Roodekrans birding – Trip report
Roodekrans birding – The main attraction at Roodekrans, at the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens, is the black eagles (Aquila verreauxii) for birding. The habitat at Roodekrans is perfect for black eagles because it offers terrain with cliffs and rock ledges.
They are not endangered but all raptors need protection. The destruction of natural habitat, power lines, poisoning, hunting, and poaching are all factors that these magnificent birds have to deal with. Luckily we have the Black Eagle Project at Roodekrans to monitor and assist with the black eagles. You can learn more about this project at:
BirdLife South Africa often has The African Bird Fair at the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden.
From Wikipedia:
The Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden (previously known as the Witwatersrand National Botanical Garden) is a 300 hectares (3.0 km2) botanical reserve in Roodepoort near Johannesburg. Formally established in 1982, it is one of the youngest of South Africa’s National Botanical Gardens, but the site where it is located has been popular with visitors for many decades before that. The garden is home to a well-known pair of Verreaux’s eagles that nest in the Roodekrans ridge which intersects the reserve. The garden has a restaurant and gift shop. The Garden has been recognized as one of the most beautiful botanical gardens in the world.
Avibase gives a total of 399 bird species that can be found in Roodepoort. What I like about their website, is that you can download a checklist in pdf format. Have a look at:
https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/checklist.jsp?region=ZAga17
Here is a great site to assist you to identify birds at the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden: https://www.inaturalist.org/check_lists/1004951-Bird-of-Walter-Sisulu?page=1
Black eagle in full flight.
Roodekrans for birding is an amazing site to visit. Please leave a comment for us about your visit there or if you have anything else to share with us.
You might also be interested in this blog post:
https://www.wwbirds.co.za/dir/bird-lifers-list/
