Sunday dawned rather wet and cool in Cape Town. However quite a number of adventurous CBC members, clearly suffering from the deprivations of Covid19 lockdown, headed out on the first formal weekend outing since lockdown commenced. We all met at the entrance to a largely deserted Ganzekraal Resort.
Covid precautions at the entrance dispensed with, and having a brief flypast by a European Bee-eater and a couple of other common residents we took to the beach of Jacobs Bay. Spotting the resident Oystercatchers, gulls and Cape Wagtails we headed up above the dunes. A comfortable two spoor track through the Strandveld, under cloudy skies, revealed Karoo scrub-robin, Bar-throated Apalis, Long-billed crombec, White-backed mousebirds, Rock kestrel, numerous Southern double-collared sunbirds, Cape Bulbuls and other common species.
Looping closer to the coast again we spotted some of the coastal species such as lone White-backed Pelican and a couple of distant Cape gannets. We experienced some light drizzle as we approached the Grotto Bay boundary. Before we turned around a Black-headed heron and Cape Buntings were sighted. On our return the clouds parted for a while and under warmer conditions we walked off more recently accumulated ‘covidspek’, spotting Chestnut-vented warbler/tit-babbler and a female Pin-tailed whydah.
A convivial picnic lunch back at the cars was enjoyed by the 23 staunch participants. Thanks to all those intrepid souls who attended.
Ganzekraal Sightings List (via Birdlasser)
Trip: 20200920 Ganzekraal
Date: 2020-09-20 to 2020-09-20
Observations: 41
Species: 41
Species (heard only): 0
Pentad: 3330_1820, Start: 2020-09-20, End: 2020-09-20, Species: 1, Observations: 1
1. Black Harrier, 2020-09-20 11:45
Pentad: 3330_1815, Start: 2020-09-20, End: 2020-09-20, Species: 40, Observations: 40
1. Cape Grassbird, 2020-09-20 11:13
2. Neddicky, 2020-09-20 11:13
3. White-throated Swallow, 2020-09-20 11:12
4. Cape Spurfowl, 2020-09-20 11:07
5. Pied Crow, 2020-09-20 10:33
6. Chestnut-vented Warbler, 2020-09-20 10:22
7. Pin-tailed Whydah, 2020-09-20 09:45
8. Black-headed Heron, 2020-09-20 09:34
9. Cape Bunting, 2020-09-20 09:27
10. Great White Pelican, 2020-09-20 09:20
11. White-backed Mousebird, 2020-09-20 09:10
12. Bokmakierie, 2020-09-20 09:07
13. Cape Cormorant, 2020-09-20 09:06
14. Cape Gannet, 2020-09-20 09:06
15. Karoo Scrub Robin, 2020-09-20 09:01
16. Hadada Ibis, 2020-09-20 08:58
17. Bar-throated Apalis, 2020-09-20 08:57
18. Cape White-eye, 2020-09-20 08:51
19. Long-billed Crombec, 2020-09-20 08:49
20. Cape Robin-Chat, 2020-09-20 08:38
21. Karoo Prinia, 2020-09-20 08:37
22. Southern Double-collared Sunbird, 2020-09-20 08:35
23. Cape Weaver, 2020-09-20 08:34
24. Cape Sparrow, 2020-09-20 08:33
25. Rock Martin, 2020-09-20 08:30
26. Cape Bulbul, 2020-09-20 08:30
27. Pearl-breasted Swallow, 2020-09-20 08:20
28. African Oystercatcher, 2020-09-20 08:19
29. Kelp Gull, 2020-09-20 08:18
30. Ring-necked Dove, 2020-09-20 08:16
31. Red-eyed Dove, 2020-09-20 08:13
32. Grey-backed Cisticola, 2020-09-20 08:13
33. Common Starling, 2020-09-20 08:12
34. Speckled Pigeon, 2020-09-20 08:10
35. Hartlaub’s Gull, 2020-09-20 08:04
36. African Sacred Ibis, 2020-09-20 08:02
37. Rock Kestrel, 2020-09-20 08:02
38. European Bee-eater, 2020-09-20 07:57
39. Southern Fiscal, 2020-09-20 07:56
40. Southern Black Korhaan, 2020-09-20 07:56
Report by Dennis Laidler.
Photographs by Penny Dichmont and Dennis Laidler.
