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From Cape and Coast to way up North (SA 2017)


PeterHG

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6. Pelagic

For the next 5 days or so, we stay in Fishhoek, on the Cape Peninsula. The amount of traffic in the rush hours makes clear that we are not far from Cape Town. Not the solitude that we are looking for, but the perfect location for the long-awaited pelagic trip departing from Simon’s Town, which is only a 15 minutes’ drive. I have booked and paid for the trip months ago, some € 180 per person for a 7-hour boat ride, including a light lunch. I booked it with Cape Town Pelagics. Not cheap by any means, but to me it is definitely worth it. There is at least one other company offering these trips, but their dates do not match our itinerary. Our pelagic is scheduled for Saturday 4th February, but we are told to keep the 5th available, too. It is by no means certain that the trip will happen as the day before high winds are blowing in from the sea. We get a text message stating that it is a ‘touch and go’ situation for the 4th. In the end we are given the green light and told to be on the quay at seven a.m. When we spot the little boat that is going to take us offshore we wonder for one moment if it is the right one.

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Well, it is and eight of us, six passengers, a skipper and the guide, board the Destiny (what’s in a name…) and we set off. The sea is still rough, which makes the ride rather uncomfortable. Photography is going to be a challenge and avoiding seasickness, too. I do take a little Cinnerazine tablet and I must say, my stomach stays stable throughout the trip. This cannot be said for the unfortunate birder from the USA, who manages to lose breakfast, lunch and other snacks into the waves.

It takes a long time to even get to Cape Point but we are starting to see some nice birds, like White-chinned Petrel. They turn out to be the most numerous of all the seabirds we spot that day. Lifer for me. One of the 13 lifers of the trip.

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After passing Cape Point we head out to open sea. The trick is to find a trawler and stay with it when the nets are hauled in. This should attract a host of seabirds. Some 12 miles offshore we finally spot a trawler and creep closer. To our delight the first Albatross appears, a Shy Albatross. With its impressive wingspan it sails effortly over the waves. An incredible sight.

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Near the fishing trawler we see other albatrosses: the Black-browed Albatross

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and the, less common, Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross.

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Though we also see the Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross (our excellent guide can immediately tell the subtle differences) I do not manage to get a picture of it. Well, taking pictures is hard enough anyway and I am very happy with what I do get. Other lifers include: Subantarctic Skua

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Sabine’s Gull

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Cory's Shearwater

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and, according to the guide the absolute highlight of the trip, the rare Spectacled Petrel

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We stay with the trawler for quite a while before starting on our long ride back. We see Cape Gannets

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and in False Bay the Bank Cormorant. Not common at all and the only ones we see in SA.

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Exhausted but happy we arrive in Simon’s Town around 2:30 pm. Jeannette has enjoyed seeing the Albatrosses, but, not being a hardcore birder, the trip is too long for her to make the rewards worthwhile. My muscles still ache a few days afterwards, but to me it is definitely one of the best days of our whole SA adventure,

Edited by PeterHG
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I love the 1st photo in post 24.

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What a rewarding sea odyssey! So, the US birders decided to feed the local birds :lol: ?!

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offshorebirder

Nice pelagic trip and very good photos @@PeterHG, especially considering the rough conditions and the tiny boat.

 

Spectacled Petrel is a really blue-chip bird!

 

Question: did they chum at all for birds (besides the barfing American)? Any fish oil used to attract Storm-Petrels and other tubenoses?

 

Come to think of it, I didn't see any Storm-Petrel photos in your post - did you see any?

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Nice pelagic trip and very good photos @@PeterHG, especially considering the rough conditions and the tiny boat.

 

Spectacled Petrel is a really blue-chip bird!

 

Question: did they chum at all for birds (besides the barfing American)? Any fish oil used to attract Storm-Petrels and other tubenoses?

 

Come to think of it, I didn't see any Storm-Petrel photos in your post - did you see any?

 

Thanks, @@offshorebirder! They did use a little fish oil at one moment but other that the White-chinned Petrel, it didn't attract much else. Mainly they depend on the nets of the trawler and we stayed with one for quite some time. We did see one or two storm petrels, but no way I could take a picture of them....

