SEE BELOW FOR REPORTS OF SOME PAST OUTINGS

Floreat Environmental Club News for August and September 2024. On Saturday 31 August 2024, we took a group of 38 Floreat learners up the mountain on one of the most stunning sunny days Cape Town has had in a while. For many of these children, it was their first time hiking, but after a bit of effort and determination, we made it to Cecilia Waterfall. There, we enjoyed some snacks and cooled down under the refreshing water. The children had an absolute blast, exclaiming, "Wow, this was so worth it!", "Look at that view!", and "We love nature!". Thank you … Continued

Paul Greyling Bird Club Outing to West Coast National Park 11 September 2024. The CBC supports the little bird club run by the headmaster, Mr André Engelbrecht (himself a very keen birder) at Paul Greyling Laerskool/Primary School in Fish Hoek. In 2022 the Committee purchased and donated 5 pairs of binoculars to the school. They regularly borrow, as needed, additional pairs of binoculars from the set that the CBC has for use in schools. This Paul Greyling Bird Club has grown from a handful of children to more than 20, spread across the grades. Below is an account of an … Continued

An Owl Pellet Dissection workshop led by Priscilla Beeton and Gillian Barnes was held on Saturday 24 August 2024. It was attended by eleven youngsters: three from the CBC Young Birders group, three from Herschel Girls School, one from Western Province Primary, and four children from Paul Greyling Laerskool in Fish Hoek. The two-hour long workshop was held at the Zandvlei Lookout Hall in Lakeside which proved to be a great venue. Before starting to examine the owl pellets, the learners watched a very short video entitled “What is an owl pellet?”. Contrary to what many believe, owl pellets are … Continued

The Floreat Environmental Club tried something new last month with a two-day workshop on August 20th and 21st. We taught the children about endangered animals and the importance of conservation. Afterwards, they worked in groups to create educational posters about South African birds that are either endangered or have unique conservation stories. The birds included the White-backed Vulture, Black Harrier, Blue Crane, Cape Parrot, Blue Swallow, Secretarybird, and African Penguin. A special thanks to the UCT students who contributed by making short educational videos that the children used as research for their posters. These posters are now on display at … Continued

On Wednesday 03 July 2024, some of the Cape Bird Club members and I went to SANCCOB to look at how they save penguins and other sea birds. It was very wet and rainy there, so we got soaked. The penguins in the Home Pen do breed but they can’t keep their eggs. The eggs must be destroyed because SANCCOB is not allowed to breed penguins in captivity. So, they take the eggs away and replace them with dummy eggs, then when the baby penguin is supposed to hatch, they take the dummy egg away and replace it with a … Continued

On Saturday the 02 March 2024 a group of CBC members helped run an Introduction to Birds workshop at Floreat Primary school. Groups of students were rotated between stations to learn about feathers, beaks, bones, how to ID a bird, how to use a field guide and where birds came from. The students were enthusiastic and curious as always. This was the first activity of the year, so there were many new students with lots of questions! Photographs by Kristi Rousseau. Report by Jana Kemp.  

On the 9th of December the CBC hosted an outing for a group of Floreat learners, the last of the year! It was especially enjoyable for the Grade 7 learners who have been coming on these outings for a while but are now passing on to High School. Jana, the Youth Education Co-ordinator, met the group of 26 learners and Floreat staff at Cecilia Forest bright and early. They then walked through to Kirstenbosch. On this walk the learners focused on learning to differentiate between moss and lichen. In the Gardens they met up with CBC members, Priscilla Beeton and … Continued

Many of you may know the Spotted Eagle Owls that breed in an owl box in Keurboom Park: watching the chicks mature has become an annual attraction. This year the female laid in early August, but towards the end of September she abandoned the nest. There was speculation that her chicks may have been predated, but there was also some uncertainty as to whether chicks had been spotted at all. The incubation for this species is around a month, so the chicks should have been around 3 weeks old at the time. Justine Thornton of The Friends of Keurboom Park … Continued

Environmental education helps raise awareness and build knowledge about the issues affecting the natural world. It also equips learners with skills to contribute to conservation efforts. Environmental education can be particularly effective when it addresses local issues and allows learners to gain hands-on experience. At the end of August and into September, learners at The Floreat Primary School began planting locally indigenous plants in a degraded patch of land which is being converted into an outdoor classroom and indigenous garden. The Cape Bird Club has donated R40,000 towards the realisation of this initiative, which is also supported by the Ingcungcu … Continued

