cape birding route > birding spots > cape peninsula > constantia greenbelts
 
Info Service
About Us
Birding Spots
Tours
Day Guiding
Accommodation
Pelagics
Car Hire
Resources
Contact Us
 
    Site Map
Constantia Greenbelts:

The forest patches which cloak much of the eastern slopes of Table Mountain extend down into the exclusive residential suburb of Constantia, south of Kirstenbosch (see regional map, p.14), where interlinked ‘greenbelts’ have been set aside to preserve the area’s natural character. The forest and thickets along these greenbelts are the Peninsula’s best sites to see the elusive Knysna Warbler (p.32*), Buff-spotted Flufftail, Wood Owl, and a host of other forest specials.

The largest section of the greenbelts is known as De Hel (1 on site map, below). Park in the small area next to the ‘Greenbelt’ signboard and walk to the right on the broad, descending path which meanders down about 200 m to a small, vegetated stream at 2. The upper reaches of this stream can also be reached 100 m further along the path that leads from the left of the parking area (3). The secretive Knysna Warbler is found in the streamside thickets, where it creeps around low in the vegetation, often walking on the ground. This sombre skulker’s strikingly beautiful song is the key to pinpointing its position, and tape playback often entices it closer. Excessive playback, however, can cause disturbance to the birds and we urge birders to act considerately — please don’t use calls unnecessarily. Look out for Cinnamon Dove walking noisily on the forest floor in this area. Other birds seen regularly between here and the parking area include Cape Siskin (p.33*), Forest Canary, Cape Batis, Sombre Bulbul, Dusky and Paradise Flycatchers, Rameron Pigeon, Redchested Cuckoo (vocal from September to December), Lesser Double-collared Sunbird and the introduced Chaffinch (see box, p.31). This is also one of the few sites on the Peninsula where Bar-throated Apalis and Swee Waxbill occur, although they are scarce here.

Another good part of the greenbelts for Knysna Warbler is at 4 (again, park at the ‘Greenbelt’ signboard). A footpath leads down the densely vegetated stream along which the birds lurk.

Buff-spotted Flufftail, a relatively recent discovery on the Cape Peninsula, is another star bird of the Constantia Greenbelt. This is a legendary skulker, and is among Africa’s hardest birds to see. Males are best searched for on summer nights when their ventriloquial, hooting call emanates from dense tangles of vegetation, often from a position up to 3 m above the ground. Park at the point where the greenbelt crosses Brommersvlei Road (5) and walk west for 300 m to a wooden bridge over a small wetland (6). In the evenings, a number of Buff-spotted Flufftails can be heard calling along a stretch from here up to the tar road that crosses the greenbelt (7). Wood Owl, Spotted Eagle Owl and the occasional Fiery-necked Nightjar can be heard at night.

Both Red-breasted Sparrowhawk and African Goshawk are common throughout this area. This is an excellent spot to get clear views of African Sedge Warbler, Burchell’s Coucal (listen for its bubbling call) and Common Waxbill.

Cecilia Forest (main entrance at 8), a walking spot popular among Capetonians, consists predominantly of timber plantations with small patches of indigenous forest holding out along the streams. Chaffinch and Cape Siskin (p.33*) are particularly common in the plantations, and the open patches with a clear view of the skies are the best places to look overhead for soaring Red-breasted Sparrowhawk and the rare Honey Buzzard, interspersed among the much more common Steppe Buzzard and the occasional Forest Buzzard.

Raptorphiles may enjoy the identification challenge posed by the resident and migrant buzzards. Forest Buzzard is a rare resident of the Peninsula’s forests, and is best seen at Tokai Plantation (take the Tokai off-ramp from the M3 and continue all the way to the mountain, turning left, at the Cape Dutch manor house T-junction, towards the Arboretum). The migrant Steppe Buzzard far outnumbers it during summer, and considerable skill is required to distinguish the two species. It is also always worth keeping an eye out for the scarce Honey Buzzard, whose presence in the Cape was revealed only in the mid-1980s, when it was discovered by John Graham at Tokai. Small numbers of this species can be found anywhere in forests on the Peninsula, although Tokai and Cecilia Forest are the places where they are seen most frequently.


This website is maintained by Birding Africa.
Please do not use any text, images or content from this site without permission.
© Birding Africa 1997-2009 info@capebirdingroute.org
4 Crassula Way, Pinelands, 7405, Cape Town, South Africa



27/09/09: Dalton Gibbs reports back from Gough Island! Read the blog!

26/09/09: New Cape Town Pelagics trip report from trips of 12 and 19 September 2009.

30/08/09: British Birdwatching Fair at Rutland Water proved very successful, with sunny weather and over 20,000 visitors. Callan's "Birding Namibia and the Okavango" was the most highly-attended lecture on the Saturday, with over 240 people. Congratulations to the winners of the Birding Africa competition and the African Bird Club raffle that we helped sponsor!

12/08/09: New Cape Town Pelagics trip reports from August and July 2009. Highlights: Little Shearwater and more!

07/08/09: The sub-adult Black Sarrowhawk visits our garden again! Read on about Raptor Research in the Western Cape.

27/07/09: Cape Town's Verreauxs' Eagle Chick has grown! And its sibling never had a chance to hatch. See the pictures of the chick, its nest and the breeding pair. Find out more about the Western Cape Raptor Research Programme.

27/07/09: To follow modern nomenclature and systematics, we've adopted the IOC World Bird List, Version 2.1.

13/07/09: The 8th African Bird ID Challenge has launched! Win a 50% discount on a Cape Town Pelagics trip, a copy of Southern African Birdfinder, or African Bird Club membership for 1 year.

6 July 09: Cape White-eye research in our garden.

2 July 09: Cape Town's Verreauxs' Eagle Chick has hatched! See the pictures of the chick, its nest and the breeding pair. Find out more about the Western Cape Raptor Research Programme.

2 July 09: Campbell Fleming, a Cape Town scholar, avid birder and photographer, joined Birding Africa last month as an intern. Click here, to see what he got up to.

2 July 09: New pelagic trip reports from the Cape Town Pelagics trips in June 2009. Highlights: Slenderbilled Prion and Leach's Storm Petrel

30 july 09: Our latest Cape Fynbos and Karoo trip reports feature Hottentot Buttonquail, Cinnamon-breasted Warbler and other fynbos and Karoo endemics...

26 June 09: Tungsten mining threatens RAMSAR site, South Africa's Verlorenvlei. Read the Media Release.

22 June 09: Claire Spottiswoode, one of the Cape Birding Route founders, was part of the exploratory team at Mount Mabu. The mountain is part of the newly discovered largest rainforest in Southern Africa.

11 June 09: A colour-ringed Black Sparrowhawk visits the Birding Africa office garden. Read why it's a 10 months old male!

14 June 09:
Wildlife at the office of The Cape Birding Route, Birding Africa and Cape Town Pelagics.

31 May 09:
Michel Watelet wins the 7th African Bird Club & Birding Africa ID Challenge. Test your African birding skills and WIN a Birding Africa Cape town day trip or a copy of the Birdfinder!

30 May 09: A tragedy unfolds at Kommetjie south of Cape town as 44 beached False Killer Whales were shot. Click here for more details and pictures.

14 March 09: Raptor Watch in Cape Town on 14 March 09