Birds at the mouth of the Berg River

by Diana Studer

- gardening for biodiversity

in Cape Town, South Africa

When I started this False Bay blog, I trawled my Porterville blog (Elephant's Eye garden) for archived posts that were worth editing and republishing. Fast forward to my final resurrected post. From March I will fill my mid-month slot either with In A Vase on Monday with Cathy in the West Midlands, or a Dozen for Diana plant of the month.

In February 2011 we travelled via Velddrif, where the road crosses the mouth of the Berg River on a long low causeway like bridge. To the mountain side and our former home is a wide salt marsh with reed beds and mud flats, teeming with birds and there is a bird hide. To the sea side many flat pans where brine is evaporated in the sun to harvest salt. Flamingoes take their harvest there too. Salt-of-the-earth from Marie Theron, a nearby artist.

We were always in a hurry, appointments to keep. We had passed this bird hide a dozen times, but with half an hour free, we stopped. He took pictures. I was somewhat daunted, not a dedicated birder. I looked out and saw birds. Every one seemed to be different, and all unknown. Flamingoes in a huge flock across the river. Almost close enough to touch, near the bird hide, blacksmith plovers. For the rest, I have picked out the better pictures and ploughed thru my birdie books. Who are you? Waders and migrants … 

A pied kingfisher, 29 cm, black and white, hovered patiently, diving for lunch, then returning to its favoured tree stump. Where it ‘beats the fish to death before eating it’. And back to hovering over the next likely patch of water. Resting on the bank, a white breasted cormorant, but he had his back turned to us, and was having a quiet nap.

Little? stint or a grey plover?

Rednecked (but not in breeding plumage) or little stint? If it was ‘little’ it is the smallest of the waders and the smallest of the migrants. Flying all the way to Russia and Iran. Head down, it feeds busily, on crustacea, mosquitoes and larvae.

Greenshank

Greenshank – too far way to actually see if his shanks were green, but the shape is right, the wing colour and the long, tip tilted bill. Migrating from the Palaearctic. Eating insects, molluscs and crustaceans – from the surface, or wading in and probing the sand.

Blacksmith lapwing

Blacksmith lapwing

Blacksmith lapwing

Blacksmith plover (now blacksmith lapwing), one of those distinctive birds, which even I can identify with a sigh of relief. Black and white on long legs. This bird eats insects and worms. It likes damp marshy places and is a newcomer (in the 1982 book!) to the South Western Cape. Related to the wirebird on the island of St Helena.

Flamingoes

Flamingoes

Flamingoes

Flamingoes

Familiar flamingoes earn a big sigh of relief. Greater flamingoes, with black tipped beaks, flash scarlet and black wings when in flight. But - Beware of attack flamingos!

Flamingoes in flight

Despite our current drought there are still birds to see.

Bird books – Joy Frandsen’s Birds of the South Western Cape 1982. 

Sasol Birds of southern Africa by Sinclair Hockey and Tarboton 1998

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Pictures by Jürg Studer,
text by Diana of Elephant's Eye on False Bay

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