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What a rewarding sea odyssey! So, the US birders decided to feed the local birds :lol: ?!

It certainly was rewarding @@xelas. And it's time to local seabirds get a taste of good American fast-food, too ;)

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7. Around Cape Town

We tour the Cape peninsula, see the Penguins at Boulder’s Beach, drive up Chapman’s Peak like a good tourist should and decide on a day trip to both Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and Strandfontein Sewage Works. Because of the heavy traffic going into Cape Town each morning we wait till the rush hour has passed before setting off. When we arrive at the parking area of Kirstenbosch we find out that we are not the only visitors today. Even at this relatively early hour there are already many cars that have unladed their occupants into the park. Once we have entered the park, however, it turns out that it is so large that it does not look too crowded. Although I do not usually worry too much about ‘target species’ I do hope to get a glimpse of the Orange-breasted Sunbird, which I have never seen before. The owner of the lodge in Fishhook has also instructed us to ask any attendant for the location of the Spotted Eagle Owl. Apparently they are often seen in broad daylight here. Not by me though. I do get general direction to where ‘they were spotted some days ago’(I thought they were Spotted every day….), but we are unable to find them. There are some other birds, though.

Cape Canary

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Dusky Flycatcher

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A Helmeted Guineafowl chick. Perhaps the reverse story of the Ugly Duckling..

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Cape Spurfowl

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A Black Girdled Lizard (I think..)

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And finally the hoped for lifer: Orange-breasted Sunbird

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The gardens are beautiful and we have a good time walking around for a few hours. The second place we want to visit are the Strandfontein Sewage Works by reputation one of the prime birding sites in the Cape Town area. A network of pans accessed by dirt roads hosts many waterbirds. The weather is rather dull, but we do manage to see some 50 species. And more lifers among them.

Southern Pochard

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Cape Teal

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Maccoa Duck

 

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Glossy Ibis

 

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Black-winged Stilt

 

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Three-banded Plover

 

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And Great White Pelican

 

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@@PeterHG, I am already salivating at our Big Year 2018! Your photos are truly perfect; I will need to buy Zvezda a new body to come closer :o !

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@@PeterHG, I am already salivating at our Big Year 2018! Your photos are truly perfect; I will need to buy Zvezda a new body to come closer :o !

Too much credit, @@xelas, but thank you. It's great to have something good to look forward to for next year ( and this year I seem to remember)! Although Zvezda's photos are outstanding already, she will surely appreciate any effort on your part, especially if that involves a new camera....;) !

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@@PeterHG - as always fantastic photos. For Strandfontein did you have any issues finding it or have any sense that it was unsafe? I ask because I was tempted to go but would have gone by myself and the advice I got was to only go as a group.

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@@PeterHG - as always fantastic photos. For Strandfontein did you have any issues finding it or have any sense that it was unsafe? I ask because I was tempted to go but would have gone by myself and the advice I got was to only go as a group.

 

Thanks @@lmSA84 ! I did have a little difficulty in finding the entrance, but that is mainly because I did not trust my navigation app, where I just should have. We only encountered two other cars at the time we went, but we did not feel unsafe for one moment. Perhaps because nobody warned me, but I don't think it is particularly unsafe. Others may know more about that. It's certainly a place worth visiting!

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Towlersonsafari

Hello @@PeterHG and @ImSA84 we went to strandfontein with a guide as part of a day trip The Fynbos Guy and very entertaining he was and it was too with lots of greater flamingos​ and a few lesser.we went with a guide not because of safety but because we are very good at getting lost!

