Tag Archives: Voëlvlei

Atlasing, Birding South Africa, Birding Spots, Special Sightings, Twitching

The Magic of Voëlvlei (After the Rains)

December 8, 2025 Don Reid 4 Comments

Voëlvlei

Firstly, a few facts about this well-known birding spot near Mossel Bay – well-known if you are a birder that is, particularly one who has explored the birding delights of the southern Cape.

‘Voëlvlei’ can be directly translated from Afrikaans as “Bird wetland (or pan)”, although no one would ever call it that in South Africa. ‘Voël’ is of course the Afrikaans term for ‘Bird’ and ‘Vlei’ is a widely used term for any shallow body of water such as a seasonal wetland, shallow pan or marshy depression where water collects during the wet season.

The pan at Voëlvlei only retains water during very wet years, which can be anything from 7 to 15 years apart, so when the vlei has water it very quickly becomes a magnet for waterbirds and waders, followed closely by many a keen birder out to find a variety of birds, with a strong possibility of a rare migrant wader or two during the summer months.
Voëlvlei lies about 35km south-west of Mossel Bay and is on privately owned farming ground – the owners have generously allowed access to the vlei for birders as long as they behave in a respectful way.

A track skirts the vlei on one side with entry possible from two farm gates at the northern and southern extremes (after entering or exiting it is good form to close the gate again).

My Atlasing Visits to Voëlvlei

The table above shows all my atlasing records since my first visit in December 2015 – green indicates that it was a “Full Protocol” card, which requires a minimum of two hours of intensive atlasing, the grey is for “Ad hoc” cards.

The good (or bad news depending on your inclination) is that I still have my journal records of all of the “green” cards, so join me as I return to those journals and select some of the highlights of the visits. You can, of course, skip the words and just look at the pictures, but I believe my readers are made of sterner stuff than that and are not afraid to plough through the verbiage.

14 and 18 December 2015

My first visit was 10 years ago, long before we moved permanently to Mossel Bay…

I had long read about the vlei as being a top birding spot when conditions were right. With reports trickling through of favourable water levels after good winter and early summer rains, I stopped at Voëlvlei on my way back from atlasing Gouritsmond, to find that it indeed had plenty of water and what appeared to be thousands of birds.

I did a quick list of some of the obvious birds, without going through the gate into the vlei area itself. A few days later Gerda joined me for a late afternoon visit to the vlei, when we entered Voëlvlei proper and followed the track around the east flank, then returned along the same route. The atlasing protocol allows a maximum of five days for one ‘card’ so I could add to the short list I had started on the 14th.

Birding was excellent and plentiful, the only downside being the sun in the west which created a sharp glare, making it difficult to see the birds clearly. We added 36 species to the initial 10 taking the total to 46, including ..

Pied Avocet – notable for being a ‘Year bird’ for me (Birders are such nerds)

Pied Avocet *Recurvirostra* *avosetta* Bontelsie, Voëlvlei

Hundreds of Whiskered Terns

Whiskered Tern *Chlidonias hybrida* Witbaardsterretjie, Voëlvlei

Waders such as Little Stint, Black-winged Stilt, Wood Sandpiper, Three-banded Plover, African Spoonbill and Greenshank

Black-winged Stilt *Himantopus himantopus* Rooipootelsie, Voëlvlei

Wood Sandpiper *Tringa glareola* Bosruiter, Voëlvlei

African Spoonbill *Platelea alba* Lepelaar, Voëlvlei

Swimmers – Yellow-billed Duck, Red-billed Teal, Cape Teal, Southern Pochard, Cape Shoveler and Great Crested Grebe

Southern Pochard (female) *Netta erythrophthalma* Bruineend, Voëlvlei

Booted Eagle soaring overhead
White Stork

This first visit was particularly memorable – little did I know it would be eight years before I would experience something similar at Voëlvlei…

I did atlas the pentad in the intervening years but did not include Voëlvlei itself as it had dried up completely

30th November and 2nd December 2023

Having moved to Mossel Bay in October 2023 and seeing the reports of increasing water and bird presence at Voëlvlei, I was keen to visit the spot and see for myself. Reports of rarities made it even more imperative so I set off on the last Thursday of November, the day in the week that I have tried to keep open for atlasing.

