morning sounds in spring

Common Ostrich Struthio camelus

and early summer, and coveys of up to 16 birds were often seen. For

Uncommon breeding resident; probably introduced alien.

unknown reasons, the species is now rare here. Where it does occur, it

Ostriches occurred naturally on the northern Cape Peninsula until the

may be found in young and rocky fynbos and on grassy road verges.

17th century, although there are no records from the area now the Reserve from that period. It is very unlikely that any of the birds here now are directly descended from local wild stock. John McKellar, who owned Buffels Bay in the 19th century, apparently ran a thriving Ostrich farm here, despite the reported depredations on the chicks of “mongooses” and “jackals”. Reports of hunting "wild" birds in 1863 probably refer to McKellar's introduced birds, which were essentially free-ranging. Ostriches present in the early 20th century were presumably descendants of McKellar’s stock. Up to 100 birds were present in the 1980s and ‘90s. There were 43 birds in 2012.

Most often found in disturbed grassy vegetation around habitations, road verges, and in the relatively nutritious coastal strip. Ostriches also frequent newly-burnt fynbos, and feed on seaweed freshly cast up on the beach at Olifantsbos Bay. Nests with eggs (up to 33, the product of more than one female) have been found between June and November.

Incubation has been recorded as 53 days, although one stoical female incubated a clutch of 12 addled eggs for 102 days before deserting.

Francolins, quail and peafowl Family Phasianidae Grey-winged Francolin Scleroptila africanus Rare breeding resident.

The Reserve’s Grey-winged Francolin population appeared stable in the 1980s and ‘90s, when territorial males calling from exposed rocks

Grey-winged Francolin have declined in recent years. (John Graham) 40

Cape Spurfowl Pternistes capensis

Common Quail Coturnix coturnix

Common breeding resident.

Status uncertain, probably rare visitor; has bred.

Occurs in small parties (normally 3-4, but up to 17) in gardens and

A scarce and irregularly occurring species, but likely to be detected

grassland around human habitation and in disturbed areas at the

whenever present by its characteristic call in spring. Described as

coast, notably Olifantsbos and Buffels Bay. Rarely seen in pure fynbos,

"rare" in "bush on plateaux" in the 1970s; thereafter seen only very

but sometimes occurs inland on the grassy banks at Sirkelsvlei.

rarely (less than one a year) in short, generally bushless restioveld. A survey in 1994 found very small numbers in Restionaceous Plateau Fynbos and Restionaceous Tussock Marsh.

The status of the southern African population of this widespread species is poorly known but probably complex. It may be sedentary, but seasonal influxes are likely to occur in response to local rainfall patterns. It is a common resident in and summer migrant to the southwestern Cape as a whole and is particularly numerous in the wheatlands.

Common Peacock Pavo cristatus Introduced alien; formerly rare localised breeding resident, now extinct.

An ornamental species confined to Klaasjagersberg where birds were introduced in 1940 and 1967. Occasionally nested in natural vegetation near Klaasjagersberg in the 1980s, resulting in a small, almost selfsustaining feral population (and arguably, therefore, twitchable). Now extinct.

Look out for Cape Spurfowl at coastal picnic sites. (Howard Langley)

Peacock - an historical ‘tick’ at Klaasjagersberg. (Mike Fraser) 41

Guineafowl Family Numididae Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris Uncommon breeding resident.

Birds from the eastern Cape were introduced to the south-western Cape at the end of the 19th century and quickly became established in agricultural areas and coastal scrub. Four were released at the Reserve in 1940 and 43 in 1950, but the species would doubtless have made its own way here without this helping hand and, indeed, is likely to have been here already.

The guineafowl’s distribution is regulated in part by the proximity and availability of tall trees in which to roost, such as the gums at Klaasjagersberg, the oaks (now felled) at Olifantsbos, and the Homestead fig and cypress. Rarely seen in natural vegetation apart from sparse coastal scrub, and mainly confined to human habitation, grassy recreational areas, and to alien thickets as far south as the slopes of Vasco da Gama Peak. Road verges are used as convenient corridors to reach outlying areas, with parties of up to 20 seen trotting along the Main Road south of the Homestead. Regularly forage on the shore at Olifantsbos Bay, scratching amongst the decomposing kelp to expose sandhoppers and kelp-fly larvae. Breeding recorded in OctoberDecember.

Ducks and geese Family Anatidae

Formerly something of a rarity on the Reserve, Egyptian Geese are now very common along the shore. (Howard Langley)

highest number recorded in the ‘80s. In 1990-91 unprecedented numbers were observed and the geese have increased ever since. More than 300 were found along the Reserve’s coastline in the summer of 2010/11, most of them gathering in flocks to moult on the west coast.

The Egyptian Goose’s relatively recent arrival at the Reserve parallels

Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiacus

that of Sacred Ibis, a knock-on effect of widespread habitat

Common visitor and uncommon breeding resident.

transformation through agriculture, irrigation and development

In the 1960s and ’70s any sighting of this species at the Reserve was

elsewhere in the Cape and South Africa as a whole. It is now common

considered unusual. A party of 17 at Die Mond in April 1986 was the

even in urban areas, and a frequent visitor to swimming pools!

42

Egyptian Goose is typically a freshwater and, to a lesser extent,

African Black Duck Anas sparsa

estuarine species, but at the Reserve the geese have a distinctly marine

Rare breeding resident.

lifestyle, feeding on the beaches and at the water’s edge amongst

One or two pairs appear to be resident and are seen from time to time

rotting seaweed and swimming into the surf and beyond to the kelp

at Sirkelsvlei, Die Mond and on the Krom River. Occurred historically

beds on calm days. Breeds in old Hamerkop nests and on cliffs. Broods

on the Homestead pond. One in the sea at Olifantsbos Bay in April

of 5-10 goslings have been recorded in May-December.

1996 was unusual for a freshwater species. Nesting has been recorded

South African Shelduck Tadorna cana

at Klaasjagersberg and Theefontein.

Local vagrant.

Yellow-billed Duck Anas undulata

Two records of two or three birds. A pair at Sirkelsvlei in October-

Common visitor and uncommon breeding resident.

November 1972, and one at Die Mond in the latter month. Quite

Found on freshwater vleis along the west coast, small streams on the

common in the south-western Cape and regular in small numbers at a

Smitswinkel Flats, and seasonally-inundated marshes anywhere in the

few sites (notably Strandfontein Sewage Works) on the Peninsula.

Reserve. Small numbers loaf on the west-coast beaches, and

Spur-winged Goose Plectropterus gambensis Uncommon visitor; has bred.

First recorded in 1960 and now a regular visitor to Sirkelsvlei, Groot Rondevlei and Die Mond; very occasional elsewhere. Flock size generally 1-6; maximum counts are 28 at Die Mond in January 1991

individuals and family parties occasionally take to the open sea at Olifantsbos Bay on calm days. Most often seen, however, at Die Mond (peak count 70), the ephemeral back-beach pans between there and Menskoppunt, and at Groot Rondevlei. Adults with ducklings have been recorded in July-December.

and 13 on Sirkelsvlei in July 1985. Nested at Sirkelsvlei in 1973 and

Cape Shoveler Anas smithii

near the Link Road in 1974.

Local vagrant.

Cape Teal Anas capensis Rare visitor; has bred.

Present status unclear. There were occasional records of up to five birds at Die Mond and Groot Rondevlei in the 1970s, and in 1984-96

One record. A single at Die Mond on 30 May 1986. Common at shallow freshwater bodies elsewhere on the Peninsula. As it also occurs at tidal estuaries and saline lagoons, it is surprising that there have not been more records at Die Mond, at least.

there were singles or pairs occasionally at Die Mond, Olifantsbos and

Red-billed Teal Anas erythrorhyncha

seasonally-flooded dune slacks between these two sites. Nesting

Rare visitor; has bred.

recorded at The Fishery in 1984 and Olifantsbos in 1986.

A pair at Die Mond in May 1971, three at Olifantsbos Bay in June 1973, and an adult with young at Sirkelsvlei in December 1984. These are the 43

only records since four were introduced to the Reserve (and dis-

Buttonquail Family Turnicidae

appeared shortly afterwards), in November 1940.

Hottentot Buttonquail Turnix hottentottus Status uncertain, probably uncommon visitor and resident; may breed.

In the 1970s, this enigmatic species was described as “Rare, but occasionally flushed while walking through the veld”, an appraisal that still holds, if only just. In later years it was first recorded in short restioveld near Sirkelsvlei in February 1986. There were no subsequent records (probably a reflection of reduced observer coverage in the right habitat) until one was flushed near Circular Drive in early 1989. In April 1994 birds were again found near Sirkelsvlei, and a flurry of records from here and similar habitat to the north and south of the vlei emanated from increased visits by birders. A survey of the area gave a density of just under two birds per 10 ha in Restionaceous Plateau Fynbos and Restionaceous Tussock Marsh, with an extrapolated population estimate for the Reserve of 310-480 birds. A second survey in April 1995 indicated a population increase, particularly near Circular

Yellow-billed Duck lift-off. The commonest duck at the Reserve, occurring on freshwater, brackish lagoons and the sea. (Howard Langley)

Drive, and provided possible evidence of breeding (one flushed bird

Southern Pochard Netta erythrophthalma

Klaasjagersberg/Olifantsbos road junction and one or two were noted

Local vagrant.

there and by the nearby white-parapet bridge over the Krom River

One record of two birds. A pair at Sirkelsvlei on 30 June 1985. Quite

fairly regularly at least until 2008.

common on less acidic freshwater bodies north of the Reserve, but as a

Honeyguides Family Indicatoridae

diving duck requiring deep, clear water in which to forage, it has remained a real rarity here.

was thought to be a youngster). In April 1995 one was seen near the

Lesser Honeyguide Indicator minor Rare visitor.

Four records of 2-4 birds. A brood parasite of hole-nesting species, including Acacia Pied Barbet, the honeyguide’s arrival and subsequent 44

distribution in the south-western Cape matches the colonisation of the region by the barbet. Lesser Honeyguide was first recorded on the northern Peninsula in the early 1980s but took a further decade to reach the Reserve. In 1991 single birds were recorded in January and April at Klaasjagersberg and in July at Olifantsbos. One at the Cape Point car park sometime in 1997 is the only other record. The disappearance of the Acacia Pied Barbet following the removal of most of its non-native nesting trees, such as oaks, will doubtless thwart the colonial aspirations of Lesser Honeyguide at the Reserve.

Brown-backed Honeybird Prodotiscus regulus Rare visitor.

Two at Klaasjagersberg on 14 February 2010 and at Perdekloof in August 2015. A woodland species that is becoming increasingly common in the south-western Cape, having been first recorded in the region in 1986. It remains rare on the Peninsula, but has occurred recently at Kirstenbosch and Clovelly and is clearly now making its way further south. The honeybird has expanded its range in response to alien-tree planting and infestation, especially of riparian habitats.

Woodpeckers Family Picidae

Ground Woodpecker occurs in family groups or small parties in rocky areas in newly-burnt and young veld. (John Graham)

successional changes in the vegetation, and it became increasingly rare in the 1990s. In 2013, three groups (probably families) had ranges

Ground Woodpecker Geocolaptes olivaceus

centred at Venus Pool, Rooikrans and Cape Maclear. Nesting has been

Rare breeding resident and, probably, visitor.

recorded in October. This is the only woodpecker species that has been

Parties of 2-14 can be found in coastal or inland areas wherever there

recorded at the Reserve and, appropriately given the treeless nature of

are exposed rocks and outcrops, particularly in recently-burnt areas.

the natural landscape, it is an exclusively terrestrial species. The

As the vegetation recovers after fire they become less frequent over the

Ground Woodpecker’s diet comprises almost entirely ants and their

years and may not occur at all in mature veld. Ground Woodpecker

eggs and pupae which it extracts from their underground nests using

numbers appear to fluctuate at the Reserve, presumably in response to

its long, sticky tongue.

45

Olive Woodpecker Dendropicos griseocephalus

Barbets Family Capitonidae

Status unclear; probably rare, localised resident.

Acacia Pied Barbet Lybius leucomelas

A pair at Perdekloof in early August 2015. The alien pines and gums

Rare localised breeding resident, possibly extinct.

here would potentially provide suitable breeding habitat.

A bird that has expanded its range since the 1950s into the southwestern Cape in the wake of the planting and spread of alien trees and shrubs that provide nest holes and fruit. First recorded at Olifantsbos in January 1970, subsequently becoming resident and quite numerous there and at the Homestead where nesting cavities were excavated mainly in dead Acacia saligna and oaks. It was a conspicuous species at Olifantsbos in the 1980s but disappeared following the clearance of alien trees, with the last record there in August 1990. One or two pairs may persist at Klaasjagersberg, but the barbet probably is now only a rare visitor to other parts of the Reserve, with singles occasionally seen at the Homestead and outlying sites including Booi se Skerm, Vasco da Gama Peak and Cape Point. The species’ very distinctive plumage and calls mean that any that are here are unlikely to be overlooked.

Hornbills Family Bucerotidae African Grey Hornbill Tockus nautus Vagrant from further north in South Africa, or escapee.

One record. One below the old lighthouse at Cape Point on 7 December 2002. Possibly an escape from captivity, although records at the Reserve of other largely sedentary species of similar provenance lend weight to it being a genuine, if unexpected, vagrant. Found in wooded savanna, thornveld and gardens in northern South Africa where it undertakes some movements in the dry season.

Olive Woodpecker has been recorded only at Perdekloof. (Howard Langley) 46

Hoopoe Family Upupidae

Kingfishers Families Cerylidae and Alcedinidae

African Hoopoe Upupa africana

Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis

Rare visitor; has bred.

Uncommon visitor, mainly in winter.

First recorded at the Homestead in 1963 and nested occasionally there

Occurs singly or in parties of up to three anywhere along the Reserve's

and at Klaasjagersberg and Olifantsbos. The species subsequently

coastline, fishing in rock pools and shallow subtidal water and

moved out almost entirely with only ten records in 1984-2013, mainly

occasional at freshwater, notably Matroosdam, the Olifantsbos dune

along the northern boundary of the Reserve but also from the

vleis, and the lower stretches of the Krom River. Most often seen in

Homestead, Circular Drive, Buffels Bay and Rooikrans. Most records

winter, the majority of records coming from April-August; rare in

have been in summer.

summer. While fishing, Pied Kingfisher can hover for quite extended

Scimitarbills Family Rhinopomastidae Greater Scimitarbill Rhinopomastus cyanomelas

periods allowing it to hunt over open water far from the shore. There are some earth banks in which nesting burrows could be excavated, but breeding has not been confirmed.

Vagrant from further north in South Africa.

One record of two birds. Two at Skaife on 17 October 1984 were found again shortly afterwards in coastal thicket at Olifantsbos. An unusual record of what is very much an up-country species of thornveld and savanna. Not previously recorded in the south-western Cape.

Rollers Family Coraciidae European Roller Coracias garrulus Vagrant from Eurasia.

One record. One at Perdekloof on 11 April 1986 was mobbed by an African Marsh-Harrier. Probably a reverse migrant, as this is a late date for a bird that should have been heading to its northern hemisphere breeding grounds at this time. A regionally rare species, recorded only once every few years in the south-western Cape, but quite common in woodlands and bushveld further north and east in southern Africa.

Pied Kingfisher is a regular visitor in ones, twos and threes to the Reserve’s coast. (Peter Ryan) 47

Giant Kingfisher Ceryle maxima

eastern fringe of KwaZulu Natal, then returns north to winter in

Uncommon, irregular visitor.

equatorial Africa. The Reserve bird was presumably a reverse migrant

Singles and (rarely) pairs are recorded a few times each year along the

or had overshot its breeding grounds the previous spring. Either way, it

shore and at coastal vleis. Seen most often at Olifantsbos, but also at

was more than 1,000 km out of range.

Brightwater, Die Mond and Venus Pool. If there are no convenient waterside perches, Giant Kingfishers will hover briefly before plungediving to catch their prey of crabs, fish and frogs.

Half-collared Kingfisher Alcedo semitorquata Formerly rare visitor.

Reported occasionally from Die Mond in the early and mid-1960s.

Although some reports may have been misidentifications of immature Malachite Kingfisher, Half-collared was historically more numerous in the south-western Cape. Its numbers have since decreased, probably because of habitat degradation, and it has not been recorded on the Peninsula as a whole for several decades.

Malachite Kingfisher Alcedo cristata Rare visitor.

In the 1970s, Malachite Kingfishers were resident at the mouth of the Hout River. In 1984-96 there were none here and only three records of single birds elsewhere at the Homestead pond, Olifantsbos and Die Mond. This brilliant-blue kingfisher is now seen occasionally at Die Mond and along the Klaasjagers River.

Bee-eaters Family Meropidae White-throated Bee-eater Merops albicollis Vagrant from equatorial Africa.

One record of seven birds. A small party of White-throated Bee-eaters at the “Cape of Good Hope� on 6 March 1998 was the third record for southern Africa, the first being in 1988 in the northern Cape. There have been 14 subsequent records in southern Africa, all comprising one or, very occasionally, two birds. The Cape Point group, therefore, remains exceptional. Breeds just south of the Sahara during the AprilSeptember rainy season, migrating southward to equatorial rain forest in the non-breeding season.

European Bee-eater Merops apiaster Vagrant.

One record. One flew south over Sirkelsvlei on 28 April 1985. A very late record of a bird that generally leaves its south-western Cape breeding grounds by February to winter in equatorial Africa.

Alternatively, this bird may have been a reverse migrant from the European-breeding population that winters in southern Africa.

Grey-headed Kingfisher Halycon leucocephala Vagrant from subequatorial Africa.

One record. A Grey-headed Kingfisher on the telephone wires near Klaasjagersberg on 15 May 1988 was the first record for the southwestern Cape. In summer, the species occurs only as far south as the 48

Mousebirds Family Coliidae

White-backed Mousebird Colius colius

Speckled Mousebird Colius striata

Rare visitor.

Formerly common, now uncommon localised breeding

The first Reserve record was of one at Olifantsbos in 1962. In July

resident.

1968, one was found dead near the Homestead and a small group

Restricted to coastal thicket and alien vegetation (notably, in the past,

reported near Buffels Bay. There was a further report (numbers

Acacia cyclops) where flocks of up to 30 eat buds, shoots, flowers and

unknown) from the latter site in February 1986. The only other records

fruits. Very occasionally visits winter-flowering Protea repens in

are of one ringed at Olifantsbos in December 1989 that was recaptured

fynbos to extract nectar. Breeding recorded in October. Becoming less

there in December 1990, and one near the Homestead in April 1996.

common on the northern Peninsula, a change in status now reflected at

The flock at Buffels Bay stands out as atypical, although it was

the Reserve.

apparently resident on the Reserve in small numbers in the 1970s.

Either way, the species continues to be very rare here. Common in coastal thicket elsewhere on the Peninsula south to Simon’s Town.

Red-faced Mousebird Colius indicus Local vagrant.

One record. A single bird in coastal thicket at Skaife in December 1986.

Quite common in suburban gardens in the northern Peninsula, but scarce further south. Typically, and like other mousebirds, a gregarious species; a solitary bird at the Reserve represents a very lost soul.

Cuckoos Family Cuculidae Red-chested Cuckoo Cuculus solitarius Rare intra-African summer migrant.

Singles at Klaasjagersberg in October 1973 and September 1984, and at Wildschutsbrand in October 1985. Also found in wooded areas just north of the boundary fence and inveigles its way onto the list more by virtue of birds calling outside being heard from within the Reserve.

Small parties of Speckled Mousebirds forage almost exclusively in coastal thicket, but occasionally visit protea flowers in fynbos. (Howard Langley)

Red-chested Cuckoo has almost disappeared from the Peninsula as a whole in recent years. This comes after a regional range expansion in 49

the mid-20th century as it tracked its main brood host, Cape RobinChat, into gardens and other man-made woodland habitats.

Klaas's Cuckoo Chrysococcyx klaas Rare visitor.

Five records. Singles at Klaasjagersberg in June 1975, August 1986 and ‘87, and September to December 1995, and at the Homestead in September 1994. In the south-western Cape, where it is resident or a summer visitor, Klaas’s Cuckoo is found mainly in wooded parks and gardens; the few Reserve records reflect this habitat choice.

Coucals Family Centropodidae Burchell's Coucal Centropus burchellii Rare, localised resident; has bred.

Occasionally heard and seen in the Typha capensis patches at Die Mond, Olifantsbos Bay and Skaife. There is similar habitat at the Homestead pond and the lower reaches of the Buffels River where coucals might be expected to be resident. Formerly occurred at Klaasjagersberg, but not recorded there since a pair in September 1986. A juvenile at Olifantsbos in September 1995 is the only evidence of breeding.

Swifts Family Apodidae African Black Swift Apus barbatus Common breeding resident and visitor.

The most common swift here, with parties of 10-200 foraging anywhere over the Reserve at any time of year. The largest recorded flock (1,500 over coastal thicket at Olifantsbos) coincided with a hatch of flying ants. Often skims low over the beaches and heaps of rotting

African Black Swift, the most abundant swift here. (Peter Ryan) 50

seaweed to feed upon emergent kelp flies. Nests in the cliffs behind

African Wood-Owl Strix woodfordii

Skaife and is likely to do so at similar sites elsewhere on the Reserve.

Rare, localised breeding resident.

White-rumped Swift Apus caffer Uncommon summer visitor.

Small numbers occasionally seen amongst high-flying flocks of African Black and Alpine Swifts over the Reserve in summer.

Little Swift Apus affinis Uncommon visitor; possibly breeds.

Very small numbers in mixed flocks of feeding swifts in summer; very rare in winter. Some of the cliffs and buildings may provide suitable nest sites for this species, but breeding has not been confirmed.

A gum-tree nest hole at Klaasjagersberg was occupied by successive pairs from at least 1973 into the ‘90s. Unlikely to occur elsewhere in the Reserve other than here and at Perdekloof. One found dead on the main road near Klaasjagersberg on 25 December 2015 is the only recent evidence that the species persists in the area.

Marsh Owl Asio capensis Rare visitor or resident; formerly bred.

In the 1960s and ‘70s, Marsh Owl was a “Breeding resident” and "Occasionally flushed from marshy areas". There were only three records in 1984-96: singles in tussock marsh at the north-west corner

Alpine Swift Apus melba

of Circular Drive in July 1984, Skaife in August 1986, and Circular

Common visitor; probably breeds.

