Our first outing of the year on the 17 January saw a great turnout, fabulous weather and two beautiful destinations, what a brilliant start to the year!
The two areas visited are next to each other and both form part of the False Bay Nature Reserve. The Rondevlei section is a tranquil, well-maintained wetlands site (recognized as a RAMSAR site – meaning it is of international significance). It has several well-placed hides and observation towers, connected by meandering paths through the fynbos. The entrance is in the town of Strandfontein and it is amazing to enter this oasis of calm so close to an urban area. A small pod of hippos has been introduced, which some people saw (at a distance), personally I only heard them, but the bird spotting absolutely did not disappoint. Some highlights were the Painted Snipe, Baillon’s Crake, African Swamphen and Marsh Harrier (Previously identified as Black Harrier in error). The still water afforded some great photo opportunities, as you can see in the latest edition of the Batis (February 2026).
Part two of the trip was to the Strandfontein Sewage Works which despite a few pungent corners is a lot nicer than it sounds and rewarded us with pelicans, flamingos, and African Fish Eagle as well as lots and lots of ducks and avocets and some grassland birds such as Cape Longclaw.