We decided on visiting South Africa soon after returning from Kazakhstan and had intended to travel with Naturetrek again on one of their £990 specials. However my annual visit to the British Birdwatching Fair at Rutland Water changed all that when I met Richard Grant of Birdwatch Cape at one of the stands there. There was no hardsell but I was taken by what was on offer and because there was four of us this time I was able to negotiate a 10% reduction on the brochure price. I returned from the Fair and suggested to Paul that we tailor make an itinerary to suit all our requirements and E-mail Richard accordingly. We would still have to make our own flight arrangements but the overall cost including an extra two days would be cheaper than Naturetrek when taking into account their price excluded airport taxes, all meals, the cost of the pelagic and guides tips.After agreeing the tour with Alan Hinchliffe and Frank Bird who were travelling with us this time, Paul got the ball rolling. A couple of E-mails later we had agreed an itinerary, the cost, and sent off our 10% deposit, the balance to be paid not later than 7 days before tour departure which I considered to be more than reasonable.

We flew with KLM via Amsterdam and thankfully experienced no problems despite the adverse publicity they had recently received with luggage going missing or tampered with at Schiphol airport, Amsterdam. We left Manchester at 16.50 and arrived at Amsterdam about an hour later. We gained an hour flying east and as South Africa is in the same time zone as Amsterdam no further time adjustments were necessary until we arrived back at Manchester. With three terminals merged together this was some serious sized airport. Facilities were excellent and time passed by quickly people watching. What sights you see fashion wise. Trainers with Rhino horns front and back was the most bizarre thing I saw, but my attention was also drawn to the number of people talking to themselves. In my parent’s time you would have been taken away in a white van, but hands-free telecommunications is the in thing for travelling executives and consultants these days. We left Schipool at 21.15 arriving at Johannesburg 7.30 the following day. It was a beautiful clear day as we started our final leg to Cape Town at 8.35. Most of the passengers had ended their journey at Jo’burg so we had the plane almost to ourselves as South African Airways do not allow other airlines arriving in South Africa to take on passengers while in transit. We flew over endless patch-worked shaped cropfields and could see that the numerous ‘supporting’ lakes were drying out, taking on a salt pan like appearance. Twisting snakelike rivers meandered through the plains which subtlety changed colour the further west we travelled. The parched landscape turned russet colour and mountain ranges appeared in the distance. Below us moon crater shapes pockmarked the landscape and nipple shaped hills dotted the land. As we approached the mountains, clouds were bubbling up, and by the time we reached Cape Town thick widespread cloud covered the whole area.

Cape Town airport came as a surprise as I had it in my mind that it would have been larger. I could only see seven other aircraft, then reflected that we were at the very bottom of the continent with no southerly destinations to fly to. The terminal was modern and very well maintained. We passed swiftly through immigration and were met by Richard who greeted us warmly and led us to his waiting vehicle. It was an eight seater Volkswagon 2.3 litre people carrier and it was exclusively ours for the duration of the trip. Even Alan (Mr Grumpy) was impressed. We made our way through the townships and suburbs to our accommodation for the next four nights, the Breakwater Lodge Hotel set in the vicinity of the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront Harbour complex. The 20 km ride on good roads including the city by and over pass was fast and relatively traffic free, though we were outside the rush hour. We deposited our luggage in a safe room, extracted our optics and set off for Kommetje.

A strong North Westerly was blowing as we made our way past familiar sounding signposts directing you to Llandudno and Scarborough. I didn’t ask. Finally we reached Kommetje a small coastal resort village and our first birding spot which was the start of a list that gave me 175 new species out of a total of 236 we were to see or hear. Not bad when I tell you that during our stay the Western Cape was declared a national disaster area owing to unprecedented rainfall. After little or no sleep we quickly got into gear though initially struggled with the 4 Cormorants on offer. Well they’re a bit like pigeons aren’t they. You either love them or loathe them. I think the latter may have been nearer the mark. However the closely related African Darter, not expected here, was, as Alan and Frank frequently said, ‘Good Value’. Good value or rather excellent value, certainly for me, was my first Pied Kingfisher fishing in the quieter waters of the bay. Roosting from the wind were 50+ Swift Terns, 2 Antarctic Terns, 20+ Hartlaub’s Gulls, Kelp Gulls, 2 African Black Oystercatchers, a Sandwich Tern and a delightful White-fronted Plover. Other birds seen here included the ubiquitous Cape Wagtail, ‘our’ Starlings, White-necked Raven, Cape Gannets, 2 Hadeda Ibis and a stunning Blacksmith Plover which as we say about our Lapwings we would travel a long way to see if we had to, if they were not so common.

