ADU travels, expeditions and events

Strandfontein Outing, 5 November 2005

'Cheryl Seeley leading the outing to Strandfontein'

On the Saturday, 5 November Birding Ecotours arranged an outing to Strandfontein Bird Sanctuary. The outing was free, but those who were able to were asked to contribute R50, to be donated directly to bird conservation projects at the Avian Demography Unit (ADU) at the University of Cape Town.

I attended this outing and was encouraged to see about 22 people who braved the strong wind. We saw 55 different species (list below) and heard Lesser Swamp/Cape Reed Warbler. Being slightly overcast we had some stunning views of flamingos in flight, showing their striking colours. A visitor from the UK was delighted to see so many Black-winged Stilt. The ponds at Strandfontein are extensive and it is certainly possible to get relatively close to the waterbirds which are present in large numbers.

I was at Rondevlei Bird Sanctuary briefly this last Saturday and so enjoyed the hides where one can get particularly close. There is much breeding activity at Rondevlei at present and from the hides it is possible to see downy Lesser Moorhen and Red-Knobbed Coot chicks.

We, at the ADU, would like to thank Chris Lotz and Birding Ecotours for this initiative in support of the ADU projects. Thank you to Cheryl Seeley and David Swanepoel for leading the outing and especially to Cheryl for all the organisation and the bird list. We are also most grateful to all those of you who attended the outing and contributed to conservation in this way. Altogether just over R1000 was donated!

Kind regards,
Donella Young