Birding
Spots around the Ceres
Area
Voëlkykplekke
in die Ceres Area
Follow the links to:
Picture Gallery of Birds Bird
List of the Ceres Area
There
are a number of good birding spots around Ceres which
visitors can visit and enjoy.
Click on the links below for more information:
GYDO
PASS WITZENBERG VALLEY
CITRUSDAL ROAD(R303) TWIN
DAM(R46)
KAROOPOORT EIERKOP AREA
SKITTERYKLOOF TANQUA KAROO NATIONAL PARK
Gydo
Pass
Gydo Pass is about 12 km north of Ceres
on the road to Citrusdal (R303).
The original pass was built by Andrew Geddes Bain in 1848 and links the Warm
Bokkeveld with the Koue Bokkeveld.
The
pass is very rewarding bird wise and has several picnic spots and view points.
Look at the wabome (Protea nitida) along the road for the elusive Protea
Canary. When the Proteas are flowering Cape Sugarbirds and Orangebreasted
Sunbirds are common.
Other birds you will find here are Cape Siskin, Whitenecked Raven, Common
Buzzard, Yellowbilled Kite and Booted Eagle (summer), Cape Bunting and Common Grassbird.
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Road
to Witzenberg Valley
The road to the Witzenberg Valley turns
off on top of the Gydo Pass.It winds through the rugged mountain pass with lots
of excellent birds.
Mountain Wheatear, Cape Rock Thrush, Cape Sugarbird and Cape Canary
are common along the road.
Watch out for Cape Rockjumper on the high rocks on top of the pass and in
the streams with fynbos Victorin's Warbler and Cape Grassbird
occur.
Verreaux's (Black) Eagle and Jackal Buzzard are often seen soaring
along the rocks.
If you descend into the valley you can look for African Snipe, Yellowbilled
Duck and Redbilled Teals where the small streams cross the road.
African (Grassveld) Pipit, Pintailed Whydah and African Stonechat
are common.
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Dams
along the Citrusdal Road (R303)
A lot of waterfowl occurs on the dams
along the road to Citrusdal (R303).
The most common bird is the Redknobbed Coot, which counts in its
thousands.
Ducks are also common with Eqyptian Gees, SA Shelduck, Yellowbilled Duck,
Redbilled Teal and Spurwinged Geese.
Little Egrets occur in good numbers while Greater Flamingoes move
into the area when the damlevels are lower in the summer.
Watch out for Maccoa and Whitebacked Duck at smaller dams with
reeds, Black Storks walk along the permimeter and Lesser Swamp Warbler
feeding on the water near the reeds.
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Tweelingdam
(Twin Dam) on Touws River Road (R46)
About 10 km from Ceres on the road to
Touws River (R46) you will cross the Tweeling Dam (Twin Dam), getting its name
from stretching its water to both sides of the road. This place is very
rewarding, especially in summer when the water level is lower.
Birds you can expect here are Great Crested Grebe, African Spoonbill,
Blacknecked Grebe, Blackwinged Stilt, lots of ducks and in summer Common
Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper and Ruff.
In the vegetation along the water you will find Little Reed-Warbler,
Lesser Swamp-Warbler, Southern Red Bishop and Karoo Prinia.
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Karoopoort
Karoopoort is about 45 km from Ceres (R46
& R355) and just beyond the turn off to Touws River. Karoopoort is on
the old "Highway" to the North and the historical building at
Karoopoort once served as a 'hotel'. The area around Karoopoort has an
abundance of
birds.
A small water trough south of the picnic site attracts Yellow, Whitethroated and
Black-headed Canaries, Pied and Palewinged Starlings and Cape
Buntings. The picnic site is famous for Namaqua Warbler and Cape
Canary, while African Reed-Warbler occurs in summer.
Karoopoort also hosts a very long fig lane which attracts many fruit eaters such
as Redfaced and Whitebacked Mousebirds, Masked Weavers, Acacia Pied
Barbet, Wattled Starlings and Cape Sparrow. There is also a good
possibility to spot Southern Greyheaded Sparrow here.
On the northern cliffs above the buildings Verreaux's Eagles nest and Jackal
Buzzard, Booted Eagle(summer) and Rufous-chested Sparrowhawk are
often seen.