From here we crossed the Cape Peninsula to Simonstown and Boulders where there is a nature reserve for the resident colony of the Southern African endemic, Jackass Penguin. Touristy I admit, but it has to be done regardless of the stench. Totally unphased by the continuous stream of visitors they completely ignored us making no attempt at contact. Boulders gets its name from the giant rocks that shelter the small beach and is a lovely setting for these small penguins that just get on with their own business. Also here we saw Southern Bou Bou, a shrike, in the thickets where the penguins had their nests. We only ever saw one more but heard others sounding off boo-boo and similar sounding calls. Cape Robin was also present, a stunner in its own right. Just see the fieldguide and get down there.

Moving on before darkness set in, it gets dark at 6.30, we set off for Strandfontein one of the Cape Flats wetlands which in places is just a stones throw from the shores of False Bay. British birds included Moorhen, Little Grebe and 200+ Black-necked Grebes. Europeans were represented by 250+ Greater Flamingoes, Cattle Egrets, White Pelican, B.W.Stilts, Red-knobbed Coot, Purple Gallinule (Richards emblem), and Little Swifts. African species included Maccoa Duck, Cape Shoveller, Yellow-billed Duck, Southern Pochard, Cape Reed Warbler, Southern Masked Weaver, Levaillant’s Cisticola and African Black Swifts. Not a bad start for the trip we thought as we made our way back to the hotel.

After freshening up we made our way down to the waterfront where numerous eating establishments of all types and standards were waiting to be tried. In the event we returned to the same one every night, despite my protestations that we should experience a variety. Having said that I have to say that ALDO’S was exceptionally good with some of the finest and largest steaks I have had anywhere. Richard gave us some rands for our evening meals while in Cape Town which we supplemented to suit our tastes. Two rounds of alcohol, 4 starters, 4 main meals and a tip averaged £32.00 a night all in. Great value for money. As we made our way back to the hotel, it started to rain and the ridicule Alan had subjected Frank and I to on the way to Aldo’s was repaid as we raised our umbrellas in the air. It got better later in the week when torrential rain on a forest walk had Alan striding out while Frank and I were able to get stunning views of a pair of Olive Bush Shrikes and Black headed Orioles under the protection of our beloved, hee-hee, umbrellas. YES.

After a good nights rest we set off for our first full days birding. We sped quickly out of Cape town, along the N2, passing once again the townships made from the land equivalent of flotsam and jetsam. However there were encouraging signs in the sight of a huge housing development that was building starter homes for about £1,600. Though not much to look at they were a vast improvement on their present living standards. Superior starter homes priced at about £4,000 were far more desirable. It will take a generation to improve the lot of these people. I wish them well. We turned off the main road on to a feeder road that was busy with commuters making there way to work. We stopped almost immediately as the fields by the side of the road were flooded and birds were everywhere. Skyward, swifts of all sizes were swerving and wheeling through the overcast skies. Alpine, Little, White rumped, Black African and Horus Swifts, not forgetting Greater Striped Swallows defied us to follow their flight and ID them. With time we all got on to them but with only 2 White rumpeds it took some time. Nearby in a small reedbed Cape and Masked Weavers were busy nest building. Joining them were Red Bishops with their gaudy knockout plumage. The problem with seeing so many new birds is that you haven’t the time to do them justice. Thankfully there were many repeat sightings. On the deck a male Cape Sparrow superficially resembled our own Lapland Bunting, while on the floods were inter alia; Red-billed Teal, Spur-winged Geese, Yellow-billed Duck and Sacred Ibis. Lines of Sacred Ibis also flew above us flapping and gliding with necks outstretched as they made their way to their feeding grounds from their overnight roost sites. We travelled a little further but soon stopped as we saw a Black shouldered Kite chasing a Pied Crow. We were now in the Cape Wheatlands with birds coming thick and fast. Metalled roads had been replaced by dirt roads on which we were to travel frequently and over long distances. Although dirt roads they were still maintained to a good standard and were comfortable to travel on. Stonechat, House Sparrow and Peregrine were familiar to us, as were to a lesser degree Common Waxbill, Zitting Cisticola and Purple Heron. Stopping frequently we added to our list ; Yellowrumped Widow, Orange Throated Longclaw (shades of Meadowlark), Thick-billed and Red-capped Larks, Fiscal Shrike, Karoo and Cape Robins, Grassveld Pipit, Karoo Prinia, Cape Turtle and Laughing Doves, Cape Canary, Pied Starling and Greywing Francolin. Two Spotted Dikkops just away from the road became anxious as we stopped to photograph them, unlike the Water Dikkops we were to photo at point blank range later that day. Far from close were two Blue Cranes feeding in the distance. With their plume length black secondaries almost touching the ground and their overall delicate grey colouring except for the white crown, these birds were elegance personified. Reach for the fieldguide if you have one and see for yourself as words cannot do them justice. Also in the distance in the rolling countryside were 10 Rhebok. Now I have to declare that our own wild deer do little for me, but I found myself drawn to these antelopes and the several other species we were to see. Paul Ellis’s talk on Uganda reinforced that feeling when he showed Oribi, Bushbuck and Impala. There is so much more to these animals when you actually see them for yourself in their own environment, but that emotion comes from within and is very much a personal thing.