Drive in July 1995. In 2013 there were enough regular sightings on

Second in abundance to African Black Swift. Occurs in mixed feeding

Circular Drive to suggest a resident pair or two. The western Cape

flocks anywhere and at any time of year, but most numerous in

population of Marsh Owl has shown a marked decline in recent years

summer. Breeds in cliff crevices behind Skaife and likely to do so on

due to habitat loss. It is isolated from the next nearest population to

other coastal cliffs at the Reserve.

the east by some 700 km. Despite its name, Marsh Owl also occurs in

Owls Families Tytonidae and Strigidae

dry habitats such as shrubby woodland, and grassland with scattered

Western Barn Owl Tyto alba

trees.

Rare, localised resident; may breed.

Spotted Eagle-Owl Bubo africanus

Reported periodically from Perdekloof and probably resident there and

Uncommon but widespread breeding resident.

elsewhere along the northern boundary fence. The most recent records

Poorly known, the few observations indicate that it is thinly distributed

(September 2014) have been of birds calling between the fence and

in a variety of habitats, ranging from rocky outcrops in inland fynbos to

Bonteberg. In the 1970s it was described as a resident of "mixed bush

indigenous and alien coastal thicket. This is the most widespread owl

including the surrounds of habitation".

species in southern Africa. On the Peninsula it is probably more common in urban areas than it is in the countryside.

51

Pel's Fishing-Owl Scotopelia peli

Pigeons and doves Family Columbidae

Vagrant from further north in South Africa.

Feral Pigeon Columba livia

One record. This species' occurrence at the Reserve was described by

Rare alien visitor.

the finder, Ernest Middlemiss, as follows:

Wayward homing pigeons are occasionally seen at or over the Reserve.

"While something more definite than a sight record would be

There are, as yet, no resident "town� pigeons of the sort that are

preferable in the case of this species, the bird was identified by the late

abundant and cosmopolitan in the urban and industrial areas of Cape

Dr Leonard Gill. Dr Gill and I had been having tea at the [Homestead]

Town and elsewhere.

restaurant and as we came out, we hesitated before the building, the

Speckled Pigeon Columba guinea

owl flew out of the large Ficus tree, swooped in before us and slowly

Common breeding resident and, probably, visitor.

flew up the valley. It returned before the restaurant and then flew

Most typically occurs on sea cliffs and rocky outcrops near the coast

down the course of the Buffels River. The sun was behind Dr. Gill who

and around human habitation. The flocks of 1-15 birds that arrive to

had the bird in view for perhaps 30 seconds. The year was 1948 or

forage in newly-burnt areas may have come from outside the Reserve

1949".

as the species does move to exploit seasonal food resources. Nests on

Pel's Fishing-Owl is a species of riverside forest in tropical Africa south

cliffs, and on buildings at Klaasjagersberg where it is semi-colonial.

to KwaZulu Natal and, rarely, the eastern Cape. Although an unlikely

African Olive-Pigeon Columba arquatrix

occurrence, the Reserve bird is not so improbable in the light of those

Uncommon localised visitor and rare resident.

species of similar provenance that have since occurred here and

Regular only at Klaasjagersberg, where up to 40 visit ornamental

elsewhere in the south-western Cape. Most significantly, in 2012 a Pel’s

fruiting olive trees in winter and 1-2 are occasionally resident for a

Fishing-Owl was present for almost two months along a forested

month or two. Elsewhere, seen at the Homestead (April 1973) and

stream and in gardens in the Cape Town suburb of Newlands,

Olifantsbos (August 1985).

confirming that vagrancy to the Peninsula does occur.

Red-eyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata

Nightjars Family Caprimulgidae

Uncommon visitor and localised resident breeder.

Fiery-necked Nightjar Caprimulgus pectoralis

Almost entirely confined to man-modified habitat. Resident breeder in

Uncommon breeding resident.

small numbers at Klaasjagersberg and occasional at the Homestead

Occasionally flushed from coastal and alien thickets, and is likely to

(most recently a pair in 2013). Formerly resident in wattle and

have declined with the clearance of the latter.

eucalyptus thickets at Theefontein, Olifantsbos and Rooikrans, but 52

African Olive-Pigeon in its favourite tree - olive. A scarce, localised visitor to and resident at the Reserve. (John Graham)

Speckled Pigeon, a bird of cliffs, buildings and recently-burnt fynbos.

(Howard Langley)

now be classified as uncommon, also reflecting a recent wider decline

now rarely recorded following alien clearance. One in two-year-old

on the Peninsula.

fynbos on the edge of the Smitswinkel Flats in December 1993 was

A noticeable influx in the summer of 1993 saw birds occurring in all

unusual, but coincided with an influx of Cape Turtle Doves.

vegetation types and ages throughout the Reserve. Many also foraged

Cape Turtle Dove Streptopelia capicola

along recently brush-cut road verges (a favoured habitat). Thirty-five at

Formerly common, now uncommon resident and visitor.

Olifantsbos in February 1992 was the biggest flock noted in 1984-96.

Displays the widest habitat tolerance of any dove at the Reserve, being

One ringed at Olifantsbos in 1985 was found 32 km north at

found in man-modified and natural habitats. Became increasingly

Kirstenbosch two years later. Breeding recorded in September-

scarce following the removal of alien vegetation in the 1990s and may

January.

53

Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis

Cranes Family Gruidae

Uncommon visitor and localised breeding resident.

Blue Crane Anthropoides paradiseus

Resident in the gardens, gums and pines at Klaasjagersberg and

Rare summer visitor.

Perdekloof. Occasional in costal thicket at Olifantsbos, but very rare in

Singles and flocks of up to 23 recorded in November-December,

fynbos.

mainly flying over but with a few birds occasionally landing and

Namaqua Dove Oena capensis

lingering. Although the Reserve records follow a distinct seasonal

Uncommon visitor, mainly in summer; one breeding record.

pattern, the species’ movements in the southern Cape (where its

A nomadic species of western coastal lowlands and the arid north,

population in agricultural areas has increased in recent years) are

moving in response to post-rains seed availability. Described in 1969 as

confusing and not well defined, so it is not clear where the Reserve

"a recent arrival" at the Reserve on the basis of one at Olifantsbos in

birds may be coming from or going to. Blue Crane is endemic to

November 1968 and at Theefontein the next day. Pairs or singles were

southern Africa and is the most range-restricted of the world’s crane

seen occasionally in summer over the next three years. A pair with two

species.

young at Gifkommetjie in January 1971 constitutes the only breeding record. Two pairs were at Olifantsbos in November 1974, and in 1975 it was "resident and often seen sitting on telephone wires".

Flufftails, gallinules, moorhens and coots Family Rallidae Striped Flufftail Sarothura affinis Status uncertain, probably rare visitor or resident.

At some point after this the birds disappeared and none was seen again

One by the Link/Main Road junction in September 1982 and at least

until a single in October 1986, with a small influx in December. The

one pair in short restioveld near Sirkelsvlei in April-August 1985. An

birds did not linger and it was not until December 1989 that there was

enigmatic, secretive species, difficult to locate other than by its

another influx, albeit similarly limited. Single males were at Circular

distinctive call. May undertake irruptive migrations in response to

Drive and Vasco da Gama Peak and a female at Olifantsbos in early

rainfall and post-fire veld condition/age so that in some years they are

1990. The only records since are a male at the new Cape Point

common at certain sites, such as the Table Mountain plateau, and

lighthouse in March 1992, a male and two females near Suurdam in

absent in others. The bird’s apparent scarcity at the Reserve and

August 1993, a male near Klaasjagersberg and a female near the

elsewhere in the south-western Cape may also be due to its

Homestead in March-April 1995, and a pair on the Link Road in April

undemonstrative nature and birders not looking in habitat that is

2013.

otherwise ornithologically unproductive. Striped Flufftail has an extremely disjointed distribution in montane areas of eastern and southern South Africa, with the Peninsula birds as isolated outliers.

54

American Purple Gallinule Porphyrula martinica

Sandpipers, snipes, stints, godwits, curlews and phalaropes

Vagrant from America.

Family Scolopacidae

Two records. An “almost adult” bird found moribund at Buffels Bay on

African Snipe Gallinago nigripennis

14 June 1967, and one at an unnamed site on 2 July 1979. One of the

Uncommon visitor; has probably bred.

most regular New World species in South Africa, it is thought that

In the early 1980s, African Snipe was “regular” at the small wetland

young birds leaving their natal areas are caught up in high altitude

near Skaife. Apart from two sightings from the tiny, ephemeral lagoon

jetstreams over the Brazilian coast and blown out over the Atlantic.

at Olifantsbos Bay in October 1985 and January 1994, all subsequent

The majority (20+) of South African records are from the Cape

records have been from marshy areas in young, restio-dominated

Peninsula, so it is possible that others at the Reserve have gone

inland fynbos. Usually occurs singly, but three pairs flushed between

undetected.

Teeberg and Perdekloof in September 1986. Suspected of nesting at

Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus

Brightwater in 1972, and is likely to do so occasionally in suitable

Rare visitor; has bred.

habitat elsewhere in the Reserve. Has become increasingly rare

One at the Homestead pond sometime before 1969. In 1984-96 there

elsewhere on the Peninsula in recent years.

were six records of singles or pairs at Olifantsbos, Groot Rondevlei,

Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica

and Die Mond where a pair and one chick were present in April 1985.

Rare Eurasian summer migrant.

The latter is the only confirmed breeding record for the Reserve.

There were five records of 1-3 birds on the west coast from Die Mond

Red-knobbed Coot Fulica cristata

to Olifantsbos in 1973-94. One near the wreck of the Nolloth in

Rare visitor.

December 2012 appears to be the only recent occurrence. An

In the 1970s Red-knobbed Coot was described as "Rare. A few confined

uncommon summer visitor to the south-western Cape, with most of

to Die Mond". It has remained a real Reserve rarity despite its

the local population concentrated at Langebaan Lagoon.

abundance elsewhere on the Peninsula. The most recent records are of

Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus

singles at Groot Rondevlei in October 1984 and September 1994, and a

Uncommon Eurasian summer migrant; rare in winter.

pair at Die Mond in April-August 1986.

Parties of 2-10 regular in summer on the rocky west coast, particularly at Menskoppunt; rarer on sandy beaches. The biggest flocks have been 37 south of Schuster's Bay in January 1986, and 33 at Olifantsbos Bay in December 1986 and 40 there in October 2014. Very occasional in winter, although a flock of 15 over-wintered in 2013.

55

Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia Uncommon Eurasian summer visitor and passage migrant; rare in winter.

Found on rocky and, occasionally, gently-sloping sandy beaches, at the Die Mond lagoon and back-beach pans, and infrequently at freshwater (1-2 occasionally at Sirkelsvlei, with 39 at Klein Rondevlei in October 1986). Up to three have over-wintered. Numbers are highest in late summer (peak count 64 at Die Mond in February 1984), most likely being birds on passage. There is a record of 120 at Olifantbos Bay sometime in the 1970s.

Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola Rare Eurasian summer migrant.

Reported occasionally from Die Mond in the 1970s. Although the muddy margins on the lower reaches of the Krom River at this site Whimbrel, a summer visitor, on a west-coast beach. (Howard Langley)

Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata Rare Eurasian summer migrant.

In the 1970s there were "odd birds usually present especially in the Olifantsbos area". Curlew was recorded only twice in 1984-96: one flying past Skaife in September and two at Die Mond in October 1985.

The only other Reserve record is of one at Olifantsbos Bay on 8

would appear to be suitable habitat for this freshwater wader, there have been no subsequent records.

Common Sandpiper Tringa hypoleucos Uncommon Eurasian summer migrant.

Occurs singly or, rarely, 2-4 in a loose group, anywhere on rocky shores or at the muddy margins of the estuary at Die Mond. Recorded only three times at Sirkelsvlei despite freshwater being its preferred habitat.

December 2011. Rare on the Peninsula as a whole.

Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatalis Rare Eurasian summer migrant.

“Small flocks” were reported at Sirkelsvlei and Die Mond in the 1970s.

The only record since at least 1984 is of one at Die Mond in January 1991.

Formerly common, now uncommon summer visitor and passage migrant from northern hemisphere; rare in winter.

In the 1980s and ‘90s, Turnstones were common on the rocky west coast and on sandy beaches with heaps of decaying seaweed. Birds arrived in mid-September, the majority leaving by late April and the 56

first week in May. Peak numbers occurred during autumn passage (55

November-December 1985, one in December 2012). A high-Arctic

at Olifantsbos Bay in April 1986 is the highest count). Some birds

breeder and long-distance migrant, the Siberian population winters in

(maximum of 26 at Olifantsbos Bay) occasionally remain for the

Africa south to the Cape.

winter. As with other migrant waders, Ruddy Turnstone is now much less common at the Reserve, reflecting a wider population decline and/ or a shift in wintering range.

Sanderling Calidris alba Formerly common, now uncommon summer visitor and passage migrant from northern hemisphere.

As with Ruddy Turnstone and Curlew Sandpiper, this wader is now rare here. It was formerly a characteristic coastal species in summer, although its abundance varied from year to year. Highest numbers were of migrating birds pausing to refuel and crowding into small areas of beach to feed on emerging kelp-fly maggots. Prefers open sandy beaches, but will forage amongst rotting kelp and on the rocks at Olifantsbos Bay. Roosts on rocks anywhere along the coastline or on ephemeral islands in the Die Mond lagoon.

Sanderling arrive in early September and leave in April, their numbers varying between these months. Flocks of up to 180 formerly spent the whole summer at the Reserve, with distinct seasonal peaks of up to 400 birds on passage in late spring and autumn.

Little Stint Calidris minuta Rare Eurasian summer visitor and passage migrant.

Ruddy Turnstone on the rocks. (Howard Langley)

Occasional flocks or single birds were recorded at Die Mond in the 1970s, with the largest flock being 25 in March 1971. There have been

Red Knot Calidris canutus

only six subsequent records, all of 1-2 birds on the north-west coast,

Rare Eurasian summer migrant.

sometimes accompanying Sanderling. Any small wader found at the

Uncommon on the Peninsula as a whole and recorded at the Reserve

Reserve should be carefully scrutinised to ensure that an American or

only at The Fishery (one in December 1984), Olifantsbos Point (seven

far-eastern vagrant is not being overlooked. Little Stint breeds in

in April 1984), and Olifantsbos Bay (two in November 1984 and

northern Europe and Siberia, wintering in Africa south to the Cape.

57

Baird's Sandpiper Calidris bairdii Nearctic vagrant.

One record. One at Olifantsbos Point on 16-18 October 1984 in the wake of a north-westerly gale. This was the first record for South Africa and the second for Africa, the first for the continent being at Walvis Bay, Namibia, in 1863. There have been over 30 subcontinental records since, about 20 of them in South Africa. Baird's Sandpiper has much the same distribution and migratory routes as White-rumped (below), but is a less frequent trans-Atlantic traveller.

White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis Nearctic vagrant.

One or two records. One by the wreck of the Thomas T. Tucker at Olifantsbos Point on 26-28 September 1984. Found after a north-

Pectoral Sandpiper at Menskoppunt in December 2011. (Peter Ryan)

westerly gale, only 150 m from where the Baird’s Sandpiper (above)

tundra of northern Siberia, Alaska and Canada, with the majority of

pitched up soon after. The same or another White-rumped Sandpiper

birds wintering in South America.

was present there briefly with Sanderling on 5 October. The fifth South

Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea

African record of this Nearctic wader that breeds in the tundra of

Formerly common, now uncommon, Eurasian summer

Alaska and Canada. There have been about 20 records since, but the

visitor and passage migrant.

first twitchable bird after the Reserve individual was not until 2000

Currently very rare compared to the 1980s and ‘90s when small flocks

when one spent February-March at the Velddrif saltworks north of

were generally present in spring to autumn, scattered along rocky and

Cape Town.

mixed shores on the west coast. Summer numbers varied: in some

Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos

years none were present, while in others flocks were regular at

Nearctic or Siberian vagrant.

Olifantsbos Bay and Die Mond, with smaller numbers elsewhere on the

Two records of three birds. One at Menskoppunt on 11-19 October 1992

west coast. Highest counts are 500 at Die Mond and 400 at Olifantsbos

after a north-westerly storm. It foraged amongst beached kelp or on

in February 1986. The only winter record is of two at The Fishery in

bare sand at the tide's edge, an unusual habitat for a freshwater wader.

June 1986. Curlew Sandpipers wintering in South Africa breed in west

Two together at the same site on 8 December 2011. Breeds in the

central Siberia.

58

Painted-snipes Family Rostratulidae Greater Painted-snipe Rostratula benghalensis Rare visitor.

Reported from Groot Rondevlei sometime before 1969. There have been no subsequent records of this generally secretive species.

Destruction and modification of waterbodies has resulted in Greater Painted-snipe becoming extremely rare elsewhere on the Peninsula.

The isolated south-western Cape population as a whole may number less than 200 birds and be in imminent danger of local extinction.

Future occurrences of the species at the Reserve are thus becoming increasingly unlikely.

Sheathbills Family Chionididae Curlew Sandpipers have become rare summer visitors. (Howard Langley)

Ruff Philomachus pugnax Rare Eurasian summer migrant.

One record. Single at Olifantsbos Bay in October 1985. The species is fairly common at freshwater margins on the northern Peninsula and has increased in the region in response to the development of artificial agricultural wetlands and irrigation. The lack of birds at the Reserve, even in passing, is surprising.

Greater Sheathbill Chionis alba Vagrant from southern ocean islands and Antarctic, probably ship-assisted.

Four or five records. Singles at the Cape of Good Hope in JuneAugust 1988, June 1994, and June 2002. One that flew past Cape Point on 18 July 2002 may have been the latter individual. The first two birds foraged amongst roosting cormorants on the rocks just off the Cape of Good Hope car park and amongst old cormorant nests and guano on the cliff ledges of Cape Maclear. One at Castle Rock just

Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius

north of the Reserve boundary on 12 July 2000 was seen to fly into

Rare autumn migrant from northern hemisphere.

the Reserve.

One record of four birds. Four flew past Rooikrans during a southeasterly gale in March 1988. This pelagic wader probably occurs more often off the coast here and elsewhere in the south-western Cape under these conditions than this one record would suggest.

Greater Sheathbill is migratory, leaving its breeding grounds on the Antarctic Peninsula in autumn for islands to the north. Although the Reserve birds and others observed in the Cape Town area may be 59

genuine vagrants, they typically arrived shortly after the closing of the Falkland Islands’ fishing season. White or albinistic birds are considered to be bringers of good luck in the Far East and the sheathbills are taken aboard Taiwanese and other Oriental fishing vessels working around the islands in response to this superstition. The birds are then released or fly off when the vessels come in sight of land at the Cape. The absence of records in the last decade coincides with the collapse of the Falklands squid fishery and consequent reduction in fishing vessels passing the Cape, strongly indicating that the sheathbills reaching here were ship-assisted.

Thick-knees Family Burhinidae Water Thick-knee Burhinus vermiculatus Rare visitor.

Water Thick-knee at Olifantsbos. (Howard Langley)

Six records of 11 birds. One at Die Mond in June 1970, a pair near Skaife in early April 1980, singles at Olifantsbos in January 2009 and June 2012, five there from late 2012 into winter 2013, and one near Die Mond in May 2015. Another species that may be under-recorded at the Reserve through birders’ over-familiarity with it elsewhere. Occurs at freshwater at other sites on the Peninsula, but rarely on the seashore.

Spotted Thick-knee Burhinus capensis Uncommon breeding resident.

Found on generally level ground in young or sparsely-vegetated inland fynbos, in coastal dunes, and on beaches just above the high-water mark. Typically found in pairs, but 13 on recently burnt veld near Die Mond in December 1984. Nests with eggs have been recorded in September-January; clutches are sometimes destroyed by Chacma Baboons.

Spotted Thick-knee chicks rely on camouflage and crouching motionless to avoid predators. (Mike Fraser) 60

Oystercatchers Family Haematopidae African Black Oystercatcher Haematopus moquini Uncommon breeding resident and visitor.

Prefers mixed rocky and sandy beaches. In 1975-95, the Reserve population was constant at around 100 birds, with the highest density in the sanctuary area between Die Mond and Olifantsbos Bay. By 2010, however, the Reserve’s west-coast population had risen to 250 birds, with four pairs on the False Bay coast. This reflected an increase in the species’ overall population from 4,800 in the early 1980s to more than 6,000 today, due to increased food availability and breeding success arising from the invasion of the rocky intertidal by non-native Mediterranean Mussels which have become an abundant food source.

Nests with eggs have been recorded in October-April, and unfledged young in January-May. Breeding success is very low. Many of the clutches that are not eaten by predators, notably Water Mongoose, are washed over by high tides or buried by wind-blown sand.

Spotted Thick-knee (formerly known as Cape Dikkop) in typical sparse coastal habitat with grasses and fleshy Carpobrotus edulis in the background. (Howard Langley)

African Black Oystercatcher chicks. (Mike Fraser) 61

The Reserve’s African Black Oystercatcher population has more than doubled over the past 20 years to almost 130 breeding pairs. (Howard Langley) 62

Avocets and stilts Family Recurvirostridae

Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus

Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta

Uncommon visitor.

Common visitor; present all year.

Stilts largely depend upon the state of the Die Mond lagoon, visiting it

Feeds in the swash zone and intertidal of the west-coast sandy beaches

when it is full and has "matured" for a few weeks. Up to 22 have been

and in the Die Mond lagoon and nearby back-beach pans. Between

recorded here in December-June, most recently in 1995. There have

1984 and 1990, Avocet flocks were generally small, averaging 15 birds

apparently been no more recent records although, because it is

and with a maximum of 76. Since then, numbers have increased,

common elsewhere on the Peninsula, birders may not be inclined to

especially in summer, with the highest counts from Die Mond of 282 in

record any that they see at the Reserve.

January 1994, and 130 near the Cape of Good Hope in December 2010.

Plovers Family Charadriidae

There are freshwater records from Sirkelsvlei (2-6 birds in June 1985) and Groot Rondevlei (one in June 1986).

Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva Vagrant from Far East.

One record. One at Olifantsbos from 26 February 2015 remained until at least 25 April and was watched by a succession of appreciative birders. A rare summer vagrant to South Africa, occurring here only slightly more frequently than American Golden Plover and with about five other records from the south-western Cape. Breeds in Siberia and Alaska, and winters in south Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Pacific islands.

American Golden Plover Pluvialis dominica Nearctic vagrant.

Two records. One at Menskoppunt with Grey Plovers on 23 January 1992 frequented rocky intertidal outcrops here and at The Fishery until 16 February. One at Menskoppunt from 24-27 December 2010. Breeds in the Arctic tundra from Alaska east to Baffin Island and migrates south to winter in central South America. There have been about 40

Pied Avocets have become more common in recent years and can be found on almost all the Reserve’s sandy beaches. (Howard Langley)

South African records of which the 1992 Reserve bird was only the second.

