Birding the Tanqua Karoo TEX T B Y The long unwinding TERRY OATLEY ROAD Just two southern African regions have the honour of being designated ‘bio diversity hotspots’ by Conser­ va tion Inter national. One is, of course, the Cape Floral Kingdom, and the other the Succulent Karoo. For those whose idea of the south­western Karoo is a shimmering wasteland to be endured as briefly as possible en route to Cape Town or Johannesburg, this may come as a surprise. Though the remark­ able endemism and diversity of the Succulent Karoo flora (at its spectacular best from August to October) is its most renowned aspect, the Karoo as a whole has a great deal to offer birders. With no fewer than 18 endemics almost wholly restricted to it, the region is an essential destination for any birder visit­ Stretching deep into the Tanqua Karoo, the P2250 bisects ing southern Africa, as well as a potential source of a landscape that, in spring, is alive with nesting birds. exciting new species for hardened locals. CLAIRE SPOTTISWOODE 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 good selection of Karoo endemics. Pale Chanting Goshawks are 6 7 Beyond the Skitterykloof turn-off, the P2250, as are the more com- common along the P2250. 7 8 R355 continues northwards to Calvinia mon Pale Chanting Goshawk 8 9 through a lonely and very beautiful and Rock Kestrel, and the occa- 9 10 stretch of semi-desert, bounded on the sional Black-breasted Snake Eagle bird potters into view in a gap 10 11 west by the dramatic skyline of the and Martial Eagle. between the bushes. 11 12 Cedarberg mountains. Conveniently, The Karoo Eremomela, a curiously As the day heats up, or once you 12 13 however, even day-trippers can add an localised and sometimes tricky Karoo endem- have exhausted the possibilities of the 13 14 attractive extra few Karoo specials and ic, is remarkably common along this road. Look gravel plains and scrub, you may wish to 14 15 enjoy some great landscapes by con- especially along the shallow drain age lines four to make a stop at the first or especially the 15 16 tinuing a more manageable distance seven kilometres from the R355 junction, and listen for its second Acacia-lined watercourse, the latter 16 17 north. Twenty-five kilometres north of two calls (a high-pitched, pulsating whine, somewhat like the crossing the P2250 27.6 kilometres from the 17 18 the Skitterykloof turn-off, a minor road, tightening of a rusty bolt, and a Spike-heeled Lark-like ‘krrr- R355. Here you have a good chance of find- 18 19 the P2250 (1 on map), heads north- krrr’). Small groups of this social and 19 20 eastwards towards the distant towns of co-operative-breeding species follow 20 ➔ 21 Middelpos and Sutherland. each other through the scrub, popping ➔ Calvinia 21 Calvinia 22 This regional road is perhaps one of up at intervals to let forth a volley of R ➔ 22 T Williston O 23 the finest for birding in the south- whines. TANQUA R354 23 G 24 western Karoo, particularly during the The highly nomadic Black-eared A 24 KAROO G 25 spring months when the scrub is alive Finchlark, usually considered a Bush- E 25 N 26 with displaying, nest-building and man land special, may well be a regular V 26 27 chick-provisioning birds. The initial visitor to this region. In 1996, it bred in E 27 NATIONAL Q L 28 stretches are relatively heavily vegetated the Tanqua Karoo National Park (see D 28 Tan Ouberg Pass 29 and resemble the familiar R355; how- Africa – Birds & Birding 2(1): 74), and in qua PARK Onder- 29 R U iv Wadrif M Sutherland 30 ever, before long the bushes become spring 2001 it invaded the Tanqua er Bo-Wadrif 30 Tanqua River O 31 spaced progressively further apart. Karoo once again. In this exceptional Tanqua A U 31 32 Stretches of gleaming gravel appear, season, it occurred and probably bred Guest N 32 House T 33 punctuated by the occasional clump of right down to Eierkop at the Tanqua’s A 33 O n I 34 g 34 spiny Hoodia, a fly-pollinated succulent southern edge; however, it was present e K N l ALBERT FRONEMAN (2) u P2250 k S 35 decorated in spring with droopy, malo- at highest densities along the P2250, s 35 The Spike-heeled Lark is one of a number of lark species that may be encountered in the R i 36 dorous pink flowers. As you approach and patchily in the Tanqua Karoo v A 36 i e Tanqua Karoo. r 37 the junction marked 2 on the map, you National Park (see page 57). 