I started my pentad list along the road past Vleesbaai with a Black Harrier which I chased down the road to try and get level with it as it hunted low over the fields in true Harrier fashion, stopped quickly and rattled off a few shots – with limited success but lovely to see it in hunting mode.

Black Harrier *Circus maurus* Witkruisvleivalk, Vleesbaai area

Further on I took the turnoff to Voëlvlei and after passing through the gate I spent the next three hours carefully scanning the vlei from the track along the east flank, particularly the muddy margins which were teeming with birds.

The open waters towards the middle of the vlei as well as the surrounding dry land were equally busy with their particular species all enjoying a cornucopia of edible life.

Once again the waterbirds dominated my list …

Waders – Black-winged Stilt, Three-banded, Kittlitz’s and Common Ringed Plovers, Little Stint (lots), Ruff, Wood Sandpiper, Grey Plover, Pied Avocet, Greenshank, Blacksmith Lapwing, Grey Heron, African Spoonbill and Little Egret

Three-banded Plover *Charadrius tricollaris* Driebandstrandkiewiet, Voëlvlei

Kittlitz’s Plover *Charadrius pecuarius* Geelborsstrandkiewiet, Voëlvlei

Common Ringed Plover *Charadrius hiaticula* Ringnekstrandkiewiet, Voëlvlei

Little Stint *Calidris minuta* Kleinstrandloper, Voëlvlei

Ruff *Philomachus pugnax* Kemphaan, Voëlvlei

Grey Plover *Pluvialis squatarola* Grysstrandkiewiet, Voëlvlei

Common Greenshank *Tringa nebularia* Groenpootruiter, Voëlvlei

Little Egret *Egretta garzetta* Kleinwitreier, Voëlvlei

Swimmers – Red- billed Teal, Red-knobbed Coot, Grey-headed and Hartlaub’s Gull, Cape Shoveler, Little Grebe and South African Shelduck.

Red-billed Teal *Anas erythrorhyncha* Rooibekeend, Voëlvlei

Red-knobbed Coot *Fulica cristata* Bleshoender, Voëlvlei

Little Grebe *Tachybaptus ruficollis* Kleindobbertjie, Voëlvlei

Rarities – This visit was excellent preparation for the annual Birding Big Day just two days later when many of the same birds were recorded by our team. An added thrill was seeing two rarities which had been spotted by some of the keen birders already present –
White-rumped Sandpiper – a low-slung, longish-winged sandpiper, difficult to distinguish among the many small waders except when close to the many Little Stints present

White-rumped Sandpiper *Calidris fuscicollis* Witrugstrandloper, Voëlvlei

Western Yellow Wagtail – courtesy of one of the other teams who had it in their scope view and allowed us a quick look but it was too far for photos

An added pleasure was seeing a large flock of Greater Flamingos on the far side of the water –

Greater Flamingos *Phoenicopterus roseus* Grootflamink, Voëlvlei

10th to 13th December 2023

With Voëlvlei still attracting a lot of attention from birders and with reports of another rarity – Buff-breasted Sandpiper – being seen there, I couldn’t resist another visit just a week later.

It was a Sunday and Gerda agreed to join me, so after a traditional Sunday lunch at a country restaurant on the way (meat and three veg with rice plus a pudding) for not much money, we headed to Voëlvlei and joined several vehicles and birders with the same idea.

The Buff-breasted Sandpiper was quickly pointed out by those already present – on its own foraging in the dry, lightly grassed area away from the water – clearly a loner not interested in mingling with the many other waders in the vlei itself.

I spent a while scoping the sandpiper and taking photos of it from a distance, while recording all the other species present as they came into view.

We headed home with 34 species recorded. Feeling that the list needed boosting, I decided to include Voëlvlei in my next atlasing session on the following Wednesday, which would fall in the allowed 5 days for a “Full Protocol” card.

I arrived at the vlei mid-morning and spent three more enjoyable hours viewing the multitude of birds, adding a further 16 species to take my total to a nice round 50 for the pentad.

The White- rumped Sandpiper was still present and I spent some time trying to get better photos of this rarity – with limited success. It was difficult to get close enough to the bird, which remained among short grass tufts in the shallows of the vlei, intermingling with other waders and probing the mud constantly so that it was nigh on impossible to isolate it for a decent photo.

