The West Coast region renowned for its vibrant display of wild flowers in Spring [August and September], coastal fishing villages and small holiday resorts. Further inland are the majestic Cedarberg mountains and the undulating wheatfields of the Swartland district. Seaside towns worth visiting include Langebaan, Lambert's Bay, Elands Bay, Yzerfontein and Paternoster and inland - Citrusdal, Clanwilliam and Darling.

Why not combine your birding with the West Coast Spring flowers and book on the:-

Aves West Coast Overnight Tour.

Day 1

07:00

Depart for Tienie Versveld Nature Reserve between Yzerfontein and Darling. Great for Flowers.

This is an excellent site for Cloud Cisticola,Cape Longclaw, Common Quail, Capped Wheatear, Red-capped Lark, Large-billed Lark and African Pipit.

09:00

Depart for West Coast National Park. IBA Bird the area from the entrance gate to Tsaarsbank via Abrahamskraal waterhole.

Bird List - 282

Specials for this area include Black Harrier, Southern Black Korhaan, Cape Penduline Tit and African Rail.

11:30

Bird the area from Geelbek Manor House to the bird hides.

Bird Hide specials: -

Red Knot, Curlew Sandpiper, Sanderling, Ruddy Turnstone, Little Stint, Common Greenshank, White-fronted Plover, Marsh Sandpiper, Eurasian Curlew, Terek Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Common Whimbrel, Bar-tailed Godwit and Mongolian Plover.

13:00

Lunch at Geelbek Manor House

14:00

Depart for Seeberg Hide.

14:45

Depart for the Velddrift. IBA [Berg River Estuary]

The estuary and flood plain cover a large area. The mudflats support the highest density of waders on the west coast during the summer months.

Bird List – 200+

Specials: -

Chestnut-banded Plover, Greater and Lesser Flamingo’s, Great White Pelican, African Spoonbill, Grey-headed Gull, South African Shelduck and Jackal Buzzard.

17:30

Depart for the Oystercatcher Lodge, Shelley Point, West Coast, South Africa.

20:00

Dinner at Oystercatcher Lodge.

06:00

Bird shoreline at lodge for Cape Cormorant, Bank Cormorant, Crowned Cormorant, Hartlaub’s Gull, White-fronted Plover and African Black Oystercatcher.

06:30

Breakfast and book out.

07:30

Depart for Rocher Pan Nature Reserve, north of Dwarskersbos, West Coast, South Africa. The pan supports a wide variety of water birds, [70 species] and the surrounding strandveld vegetation, [113 species] is good for many of the fynbos specials. Rocher pan is one of the Cape shoveler’s most important breeding and moulting sites.

Bird list: - 183+

Specials: -  

African Black Oystercatcher, South African Shelduck, Cape and Red-billed Teals, Cape Clapper Lark, Karoo Lark, Pearl-breasted Swallow, Yellow-bellied Eremomela and Rufous-eared Warbler.

10:45

Depart Velddrift and bird Laaiplek and Velddrift.

Bird list: - 200+

Specials: -

Chestnut-banded Plover, Greater and Lesser Flamingo’s, Great White Pelican, African Spoonbill, Grey-headed Gull, South African Shelduck and Jackal Buzzard.

12:45

Depart for West Coast National Park.

13:45

Lunch at Geelbek Manor House.

14:45

Bird the area around Geelbek Manor House and the two hides.

Specials: -

Cape Spurfowl, Cape Weaver, Acacia Pied Barbet, Chestnut-vented Tit-babbler, Large-billed Lark, Levaillant’s Cisticola, Greybacked Cisticola, Kittlitz Plover and Peregrine Falcon.

17:00

Depart for Cape Town, arriving at hotel at 18:30

Prices range from as little as $700 to $825 

Contact for Aves Birding Tours / Safaris: -

Jo Sievers

Mobile - +27 72 647 7904

Landline - +27 21 674 0836

Email – josievers@yahoo.co.uk

Website - www.avesbirdingtours.com