The Cape Bird Club

Of Birdies and Eagles  by Michael Buckham

Recently on BirdNet there was a healthy debate about the merits of golf courses and their associated housing developments. Not only have the new style developments taken some flak from the environmentalists but all courses (as long as they may have been established) have been fingered as the culprits behind the destruction of indigenous bush and habitat throughout South Africa, but especially in the Western Cape and on the Garden Route.

Contary to this debate I have chosen to write this brief report on some of the experiences that I have had on my home course, Clovelly Country Club nestled in a neat valley just behind the bustling suburb of Fish Hoek. The valley has a perenial stream that flows out of the Silvermine Nature Reserve and alongside many of the holes (it has certainly swallowed my golf balls on more than a few occassions). Much of the course holds large stands of eucalyptus and pine and close to the clubhouse there is a copse of oaks (also a prolific ball guzzler) but there has been an attempt over the last few years to plant indigenous trees and the Raymond Ackerman Gardenis a good example of this. Furthermore the course runs alongside a portion of the Silvermine Nature Reserve and is still clad with fynbos.

Over the years I have had some very enjoyable and interesting bird sightings. Probably the most impressive collection of birds is the raptors. The wooded (albeit alien) areas and open fairways obviously provide some excellent hunting opportunitiies. I have on occasions, seen aerial interaction between the Forrest and Jackal Buzzard as well as a Rufous Chested Sparrowhawk joining the fray and harrassing the Forrest Buzzard through the pines.

photograph by Ann Koeslag

Black Sparrowhawk

Towards the end of 2005 there was a successful clutch of Black Sparrowhawks from the nest alongside the 5th hole and there were two very vocal juveniles patrolling the length of the 15th fairway for several weeks in succession. I witnessed one poor deceased Paradise Flycatcher in the claws of one of the juveniles amidst a fair degree of grating by the flycatcher's partner.

African Goshawk completes the acipter trio with the birds regularly calling from the oak woodland near the clubhouse.

A bird that I search for often when I am on the course is Vereaux's Eagle, however I have not yet been fortunate enough to see it. A recent addition to my course list was an African Fish Eagle circling alongside the ridge running along the northern boundary of the course.

photograph by Meidan Goren

Vereaux's Eagle (Black Eagle)

Other interesting birds include a huge population of Chaffinches. During the spring months it is hard to play a single hole without hearing several birds singing simultaneously. This has been a gradually increasing population, as I only recall having heard them for the first time about 3 years ago. It is an indication that Chaffinch may be expanding more than we think.

Last summer 2004/2005 there were serveral African Reed Warblers inhabiting the reeds along the major water course. This was an interestin addition to my course list as well as an interesting bird for the pennisula. The nearest place I had seen them was Paarl Sewerage Works or Spier wine estate. Unfortunately as greenkeepers are want to do, they chopped back the reeds towards the end of the last year and to my knowledge the birds never returned (once again I am sure this will spark off some debate....)

photograph by Heather Howell

Yellow billed Duck

The several water features on the course are naturally a great attraction for the birds. It would be tricky to list all of them but the ones that come to mind are the various ducks and waterfowl including Yellow billed and African Black Duck, the ubiquitous Egyptian Geese, Common Moorhen and Red Knobbed Coot plus Reed and Whitbreasted Cormorant and the occasional African Darter. Other water associated birds include Pied and Malachite Kingfishers and a few species of egret and heron, the most significant of which includes a fairly irregular visit from Yellow billed Egret. African Spoonbill is also regularly encountered on the lower end of the course near the vlei that leads into the ocean on Fish Hoek beach. A recent surprise was a female Wood Duck which I found swimming quite serenely on the ponf alongside the 5th hole.

photograph by Gavin Lawson                                        photograph by Heather Howell

Spoonbills                                                           Red Knobbed Coot

Clearly an escapee this bird was seen two weekends in a row but not sincethen. Perhaps it became a source of food for the winter clutch of Black Sparrowhawks whose nest overlooked the 5th hole!

Amidst the alien vegetation there is still plenty of fynbos that surrounds the course, particularly in the vicinity of the 4th and 5th holes and a good ear will pick up the usual Bokmakierrie, Cape Grassbird, Orange breasted Sunbird, Cape Bishop, Karoo Prinia, Cape Francolin, Greybacked Cisticola and Yellow Bishop. During a round of golf there simply isnt time to walk up into the thicket part of the fynbos, but surely it would reveal birds such as Cape Sugarbird, Ground Woodpecker and Cape Ciskin.

                                                 photograph by Heather Howell

Orange breasted Sunbird             Cape Sugarbird

Thankfully the course is relatively devoid of alien birds despite the profusion of alien vegetation. I am fortunate in that I have never seen a House Sparrow or House Crow (heaven forbid they ever get that far south) and there are remarkably numerous on other golf courses on the peninsula. So despite the controversy associated with golf course developments in the Western Cape, I still derive a great degree of pleasure from the birds on my home course. My list is somewhere in the 70's and if housing development is avoided at Clovelly (which I would hope it is) I will hopefully reach 100 species in the years to come.