Waders – Black-winged Stilt, Kittlitz’s and Common Ringed Plovers, Little Stint (lots), Ruff, Pied Avocet, Blacksmith Lapwing, Grey Heron, African Spoonbill, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Glossy Ibis and Sacred Ibis

Kittlitz’s Plover *Charadrius pecuarius* Geelborsstrandkiewiet (Juvenile), Voëlvlei

Rarities – Buff-breasted Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper

Buff-breasted Sandpiper *Tryngites subruficollis* Taanborsstrandloper, Voëlvlei

Swimmers – Red-knobbed Coot, Red-billed Teal, Cape Teal, Cape Shoveler, South African Shelduck
Others – Brown-throated Martin, Barn Swallow, Large-billed Lark, Red-capped Lark, Agulhas Long-billed Lark, Grey-backed Cisticola, Blue Crane, African Pipit, Capped Wheatear

Capped Wheatear *Oenanthe pileata* Hoëveldskaapwagter, Voëlvlei

Most Surprising Sighting? – most certainly seeing a Grey Heron with what looked like a Reed Cormorant (possibly a juvenile) in its bill, which it proceeded to manoeuvre into position and swallow whole! I wasn’t able to capture the final swallow as the Heron moved behind some reeds.

Grey Heron *Ardea cinerea* Bloureier, (with Reed Cormorant prey) Voëlvlei

February 2024

The vlei remained partly inundated during the most of 2024, with water levels gradually decreasing as inflow dried up.

During February reports appeared on the local birding groups of a Greater Sand Plover at Voëlvlei – I had seen this species before but just once, so at the end of my next atlasing trip I took a detour to the vlei to see if I could find it.

At Voëlvlei I was able to find and photograph the Greater Sand Plover without too much effort and to record numbers of other waders which were still plentiful.

Greater Sand Plover *Charadrius leschenaultii* Grootstrandkiewiet, Voëlvlei

Thereafter the vlei gradually dried up, leaving ever wider margins. This did not come as a surprise for those living in the Southern Cape as it has been a particularly dry year for the area.

The photo below was taken in July this year, with just the northern section having any water – a couple of weeks after this photo the vlei was bone dry.

That just raises the question that is impossible to answer – when will Voëlvlei have water again? If average statistics are anything to go by it may be 7 or more years before that happens, a sobering thought at my age, I have to say, but I am thankful to have enjoyed two bountiful birding seasons during the last 10 years.

Bird migration, Birding South Africa, Waders

Small Birds taking BIG Journeys : Part 2

May 19, 2024 Don Reid 5 Comments

Many of the migrant waders – or shorebirds as they are also known – display the most Jeckyll and Hyde characteristics of all birds, living two dramatically different lives and spending time in habitats which are as far removed from each other as can be imagined.

Separating these two lives are amazing journeys that take these small yet hardy birds halfway across the world – and back again.

The majority of South African based birders get to know migrant species during their stay in the southern hemisphere, typically during the months from October to April, so let’s find out a bit more about their ‘other’ lives by delving (again) into the typical annual life cycle of these waders.

This time it’s the –

Common Ringed Plover

Ringnekstrandkiewiet

Charadrius hiaticula tundrae

The inclusion of the subspecies name tundrae above is because this is the particular subspecies (one of three in all) that makes its way to southern Africa in the non-breeding season

Hiaticula is Latin for cleft dweller, in reference to its habit of breeding among pebbles and rocks

Common Ringed Plover, Marievale Bird Sanctuary

Identification and Distribution

Key identification features of this petite (18 cm, 50g) wader are the size (similar to the Three-banded Plover) and the broad white collar above a blackish breast band, plus the distinctive orange legs

The differences between breeding and non-breeding birds are subtle – the main feature being the orange bill that changes to black, while the black collar and face mask become lighter – these illustrations from Birds of the World show the differences nicely

Clues to their very different lives lie in the global distribution map – the orange area is where breeding occurs in the Northern Hemisphere while the blue area, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, is where they recuperate from all the rigours of the breeding season and build up strength for the next season.

Map from Birds of the World – Orange : Breeding; Blue : non-breeding; Yellow : Migration

The southern African distribution map shows the species presence across most of the region but absent from the Kalahari and arid interior

Life in the North

Breeding range is almost circumpolar – from north-eastern arctic-Canada, across Greenland, Iceland, Scandinavia and northern Russia. Their preferred habitat is spartan – along the coast on sandy or shingle beaches, sandbanks and mudflats, estuaries. They also occur on tundra and breed up to 1200m altitude in places such as Norway.

