Trip report: Zoetendal Vineyard

This report was provided by Johan van der Westhuizen.

It was with trepidation that twelve birders in four vehicles left the Eastcliff SPAR parking area en route to the African Marsh Harrier trail on the Zoetendal Vinyards & River Estate. The weather forecast was for strong winds with the possibility of rain.

We decided to stick to the tar roads and travelled via Gansbaai, Baardskeerdersbos & Elim. Birding is challenging at 100 km/hour, but we managed to log 27 bird species on the way there. At Zoetendal Vinyards, five more birders joined the group.

Thankfully the rain stayed away, but the strong wind and overcast conditions made birding and photography very challenging. After the customary cup of coffee/tea, we started on the trail which follows the Nuwejaarsrivier. There are two bird hides and a raised platform along the route which allows for glimpses of the water and shoreline. Birds, such as Spur-winged Goose, Egyptian Goose, Purple- and Black-headed Heron were constantly flying to and fro. We were also happy to see African Marsh Harrier in flight on three occasions. African Snipe were spotted by some of the birders, and one even managed to get a decent photo of one.

The trail & hides are well maintained, and the potential to encounter all types of birds is encouraging. The weather, however, did not treat us favourably on this occasion. Thirty-five more Birds were seen on the trail, amongst them, Yellow-billed Ducks, Red-billed Teals, Levaillant’s Cisticola, Yellow Bishops and Pin-tailed Whydahs. 

Afterwards, most of the group decided to “Wine and Dine” at the Vinyards own restaurant and apparently the food and wine were excellent and can be recommended. We opted to travel along the Papiesvlei road and to enjoy a picnic on a grassy patch next to some reed beds. A Little Bittern flew over, a Burchell’s Coucal called, and an African Fish Eagle soared overhead as we tucked into our respective meals.

Despite the inclement weather, everyone agreed that it was a very enjoyable outing to a stunning venue. A total of 77 birds were logged on the day. Thanks to Steve Peck for arranging the venue and for guiding us.