This report was provided by Steve and Lee Peck.
In April, Lee and I visited Vrolijkheid Nature Reserve, which is located between Robertson and McGregor. It has a striking, rugged landscape.
The accommodation has been refurbished very recently and the chalet we stayed in, as well as the grounds, were in excellent condition. The area boasts a list of about 175 birds, with Grey and Penduline Tit, Karoo Long-billed Lark alongside Pale Chanting Goshawk as being some of its more sought after species.
Due to temperatures of over 30c every day we decided to limit our birding to short spells, early morning and late afternoon, and despite these temperatures we managed to see over 60 species.
Pale Chanting Goshawks were seen on the poles leading to the reserve and a sleepy Spotted Eagle owl was disturbed napping in an old tree. Plenty of variety of airborne experts were hawking the skies for insects – Large Rock Martins, Brown-throated Swift, Greater-striped Swallow and Little and White-backed Swifts all made a regular appearance.
The call of the Fiery-necked Nightjar could be heard close by the chalet at both dusk and dawn every day. Southern Double-collared Sunbirds were in abundance and a pair of Bokmakierie kept us entertained with the variety of their calls. Other notable species seen around the camp site were, Klaas’s Cuckoo, White-throated Canary, Cape Bunting and a flyby of a Giant Kingfisher. I also spent hours trying to get ‘that photo’ of the White-backed Mousebird, but to no avail!
The thee dams on the Heron Walk, a 3km enjoyable hike into the dry landscape revealed Cape Shoveler, Moorhen and Coots, Dabchicks, Little Egrets and Black-winged Stilts.
The highlight for me, sitting in the bird hide, was having Lesser-swamp Warblers all around in the reeds. These proved to be frustrating to photograph as they remained hidden behind reeds and twigs the majority of the time. However, I persevered and some 400 shots later I finally had a couple of nice ones!
Without doubt, the highlight of the weekend was finding a Grey Tit feeding on the berries of a nearby tree. This was a lifer for me and one of my target birds – so one happy birder!
I can’t recommend highly enough this reserve – we will be back without a doubt!