As I walked towards the entrance at Gate 1, I could already see a crowd gathered – mostly wearing binos – so I knew we were going to have a large number of birders on the walk. We estimated there were at least 50 people, including some younger birders and many visitors from overseas, up-country, and Zimbabwe.
When we started walking, the group split up into smaller groups and there were several other birders present who were familiar with Kirstenbosch and were able to show the visitors some of the birds they wanted to see, like the Lemon Dove – we saw 3 different individuals between us – and Swee Waxbills
The Spotted Eagle-Owl was waiting for us on the Boomslang, which caused a great deal of interest and a bit of a traffic jam! Out in the Protea Garden the sun was shining and it was very hot. We saw a Southern Boubou out in the open and Cape Sugar Birds – they were beside the path so we had good views – but there were not many birds because it was so warm.
We wandered down through the gardens, enjoying the colourful Agamas on their rock, and found Swee Waxbills and Bronze Mannikins by the statue garden.
When we put our lists together, we were pleased to discover that we had seen 30 species, despite having seen no swifts, swallows or raptors.
Linda Hibbin.