63

Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola Uncommon summer visitor from northern hemisphere.

Occurs in small numbers (1-11) almost exclusively on west-coast rocky shores, notably at The Fishery. The earliest returning bird was on 5 August 1985; the latest autumn birds were four at Olifantsbos Point on 23 April 1986. Grey Plovers wintering in southern Africa are likely to come mainly from the population that breeds in the Taimyr Peninsula, eastern Siberia Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula Uncommon summer visitor and passage migrant from northern hemisphere.

Singles and small parties (generally less than 10 birds) on the rocky Pacific Golden Plover was added to the Reserve list in February 2015.

(Howard Langley)

western coastline in summer, mostly between Olifantsbos Bay and Menskoppunt. A flock of 21 was at the latter site in January 1992.

Numbers at Olifantsbos Bay are now typically 25-35 and represent the largest concentration of the species on the Peninsula. The earliest returning bird was near Brightwater on 17 August 1985 with the majority arriving in late September and early October. The latest autumn record is one at Die Mond on 24 April 1990.

Kittlitz's Plover Charadrius pecuarius Common localised breeding resident and visitor.

Formerly very scarce (1-2 records a year) but increased in the mid-1980s at its Olifantsbos Bay stronghold with up to 36 present at a time, and breeding recorded there in March-October. Elsewhere, seen only at The Fishery and Platboom, although likely to occur in suitable habitat (gently sloping, broad sandy beaches with some rocks and

The second Reserve record of American Golden Plover was this bird at Menskoppunt in December 2010. (Peter Ryan)

plenty of rotting seaweed) at other spots along the coast.

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Three-banded Plover Charadrius tricollaris Uncommon localised breeding resident and visitor.

Up to 12 regular at Olifantsbos Bay, feeding at the stream mouth and ephemeral muddy lagoon. Rare elsewhere, with the odd bird at The Fishery, Olifantsbos Point and Sirkelsvlei. Two in damp, recently-burnt fynbos by the Link Road in September 1986 are the only inland record other than Sirkelsvlei, although it likely visits other freshwater bodies in the Reserve from time to time.

Chestnut-banded Plover Charadrius pallidus Local vagrant.

One record of two birds at Die Mond in September 1993. Typically Kittlitz’s Plover on a lichen-encrusted rock. (Howard Langley)

restricted to saline pans, and rare on the Peninsula.

White-fronted Plover Charadrius marginatus Common breeding resident.

Most common on sandy beaches, but not averse to a rock/sand mix. A roost at Die Mond held 442 birds in August 1984, and 100-200 roosting birds are regular at other beach pans. There were 650 birds on the 1 km stretch of beach between Die Mond and The Fishery in September 1994. These figures apparently represent the highest concentrations of the species in southern Africa. Mid-summer counts during the breeding season have, however, decreased by more than 40% since the 1980s. The plover’s nest is a simple scrape in the sand and the eggs (1-2) are recorded in August-March. If the incubating bird is alarmed or threatened at the nest during the day it vigorously scuffs

Three-banded Plovers are found mainly on the beaches, especially Olifantsbos Bay, but also occasionally inland in damp areas. (Howard Langley)

up sand to cover the eggs before leaving. Despite this precaution, a study in 2005 found that 81% of nests in the Die Mond sanctuary area were lost to predators, Baboons accounting for half of these.

65

White-fronted Plover is the most common resident wader on the Reserve’s sandy and mixed sand-and-rock beaches. (Howard Langley) 66

Blacksmith Lapwing Vanellus armatus

Coursers Family Glareolidae

Uncommon breeding resident and visitor.

Temminck's Courser Cursorius temmincki

Having been recorded only once south of the Orange River by the

Vagrant from further north in Africa.

beginning of the 20th century, Blacksmith Lapwing reached the south-

Three records. Single birds at an unrecorded site in March 1970, at

western Cape in 1939. It took a further 35 years, however, to make it to

Brightwater in October 1973, and just inland of Olifantsbos Bay on 1

the Reserve, with the first record in February 1972. Subsequent

December 2012. Typically found in bushveld and savanna in the north-

sightings were not recorded, but it presumably successfully established

east of the country, these birds were well out of their range. Although

itself between then and 1984 when it was found to be resident in

there is some evidence of seasonal movements elsewhere in southern

suitable habitat along the coast, on the well-watered lawns at Buffels

Africa, the Reserve records do not fit any pattern. There have only been

Bay and, occasionally, inland especially just after fire. Typically occurs

three other sightings of the species in the south-western Cape.

in pairs or small groups of up to 12. Like Crowned Lapwing (below), quick to exploit freshly-burnt veld, but restricted to marshier ground.

Skuas, gulls and terns Family Laridae

Nests in July-September in short grass and young, damp fynbos near

Subantarctic Skua Stercorarius antarcticus

seasonal pans and on the lawns at Buffels Bay.

Common winter visitor from subantarctic; rare in summer.

Crowned Lapwing Vanellus coronatus Uncommon visitor; breeds when conditions are suitable.

An opportunistic species, moving into open, level areas of fynbos immediately after fire. The highest counts are from marshy restioveld (e.g., 16 in 18-month-old veld on Circular Drive in June 1985).

Numbers fall generally as the vegetation recovers and the birds may be absent from the Reserve during long inter-fire intervals. Very occasionally seen on the seashore. Rare in recent years, reflecting a broader decline on the Peninsula where it was formerly quite common on short suburban grasslands such as playing fields. Breeding recorded in June-October, typically in areas burnt the preceding autumn.

Present in small numbers offshore throughout the winter with up to 10 or so seen in a morning's seawatch. Seabird feeding frenzies on either side of the Peninsula generally have a few kleptoparasitising Subantarctic Skuas in attendance, and fishing boats working beneath the Point attract them. Also attracted to frenzies in summer, although rare in this season. Three "inland" records of single birds: on a firebreak near Platboom in November 1973, over rocky fynbos east of Olifantsbos Point in August 1985 (and mobbed by Rock Martins and White-necked Ravens), and over the Gifkommetjie/Circular Drive junction in June 1995. This and other members of the skua family are very rarely seen ashore in southern Africa.

Breeds on the Antarctic Peninsula, in southern South America and on subantarctic islands, ranging widely in the southern oceans in winter.

67

Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus

Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus

Uncommon summer visitor and passage migrant from

Rare breeder and abundant visitor; present all year.

northern hemisphere.

Although small numbers are likely to have nested in earlier years, it

Distribution and occurrence match that of Arctic Jaeger (below), but in

was not until 1995 that breeding was confirmed when birds were seen

very much lower numbers, although probably under-recorded.

carrying nest material around the Cape of Good Hope in late

Occasional in winter. This hefty jaeger pursues terns and larger

September. In November, 13 nests with eggs were counted on a broad

seabirds such as Cape Gannets in feeding frenzies in False Bay.

ledge below the new lighthouse. Small numbers also now nest annually

Arctic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus Common summer visitor and passage migrant from northern hemisphere; occasional in winter.

Occurs off both coasts between August and May, but chiefly in midsummer and autumn when packs of 20 or more follow fishing terns. Numbers rise in February-March as the numbers of northwardbound terns build up. The majority of jaegers leave by the end of April;

on the cliffs at Rooikrans, and in some years in the coastal dunes in the Die Mond sanctuary area. Non-breeding birds occur all year along the entire coast, are numerous offshore and often fly inland over the Peninsula. Roosts of up to 600 recorded at Die Mond, Mast Bay and Buffels Bay. The gulls often forage amongst the seaweed heaps for kelp-fly larvae and pupae, and also feed offshore in association with Cape Fur Seals.

a few occur in the winter months. Subadults seen ashore twice: near Die Mond in February 1992, and at Olifantsbos Point in January 1993.

Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus Rare passage migrant from northern hemisphere.

One off Olifantsbos on 11 March 1985 was the first Reserve record.

Singles or small numbers have since been recorded at least five times in autumn from the seawatching sites at the tip of the Reserve and off Buffels Bay with Arctic and Pomarine Jaegers or in single-species groups during south-easterly gales in April/May. One off Dias Beach on 2 June 2013 is an unusual winter record. Observations from further north on the Peninsula have shown it to be regular in small numbers in False Bay under windy conditions in January-April.

An adult Kelp Gull demolishing a rock lobster (kreef). A few breed at the Reserve, but most of the birds seen here are visitors. (Howard Langley)

68

Grey-headed Gull Larus cirrocephalus

Most numerous in February-April and usually associated with

Uncommon visitor.

northward movements of other seabirds. Rarely approaches close to

Present in small numbers (generally 1-2) in all months of the year

land except under very windy conditions.

anywhere on the coast, almost invariably in flocks of Hartlaub's Gulls.

Possibly under-recorded, as it is more in common in the south-western Cape than its status at the Reserve would indicate.

Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia Uncommon visitor.

Occasional just offshore or loafing on the beach in ones and twos

Hartlaub's Gull Larus hartlaubii

anywhere along the coast at any time of year. Up to three birds have

Abundant visitor; present all year.

been recorded in mixed tern roosts, most often at Die Mond.

Forages on beaches and scavenges scraps at picnic sites and car parks.

Flocks of up to 400 gather at favoured feeding sites, notably Olifantsbos Bay on heaps of stranded kelp and, on calm days, in the shallows at the water’s edge. Their diet here comprises largely sandhoppers. The nearest breeding colony is at Robben Island in Table Bay. Franklin’s Gull Larus pipixcan Nearctic vagrant.

One record. An adult in full breeding plumage at an unspecified location in the Reserve on 6 May 2007. What was likely to be the same bird was on Seal Island in False Bay on 18 May. An almost annual vagrant to Namibia and western South Africa since the 1990s, with south-western Cape records concentrated at Strandfontein Sewage Works.

Lesser Crested Tern Sterna bengalensis Vagrant from north-eastern South Africa and beyond.

One record. One in a tern roost at Buffels Bay in March 1982 was the second record for the south-western Cape.

Swift Tern Sterna bergii Abundant visitor; present all year.

Most common in mid-summer and autumn with roosts of over 2,000 bir§ds at Buffels Bay and Bordjiesdrif on the east coast, and at many west coast sites. Birds often display over and sometimes mate in these gatherings. Post-breeding roosts often include adults still feeding their fledgling young. The western Cape breeding population has tripled to some 15,000 pairs in the last 20 years, the nearest breeding grounds to the Reserve being at Dyer, Robben and Dassen Islands, and islands in Saldanha Bay. Colour-ringed birds from the latter site are frequently

Sabine's Gull Larus sabini

recorded; a bird ringed on Marcus Island in 1979 and seen at Buffels

Common summer visitor and passage migrant from north-

Bay in May 1995 was, at the time, the oldest Swift Tern on record.

ern hemisphere.

Singles or flocks of up to 250 occur off the west coast under almost any weather conditions and in False Bay when the southeaster is blowing.

69

terns, are regular in midsummer. By February and March these increase to 1,000 birds or more. Northward passage off the west coast is heaviest in March and April and the majority of birds have departed by early May. One or two over-wintering birds have been recorded in July and August.

Common Tern Sterna hirundo Formerly abundant, now common summer visitor and passage migrant from Eurasia; uncommon in winter.

Numbers vary within and between summers, but roosts of several hundred are a regular feature on the shore at Buffels Bay and Bordjiesrif and many sites on the west coast. In December 1985 large numbers roosted at and foraged just off the Reserve. On 28 December there were 24,000 roosting at Die Mond and many tens, or possibly hundreds, of thousands fishing off the west coast at Skaife. On 30 December the Die Mond roost had increased to 45,000 birds, with 1,000-25,000 at six other sites. The roosting population for the Reserve that day was at least 87,000 birds. Numbers dropped sharply soon after, with less than 500 at Die Mond and 6,500 roosting elsewhere on 19 January 1986. Small numbers are seen in winter and returning birds appear from September onwards. Birds ringed in Swift Terns gather and roost in large numbers (sometimes over 2,000) at the Reserve, and often display to prospective mates. (Howard Langley)

Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis Abundant summer visitor and passage migrant from Eurasia; rare in winter.

Found anywhere along the coast or just offshore. One inland at Sirkelsvlei in January 1994 was unusual. Arrives in early September,

Germany and Norway have been found at the Reserve.

Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea Summer visitor and passage migrant from the northern hemisphere; status uncertain, but probably uncommon.

Generally noted only when small numbers join other roosting terns, but may also occur offshore. In the south-western Cape the species is

with the main influx in October. Roosts of up to 200, often with other 70

sandhoppers on the ground amongst leaf-litter in the dunes near the Cape of Good Hope, an unusual feeding technique for the species.

Damara Tern Sterna balaenarum Formerly rare summer visitor, now absent.

This species has probably not occurred at the Reserve for over 40 years. There was one record in 1959 or ’60; in the early ‘70s singles were occasional at Die Mond, with the last seen there in January 1974.

Damara Terns breed locally on the Cape south coast and migrate north to winter probably off tropical west Africa, although their movements are poorly known. It is now very rare in the Cape Town area, possibly reflecting a decline in numbers and/or a shift of migration route.

Osprey Family Pandionidae Osprey Pandion haliætus A few of the 45,000 Common Terns at Die Mond in December 1985. This was the largest flock ever recorded at the Reserve of this summer visitor from the northern hemisphere. One of a small number of birds in this flock caught for ringing was found to have been ringed in Norway. (Mike Fraser)

Rare migrant from northern hemisphere.

most often seen on passage (November and February/March) and

December 1993.

probably spends most of the summer far out at sea to the south.

Antarctic Tern Sterna vittata Uncommon winter visitor from subantarctic.

Present offshore from April-August, but most often seen ashore on rocks on the west coast, notably at Hoek van Bobbejaan where roosts of up to 100 or so (but more typically 20-60) occur. These roosts are susceptible to human disturbance, and few "safe havens" exist for the birds on mainland South Africa. An Antarctic Tern was seen catching

Five records of single birds: off Vasco da Gama Peak in June 1962; wide-ranging in January-August 1985; on rocks below Cape Point in February 1992; at Olifantsbos in May 1993; and west of Anvil Rock in

Vultures, eagles, buzzards, hawks and harriers Family Accipitridae European Honey-Buzzard Pernis apivorus Rare migrant from northern hemisphere.

Two records. A dark-morph immature bird at Olifantsbos on 14 February 2010, and one at the Reserve entrance on 18 February 2015.

These records follow an increase in sightings from further north on the Cape Peninsula that has been attributed to colonisation by non-native 71

Yellow-jacket Wasp, upon whose larvae and pupae the honey-buzzard feeds.

Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus Uncommon breeding resident.

Found throughout the Reserve, but mostly around alien woodland and coastal thicket. Up to six pairs breed, making it the commonest breeding raptor here. Nests have been found in large Mimetes fimbriifolius and Leucospermum conocarpodendron bushes and in pine trees. Nest building starts in July and newly-fledged young have been seen in September.

Yellow-billed Kite Milvus parasitus Uncommon summer visitor from equatorial Africa; rare in winter.

One near the Homestead in November 1972. There were no further records until October 1984 when one was mobbed by seven Pied Crows (itself an unusual Reserve record at the time) over Rooikrans. There followed another long absence until two birds over the east-coast mountains in March 1993. Single birds were near Cape Point in October-November and near Klaasjagersberg in December 1993, and wide-ranging in October-December 1994. There have been three winter records.

African Fish-Eagle HaliĂŚetus vocifer

Black-shouldered Kite perched on a Lycium bush. This is the commonest resident raptor at the Reserve, with up to six breeding pairs in any one year. (John Graham)

Rare visitor, formerly bred.

Successive pairs bred in the northern part of the Reserve every year from at least 1959 when a nest was found in a pine tree. Some time after this and prior to 1986 the nest site moved to a eucalyptus tree at Theefontein. This was destroyed by fire in February 1986 and the birds

relocated to a eucalyptus at Klaasjagersberg where they nested and raised a single chick every year until at least 1996. It is now probably no more than a rare visitor, a position reflected on the Peninsula as a whole, bar one breeding pair.

72

Cape Vulture Gyps coprotheres

until at least October. In recent years there have been more regular

Vagrant from east and north in South Africa.

sightings, including one carrying food to a possible nest site in

Four records. Single birds near Brightwater gate in November 1983,

December 2012.

wide-ranging March-April 1984, near Judas Peak in January 1989, and Buffelsfontein on 13 April 2014. Nested on Table Mountain in the 17th century, but was soon eliminated by human persecution and the rapid loss of its game-carcass food supply following European settlement at the Cape in 1652. Poisoning is a major factor in the mortality of the bird’s declining and fragmented population. The nearest breeding colony to the Reserve is at Potberg in the southern Cape, 170 km east.

Black-chested Snake-Eagle Circaetus pectoralis Local vagrant.

One record. A subadult first seen by the Cape of Good Hope/Main Road junction in mid-November 1994 ranged widely and remained until January 1995. The first record for the Cape Peninsula of a species of the arid Karoo and Namaqualand.

African Marsh-Harrier Circus ranivorus Uncommon visitor and possible breeder.

A raptor that has experienced mixed fortunes over the years. In the 1960s it was "resident and suspected of breeding" and "seen in all parts� of the Reserve. In 1975 it was still classified as a "breeding resident" with two pairs present, but it then became very scarce or absent. In 1984-91 there were 10 records (some of which may refer to

Black Harrier Circus maurus Rare visitor.

An adult at Sirkelsvlei in September 1969 was the first Reserve record.

There were only four records between then and 1996. The species is now seen sporadically ever year or two. Endemic to southern Africa, Black Harrier is very rare on the Peninsula but occurs in a variety of habitats, including mountain fynbos, north and east of Cape Town.

African Harrier-Hawk Polyboroides typus Rare visitor.

Seven records of eight birds. The first record was of an immature in April-June 1984 at Olifantsbos. Subsequent occurrences have been of single birds in April-August and two adults in November. A recent coloniser of the south-western Cape, almost certainly in response to the widespread planting of alien trees.

Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk Melierax canorus Local vagrant.

Two records. Singles by Circular Drive in August 2006 and near Cape Point on 9 November 2015. Occurs on the northern fringes of the south-western Cape, but a vagrant elsewhere in the region.

the same individual), all of single birds and all but one north of

African Goshawk Accipiter tachiro

Circular Drive. In March 1992, two adults and an immature ranged

Uncommon visitor.

across the Reserve’s north-western corner. There were five records of

Recorded regularly, if rarely, since the first at Kanonkop in August

individuals in 1993 and two birds first seen in April 1995 were present

1982. Generally confined to the alien trees at Klaasjagersberg and 73

along the Reserve boundary, but also frequents the cedars at the Homestead and indigenous coastal thicket. A juvenile in sparse coastal scrub near the Cape of Good Hope in August 2006 was unusual for this woodland hawk, as were two records of birds chasing Yellow Bishops in short, restio-dominated fynbos on Circular Drive.

Rufous-chested Sparrowhawk Accipiter rufiventris Rare breeding resident and visitor.

First recorded at Brightwater in March 1959. Nowadays, singles are occasionally seen almost anywhere in the Reserve, mainly in alien vegetation and coastal thicket and less commonly over fynbos. A pair nested in pines at Klaasjagersberg since at least 1974, generally raising two chicks each year. This and other species of tree-nesting raptor are among the birds that have benefitted from the historical planting of alien trees at the Reserve.

Black Sparrowhawk Accipiter melanoleucus Rare visitor and localised breeder.

Singles over the Cape Point car park in May 1993, and at the Main Gate in May 1995 and August 2006. This forest raptor colonised the alien plantations of the Cape Peninsula relatively recently, and now nests at

One or two pairs of Jackal Buzzard are resident. (John Graham)

one site in the Reserve. This should not, however, be seen as

soaring over Cape Point Peak, 180 over Vasco da Gama Peak and 120

justification for retaining the non-native trees.

between Rooikrans and Judas Peak around midday on 4 December

Steppe Buzzard Buteo buteo

1995; 200 over Rooihoogte in late November 1986; and 100 over Cape

Common passage migrant from Eurasia; uncommon visitor

Maclear on an unrecorded date. The "resident" summer population is

in summer, rare in winter.

probably 5-20 birds and they have been recorded catching small

Numbers vary from month to month in summer, being highest in

rodents, large insects, and lizards. The Steppe Buzzards that over-

November-December when birds are still on passage (the species is

winter in southern Africa breed in Eurasia from Finland east to central

typically gregarious on migration). Exceptional examples are 190

Siberia and Tashkent.

74

Jackal Buzzard Buteo rufofuscus Uncommon breeding resident.

Two pairs range widely at the Reserve and at least one pair nests, confirmed most recently in 2009. In a study of raptors and ravens of the Cape Peninsula, five nests were recorded in the ‘Cape of Good Hope region’, an area that includes the Reserve but also the Simonsberg and Swartkopberge between Simon’s Town and the Reserve main gate.

Verreaux’s Eagle Aquila verreauxii Formerly rare breeding resident, now rare visitor.

A nest site on an east-coast cliff was occupied since at least the late 19th century, and for about a hundred years the Reserve population at any one time generally comprised one pair and perhaps an immature.

The species has apparently not nested at the Reserve since about 1995, although occasional wandering birds are still seen here. A bird wingtagged as a nestling in 2008 at Steenbras, 40 km east across False Bay, was seen occasionally over Cape Point between June 2012 and August 2013.

Verreaux’s Eagles at the Reserve prey on Angulate Tortoises, dropping

Verreaux’s Eagle used to nest on the eastern cliffs but the ‘Witkruisarend’ is now only an occasional visitor. (John Graham)

them from a height onto rocks to break the hard carapace. In the late

migrant, the others from the small breeding population that

19th century, the eagles were reported catching the lighthouse-keepers'

established in the south-western Cape in the early 1970s.

hens at the Point, taking only white birds!

Martial Eagle Polemaetus bellicosus

Booted Eagle Hieraætus pennatus

Local vagrant.

Rare visitor.

One record. A juvenile flew south over Circular Drive on 4 November

Seven records. Singles on seven occasions at various sites south to

1992. Rare in the south-western Cape as a whole and recorded very

Cape Point in June-November from 1977 to 2014. One of these (in

infrequently on the Peninsula.

November 1987) is considered to have been a northern-hemisphere 75

Secretarybird Family Sagittariidae

Rock Kestrel Falco rupicolus

Secretarybird Sagittarius serpentarius

Uncommon breeding resident.

Rare visitor; formerly resident and has bred.

