0 of 3
Once upon a time I was more or less oblivious to all the birds around me unless one actually flew right into my path or was a Knysna loerie making a grand appearance.
I was also of the firm opinion that birdwatchers were a boring, stuck-up bunch with nothing else to do but spend hours glued to their binoculars and those cameras that make the sound of rapid-firing machine guns.
I will never forget going into a bird-hide in Sedgefield after a long particularly overgrown forest walk.
I thought it would be a peaceful place to rest and have a snack, but my backpack dropped with a loud crash. The hairy eyeball I got from the birders was unforgettable.
At the time I didn’t understand that some of them might have been there to spend hours waiting for just that one bird to appear, only to have me chase it away in one fell swoop — which is what apparently happened.
My attitude towards birds changed after an extensive media tour around the greater Garden Route and Klein Karoo last year.
This was all part of an initiative to grow avitourism in this area.
In just a week, we saw an impressive 150 bird species on a journey that started in George, meandered through the Garden Route, traversed the Klein Karoo and took us to places like Prince Alfred’s Pass, Meiringspoort, up the Swartberg Pass, the Rooiberg Pass, Riversdale, Stillbaai and even Boggomsbaai.
I learnt that one must listen first because very often you will hear the bird long before you see it.
Nowadays, I am attentive to bird sounds when I am walking, and even when I do something completely mundane like hang the washing, I am aware of the birds around me.
Yesterday in our avocado tree, I saw a Burchells Coucal I might once have missed if I hadn’t heard its call first, the sound of water burbling, long before its plump brown body was visible.
The Garden Route and Klein Karoo area hosts more than 450 species which is just over half of SA’s bird species.
The district’s natural bounty of unique indigenous habitat and its location along the southern coastal belt mean that it is also rich in endemic and near-endemic birds (species that are found nowhere else in the world).
Some of the endemics you can hope to see in the coastal forest belt include Warbler, Woodpecker and Turaco, while the Karoo’s collection of characters include the Chat, Eremomela and Lark.
Sugarbirds, Rockjumpers and Siskins are to be found where there is fynbos.
In our garden, we already have an impressive number of bird species.
The Knysna loeries come to eat Chinese guavas and it’s always something special to hear them barking.
We have Double-Collared sunbirds which are regular visitors with their iridescent green and flash of red, we have Mouse Birds, we have Swee Wax Bill birds, Cape Robins, the dove and pigeon family, Egyptian geese which visit, guinea fowl which come to ask for seed, Cape Canary birds and Red Wing Starlings.
My favourite are the drongos which eat cheese out of our hands and copy the sounds our cat makes.
At certain times of the year, a Gymnogene can be seen. Pin-Tailed Whydah flit around in the trees.
We have cows that wander along our pavement and along with them come the Cattle Egret which sit on the cows.
When dustbins don’t get collected, the Sacred Ibis birds rip bags open and eat rubbish.
There’s a shy Woodpecker to be heard and we have seen a Brown-Hooded Kingfisher which sits on the washing line.
The Dikkop (thick-knee) come out at night. At the beach you will always find Oyster-Catchers with their orange beaks and seagulls which have mastered the art of stealing meat off a braai, various Cormorants are found near the estuary.
A twitcher is a person who goes on dedicated bird outings.
It’s a fact that birders choose their holiday destinations based around the ornithological finds they are likely to experience rather than the beach they will sit on.
Birders also marry other birders. These birding types speak in a whole different lingo.
A person who starts watching birds seriously is called a lister and can record their finds officially on the SA Listers’ Club webpage of GoBirding (www. gobirding.co.za).
Entry-level birders are those who already have about 300 birds on their list.
Serious birders have 500 while the obsessive kind might have seen 700.
Chickens, budgies and even peacocks, which aren’t indigenous (unless you see the peacocks on Robben Island where they supposedly colonised themselves) don’t count.
A dip is the official word birders use when they hurtle somewhere at high speed, or spend hours upon hours, waiting for just that one little bird and it doesn’t show itself. It’s short for disappointed.
A stringer is a person who fibs about the birds they have seen — a mortal sin in the birding world.
Suppressors are the selfish dudes who don’t share their finds with the birding fraternity.
BirdLife SA is a membership-based organisation with more than 5,000 official members.
Should you want to join the Listers’ Club, explore birding sites and specialist accommodations as well as official birding sites visit the GoBirding website.
Even better become a member of BirdLife SA, which includes a subscription to their lovely African Birdlife magazine. Those interested in joining can contact membership@birdlife.org. za
An indication of just how popular birding is in this neck of the woods are the two events coming up later this year which are being booked already.
And if they sound far away, just think how quickly we got to the mid-year June mark.
The Exclusive Birding Retreat at Swartvlei Guest Farm will be held from September 26 to 28.
Nestled on a 1,000ha Ramsar wetland with more than 300 bird species, Swartvlei Guest Farm offers a chance for twitchers to flock together, watch birds, listen to talks by renowned ornithologist and author Peter Ginn.
Book now admin@swartvleifarm.co.za or find out more information phone 063-210-2085
Then the Bitou Birding Festival is from October 24 to 31. After a soaring debut in 2024, this event is a celebration of birds and nature as it returns to Plett and the Bitou region.
Whether you’re a seasoned twitcher or just starting out with a pair of binoculars and a sense of curiosity, the Bitou Birding Festival offers something for everyone.
With guided bird walks in breathtaking locations, expert insights from conservation leaders, canoe birding adventures and a few surprises still under wraps — the festival promises a week full of unforgettable nature-based experiences.
Back by popular demand, festival favourites such as the interactive bird-ringing demonstrations, wellness-and-birding sessions, and canoe trips on the Bitou River and Keurbooms estuary will return.
For the more adventurous, the pelagic birding trip heads offshore in search of seabirds — a bucket-list experience for any birder.
Tickets are available with early bird specials available for a limited time.
Spaces on guided walks and excursions are limited, so don’t miss your chance to be part of this week. For ticket inquiries phone: 072-554-3995.
The Herald
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.