Outing to D’Aria Wine Estate, Durbanville.

This was an alternative to the primary CBC outing to Cape Point. There were six birders in total, and the species count was 35, recorded by fourteen-year-old Kylie Copeland.

We started off by doing a full circuit of the lake. It was advantageous to access the far side as the sun was quite low in the NE, and looking up-sun across the lake would have made for very difficult lighting conditions. One surprise was the very large flock of guinea fowl that seemed to find the south side of the lake fascinating. I would estimate upwards of 100 of them. One of them decided it didn’t like our presence, so took to the air, and then they all followed suit, very noisily and clumsily.

After the lake, we walked along the paths through the vines, and then back along the track through the wood. We were surprised at the number of African Stonechats that we saw perching in various places. Unfortunately, the weather was not conducive to raptor activity, and they were noticeable by their absence.

Our tour of the estate finished just before 10:30, which was lucky because it started to rain just as we drove away from the car park. An enjoyable couple of hours of birding was enjoyed by all.

Photograph by Liz Munro.

Report by Greg Smith.