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Eastern Cape Birding Route – Tsitsikamma to the Wild Coast
After paying the entrance fee at the gate of the Tsitsikamma National Park and Storms River Mouth Rest Camp, I drove into an extremely well maintained reserve along a road lined with dense coastal forests where bushbuck foraged and the constant calling of cicadas, grasshoppers and Sombre Greenbuls echoed.
As the road dropped down towards the coast, the strong smell of the sea hit my nostrils and the sound of waves pounding against the rocky shore bombarded my ears. I was awestruck on seeing great plumes of water rocketing into the air as the waves made contact with the rocks.
In the lee of a bay a pair of Egyptian Goose swam and White-breasted and Cape Cormorants preened themselves while resting beside a pair of African Black Oystercatcher, who tucked their long red bills deep into their wings and tried to catch a snooze. Swift and Sandwich Terns patrolled the surf zone, occasionally stuka-diving into the sea and emerging with small fish which were swallowed on the wing before raiding Kelp Gulls could steal them.
Driving past the campsites, I saw rock hyrax lazing on the cement tops of the braais and Amethyst and Greater Double-collared Sunbirds thrusting their curved bills deep into nectar-giving ericas. Forked-tailed Drongo used the guy ropes of visitors’tents as launching pads for aerial attacks against flying insects, and in one of the forest corridors, Bar-throated Apalis, Cape White-eye, White-backed Mousebird and Southern Boubou were all seen, with a pair of Knysna Turaco adding a flash of green and crimson.
A visit to the Storms River Mouth and its famous swing bridge is a must, as the path passes through dense forest where mushrooms and lichens flourish in the shade of twisted and gnarled trees. At one point a gap showed a family of lazy rock hyrax feeding in the trees while at sea, a large pod of bottle-nosed dolphin fed in the bay. African Paradise-Flycatcher called from high in the trees while, lower down, African Dusky Flycatcher pairs casually watched the throng of passing visitors.
At the other end of the camp, the Waterfall Trail takes you along a section of the famous OtterTrail. In the numerous streams, clicking stream frogs call incessantly and fleeting glimpses of blue duiker might be had as they speed off into the undergrowth.The Waterfall Trail is also excellent for spotting Crowned Eagle, African Goshawk and Black Sparrowhawk.
Further up the coast is the Addo Elephant National Park. Since its humble beginnings in 1931 this park has expanded considerably and is now one of the most diverse protected areas in the country, extending from the Zuurberg down through spekboom thicket to the rolling Alexandria dunefields and out into the marine realm and Bird Island.
To me one of the best birding spots here is the campsite itself. The cleverly laid out spekboom corridors allow passage for birds and are favoured by Southern Tchagra, Southern Boubou, Bar-throated Apalis, Karoo Scrub-Robin and Speckled Mousebirds. In summer, Cape Glossy Starling, Black-collared Barbet and Black-headed Oriole grace the treetops and often come down to investigate your campsite.
Southern Masked-, Cape and Village Weavers all make morning rounds together with Southern Grey-headed Sparrow, passing through the campsites in search of scraps that have been left by departing visitors. Vervet monkeys also visit and provide endless entertainment with their frolics. At night they are replaced by shy small-spotted genets, which remain close to the edges of the thickets, only occasionally darting into the open.
During August and September; when the aloes are in bloom, plentiful Greater Double-collared, Malachite and Amethyst Sunbirds move constantly among the flowers, which also attract huge numbers of insects. The insects in turn provide food for numerous skinks and small Cape dwarf geckos, as well as Fork-tailed Drongo, Fiscal Flycatcher, Long-billed Crombec and Karoo Prinia.
Once the aloes have finished flowering and started bearing fruit and seed, the sunbirds disappear and are replaced by Streaky-headed Seedeaters, which make quick work of the hardened seed cases. The small, largely reed-covered dam with adjacent bird hide provides suitable habitat for Malachite Kingfisher Little Grebe, Common Moorhen and Red-knobbed Coot. In spring and summer; Southern Red Bishop and Southern Masked- and Cape Weavers hang their nests in the reed stems.
Dwesa-Cwebe Nature Reserve on the Wild Coast is a rather unknown gem of a birding and holiday destination. A special place of beaches, estuaries, dune forests and grasslands, it offers a plethora of birds that are easily viewed in a relaxed atmosphere.
The Haven Hotel, situated close to the Bashe River Estuary, extends over a wide area and is a hive of activity in summer when White-throated and Lesser Striped Swallows build their mud-pellet nests under any available overhang, Black Saw-wing hawk insects over the open grasslands and African Pipit feed on caterpillars among the feet of grazing Burchell’s zebra.
Cape Glossy and Black-bellied Starlings feed in the fruiting trees together with Black-collared Barbet and the much smaller Red-fronted Tinkerbird. Brimstone, Yellow-fronted and Forest Canaries feed on the seeding grasses between the huts together with Pin-tailed Whydah, the males of which constantly display their waving tail plumes to the females.
