The Cape Floristic Kingdom, with its unique floral and habitat diversity, is one of South Africa’s most picturesque and most popular birding areas. Although the Fynbos does not have the large variation of bird species that the bushveld does, several endemic and highly sought after
When Vasco Da Gama first rounded the Cape a few hundred years ago, African Penguins numbered in their millions. Today, the global population stands at around 30 000 pairs and with the population of this iconic seabird falling at 20% per annum (equating to a
The global population of Cape Gannets has decreased by over 20% in just three generations! This is largely as a result of overfishing in the small pelagic fisheries off the South African and Namibian coastlines. Other threats to the species include oil pollution, climate change
Last week, while driving through the Swartland’s lush wheat fields, I was met with a spectacular sight, at least 20 Blue Cranes were wandering through the green fields. It was enough to cause a minor traffic jam as day tourists pulled over to photograph our
The Cape Sugarbird is one of two endemic sugarbird species to be found in South Africa and is restricted to the Cape Floristic Kingdom between the Cedarberg Mountains and the Buffalo River near East London, where its distribution is linked to the occurrence of Protea
Critical breeding grounds for African Penguins, Cape Gannets, gulls, cormorants and tern species, the guano islands that lie off the coastline of the Western Cape of South Africa protect seabirds from disturbance and predation from land-based predators. Sadly, the populations of many of these seabirds
Measuring in at only around 15cms in length the Orange-Breasted Sunbird has to be one of the Cape Floristic Kingdom's most attractive endemic species. The male’s spectacular coloration of metal-green head and neck, blue collar and orange belly make it unmistakable, while the female is
The only remaining colony of Cape Vultures in the Western Cape is situated in the Potberg Mountain of De Hoop Nature Reserve, where the colony roosts and nests in a deeply incised gorge. They have managed to climb back from an all time low of
It is estimated that less than 100 Black Harriers are protected within formally conserved areas and that outside of these protected areas, the birds are reliant on remnant patches of natural vegetation, feeding in agricultural landscapes. As the worlds most range restricted continental harrier with
Falling within the heart of the globes smallest floral kingdom, the Cape Peninsula is host to 40 of South Africa’s 160 endemic bird species. The area is not known for its quantity of birds but rather its quality and although there are around 300 bird