Floreat Primary School - Activities and Outings during TERM 3. In Term 3 the Floreat Environment Educational Club activities focussed on birds of prey. Owl pellet disecting. On 25th and 26th August Grade 4-7 learners in the Club explored what owls eat by dissecting Spotted Eagle Owl "Pellets" - balls of indigestible bones, fur, shells etc regurgitated by the owls, and collected by Cape Bird Club volunteers. The activity was led by Sanjo Rose. She was helped by a number of CBC volunteers over the two days (thank you to Joy Fish, Cathy Jenkins, Colin and Melody Attwell, Matthew Orolowitz … Continued

Herschel Prep have had quite a ‘birdy’ week in this last week of term. On Monday our Chairman, Mike Buckham, chatted to the girls about birds and birding and some highlights of his own birding trips. The girls were absolutely enthralled, and afterwards many admitted that they did not know that watching birds could be so exciting! Thank you, Mike! Nineteen Herschel girls (Grade 1 to Grade 6) belonging to the Environmental Club and two teachers, Margot Roebert and Linda Cowie, joined four CBC members, Michelle Vrettos, Zoe Lunau-Johns, Marilyn Metcalf and Priscilla Beeton, for a ‘break-up day’ birding outing … Continued

GRADE 7 OUTING TO THE SA AGULHAS ANTARCTIC EXPLORATION VESSEL AND ASSOCIATED EXHIBITION AT THE WATERFRONT 10 JUNE 2023. How lucky we were to be able to book places for this exciting Open Day for the SA Agulhas on 10th June. This was thanks to the perseverance of Kristi Rossouw, their teacher, as at first we were told that tickets were sold out! This is what Kristi wrote: On 10 June sixteen very lucky grade 6-7 FEECers got to go aboard the Agulhas 2 Antarctic research ship docked at the V&A Waterfront. We met the captain and crew, visited laboratories … Continued

19th of May saw a large group of excited Grades 4, 5 and 6s visiting Boulders Penguin Colony. The photos below were taken by Kristi Rossouw and colleagues and show some of the things that the children saw and did. After an unfortunately rather late arrival because of a transport issue the large group was divided into smaller groups which were led by CBC members Gillian Barnes, Michelle Vrettos and Priscilla Beeton who had prior to the event done a recce. Michelle created a great worksheet to be completed by the children as they walked around the colony. This encouraged … Continued

44 FEECers, 4 staff members and 4 CBC guides spent a fantastic afternoon on foot with binocs at False Bay Nature Reserve. To name a few, we enjoyed first sightings of the year of running Flamingos, Herons, Ibises, Yellow Billed Ducks, Teals, Shovelers, Stilts, Swallows, Cormorants, Geese, and, of course, juvenile and adult Kelp Gulls aplenty! With a close up view of the Strandfontein Solid Waste Plant, we all now have a fresh picture in our minds of where 'away' actually is, and an opportunity to rethink our rubbish throwing habits... Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repeat! The Cape Bird Club members … Continued

The Cape Bird Club hosted an outing for the CHS Bird Club to Strandfontein on Saturday 18th February, after a long gap since March last year. Unfortunately, our planned outings in the second and third terms last year had to be cancelled, because of lack of availability of students and a poor sign-up. At our previous outing (also at Strandfontein), I was particularly concerned because nearly all of the eight students attending were in matric - soon to leave the school! Mr Nick Chadwick (a Geography teacher at the school who has been liaising with the CBC) suggested at the … Continued

A gathering of young members of the Cape Bird Club participated in a frogging outing at the Kenilworth Race Course on the 18th August. The outing was kindly hosted by Conservation Officers at the Racecourse, Fayruz and Jarred, who were ably assisted by Cliff and Suretha Dorse who were a combined super-Amphibian team. The outing yielded an incredible 6 species of frogs, all of which are endemic to the Western Cape and one of them (Flat Caco) being endemic to the peninsula. The most endangered of the frogs are the Micro Frogs that were seen, whilst the most popular may … Continued

This day was a heavily anticipated outing. I love learning about the seabirds of South Africa. When we arrived at SANCCOB, we were immediately welcomed by Zach. Although he is only 11 he was as keen as mustard to go birding. A few minutes later, another junior birder, Alexi, arrived. But more about Alexi later. Brittany was our guide for the tour of SANCCOB. I could tell that she had been doing this for a bit and was born a birder as she really kept me interested throughout the tour. She first told us about the permanent and long-term residents. … Continued