The large bushes against the mountain are home to Layard's Titbabbler and
Greybacked Cisticola.
The thorn trees along the drainage lines host Fairy Flycatcher,
Chestnutvented Titbabbler and Fiscal Flycatcher.
The rocky area at the picnic spot near the Sutherland turn off is a good
place to look for the elusive Cinnamon-breasted Warbler, while Mountain
Wheatear is very tame here looking for crumbs and scratches.
After rains when the plants are flowering Lesser Doublebanded and Malachite
Sunbirds are plentiful.
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Eierkop
Area
About 14km from the Sutherland turn-off
at Karoopoort, you will reach a pair of tillite hills on either side of the
road.
The hill on the right hand side is called Eierkop (Egg hill). A track
leads up to the hill and it is a good spot for Karoo Eremomela.
A small party is often seen moving quickly from bush to bush.
Other birds in the vicinity or along the road are Karoo Lark, Karoo Chat,
Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk, Rufouseared Warbler,
Southern Grey Tit and Larklike Bunting. Listen for the call of Namaqua
Sandgrouse in the morning while Tractrac Chat's white rump is often
seen moving between the bushes.
The plains around Eierkop are good for Largebilled
Lark, Yellowbellied Eremomela, Karoo Korhaan, Cape Penduline Tit and Doublebanded
Courser. In late Winter and Spring Ludwig's Bustard is also common on
the plains.
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Skitterykloof
Skitterykloof is a world famous birding
place in the Western Cape and is situated at the foot of the Swartruggens
Mountains.
It is about 35 km north of the Sutherland turn-off, on the R355 towards
Calvinia.
This picnic spot hosts a big variety of birds, but is most famous for the
resident pair of Cinnamonbreasted Warblers. They normally occupy the
steep rocky slopes with huge shrubs.
The acacia thickets are occupied by Pirit Batis, Fairy Flycatcher, Acacia
Pied Barbet and Karoo Scrub-Robin.
Along the slopes you will find Southern Grey Tit, Layard's Titbabbler,
Palewinged Starling and sometimes Ground Woodpecker.
Whitethroated Canary, Cape Robin-Chat, Little Reed Warbler (summer), Cape
Spurfowl and Lesser Doublebanded Sunbird are common in the picnic
area.
Skitterykloof also hosts the southernmost population of Aloe comosa which
are flowering during mid November to January. The beautiful 1,5m flowers
reveal an influx of birds to the area with hundreds of Malachite and Dusky
Sunbirds, Streakyheaded Canary, Cape Weaver and Cape Bulbul.
The small dam near the picnic spots hosts Common Moorhen, Redknobbed
Coot, Common Waxbill and often Yellowbilled Duck and SA Shelduck.
The nearby resident pair of Verreaux's (Black) Eagles is often
seen drifting on the light breeze, while one can also spot Booted Eagle
(summer), Rock Kestrel, Black Harrier and Whitenecked Raven.
During the night one will hear Freckled Nightjar and Spotted Eagle Owl,
while Cape Eagle Owl may be spotted on a rocky outcrop.
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Tanqua
Karoo National Park
The Tanqua Karoo National Park was
established in 1987 and covers an area of about 90 000 hectares. It will
soon become one of the prime tourist attractions in the Western Cape. It is
situated about 152 km north east of Ceres (102 km on R355 and 50km on P2250
road).
The park has accommodation available and it currently has a bird list of 125
species.
The main target species found here are Burchell's Courser, Ludwig's Bustard,
Sparrowlark and Karoo Longbilled Lark.
Martial and Black Eagles are breeding residents while Greater and Lesser
Honeyguides, Klaas's Cuckoo and Namaqua Warbler are found in the
thickets along the Renoster River.
The park's vegetation varies from almost desert plants in the west, where the
rainfall is only 50 mm per annum, to renosterbosveld on the Roggeveld Mountains,
with a rainfall of 400mm per annum. Game are being reintroduced with Springbuck,
Gemsbuck, Red Hartebeest and Cape Mountain Zebra. Small game such as Bat-eared
Fox, Steenbuck, Grey Duiker and hares occur naturally.
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Information
compiled by:
Japie Claassen
Karoo
Birding Safaris
Tel. 023 317 0884 Cell.083 724 7916
E-mail: claassen@cybertrade.co.za