As we continued our stop, start journey, we saw 2 Three banded Plovers on a muddy yard close to the road while stunning Capped Wheatears lined the roadside. If I were to describe all these birds I would quickly run out of superlatives, so bear with me if I appear to dismiss some out of hand - it is not intentional. A late late breakfast so my stomach told me, saw us alongside a rushy field looking unsuccessfully for African Snipe. A Black-headed Heron flew by, one of 4 we were to see that day and an immature Jackal Buzzard put in an appearance.

Moving on, our next scheduled stop was Paarl Mountain Nature Reserve. The car park was reached after a long winding drive through woodland, opening out into the Fynbos covered slopes where beautiful Proteas were just coming into flower. It is here we saw our first nectar sipping Sunbirds. The name itself conjures up something special and we were not to be disappointed. Malachite, Orange-breasted and Lesser Double-collared sunbirds vied for our attention. They were all equally stunning (yes that word again) in their own right as our senses were struck by their beauty. Here also were Cape Sugarbirds with their ridiculously long tails and Fiscal Flycatchers reminding you of Fiscal Shrikes.

Above the mountain summit we could see White necked Raven and Peregrine doing battle while a Booted Eagle soared and drifted by. Back to earth 2 terrestrial Ground Woodpeckers made a fleeting appearance and a party of Cape White-eyes flew all around us. A Grassbird showed briefly once or twice and Black Saw-wing Swallows flew between the trees near the carpark; just one of the birds I should have given more time to. A calling Bar-throated Apalis tantalised us as it was one of those must see birds. Fortunately Richard was prepared and he drew it in with his tape recorder to reveal a little gem of a bird . Once again Alan was heard to say Good Value and so it was. Whatever you may think about recordings, they come into their own where time is at a premium and I for one would not liked to have missed this bird.

The scenery around here was beautiful even if the weather could have been better. However it was time to go and after lunching in Paarl we moved on to our last site of the day Paarl Bird Sanctuary a wetland which provided more magic moments. After checking in we stayed in the vehicle and moved slowly around the reserve only getting out to visit a hide. New birds came thick and fast. Cape Teal, White-faced Duck, Grey-headed Gull, African Spoonbill, Grey and Night Herons, Water Dikkops, W.W.B.Terns, Common Sandpipers, Malachite Kingfisher and a magnificent Fish Eagle which sadly chose not to come our way as it disappeared behind tree cover. Repeats included good numbers of Grebes, Black-winged Stilts, Cattle Egrets, Cape Wagtail, Cape Reed Warblers and ‘Cormorants’ .

As the light began to fade we made our way back to the entrance, but were stopped in our tracks by several Water Dikkops relying on their camouflage plumage to avoid detection and which were just asking to be photographed. Richard positioned the van ‘on top of them’ and Paul, Alan and I reeled some film off. A Blacksmith Plover came alongside me shepherding its young and Frank fell about laughing as I struggled to take a picture. You know the problems as I muttered out loud, too near, too far, too fast, still on manual, not enough light, etc etc. I‘ve got a very good picture of its backside. Thinking that was it for the day we were over the moon when some of the 20+ Kittlitz’s Plovers moved and betrayed their presence. More film was shuttered off as we delighted in watching these little beauties. What a day.

As we made our way back to Cape Town Richard confirmed that the pelagic, which had been in danger of being cancelled was to go ahead, the winds having died down considerably since our arrival. Tomorrow couldn`t come quick enough.

Richard arrived at the hotel with his wife Ria at 6.00 and we made our way to Simonstown, home of the South African Navy. On arrival at the harbour Ria got breakfast going while we signed our lives away on an undertaking that no responsibility would rest with the boat owners should anything tragic happen, or something along those lines. Scarey, but what the heck, nothing was going to stop us going.

I think there were 11 of us, plus 3 crew and 3 guides. Alvin Cope one of the guides, outlined the day ahead including safety procedures, and extra waterproofs were offered to those who looked like they might need them. We set off at 7.00 passing Boulders beach where the Jackass penguins could be seen and continued alongside the Cape peninsula passing more ‘Cormorants’. A rainbow over the peninsula added atmosphere to the scene. We were still inside the protection of False Bay when we started to see our first White-chinned Petrels, Sooty Shearwaters and a couple of Shy Albatrosses. A single Southern Right Whale also showed as did a distant ‘blowing’ Brydes Whale. Magic.