Edited by Towlersonsafari
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8. A trip west

We still have three days before we will head north for our trip to southern Namibia and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Why not go west for a change? We make another attempt to book accommodation in the West Coast national Park, but again, to no avail. We do find accommodation near Darling, on a vast wine estate. A game drive on their own property is part of the deal. The young man, who takes us for this drive the next morning is in charge of the alien vegetation. Well, to be more precise, his job is to keep that in check, which sounds like a challenging task. The game drive produces some tired-looking Springbok and Eland that have been shipped there some years ago. Our ‘ranger, however, knows his bit about alien vegetation and we quite enjoy his company. From the estate we visit the West Coast National Park, spending some time in the Geelbek hides with incoming tide. The distance for decent photography is too great, but we do see some nice birds, like Whimbrel, Osprey, Sanderling, Little Egret. A few venture close enough for some shots:

Lesser Flamingo

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Kittlitz Plover

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South African Shelduck

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Grey Plover

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Little Stint

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Curlew Sandpiper

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Later in the afternoon we spend an hour in another hide, near Abraham’s Kraal Waterhole. We are the only people there and thoroughly enjoy the peaceful setting. When we are walking towards the hide we see a big raptor in the distance, much bigger that the Yellow-billed Kite that is trying to chase it away. I hesitate (story of my life;)), but I cannot come to another conclusion than an immature Martial Eagle.

 

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From the hide we see:

 

Fiercely territorial Red-Knobbet Coots

 

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Cape Bulbul. Not the first and not the last...

 

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The same goes for the Cape Sparrow, but I have a soft spot for them.

 

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On our way out of the park some we are waved off by a Black-shouldered Kite. I have a soft spot for them too. Well for most birds, to be honest.

 

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Peter Connan

I am late to this report, thus please except my belated but sincere condolances with the passing of your mother.

 

Some magnificent photography, as always from you!

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michael-ibk

Very sorry to hear about the passing of your mother - my condolencies, Peter. Wonderful shots here in your report, the Turaco is just stunning - but so are many others. (Again, as so often when catching up after some time away I´ve run out of "likes".) You have wetted my appetite for a pelagic trip, that looks very cool. And nice to see some of the places again I´ve been to last year. Do you know if they still do the boat trips in De Hoop or is that forbidden now?

Edited by michael-ibk
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Very sorry to hear about the passing of your mother - my condolencies, Peter. Wonderful shots here in your report, the Turaco is just stunning - but so are many others. (Again, as so often when catching up after some time away I´ve run out of "likes".) You have wetted my appetite for a pelagic trip, that looks very cool. And nice to see some of the places again I´ve been to last year. Do you know if they still do the boat trips in De Hoop or is that forbidden now?

 

Thank you, @@michael-ibk. If you ever get the chance, you will definitely like a pelagic trip! We did not ask for a boat trip in De Hoop, so I don't really know about that.

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9 Heading north



Back at cape Town airport we exchange our car for a Toyota Hilux Double Cab with fridge and a second battery. It has a double fuel tank, one with 80 liters and one with 60. As part of the elaborate instructions we are told that the fuel gauge will stay on ‘full’ until the first tank is completely empty. Only then it will start to drop. To our surprise the needle already starts to drop when we have driven some 40 kilometers. When I fill up the tank two days afterwards it is clear that one of the tanks had been empty right from the start. No way to check that if the meter shows full….


Our destination is Fish River Canyon in southern Namibia, but is is a three-leg journey. Our first stop is Clanwilliam, where we stay for one night and then drive on to the Namaqua NP, the Skilpad Rest Camp for another night. A stunningly beautiful location, although the strong winds prevent any serious birdwatching.


Then it’s on to Namibia. Our navigation app doesn’t appear to know enough about Fish River canyon, so we look at the directions the travel agency mailed us ( just a rough sketch of the region with some vague road numbers) and decide to turn off onto a dirt road that seems promising. Our navigation software agrees and tells us that we only have to travel 98 kilometers on the dirt road to reach our destination. It had better be right….


Well it is and Canyon Village proves to be one of the most beautiful locations we stay in. The setting of a Wild West movie with rocks that turn red in the evening sun.



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We stay here for three nights, ample time to visit the famous Fish River Canyon. Our arrangement is B&B, but the nearest restaurant is some 80 kilometers from here, so, like everybody else, we have no choice but to make use of the full board option. Not a bad thing: the dinners are good, though more expensive than we were used to in SA. Some 300 namibian dollars (same exchange rate as the ZAR) per person. The canyon itself is very impressive and definitely worth our visit.



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I ask my wife to stand a little closer to the edge, but she doesn't trust me... :)



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The sunsets are something, too.



