Namaqua Coastline Birding
Text and Pictures: Peter Chadwick. Article from the September 2012 issue of Country Life Magazine.
A dramatic 4×4 trail along the West Coast in the Namaqua National Park offers abundant birdlife
It was a relief to turn off the N7 highway that links Cape Town and Namibia, what with the 18-wheeler trucks that hurtled towards us or crawled up winding hills, leaving us no way out. The far more peaceful gravel road we took headed ever-seawards, following a green artery of acacia karoo trees in a dry riverbed, which was interspersed with clumps of reeds filled with displaying male Southern Red Bishops and nesting Cape Weavers. Namaqua Doves, Namaqua Sandgrouse and scores of Grey-backed Sparrow-Larks and Red-capped Larks flew up in panic from the road in front of us as we passed.
After several hours of driving from Cape Town, we knew we’d reached our destination when we sighted the Groenrivier estuary just ahead, and turned off through the entrance gate of the Namaqua National Park at the start of the magnificent and dramatic 4×4 coastal trail.
We were warmly greeted by the Schreuders, who had lived there for many years and obviously had an intimate knowledge of the West Coast and its natural treasures. After checking in and finding out the special spots along the coastal route, we were back in the Land Rover and heading towards the campsite of Kwas se Baai. Steenbok and grey duiker were common sightings as our vehicle churned in low-range through the soft sand tracks, and the spoor of black-backed jackal, red hartebeest and porcupine ran ahead of us on the trail.
A family of meerkats with three young scampered off to the safety of their burrow, where they stood near the boltholes and watched us. A pair of Karoo Scrub-Robin (10 on checklist) ran between them snatching up small insects, and a Brants’s whistling rat also joined the party, emerging from a side burrow to sun itself in the warm evening light.
Large flocks of European Bee-Eaters swooped low over the stunted vegetation, adding flashes of colour to the otherwise drab Strandveld. Endemic Cape Long-billed Larks and Karoo Larks (7 on checklist) were regular sightings as they sang from the tops of bushes.
Our destination was an open campsite that overlooked a large bay of white sand and intertidal platforms inhabited by roosting White-breasted and Crowned Cormorants (2 and 3 on checklist), and Kelp and Hartlaub’s Gulls (4 on checklist). Off to one side, a pair of African Black Oystercatchers (5 on checklist) preened their feathers and probed their long dagger-like bills deep into the sand to pull out small crustaceans.
Weathered granite boulders formed channels where piles of mussel and limpet shells lay thick on the beach and, among these, Ruddy Turnstones, Sanderlings (1 on checklist) and Little Stint searched for food. In the shallows, kelp beds lay thickly tangled on the surface and small exposed boulders were densely covered with limpets. Swift Terns, Sandwich Terns and Common Terns flittered above the sea, intermittently snatching a morsel from the surface.
As the setting sun cast an orange glow on the horizon, we quickly erected camp and tucked into the evening meal before the chill set in. Later that night, the sound of thundering waves and the haunting calls of Spotted Thick-knees had me popping my head out of the tent, only to watch a phosphorous glow on the water that sparkled like the star-studded sky.
As dawn broke, Grey Plovers, Common Whimbrels, and White-fronted Plovers were already feeding and, surprisingly, were joined by a Ruff, which is more often found on inland waters. Cape Cormorants and Crowned Cormorants flew in to join a tern roost in the sheltered lee of the bay On the outer edge of the rock platforms, massive five to six metre waves smashed against the coastline, their rumbling power felt underfoot. A Little Egret and three Egyptian Geese were joined by a South African Shelduck on one of the larger and more protected rock platforms within the intertidal zone. I wandered along the coastline and watched pairs of Stone Chats with a Common Fiscal, Mountain Wheatear and Karoo and Familiar Chats (8 and 9 on checklist). Cape Wagtails dashed after small flying insects, and Southern Grey Tits, Yellow Canaries and a pair of Cape Penduline Tits foraged in the stunted vegetation.
