Bird Watching
Oudtshoorn & De Rust
The Klein Karoo, and particularly the Oudtshoorn area, offers a large variety of bird-friendly habitats. This ensures that a diverse variety of birds can be observed within a relatively short drive from hotels and guest houses in the area. These habitats include vegetation along permanent streams, the thickets on the slopes of hills, the fynbos which is found on the tops of hills and on the Swartberg itself, the open karroid veld with its succulent shrubs and man-made habitats such as dams, the sewerage works and treerich local gardens. All the habitats host their own specially adapted birds, some of which are species endemic to the Western Cape.
Along the streams and flood plains you will encounter:
- sunbirds
- doves & pigeons
- honey guides
- kingfishers
- warblers
- waders
- weavers
- flycatchers
Amongst the thickets the following species dominate:
- canaries
- mouse birds
- titbabblers
- woodpeckers
- prinias
- southern tchagra
- pritit batis
In the open karroid veld you will find smaller birds such as:
- larks
- pipits
- eremomelas
- cisticolas
- chats
- Larger varieties include:
- black korhaan
- pale chanting goshawk
The Swartberg mountain plays host to the following species:
- ground woodpecker
- orange-breasted sunbird
- cape rockjumper
- cape sugarbird
- cape siskin
- verreaux’s eagle
Contact Information
Louis Jordaan
Mobile: +27 (0)82 481 3625
E-mail: minwater@absamail.co.za
Website: www.minwater.co.za
Roeland Gabriel
Mobile: +27 (0)79 105 4004
E-mail: info@swartbergmountaintours.co.za
Website: www.swartbergmountaintours.co.za
