My posts on the subject of atlasing have covered a variety of trips to areas that are not necessarily considered to be birding spots, which is just one of the reasons why it is such an interesting and addictive pastime – you can literally atlas anywhere, as long as you follow the required protocols.
Having said that, it can be especially rewarding to include a recognised birding spot in an atlasing trip, which is what this version of “Atlasing Tales” is all about, specifically Roodeplaat Dam Nature Reserve which lies just north of Pretoria.
The nature reserve extends over 200,000 hectares, with the northern section being favoured by anglers and boating enthusiasts, while the southern section is preferred by birders and nature lovers. Habitats include the dam itself, the shoreline – muddy in parts – and the surrounding savannah veld and woodland.
Earlier this year, during a visit to our old home city of Pretoria, I had the opportunity of visiting the nature reserve after a long absence. After the visit I looked back through my journals and realised that my first visits to Roodeplaat had been almost 10 years ago and thought it would be interesting to compare my current experience with that of 10 years ago – so here goes, ready or not….
ROODEPLAAT OCTOBER 2016
I visited this popular birding spot twice over consecutive Saturday mornings in mid-October 2016, recording exactly 100 species in the process. My motivation for choosing this pentad was threefold – 1) not having visited the dam previously; 2) being close to Pretoria; 3) being a safe and controlled environment. In addition there had been reports of a Great White Pelican and a Whimbrel having been seen during the previous week and I hoped to find them.
The atlasing
The pentad includes a section of the Kameelfontein road from the south, which is the road I used to access the reserve, so my first aim was to make a couple of strategic stops, including one at the bridge over the river, which paid off and got the list going with the likes of Brown-hooded and Giant Kingfishers, Thick-billed, Southern Masked- and Village Weavers and Jameson’s Firefinch.
Entering the Reserve for the first time, I was immediately impressed by the neat gate and internal roads, the friendly staff and the overall well-managed feel of the place. In South Africa you do not take this for granted, with so many pressures for state-funds, so it is always pleasing to find nature facilities that are well maintained.
From the gate it was a slow drive to the picnic spot near the water, savouring the unspoilt savannah along the way and stopping frequently to ID the species that were calling or were visible. The loud but slightly mournful calls of Rufous-naped Larks, the cheerful notes of White-throated Robin-Chats and the distinctive descending trill of Brown-crowned Tchagras were never far away.
A tree ‘loaded’ with Barn Swallows drew our attention, as did some other non-avian creatures along the way.
Barn Swallows aplenty, Roodeplaat Dam
Chestnut-vented Titbabblers were particularly audible, but it was a hide-and-seek game each time I stopped to try and get a photograph of this energetic species. Fortunately, one friendly bird perched just long enough for a quickie (photo, that is)
A clapping sound drew my attention to the air and only after several minutes of searching was I able to spot a Flappet Lark performing its display flight at altitude – literally just a speck in the air, with its clapping sound surprisingly clear despite the height at which it was performing. Seconds later the lark descended rapidly and disappeared for a moment into the grass, then popped up into a tree for just long enough to snatch a photo before he began the next ascent high into the sky.
Reaching the picnic spot alongside the dam, I explored the accessible parts of the dam perimeter. A rowing regatta was in progress, providing some distraction and the birds were feeling it too as the specials (Pelican, Whimbrel) were nowhere to be seen. Despite this the bird life was quite plentiful, with African Reed-warbler, Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe and Whiskered Tern being highlights.
Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis Kleindobbertjie
My scope helped to find a Ruff and a Wood Sandpiper on the shoreline, while a Caspian Tern flew past close enough for a reasonable ‘in flight’ photograph.
Exploring further, I followed the side road past the offices and all the way to the bird hide on the far side of the dam, before heading back along the same route and to the main gate, adding a number of species in the process.
Blue Waxbill Uraeginthus angolensis Gewone blousysie
A small bird in the air had me excited for a moment or two as I wondered what it could be – it had the appearance of a swift but appeared to be tailless – surely not a Spinetail, which occur in the far north-east of SA? That would be a sensational sighting if it turned out to be one! I managed to get a photo in flight which helped to ID it once I got back home – excitement changed to disappointment as I realised it was a Lesser Striped Swallow which had either lost its tail or not developed one for some reason. Oh well, can’t win them all.
ROODEPLAAT MARCH 2026
The Plan and Route
It was our first visit to Pretoria in a long time so I contacted Koos Pauw to check his availability for an atlasing outing – not much persuasion required – and we agreed that Roodeplaat Nature Reserve would suit us perfectly – not too far from Pretoria (22km), no traffic to contend with in the reserve, prime summer habitat and a variety of birds to be expected.
