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Goegap
Nature Reserve, Springbok
This
15 000-hectare reserve is situated in the rugged interior
of Namaqualand, 15 km east of Springbok, the region’s
principal town. It offers spectacular flowers and scenery,
and several Karoo specials, among them Cinnamon-breasted
Warbler (p.85*) and Karoo
Eremomela (p.85*), both found in classic Namaqualand
landscapes. To reach the reserve (which only opens at 09h00),
follow the signs from Springbok to the airport (via R355),
and take another tarred road for a few kilometres past the
airport to the reserve gates. There is an attractive succulent
garden at the Goegap offices, which are also the starting
point of a 17-km tourist loop road that covers a cross-section
of the reserve’s habitats (those suitably equipped should
inquire about the exciting 4x4 routes, which allow one to
explore more widely). Look in the vicinity of the offices
for Acacia Pied Barbet, White-backed Mousebird,
Glossy Starling, Dusky Sunbird and White-throated
Canary.
Cinnamon-breasted
Warbler is a com-mon but
inconspicuous inhabitant of rocky slopes throughout the reserve,
and may even be seen on the hillsides behind the offices.
Other birds characteristic of the rocky slopes of the reserve,
which can be accessed at a number of points along the tourist
loop (such as at 5 km and 8.5 km from the offices), include
Black Eagle, Booted Eagle, Ground
Woodpecker (p.105*), Southern Grey Tit, Mountain
Chat, Layard’s Titbabbler and Dusky Sunbird.
Cape Eagle Owl
(p.105*) is resident on the rocky slopes at Goegap, and is
best searched for by driving along roads adjacent to the reserve
at night. In the more open areas along the loop road (at 4
km and at 8 km from the offices, for example), search for
small groups of Karoo Eremomela among the low shrubs.
Other birds which may be seen along here include Ostrich,
Ludwig’s Bustard
(p.105*), Karoo and Thick-billed Larks.
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4 Crassula Way, Pinelands, 7405, Cape Town, South Africa
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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
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