Vermont Salt Pan (Greater Hermanus area) - a Bird-Watching Hot Spot

Please note that as of 25 January 2019 - I have been informed that the Pan has completely dried up due to the Western Cape's current drought and giving off quite a powerful smell!

Update as of 15 December 2022 - Please note that due to moving to Limpopo in August 2018 - I was not aware of the Salt Pan’s condition. But having driven past now in 2022 - the Salt Pan is looking beautiful and full of water!

Caw!

Welcome to this week's segment of Where the birds at's Bird-Watching Hot spots - where the focus will be put on another potential bird-watching destination within one of Hermanus' suburbs - Vermont - better known as the Vermont salt pan.

This potential bird-watching destination is even recognised - like the previously explored Prawn Flats - among the top 10 bird-watching destinations along the Cape Whale Coast at no. 5 as "a variety of water birds at the Vermont salt pan.

Identifying Little Brown Jobs

Caw!

Welcome to another entry of Where the birds at  - where I will highlighting the key features of the different LBJ species found in Southern Africa that will hopefully improve your skills in identifying them.

One of the terms encountered by the everyday birder in the field of bird identification is the dreaded LBJs - otherwise known as the Little Brown Jobs which refers to "any of the large number of species of small brown passerine birds - which are notoriously difficult to distinguish". A very apt statement that summarizes how we birders feel about this particular category of birds.

If you American birders thought you had a LBJ problem, I ask you to find a South African Bird Field Guide, page through all those little drab brown birds that all look EXACTLY THE SAME, and then come back to me!

Seriously! One look at all those LBJs and it induces a freaking headache!

Which is unfortunate for birders, because in an addition to their nightmarish appearance,  most of South African LBJs are endemic and mostly sought after by bird enthusiasts because of this and that they make up a large portion of SA's bird species!

In this post, I will be providing a few key features in a few LBJ species that will HOPEFULLY make LBJ identification a little easier but don't get your hopes up!

Prawn Flats, Hermanus - a Bird-Watching Hot Spot

Caw!

Welcome to Where the birds at - in this segment I will be introducing a feature known as Where the birds at's Bird-Watching Hot spots where I will be exploring potential bird hot spots for you bird enthusiasts out there.

The Hot spot in question is located in Hermanus, more specifically the Kleinrivier Estuary near Grotto Beach.

This bird-watching destination (to no surprise) is ranked among the top 10 bird-watching destinations along the Cape Whale Coast - at least by Birdlife Overberg - in the Spring season. Ranked at no 7, it is described as "Greater Flamingos and waders at Prawn Flats along the shores of the Kleinrivier Estuary."