Ranges widely and, when not quartering the ground and hovering as it

Known from the area now the Reserve as far back as 1829, and in 1939

hunts, perches conspicuously on rocks and tall bushes. Up to five pairs

when a pair nested near Smith’s Farm. In 1969, it was described as

nest on cliff sites and it is the second-most common breeding raptor on

"frequently seen in all parts of the reserve except where densely

the Reserve after Black-shouldered Kite.

bushed". Display and mating were recorded, but breeding was not

Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo

confirmed. By 1975 it had become very rare, with only a single record

Rare Eurasian summer migrant.

in the preceding five years. One was on the Smitswinkel Flats in April

One record. One by the Main Road west of Judas Peak in December

1978, but there were no further sightings until a wide-ranging bird in

1993. Has become more regular in the south-western Cape in recent

March-September 1991. The virtual disappearance of the species from

years.

the Reserve reflects a more general decline in the south-western Cape and elsewhere in South Africa due, it is thought, to persecution and agricultural poisons.

Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus Rare visitor.

Six records of seven birds. Two at Skaife in May 1985, and five widely

Falcons and kestrels Family Falconidae

scattered records of singletons in December-March over the next four

Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni

years. There are apparently no more recent sightings. Lanner is quite

Rare passage migrant from Eurasia.

common in the wheatlands to the north and east of Cape Town, but it

Three records of about 30 birds. A flock of 20-30 over Cape Point in

is rare on the Peninsula in whose generally rocky and mountainous

November 1989; one over Buffels Bay and at least three over Cape

habitat it is replaced by Peregrine.

Point Peak with Steppe Buzzards on 4 December 1995. All these birds

Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus

were likely to be passage migrants recently arrived from the north.

Rare breeding resident and possible Eurasian summer

Lesser Kestrel is locally common in summer in rolling wheatlands to

migrant.

the north and east of Cape Town, where it has increased 3-5 fold in

One pair nests and is often seen displaying over Cape Point or hunting

recent years, but is very rare on the Peninsula.

anywhere over the Reserve, but most commonly along the coast. Seen catching Yellow-billed Ducks and Red-winged Starlings, and stooping on waders at Olifantsbos. One showing the characters of the Eurasian migratory race F. p. calidus was at Olifantsbos on 31 January 1992.

76

Rock Kestrel. This falcon ranges widely at the Reserve. (John Graham) 77

Grebes Family Podicipedidae

birds above, dolphins at the surface, and predatory fish below. The

Dabchick Tachybaptus ruficollis

Cape Gannet's nearest breeding colony is on Malgas Island in Saldanha

Rare and irregular visitor; may have bred.

Bay, 140 km north.

Recorded occasionally from Die Mond and the Homestead pond in the

Cormorants Family Phalacrocoracidae

1960s and ’70s. In 1984-87 there were records from Sirkelsvlei (singletons and displaying pairs), Groot Rondevlei, and Die Mond (including an adult and an immature, which may have been reared there, in April 1987). There have been none since.

African Darter Anhinga melanogaster Rare and irregular visitor.

The first Reserve record was of one at the Homestead pond in July 1985. There were four further records at this site between May 1986

Tropicbirds Family Phaethontidae

and March 1994, and one at Klaasjagersberg in May 1986. One fishing

Red-tailed Tropicbird Phaeton rubricauda

and roosting in Olifantsbos Bay in June 1992 was unusual for a

Vagrant from tropical Indian Ocean.

typically freshwater species. Six circling over the old Cape Point

Three records. One flew from a ledge on the Cape Point cliffs on 3

lighthouse on 27 May 1995 is similarly unusual.

September 1992. An adult at the same site on 18-27 May 1995 was the

Reed Cormorant Phalacrocorax africanus

13th record for the south-western Cape and, as one of very few

Rare and irregular visitor.

twitchable ones, it attracted many birders to the Reserve. One at

Very occasional at the Reserve's few freshwater bodies and the Die

Rooikrans on 18 February 2015 was not so obliging and didn’t linger. A

Mond lagoon. Recorded singly in January (three records), April (four),

tropicbird of this species or Red-billed flew over the Cape Point car

May (one), July (one), August (one) and September (two); with three at

park on 29 July 2004.

Sirkelsvlei in April 1986.

Gannets Family Sulidae

Crowned Cormorant Phalacrocorax coronatus

Cape Gannet Morus capensis

Common visitor.

Abundant visitor.

The marine equivalent of Reed Cormorant, most typically seen in

Typically seen as straggly lines or disjointed ‘V’s flying low over the sea.

parties of up to 50 roosting on the rocks with other cormorants. Recent

Gatherings of thousands of gannets plunge-dive for pelagic bait-fish,

observations suggest that it has become more common in the Reserve.

notably Pilchards, particularly in False Bay in winter. Such feeding

The nearest breeding colony is at Cape Hangklip, 30 km east of Cape

frenzies typically occur quite far offshore, but may come quite close in

Point across False Bay.

when prey fish are driven inshore (sometimes even onto the beach) by 78

White-breasted Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo Uncommon breeding resident and common visitor.

Breeds on the cliffs at the tip of the Peninsula and, probably, elsewhere along the cliffs in the north-east of the Reserve. There were 75 nests at "Cape Point" in March 1973, 70 nests at “Cape Point excluding Cape Maclear” in September 1985 and 101 nests at “Cape Point cliffs” in 1990. Comes ashore anywhere along the coast to roost, often with other cormorant species. Quite common offshore.

Bank Cormorant Phalacrocorax neglectus Uncommon visitor; present all year.

Singles or small groups (rarely more than 10) loaf on the rocks anywhere along the coast with other cormorants. About 20 pairs nest (or used to nest) on granite islets off Partridge Point on the False Bay coast just to the north of the Reserve. Bank Cormorants seen on the north-west coast of the Reserve nowadays probably come from Duikerklip off Hout Bay, as adults have a foraging range of generally less than 10 km. Numbers and sightings have decreased in recent years, and only one bird was found in a complete census of the Reserve’s coastline in December 2010.

Cape Cormorant Phalacrocorax capensis Common breeding resident and abundant visitor.

Cape Cormorants nest on the cliffs at Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope/Cape Maclear massif, and on the north-east coast at Batsata Cove. Breeding begins in July and continues until January or February.

There were 230 nests at "Cape Point" in March 1973 and 643 there in 1981, with nine nests at Batsata Cove. In September 1985 there were Crowned Cormorant, a non-breeding visitor to the Reserve’s rocky coast.

(Howard Langley).

944 nests at “Cape Point excluding Cape Maclear”. Although the exact 79

size of the population is unclear, the Reserve does support the largest mainland-breeding colony of this southern-African endemic.

Feeding frenzies of many thousands of Cape Cormorants pursue baitfish in False Bay in winter and spring. Smaller frenzies, usually including Cape Gannets and other seabirds, can be seen at any time of year off either coast. Roosts of up to 6,000 gather on the west coast, notably at the rocky reef off the Cape of Good Hope car park, at Olifantsbos Point and The Fishery.

Egrets and herons Family Ardeidae Little Egret Egretta garzetta Common visitor.

Forages singly or in loose groups in rock pools at low tide anywhere along the coast. Parties of 10-20 are regular at Olifantsbos Bay feeding in the intertidal or loafing on the grassy bank by the stream mouth.

The highest count here is 31 in January 1986.

Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea Rare Nearctic vagrant.

One record. A second-year bird on the rocky shore near the Cape of Good Hope car park on 8 August 2000. This was the second record for Africa and South Africa after a long-staying bird at the Berg River Estuary in 1992-96. Some or all of the five subsequent records in the western Cape may have been the wandering Reserve bird. One in Namibia in March 2003 is the only other subcontinental record.

Little Egrets forage along beaches and in rock pools. (Howard Langley) 80

Yellow-billed Egret Egretta intermedia

Black-headed Heron Ardea melanocephala

Rare and irregular visitor.

Uncommon visitor.

First recorded at Platboom in December 1963, and seen on a few

Most often found in ones, twos and threes in grassy coastal areas and

subsequent occasions along the Olifantsbos coast. It has remained

vegetated dunes, but also forages in short fynbos along the coastal

scarce, being noted on only four occasions (three of singletons and one

forelands and, increasingly, inland. Unlike Grey Heron, rarely

group of four) in 1984-96. A bird of damp grasslands and floodplains,

frequents freshwater or rock pools.

it is fairly common in this habitat elsewhere on the Peninsula.

Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis

Western Reef Heron Egretta gularis

Uncommon visitor.

Rare vagrant from further north in Africa.

Regular with livestock in the fields just north of the boundary fence,

One record. One at Buffels Bay on 13 April 2002 was the first record

but scarce in the Reserve. Most often recorded in small numbers with

for southern Africa. It remained for two days before relocating to

Bontebok in the old paddock at Klaasjagersberg; occasional with

Olifantsbos Bay from 17 April to at least 10 June. One at Buffels Bay on

Bontebok or Ostrich in grassy areas at the Homestead, Theefontein

10 May 2003 and just outside the Reserve at Kommetjie on 5

and Olifantsbos (up to 26). Cattle Egret was unknown in the south-

September is likely to have been the same long-staying bird. There

western Cape until the 1930s but was abundant here by the ‘80s.

have been two subsequent southern African records: Rondebult Bird Sanctuary (Gauteng) in April 2006, and Katima Mulilo (Namibia) in June 2006. The species’ normal range is Africa south to Gabon in the west and Kenya in the east.

Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax Uncommon visitor.

Up to 16, including immatures, roost in the Tarchonanthus camphoratus trees at the Homestead pond. Birds also occasionally roost in

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea

gums at Klaasjagersberg and the Sideroxylon inerme (milkwood)

Common visitor.

thicket at Olifantsbos. Feeds along the coast at night.

Occurs all year, hunting singly in coastal rock pools, the Homestead ponds, the Krom River, and any seasonal and permanent vleis. A few

Hamerkop Family Scopidae

roost in the Homestead cypress trees, sometimes with Black-headed

Hamerkop Scopus umbretta

Herons. Breeds colonially at freshwater bodies further north on the

Uncommon visitor; has bred.

Peninsula.

In 1984-96, Hamerkops were most often seen in winter, ranging widely at seasonal vleis and streams. In summer, visiting Hamerkops were largely confined to permanent water bodies such as the Homestead 81

Flamingoes Family Phoenicopteridae Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber Uncommon visitor.

The flamingos that, according to the Cape Times of 2 December 1938, “used to inhabit marshy ground and small lakelets during the winter months” were presumably this species, although it is difficult to imagine any flamingo finding much suitable food in the Reserve’s nutrient-poor blackwater vleis. Two at Die Mond in December 1979 appear to be the first modern Reserve record. There were six records of 1-86 birds between 1984 and 1996, including flocks roosting on the beach and others flying far offshore. The only recent records are of four at Die Mond on 25 December 2010, one passing Rooikrans a few days later, and 14 south past Olifantsbos on 19 April 2015. The nearest regular breeding grounds are in Namibia and Botswana, but the species is an increasingly common visitor to the south-western Cape.

This Black-crowned Night Heron with an unusually strong yellow suffusion was at Olifantsbos Bay in November 2012. (Howard Langley)

Ibises and spoonbills Family Threskiornithidae Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus

pond. Two nests in the Klaasjagersberg gum trees were consistently

Common visitor.

unsuccessful in the 1980s and ‘90s as they were taken over by Egyptian

A recent coloniser of the south-western Cape. The first Reserve record

Geese. Successful breeding was last recorded at Olifantsbos in 1982,

was one on the Homestead lawn during an unseasonal north-westerly

although two old nests there were occasionally renovated in

gale in January 1985. Another was at Mast Bay in July that year.

subsequent years. There are three old nests at Gifkommetjie where a pair nested in the 1970s. None of these traditional nests sites is now occupied. There have been no recent records at the Reserve and Hamerkop is now very rare on the Peninsula as a whole following a decline that has been attributed, in part, to Egyptian Geese usurping

Of note has been the subsequent increase in this species, beginning with a small group on the beach at Olifantsbos Bay in September 1989.

By 1991, numbers had risen to 70 and they had become, and remain, a regular feature of this stretch of coast. The birds have since spread along the western coastline and to other parts of the Reserve, including

them from their nests.

82

and a proliferation of rubbish dumps have allowed Sacred Ibis to colonise areas well beyond its former, “natural” range. It remains to be seen if the human-mediated arrival of Sacred Ibis at the Reserve will impact upon breeding shorebirds, such as African Black Oystercatcher, and White-fronted Plover, through egg and chick predation. When feeding at blackwater vleis, the ibises may also potentially threaten the Reserve’s important amphibian populations.

Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus Common visitor.

The “60-80” reported from Olifantsbos Bay on 6 November 2005 seem to be the first record of the species at the Reserve, although it likely appeared here some time earlier post-1996 (before which it was unknown here). It is now fairly regular in small numbers at Olifantsbos and occasionally elsewhere. Considered to occur in southern Africa only as a vagrant from further north as recently as the 1950s, a rapid invasion of the subcontinent saw it breeding on the Peninsula by 1955.

Hadeda Ibis Bostrychia hagedash Having been first recorded here 30 years ago, Sacred Ibis is now one of the most common birds on the Reserve’s beaches. It also occurs at inland waterbodies and grassy areas. (Howard Langley)

Common visitor; one pair has nested.

Another species that has expanded its range markedly in southern Africa in response to man-modification of the environment. The

Buffels Bay where they forage on the lawns and beach. The highest

Hadeda's final conquest of the Cape took place in August 1988 when a

count in 1984-96 was 157 between Olifantsbos Bay and Menskoppunt

party was recorded at Klaasjagersberg. By 1992 the species was all but

on 23 December 1992. It is now numerous and widespread along the

resident there, with up to six feeding in the paddock and roosting in

Reserve coast and occasionally at inland water bodies.

the trees. A pair nested in a pine tree there in 1994. Hadedas now occur

No environmental changes that might favour the ibises have taken

almost anywhere in the Reserve that has suitable foraging habitat and,

place at the Reserve itself but, in the south-western Cape as a whole,

in December 2010, were recorded on the coast from Buffels Bay to

agriculture (notably the conversion of natural vegetation to pasturage)

Bordjiesrif, Olifantsbos to Die Mond, and at the Cape of Good Hope.

83

African Spoonbill Platalea alba Local vagrant.

One record of two birds. Two at Klein Rondevlei on 4 December 1994.

Common at freshwater bodies elsewhere on the Peninsula.

Storks Family Ciconiidae White Stork Ciconia ciconia Uncommon passage migrant from Eurasia.

Flocks of 5-40 recorded flying over in August-May, but most often in September-October. These are likely to be birds newly arrived from their northern-hemisphere breeding grounds and moving through to their wintering areas in the southern Cape wheatlands where they occur mainly in mid-summer. Highest counts are of 150 in December 1990, 70 in March 1994, and 70 in off the sea at Cape Point in March 2005. Very occasionally, some White Storks land at the Reserve and linger for a day or two.

Black Stork Ciconia nigra Rare visitor.

Four records. Singles at unrecorded sites in 1959 or 1960, September 1978, and March 1987; and at Sirkelsvlei and Die Mond in January 1972. Formerly occurred in the Fish Hoek-Noordhoek Valley wetlands, now largely destroyed, 12 km north of the Reserve. Black Stork has become markedly less common in South Africa in recent years and further occurrences at the Reserve are increasingly unlikely.

White Storks are passage migrants that rarely land at the Reserve, so this flock at a seasonal vlei in October 2014 was unusual. (Howard Langley) 84

Penguins Family Spheniscidae

Northern Rockhopper Penguins breed at the Tristan da Cunha group

Macaroni Penguin Eudyptes chrysolophus

and Gough Island in the central south Atlantic. Birds found ashore in

Vagrant from subantarctic.

South Africa may have been ship-assisted, having been accidentally

Three records. A moulting bird at Platboom on 26 February 1983, an

caught in fishing nets or illegally purloined as "pets" from on or near

injured bird near Olifantsbos Bay on 26 February 1987, and one at the

their breeding islands. They are then dropped overboard as the vessels

Cape of Good Hope on 5 March 1999. The species’ nearest breeding

come in sight of the Cape. Alternatively, and in light of modern

grounds are at the Prince Edward Islands, 2,180 km southeast of the

patterns of occurrence, they are more likely to be genuine current-

Cape.

drifted vagrants that have come ashore to moult.

King Penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus

African Penguin Spheniscus demersus

Vagrant from Southern Ocean.

Regular visitor.

One record. An adult ashore near Black Rocks on 20 May 2007. There

The majority of the birds recorded off the Reserve’s west coast are

have been fewer than five records of this species thought to have

presumably commuters from the nesting colony at Boulders Beach at

reached South Africa under their own steam, with a further five or so

Simon’s Town, 10 km north on the False Bay coast. These are seen

ship-assisted. Which category the Reserve one falls into is debatable,

regularly but can be difficult to spot unless the sea is calm. Birds also

although the location (not right next to a major port) and timing (just

come ashore in ones or twos anywhere along the coast to rest.

prior to moulting) would suggest a genuine vagrant. Nearest breeding

Tagged birds found dead on Reserve beaches have come from Robben

site is at the Prince Edward Islands, and ranges widely in the Southern

Island (52 km to the north), and St Croix Island (719 km east). A

Ocean south of 45o S in the non-breeding season.

rehabilitated juvenile released at the Reserve on 10 June 1989 was

Northern Rockhopper Penguin Eudyptes moseleyi

found almost seven years later at Mercury island, Namibia, 1,021 km to

Vagrant from central south Atlantic.

the north.

Four records. Adult at Buffels Bay in 1969, moulting adult near

Storm-Petrels Family Oceanitidae

Olifantsbos Bay on 1 February 1987, dead post-moult adult at Olifantsbos Point on 1 April 1994, and one moulting on an unspecified Reserve beach on 11 February 2001. The latter was taken by tourists to Boulders Beach at Simons Town “so that it could meet the African Penguins” there, but was subsequently taken into care.

Wilson's Storm-Petrel Oceanites oceanicus Common winter visitor and passage migrant from Antarctic and subantarctic.

A common component of seabird movements although their diminutive size can make them difficult to pick out as they flitter and 85

dip in the troughs of the waves. May be seen at any time of year under

Albatrosses Family Diomedeidae

favourable conditions, but most numerous by far on northward

Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans

autumn passage in April-May and in winter. Breeds in the Antarctic

Rare visitor from subantarctic.

and on subantarctic islands, dispersing widely to the north in the non-

Three records. A subadult off Olifantsbos Point on 20 April 1984, and

breeding season.

juveniles off Cape Point in September 2008 and near Bellows Rock on 2 October 2008. Generally found 30-50 km out to sea beyond the continental shelf-break, but unusual landward of this demarcation and, consequently, rarely seen by shore-based seawatchers.

Northern Royal Albatross Diomedea sanfordi Vagrant from subantarctic.

Two records. Singles seen from Cape Point in October 2005 and on 16 May 2006. Nests on islands off New Zealand and ranges widely over the southern oceans outwith the breeding period. Recorded quite regularly to the south and west of Cape Point by pelagic seabirding cruises.

Salvin’s Albatross Thalassarche salvini

Wilson’s Storm-Petrel occurs offshore at any time of year but is most common in autumn and winter. The best places to look for it are from the traditional seawatching sites at Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope cliff ledges. (Peter Ryan)

Vagrant from subantarctic.

One off the Cape of Good Hope in May 1995. An uncommon vagrant to South African waters, with the majority of the 40 or so national records made by pelagic birders some distance off the Cape Peninsula.

European Storm-Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus

Shy Albatross Thalassarche cauta

Uncommon summer visitor from North Atlantic

Common winter visitor from subantarctic; rare in summer.

Recorded from the shore in January 2003, when up to four a day

Coming closer inshore than other albatross species in southern African

passed Rooikrans. Prior to that the species had only been seen from

waters, Shy is the commonest albatross off the Reserve's west coast.

boats close to the Reserve’s False Bay coast and on the west coast less

May be seen at any time of year when the west wind blows, but is

than a kilometre from Cape Point.

scarce in summer. Most numerous in April and August-October when 86

100 passing the Cape of Good Hope in an hour is not unusual. Nests on islands off Tasmania, in the Bass Strait and south of New Zealand and has a circumpolar non-breeding distribution north to the Tropic of Capricorn.

Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophris Common winter visitor from subantarctic; rare in summer.

Second in abundance to Shy Albatross and, like it, most often seen off the west coast during westerly winds in winter. Many of the birds are immatures with characteristically dusky underwings. Breeds circumglobally at islands in the southern Indian Ocean, off New Zealand, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. Ringing recoveries indicate that the last-named site is the origin of most of the birds wintering off southern Africa.

Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche chlororhynchos Uncommon winter visitor from central south Atlantic.

Small numbers are regular offshore in April to October. Most usually seen in the large-scale seabird movements associated with the passage of cold fronts. Breeds at the Tristan da Cunha island group and Gough.

Dark-mantled Sooty Albatross Phoebetria fusca Vagrant from subantarctic.

Two records. One off the Cape of Good Hope in September 1969, and an immature found dead on the shore near Olifantsbos Point on 10 October 1984. The species breeds at four island groups in the southern Indian Ocean and at the Tristan group and Gough. A very rare visitor to South African coastal waters, with most records involving beached birds.

Shy Albatross is the most common albatross species off the Reserve and can be seen all year, but mainly in winter. (Peter Ryan) 87

Black-browed Albatross is a common winter visitor from southern ocean islands, particularly South Georgia. (Peter Ryan)

Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross is a regular winter visitor to Cape coastal waters from Tristan da Cunha and Gough. (Peter Ryan) 88

Light-mantled Sooty Albatross Phoebetria palpebrata Vagrant from subantarctic.

Two records. Singles seen from the Cape of Good Hope in August 1974 and from Cape Point in winter 1977. Rare in southern Africa coastal waters, with less than 20 records. The species’ nearest breeding grounds are at the Prince Edward Islands, and only off the west coast of South America does it typically occur north of about 40˚S in winter.

Petrels, prions and shearwaters Family Procellariidae Southern Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus Common winter visitor from the Antarctic and subantarctic; rare in summer.

Southern and Northern Giant Petrels were formerly considered to be one species. Both occur off the Reserve, mainly in winter but with occasional summer records. Many come close enough (often over the breakers) to be identified to species level, but distant birds are more problematic and most birders are happy to lump them as "giants". Of the giant petrels specifically identified off the Reserve, about 20% are Southerns. The unmistakable white-phase Southern has been seen at least twice from the Cape of Good Hope. Breeds on the Antarctic Peninsula and Antarctic and subantarctic islands.

Northern Giant Petrel Macronectes halli Common winter visitor from the Antarctic and subantarctic; uncommon in summer.

The commoner of the two giant petrels, with small numbers (but occasionally up to 50) seen in a typical morning's seawatch in winter.

