Outing to Macassar.

03 September 2024– Led by Cliff Dorse.

Spring had sprung, as advertised on 01 September! However, winter made a bit of a comeback on the morning of 03 September and we were greeted with a strong north-wester, making it rather chilly. Getting to site a bit early, I was very worried that the turnout would be poor due to the conditions. However, people soon started arriving and in the end we had about eighteen people, including a few friends from the Somerset West Bird Club.

My beloved spotting scope is off being serviced, so I asked Charles Britz to please bring a scope down but, as expected, several CBC members had their scopes and they graciously allowed everyone to use them. At the normal parking area near the mouth, things were rather quiet. Amongst the more common coastal and water birds we did have a small group of Little Stints and a single Curlew Sandpiper.

We progressed slowly towards the mouth over the coastal dunes. There were very few birds, but we slowly added species as we went. The scenery was rather spectacular and the coastline, estuary and stormy conditions together with a large herd of cows gave one the feeling of being on the Wild Coast somewhere. A handful of Greater Crested Terns, as well as a few bush birds and aerial feeders, were added along the way.

Some additional species also got added to the list as we made our way back to the sewage works pans and the lower reaches of the river. This included Pied Kingfisher, Common Sandpiper and African Black Duck. In the more weedy upper reaches of the river we added a good few seed-eaters, including Cape and Yellow Canary and Common Waxbill. We then made our way back to the cars for much needed refreshments.

Some of the party had to leave after tea, but several people were still keen to take the walk up the dunes. While still windy, a bit of sunlight started to peek through and it was warming up a little. The intrepid group of birders was rewarded with some great views of bush birds, including Bar-throated Apalis, Karoo Prinia and Southern Boubou. We added Cape Bunting, Klaas’s Cuckoo and Bokmakierie by calls, but were unfortunately not able to get any visuals.

The highlight of the walk was, however, the great scenery and the wonderful flora. We enjoyed the high-quality Endangered Cape Flats Dune Strandveld and the Limestone Fynbos elements that are present at the top of the dunes. One of the highlights included the Blou Afrikaner (Gladiolus carinatus) which has a beautiful scent to many people. Interestingly, some people just can’t smell this scent. I am one of the people that always feel very left out while others are raving about the wonderful smell. We also enjoyed a few reptile sightings including an Ocellated Gecko (Pachydactylus geitje), Red-sided Skink (Trachylepis homalocephala), Knox’s Desert Lizard (Meroles knoxii) and Angulate Tortoise (Chersina angulate).

Thanks must go to the Reserve Supervisor Noxolo Sidzumo from the City of Cape Town for arranging access and the Quemic Rangers who looked after us and our vehicles. Also a huge thanks to everyone who joined on the day and Jacques Smit for assisting with the guiding. Macassar Dunes is a special place and besides the critical biodiversity it contains, it has huge potential as a recreational area for numerous activities including birding.

Despite the apparent paucity of birds in the estuary and the cold wind, we still managed to collate a collective list of some 74 species! I think on a good day in summer one could see 100 species at Macassar in a morning. A challenge for the next visit!

Photographs by Cliff Dorse and Paul Styger.

Report by Cliff Dorse.