We left DeHoop after a quick morning Campground bird & Breakfast. What I should mention about De Hoop is that this is where I first experienced "Load Shedding" which is where they just turn the electricity off for @2 hours. Of course it happened just after I returned from dinner on the first night and it was DARK. Thank goodness for the iPhone flashlight and the inflatable solar lamp a friend recommended for just this situation. It happened both nights I was there. Here is the lamp - very clever.
Uninflated
Inflated
Here were shots from my morning walk and the one bird we stopped for on the way out of the reserve.
Cape Spurfowl who heard my room was unlocked was waiting outside my door this morning
Cape Robin-chat
Bontebok
Ostrich
Egyptian Goose -- not a new bird for me, they are all over Florida AND South Africa -- we saw at least one of them every day.
View of the pool and the wetlands area the resort overlooks
Namaqua Sandgrouse - Vince said we weren't going to stop between the Resort & the next stop -- but he stopped for these, so we knew they were special -- this was our only encounter with them.
From De Hoop we moved to Rooi-els searching for one bird the Cape Rockjumper -- Although I did not make the hike up the hill, we spent a good 4 hours there looking. It is a nice spot with a good view of the ocean (Atlantic this time) and I enjoyed the birds I was able to spot from my perch in the van.
Here is the route back to Cape Town
The view from my perch:
There were other creatures besides birds
Angulate Tortoise just strolled by the vanI B3LI
I believe this is a Painted Lady on an Aster (very open to feedback)
and of course there were birds
Red-winged Starling
Southern Fiscal
Cape Sugarbird
Karoo Prinia
Familiar Chat
Cape Griffon (Vulture)
Cape Bunting
Cape Bulbul
They have some serious eye-rings in South Africa
That was the last shot at seeing the Cape Rockjumper during the trip & they missed it. On to Betty's Bay my favorite site on this day, because it was mostly about Penguins, but there were other creatures too. It is the least touristy African Penguin Colony on the Cape.
African Penguin
African Penguins in action!
The other creatures...
African Oystercatcher
Hartlieb's Gull & African Oystercatcher
Rock Hyrax
We also had our only encounter with Crowned and Bank Cormorants, but they were scoped and too far away for photos. After this we were back to Cape Town, takeout dinner and bird call then sleep. Oh yeah and it is still WINDY!
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