11 Mar 2019: Dwarskersbos to Velddrif

After whistling up the Protea Canary I headed south to the Cape Gannet colony at Lambert’s Bay where nearly 14 000 pairs breed on Bird Island. This must rank as one of the top birding sights in Southern Africa, but also one of the worst birding smells in Southern Africa. Then again, I guess if 14 000 humans had to live together in such close proximity, the pong would be significantly worse. The evening was spent at Dwarskersbos Caravan Park, which I highly recommend as one of the best camping sites on the West Coast.

Red-necked Phalarope, Velddrif

The next target birds were the Red-necked Phalaropes at Kliphoek Salt Pans in Velddrif. Some serious rain had fallen the previous days and most of the waders had left because of high water levels. I had to leave Daai Dêng near the office building as the tracks on the pans had become gooey mud traps. Finding the phalaropes turned into a slip and slide expedition as I traversed the salt pans on foot. It was well-worth the effort, as I had some beautiful views of the phalaropes.