Long-crested Eagle perch on the forest edges while in the forest itself, Collared Sunbird build their well-camouflaged nests and African Paradise-Flycatcher; Dark-backed Weaver, Black-crowned Tchagra, Black-backed Puffback and Brubru move around the canopy. Bushbuck and grey and blue duikers crash through the undergrowth among feeding Red-capped Robin-Chat.
A trip to the nearby beach is well worth it, especially at dawn when flocks of Sanderling run up and down with the tidal flow. On the lagoon, Little Egret and Grey Heron hunt in the shallows, Pied Kingfisher balance on waving reed stems and Water Thick-knee stand motionless on the banks.
As the sun rises and the vast majority of birds settle into a less active mode, a trip to the top of one of the sand dunes could be rewarding as you could see Cape Gannet arrow-diving into the water out at sea.The very lucky might see passing dolphins or breaching humpbacked whales too.
Checklist
10 specials to try to spot on BirdLife South Africa’s Eastern Cape Birding Route,Tsitsikamma to the Wild Coast
- Black-bellied Starling are largely confined to coastal forests where they feed on fruiting trees.
- Forest Canary form small flocks in winter which can be seen along the edges of forests and in forest clearings feeding on seeding grasses and protea.
- Collared Sunbird males are easily distinguished from the females by their metallic green heads and throats.
- Greater Double-collared Sunbird are slightly larger with longer bills and broader red bands than Southern Double-collared Sunbird.They gather in fairly large numbers around flowering aloes.
- Sanderling are the palest sandpipers in the region and common summer visitors. They’re usually seen on sandy beaches feeding along the waterline.
- Dark-backed Weaver inhabit coastal, evergreen and lowland forests.They are the only weaver in the region with dark upperparts and yellow underparts.
- Bar-throated Apalis are common residents, favouring dense vegetation where they move in pairs or small parties gleaning insects.
- Lesser Striped Swallow are summer visitors who build mud-pellet nests under the eaves of buildings or rock overhangs.
- African Dusky Flycatcher are commonly found in wooded areas where they hunt from perches, flying after insects which are often taken in flight.
- Sombre Greenbul are common residents, most easily located by their willie call. Usually remain in thickets and dense cover
Footnotes
Season and Weather
Tsitsikamma: Mild climate with rain possible throughout the yean mainly at night. Be well prepared at all times. Addo: Mild winters and hot summers with mostly summer rainfall. Dwesa/ Cebe: Hot, wet summers with possible afternoon thunderstorms (which can make driving on the dirt roads difficult as they often become slippery).
Habitats
Tsitsikamma: Coastal forest bisected by numerous rivers, lagoons and estuaries. Also coastal thicket and fynbos. Addo: The main and oldest section consists mainly of sub-tropical thicket with patches of open grassland. Other sections of the recently expanded area vary between fynbos, Nama-Karoo, forest, coastal dunefields and the marine environment. Dwesa-Cwebe: Mainly coastal grasslands and forest with numerous lagoons and estuaries flowing into the marine realm.
Specials
Crowned Eagle, KnysnaTuraco, Lesser Striped Swallow, Black Saw-wing, Black-bellied Starling, Dark-backed Weaver; Forest Canary.
Recommended Viewing Points
Tsitsikamma: Waterfall Trail, LoerieTrail, Blue DuikerTrail. Addo: Discovery Trail within the camp, camping site, aloe garden within the camp during the aloe flowering season. Dwesa/Cwebe: Haven Hotel, Bashe River and Estuary, forest trails close to the hotel.
Accommodation: Accommodation varies from camping sites to luxury guest houses. A fully licensed restaurant, picnic areas, curio shop and swimming pool are available in the SANParks camps.
Activities: Numerous hiking trails within Tsitsikamma and Dwesa/Cwebe. Bird hide in Addo.
Getting There
Tsitsikamma National Park: Off the N2 between Plettenberg Bay and the Storms River bridge. Well signposted. Addo Elephant National Park: Situated west of the N2 between Port Elizabeth and Grahamstown. From PE, take the Motherwell/ Markham turn-off onto the R335. Follow this road for 53km. Alternatively, continue on the N2 and take the N10 turn-off to Paterson, Cookhouse and Cradock. At Paterson, turn left onto the R342 towards Addo. Dwesa/Cwebe Nature Reserves: Dwesa-Cwebe is best reached via the N2.Take the turn-off to Elliotdale and continue down to the coast via Alderley and Hobeni.
SANparks, reservations 012 343 1991, information www.sanparks.orgTsitsikamma National Park042 281 1607Addo Elephant National Park 042 233 8600Dwesa/Cwebe Nature Reserves 043 742 4450, reservations@ecparksboard.co.zaThe Haven Hotel 047 576 8904, www.havenhotel.co.za |
Text and pictures by Peter Chadwick. This article was taken from the August 2009 edition of Country Life magazine.
More on the town of Zuurberg | More on the area of the Greater Addo |
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