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By Pete Irons
The area east of the N1 freeway and north of the R513 (old Cullinan
road) offers excellent birding for a day outing or a longer visit. Many
privately-owned lodges have been established in the area. Gauteng
Nature Conservation and the SANDF also own properties in the area, some
of which are open to the public and offer excellent birding. Some
sections are already protected, and an initiative is currently underway
to incorporate the northern sections of this area into a biosphere reserve.
This area offers both Acacia as well as broadleafed woodland birding,
plus riverine, dam and wetland habitats. Roodeplaat Dam, the Seringveld
Conservancy, Amakulu Nature Reserve and Ditholo Nature Reserve will be
described in this article.
A morning visit to one of the sites mentioned above could be expected to yield 80 to 100 species, while 180 or more can be expected for a weekend in summer.
Roodeplaat Dam.
Roodeplaat Dam offers a combination of open water, reedbeds, and dense Acacia and mixed thornveld interspersed with more open areas. Riverine bush is to be found along the watercourses entering and leaving the dam.
Roodeplaat Dam is surrounded by a number of campsites, self-catering chalets and full board resorts. Camping facilities are available in the section of the nature reserve on the western bank. Entrance to the reserve is R6 per person. There is a group camp consisting of 8 rustic huts in the eastern section. Reservations for the group facility or day access to Roodeplaat NR can be
arranged with Mrs. van Heerden on 808 5131 or 808 5624. There is also a 2km trail in the eastern section of the reserve.
The western section offers excellent bushveld birding in the early morning, but is inclined to be noisy over weekends. Many waterbirds can be seen such as great crested grebe, whitewinged terns, purple gallinule, black crake, thickbilled weaver and several duck species. The thickets are good for warblers, prinias, weavers and robins, and giant kingfishers frequent the stream coming in from the Zeekoegat water treatment works. The pools below the wall should be scrutinised for finfoot. The eastern section of the reserve is quieter and thus more conducive to birding over weekends. Fish eagles are known to nest in this section of the dam. The vegetation along the dam is thicker, and there are also areas of open grassland. Osprey can turn up anywhere. Reedbeds along the dam offer many Cape reed, great reed and African sedge warblers, as well as little bittern.
The Roodeplaat Experimental Farm offers superb birding in a variety of habitats, but is unfortunately not open to the public. The Pretoria Bird Club has outings to this venue.
The western section of the Roodeplaat Dam Nature Reserve is reached by taking the Zambezi Drive offramp off the N1 north, turning east at the bottom of the offramp and left at the first traffic lights, signposted to KwaMhlanga. The entrance to the reserve is 10km along this road on the right. The dam wall is reached by going one kilometer past the reserve entrance on the Kwa Mhlanga road and taking the next right turn, signposted to "Hidrologiese Navorsing" and Department of Water Affairs and Forestry. The entrance to the eastern section of the reserve is reached by continuing straight towards Cullinan at the first large intersection off the N1, turning left at the "Kameelfontein / Kameeldrift" sign 5km later, and left again 3.6km later. A permit is required for this section. These can be obtained by calling the reserve manager, number (012) 808 0373.
Seringveld Conservancy
The Seringveld Conservancy is mostly mixed woodland with sour veld types on sandy soils. Broadleaved tree species predominate, with some beautiful stands of tall boekenhouts and Terminalias. The many rocky ridges and koppies in the area are covered with sparser vegetation dominated by Burkea africana. The Seringveld Conservancy is well-known for its broadleaved woodland specials. It is the only place in Gauteng where tinkling cisticola can be found reliably. Other specials include greencapped eremomela, mousecoloured flycatcher, bushveld, striped, and buffy pipits, lizard buzzard and cuckoo hawk. Whitebacked and knobbilled ducks frequent the small pans in the area.
The Seringveld Conservancy has few facilities offering accommodation. Sandra Maria and Eden Camp offer basic group facilities. Adams Country Arms, located on the Kwa Mhlanga road, offers excellent breakfasts and lunches. Call (012) 735 1994 or 735 1832 for reservations.
The following route will enable birders to get the most out of birding in the area (numbers refer to the accompanying map):
1. Good spot for lazy cisticolas, striped pipits and whitethroated robins.
2. The rocky ridge is a good place to look for both Cape and shorttoed rock thrush.
3. Good broadleaved woodland makes for interesting birding. Look out for tinkling cisticola, easily located by its call, two species of eremomela, striped kingfishers, mousecoloured and black flycatchers, bushveld pipit, black cuckooshrike, and plenty of African cuckoos in summer.