27.6 37 38 will cross two watercourses en route to When the finchlarks are breeding, R 38 39 he south-western corner of the Karoo – a low- the larger Tanqua River, which break the monotony with their aerially displaying males are easy to S 39 W O 40 lying, mountain-bound section of the Succulent dense Acacia karroo thickets. locate – they look more like giant, flop- R355 40 41 Karoo biome known as the Tanqua Karoo after Perhaps the most conspicuous species along these arid stretch- py black butterflies than birds. In flight, A 25 41 O 42 the river that bisects it – has received a great deal es is the Tractrac Chat, a gravel-plains specialist with a short- only their dangling white legs break the R 42 T 43 of birding attention. Here, in sparsely populated tailed, dumpy jizz. The most common bird of the adjacent scrub pure black of their underwings and bod- Katbakkies 43 R356 R354 44 T semi-desert just two-and-a-half hours’ drive from is usually the Rufous-eared Warbler, a noisy, beautifully marked ies. Small groups tend to land frustrat- Pass R SKITTERY- 44 KLOOF 45 Cape Town, the majority of the Karoo specials are easily acces- endemic of southern Africa’s arid west. Spike-heeled Larks are ingly concealed in the scrub; the best U 45 46 sible in a day’s outing from the city. also often seen in these parts, as are Thick-billed, Karoo and Red- technique is to walk slowly up to the G 38 km 46 47 The white, dusty R355 road that stretches from Karoopoort capped larks. Karoo Lark is particularly easy to find in spring, spot, and wait quietly until a foraging KLEIN G 47 CEDARBERG 48 past Eierkop to Skitterykloof (the latter popularly but incorrectly when its rattling call is heard everywhere. PRIVatE E 48 NaturE 49 known as ‘Kat bakkies’ – the true Katbakkies Pass lies 15 kilo- The most common seedeater here is usually the Yellow N 49 RESERVE 50 metres to the west) has been intensively birded and well docu- Canary, but nomadic species like the Black-headed Canary and S Eierkop 50 51 mented for birders. But the focus of this article is on some of the Lark-like Bunting periodically invade the area. The latter can 51 Beaufort 52 lesser-known areas north and east of the R355, which have also be particularly abundant at times, and is generally present West 52 RT OO ➔ 53 proved to supply superb birding. A number of sought-after spe- much more regularly than further south in the Tanqua Karoo. OP 53 RO 54 cies, usually associated with the less-accessible Bushmanland Coveys of Namaqua Sandgrouse, another erratic visitor further R46 KA Matjiesfontein 54 N1 55 region to the north and absent from or difficult to find at the south, flush up at intervals from the roadside. Especially in R46 55 56 traditional Tanqua Karoo sites, appear to reach the south-west- winter and spring, Ludwig’s Bustard may be present in some Touwsrivier 56 57 ern limit of their regular range here. numbers and is best spotted in flight, while the Karoo Korhaan 57 58 occurs year-round. Pairs or small parties of the latter are occa- 58 59 Larks, eremomelas and the P2250 sionally seen within sight of the road, although their true 59 60 For those unfamiliar with the Tanqua Karoo, the R355 regional density is only revealed at dawn when their atmospheric, frog- 60 Cape➔ Town 61 road linking Karoopoort (at the south-westernmost corner of the like duets drift across the scrub. Greater Kestrel, scarce further 61 62 Tanqua Karoo) to Eierkop and Skitterykloof provides access to a south in the Tanqua Karoo, is fairly regularly seen along the 62 54 TANQUA KAROO AFRICA – BIRDS & BIRDING APRIL/MAY 2002 TANQUA KAROO 55 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 PETER STEYN 23 Traditionally regarded as a Bushmanland species, the nomadic Black-eared Finchlark 24 appears to be venturing south into the Tanqua Karoo on a regular basis. 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 ALBERT FRONEMAN CLAIRE SPOTTISWOODE The Dusky Sunbird, another nomadic species, may be seen in riparian vegetation. A sense of enormous space is a prime attraction of the Tanqua Karoo National Park. 49 50 51 ing all the expected Karoo thicket species, such as Pririt Batis, The Namaqua Warbler, which in this region occasionally also Tanqua Karoo National Park The park is criss-crossed by a number of vehicle tracks, most of 52 Cape Penduline Tit (also in the adjacent lower scrub), Titbabbler occurs in acacia thickets far from water, is very common and The Tanqua Karoo National Park is designated a Scientific which are easily negotiated by two-wheel-drive.