Gauteng, The Small Province With Secrets, Bird Watching Secrets
For The Gauteng Birder
The Gauteng province, the province I call home, is not generally
known or regarded for it's birding or bird variety. You could not
imagine that such a built-up province would have 10 good bird
watching areas, but it does! Some of these
birding areas can even
compare with those in other provinces of South Africa. Here are the
best places to go birding in Gauteng and some of my personal
favourite places to go bird watching in the wonderful province I
call home... Gauteng.
Gillooly's Farm
Situated around a man-made lake, Gillooly's Farm is a superb place to go bird watching. A lot of the birds (Especially the waterfowl) at Gillooly's Farm are fairly tame and you can walk right up to them. The Gillooly's Farm "special" bird species include... The Black Heron, Rose-Ringed Parakeet and the Grey-Headed Gull. Gillooly's Farm Bird List
Marievale Bird Sanctuary
The Marievale Bird Sanctuary is a large floodplain and is home to a large number of waterbirds. Special bird species of the Marievale Bird Sanctuary are the Black Heron and Greater Painted Snipe.
Rondebult Bird Sanctuary
The Rondebult Bird Sanctuary is a series of man-made pools surrounded by marshes and reeds. In Summer the Rondebult Bird Sanctuary is a good area for waterbirds. It is a great bird sanctuary and very popular amongst the provinces birders.
Rolfe's Pan
The Rolfe's Pan is as the name suggests a large pan. There are a few reedbeds around the pan and Rolfe's Pan is a generally a good area for waterbirds all throughout the year.
Leeupan
Leeupan is a very big circular shaped pan surrounded by grassland. Leeupan is good for grassland bird species, and in the Summer months, waders.
Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve
The Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve is best visited in Summer. Amongst the montane grasslands, acacia and broad-leafed woodland and Protea bushes, the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve holds many types of Lark, Cisticola and Pipit.
Witwatersrand Botanical Gardens
The Witwatersrand Botanical Gardens is filled with endemic plants and mixed vegetation. The Witwatersrand Botanical Gardens are good for bush birds and there is a pair of breeding and nesting Verreaux's Eagles.
Soutpan Nature Reserve
The Soutpan Nature Reserve consists of marshy areas and open woodland. It is best to visit the Soutpan Nature Reserve between September and December to see the variety of woodland bird species.
Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve
A large dam surrounded by grassland is the main feature of the Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve. The Bronkhorstspruit Dam Nature Reserve provides good sightings of waterbirds and grassland bird species, you might even be lucky enough to see the Pink-Billed Lark.
Vaal Dam Nature Reserve
The Vaal Dam Nature Reserve, located on the Vaal Dam, is a typical Highveld habitat. The Vaal Dam Nature Reserve is a good bird watching area and species like the African Fish Eagle and Pied Avocet are on the species list.