Light rain turned to quite heavy as we headed to Roodeplaat gate, where we sheltered under the entrance portico for our first coffee and rusks of the morning, a ritual that is an inherent part of atlasing for us. First bird of the morning was a Fork-tailed Drongo perched in a tree near the entrance.
Refreshed, we headed to the start of the circular route (Dwarsweg) that heads mostly through tall grassland dotted with large trees, with bush on both sides of the road along stretches.
Regular sightings kept us busy logging the records on our phones using the Birdlasser app, while I was separately logging on my Ipad as well, using the E-Bird app, which is usually too onerous when having to drive as well.
Common species such as Grey Go-away-bird, White-browed Scrub Robin, Southern Masked Weaver and Cape Starling were some of our first records and were encountered several times during the morning.
Less common were Black-winged Kite, European Bee-eater, White-winged Widowbird and Streaky-headed Seedeater.
Dwarsweg (‘Cross road’), paved all the way, winds westwards up to a point where a gravel track to the left takes you closer to the water, then heads north and eastwards to connect with the main route to the picnic area, along Kokela street.
Just before the turnoff to the track, a familiar varied, jumbled call drew our attention and we agreed it could only be Marsh Warbler – as it is wont to do, or not do, it stayed concealed.
The track to the water was heavy with bush and trees both sides and felt as if we were driving in a forest.
A small parking area near the dam edge was our next stop, but views over the water were limited due to the dense bush and undergrowth, no doubt more than usual after the substantial rains, and the visible birds were limited to White-breasted Cormorants, Common Moorhens, a lone Yellow-billed Duck and a pair of Pied Kingfishers.
Back on the main tarred road, both Brown-hooded and Woodlands Kingfishers crossed our path and shortly after we recorded the first of perhaps a dozen individual sightings of Spotted Flycatcher, perched in its typical demure fashion on a shaded branch, surveying the surrounding grass for prey.
Rain let up but never stopped completely – apart from wet arms from keeping an elbow on the car window cill, this was not much of a handicap, and birds were active all over the reserve – except, strangely, on the water of the dam itself!
Koos drove very slowly and stopped often for the plentiful birds in the road and verges, or in nearby bush, while I kept an eye mainly on the passenger side. Green-winged Pytilia and Acacia Pied Barbet were pleasing finds, as were Brown-crowned Tchagra and White-throated Robin-chat, birds I have not seen for some time.
A short stop at the game viewing hide did not add anything and we soon reached the junction with Kokela street, which heads towards the picnic area on the southern shore of the dam.
This is a good spot for birding, with many species that are not easily found elsewhere in the reserve, and we spent quality time walking around, adding desirable species such as Cut-throat Finch, African Paradise Flycatcher and African Hoopoe.
The hide which overlooks the dam was not very productive as the reeds obscure much of the view, with no way of scanning the adjacent shoreline for waders, as we used to do.
After our second coffee accompanied by the hard-boiled eggs, a further walkabout produced Kurrichane Thrush, Orange-breasted Bushshrike and Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird to add to the growing card.
By now it was approaching the time that Koos wanted to leave as he had some duties to fulfil that afternoon, but there was time for a drive to the other bird hide on one of the distant parts of the dam.
This was a good decision as it produced the bird of the day along the bumpy track on the way back, and both Striated and Squacco Herons were spotted from the hide which overlooks an open small bay of the dam.
Bird of the day was a quartet of Coqui Francolins which Koos spotted in the grass just in front of the car, two adults with two youngsters. They were kind enough to allow a few photos – one even approached the car curiously while I carefully got out on the passenger side and rattled off a number of shots.
That brought us to the end of our atlasing in the reserve, with just one more stop on Kameelfontein road on the way back to scan the river at the bridge – plenty of Barn Swallows but not much else.
The Atlasing / Ebird statistics
Atlasing Pentad 2535_2820 : 60 species
Ebird Checklist : 71 species
Why the difference?
Well, while compiling our individual pentad lists when atlasing together, Koos and I use a ‘first seen, first recorded’ protocol to avoid duplication of our cards, which means only one of us will record a species seen or heard unless there are “enough for both of us” or the species is seen again later.
The ebird list was only done by me, so records all species seen or heard.
Atlasing?
Simply put, it is the regular mapping of bird species in a specific area called a “pentad”. Each pentad has a unique number, based on its geographical position according to a 5 minute x 5 minute grid of co-ordinates of latitude and longitude, which translates into a square of our planet roughly 8 x 8 kms in extent.
As a registered observer / Citizen scientist under the SABAP2 program (SA Bird Atlas Project 2), most of my birding includes recording the species I see or hear, for submission to the project database at the ADU (Animal Demography Unit) based in Cape Town. These tales record some of the more memorable experiences while atlasing.
Mostly Birding 