A visit to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

Monday 26th.

After the thrills of yesterday's pelagic it was time to get into South Africa's land birds.  Kerstin and I took a taxi out to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in the morning and slowly worked our way up through the different habitats and the different birds that they held.  The gardens are a celebration of the fantastically diverse flora of South Africa, with the main section dedicated to the local 'fynbos' habitat, dominated by ericacea and proteas. Stunning really.

The birding was good too, and we enjoyed African Goshawk, African Dusky Flycatcher, Sombre Greenbul and Cape Batis in the taller vegetation.  Southern Double-banded Sunbirds were widespread in the fynbos, but the star was a Cape Sugarbird sitting quietly in the middle of a bush in the midday sun. Somewhat bizarrely, Helmeted Guineafowl (apparently introduced) and Cape Spurfowl are common and tame in gardens around Cape Town, which given that they are also popular to eat doesn't seem like a sensible strategy for survival.

We used Uber taxis in Cape Town, and given the controversy surrounding this service around the world, I was interested to see what it was like.  Firstly the 'app' is very efficient, having posted your location as the start point, and your destination, it assigns you a driver and tells you which vehicle to look for.  A newish car turns up on time (you can see its progress on a map in the app) and you take a very comfortable journey to your destination.  The price is less than the city taxis, and from speaking to the drivers, they earn more money.  You get to rate the driver and his vehicle, and the driver gets to rate you as a customer.  We got to try out a conventional taxi later in the week and the difference in quality and price were noticeable, and the driver did not seem happy with the amount of work he was getting.  It seems like a win-win to me, unless you own a taxi company of course!

The gardens with Table Mountain in the background

Kerstin in full birding mode

Part of the gardens with Table Mountain in the background

African Dusky Flycatcher

Cape Sugarbird

Cape Spurfowl

Helmeted Guineafowl

Karoo Prinia - later to become an 'ever-present' species

Common Waxbill