Outing to the Tygerberg Nature Reserve.

 

Poem by Jens Kuhn.

On an April Tuesday, twenty-eight birders
went trekking up the Tygerberg slopes;
Guided by Keith, all followed like girders,
One and all counting their hopes.

And when one birder did accidentally see,
A crombec calling and flitting about,
Cameras and binocs jostled to point at the tree,
In which he played and bounced, ever so stout.

Hiding beneath the day’s fynbos, shrubby and dry,
The Layard’s Warbler made himself heard;
Above a carousel of voices echoed from dusty paths,
No one got to see this cameoed bird.

Swooping and swerving in baking-hot skies above,
Alpine-swifts sheered or veered to every fly;
While birders ducked to their erratic lines with love,
No camera could shoot them from the sky.

Several school-boy birders came along with wish to learn,
From those who have many birdy-miles on the clock;
But as delighted seniors rapidly realized in their turn,
Prolific young memories at work are a welcome shock.

 

“Our bird walk on 07 April 2026 took us along Caracal Walk and onto Watsonia Walk, in perfect warm, wind-free conditions. Our bird highlight was the sighting of a Long-billed Crombec, a first for us at Tygerberg Nature Reserve.
On a perfect autumn day the interaction of the five young birders amongst us showed an excellent level of bird knowledge – and proved to be refreshing and, at times, rather humorous. Their keen eyes and sharp ears were most welcome.
A lovely morning’s outing, ably led by Keith Roxburgh. Thanks, Keith!”
(Daryl and Lynette de Beer)

“It was my first time to visit Tygerberg. The birds were active here and I saw many species that I don’t usually see in Cape Town, like the Acacia Pied Barbet or the Bokmakierie, which I seldom see on the peninsula.
Overall, the Reserve is different to the wetland reserves in Cape Town, which we normally visit, so it was a breath of fresh air to go to somewhere new.”
(Max Harvey, 16 yrs)

“The crombec at the beginning was incredible.”
(Zachariah Kaspersen, 14 yrs)

“My best sighting was of the African Black and Alpine Swifts flying right over our heads.”
(Daniel Viljoen, 14 yrs)

“Three aspects stood out on Tuesday:
– The enthusiasm and excitement of the younger cohort at spotting the birds and sharing their first sightings.
– The swifts’ low-level fly-past, letting us all see them easily.
– The stories, reminiscing, banter and laughs with members of the group.”
(Keith Roxburgh, the Outing Leader)

“It was a very good outing, where I saw three lifers (Long-billed Crombec, Grey-backed Cisticola and White-throated Canary), talked about planes with Uncle Dennis and saw lots of interesting birds.”
(Iver, 10 yrs)

Bird list compiled by Zachariah Kaspersen.

Red-winged Starling
Southern Double-collared Sunbird
Pied Crow
Red-eyed Dove
Cape White-eye
Southern Boubou
Cape Bulbul
Cape Sparrow
Laughing Dove
Speckled Pigeon
Red-faced Mousebird
Black Sparrowhawk
White-throated Canary
Rock Kestrel
Bar-throated Apalis
Cape Weaver
Southern Masked Weaver
Cape Robin-Chat
Fiscal Flycatcher
Karoo Prinia (below)
African Black Swift
Long-billed Crombec
Acacia Pied Barbet
Ring-necked Dove
Southern Fiscal
Olive Thrush
Alpine Swift
Little Swift
Black-winged Kite
White-backed Mousebird
Cape Spurfowl
Grey-backed Cisticola
Karoo Scrub-Robin
Jackal Buzzard
Egyptian Goose
Bokmakierie
Common Buzzard
Barn Swallow
White-breasted Cormorant
Common Waxbill
Rock Martin
Cape Sugarbird

Total 49 species.