As we passed the Cape of Good Hope the warm Agulhas current joined the cool Benguela current and the sea state took a turn for the worse. On the upperdeck of our 40ft craft the handrails became essential. A harness wouldn’t have been out of place I thought. In the distance a flurry of activity was apparent as we headed straight for it. 50+ Common Dolphins were corraling schools of fish and had attracted good numbers of seabirds. Cape Gannets, Sooties, White chinned Petrels and a few Black browed Albatrosses and Subantarctic Skuas. This however was just a taster of what was to come.

Looking further out, we could see a long-liner and set course directly for its wake. An Antarctic Prion, one of 5 we saw, flew by but did not hang around for close inspection. As we drew nearer to the trawler we could see growing numbers of seabirds. Rather than describe the emerging scene let me take you right into it. Wherever you looked were seabirds flying, diving, marauding, squabbling, feeding, resting but all never far behind the trawler, like gulls following a plough. A single Northern Royal Albatross probably took pride of place and was top of the pecking order, hardly surprising with a conk that big. There must have been over 300 Black-broweds, while Shy Albatrosses probably numbered 40+ and Yellow-nosed Albatrosses about 10. Pintado (Cape) Petrels exceeded 1,000 as did Cape Gannets. The Pintados were one of my target species ever since I saw them on one of David Attenborough`s programmes and they didn`t disappoint; then seabirds - real seabirds never do. Their patchy, skewbald patterning was as if they couldn`t decide whether to be brown or white so instead they ended up with this unique plumage, that sets them apart from their congeners. I could have watched them all day but with so much going on you didn`t have time to. Lucky Frank, all he had to do was watch them.

With birds passing by at eye level and reaching out distance, and the boat rocking from side to side, photography was largely down to luck. Paul made sure he had some by reeling off 6 rolls of film. Marauding Subantarctic Skuas were dwarfed in the presence of Albatrosses and it would have been a very brave skua to go for a Southern Giant Petrel. These sea vultures are truly evil looking and on a par with Marabou Stork in the beauty stakes. We saw about 15, more than enough thankyou, even if it was a real seabird. Dainty Wilsons petrels with their stiff winged appearance and fast flight added an extra dimension to the scene. And always around were White-chinneds and my revered Sooties, the only shearwaters present save for a single Manxie seen on the way out.

It was just great to see so many Albatrosses as they instinctively exploited the gusts of wind that are deflected upwards by the waves and to watch them effortlessly fly on shallow arched wings. How I wish I was there now. Mention should also be made of the excellent commentary given out by Alvin and the information imparted by his fellow guides Bruce Dyer and Phil Whittington. If only I could remember it all but when clutching the handrails and trying to take in the jaw dropping views of this ‘Hollywood Blockbuster’ your mind is elsewhere. What a good excuse to go back if indeed an excuse was needed.

I could continue to wax lyrical about this scene but I am sure you will have got the picture and for those of you attending Novembers meeting you will see the pictures. Very reluctantly, not that we could do anything about it, the skipper made his way back to port passing Cape Fur Seals with their flippers pointing skyward. Don`t ask me why, it`s just another thing I can`t remember. We arrived back early at 14.30 and Richard collected us at the arranged time. We had had another day to remember and we declined Richard`s offer of some additional land birding in favour of an early, much needed shower, and a leisurely break before dining at Aldos on ostrich, sirloin and fillet steaks with a kingklip fish dish for me.

As an aside I just have to mention that Paul was relating the days events on the phone to his wife Sarah, when he inexplicably burst into laughter. When asked what he was laughing about, he said Sarah had asked him ‘How Dads army were coping’. Bloody cheek. When mentioning this later to Alan and Frank we immediately christened Paul ‘Captain Mainwaring’ while Frank became known as Godfrey, Alan as ‘Wer’e all doomed’ Fraser, and myself as Sgt Wilson-charming. I still think Alans more suited to his other alias, Victor Meldrew.