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Not too many birds in Canyon Village, but we do get a few.



Mountain Wheatear



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Rock Martin.



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Canyon Roadhouse, the sister accommodation 20 kilometers back has more vegetation, so more variety in birds. On our way there we stop by a roadside pool where swifts have gathered to take a quick sip.



Alpine Swift



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and Bradfield’s Swift, another lifer.



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And at the Roadhouse:



White-backed Mousebird



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Bokmakierie



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Southern Masked Weaver



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and Dusky Sunbird



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Edited by PeterHG
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@@PeterHG

 

Lovely pictures of Fish River Canyon - somewhere I have always wanted to go.

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10. From the canyon to Mata Mata

Off we go after three nights at Canyon Village. The travel agency booked us another one-night stop halfway to Mata Mata, at the Quiver Tree Forest Rest Camp. It is probably true that the drive is too long to get into the Kgalagadi park before nightfall, but I would look into that possibility if we were to do the same route again. The rest camp looks a little shabby with lots of wire and fences. Inside several of the fenced areas Cheetas are kept and visitors are invited to come and watch them being fed in the afternoon. We politely decline. The Quivertrees are nice, though

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and I do manage to take some decent bird photos.

Rosy-faced Lovebirds

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Southern Masked Weaver

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The next morning we continue along the C17 towards the Kgalagadi. A stop near Koes produces some nice additions to our list.

Tawny Eagle

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White-backed Vulture

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Southern Red Bishop

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At Mata Mata restcamp we enter South Africa again. Inside the office a lonely customs officer sits at his desk. As we are probably the first car entering through the Mata Mata border post, he takes his job seriously. He announces that he is going to search our car.’Do you have any firearms?’, he asks hopefully. This would save him a lot of time, but our negative reply means that it’s up to him to prove us wrong. He ask me to open the car and then he spots my guitar on the back seat.”Ah you play the guitar! Nice, music! Good!’ Without another look he closes the car door and our Ushis and Kalashnikovs remain undetected in the boot. The power of music.

At the reception desk we ask if there is a possibility to change our bookings in the park, as we stay in the Kalahari tented camp for two days and then in Mata Mata rest camp for two more days. That means doing our game drives along the same roads for for days. Not a chance, however.

The Kgalagadi TP does not look anything like we had expected, which was red dunes, dry land and waterholes teeming with wildlife. In the days before our arrival it has rained a lot and also on our first night it is pouring down. This has turned the Kgalagadi into a green and moist environment. Large puddles on the roads and no need for the animals to visit the waterholes. They can drink anywhere. It makes it a little harder to spot the predators we have come for, but it’s a truly beautiful sight.

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When we settle in one of the comfortable tents we already get some nice visitors

Black-chested Snake Eagle

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Yellow Canary

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From our tent we can see the waterhole, although the view is partly obstructed by some trees. The green pastures have attracted many Springbok, closely watched by the White-browed Sparrow-weaver

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Later that day we do our first ‘game drive’. At Craig Lockhart waterhole we spot a large owl: a Verreaux’s Eagle Owl that is plucking away at something it has caught.

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Another first for me is the Lanner Falcon

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Kori Bustards are very common and always beautiful

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Before 14e Boorgat, we turn back as we need to be back in the camp by 7:30. The evening light and the threatening clouds make the Hartebeest on the dunes stand out beautifully.

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In the fading light we spot our second Tawny Eagle of the day, white close this time. I have to resort to iso5000 to take the shot, but it is too good an opportunity to pass up.

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Edited by PeterHG
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@@PeterHG - beautiful photos - particularly the hartebeest. Jealous of your Verreaux Eagle Owl - I searched high and low but with no luck.

 

I'm finding this section of your report to be very evocative because we were there at similar times - what dates were you in KTP again?

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@@PeterHG - beautiful photos - particularly the hartebeest. Jealous of your Verreaux Eagle Owl - I searched high and low but with no luck.

 

I'm finding this section of your report to be very evocative because we were there at similar times - what dates were you in KTP again?

 

Thanks @@lmSA84. We were there from 18th till 26th of February,

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Towlersonsafari

Yes the hartebeest is lovely @@PeterHG

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