Most of the giant petrels that come close to shore are Northerns, as are

Southern Giant Petrel. Some giant petrels come close enough to be identified to species level by the colour of their bill tip which is dull reddish in Northern, pale greenish in Southern. (Peter Ryan)

the majority seen in summer. Scavenges at fishing boats. Breeds on the Falklands and islands around New Zealand and in the southern Indian Ocean.

Southern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialoides Rare winter visitor from the Antarctic.

The first Reserve record was one close to shore off the Cape of Good Hope during a strong north-westerly blow on 8 September 1991, a day of heavy seabird passage, notably Sooty Shearwaters. Another at the 89

same site on 26 June 1995. There have been at least five others seen on seawatches over subsequent winters, the most recent being one just east of Cape Point on 8 August 2013. Scarce in South African waters, and rarely ventures landward of the continental shelf break. Breeds on a few deep-south islands and on the Antarctic continent.

Pintado Petrel Daption capense Common winter visitor from the Antarctic.

This distinctively black-and-white chequered petrel is common on windy days in August and September off the west coast. A hundred or more may be seen in a morning off the Cape of Good Hope. Less frequent under similar conditions in April-July and October, with the odd sighting in summer. A circumpolar southern-ocean breeder.

Great-winged Petrel Pterodroma macroptera Uncommon winter and rare summer visitor from subantarctic.

One or two typically occur in heavy seabird movements under stormy conditions in winter. Although more are present in South African waters in summer (its non-breeding season) than winter, the birds rarely approach the coast and the prevailing wind conditions do not generally favour sightings off the Cape of Good Hope at this time. A distinctive and determined flight pattern characterises this all-dark petrel. Breeds on southern Indian and Atlantic Ocean islands and in Australia and New Zealand.

Atlantic Petrel Pterodroma incerta Vagrant from from central south Atlantic.

Two records. One within 500 m of Cape Point on 29 May 2004, and one seen from the Point just inside False Bay on 3 July 2012. Endemic

Pintado Petrel is relatively easy to identify from the shore. (Peter Ryan) 90

to Tristan da Cunha and Gough, and rare even in continental-shelf

there are an estimated six million pairs) in the central south Atlantic,

waters, these may be the only Atlantic Petrels ever seen from the shore

and on islands around New Zealand.

outwith their breeding islands.

Soft-plumaged Petrel Pterodroma mollis Common winter visitor from subantarctic.

The characteristic "switch-back" flight and dark underwings of this attractive gadfly petrel make it relatively easy to pick out during seawatches from the Cape of Good Hope and elsewhere on the west coast. Regular in small numbers (up to 30 moving north in an hour) in the winter months, but particularly numerous in August-September when on its way back to its southern Atlantic and Indian Ocean breeding islands. Occasionally enters False Bay in spring and autumn during southeasters.

Blue Petrel Halobaena caerulea Vagrant from subantarctic.

One record of two birds. The remains of two birds were found on the beach at Skaife on 5 August 1984. These formed part of a major irruption of southern ocean seabirds into South African waters at the time.

Broad-billed Prion Pachyptilla vittata Winter visitor from subantarctic; status uncertain but probably common.

Three species of prion, including Antarctic, often occur off the Reserve in large numbers, but none is easy to identify at any distance. (Peter Ryan)

A few Broad-billed Prions are likely to feature in general seabird

Antarctic Prion Pachyptilla desolata

movements in winter, but they are difficult to identify specifically. One

Abundant winter visitor from subantarctic.

moribund at Buffels Bay in 1993 on the unseasonal date of 24

Hundreds or thousands stream north along the west coast and past

December. Breeds at the Tristan da Cunha group and Gough (where

Cape Point under windy conditions in June-September. Occasionally found dead on the beach. One of the commonest species beyond the 91

continental shelf-break off the south-west Cape coast in winter. Nests on Antarctic and subantarctic islands (notably South Georgia).

Slender-billed Prion Pachyptilla belcheri Winter visitor from subantarctic; status uncertain, but probably rare.

Occurrence as for Broad-billed Prion (above), but probably in smaller numbers, and tricky to identify to species level at a distance. A few dead birds washed ashore during the winter seabird wreck of 1984.

Breeds on a number of subantarctic islands including the Falklands and Kerguelen.

White-chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis Common visitor from subantarctic.

Although its numbers do not exceed Sooty Shearwater and prions, its year-round presence and nearshore coasting (often just over the breakers off the Cape of Good Hope car park) make Whitechin the most dependable pelagic species at the Reserve. Particularly common in winter, when many hundreds can be seen off the west coast.

Scavenges offal and attends fishing boats off the Point and follows the returning Kalk Bay hand-liners into False Bay in the early afternoon.

Breeds at islands in the southern Indian and Atlantic Oceans and south of New Zealand.

Spectacled Petrel Procellaria conspicillata
 Vagrant from central south Atlantic.

One seen from Cape Point on 18 July 2014. This distinctive petrel is a rare winter visitor to offshore Cape waters. It nests only at Inaccessible Island in the Tristan da Cunha group, giving it one of the smallest breeding ranges of any bird species in the world.

White-chinned Petrel can be seen off both coasts almost year-round and is the most reliable pelagic species here. (Peter Ryan) 92

Cory's Shearwater Calonectris diomedea Abundant summer visitor and passage migrant from northern hemisphere.

The largest numbers occur offshore during strong southeasters in March-May (e.g., 1,000 on two days in May 2012), but can be seen any time from October-May. On calm days, hundreds can gather in rafts off the Point. In autumn, Cory’s Shearwaters sometimes associate with Dusky Dolphins in False Bay pursuing bait-fish. This large, distinctively pale shearwater breeds on Mediterranean and North Atlantic islands, wintering in the southern Atlantic and south-west Indian Ocean.

Great Shearwater Puffinus gravis Common passage migrant and visitor from central South Atlantic.

Many hundreds of Great Shearwaters occasionally appear offshore in late March-May after breeding on the Tristan da Cunha islands and Gough, and during their "honeymoon" period in October, just prior to breeding. One dead on Skaife beach in June 1984 was unseasonal as

Large gatherings of Cory’s Shearwaters can be seen off the Point in summer. (Peter Ryan)

the birds spend their winter in the North Atlantic, notably on the Newfoundland Bank.

Flesh-footed Shearwater Puffinus carneipes

Shearwaters. Breeds on St Paul Island in the Indian Ocean and islands off Australia and New Zealand.

Rare migrant from southern Indian Ocean.

Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus

Seen very occasionally (probably less than five records) from the Cape

Abundant visitor and passage migrant from subantarctic.

Point/Cape of Good Hope seawatching sites in autumn. Associated

Can be seen at any time of year, typically when onshore winds are

with oceanic waters of the warm Agulhas Current, following its cells or

blowing. Formerly spectacularly abundant in winter and spring when

filaments around the Cape and sometimes approaching close to shore,

hundreds of thousands careened past the Cape in July and August in

typically with heavy movements of other seabirds such as Sooty

north-westerly gales. More than 1,000 per minute have been estimated 93

passing Skaife under these conditions. Has become noticeably less

and Buffels Bay birds were associated with heavy movements of Cory's

abundant in recent years, but hundreds may still be seen off Cape Point

Shearwaters. In recent years the species has become regular in small

under the right conditions. A trans-equatorial migrant in the Atlantic

numbers in movements of Sooty Shearwaters in summer and winter.

and Pacific Oceans, Sooty Shearwater breeds in the austral summer on

Nests on islands in north-western Europe, ranging widely across the

a number of southern ocean islands.

southern Atlantic in the non-breeding season.

Little Shearwater Puffinus assimilis Rare migrant from Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

One past Skaife on 11 March 1985 was the first for the Reserve.

Subsequent records from Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope reflect the increasing efforts of seawatchers. Several were seen round the Bellows on an unspecified date in 2005 and on 24 May 2006. In 2006, singles were there on 26 May and 7 June (the latter of the distinctively pale-faced western Australian race P. a. tunneyi), and off Cape Point on 12 August. Now seen in late May and early June almost every year, usually singly but with as many as 13, including five together, at the Bellows on one May day. A rare winter visitor to South African waters, generally well offshore.

Drongos Family Dicruridae Fork-tailed Drongo Dicrurus adsimilis

Sooty Shearwaters (note the diagnostic silvery underwings) used to be spectacularly abundant off the Reserve’s west coast. Although their numbers have declined, they can still be one of the commonest seabirds offshore in winter. (Peter Ryan)

Rare resident.

Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus

and two at Klaasjagersberg in April. The species has since bred at the

Rare migrant from the northern hemisphere.

latter site and is seen regularly along the northern boundary, with one

In 1990-94 there were six records involving seven birds in March-July

record near Cape Point. A forest-edge species, Fork-tailed Drongo was

off Cape Point, the Cape of Good Hope and Buffels Bay. The Cape Point

formerly uncommon west of Cape Agulhas but has recently expanded

Two at Klaasjagersberg on 18 October 1986 were the first Reserve record. In 1993 there were singles at the Main Gate in March and July,

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its range as far as Cape Town. It is unlikely colonise the Reserve south of Klaasjagersberg because of the absence of suitable habitat.

Paradise-Flycatchers Family Monarchidae African Paradise-Flycatcher Terpsiphone viridis Rare, localised intra-African breeding summer migrant.

Present from October-February when one or two pairs breed in the alien trees and gardens at Klaasjagersberg and Perdekloof. Perhaps the only other potentially suitable habitat for this woodland species at the Reserve is the patch of indigenous forest at Bordjiesrif. The species migrates north to tropical Africa in the winter.

Boubous and bush-shrikes Family Malaconotidae Southern Boubou Laniarius ferrugineus Uncommon and localised breeding resident.

Confined to dense coastal thicket and alien bush in which it is something of a skulker, and most readily detected by its distinctive onomatopoeic call. An exception are the boubous by the Cape Point car park and alongside the footpath up to the viewing sites. These can be quite confiding even in the presence of crowds of tourists.

Bokmakierie Telophorus zeylonus Uncommon but widespread breeding resident.

Occurs at low densities in sparse coastal thicket and any fynbos that includes a scattering of woody shrubs a metre or more in height. This beautiful bush-shrike is most conspicuous in the early morning in winter and spring when pairs perform their loud and far-carrying antiphonal duets from exposed perches. Breeding recorded in AugustDecember.

Southern Boubou. Often seen by the Cape Point car park. (Howard Langley) 95

Batises Family Platysteiridae Cape Batis Batis capensis Local vagrant.

Two records involving three birds. A pair at Klaasjagersberg in January 1974 and a female there in September 1995. Although there is little suitable habitat for it at the Reserve (the gardens at Klaasjagersberg and one or two patches of coastal thicket on the east coast), this is a poor showing for a bird that is reasonably common elsewhere on the Peninsula.

Crows and ravens Family Corvidae Black Crow Corvus capensis Local vagrant.

One record. There is one record pre-1969 that lacks any detail, but none since. Common in the wheatlands to the east of the Hottentots' Holland, but rarely ventures west of these mountains to the Peninsula and does not generally overlap with Pied Crow in the region.

Pied Crow Corvus albus Common visitor.

Colonised the northern Peninsula in the early 1980s and is now wellestablished in Cape Town’s suburbs and peri-urban areas, appearing to Bokmakierie, a bush-shrike, is one of the most colourful and vocal species at the Reserve. (Howard Langley)

be most common in winter. First recorded at the Reserve in October 1984 when a party of seven over Rooikrans mobbed a Yellow-billed Kite. In 1985, up to five were present in spring, ranging south to the Homestead. Thereafter and until 1995 there were only four records of 1-2 birds. The species has since become regular here.

96

White-necked Raven Corvus albicollis Rare breeding resident.

Two or three pairs range widely over the Reserve, and at least one (and probably more) nests here. Most often seen at the southern tip of the Reserve, and along the northern boundary scavenging road casualties.

Following fires, the resident birds are likely joined by incomers on the lookout for burnt offerings.

Shrikes Family Laniidae Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor Vagrant from Eurasia.

One record. One on telephone wires near Rooikrans on 18 April 1972.

This thornveld species normally occurs no further south than about 29ËšS and should have been heading to its northern hemisphere breeding grounds at this time. One at De Hoop Nature Reserve, some 200 km to the east, on 12 April 2013 would appear to be the only other southern Cape record.

Common Fiscal Lanius collaris Uncommon but widespread breeding resident.

Found throughout the Reserve, its distribution largely determined by the availability of tall bushes that provide the perches from which the bird glides down to catch its prey. Feeds mainly on invertebrates, such as grasshoppers, and small vertebrates including a variety of birds, White-necked Raven, an opportunistic scavenger that patrols the roads and newly-burnt fynbos for casualties such as small mammals, snakes, lizards and tortoises. (Howard Langley)

rodents, reptiles and frogs. Breeds in July-December. In September 1985 a female showing the characteristic white eyebrow of the northwestern race L. c. subcoronatus was at Olifantsbos.

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Common Fiscals can be seen on convenient bush-top perches anywhere on the Reserve. Females have chestnut flanks. (Howard Langley) 98

Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio

over the beach and around flowering Sideroxylon inerme. By mid-

Rare Eurasian summer migrant.

March most have departed, although a few linger into April. Rare in

Four or five records. Immature or female Red-backed Shrikes were

winter.

recorded in December 1984 and February 1985 (possibly the same bird), and December 1985. Adult males were seen in December 1985 and November 1992. This is a good showing for a species that is common in the savanna in the northeast of the country, but normally occurs only as far south and west as East London in the southern Cape.

Barn Swallows occasionally sit on the Reserve roads and pick invertebrates, including sandhoppers, from the tarmac. At Olifantsbos Bay they skim over the beach and catch small sandhoppers jumping ahead of the rising tide, or settle to pick them directly off the surface of the sand.

Tits Family Paridae

White-throated Swallow Hirundo albogularis

Grey Tit Parus afer

Rare intra-African summer migrant.

Local vagrant.

Only recorded from Olifantsbos Bay in summer: a “small party� in

One record. One calling from the low escarpment above Olifantsbos on

February 1972, three in November 1985, three in November 2005, and

1 January 1992 A bird of dry, rocky areas and hillsides and, although

two adults and a juvenile in February 2013. This swallow is primarily

fairly common in this habitat north-east of Cape Town, has only been

associated with running freshwater, hence its scarcity at the Reserve

recorded on the Peninsula on one other occasion, at Strandfontein in

and on the Peninsula as a whole.

September 2015.

Swallows and martins Family Hirundinidae Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica Common summer visitor and abundant passage migrant from Eurasia; rare in winter.

This species' abundance varies within and between years. Returning birds are noted on passage from mid-November, but numbers tend to be low or it may not be seen at all for the rest of the year. Numbers

Greater Striped Swallow Hirundo cucullata Rare intra-African summer migrant.

Four records of 13 birds. There is one historical record (1 January 1967), and the species has since become only marginally more frequent. In January 1986 six birds prospected a culvert on the Klaasjagersberg road; a pair at the same site in October 1990 did likewise. Four at Cape Point in November 1991. A common breeding summer migrant elsewhere on the Peninsula.

build up around New Year, however, and the swallow is most abundant in late January-March when hundreds may be found all over the Reserve but generally concentrated along the coast feeding on kelp flies 99

Rock Martin Hirundo fuligula

potential nest sites in a road-cutting just south of the Main Gate in

Common and widespread breeding resident.

November 2012.

Forages over all vegetation types and in the lee of Sideroxylon inerme thickets, cliffs and rocky outcrops, but is particularly numerous in

Bulbuls Family Pycnonotidae

strandveld and over the beaches when there is a kelp-fly hatch.

Cape Bulbul Pycnonotus capensis

Occasionally seen settling to pick sandhoppers off the road surface at

Common breeding resident and, probably, visitor.

Olifantsbos and the Cape of Good Hope, and in cold weather many

Largely confined to coastal thicket where loose parties of up 30 feed

birds often rest on the tarmac, presumably to absorb heat. Breeds on

from Sideroxylon inerme and other fruiting shrubs. Visits fynbos to

buildings, in caves and cliff overhangs; nest-building has been

feed on nectar and insects at flowering Protea repens and, to a lesser

recorded in September.

extent, Leucospermum conocarpodendron. Occasionally catches sand-

House Martin Delichon urbica

hoppers on the dunes and beaches.

Rare summer migrant from Eurasia.

Sombre Greenbul Andropadus importunes

Three records. Singles at Smitswinkel and Rooikrans in late summer,

Local vagrant.

and one over Cape Point in April 1994. Flies at high altitude with other

One record: a single at Klaasjagersberg on 28 November 1973. It is

aerial foragers, particularly swifts, and almost certainly more frequent

surprising that there have not been more sightings as the species is

at the Reserve than these records indicate.

quite common in woodland and thicket within a few kilometres of the

Brown-throated Martin Riparia paludicola Status uncertain; probably rare visitor or breeding resident.

One in September 1978 and recorded in small numbers since

Reserve boundary. The patches of forest at Booi se Skerm and the coastal thicket that runs north from here to Batsata Cove might be expected to support this and other woodland species.

September 1993 at Buffels Bay and in the Buffels River valley, where

African warblers and crombecs Family Macrosphenidae

there is some suitable nesting habitat.

Cape Grassbird Sphenoeacus afer

Black Saw-wing Psalidoprocne holomelaena

Common and widespread breeding resident.

Rare visitor; has bred.

A loud and conspicuous songster and one of the most characteristic

A pair nested in a streambank at Klaasjagersberg in December 1963.

bushbird species of the Reserve. Found in low densities in coastal

The only other records are one at Rooikrans in December 1985, one at

thicket, shrubby fynbos, and restioveld and tussock marsh over 75 cm

Olifantsbos on 14 December 1991, and a small flock inspecting

or so high. Absent only from the densest alien thickets, rockiest mountain slopes and newly-burnt fynbos.

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Cape Grassbirds are noisy and conspicuous and can be found in suitable fynbos and strandveld habitat throughout the Reserve. (Howard Langley)

Long-billed Crombec Sylvietta rufescens Rare visitor or resident.

The only records come from the alien thickets on the lower slopes of Vasco da Gama Peak. Single birds were present here on three occasions from April 1985 to October 1992. Even given the generally short lifeexpectancy of small birds (the average Long-billed Crombec weighs in at 11 g), the same individual probably accounted for all these sightings Cape Bulbul is a characteristic species of coastal thicket. (Howard Langley)

over the seven years. The species is widespread in dry shrublands 101

elsewhere in the south-western Cape, particularly along the west coast,

Reserve at Somerset West and twice elsewhere on the Peninsula and

but is rare on the Peninsula.

may be more common in the western Cape than appreciated.

Bush warblers and allies Family Locustellidae

Icterine Warbler Hippolais icterina

African Sedge Warbler Bradypterus baboecala Rare breeding resident.

Small numbers are resident and almost certainly breed along the Schusters River on the Reserve’s northern boundary. Elsewhere, singles at the Homestead pond in June 1992, and in the nearby lower Buffels River in May 1994. Both these sites have small Typha capensis beds and associated wetland vegetation that could support a resident pair or two of these warblers.

Reed warblers and allies Family Acrocephalidae Lesser Swamp Warbler Acrocephalus gracilirostris Status uncertain; probably rare visitor or resident.

One bird in the Typha capensis patch at the Homestead pond in March 1990 appears to be the most recent Reserve record, although it may occur more frequently here and in other patches at, for example, the Buffels River and Die Mond. In the 1970s it was occasional at Die Mond and Olifantsbos.

Vagrant from Eurasia.

One record. The first Icterine Warbler for the south-western Cape was caught and ringed in alien thicket at Olifantsbos on 20 November 1985. The timing matches the species’ peak arrival period in the southern half of its tropical African wintering region, but it is rarely recorded south of the Orange River. This individual was, therefore, some 1,000 km southwest of its normal wintering range. There has only been one subsequent record of an ‘Icky’ in the Cape Province as a whole - in the Karoo National Park on 16 May 2015.

White-eyes Family Zosteropidae Cape White-eye Zosterops pallidus Common but localised breeding resident and, probably, visitor.

Occurs in pairs or small parties in coastal thicket, alien vegetation and, occasionally, in mature inland fynbos (notably at flowering Protea repens). The largest flocks (up to 60) are recorded in wooded gardens at Klaasjagersberg.

European Marsh Warbler Acrocephalus palustris Rare Eurasian summer migrant.

Cisticolas, apalises and allies Family Cisticolidae

One record of two birds. Two at Olifantsbos from 14 December 1991 to

Grey-backed Cisticola Cisticola subruficapilla

at least 2 February 1992, when they were caught and ringed, were the

Common and widespread breeding resident.

first for the south-western Cape. The closest previous records were 400

A classic LBJ (‘Little Brown Job’), easy to detect by its characteristic

km to the east at Knysna on the southern Cape coast, where it is

call, and occurring anywhere that there are short bushes. Avoids only

considered a rare vagrant. It has since been seen at Helderberg Nature

shrubless, low-growing restioveld and the densest alien and indigenous 102

coastal thickets. Most common in sparse coastal thicket. Breeds

deprived of its favoured habitat for a relatively short time after a fire,

August-December.

and can recolonise tall restio regrowth within 18 months of a burn.

Neddicky Cisticola fulvicapilla Rare breeding resident.

An enigmatic species whose population fluctuates for no readily apparent reason, although veld age might be important. In the early 1970s it was described as "Resident, but rarely seen during the past few years." There was one record in September 1978, but no further occurrences until one at Olifantsbos in July 1985. This was the forerunner of a gradual, if slow and limited, recolonisation of the Reserve.

This bird was seen regularly until April 1986, when it was joined by another. In June that year a pair was found on the northern outcrop of the west-coast escarpment opposite the end of the Die Mond track.

One or two birds were seen at these sites regularly until October 1991 when a third pair was found just south of Skaife. Since then, the species has established and been recorded in a number of rocky areas south to Buffels Bay and Gifkommetjie.

Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis

Grey-backed Cisticola, unassuming and under-rated! (Howard Langley)

Status uncertain; probably rare visitor or resident.

Four records. Single birds in damp areas dominated by alien grasses

Levaillant's Cisticola Cisticola tinniens Uncommon and localised breeding resident.

One of the most habitat-specific bushbirds of the Reserve, found only in Typha capensis patches and in tall Restionaceous Tussock Marsh with uniform stands of reed-like Elegia. Occurs in pairs in territories that are vigorously defended. As tussock marsh is the vegetation type

(Theefontein, June 1987; Olifantsbos, March 1990 and March 1995), and one in low-growing restios at Circular Drive in April 1995.

Although most reports of short-tailed cisticolas flushed from restios here and near Sirkelsvlei and are more likely to be Cloud Cisticolas, there may, at times, be a very small resident population of Zitting in this habitat.

that recovers most quickly after burning, Levaillant's Cisticola is 103

Adults carrying nest material have been seen in April and feeding young in May. The population at the Reserve is unusual in that the species typically inhabits grassland, not fynbos.