The next morning we set off early to a site to see (altogether now Ha Ha ) Knysna Warbler. Instead we should have had an extra hour in bed. This was one serious skulker. Needle in a haystack comes to mind, except finding the needle would have been easier.This bird was not even a now you see me, now you don’t. You just never saw it. We could have been listening to a tape recorder responding to our tape for all we knew. If you would like to write a whole day off then this is the bird for you. Nightingales are a doddle after this. Its one redeeming feature was its Wood Warbler like song but after an hour or so even this starts to wear a bit thin. It started to rain, thankfully, and we left the invisible warbler to frustrate whoever came along next. It just happened to be a birder who had been on the pelagic with us and who Fraser had taken a dislike to. Strange. I could hear Fraser chuckling to himself all the way back to the carrier. His delight however was short-lived as the fool had left something hanging from his cars door handle and Richard went back to tell him. He drove off after thanking us. Grrrr thought Fraser or at least that was what I thought he thought. The site was called De Hel. Nuff said.

We made our way to our next port of call passing roadside sellers of stacks of wood. Clearance of Eucalyptus and other exotics from the Cape peninsula is a long term project and the workers in addition to their wages are also allowed to sell what they fell. We reached Rooi Els mid morning in cold windy conditions. Well wrapped up we set off in search of Cape Rockjumper a superb endemic which is well named. We saw it well, male and female, and also ticked off Grey-backed Cisticola, Cape Siskin, and, Familiar Chat. Once again it started to rain as we made our way back to the vehicle from where we ticked off Neddicky a Dunnock look-alike from the fieldguide, but looking far dapper in real life. Also from our moving hide we saw Cape Rock Thrush, Cape Bunting and a roving party of Speckled Mousebird.

From here we retraced our route to visit Sir Lowry`s pass but en route we stopped to ID a distant raptor which was another Jackal buzzard. We also saw Bully Canary here but best of all, right below us a family party of 3 Southern Right Whales. They couldn`t have been more than 50 yards from the shore but we were a long way up as we photographed them. However through the scopes they were terrific and all the salient features were noted including the patchy white belly. They seemed to be enjoying themselves waving their broad flippers about and bonding with each other. At least I think that was what they were doing. You could make out the strongly arched mouthline that was encrusted with callouses from beginning to end. It was criminal having to leave them but time waits for no one and we resumed our next leg passing many whale watchers on this Sunday morning.

We arrived at Sir Lowry`s pass which gave spectacular views over False bay, the Cape peninsula and Cape flats. We set off on a 2 km walk for our target species Victorin`s warbler. It was cold and very windy as we trudged our way along a well defined track. I think we all thought that if we see this bird in these conditions it will be a miracle, but you have to try. A fire had devastated much of the Fynbos but there was still enough to hide our quarry in despite Richards attempts. We didn`t see them even though we could hear two very well. The walk back with Richard and Mainwaring side by side was akin to a funeral march. Whether Richard was thinking that he had let us down twice in one day I don`t know. No one spoke for some time but the ice was broken when we made light of it and he could see that it didn`t really matter. I think that was the defining moment when Richard realised that although we were keen to see everything we were too experienced for an occasional dip to mar our enjoyment on what was after all a holiday. We continued to Helderberg nature reserve for lunch, and a walk around part of the reserve which has an impressive bird list, but once again we were rained off. Apart from some close up views of Cape sugarbirds and the impressive Bontebok we saw little else. The reserve however was set in beautiful surroundings and the Fynbos was particularly good for Proteas. I should like to return there on a better day.

After freshening up we all met at Ria and Richards cabin where we chatted on the verandah, and downed cans of lager. Far away were the twinkling night lights of Vreedenburg and sleepy villages on the plains below. Ria came up trumps with a super meal washed down with white and red wine and for me followed by a gullet warming liquer by the name of Amurula a litre bottle of which I later bought at Cape Town duty free. We slept well that night.

Up at first light we opened the door to be faced with wind and rain. A walk in the hills was out of the question, so we set off in the vehicle. Returning about 90 minutes later we had added no new species when we arrived back for breakfast. However on stepping out of the carrier we incredibly added 3 new species in as many minutes - Mountain Chat, Anteating Chat and Rufous eared Warbler. Very nice too. It was still raining as we had breakfast in a cool 9 degrees centigrade inside. Bacon and egg spaceships and warm mushrooms and onions followed by pancakes and syrup. Great. We loaded the carrier up and I regret I could not summon up anything to write in the visitors book, down to the foul weather that had marred our time there. We left but not before leaving what was considered to be a very generous tip to the caretakers, black grandparents looking after grandchildren while the parents were seeking work in the cities. They were on 100 rands a week. We made our way to Lainsburg almost without stopping. This small town is situated on the main road from Cape Town to Jo`burg along which we travelled for some time. It is perhaps indicative of the economy when I tell you that in a 10 km stretch we overtook 1 vehicle, we ourselves were not overtaken and in the opposite direction only 5 cars and 5 lorries passed us. I sincerely hope their fortunes change soon for it is a wonderful country.