Nearly 40 learners from Floreat Primary were treated to a day of relaxation and appreciating natural beauty on Friday the 10 June 2022, when the Cape Bird Club youth educators and volunteers accompanied them on a nature hike in Silvermine Nature Reserve. Armed with binoculars and challenged to find endemic Cape fynbos nectarivores such as Cape Sugarbirds and Orange-breasted Sunbirds, the learners took the trail leading from the second gate into the park off Ou Kaapse Weg to the top of the Silvermine Waterfall, where they were encouraged to relax and meditate and take in the beauty of their surroundings. … Continued

The Cape Bird Club’s 2022 Youth Education Programme kicked off the school year with an exciting opportunity for learners from Floreat Primary to get up close and personal with one of southern Africa’s most unique, charismatic and endangered birds. On the 12th of March 2022, the Grade 5-7 learners and Cape Bird Club educators and volunteers embarked on an outing to the penguin colony at Boulders Beach, allowing the learners, equipped with binoculars, the chance to observe African Penguins in their natural habitat. This was a first-time experience for many of the learners, and they were entranced by the antics … Continued

The Claremont High Bird Club had its first outing of the year at Strandfontein Birding Area (SBA) on Saturday 12th March. We met at the school a 9 a.m. CBC members helped drive the nine students (including eight from CHS and Zoë Lunau-Johns from Waldorf) to SBA. I was very grateful to have the help of Otto and Sandy Schmidt, Alison Gilbert, Joel Radue and Priscilla Beeton, all of whom have helped with previous CHS outings. Once there, we competed in four teams to see who could see the most species in the two hours available. Most teams headed straight … Continued

We were wanting to have a final outing for the Claremont High Bird Club, and a trip to Kirstenbosch was arranged for Monday the 6th December. They had finished their exams on the Friday before that, so it was an ideal way to relax after a busy term. Although the sign-up of nine students was lower than we had hoped, they included a core of very keen, new birders. I was very grateful to have the help of Priscilla Beeton, Alison Gilbert, Pat Thompson and Sue Lindsey as group leaders. The weather was very overcast, with drizzle, as we gathered … Continued

The Cape Bird Club’s 2021 Youth Education Programme rounded off the year with two exciting events for Floreat Primary School, which allowed Grade 5-7 learners to experience birds up close and in their ecological context. The Birding Basics workshop, held on the 25th of November 2021, gave Grade 5-7 learners from the school’s Environmental Club the chance to explore the various unique traits of birds in a hands-on and immersive way, providing them with a practical demonstration of the function of these traits and their usefulness to birds. At the “Feathers” tables, learners pored over examples of the three different … Continued

This article was published in Die Tygerburger on 25 November 2021. The following CBC members participated - Barry Cohen and his two sons, Sam (11) and Tim (7), Alexi Zannos (13), Zoe Lunau-Johns (15) Gillian Barnes, Penny Dichmont and Priscilla Beeton. There were two different quizzes running concurrently - for beginners and for more experienced birders. Some of the questions were very challenging and involved miming and singing to the group to enable them to guess the bird. It was very different to Mike's quizzes and great fun. We thank Erna de Wit, teacher at Aristea Primary, for going the … Continued

On Saturday the 16th October, the Cape Bird Club organised an outing to Rondevlei for younger members. We met at 9 a.m. at the tearoom and spent the next two hours birding at this wonderful getaway in the middle of the city, whilst trying to dodge frequent showers and the occasional downpour. The weather did not dampen our spirits, and a total of 54 species was recorded. A colourful start was a brief sighting of a Malachite Kingfisher and three African Swamphens from the tearoom. A White-throated Swallow offered photographers a lovely shot, perched on a dead branch in the … Continued

Junior Outing to Kirstenbosch. 18th September 2021. An outing for junior members of the Cape Bird Club was held at Kirstenbosch on Saturday 18th September – the first for several years. It was attended by Zoe Lunau-Johns (14 years, in Grade 8) and three boys who have joined the club this year: Michael Whitelaw (Grade 7), Alexi Zannos (Grade 6) and Ethan Vleggaar (9 years in Grade 4). Ethan’s dad, Martin, joined us, as well as two members of the CBC, Priscilla Beeton and Linda Merrett. The young birders were very keen and arrived with an array of checklists, apps … Continued

Claremont High School Bird Club Meeting. Following the enthusiastic response to our outing to Rondevlei on the 16th June, we were keen to organise another outing soon. We planned a meeting for Friday 3rd September, only to find that heavy rain was expected then. However, we decided to go ahead with that date, having already changed our plans because of high infection rates. We settled for a meeting in the school library, with a focus on using field guides and BirdLasser. If weather permitted, we hoped to have a short walk at Arderne Gardens nearby. Eighteen students, from Grade 8 … Continued

