Cape Town - suitable field guide for casual birding (1 Viewer)

My other half has a trip to Cape Town organised in March with her non-birding friend. It's her first time in Africa, although her friend has visited lots of times before. They've organised what I hope will be a happy compromise for them between shopping and nature-related activities. The latter include organised tours to Boulders Beach for the penguins; Cape of Good Hope; Table Mountain; the botanical gardens - as well as Robben Island, which I note has some birding interest from the boat trip.

Although I'm guessing these will all be tourist related tours, a quick look at eBird suggests that, penguins aside, all will offer some opportunities to see birds.

I've downloaded eBird checklists for her (although I'm a bit perplexed by the ostrich record on Robben Island...), but would like to buy her a guidebook to help her ID stuff. I've had a look at NHBS catalogue, but all I can find are 'serious' field guides to southern African birds, which will be a bit overwhelming for her, with a lot of species she's not going to see. Does anyone know of a guidebook which focusses on birds of the Cape area? Based on past experience, this won't head off a stream of back-of-camera pics WhatsApped to me with ID requests, but it might help!

Any other advice on what the casual birder might look out for at these sites will be gratefully received and passed on!

Sneak along with her and she doesn't need a guidebook Ostrich on Robbin Island is a bit odd, but she should see them at the Cape of Good Hope, along with Rock Dassies, Eland, Mountain Zebra, etc.

I think beginner bird books are available in South Africa itself, but sorry beyond that, I'm not much help.

Robben Island didn't have that much to see birdwise, even on the boat trip - Kelp and Hartlaub's Gulls, a few cormorants, maybe an Oystercatcher (but the tour was unforgettable). Boulder's Beach would have about the same plus the penguins.

Agree with ostriches at Cape of Good Hope along with Cape Spurfowl, Helmeted Guineafowl, Cape Sugarbird, several sunbirds including Orange-breasted, Familiar Chat, and other more common species possible.

Thanks for the feedback Jeff & Jos

Jos Stratford said:

Sneak along with her and she doesn't need a guidebook

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That thought did cross my mind (along with pelagic opportunities...) but I now have my own plans while she's away...

Jeff hopkins said:

Robben Island didn't have that much to see birdwise, even on the boat trip - Kelp and Hartlaub's Gulls, a few cormorants, maybe an Oystercatcher (but the tour was unforgettable). Boulder's Beach would have about the same plus the penguins.

Agree with ostriches at Cape of Good Hope along with Cape Spurfowl, Helmeted Guineafowl, Cape Sugarbird, several sunbirds including Orange-breasted, Familiar Chat, and other more common species possible.

Click to expand...

Thanks - bearing in mind it's her first trip to Africa, the gulls and oystercatchers will all be 'lifers', so even the common and familiar species will be of interest to her.

I've ordered her the SASOL 'pocket guide to birds of Southern Africa', which is the 500-species photo guide. I'll put tabs on the pages which have the key Cape species she's likely to see, based on the ebird lists and your feedback.

The Hartlaub's Gull, cormorants, and Oystercatcher were all lifers for me, too. But I'd been birding in Cape Town for a few days before visiting Robben Island, so they were "old hat" by then.

Jos Stratford said:

Sneak along with her and she doesn't need a guidebook Ostrich on Robbin Island is a bit odd, but she should see them at the Cape of Good Hope, along with Rock Dassies, Eland, Mountain Zebra, etc.

I think beginner bird books are available in South Africa itself, but sorry beyond that, I'm not much help.

Click to expand...

Don't mean to be picky but I read somewhere that birds in the Cape, derive from captive stock so I personally made the decision not to count Ostrich until I saw them up in Namibia.

I guess it doesn't matter if you're not a dedicated lister or purist, they're still Ostriches at the end of the day.

Not sure if this could be useful?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_s...s&field-keywords=common+birds+of+south+africa

andyadcock said:

Don't mean to be picky but I read somewhere that birds in the Cape, derive from captive stock so I personally made the decision not to count Ostrich until I saw them up in Namibia.

I guess it doesn't matter if you're not a dedicated lister or purist, they're still Ostriches at the end of the day.

Not sure if this could be useful?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_s...s&field-keywords=common+birds+of+south+africa

Click to expand...

Thanks Andy, the SASOL Pocket Guide arrived today and it looks ideal - colour photos, grouped by habitat / morphology rather than taxonomy, to which I'll add those little removable tabs for species on the relevant eBird lists.

As it happens I read the ostrich account which states 'wild populations restricted to large reserves and wilderness areas; often farmed; feral birds widespread in S Africa'. I'm not going to stop her counting them though, as you say, an ostrich is an ostrich (unless its behind an ostrich fence on a farm of course...or on Robben Island!).