Birding Gamtoos River and surroundings:
The Route I wish to introduce is starting at the Gamtoos River mouth and then proceeds by boat up the river passing the PEM water pipe line, the N2 freeway bridge, the old single traffic bridge near the Ferry Hotel and further up the river to close to Melon. In total it comes to 14 km from the mouth to Melon.
I visit this route often as I angle in the river. There is such a diversity of bird species in the area and would like to mention a few:
Kelp gull, Goliath heron, Great egret, Little egret, White stork in summer, Hadeda ibis, African spoonbill, Greater and Lesser flamingo, Egyptian goose, Yellow-billed duck, African fish-eagle (heard but not yet seen), African Marsh-harrier, Grey-winged francolin, Red-necked spurfowl, Helmeted guineafowl, African Black oystercatcher, Common-ringed plover, Three-banded plover, Crowned lapwing, Blacksmith lapwing, Eurasian curlew, Common whimbrel, Black-winged stilt, Water and Spotted thick-knee, Common tern, Speckled pigeon, Red-eyed, Cape Turtle and Laughing dove, Burchell’s coucal, Spotted eagle-owl, Speckled mousebird, Pied kingfisher, African hoopoe, Karoo prinia, White-breasted cormorant, African darter, Sacred ibis, Terek sandpiper, Osprey and a Crab plover (seen in December 2013).
Please take note that all birds were seen and photographed from the boat.