Richard checked into the Grand hotel there, then we proceeded to do a circular of the area on dirt tracks that seemed to go on for ages. It had stopped raining but was still overcast as we travelled parallel to a river that gave us Pearl-breasted Swallow. A little further on, another stop turned up repeats of LDC and Dusky Sunbirds, Pied Barbet, Chesnut-vented Titbabbler and our only Karoo Long-billed Lark making great use of its bill by poking in the soil for grubs. Further stops turned up 12 Pale-winged Starlings, 6 Larklike Buntings and a flying Ludwigs Bustard. 2 Crowned Plover, 3 Pirit Batis and 1 Long-billed Crombec made up the best of the rest of the days birds. However the sight of Red Hot Pokers growing alongside infant rivers fired my insides, took Richard and Ria by surprise, and left the rest full of indifference. Heathens.

We ate at the hotel that night and were not disappointed. The staff were all very nice as indeed was the proprietor a lovely lady who went out of her way to be helpful. A steaming bath, it was that deep you could float in it, was bliss. There was no shower. I slept well in a room with a ceiling that must have been over 12 feet high. Just thought you`d like to know.

We left at 6.30 hoping to reach Wilderness National Park on the famous Garden Route by about 10.30. We were making good time when we stopped to view a nesting bird. It was just as well we did as the front tyre was rapidly going down. We could not get the carrier up high enough to remove the wheel and in trying to do so the thread on the jack stripped rendering it useless. We flagged down a passing motorist who promised to return but in the meantime Ria had walked to a nearby dwelling and the owner came out and raised the carrier using an axle jack. We tried too contact the other motorist after giving a description of him and his 4 by 4. We were to late as his son arrived in his place. Not in the least concerned about his wasted journey, he smiled and returned whence he had come. Such camaradarie was touching but no doubt essential in such a sparsely populated area. We thanked our good samaritans and went on our way.

We travelled through the Seweweekspoort pass following the twisting course of its namesake river, and enthralled by its precipitous sides. I would loved to have walked through it. We passed through Calitzdorp, Oudtshoorn the ‘Ostrich farming capital’ and then on to George before finally arriving at Wilderness a little later than scheduled. Richard gave Ria her instructions e.g. buy a new jack etc etc while we went on to do some forest birding. What would we have done without Ria. As we stepped out of the carrier, birding began instantly. ‘Cormorants’, Little Grebe and Little Egret were down river on a shingle bed while in front of us were 6 tiny Swee Waxbills foraging for food. They were little gems. Richard heard a Giant Kingfisher and sure enough one eventually showed as it flew past us and landed on the nearby railway bridge. Giant was right, for it was about the size of a Peregrine. Then Mainwaring screamed out Black Crake, Black Crake as though we hadn`t heard him the first time. Some people do get excited I thought, as we spent another 25 minutes trying to see it. Then Godfrey shouted out its there, its there. It must be moving I thought. Finally we all got great views through the captains scope as it made its way along the river embankment moving between the reed stems. It was probably a bird we all wanted to see and it was worth the wait. With its totally black plumage, red eyes and legs, and yellow bill (looking greenish amongst the vegetation) it was a bird to remember. Richard nonchalantly threw in ‘there`s a Spotted Eagle Owl over there’. Where, we said simultaneously. Sure enough in a tree immediately behind us was this cracking grey owl being mobbed by the ‘residents’. What next we thought. Well, confiding Hadeda Ibis were there for the taking, film wise and several Dusky Flycatchers were equally approachable as were Fork-tailed Drongos. Greater Double Collared Sunbirds were feeding from flower heads that matched the shape of their bills. Sombre Bulbul, Forest Canary and Yellow-throated Warbler were further trip ticks while a repeat Bar throated Apalis was more than welcome, and we hadn`t yet reached the start of the trail. When we did, Richard reminded us this was another site for Knysna Warbler. Thoughts on the lines of ‘Thanks for that Richard and can we leave now’ went through my mind. Cap`t Mainwaring undaunted led from the front complete with Leica scope and tripod (really useful for Knysna Warbler). The riverside trail seemed never ending as we made our way up and down through dense woodland. Even though the route had been laid out with handrails in places and dodgy footboards it was a sweat inducing walk eased only by the sighting of a Bluemantled Flycatcher. We eventually made it to the clearing where we predictably dipped on you know what. There was one, but it responded to our tape by moving away. We tried again later but this ‘hide and seek’ bird won yet again. Much easier was the Knysna Lourie as it crashed its way through the canopy. A large, loud, long tailed, crested bird with broad wings, it flew floppily from tree to tree. It had mainly bright green plumage but on flying revealed large crimson patches on its primaries. Less gripping was Terrestrial Bulbul but two Olive Thrushes and a Southern Bou Bou made up for it.

