Friday 31st January 2020 – Strandfontein Sewerage Works, Western Cape SA

The Cape Flats Waste Water Treatment Works, or simply Strandfontein as it is known to birders, also forms part of the False Bay Nature Reserve. It really is a marvel for birders as you can drive around the gravel paths and see and photograph birds at close quarters.

Strandfontein features more than 300 hectares of reed-fringed detention ponds and dunes connected by gravel roads that are usually in good condition, although on this occasion we did have one terrifying moment when we got stuck in  a very deep section of slurry which had been deposited on one of the paths.and which demanded all our driving skills and ingenuity in to order to extricate from a very embarrassing situation.

In the end it was really worthwhile and we saw an amazing amount of birds in a very short trip.

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Greater flamingo

Greater flamingo

Greater flamingo

Cape weaver

Black-winged stilt

White-necked raven

Cattle egret

Cattle egret

Blacksmith lapwing

African sacred ibis

African sacred ibis

African sacred ibis

White-faced whistling duck

White-faced whistling duck

Great white pelican

African sacred ibis and glossy ibis

Egytian goose

Spur-winged goose

Red billed teal

Little grebe

Barn swallow

Caspian tern