4. Fawncoloured, rufousnaped, Sabota, flappet, and even melodious lark occur. Coqui francolin and buttonquail may be seen at the roadside. Also watch for rollers, pearlbreasted swallows and various bee-eaters.
5. The grassland along the De Wagendrift road offers the best chance of seeing longtailed widow and other grassland species. Secretarybirds are encountered in the area.
6. Adams Country Arms is an excellent option for lunch. Watch the roadside telephone poles for lizard buzzard, and keep an eye on the cellphone tower for the regular brown snake eagle.
7. A walk around the back of Kloof Shop is sure to turn up mocking chat. Green pigeon, Klaas's cuckoo, striped pipit, barchested apalis and lazy cisticola also occur.
8. and 9. Lovely bushveld pans, with a good chance of whitebacked and knobbilled duck, jacana, African rail and redchested flufftail if water conditions are right. There is a colony of cliff swallows at Boekenhoutskloof. Call Pete Irons (808 1764) to arrange access.
One reaches the southeastern corner of the Seringveld Conservancy by continuing on the KwaMhlanga road from Roodeplaat to the first turnoff to the right after the dam wall, signposted simply "Skoolpad". At the other end of this road one rejoins the tar, turning right at the T junction. From here there are various options to explore the area, which lies on the left of this road. Pete Irons can be contacted for more information: Tel. (012) 808 1764. Be prepared for poorly maintained dirt roads.
Please remember that all of the land in the conservancy is privately owned, and that the goodwill of landowners is an important part of good birding.
Amakulu Reserve
The Amakulu has is a good place to see a large number of bushveld species. Drier mixed woodland predominates across the Amakulu, with some areas of open grassland. The northern and western parts are predominantly Acacia thornveld, very dense in areas such as along watercourses. A small area of Kalahari-like vegetation is to be found in the far north-western corner of Ditholo.
Many private reserves, lodges and conference centres have been established in the Amakulu. Examples are Zebra Lodge, Naka Game Lodge and Intundla Lodge. There is also a 12km hiking trail, the Leeuwkloof trail. Details can be obtained by calling (012) 735 1694 or 082 450 1877.
Unusual birds encountered in this area include African hawk, blackbreasted and brown snake eagles, greater and lesser kestrel, Temminck's courser, whitebellied korhaan, dusky lark and buffy, plainbacked and bushveld pipit. Watercourses should be scrutinised for malachite kingfisher and dwarf bittern, while areas around drinking troughs and good bush can be expected to yield a good range of seedeaters, flycatchers and warblers, including garden and icterine warbler in midsummer. This is an exceptional area for cuckoos, with great spotted and striped cuckoos being common sightings.
The Amakulu area lies to the north of the Seringveld Conservancy. The area can be traversed on one of three untarred roads running roughly in a north-westerly direction from the KwaMhlanga road. The first, signposted to Hammanskraal, turns off opposite Kloof shop, the second just beyond the business centre of De Wagensdrift, and the third just before the settlement of Moloto. Following the De Wagensdrift road to the end, turning right at the T and right again at the "Uitvlugt" sign takes one onto another quiet dirt road which yields excellent birds on occasion, including barred warbler, great sparrow, violeteared and blackcheeked waxbill, pygmy kingfisher, and pied babbler.
Ditholo Nature Reserve
Ditholo typically hosts a number of drier country birds (listed under specials), as well as the usual range of shrikes, waxbills, cuckoos, kingfishers and robins. African and European golden oriole occur in summer. A yellow morph crimsonbreasted shrike was resident for some time, but has not been seen recently. Burchell's glossy starling, yellowbilled hornbill and whitebrowed sparrowweavers are usually located in the northeastern corner of the reserve. The river is excellent for halfcollared kingfisher, and finfoot have been found here on occasion but cannot be guaranteed. It is an excellent place for actually seeing black cuckoos, which are often spotted along the reserve's bush-lined roads.
Ditholo is reached by turning left when one reaches the tar road along the De Wagensdrift road, and right at the De Witskraal sign. The guards at the gate can be consulted for directions within the reserve. Alternatively one can reach the reserve via the Hammanskraal/Boekenhoutskloof offramp off the N1, turning right and immediately left towards Rust de Winter and left onto the De Witskraal road. Accommodation is available for birding groups. Note that this is Defence Force land and that prior authorisation is required to visit it. Access and reservations can be arranged by calling 351 2450 or 351 2497.
Click for map of NE Gauteng
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