It had been a great afternoons birding and all within a stones throw of our accommodation at the Ebb&Flow Lodge site. Ria laid on an equally great evening meal with a delicious Butternut soup, followed by fillet steaks of a size you never see back home and vegetables that had retained all their flavour. We finished off with Treacle sponge and custard (Yum Yum) washed down with whatever you wanted. The evening went by in a flash as the conversation flowed freely. On the way back to our cabins we could hear a Fiery necked Nightjar calling and a Spotted Eagle Owl flew by in front of us. Could tomorrow be as good I wondered.

An early start beckoned for our last full days birding. We travelled east passing the namesake of that dreaded warbler Knysna and on to Plettenberg Bay golf course. It was grim when we arrived, with steady drizzle. It could only get better, but it didn’t. Umbrellas at the ready Godfrey and I were prepared and becoming quite skilled with the combination of umbrella and binoculars. A feeding party of Swee Waxbills were on the fairway and a pair of Olive Woodpeckers teased us as they disappeared behind branches and trunks. Bedraggled Drongos and Knysna Louries showed well but we had to make do with almost silhouette views of a distant Black bellied Starling. A Puffback was much more obliging but the weather took a turn for the worse so we headed back to the carrier and breakfast where a Black-headed Oriole did its best not to be seen.

With rain continuing to fall we visited the nearby Eitiu river and birded from ‘inside’. A good selection of species were seen including, Ruff, Avocet, Wood Sandpiper, Kittlitz`s and Three- banded Plovers, African Spoonbill, Cape Shelduck, Little Egret, Gt Flamingo, African Marsh Harrier, Jackal and Steppe Buzzards. The rain was still with us as we returned westward and stopped at a camp site for some more forest birding. A break in the clouds spurred us on. An Olive Bush Shrike was seen by all but me. Greenbacked Bleating Warblers or should I say Bleeding Warblers were uncharacteristically shy on the day. I must have heard 7 or 8 and saw none. I wasn`t doing as well as the rest but even I couldn`t miss 30+ Black Bellied Starlings as they descended on a berry bearing bush giving excellent views. A Black Sunbird, our sixth species of Sunbird flew over and perched for our pleasure. Its dazzling purple gorget and green forehead left a lasting impression. Cape White-eyes buzzed about and Olive Thrushes showed far better than yesterday. A black and orange coloured Chorister Robin was in dark shade scattering leaf litter about before coming out in to the open to reveal its gaudy plumage. Also in the site grounds were Greater Double-collared Sunbird, Knysna Lourie, Yellow-throated Warbler and the glorious Cape Batis showing better here than anywhere we had been.

Cap`t Mainwaring and Fraser were drying out when we returned to the camp ablutions, where cooking facilities were also available. It wasn`t long before Ria arrived and rustled us up some hot dogs etc; just what the doctor ordered. We left the site, once again elated with the afternoons birding, and travelled back to Wilderness. On the way we took in a wetland at Sedgefield and added to our list Brown Hooded Kingfisher with young, along with House Martin which has bred in the Western Cape.That evening we dined in Wilderness with Richard and Ria as our guests. We presented Richard with a field guide on South African butterflies and thanked him for a wonderful time, not that it was all over just yet, as you will see.

The last day arrived and we had to be at Cape Town by 13.30 to catch the 15.30 KLM flight to Amsterdam. We had 400kms to cover from leaving Wilderness at 6.30. By 8.30 we were at a ‘Wimpy’ in Riversdale tucking into breakfast. The roads were almost traffic free as we continued on to Bontebok National Park. As we turned off the main road on to a dirt track a Black-shoudered Kite was close by, but I was unsuccessful in my efforts to photograph it. It was while looking back that I connected with a very distant, thermal rising, raptor. I didn’t know what it was as I suggested it might be a Vulture. I could see it was big, broad winged and looking saucer shape head on, or was it tail on. It had long legs with feathering extending behind the wings. We stopped and Richard pronounced it was a Secretarybird. What a start.We watched it for some time but as always time was at a premium and we had to get moving.

We made a quick stop at the visitor centre for souvenirs then kept to the tracks heading for the camp site by the River Breede. We were looking for Streaky-headed Canary but were out of luck. We did see White-throated and Greater-striped Swallows, Crowned Plover, Malachite Sunbird, Pied Barbet and Yellowrumped Widow. As we moved out in to the park proper we began to see antelope in the form of Bontebok, Red Hartebeeste and Grey Rhebok. Also here were family groups of Cape Mountain Zebra and lots of Termite mounds. A Clapper Lark, our only one, climbed high into the sky and then our target species was spotted. Not one but 3 Stanley`s Bustards. The nearest, a male, had inflated its white throat feathers to bursting point. It looked preposterous but isn`t this just an example of what draws us to the world of birds, and takes us on our travels to search them out. This was to be our last new species and a fitting end to our trip list.