We packed up camp, our next stop Koringkorrelbaai, for me the highlight of the trip. As we arrived, a pod of Heaviside’s dolphins were frolicking and hunting in the gigantic swells, riding the curling waves and leaping and somersaulting from the back just before they broke. On the rounded granite boulders, crag lizards sunned themselves and a large mole snake slithered from a sandy hole to enjoy the warmth. Out at sea, Cape Gannets (6 on checklist) flew in long white lines just above the surface, and White-chinned Petrels, Sooty Shearwaters and even a lone Shy Albatross rode the swells.
We set up camp and headed off on a short drive to a Cape fur seal colony, where our patience was rewarded by seal bulls fighting aggressively and becoming spattered with fur and blood. Mother seals returned to suckle newborn pups that bellowed hungry greetings. Kelp Gulls and Sub-Antarctic Skuas patrolled slowly over the colony in search of seal afterbirth, which was ravenously devoured amid much squabbling from the birds.
At a small estuary in the shallows, a lone Grey Heron stood among Red-knobbed Coots and Cape Shovellers, as Three-banded Plovers, Chestnut-banded Plovers and Black-winged Stilts walked the water’s edge. We headed for the northern boundary of the coastal section of the park and drove through waist-high veld, where a lone Secretary Bird strode out purposefully. A small birding party of Long-billed Crombec, White-backed Mousebird, Karoo Prinia, Namaqua Warbler Neddicky and Karoo Eremomela added a suite of the area’s specials to my growing list.
At the long row of granite caves on the bank of the Spoeg River; we paused to watch a Rock Kestrel and Jackal Buzzard in brief combat. Over the wetlands a Black Harrier quartered backwards and forwards, with occasional stoops into the tangled vegetation. By the time we returned to our camp overlooking Koringkorrelbaai, the orange sun was disappearing into the sea at the end of a glorious day of exploring this still largely wild and untouched coastline.
Footnotes
Season and weather The climate is temperate with low winter rainfall, mild days and coastal winds. Evenings can be cold. Sunblock and warm clothing are essentials.The best time to view the flowers is from July to September
Habitats Beach, strandveld, boulder bays, granite outcrops, estuaries.
Specials Cape fur seals, African Black Oystercatchers, mongoose, Cape Long-billed Lark, Heaviside’s dolphin, large limpet beds.
Getting There Follow the N7 between Cape Town and Springbok. At Garies turn west towards the coastline and follow the signs for approximately 60-70km to the Groenrivier estuary.
Accommodation The park is still in its development phase with limited facilities, but these include the 4×4 coastal trail and the Caracal Eco Route. A picnic area with braai facilities is available and mountain bikes are for hire. Four self-catering cottages may be booked.
Reservations Tel: 012 428 91111, email, website, Namaqua National Park 027 672 1948
Checklist
10 specials to try and spot on the Namaqua National Park 4×4 coastal trail
1. Sanderlings (Drietoonstrandloper) arrive in large numbers along our coastline, during the summer months and feed along the tideline.
2. The Crowned Cormorant (Kuifkopduiker) is an endemic species restricted to the West Coast of South Africa and Namibia.
3. The White-breasted Cormorant (Witborsduiker) is the largest of South Africa’s cormorants, with a wingspan of up to 1,6m.
4. Another West Coast endemic, the Hartlaub’s Gull (Hartlaubmeeu) breeds largely on offshore islands, that have populations of about 13 000 pairs.
5. African Black Oystercatcher (Swarttobie) numbers have dropped to a low of about 4 500 birds but, thanks to conservation efforts, the population is now recovering.
6. Cape Gannet (Witmalgas) numbers are reducing by about 1 % per year which means that in the last 50 years we have lost half the global population of this endemic seabird.
7. The Karoo Lark (Karoolewenik) is a common resident of the Karoo and coastal scrublands.
8. Usually seen in small family groups, the Mountain Wheatear (Bergwagter) occurs in either a black or grey colour morph.
9. The Familiar Chat (Gewone Spekvreter) is easily recognised by its habit of flicking its tail and wings at regular intervals.
10. The Karoo Scrub Robin (Slangverklikker) has a harsh alarm call and the species is often the first to find and alert others to small predators and snakes.
More info on the quaint town of Garies | More info on the Namaqualand area |
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