Something different!!

It is amazing how a person gets used to your surrounding areas with the relevant birdlife, and how great it is to get away to a completely different biome!

A family wedding saw my wife, kids and yours truly jetting off to Cape Town on Friday, 10 July. Sadly the Capetonians didn't arrange great weather for us, with the resultant massive flooding in and around Cape Town. Sunday saw us packing house from Fishhoek to Gordon's Bay, with the weather only bettering on the Wednesday. We grabbed this opportunity immediately, and headed off to the Harold Porter Botanical Gardens in Betty's Bay. My wife was immediately provided with 2 lifers, Swee Waxbill, and amazingly close sightings of Cape Siskin. It was great to be out birding, although the toll of 2 small kids showed in the small list we managed to put together. We will be back.

Family gettogethers took up a lot of our time, but we did squeeze in a visit to the Helderberg Nature Reserve in Somerset West. Within minutes, my wife notched up Brimstone Canary, the third and last lifer for her. We were spoilt with phenomenal displays by Cape Sugarbirds and Orange-breasted Sunbirds, along with many of the other 'usuals'.

Interestingly enough, we had a view of a Klaas' Cuckoo around the nursery area, and judging by the numerous reports on SA Birdnet, there seems to be a large number overwintering this year. I have personally recorded a few Klaas', based on call, around Pilanesberg and Sun City already.

We noted numerous spots as we were travelling that will be visited during our next trip south, whenever that should be, and look forward to the completely different, yet refreshing, birding available!!