We returned to the main road the N2 . As we passed Swellendam I could not take my eyes off the majestic Langeberg mountain range that towered over it and from whereabouts the Secretarybird had taken flight. Slow moving clouds draped the craggy tops. They reminded me of Arthur Wainrights description of the Howgills - ‘Sleeping Elephants’- but not in this case because of their rounded backs, but for their trunk like slopes merging into Elephant feet buttresses. Ginormous gorges of canyon size cut into the range and I could only imagine the grandeur which drew me towards them. Perhaps one day.

We continued through the Overberg passing endless wheatfields and sheep pasture enriched by the presence of elegant Blue Cranes, all told numbering in excess of 120. Booted Eagle, Yellow-billed and more Black shouldered Kites enlivened the journey and always the glorious countryside. A stationary double header steam train belched out thick black smoke. How I wished I was travelling on it, instead of making our way back to the airport, but all good things must come to an end sooner or later.

We pulled into Cape Town airport spot on time at 13.30. Even Fraser, a stickler for punctuality was impressed. Farewells are always difficult occasions. Part of you wants to stay, while part of you wants to see home again. This time was no different, except this time I felt sure I would like to return. We shook hands with Richard and hugged Ria, it seemed the right way round to do it. Waving goodbye we entered the airport, went through the usual formalities, did some duty free shopping and boarded the plane on time for our 15.30 departure. Including over a 2 hour stop at Jo’burg for refuelling and taking on passengers, we were on that plane for 14 hours, not to be recommended.

After changing at Amsterdam we arrived back at Manchester at 7.30 and I was home by 8.55. It had been a memorable trip and a wonderful introduction to the variety of South Africa’s birds. We had seen 20 endemics to South Africa plus a further 26 to Southern Africa. From Albatrosses to Sunbirds, from Secretarybird to Trogan, from Southern Black Korhaan to Black Crake and from Kingfishers to Bar-throated Apalis. A veritable spectrum of the bird life on offer. But we had also experienced much much more. Magnificent scenery and wildlife, glorious flowers, good food and wines, an insight to what is happening there now, warm hospitality, helpfulness, comradeship, our own company and Richards relaxed style/manner and skills, and not forgetting Ria’s which went into making this such an unforgettable trip.

If you ever get the chance, you should go there. Like anywhere else it is never quite how you picture it and I felt safer there than I would have done in any of our cities. Take my word for it.

B.Dyson 30/9/01.

At this point, with a very limited knowledge of female Lesser Scaup, I decided I needed some assistance. I rang Paul Ellis, who very sportingly agreed to come out from for what was still very much a mystery bird. Pending Paul’s arrival I continued to scrutinise the bird to ensure I had not messed up, but it continued to look interesting.

When Paul arrived he agreed the bird looked odd, and fetched copies of the Collins and Madge / Beaman guides from his car. These made Lesser Scaup look rather less likely, as the bird has contrasting back and flanks when these are apparently concolorous on a female Lesser. Paul was able after some considerable effort to get reasonable footage of the bird, including a close-up of the head and bill. Whilst we were viewing the footage of this two local birders turned up independently and asked what we were looking at. They both seemed rather disappointed to find out it was the ‘Tuftie which has been here for a week’, but when they looked at the close-up shots on the video camera they went rather quiet.

It was decided to get further assistance, and Paul rang Pete Marsh on his mobile. Pete was watching a Leach’s Petrel off Cockersands at the time but nevertheless agreed to come down. Although the bird was stubbornly refusing to flap its wings when Pete arrived he agreed it was an interesting bird, not a ‘classic’ Greater Scaup but with a bill too big for a Lesser Scaup and all wrong for Tufted. Pete did point out that with the head feathers likely to be in moult. head shape could not be misleading and the odd shape did not rule out a small Scaup.

Eventually whilst attempts were made to bring the bird back into view (it disappeared too often) it took wing, and showed the extensive white on the wing of a Greater Scaup. Given the combination of bill pattern and wing pattern it had to be a Greater Scaup, although clearly an atypical one.

It was certainly easy to see why the bird had been passed off as a Tuftie for a week. Normally it is the other way round, people see a female Tuftie with a lot of white around the bill and mistake it for a Scaup. This is the first time I have seen this problem the other way round, except in cases where the bill showed a hybrid was involved. Obviously it would have been easier if there had been other birds for comparison, but lone birds are often ones worth paying some attention so as far as aythyas go it clearly pays to keep an open mind.