De Hoop - Paradise refound

An amazing day spent around De Hoop, with much the same as yesterday around the campsite first thing plus Bar-throated Apalis, Sombre Greenbul, Speckled Mousebird and a pair of Spotted Thick-knees.

Spotted Thick-knee

Bar-throated Apalis

Cape Bulbul

Cape Robin-chat

Cape Wagtail

Many waterfowl present on the Viel during the day including Yellow-billed Duck and Red-billed Teal, Cape Shoveler, Southern Pochard, Moccoa Duck and 3 Hottentot Teal. Also many Black-winged Stilts and Red-knobbed Coots, 5 Whiskered Terns, Night Heron and 3 African Darters here a pair of African Fish Eagles gave superb views low overhead.

African Fish Eagle

Southern Pochard

3 Denham’s Bustards present on the grassy flats with the Bontebok late morning but fairly distant.

Denham's Bustard

1 Knysna Woodpecker showed well in the bushes by the shower block at midday along with 3 Southern Boubous, a Fiscal Flycatcher and a Southern Tchagra.

Southern Boubou

Fiscal Flycatcher

Nearby, a Cardinal Woodpecker present in the restaurant garden along with several confiding Cape Francolins and an Ostrich which was obsessed by the quad bikes. 1 Spotted Eagle Owl present roosting on the cliffs but largely obscured.

Cardinal Woodpecker

Cape Francolin

2 Cape Clapper Larks displaying by the track to the dunes and also 4 Cape Mountain Zebras and many Bontebok and Elands here and later Yellow Canary, Bar-throated Apalis, Cape White-eye, Speckled Mousebird and a Levaillant’s Cisticola by the road.

Yellow Canary

Cape White-eye

Speckled Mousebird

Offshore 10+ Southern Right Whales present fairly close in with one youngster breaching a few times.

Southern Right Whales

Southern Right Whale calf breaching