Trip report: Jessie Walton’s Farm
The last outing of the year for Overberg Birding was destined to be a special one as we headed off to Jessie’s farm in Elgin.
The last outing of the year for Overberg Birding was destined to be a special one as we headed off to Jessie’s farm in Elgin.
This month’s outing coincided with the World Migratory Bird Day – an annual awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats.
A group of twelve birders met for the outing, despite the threats of inclement weather. We were off to a quick start. Greyton, our destination, was some way off.
Despite the icy 3 degrees, enthusiasm was high. As always, the early morning drive out of Hermanus towards Stanford was magnificent. A glowing red sun rose slowly over the mountains, and it was sufficient reward for braving the cold weather.
Besides the cold, and being only one coffee in, I was questioning of my decision to come this far to be birding in mist so thick I could barely see the road. The gravel road from Stormsvlei to Protem is one I had not explored before.
There can’t be too many places that have Namaqua Warbler as a garden bird. Botuin, in Vanrhynsdorp, is one of those places.
A small group met in rainy conditions ready for a morning of birding, which had already put off some of the potential participants. Nonetheless, our guide for the day was bullish that conditions would be better where we were heading and we were keen to head out.
It was a cold, chilly morning as we left Hermanus heading towards Stanford. As the light began to grow, the mountains mirrored against the lagoon was a spectacular sight, a reflection of the power of nature. This set the tone for an awesome birding drive through parts of the Overberg.
Graeme Hatley and Richard Masson had the opportunity to travel down the Klein River on the Lady Stanford. The highlight of the trip was a good sighting of an Overberg rarity, an African Jacana.
Graeme headed out to Vrolijkheid Nature Reserve. The day started with some slow, gravel-road birding. It was good from the outset. The downside of such amazing birding is that one gets to one’s destination late!