The Cape Bird Club

Then and Now

Birds of the Hottentots - Holland; a half century of change by Rob Martin

photograph by Morne Carstens                               photograph by Ann Koeslag

African Marsh Harrier                              Black Sparrowhawk

juvenile African Goshawk

In 1952 three Somerset West birders, J.C.R Macleod, E.M and Commd C. Murray, published a list of birds recorded in the Hottentots Holland district, now known as Helderberg, which included the towns of Somerset West, Strand and Gordon's Bay. (See "The Ostrich" June 1952).

Jack Macleod, who was born in 1900 had a vast knowledge of the local birds and he had notes of his observations going back to the 1930's. Uncle Jack, as I affectionately called him, became a close birding buddy of my late father John Martin. and I as a kid I accompanied the two oldies on many a birding jaunt. In those days most of our birding was local and it was a rare treat to venture further afield.

Thre species of raptors that were common in those days but have now all but disappeared are Secretarybird, African Marsh Harrier and Lesser Kestrel. Apair  of harriers regularly nested in the de Beers marshes where the Somerset Mall is today. Lesser Kestrels were regular summer visitors in flocks of 30 - 40. Raptors that were seen include Booted Eagle, Forest Buzzard, Black Sparrowhawk, African Goshawk and African Harrier Hawk.

Until  about the Second World War Denham's Bustard occurred on the Gordons Bay flats and up to the mid 1960's Cloud Cisticola, Cape Clapper Lark and capped Wheatear were often recordedthere too. Some of the original vegetation on the flats is protected today but not enough patches to be attractive to many species.

The coastal bush around the Eerste River mouth supported Chest-vented Tit Babbler, Longbilled Crombec, White-throated Canary and Yellow Canary. With the encroachment of alien vegetation and the spreading housing estates one would be hard pressed to see any of these today. Birds that were new arrivals in the late 1940's and early 1950's include Blacksmith Lapwing and Zitting Cisitcola. The Redeyed Dove was first noted in september 1937 and had become fairly common by 1952.

Thankfully there are of course many new arrivals in the district including African Sacred Ibis, Hadeda Ibis Glossy Ibis, Little Swift, Forktailed Drongo, African Pipit, Amethyst Sunbird, House Sparrow, and Southern Greyheaded Sparrow. I wonder what changes the next 50 years will bring?

photograph by Greg Morgan

Hadeda Ibis                                                            Glossy Ibis

photograph by Morne Carstens

Sacred Ibis