Karoo Prinia Prinia maculosa Common and widespread breeding resident.

A widespread and noisy species, easy to see and hear. Found in coastal thicket and bushy fynbos; absent only from the shortest, shrubless restioveld and newly-burnt vegetation. Occasionally forages on heaps of rotting seaweed at Olifantsbos Bay. Breeds in August-December.

Bar-throated Apalis Apalis thoracica Rare visitor or resident.

Two records. One colour-ringed at Skaife in October 1984 was seen here and at Olifantsbos until the end of 1985. The only other confirmed record is of one at Olifantsbos on 6 June 1990, although there are anecdotal reports from a number of other scattered localities with Perhaps the quintessential LB (or grey) J, Neddicky is generally found in rocky areas with scattered vegetation. Its status at the Reserve has fluctuated over the years, ranging from completely absent to a widespread, if rare, breeding resident. (John Graham)

Cloud Cisticola Cisticola textrix Uncommon and localised breeding resident.

Found in short restioveld and tussock marsh around Circular Drive (the best place to see them, with up to six calling birds at a time), and near Sirkelsvlei from about one year after a fire. Unless flushed from short vegetation, Cloud Cisticolas are generally conspicuous only when performing their distinctive, towering display flights. These take place mainly in August-September, less frequently in February-March.

broad-leaved thicket, including Bordjiesdrif and Smitswinkel. This species is scarce on the Peninsula but, as it is common in scrub and woodland elsewhere, including some suburban gardens, it may fail to attract the attention of visiting birders.

Larks and finchlarks Family Alaudidae Clapper Lark Mirafra apiata Uncommon breeding resident.

Typically found in low-lying, restio-dominated plains in the first few years after a fire, and occasionally in sparse older fynbos on gentlysloping rocky hillsides. Conspicuous in spring when performing its characteristic display flight.

104

Cape Long-billed Lark Certhilauda curvirostris Local vagrant.

One on the rocks at Platboom beach on 5 October 2015 was the first for the Reserve and, possibly, the Peninsula as a whole. This lark is otherwise widespread in the south-western Cape, occurring in low densities in a variety of open natural habitats and farmland.

Grey-backed Sparrowlark Eremopterix verticalis Local vagrant.

One record. A male in short restios along the northern and western arms of Circular Drive from April to October 1984. Very rare on the Peninsula (although sporadic, limited influxes do occur), but quite common in the west-coast wheatlands north of Cape Town, mainly in summer.

Thrushes and alethes Family Turdidae Southern Olive Thrush Turdus olivaceous Uncommon and localised breeding resident.

Almost entirely restricted to alien thickets and becoming increasingly scarce at the Reserve as this habitat is removed. Found in gardens at Klaasjagerberg and Perdekloof, in Acacia cyclops scrub on the slopes of Vasco da Gama Peak and, occasionally, at the Homestead, and in indigenous coastal thicket at Buffels Bay, Skaife and Gifkommetjie.

Formerly occurred in mixed-species alien infestations at Olifantsbos and Theefontein. Tends to be rather secretive, with its most typical feature, its fluty song, given towards dusk.

Bar-throated Apalis is probably more common at the Reserve than the two confirmed records suggest. It should be looked for in patches of coastal thicket and scrub. (John Graham) 105

Chats and Old World flycatchers Family Muscicapidae Cape Rock Thrush Monticola rupestris Uncommon and widespread breeding resident.

Occurs singly or in pairs in rocky areas along the coast and inland. In fynbos, this beautiful rock thrush frequents open habitat in preference to old vegetation, and moves into previously unoccupied areas after fire. Pairs are resident at a number of scattered sites including Skaife, Olifantsbos and the Cape Point car park.

Sentinel Rock Thrush Monticola explorator Formerly rare and localised breeding resident, now probably absent.

In 1984-96 there were five pairs at the Reserve, with territories centred at Menskop, Noupoortjie, the slopes of Wolfberg, near Anvil Rock, and between there and Kanonkop. The birds shifted their ranges according to the age of the veld, preferring one- or two-year-old fynbos with extensive exposed rock and outcrops. Nests were found in August and recently-fledged young seen in November.

A male Cape Rock Thrush caught for ringing (banding) at Olifantsbos and then safely released. Ringing has provided valuable insight into the movements and habits of a wide variety of birds, particularly Cape Sugarbirds and sunbirds, at the Reserve. (Mike Fraser)

It is thought that there are now no Sentinel Rock Thrushes here. It has

shrubs support a pair or two and there are also territories at the

become rare or absent elsewhere on the Peninsula and is sparsely

Homestead, Klaasjagersberg and Perdekloof. Breeding has been

distributed in the south-western Cape as a whole. The Reserve birds

recorded in August-December.

were unusual in that the species is traditionally associated with high, mountainous areas.

Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata Rare Eurasian summer migrant.

Fiscal Flycatcher Sigelus silens

Two records. One in gardens at Klaasjagersberg in March 1974, and

Uncommon localised breeding resident.

one in the oak trees and alien thicket at Olifantsbos in February-March

Confined to coastal thicket and, in lower densities, alien vegetation.

1986. Uncommon in the western Cape as a whole and generally found

Most patches of Sideroxylon inerme and other broad-leaved coastal

in alien vegetation.

106

Dusky Flycatcher Muscicapa adusta Common but localised breeding resident.

Confined to alien woodland and gardens at Klaasjagersberg and Perdekloof. Breeding has been recorded in November-December.

Cape Robin-Chat Cossypha caffra Common, widespread breeding resident.

Most common in coastal thicket, but occurs in all vegetation types as long as there are some tallish (1.5 m or more) shrubs. Absent only from newly-burnt fynbos and from short restioveld and tussock marsh. Has been noted feeding on the beach and bathing in rock pools. Cape Robin-Chat is an accomplished mimic; as well as a broad selection of the vocalisations of other local bushbirds, some Reserve robins also include in their repertoires the calls of Common Greenshank and African Black Oystercatcher. Breeds in August-October.

Brown Scrub-Robin Erythropygia signata Vagrant from elsewhere in southern Africa.

One record. A bird was collected at Smitswinkel Bay on 14 July 1906. A species of evergreen coastal forest, Brown Scrub-Robin does not occur much west of Port Elizabeth and is not known to wander.

Karoo Scrub-Robin Erythropygia coryphaeus Status uncertain; probably rare visitor and occasional resident. Has bred.

Classified as "resident" in the 1960s and ‘70s. There have been very few recent records, but as it is such a familiar and common species elsewhere, birders may not think it worth noting if they do see one at the Reserve. Occasional, widely spread sightings of individuals in the

A Cape Robin-Chat finds a convenient perch on a Mimetes fimbriifolius bush. A fine songster and mimic that can be heard in many parts of the Reserve, particularly in the early morning and evening. (Howard Langley)

there is a very small resident population. Breeding has not been confirmed since 1973 when a nest was found at Rooikrans. Generally scarce on the Cape Peninsula, but common in strandveld and renosterveld just to the north of Cape Town.

African Stonechat Saxicola torquata Formerly breeding resident; present status unclear.

Described as a "common resident" in the 1970s, and regularly seen at a number of sites in the early 1980s. Two pairs were noted with sufficient regularity along the Main Road between the Olifantsbos and Circular Drive junctions in 1984-85 to suggest that they were resident, but even these proved unpredictable. In 1986-96 single sightings of

1980s and ‘90s suggest that the species is a rare visitor and/or that 107

pairs were made at Theefontein, Anvil Rock, Brightwater Gate and near the Homestead. Breeding was recorded in August-September.

Between 2000 and 2013, there were no records from the Reserve. The species may also have disappeared from the entire Peninsula over the same time period for unknown reasons. One was, however, seen on the Reserve in 2014, although there are no indications of recolonisation.

Mountain Chat Oenanthe monticola Local vagrant.

One record. A single bird on Circular Drive in July 1986. This species had not previously been recorded on the Peninsula although it does occur elsewhere in the south-western Cape, most commonly along the dry northern edges of the Karoo but rarely in the southern mountain chain.

Capped Wheatear Oenanthe pileata
 Local vagrant.

Two records. One on Circular Drive in May 2005, and a juvenile north of the Cape of Good Hope car park on 24 January 2016. A common resident of farmland north and east of Cape Town, but there are probably no other Peninsula records.

Familiar Chat Cercomela familiaris Uncommon, widespread breeding resident.

This demure, wing-flicking chat occurs in singles or pairs along the coast and inland wherever there are extensive areas of exposed rocks and boulders. Breeding has been recorded in September-December.

One pair nested in the coiled rope in a life-saving box in 1974.

Fortunately no one’s life needed saving at the time and the birds reared three young.

African Stonechat (male). A few pairs used to breed here; its present status at the Reserve is unclear but probably precarious. (Howard Langley) 108

Starlings Family Sturnidae Red-winged Starling Onychognathus morio Common breeding resident and visitor.

Widespread, but generally avoids the Smitswinkel Flats and other flat, featureless areas. An opportunistic species with a catholic diet. Forages everywhere from the rocky intertidal (feeding on small winkles and sea lice), to coastal thicket (various fruits and insects), stands of Acacia cyclops (fruits) and mature fynbos (nectar of Leucospermum conocarpodendron and Mimetes fimbriifolius and, on warm days, associated insects such as protea beetles). Fills the niche of the oxpecker by gleaning ticks from Cape Mountain Zebra, Bontebok and Eland. Birds at Cape Point car park pick insects from the radiator grills and windscreens of motor vehicles, and scrounge titbits from visitors.

Occurs in flocks of 5-400, the highest numbers being found at fruiting Acacia cyclops. Roosts communally in old buildings and on cliffs.

Breeds from November-March, nesting in cliff cavities and buildings.

Wattled Starling Creatophora cinerea Uncommon and irregular visitor.

Red-winged Starlings will likely greet you at the Cape Point car park. The female has grey on the head and a grey-streaked breast. (Howard Langley)

First recorded (one bird) near Brightwater in April 1962. A flock of 60

abundant in the west-coast strandveld north of Cape Town, and is

joined European Starlings on the beach at Olifantsbos in May 1964

highly nomadic.

with single birds occasionally seen thereafter. Most sightings have been made in the European Starling flock on the beach at Olifantsbos Bay (where Wattled should not be confused with pale juvenile European Starlings), with seven records of 1-4 birds between 1972 and 1994.

Wattled Starlings have otherwise been noted only very occasionally at sites dotted around the Reserve south to Cape Point. The species is

European Starling Sturnus vulgaris Alien; common localised visitor and rare breeding resident.

Two or three pairs nest at Klaasjagersberg. A flock of up to 400 at Olifantsbos Bay feeds mainly amongst rotting kelp on the beach, with occasional forays into fruiting Sideroxylon inerme and other coastal shrubs. Smaller numbers feed on many of the Reserve's beaches and 109

on the lawns at the Homestead and Buffels Bay. European Starling was

expansion, mainly into gardens and alien woodland, in the south-west

introduced to the Cape by Cecil Rhodes in 1899 as part of his largely

Cape. One at Perdekloof in August 2015 is the only other record,

incomprehensible "amenity improvement" programme, which was

although it may be that they occur regularly in the alien trees here.

essentially an undertaking to make the Cape look as much like his native England as possible.

Sunbirds Family Nectariniidae Orange-breasted Sunbird Anthobaphes violacea Common breeding resident and, probably, visitor.

Orange-breasted Sunbird is endemic to the Fynbos Biome and is a classic species of mature fynbos at the Reserve. Flowering food plants at which the sunbirds gather in large numbers are Mimetes fimbriifolius, Mimetes hirtus, Leucospermum conocarpodendron, Watsonia zeyheri, Erica coccinea, Erica mammosa, Erica plukenetti (e.g., 100 feeding in a patch at Sirkelsvlei in May 1993), Protea repens and, occasionally, Leonotis leonurus. Other food plants, such as Erica phylicafolia, Erica curviflora and Erica cerinthoides, tend to be less abundant and more scattered; the birds exploiting them are correspondingly more thinly distributed. Also recorded feeding from Saltera sarcocolla, Brunia abrotanoides, Crassula coccinea and Lobelia species. Breeds in July-October.

Orange-breasted Sunbirds are plentiful and conspicuous at their flowering erica and protea foodplants, such as this Mimetes hirtus. (Howard Langley)

Malachite Sunbird Nectarinia famosa Uncommon breeding resident and abundant localised visitor.

Amethyst Sunbird Chalcomitra amethystina

Occurs throughout the Reserve at low densities in recently-burnt

Vagrant from eastern South Africa.

fynbos and ranges widely to take nectar from the flowers of resprouting

Two records of three birds. A male and a female at Cape Point on 18

species such as Erica cerinthoides and Saltera sarcocolla. In older

December 1988 constituted the first record for the Cape Peninsula. An

veld, proteaceous shrubs, notably Protea repens and Leucospermum

unusual location and habitat for this woodland species which, in the

conocarpodendron, are visited in winter and spring, respectively.

1980s at least, generally occurred only as far west as Swellendam. The

Watsonia species are also exploited inland and Salvia africana-lutea

Reserve birds were the early forerunners of a westward range 110

on the coast. The greatest concentrations of Malachite Sunbirds occur in December and March when hundreds converge on flowering Leonotis leonurus at Olifantsbos. Over 200 were ringed of an estimated 540 there over three days in December 1987. On 28 March 1992, 127 were ringed of which only six were recaptured the next day, indicating high turnover. Reports of ringed birds from 15-160 km away demonstrate how far the sunbirds can travel after visiting Olifantsbos.

In the breeding season (August-November) the species occurs where there are suitable shrubs in which to nest, such as medium or tall proteas, riparian scrub and, at Klaasjagersberg, garden ornamentals.

Southern Double-collared Sunbird Cinnyris chalybeus Common breeding resident and visitor.

One of the most common birds in coastal thicket. Predominantly an insectivore in this habitat it will, however, also take nectar from Lycium species, Salvia africana-lutea and Chasmanthe aethiopica and gathers in large numbers with Malachite Sunbirds at flowering Leonotis leonurus in summer and autumn. Rather uncommon in inland fynbos, but does visit flowering Erica mammosa and, to a lesser extent, Protea repens. Likely to wander extensively in response to the flowering of its food plants; ringed birds have been recorded moving up to 5 km within the Reserve, while one moved 10 km northeast from Olifantsbos to Simon’s Town. Breeds in August-October.

Dusky Sunbird Cinnyris fuscus Rare vagrant from further north in the Cape.

At least 10, some apparently intent on heading even further south, in sparse coastal thicket between the old and new lighthouses at Cape A fine male Malachite Sunbird on Mimetes hirtus. (Howard Langley)

Point with a gathering of some 100 Orange-breasted, Southern Double111

Southern Double-collared Sunbird male. This sparkly sunbird is most common in broad-leaved coastal thicket where it feeds on invertebrates and nectar. The Olifantsbos Leonotis patch is a particularly popular gathering point. Large numbers also visit inland fynbos to take nectar from protea and erica flowers. (John Graham)

One of a group of about 10 Dusky Sunbirds near Cape Point in April 2007, the only known occurrence of the species at the Reserve. (John Graham)

Sugarbirds Family Promeropidae Cape Sugarbird Promerops cafer

collared and Malachite Sunbirds on 22 April 2007. Dusky Sunbird is

Common breeding resident and visitor.

generally a scarce, occasional visitor in small numbers to the south-

A characteristic species of middle-aged and old shrubby fynbos, its

western Cape from Namaqualand and the Karoo.

frequency and abundance dictated by the flowering phenology of its main food plants here: Mimetes fimbriifolius, Mimetes hirtus and Leucospermum conocarpodendron in winter and spring, and Protea 112

lepidocarpodendron and, particularly, Protea repens in winter. Scores of sugarbirds may gather at stands of these flowers, notably Leucospermum conocarpodendron on and around the slopes of Vasco da Gama Peak and Protea repens on Teeberg. Summer-flowering Erica mammosa and, to a lesser extent, Leonotis leonurus, are also visited by sugarbirds. When no food plants are in bloom sugarbirds are scarce or absent.

Ringed birds have been found to travel extensively: one moved 9 km south down the Reserve; four others from Teeberg made their way to Kirstenbosch, 32 km north. Breeds in May-September.

Weavers, bishops and widows Family Ploceidae Cape Weaver Ploceus capensis Uncommon visitor; formerly bred.

Small nesting colonies of Cape Weavers were active in the 1970s at the Homestead, Olifantsbos, Klaasjagersberg and Teeberg. Up to eight nests were at Klaasjagersberg in the mid-1980s. Following the removal of most of the alien trees, the species no longer breeds at the Reserve.

Singles or small parties of Cape Weavers are recorded at any time of year in a variety of habitats, but peak numbers occur in November and December, with flocks of up to 60 moving down the coast or lingering briefly to feed. Birds ringed at Olifantsbos have been found near Simon’s Town, at Kraaifontein on the Cape Flats, and the most distant at Velddrif on the west coast 172 km to the north.

Although they used to nest here, Cape Weavers now occur at the Reserve mainly as passing visitors in spring and summer. (John Graham) 113

Southern Masked Weaver Ploceus velatus Status uncertain; probably rare visitor, has bred.

A pair “breeding among a colony of Cape Weavers�, presumably at Klaasjagersberg, in 1961 constituted the first record for the Peninsula.

Four birds at Klaasjagersberg in August 1962 were the last at the Reserve until 1985 when males were reportedly collecting nest material there and at the Homestead in June and August. Breeding was not confirmed and there have been no subsequent records. The species is numerous elsewhere on the Peninsula, mainly at watercourses and farm dams.

Red-billed Quelea Quelea quelea Rare, irruptive visitor.

A major influx into the south-western Cape in early 2007 saw a number of queleas reaching the Reserve. On 28 April a small group was at Buffels Bay; on 30 April five groups totalling 200 birds were on the ridge between the old and new lighthouses, with a further six at the Cape Point car park, 40 at Buffels Bay and six on Circular Drive. Said to be the most abundant bird species on the planet, Red-billed Queleas are found throughout Africa in dry thornveld and farmland. They undertake large-scale movements in response to drought and food availability, but very rarely occur in the south-western Cape.

Southern Red Bishop Euplectes orix Uncommon and irregular visitor.

Described as "rare" in the 1970s, with only a very few records from Die Mond and the Link Road. There were no further sightings until March 1989 when 30 arrived at the Olifantsbos Leonotis leonurus patch. The flock increased to 80 by the middle of the month and caught sand-

Southern Red Bishop, an occasional visitor to the Reserve. (John Graham) 114

hoppers and kelp flies on the beach as well as foraging amongst the Leonotis. Their numbers slowly declined, with the last birds seen in the following year. There were no further records until January 1992 when 15 were found at Olifantsbos. Ten of these remained until March, four until September, and a single ringed bird until October. In the past few years, flocks of up to 60 have been seen in February-May at Rooikrans and Circular Drive. The factors which precipitate these temporary influxes into the Reserve are unknown but may include drought, food shortage elsewhere, or overspill from more traditional habitat following a good breeding season.

Yellow Bishop Euplectes capensis Common and widespread breeding resident.

Typically found in coastal and inland fynbos feeding on restio and other seeds. In the non-breeding season the birds form flocks of 5-45 that move extensively around the Reserve. These break up in spring when the males establish territories in tussock marsh, seepage areas and riparian vegetation.

White-winged Widowbird Euplectes albonotatus Vagrant from north-eastern southern Africa.

One record. A winter-plumaged male near the top viewing spot at Cape

This White-winged Widowbird at Cape Point was only the second record for the south-western Cape of an up-country species. (John Graham)

Point on 22 April 2007. This was the second record for the south-

Waxbills Family Estrildidae

western Cape, the first having been seen at Robertson two weeks

Swee Waxbill Coccopygia melanotis

previously. An extremely unusual record, although there were other

Status unclear; possibly rare localised resident or visitor.

out-of-range occurrences of the species at the same time further north

A small number of Swee Waxbills was present in aliens at Perdekloof in

in South Africa, indicating a degree of dry-season movement.

early August 2015, with a solitary wanderer on the seacliffs at Rooikrans on 19 May 2016. A bird of forest edge and other transitional habitats, the species was not recorded in the south-western Cape until 115

the 1920s. It colonised small sections of the northern Peninsula in the 1980s.

Small flocks of Common Waxbills can be seen most regularly at Olifantsbos and other coastal areas with grass or reeds. (Howard Langley) Swee Waxbill first nested in the south-western Cape at Somerset West in the early 1900s but took almost another century to reach the Reserve.

(Howard Langley)

African Quailfinch Ortygospiza atricollis

Common Waxbill Estrilda astrild

recent records. Widespread in eastern South Africa, but in the south-

Common breeding resident.

western Cape African Quailfinch is probably only a rare resident in

Found most often in grassy coastal areas and in Typha capensis

damp grasslands. Nomadic in the non-breeding season, extending its

patches, although itinerant parties can occur almost anywhere on the

range in response to rainfall.

Vagrant from elsewhere in southern Africa A few birds were seen occasionally in the 1970s, but there have been no

Reserve, notably the Smitswinkel Flats. Flocks range from 10-80 birds.

Adults seen feeding young in November.

116

Whydahs Family Viduidae

on 22 April. On 20 April 2013, similar movements into a strong

Pin-tailed Whydah Vidua macroura

southeaster were recorded, with flocks of 10-75 at Olifantsbos and

Rare visitor; has bred at least once.

Cape Point. The biggest flock at the latter site settled briefly in scrub

In the 1960s and ‘70s, Pin-tailed Whydahs were described as "Resident

before flying off south towards the new lighthouse at the very tip of the

but not always obvious". In 1984-96 there was only a handful of

Peninsula.

records and it is difficult to speculate upon the factors that determine

The coincidence of timing and conditions of these observations, albeit

the species' presence or absence here. In early December 1985 there

almost 30 years apart, suggests that such movements may occur

were two males on Circular Drive and a male at Olifantsbos that

regularly in autumn. These are also perhaps the source of birds that

remained into January. All the few subsequent records have come from

intermittently arrive and breed at the Homestead and Cape Point. Up

the latter site. Two youngsters there in January 1990 represent the

to 15 frequented the latter site throughout 1986, but in some years they

only confirmed breeding record. Pin-tailed Whydah is a brood-parasite

are absent. A pair nested at Skaife in 1991. Five were observed feeding

that lays its eggs in the nest of other species, most usually Common

with Cape Siskins in “natural veld” near the Cape Point car park in

Waxbill.

August 1995. The House Sparrow was introduced to South Africa in the

Sparrows Family Passeridae

late 19th century and is now the country’s most widespread alien bird.