Foraging for their favoured food, which includes small crustaceans and molluscs, is done by day and night, taking advantage of the long days and short nights of the summer months in those far northern areas, typically in small flocks of up to 50 birds.

Breeding and Migration

Their nest is simple – a shallow scrape in the ground, lined with pebbles, debris and pieces of vegetation, sometimes in covered or shaded sites. Eggs (usually 4) are laid between April and mid-July and are incubated for 21 to 27 days by both parents.

Well camouflaged eggs amongst the shingles and pebbles (Photo by others)

If a potential predator approaches the nest, the adult will walk away from the scrape, calling and feigning injury by flopping along the ground as if its wing is broken. Once the intruder has been lured far enough away from the nest the plover will fly off.

I have witnessed this same behaviour by Kittliz’s Plover, where I was taken to be a threat to the nest by unwittingly approaching too close to it – much to my amusement and fascination at the time the plover repeatedly performed the broken wing routine until I left it in peace.

Fledging some 4 weeks later, the fledglings are independent soon thereafter, facing the many dangers that young birds are subject to.

Once the young have fledged and can look after themselves, they start migrating south, often after the adults have already departed. And this is where it gets interesting – those that breed the furthest north are also those that migrate the furthest south. On the other hand most of those that breed further south follow the shortest migration route to the northern parts of Africa.

So the Ringed Plovers that we see in southern Africa, the tundrae sub-species, originate from the far north of Scandinavia and Russia, travelling up to 18,000 kms before finding a suitable spot in our neighbourhood.

Common Ringed Plover, Strandfontein Sewage Works

In the process they “leapfrog” their slightly less adventurous cousins who have chosen a shorter migration route – a phenomenon known (unsurprisingly) as leapfrog migration.

As far as is known, the migration route to southern Africa crosses the Eurasian and African land masses in a broad front, possibly crossing the Sahara along the way, then heads to east and south Africa.

Migration south starts from July with the first adults arriving in southern Africa in September and the first juveniles in October, continuing to December

Life in the South

In southern Africa they seek out suitable habitat, mostly at the coast where they favour estuaries and lagoons, but also inland on mud- and sandbanks along rivers and at wetlands, favouring wide bare shorelines with little vegetation. They can often be found in the company of the more common Kittlitz’s and Three-banded Plovers.

Common Ringed Plover, Bronkhorstspruit Nature Reserve near Pretoria

Some time after arrival adults and juveniles have a complete moult over the next couple of months

Voëlvlei, about 30 minutes’ drive from Mossel Bay, which had no water for many years until the good rains of last year, attracted its share of Ringed Plovers this past summer along with many other waders.

Common Ringed Plover, Voelvlei near Vleesbaai

Foraging is done in very shallow water or on wet mud, using the typical plover run-stop-search technique, locating prey visually and picking off the surface rather than probing as many waders with longer bills tend to do.

Common Ringed Plover Charadrius, Voelvlei

The plovers start departing from late February with the majority having left by end April, heading north to their breeding grounds where the cycle will start all over again…

References : Cornell Lab of Ornithology Birds of the World; Roberts VII Birds of Southern Africa; Firefinch app

Birding South Africa, Waders

Small Birds taking BIG Journeys : Part 1

April 21, 2024 Don Reid 9 Comments

During my birding and atlasing trips I come across a variety of migrant species, some of which I manage to photograph in their local habitat – one in particular, the Little Stint, had me thinking for the umpteenth time how fascinating and amazing these annual migrations are.

The majority of South African based birders get to know migrant species during their stay in the southern hemisphere, typically during the months from October to April, so let’s find out a bit more about their ‘other’ lives by delving into the typical annual life-cycle of these waders, starting with –

Little Stint

Calidris minuta (Kleinstrandloper)

This is the tiny, compact (13 cm, 23 g) wader found across southern Africa, often in flocks and joining other waders at almost any coastal or inland habitat with shallow water, soft mud and not much vegetation.

Key identification features are the very small size, short black bill and wings that project beyond the tail – the latter is a common trait amongst migrant birds needing extra wing power for those ‘halfway across the world’ journeys that they undertake

Clues to their two very different lives lie in the distribution map (courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology) – the orange area is where breeding occurs in the Northern Hemisphere while the blue area, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, is where they go ‘on vacation’ to build up strength for the next breeding season