Learners from Hillwood Primary and Floreat Primary were treated to a visit from some very special guests on Friday 11 June when they attended an educational talk by Spier’s Eagle Encounters programme in the Hillwood school hall, organised in part by the Cape Bird Club. The learners, who were mostly Grade 5, 6 and 7, had the opportunity to observe rare raptor species and learn about their physiology, diet, behaviour and conservation, while getting a unique up-close-and-personal experience of the birds themselves and a taste of the work that falconers and wildlife rehabilitators do on a daily basis. The four … Continued

Students from Claremont High had their first bird outing since February 2020 on 16th June. The school bird club has recently been restarted and an enthusiastic group of 18 students met at the school soon after 9 a.m. From there, we travelled to Rondevlei Nature Reserve, a wetland area in Grassy Park. We were lucky with the weather which was cloudy, but pleasant, despite the rain forecast during the week. The students broke into five groups, each with one or more members of the Cape Bird Club. After a brief welcome and introduction, they set off in high spirits, each … Continued

Aristea Primary School Birding Quiz. On Saturday 15th May, in pouring rain, seven Cape Bird Club members drove to Kraaifontein to take part in the Aristea Primary School Birding Quiz. We were placed in different groups by Erna de Wit, the teacher who organized the event – just 3 or 4 around each table, so that we were able to maintain social distancing – and all Covid protocols were followed. What an event it was! Participants were welcomed to the event by the school band, most members of which played very unconventional instruments, accompanying the headmaster, singing the words of … Continued

On Friday 13 March 2020 we had a splendid bird club outing to Silvermine Nature Reserve. 49 learners from Floreat Primary School attended along with four teachers. Roughly half of the learners were first time ‘bird clubbers’ but are members of the Enviro Club at Floreat. The four teachers all run the Enviro Club. Despite being relatively warm we enjoyed a lovely ramble towards the waterfall at Silvermine (gate 2). We discussed what the term ‘nature reserve’ means, pollination and various aspects of the ‘fynbos biome’ such as finding different examples of ericas, restios and proteas. Most of the proteas … Continued

On 1 February we kicked off our school bird club program for 2020 with a day exploring Table Mountain with the Pride of Table Mountain education group. 49 learners from Floreat Primary school took part in the hike. This was a larger group than usual: half of the kids were from Bird Club and the other half from the Enviro Group at Floreat. Four adults also joined. Pride of Table Mountain is run by the Wilderness Foundation and focuses on giving learners a chance to hike on Table Mountain. The hike is structured to include various talks on ecology, water … Continued

2019 was a productive year with our Floreat Bird Club and we ended with a memorable outing to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. 43 learners were able to attend, in addition to three teachers and one Cape Bird Club representative. We slotted in with an education program run by SANBI called ‘Birds in the Ecosystem’ and they generously provided the transport to and from the school. The kids particularly enjoyed the fun introduction session which challenged them to match bird calls with species they know! Following the intro session, we had two hours to explore the garden. It was a very hot … Continued

This event was originally conceived to make residents and scholars from local surrounding schools aware of the False Bay Nature Reserve and its facilities, its environment and the birds. In the past 2 years the organisation has been managed by CTEET (Cape Town Environmental Education Trust) who have proved to be very efficient at the behind scenes administration which starts almost as soon as the previous event finishes. As this is City managed land, all the rigouress by-laws, labour laws, security requirements, disaster management requirements, etc., have to be complied with. On the day a variety of walks are organised … Continued

The weekend camp for the CBC Youth Bird Club was a big success! 30 primary school learners joined; 20 from Floreat Primary and 10 from Steenberg Primary. The kids were split into 6 groups of 5 learners, mixed from the two schools. The groups worked well together! The schedule was full but with gaps in between for downtime to enjoy the venue. All weekend the kids could take photos in their groups to enter in various categories which were to be judged on Sunday morning. After arrival on the Friday afternoon the kids went on a coastal walk for some … Continued

The False Bay Nature Reserve Birdathon is a community event providing fun, outdoor learning opportunities for children and families from the communities surrounding the Reserve, in the southern suburbs of Cape Town. The event is focused on the youth, and local primary schools make up the bulk of the participants. These schools come from the surrounding areas, including Retreat, Lavender Hill, Philippi, Pelican Park and Strandfontein, and are almost entirely from impoverished communities. The aim of the event is to expose the children and the local communities to the joys of the Nature Reserve and provide a fun family day out … Continued