This tour of Suikersbosrand was much more relaxed than my previous visit, except
for the last 30 minutes when I realised that I had not allowed for the time
change and the park was about to shut. Despite some nice views of Eland,
Bontebok, Black Wildebeest and Zebra, the hot-spot of the visit was the picnic
site where an ants’ nest was attracting birds to feed.
Just inside the park gate is a small
pond on the left at Google Earth ref; 26 27 48.57S 28 13 17.34E. It is the
northern end of a larger damp patch and had some floating weeds that allowed
some White-backed
Ducks to rest without being blown into the bank by the strong wind.
This was a good start to the day, but
I shan’t trouble you with the photograph which will remain in my private
collection of shaky, blurry, out-of-focus record shots.
I had come straight from the airport
and stopped at the visitor centre car park to get changed out of my uniform.
Here I was able to note Grosbeak Weaver,
Southern Grey Sparrow and Mountain
Wheatear as I tried to wriggle into my safari silks.
As is often the case, the start of
the circuit was quiet. The high grass often obscures the view and a chap is
limited to birds that flush from the edges of the road; in this case, Cinnamon-breasted Buntings, Orange-throated Longlaws and Ring-necked Doves. Stonechats clung to grass stems and sturdier perches close to the
road.
I seldom see mammals before the dam
at the bottom of the circuit and Southern
Anteating Chats usually appear beyond the water.
A few herds of antelope were seen on
the approach to the Holhoek Picnic Site
at Google Earth ref; 26 32 26.03S 28 13 34.08E. This rest stop is situated at
the bottom of an acacia-covered slope and was easily the hottest spot in the
park and should not be missed by birders in Suikersbosrand.
Stone tables and
chairs are set out for picnickers and an ants’ nest was overflowing from the
base of one of the chairs. This attracted Mocking
Cliff-Chats, Cape Robin-chats, Cape Rock-Thrushes and Fiscal Flycatchers to feast on the
insects.
This is where I spent most of my time
found over 20 species without moving from the picnic table, including the Ashy Tit
which was gleaning on the rough bark of a tree there.
A Piping Cisticola picked through the short grass and Rufous-vented Warblers searched for
insects through the branches of low bushes.
The light was growing dim now and I
had to press on to reach the park gates by chucking out time at 18.00. It was
dark by the time I reached the gate just at the top of the hour and a movement
caught my eye as the security guard came from his office to see me out. A pair
of Barn Owls roost in the thatched
roof of the security post and one made a pass through the gate a couple of
times before landing on the roof.
Bird list for Suikersbosrand; 53
White-backed Duck 10, Yellow-billed Duck 8, Helmeted
Guineafowl 30, Swainson’s Francolin 14, Little Grebe 5, Long-tailed Cormorant
1, Cattle Egret 1, Sacred Ibis 8, Hadada Ibis 3, African Spoonbill 1,
Black-shouldered Kite 1, Black Crake 1, Eurasian Moorhen 3, Red-knobbed Coot
15, Blacksmith Plover 2, Ring-necked Dove 8, Laughing Dove 4, Barn Owl 2,
Speckled Mousebird 8, Black-collared Barbet 2, Common Fiscal 8, Fairy
Flycatcher 1, Ashy Tit 1, Black-fronted Bulbul
20, Bar-throated Apalis 2, Piping Cisticola 1, Tawny-flanked Prinia 2,
Rufous-vented Warbler 7, Fiscal Flycatcher 13, Kalahari Scrub-Robin 3, Cape
Robin-Chat 10, Cape Rock-Thrush 2, Stonechat 40, Southern Anteater Chat 15,
Mocking Cliff-Chat 2, Familiar Chat 12, Mountain Wheatear 25, Capped Wheatear
12, Common Myna 2, Cape Wagtail 1, African Pipit 2, Orange-throated Longclaw 4,
Cinnamon-breasted Bunting 5, Black-throated Canary 8, Southern Grey-headed
Sparrow 4, Yellow-throated Petronia 15, White-browed Sparrow-Weaver 1, Cape
Weaver 1, Southern Masked-Weaver 8, Red Bishop 3, Long-tailed Widow 1, Grosbeak
Weaver 1, Green-winged Pytilia 2.
A visit to Suikersbosrand will
typically describe a circuit of 60kms. The drive is on a one-way road, so the
full circuit must be completed once started. The picnic site at Holhoek is
about half-way round. The park opens from 07.00 and visitors are required to
leave by 18.00. An entrance fee of RSA 20 will give you all day in the park if
you wish.
Suikersbosrand can be accessed from
the N3 heading south from Johannesburg. Take the R550 west and the north
entrance is signposted after 6kms at Google Earth ref; 26 26 16.32S 28 13
10.84E
A previous visit to Suikersbosrand
can be seen at the link below;
Visit the dedicated African page for
more sites in South Africa.
Birdwatching, Birding, Safari, South
Africa.
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