House Sparrow Passer domesticus

Cape Sparrow Passer melanurus

Rare alien breeding resident and common, but irregular,

Rare visitor; has bred.

visitor.

Formerly resident in very small numbers at Klaasjagersberg but rarely

Resident at Klaasjagersberg, with nesting first noted there in the

seen elsewhere, and declined in the mid-1980s. There were a few

mid-1970s. The sparrows’ presence and numbers fluctuate elsewhere

resident pairs at Olifantsbos in the 1970s and several pairs and old

on the Reserve. Presumed post-breeding dispersal of large numbers of

nests at Skaife in April 1980. The last breeding record (a nest with

birds has been observed, a phenomenon probably unnoticed where the

eggs) at Olifantsbos appears to have been in October 1983 and the last

species is common and apparently resident. Influxes in the autumns of

bird in that area was a male briefly at Skaife in June 1984.

1985, '86 and '87 comprised flocks of 1-34 moving down the west coast

Southern Grey-headed Sparrow Passer diffusus

in the early morning, generally on very windy days. On 28 March 1985,

Rare visitor.

for example, 237 House Sparrows flew south past Skaife in 80 minutes

Three records of five birds. Two at Bordjiesrif in 2003, one at Cape

into a gale-force southeasterly wind. In March-April the following year,

Point in October 2009, and two at Olifantsbos on an unrecorded more

similar passage was again noted, with a peak of 126 birds in two hours

recent date. A relatively new coloniser of the south-western Cape, first 117

Cape Wagtail Motacilla capensis Common breeding resident and visitor.

Numerous along the beaches, particularly where rotting, storm-cast seaweed has attracted kelp flies. Also found at the margins of inland freshwater bodies and on lawns at the Homestead, Buffels Bay and Klaasjagersberg. The highest count is of 70 at Olifantsbos Bay in winter. There are small roosts in the Typha capensis patches at the Homestead and Olifantsbos.

Cape Sparrow (male). This species is now rare here. (John Graham)

breeding in the region in 1983 and now increasingly common and resident around Cape Town.

Wagtails, pipits and longclaws Family Motacillidae African Pied Wagtail Motacilla agiump Vagrant from northern and eastern South Africa.

One record. One at Buffels Bay on 31 October to 1 November 2011. An unusual record of a distinctive species whose typical range extends no nearer than the eastern Cape. Elsewhere within its range in subSaharan Africa, the species is generally sedentary and confined to large rivers in arid areas, which makes the appearance of one on the seashore here even more surprising.

Cape Wagtails are often seen in loose flocks catching kelp-flies on heaps of rotting seaweed on the shore. (Howard Langley) 118

Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava Vagrant from Eurasia.

One record. A male at Olifantsbos Bay on 12-13 May 1987. A late date for this scarce summer visitor to the south-western Cape.

Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea Vagrant from Europe.

One record. One at the Homestead pond on 5-18 April 1989. This was the first record for the south-western Cape and about the tenth for South Africa. Grey Wagtail breeds in northern Europe, some of the population migrating south to central Africa in winter.

African Pipit Anthus cinnamomeus Vagrant from further north in southern Africa.

One record. One near Dias Beacon on 11 October 1992 displayed the characteristics of the north-western Grassveld Pipit A. c. grotei, being pure white underneath. This race is known to be a winter visitor to the northern Cape from Namibia and Botswana, and the Reserve bird arrived after a north-westerly gale that also brought in a Pectoral Sandpiper. African Pipit of the race A. c. rufuloides is fairly common in grassy habitat elsewhere on the Peninsula but is another of a surprising number of birds that has apparently not yet occurred at the Reserve.

Birders should be on the lookout for this and other locally common species such as Red-capped Lark and Pied Starling to add to the list.

Plain-backed Pipit Anthus leucophrys Uncommon breeding resident and visitor.

A few birds are probably resident in short, sparse, old fynbos, but the highest numbers are recorded in the few months following a burn. In

Plain-backed Pipits are found in recently-burnt fynbos and on the westcoast sandy beaches. (Howard Langley)

become increasingly localised as the fynbos recovers. After one or two years they are largely restricted to short restioveld (notably on the northern arm of Circular Drive) and to rocky, well-drained areas in

this period, Plain-backed Pipits occur in any vegetation type but 119

which regrowth has been slow. Loose flocks of 10-12 have been recorded in vegetation up to two years old; 2-6 are more usual elsewhere and at other successional stages. In January-April 1994 and in the same period in 1995 up to 24, including young still being fed by their parents, foraged on the beach at Olifantsbos Bay, with smaller numbers at Skaife beach. The species is now quite regular at Olifantsbos Bay and it is one of the best places to see what can be a difficult species to find elsewhere in the south-western Cape.

Long-billed Pipit Anthus similis Status uncertain; probably rare temporary resident and visitor.

Recorded near Sirkelsvlei (one in February 1986) and on the northern arm of Circular Drive (one in December 1990, three in June 1992, two in May 1993). Probably occurs most often in the early post-fire period, Plain-backed Pipit.

Birders looking for this Tree Pipit at Perdekloof in August 2015 found a number of other rare species for the Reserve, including Olive Woodpecker, Brown-backed Honeybird, Swee Waxbill and Chaffinch. (Howard Langley)

Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis

Cape Longclaw Macronyx capensis

Vagrant from Eurasia.

Uncommon breeding resident and, probably, visitor.

One record. One at Perdekloof 3-12 August 2015 was the first for the

Most often found in recently-burnt restioveld, becoming increasingly

Cape Province. This was an unusual date for a species that should have

rare as the vegetation ages. Occasional in coastal grasslands and

been in its the northern hemisphere breeding grounds, or just making

amongst beached kelp at Olifantsbos Bay. Apparently much more

its way south for the winter, at the time. Tree Pipit occurs regularly in

common in the past with, for example, 35 between the Main Road and

southern Africa only in Zimbabwe, and is a rare visitor to Namibia,

Brightwater gate in March 1972. Such high numbers have not been

Botswana and north-east South Africa. The nearest record to the

recorded for many years, probably because of reduced grazing pressure

Reserve is from Luderitz in Namibia, 1,000 km to the north.

and changes in management priorities that restore and maintain

but likely to be under-recorded, not least because of confusion with

fynbos rather than creating artificial grazing for introduced antelope and buck. Breeding has been noted in November.

120

Finches, canaries, siskins and buntings Family Fringillidae Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs Local alien vagrant.

Two records. A female in a garden at Klaasjagersberg in FebruaryAugust 1986, and male at Perdekloof in August 2015. A European species introduced by Cecil Rhodes to his Groot Schuur estate near Cape Town in 1897, for many years its numbers remained low and its range restricted to the southern suburbs of the city.

Chaffinch has recently become established as a breeding species in gardens and plantations on the mid- and southern Peninsula at places such as Fish Hoek and Hout Bay. This relatively speedy range expansion has been attributed to displacement following the clearance of pine and other alien trees from its more traditional areas further north. The Klaasjagersbeg record remained the furthest from the point of introduction for almost 30 years.

Cape Canary Serinus canicollis Uncommon breeding resident and common visitor.

Flocks of 10-200 recorded in October-December, feeding on the seeds of grasses and Senecio elegans and other annuals on the coast at Olifantsbos, Black Rocks, Buffels Bay and the Cape of Good Hope, and in areas from which aliens have recently been cleared. Flocks of 5-10 also occur in recently-burnt inland fynbos. Becomes very scarce in late summer and autumn. A bird ringed at Olifantsbos in November 1985 was found 80 km east in Caledon the following February, indicating Male and female Cape Longclaws both have the bright orange throat. Their call is a distinctive cat-like meew-meew-meew. Look for longclaws in recently-burnt veld, and on the beach at Olifantsbos Bay. (John Graham)

how far this typically nomadic species may wander. Newly-fledged young have been seen in September.

121

Brimstone Canary feeding on Chrysanthemoides fruits. (Howard Langley)

Brimstone Canary Serinus sulphuratus Uncommon visitor; probably breeds.

Generally confined to coastal thicket, which it visits especially in autumn to feed on the fruits of Chrysanthemoides monilifera, and the buds, flowers and berries of Lycium (parties of 2-30 have been seen on these spiny shrubs at Olifantsbos). Tends to avoid fynbos proper, but makes the occasional sortie to seepage vegetation and to flowering Cape Canary male. The females are less colourful. (Howard Langley)

Protea repens (for nectar) in midwinter. Very scarce in summer.

122

Yellow Canary Serinus flaviventris

Cape Siskin Crithagra totta

Uncommon visitor.

Locally common breeding resident.

The species was described as a common resident in the 1960s and ‘70s.

This species is endemic to the Fynbos Biome, and the Reserve is one of

In 1984-96 it was recorded rather sporadically, although in most

the most reliable places to twitch this Cape speciality. Although

months, and this continues to be the case. The majority occur in

sparsely and unpredictably distributed in inland fynbos, where rocky

October and November with parties of up to 12 on the coast. These

areas in recently-burnt fynbos appear to be favoured, it is almost

birds appear to be on passage, moving along the coastal belt and

invariably present in small numbers in short cliff-top vegetation along

stopping only briefly to forage. Singing males have been noted in

the cliff edge from Cape Point to the Cape of Good Hope. A walk along

spring but breeding has not been confirmed. The very few "inland"

the coastal trail here will almost guarantee a sighting. Cape Siskins can

records include three on Circular Drive in November 1985, when there

also be seen at the upper viewing sites at Cape Point, and between

was a small influx to the Reserve.

these and the lower paths. Usually occurs in flocks of 5-20, but up to 150 have been recorded feeding on weed seeds on the coastal strip just north of the Cape of Good Hope. Breeding almost certainly takes place regularly at the Reserve but has only been confirmed once.

Cinnamon-breasted Bunting Emberiza tahapisi Vagrant from eastern South Africa.

One record. The first record of Cinnamon-breasted Bunting for the south-western Cape was of one near the old Cape Point lighthouse in April 2001. Generally found no further west in the southern Cape than George, more than 400 km away. There have been three subsequent regional occurrences, all from the Peninsula (Rhodes Memorial, 2002; Marina da Gama, 2012; Kirstenbosch, 2013) which may represent the precursors of more permanent range expansion and colonisation.

Cape Bunting Emberiza capensis Widespread breeding resident, locally common.

Found wherever there are rocks or bare ground with scattered bushes.

Yellow Canary is predominantly a spring visitor (Howard Langley)

Most numerous in disturbed grassy coastal forelands and coastal 123

thicket; forages on rocky shores above and below the high-tide line and, occasionally, amongst rotting seaweed on sandy beaches. Quite common at the Cape Point car park and environs. Nests with eggs have been found in December.

Cape Siskin, a fynbos endemic that is relatively easy to see at the Reserve, especially on the cliff-top trail west of Cape Point. (John Graham)

Cape Bunting occurs in a variety of habitats from the rocky mountain tops down to the coast. (Howard Langley) 124

Stop Press The dynamic nature of birds and birding at the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve is demonstrated by the often dramatic changes in status of a variety of species, and the number of new birds that have been added to the list in recent years.

The following species included in the present account are additional to the list given in Fraser 2014.

Olive Woodpecker Pacific Golden Plover King Penguin Spectacled Petrel Cape Long-billed Lark Swee Waxbill Tree Pipit Two further species have been added more recently: an African ReedWarbler found by Callan Cohen and Howard Langley in December 2015; and Lesser Flamingoes seen at Die Mond in May 2016 by Cliff Dorse.

These records bring the Reserve species’ total up to 288.

Five Lesser Flamingoes with a small flock of Greaters and (top picture) Kelp Gulls at Die Mond in May, 2016. The 288th species to be recorded at the Reserve. (Cliff Dorse) 125

The following species’ account should be inserted after Greater Flamingo on p 82. The species’ checklist entry should read: N, VV, S. Lesser Flamingo Phoenicopterus minor Rare visitor.

Five Lesser Flamingoes in the Die Mond lagoon with 15 Greater Flamingoes (itself a respectable Reserve record) on 29 May 2016.

Occurs fairly commonly elsewhere in the southwestern Cape in quite large numbers (sometimes thousands), mainly at saline coastal lagoons. A claimed record of two Lessers at the Reserve in October 1984 did not preclude runt Greaters.

The following species’ account should be inserted after Lesser Swamp Warbler on p 102. The species’ checklist entry should read: ?, VV, F. African Reed-Warbler Acrocephalus baeticatus Status unclear, possibly local vagrant or rare resident.

One record. One in a small Typha patch just inland from Hoek van Bobbejaan on 19 December 2015. The bird was in full song and appeared to be holding territory. Found throughout Africa and common and widespread at dams, vleis and rivers in the south-western Cape. Lack of suitable habitat would severely restrict its distribution at the Reserve, but it is still surprising that it has apparently not occurred here before.

African Reed-Warbler near Hoek van Bobbejan in December 2015. (Callan Cohen www.birdingafrica.com) 126

Cape Sugarbird (another, with no apologies - they’re brilliant birds) on Mimetes hirtus, an important source of nectar in winter and spring. (Howard Langley)

References and further information A full list of the references used in compiling this publication is provided in Ornithological Observations (see Fraser 2014, below).

Some other important sources of information are listed below. A number of these also provide useful additional background for birders planning a visit to the Reserve. Together with the individual species accounts, these will help you to track down particular species and to put your observations into a local, historical and rarity context.

Hockey PAR, Underhill LG, Neatherway M, Ryan PG. 1989. Atlas of the Birds of the Southwestern Cape. Cape Bird Club, Cape Town.

McMahon L, Fraser M. 1988. A Fynbos Year. David Philip Publishers, Cape Town.

Petersen W. 2015. Cape of Good Hope Wildlife Guide. Kommetjie Environmental Awareness Group, Kommetjie.

Petersen W, Tripp M. 1995. Birds of the southwestern Cape and where to watch them. Mondi Southern Birds 20, Southern African Ornithological Society and the Cape Bird Club, Cape Town.

Cohen C, Spottiswoode C. 2000. Essential Birding - Western South

Taylor HC. 1983. The vegetation of the Cape of Good Hope Nature

Africa. Struik, Cape Town.

Reserve. Bothalia 14: 779-784.

Cowling RM, Macdonald IAW, Simmons T. 1996. The Cape Peninsula,

Taylor HC. 1984. A vegetation survey of the Cape of Good Hope Nature

South Africa: physiographical, biological and historical background to

Reserve. II. Descriptive account. Bothalia 15: 259-291.

an extraordinary hot-spot of biodiversity. Biodiversity and Conservation 5: 527-550.

Fraser M. 2014. Birds of the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, South-Western Cape, South Africa. Ornithological (now Biodiversity) Observations 5: 139-247.

And don’t go the Reserve without a copy of the invaluable BotSoc guide to the area. This will help you to identify which of the Reserve’s 1,050 or so plant species (including 14 endemics) your birds are perched in, on, or amongst! The book also has useful maps and other information.

Fraser M, Graham J, McMahon L. 1993. Birding in and around Cape

Trinder-Smith T. 2006. Wild Flowers of the Table Mountain National

Town. Birding in Southern Africa 45: 71-79.

Park. South African Wild Flower Guide 12. Botanical Society of South

Fraser M, McMahon L. 1991. Birding at the Cape of Good Hope Nature

Africa, Kirstenbosch.

Reserve. Birding in Southern Africa 43: 38-43 Fraser M, McMahon L. 1994. Between Two Shores ~ Flora and Fauna of the Cape of Good Hope. David Philip Publishers, Cape Town.

Harrison JA, Allan DG, Underhill LG, Herremans, M, Tree AJ, Parker V, Brown CJ (eds). 1997. The Atlas of Southern African Birds. BirdLife

The Reserve opening times and other important information about it and the Table Mountain National Park as a whole can be found at the South African National Parks Board general website and this specific page.

South Africa, Johannesburg.

128

Author’s acknowledgements I thank the many birders whose records have contributed to this account. Special thanks are due to Cape of Good Hope stalwarts John Graham, Howard Langley, Barrie Rose and, in particular, Peter Ryan, for their invaluable input. I also thank Howard, Peter and John for their outstanding photographs. Callan Cohen, Clifford Dorse and Patrick Morant provided updates on some species accounts.

My observations at the Reserve in 1984-86 were made while undertaking research at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology at the University of Cape Town, funded by the CSIR Environmental Sciences Programme and a J. W. Jagger Overseas Student Scholarship. From 1986-96 my birding at the Reserve was carried out independently.

Cape Metropolitan Council (in charge of the Reserve during my time there) granted permission to visit sanctuary areas and to ring birds at the Reserve. I thank Gerald Wright (former Chief Ranger), Howard Langley (former Chief Nature Conservation Officer), and other Reserve staff for their comments and for giving me free reign to plunder their filing cabinets and fading memories. Margaret Koopman (Niven Library, PFIAO) very helpfully provided reference material.

I am especially grateful to Coleen Moloney for her help in the preparation of an early draft of this list. And special thanks to my wife, Liz, for her help and companionship in the field, support in writing this account (not least in IT!), and for sharing our memorable time at the Cape. I hope that birders and other visitors will continue to enjoy the Reserve as much as we did, and to support its conservation aims.

An Orange-breasted Sunbird probes an erica flower. (Howard Langley) 129

A female Southern Double-collared Sunbird on Leonotis leonurus, a favourite foodplant at Olifantsbos, flowering in mid- and late summer. (Peter Ryan) 130

Common Ringed Plover, a summer migrant from the northern hemisphere, at Olifantsbos Bay. The highest numbers on the Cape Peninsula are found at the Reserve. (Howard Langley)

Common names of birds, other animals, and plants The names and taxonomic order of the bird species follow the BirdLife South Africa official checklist (2015). Unlike birds, not many South African plant species have common Afrikaans or English or names and, of those that have, very few are widely used. So I have used scientific plant names in the text almost exclusively.

Euclea racemosa Sea Guarri Ficus fig species Leonotis leonurus Wild Dagga Leucadendron laureolum Golden Conebush Leucospermum conocarpodendron viridum Green Tree Pincushion Metalasia muricata Blombos Mimetes fimbriifolius Tree Pagoda

The use of scientific names should not, however, be seen not be seen as

Mimetes hirtus Marsh Pagoda

a hindrance to identifying or appreciating the plants. No self-

Olea exasperata Coast Olive

respecting eight-year-old would ever baulk at Velociraptor or

Osmitopsis asteriscoides Marsh Daisy

Tyrannosaurus rex, so why should Protea repens or even the likes of

Pelargonium cucullatum Wildemalva

Chrysanthemoides monilifera and Leucospermum conocarpodendron

Pinus pine species

be any more intimidating?

Protea lepidocarpodendron Black-beard Sugarbush

The list below provides the names of those plants and a seaweed

Protea repens Common Sugarbush

mentioned in the text that do have local common names in popular

Pteridium aquilinum Bracken

usage.

Quercus oak species

Acacia wattle species Acacia cyclops Rooikrans Acacia longifolia Long-leaved Wattle Acacia saligna Port Jackson Wattle Berzelia abrotanoides Fonteinbos Carpobrotus edulis Sour Fig, Suurvy, Perdevy Chrysanthemoides monilifera Bietou

Quercus robur Pedunculate Oak Restionaceae restios (Cape reeds) Sideroxylon inerme White Milkwood Struthiola dodecandra Heuningblommetjie Syncarpha vestita Cape Snow, Everlastings, Witseewejaartjie Tarchonanthus camphoratus Camphor Tree Typha capensis Bulrush

Cupressus macrocarpa Monterey Cypress

In contrast to the plants, all South African birds, mammals,

Ecklonia maxima Kelp, Sea Bamboo

herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians), and some invertebrates, have

Erica cerinthoides Fire Heath

common names. The scientific names of those mentioned in the text

Eucalyptus eucalyptus (gum) species

are given below.

132

Angulate Tortoise Chersina angulata Bontebok Damaliscus dorcas dorcas Cape Fur Seal Arctocephalus pusillus Cape Mountain Zebra Equus zebra Chacma Baboon Papio ursinus Dusky Dolphin Lagenorhynchus obscurus Eland Taurotragus oryx Kelp Fly Coelopa africana Klipspringer Oreotragus oreotragus Mediterranean Mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis Oxpecker Buphagus species Pied Starling Spreo bicolor Pilchard Sardinops ocellatus Protea Beetle Trichostheta fascicularis Purple Gallinule Porphyrio porphyrio Purple Heron Ardea purpurea Red Hartebeest Alcelaphus buselaphus caama Red-billed Tropicbird Phaeton aethereus Red-capped Lark Calandrella cinerea Rock lobster (West Coast Rock Lobster, kreef) Jasus lalandii Sandhopper Talorchestia capensis Sea louse Ligia species Water Mongoose Atilax paludinosus Winkles Littorina species Yellow-jacket Wasp Vespula germanica A clutch of African Black Oystercatcher eggs. The “nest� is no more than a slight depression in the sand, if that. In summer, please be aware of oystercatchers alarm-calling on the shore, a sure sign that you are keeping them away from their vulnerable eggs or young. (Mike Fraser) 133

Checklist of birds of the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve

3. Preferred habitat A

Alien vegetation/man-modified (gardens, lawns)

Key

B

Buildings

1. Status

C

Coastal thicket (strandveld)

A

Introduced alien (non-native) on South African list

Cl

Cliffs

B

Breeding resident

F

Freshwater (open water or margins)

(B)

Has bred, but not in the last 20 years

Fl

Flyover, or aerial feeder

E

Extinct

M

Old (>5 years post-fire) fynbos

I

Introduced to Reserve

O

Open sea

N

Non-breeding year-round or aseasonal visitor

P

Flowering bird-pollinated shrubs (mainly Proteaceae) in old

S

Non-breeding summer visitor

SS

Breeding summer visitor

R

Restioveld on plateaux

T

Tideline corpse

S

Seashore

V

Vagrant

W

Widespread in terrestrial habitats

W

Non-breeding winter visitor

Y

Young (< 5 years post-fire) fynbos

?

Unclear

fynbos

2. Abundance A

Abundant (present in large numbers in preferred habitat)

C

Common (frequently seen in preferred habitat)

O

Occasional (recorded in small numbers but not every year)

R

Rare (5-10 records)

(R)

Rare (5-10 records), but not recorded in past 20 years.

