The Cape Bird Club

Rondevlei nostalgia – seventy years ago! by Madeline Alston.

Promerops No 263 (August 2005)

Two notes from Promerops, after a request for more information about the author and the article;

1. From Rob Martin  a background to the article - The Cape Naturalist vol No. 2 July 1935.

"I recognised the article immediately, as it forms the first chapter of her book that I often browsed through as a child - Wanderings of a Bird - Lover in Africa published by H.F & G Witherby Ltd of London (1937). The forward is written by The Right Hon. The Earl of Clarendon P.C., G.C.M.G. and Mrs Alston dedicates the book to the memory of her son George – Lord Hyde.
The book is divided into six parts dealing with her travels through the Cape Province, Natal and Zululand, Rhodesia, the Kalahari, Nyasaland and the Portuguese Territory. The colour frontpiece and pencil drawings are by Moubray Leigh. The author gives away little about herself; apparenty she was of British origin and it seems that she lived on a farm near Cape Town.

2. Kirstn Louw "discovered " the article and suggested we might like to reprint it in Promerops.

This is the second part of Madaline Alstons article which appeared originally in the Cape Naturalistin July 1935. We pick up the story early in the morning on the second day of their camping weekend at Ronde Vlei.

A Bird camp at Ronde Vlei

Finding it cold when we got up, two of us, wanting some exercise, went off to look for the Flamingos on Zeekoe Vlei. Standing on the sand hill between the two vleis, we saw them far off and determined to stalk them from behind the sand hills and reeds. We managed most effectively to get well within 100 yards of them, by crawling on our hands and knees and dragging ourselves along the flat ground. 

photograph by Peter Steyn

A peaceful crowd of aristocrats.....

Then from behind a clump of reeds we heard them cackling and watched them feeding and occasionlly disputing , although on the whole a peaceable crowd of aritocrats. Finally we walked boldly into view towards them, and then one by one they rose deliberately and with great diginity making, making a beautiful Japenese picture in the air, showing all the sunset glory of their plumage.

Returning by the lake we surprised another lovely thing amoung the reeds, nothing less than the bird with the paradoxical name of King reed hen. He ran in to hide in the thick of the reeds as is his wont, and then rose and flew to another clump of reeds on the opposite shore, and a flying King reed hen is, what few are privileged to see. He is glossy blue and green with red eyes, red bill and also a frontal shield of red and long rosepink legs, in length about 18 inches.

photograph by Heather Howell

Is this a King reed hen and now a Swamp hen and used to be a Purple Gallinule?

After breakfast I wandered round the lake wanting to find out to what species a long line of white birds belonged. They were apparently resting on a bank 20 yards from the waters edge. From the bushes sang a Bakbakiri Shrike, showing himself in his handsome green and yellow and black. Mousebirds I saw too, and Cape Bulbuls, and several "Kalkoentjies" or Orangethroated long-claws (handsome birds with a bright orange patch on the throat) rose up from the grass, as I walked along and besides, there were Chats and Warblers. 

photograph by Ann Koeslag

Orangethroated Longclaw bathing.

Turning a bend we came upon the Sacred Ibises having their midday rest on a sand bank and then I saw the birds I sought.

They were nothing less thrilling than Avocets – those curious birds with the long curved bills that turn upwards instead of downwards and so slender that you  have to be fairly close to see them at all clearly. They used to visit the fen country of England regularly befrore the fens were drained, but now they only come occasionally.When I approached they flew up, twinckling and flickering in the sunlight like stars, and then they descended again, reassurred apparently that I wasnt anything to be alarmed about. In the afternoon the Black Stork returned to feed and once more I had to go and look at the Avocets who were in the same spot as this morning. Again they flew up and twinkled like stars, filling ones eyes to overflowing with their grace and lovliness.

photograph by Peter Steyn

Avocets twinkled like stars.....

Of ducks we had the good fortune to see both South African Pochards(many of them) and South african Shelducks – very handsome birds they are with rufus–chestnut, black and white plumage, and with some feathers metallic green. A striking difference between male and female is that the head of the male is entirely of an ashygrey colour, while the females face is entirely white. Stark and Sclatersay that the shelduck has a very restricted range and is generally considered a scarce bird, and also that it is generally met with in pairs. Here on Ronde Vlei, although they swam about in pairs, several times I saw a flock of at least 12 fly overhead and in walking round the lake, we came upon a great many more than that number resting on the shore – many of them asleep – with one solitary Egyptian Goose amoung them. When they flew up in parties of twelve or so the goose flew with them. The Dutch call the Egyptian Goose the "Berggans" and the Shelduck the "Bergend", but I dont know what is the connection between either of these birds and mountains. That same morning too, a solitary Greenshank rose up and rested on a lonely part of the shore, melting into the background, while Pelicans Avocets, Dabchicks and Red – knobbed Coots kept our eyes busy.

A wonderful weekend to be sure we were having, and with glee I noticed that my family, whom I had metaphorically speaking dragged to the veld by the hair of the head, had become more and more interested, almost as interested, as I myself.