Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens, Cape Town
07 September 2006

After my exertions of yesterday in the Karoo, I was in two minds whether to go out again - but, what the heck, I’m not likely to be back here again for a while and there were still a couple of very easily seen endemics I hadn’t caught up with: a quick trip to one of the world’s most beautiful Botanic Gardens, Kirstenbosch (the self-proclaimed “Most beautiful Garden in Africa”), seemed in order…

Little more than 15km from Cape Town International Airport and tucked into a valley right below Table Mountain, the spectacular and incredibly beautiful Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens covers over 520 hectares and includes cultivated gardens as well a heavily wooded nature reserve.

Dedicated in 1913, Kirstenbosch has a long history beginning with prehistoric occupation through to exploitation of its timber resources by the Dutch East India Company and on to private ownership by individuals including Cecil Rhodes. Left to the nation in 1902 when Rhodes died, the themed gardens are now mostly planted with native fynbos species and are one of the best places in the region (and hence of course the world) to see such sought-after endemic South African birds as Cape Sugarbird, Orange-breasted Sunbird, and Forest Canary.

Other ’specialities’ found here are parties of remarkably tame Cape Francolin/Spurfowl (which quite literally will hop over your feet to get past you if you keep still), the normally quite difficult to see Sombre Greenbul which on this occasion were in full song and showing reasonably well (listen out for a highly variable whistling chortle which usually begins with an explosive “weee-wee” before trailing off in a series of bubbling, descending notes), Cape Bulbuls, Southern Boubou, and Cape Batis.

Cape Francolin Francolinus capensis

Orange-breasted Sunbird Nectarinia violacea

Sombre Greenbul Andropadus importunus

Cape Bulbul Pycnonotus capensis

Forest Canary Serinus scotops

Open every day of the year from 08:00, completely safe and very accessible Kirstenbosch is an extremely popular place so don’t expect to have the Gardens to yourself, but as most people don’t seem to make the effort to walk the almost vertical path (I’m exaggerating - but only a little) to the Proteas and taller vegetation where the Sugarbirds - an endemic southern African family of just two species (Cape and Gurney’s) and thought to be distantly related to sunbirds - are usually found it doesn’t feel too unnatural a birding situation. Perhaps the most ’special’ of the ’specials’ here, the Sugarbirds are best found by scanning the tops of the taller bushes or listening out for their loud chattering calls - or just watching out for a large sunbird-like bird with an unfeasibly long tail bounding from protea to protea.

Cape Sugarbirds Promerops cafer

Even fewer people seem to go further uphill from the protea gardens into the more rugged and uncultivated sections of Kirstenbosch that cover the base of Table Mountain itself, and with so little time available I wasn’t likely to be one of them this time round - but if you have got the time to take the circuit through Skeleton Gorge and Nursery Ravine it’s worth keeping a look out for the elusive Knysna Warbler that is sometimes seen here.

Highlight for me was taking a series of photographs of a male Southern Double-collared Sunbird - a widespread southern African endemic - making brief hovering forays over a large display of (I think) Namaqualand daisies: I’ve never seen a sunbird behave like this (but then again they’re not exactly common in Wiltshire), and it was a captivating sight watching this tiny bundle of metallic-looking colours nipping across the flower bed like a big green bee…

Southern Double-collared Sunbird Nectarinia chalybea

As I was flying home later in the afternoon I only had three hours at Kirstenbosch, but it was worth every second: it’s a stunning place, extremely well-laid out, and packed with birds. No doubt a longer visit would have brought a few more species - Pririt Batis [though see the comments below by clicking on the link] and Swee Waxbill are often mentioned in trip reports for instance - I was happy enough!

Trip List - Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens:
Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiacus 6-8; Yellow-billed Kite Milvus aegypteus 2-3; Rock (Common) Kestrel Falco (tinnunculus) rupicola 2; Cape Francolin Francolinus capensis 4; Speckled Pigeon Columba guinea 10+; Ring-necked Dove Streptopelia capicola 4-5; White-backed Mousebird Colius colius 6-8; Cape Wagtail Motacilla capensis 3-4; Cape Bulbul Pycnonotus capensis 8-10; Sombre Greenbul Andropadus importunus 4; Olive Thrush Turdus olivaceus 4-5; Karoo Prinia Prinia maculosa 3-4; Cape Robin-chat Cossypha caffra c)3-4; Cape Batis Batis capensis 2; Orange-breasted Sunbird Nectarinia violacea 5-6; Southern Double-collared Sunbird Nectarinia chalybea c)5-6; Cape Sugarbird Promerops cafer 6; Fiscal Shrike Lanius collaris 2; Southern Boubou Laniarius ferrugineus 1; Pied Crow Corvus albus 10+; Common Waxbill Estrilda astrild 6; Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs 1; Cape Canary Serinus canicollis 2; Forest Canary Serinus scotops 2

For more general information go to www.sanbi.org

All photographs copyright Charlie Moores