S

Scarce (small numbers resident or recorded annually)

V

Less than five records

(V)

Less than five records, but none in last 20 years

VV

One record

(X) One record more than 20 years ago

Levaillantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cisticola: â&#x20AC;&#x153;B, C, R/Fâ&#x20AC;? - a breeding resident, common in restioveld on plateaux and in freshwater margins. (John Graham)

Species 001 002 003 004 005 006 007 008 009 010 011 012 013 014 015 016 017 018 019 020

Common Ostrich Struthio camelus Grey-winged Francolin Scleroptila africanus Cape Spurfowl Pternistes capensis Common Quail Coturnix coturnix Common Peacock Pavo cristatus Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiacus South African Shelduck Tadorna cana Spur-winged Goose Plectropterus gambensis Cape Teal Anas capensis African Black Duck Anas sparsa Yellow-billed Duck Anas undulata Cape Shoveler Anas smithii Red-billed Teal Anas erythrorhyncha Southern Pochard Netta erythrophthalma Hottentot Buttonquail Turnix hottentottus Lesser Honeyguide Indicator minor Brown-backed Honeybird Prodotiscus regulus Ground Woodpecker Geocolaptes olivaceus Olive Woodpecker Dendropicos griseocephalus

Status (1); abundance (2); preferred habitat (3) 1 2 3 I/B S W

Species 021

B

S

W/M

022

B

S

W/A

023

?/(B)

O

R

024

A/(B/)E

O

A

025

IR

C

A

026

B/S

C

S

027

V

(R)

F/S

028

N/(B)

O

F/S

029

N/(B)

O

F/S

030

(B)/N

S

F

031

B/N

C

F

032

V

(VV)

F

033

B/N

V

F

034

V

(VV

F

035

?

O

R

036

N

V

A

037

?N

V

A

038

B

S

M/Y

039

?

VV

A

040

Acacia Pied Barbet Lybius leucomelas African Grey Hornbill Tockus nautus African Hoopoe Upupa africana Greater Scimitarbill Rhinopomastus cyanomelas European Roller Coracias garrulus Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis Giant Kingfisher Ceryle maxima Half-collared Kingfisher Alcedo semitorquata Malachite Kingfisher Alcedo cristata Grey-headed Kingfisher Halycon leucocephala White-throated Bee-eater Merops albicollis European Bee-eater Merops apiaster Speckled Mousebird Colius striata White-backed Mousebird Colius colius Red-faced Mousebird Colius indicus Red-chested Cuckoo Cuculus solitarius Klaas's Cuckoo Chrysococcyx klaas Burchell's Coucal Centropus burchellii African Black Swift Apus barbatus White-rumped Swift Apus caffer

Status (1); abundance (2); preferred habitat (3) 1 2 3 (B)/E S A V

VV

-

(B)N

O

A

V

(VV)

C

V

(VV)

A

N

S

S

N

S

S

N

(R)

F/S

N

O

F/S

V

(VV)

F

V

(VV)

Fl

V

(VV)

Fl

B

C

C

N

O/(R)

C

V

(VV)

C

S

R

A

N

(R)

A

?/(B)

O

C

B/N

C

Fl/Cl

S

C

Fl

135

Species 041 042 043 044 045 046 047 048 049 050 051 052 053 054 055 056 057 058 059 060

Little Swift Apus affinis Alpine Swift Apus melba Western Barn Owl Tyto alba African Wood-Owl Strix woodfordii Marsh Owl Asio capensis Spotted Eagle-Owl Bubo africanus Pel's Fishing-Owl Scotopelia peli Fiery-necked Nightjar Caprimulgus pectoralis Feral Pigeon Columba livia Rock Pigeon Columba guinea African Olive-Pigeon Columba arquatrix Red-eyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata Cape Turtle Dove Streptopelia capicola Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis Namaqua Dove Oena capensis Blue Crane Anthropoides paradiseus Striped Flufftail Sarothura affinis American Purple Gallinule Porphyrula martinica Moorhen Gallinula chloropus Red-knobbed Coot Fulica cristata

Status (1); abundance (2); preferred habitat (3) 1 2 3 S O Fl

Species 061

B?/N

C

Fl/Cl

062

(B?)/N

O

A/B

063

(B)/E

S

A

064

(B)/E/N

S

R

065

B?/N

S

A/W

066

V

(VV)

A/F

067

B?/N

S

A/W

068

N

O

B/Fl

069

B

C

A/B/Cl

070

N

O

A/C

071

B/S

S

A

072

B/S

C

A/W

073

B/N

S

A

074

N

O

W

075

S

O

W/Fl

076

?

O

R

077

V

(V)

-

078

(B)/N

(R)

F

079

N

(R)

F

080

African Snipe Gallinago nigripennis Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatalis Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola Common Sandpiper Tringa hypoleucos Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres Red Knot Calidris canutus Sanderling Calidris alba Little Stint Calidris minuta Baird's Sandpiper Calidris bairdii White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea Ruff Philomachus pugnax Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius Greater Painted-snipe Rostratula benghalensis Greater Sheathbill Chionis alba

Status (1); abundance (2); preferred habitat (3) 1 2 3 (B?)/N O F/R S

O

S

S

S

S

S

R

S

S

(R)

S/F

N

C

S/F

S

(R)

F/S

S

O

F/S

S

C

S

S

O

S

S

C

S

S

O

S

V

(VV)

S

V

(VV)/(V?)

S

V

V

S

S

C

S

S

(VV)

S

N

(VV)

O

N

(R)

F

V

R

Cl/S

136

Species 081 082 083 084 085 086 087 088 089 090 091 092 093 094 095 096 097 098 099 100

Water Thick-knee Burhinus vermiculatus Spotted Thick-knee Burhinus capensis African Black Oystercatcher Haematopus moquini Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva American Golden Plover Pluvialis dominica Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula Kittlitz's Plover Charadrius pecuarius Three-banded Plover Charadrius tricollaris Chestnut-banded Plover Charadrius pallidus White-fronted Plover Charadrius marginatus Blacksmith Lapwing Vanellus armatus Crowned Lapwing Vanellus coronatus Temminck's Courser Cursorius temmincki Subantarctic Skua Stercorarius antarcticus Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus Arctic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus

Status (1); abundance (2); preferred habitat (3) 1 2 3 N R S

Species 101

B/N

S

S/Y

102

B/N

S

S

103

N

C

S

104

N

O

S/F

105

V

VV

S

106

V

V

S

107

S

S

S

108

S

S

S

109

B/N

C

S

110

B/N

S

S/F

111

V

(VV)

S

112

B/N

A

S

113

B/N

S

Y/R/S

114

B/N

S

Y/R

115

N

V

Y

116

W

C

O

117

S

O

O

118

S

C

O

119

S

O

O

120

Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus Grey-headed Gull Larus cirrocephalus Hartlaub's Gull Larus hartlaubii Franklin’s Gull Larus pipixcan Sabine's Gull Larus sabini Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia Lesser Crested Tern Sterna bengalensis Swift Tern Sterna bergii Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis Common Tern Sterna hirundo Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea Antarctic Tern Sterna vittata Damara Tern Sterna balaenarum Osprey Pandion haliætus European Honey-Buzzard Pernis apivorus Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus Yellow-billed Kite Milvus parasitus African Fish-Eagle Haliæetus vocifer Cape Vulture Gyps coprotheres Black-chested Snake-Eagle Circaetus pectoralis

Status (1); abundance (2); preferred habitat (3) 1 2 3 B/N A Cl/S/O N

S

S

N

A

S/O

V

VV

S

S

A

O

N

S

S

V

(VV)

S/O

N

A

S/O

S

A

S/O

S

A

S/O

N

S

O

W

C

S/O

N

(R)

S

N

(R)

S/F/Fl

V

V

Fl

B

S

W

S

S

W

B/N

S

A/S/F

V

V

Fl

N

(VV)

W

137

Species 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140

African Marsh-Harrier Circus ranivorus Black Harrier Circus maurus African Harrier-Hawk Polyboroides typus Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk Melierax canorus African Goshawk Accipiter tachiro Rufous-chested Sparrowhawk Accipiter rufiventris Black Sparrowhawk Accipiter melanoleucus Steppe Buzzard Buteo buteo Jackal Buzzard Buteo rufofuscus Verreauxâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eagle Aquila verreauxii Booted Eagle HieraĂŚtus pennatus Martial Eagle Polemaetus bellicosus Secretarybird Sagittarius serpentarius Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni Rock Kestrel Falco rupicolus European Hobby Falco subbuteo Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus Dabchick Tachybaptus ruficollis Red-tailed Tropicbird Phaeton rubricauda

Status (1); abundance (2); preferred habitat (3) 1 2 3 (B)/N O R/W

Species 141

N

(R)

W

142

N

R

A/Cl

143

V

V

W

144

N

O/S

A/C

145

B/N

S

A/C

146

N

V

A/W

147

S

C

W/Fl

148

B/N

S

W/Cl

149

B/N

S

W/Cl

150

N

(R)

Fl

151

S

(VV)

Fl

152

(B)/N

O

W

153

S

(R)

Fl

154

B/N

S

W/Cl

155

S

(VV)

Fl

156

N

(R)

W

157

B/N

S

W/Cl

158

N/(B)?

O

F

159

V

V

Cl/O

160

Cape Gannet Morus capensis African Darter Anhinga melanogaster Reed Cormorant Phalacrocorax africanus Crowned Cormorant Phalacrocorax coronatus White-breasted Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo Bank Cormorant Phalacrocorax neglectus Cape Cormorant Phalacrocorax capensis Little Egret Egretta garzetta Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea Yellow-billed Egret Egretta intermedia Western Reef Heron Egretta gularis Grey Heron Ardea cinerea Black-headed Heron Ardea melanocephala Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax Hamerkop Scopus umbretta Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus

Status (1); abundance (2); preferred habitat (3) 1 2 3 N A O N

O

F

N

S

F

N

N

O/S

B/N

C

O/S/Cl

N

S

S/O

B/N

A/C

Cl/S/O

N

C

S/F

V

VV

S

N

O

S/F

V

VV

S

N

S

S/F

N

S

S/F

N

S

A/S

N/B?

S

F/S/A

(B)N?

S

F/A

N

O

S

N

C

S/F/A

N

C

S

N

C

S

138

Species 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180

Hadeda Ibis Bostrychia hagedash African Spoonbill Platalea alba White Stork Ciconia ciconia Black Stork Ciconia nigra King Penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus Macaroni Penguin Eudyptes chrysolophus Northern Rockhopper Penguin Eudyptes moseleyi African Penguin Spheniscus demersus Wilson's Storm-Petrel Oceanites oceanicus European Storm-Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans Northern Royal Albatross Diomedea sanfordi Salvinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Albatross Thalassarche salvini Shy Albatross Thalassarche cauta Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophris Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche chlororhynchos Dark-mantled Sooty Albatross Phoebetria fusca Light-mantled Sooty Albatross Phoebetria palpebrata Southern Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus Northern Giant Petrel Macronectes halli

Status (1); abundance (2); preferred habitat (3) 1 2 3 B/N S A

Species 181

V

(VV)

F

182

S

S

Fl/Y/F

183

N

(V)

F

184

V

V

S

185

V

(V)

S

186

V

(V)

S

187

N

S

O/S

188

W

A

O

189

S

S

O

190

W

V

O

191

W

V

O

192

W

(VV)

O

193

W

C

O

194

W

C

O

195

W

C

O

196

V/T

(V)

O

197

V

(V)

O

198

W

C

O

199

W

C

O

200

Southern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialoides Pintado Petrel Daption capense Great-winged Petrel Pterodroma macroptera Atlantic Petrel Pterodroma incerta Soft-plumaged Petrel Pterodroma mollis Blue Petrel Halobaena caerulea Broad-billed Prion Pachyptilla vittata Antarctic Prion Pachyptilla desolata Slender-billed Prion Pachyptilla belcheri White-chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis Spectacled Petrel Procellaria conspicillata Cory's Shearwater Calonectris diomedea Great Shearwater Puffinus gravis Flesh-footed Shearwater Puffinus carneipes Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus Little Shearwater Puffinus assimilis Fork-tailed Drongo Dicrurus adsimilis African Paradise-Flycatcher Terpsiphone viridis Southern Boubou Laniarius ferrugineus

Status (1); abundance (2); preferred habitat (3) 1 2 3 W V O W

C

O

W

S

O

W

V

O

W

C

O

T

(V)

O

W

C?

O

W

A

O

W/T

R?

O

W/N

A

O

W

V

O

S

A

O

N

C

O

S

V

O

W

A

O

N

R

O

W

O

O

N

R

A

SS

S

A

B

C

C/A

139

Species 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220

Bokmakierie Telophorus zeylonus Cape Batis Batis capensis Black Crow Corvus capensis Pied Crow Corvus albus White-necked Raven Corvus albicollis Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor Fiscal Shrike Lanius collaris Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio Southern Grey Tit Parus afer Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica White-throated Swallow Hirundo albogularis Greater Striped Swallow Hirundo cucullata Rock Martin Hirundo fuligula House Martin Delichon urbica Brown-throated Martin Riparia paludicola Black Saw-wing Psalidoprocne holomelaena Cape Bulbul Pycnonotus capensis Sombre Greenbul Andropadus importunes Cape Grassbird Sphenoeacus afer Long-billed Crombec Sylvietta rufescens

Status (1); abundance (2); preferred habitat (3) 1 2 3 B C C/M

Species 221

N

(V)

A

222

V

(VV)

?

223

N

O

W/Fl

224

B

S

W/Cl

225

V

(VV)

-

226

B

C

C/A/M

227

V

(V)

C/M

228

V

(VV)

M

229

S

C/A

W/C/S

230

S

S

C/S

231

S

O

B

232

B

C

W/B/Cl

233

S

V

Fl

234

?/N

O

C/F

235

(B)/S

(V)

F/Fl

236

B/N

C

C/A/P

237

V

(VV)

A

238

B

C

W

239

V

(VV)?

A

240

Little Rush Warbler Bradypterus baboecala Lesser Swamp Warbler Acrocephalus gracilirostris European Marsh Warbler Acrocephalus palustris Icterine Warbler Hippolais icterina Cape White-eye Zosterops pallidus Grey-backed Cisticola Cisticola subruficapilla Levaillant's Cisticola Cisticola tinniens Neddicky Cisticola fulvicapilla Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis Cloud Cisticola Cisticola textrix Spotted Prinia Prinia maculosa Bar-throated Apalis Apalis thoracica Clapper Lark Mirafra apiata Cape Long-billed Lark Certhilauda curvirostris Grey-backed Finchlark Eremopterix verticalis Cape Rock Thrush Monticola rupestris Sentinel Rock Thrush Monticola explorator Southern Olive Thrush Turdus olivaceous Fiscal Flycatcher Sigelus silens Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata

Status (1); abundance (2); preferred habitat (3) 1 2 3 N/?

(V) F/C N/?

O

F

V

(VV)

C

V

(VV)

C

B/N

C

C/A/M/P

B

C

C/M

B

C

R/F

B/(B)?

O

M/Y

N/?

(V)

R/A

B

S

R

B

C

C/M/A

N

(V)

C

B

S

R/Y

V

VV

S

V

(VV)

R

B

S

Y/B/C

B

S

Y

B

S

A/C

B

S

A/C

S

(R)

A/C

140

Species 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260

Dusky Flycatcher Muscicapa adusta Cape Robin-Chat Cossypha caffra Brown Scrub-Robin Erythropygia signata Karoo Scrub-Robin Erythropygia coryphaeus African Stonechat Saxicola torquata Mountain Chat Oenanthe monticola Capped Wheatear Oenanthe pileata Familiar Chat Cercomela familiaris Red-winged Starling Onychognathus morio Wattled Starling Creatophora cinerea European Starling Sturnus vulgaris Orange-breasted Sunbird Anthobaphes violacea Amethyst Sunbird Chalcomitra amethystina Malachite Sunbird Nectarinia famosa Southern Double-collared Sunbird Cinnyris chalybeus Dusky Sunbird Cinnyris fuscus Cape Sugarbird Promerops cafer Cape Weaver Ploceus capensis Southern Masked Weaver Ploceus velatus Red-billed Quelea Quelea quelea

Status (1); abundance (2); preferred habitat (3) 1 2 3 SS S A

Species 261

B

B

C/A/M

262

V

(VV)

C

263

(B)/N

O

C/M

264

B/?

S

M

265

V

(VV)

Y

266

V

V

Y

267

B

C

M/Cl/S/B

268

B/N

C

A/P/S/B/Cl

269

N

O

S/A

270

I/N/B

C/A

S/A

271

B/N?

C/A

P/M/C

272

V

(VV)

C

273

B/S

C/A

C/M/Y/A

274

B/S

C/A

C/A/P

275

V

VV

C/Fl

276

B/N

C/A

P/M

277

(B)/N

S

A/C/Fl

278

(B)/N

(V)

A

279

V

V

C/Fl

280

Southern Red Bishop Euplectes orix Yellow Bishop Euplectes capensis White-winged Widowbird Euplectes albonotatus Swee Waxbill Coccopygia melanotis Common Waxbill Estrilda astrild African Quailfinch Ortygospiza atricollis Pin-tailed Whydah Vidua macroura House Sparrow Passer domesticus Cape Sparrow Passer melanurus Southern Grey-headed Sparrow Passer diffusus African Pied Wagtail Motacilla agiump Cape Wagtail Motacilla capensis Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea African Pipit Anthus cinnamomeus Plain-backed Pipit Anthus leucophrys Long-billed Pipit Anthus similis Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis Orange-throated Longclaw Macronyx capensis Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs

Status (1); abundance (2); preferred habitat (3) 1 2 3 N O C/R B

C

R/F

V

VV

C

?/V

?V

A

B

C

C/R

N

(V)

?

N/(B)

O

C/R

A/(B)/N

O/C

A/B/Fl

(B)/N

O

A/B

V

V

C/B

V

VV

S

B/N

C

S/B/F

V

(VV)

S

V

(VV)

F

V

(VV)

R

B/N

S/C

Y/S/A

?

(V)

Y

V

VV

A

B/N

O

Y/A

A/V

V

A

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Species 281 282 283 284 285 286

Cape Canary Serinus canicollis Brimstone Canary Serinus sulphuratus Yellow Canary Serinus flaviventris Cape Siskin Crithagra totta Cinnamon-breasted Bunting Emberiza tahapisi Cape Bunting Emberiza capensis

Status (1); abundance (2); preferred habitat (3) 1 2 3 B/N C C/Y/M B/N

S

C

N

S

C

B/N

C

Y/C

V

VV

C

B

C

W

Familiar Chat: “B, C, M/Cl/S/B” - a breeding resident, common in old fynbos, cliffs, seashore and buildings. (Howard Langley)

Cape Bunting, the last on the list, is easy to identify by its ‘humbug’ head stripes. (John Graham) 142

A Blacksmith Lapwing on its nest amongst short restios and white-flowered Struthiola dodecandra in early post-fire Restionaceous Plateau Fynbos next to the northern arm of Circular Drive. This young habitat is also good for larks, pipits and Cloud Cisticola. (Mike Fraser)

The Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve lies at the tip of the Cape Peninsula, the south-westernmost point of the African continent. (Satellite image courtesy of NASA) 144

Map of the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve (the southern section of the Table Mountain National Park) with main place names. For further information, see the South African National Parks webpage here.

Bird tracks in the sand at Platboom. (Mike Fraser) When visiting the Reserve, please leave only footprints and take only photographs.

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Mike Fraser went to South Africa from Scotland in 1984 to work at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology (affectionately known as the ‘Fitz’ or ‘Fitztitute’) at the University of Cape Town.

Studying the effects of fire regime and alien-plant invasion on fynbos birds, much of his field research was carried out at the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve.

Apart from a spell as a primary-school teacher (his pupils remember him chiefly for going off the subject), Mike has always worked with birds and wildlife, and is now a conservation officer with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) in south-east Scotland. As well as birding and bird ringing, he enjoys gardening, the history of scientific exploration, the history and art of the Italian Renaissance, and islands – his favourite being the Tristan da Cunha group in the south Atlantic where the Upland Inaccessible Finch (formerly Bunting) Nesospiza acunhae fraseri, is named after him. He is a member of the editorial advisory panel of Birdwatch, the UK’s top birding magazine.

A lifelong career in conservation management saw Howard Langley responsible for some of the most important sites on the Cape Peninsula, including the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve (he co-authored one of the earliest accounts of its birds) and Rondevlei Nature Reserve. He oversaw the incorporation of CoGHNR into the newly-established Table Mountain National Park in 1998,

later becoming park manager and then South African National Parks' regional manager for the Western Cape.

An accomplished botanist as well as birder, he discovered a new species of orchid (Pterygodium connivens) in the Reserve in 1972, and rediscovered Serruria foeniculacea, long thought to be extinct, near Rondevlei in 1989.

Howard retired in 2005 and now spends his time enjoying the beautiful places that he and his colleagues helped to conserve for posterity. He styles himself as a “wannabe” wildlife photographer (a hobby that he has pursued since his late teens), with no particular goal in mind, other than the challenge and enjoyment of trying to get a good picture.

John Graham is an engineer by trade and a birder by preference, having been obsessively birding since school days. He travels as widely as possible, with the goal of seeing members of all the bird families of the world vying with a passion for seabirds in dictating the destination of his next birding trip.

With the increasing quality and convenience of digital photographic equipment, his telescope has been largely replaced by a camera as compulsory birding attire. As a result, he now aims to get passable images of all the birds and other creatures that he encounters.

John has lived in Cape Town almost all his life and has an outstanding knowledge of the birds and other wildlife of the Cape Peninsula and its offshore waters.

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Peter Ryan is director of the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and is one of South Africa’s top birders and bird photographers. He has wide-ranging interests in avian biology, and is the leading authority on the wildlife and conservation of Tristan da Cunha, having studied the ecology and taxonomy of the islands’ Nesospiza finches for his PhD. Most of the postgraduate students that he supervises at the Fitz work on seabird biology and conservation.

Peter is a former President of BirdLife South Africa, an associate editor of the journals ‘Antarctic Science’ and ‘Bird Conservation International’, and an honorary Conservation Officer at Tristan da Cunha. A prolific author, he has written more than 300 scientific papers as well as numerous popular articles for magazines such as African Birdlife, and 12 books about birds and their identification, including the 4th edition of SASOL Birds of Southern Africa and Birds of Africa South of the Sahara. Peter is a long-time resident of Cape Town and a regular visitor to the Reserve.

Previous books by Mike and Liz Fraser A Fynbos Year (David Philip Publishers, Cape Town) Between Two Shores ~ flora and fauna of the Cape of Good Hope (David Philip Publishers, Cape Town) The Smallest Kingdom ~ plants and plant collectors at the Cape of Good Hope (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew)

~~*~~ The Singing Magpie Press was established by Mike and Liz Fraser in 2016. Birds of the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve is its first publication. We aim to follow this with ebooks on natural history, travel and art, and any combination of these that takes our fancy! A website for The Singing Magpie Press is currently under construction.

Meantime, you can find out more about us and our books here.

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