A day relaxing with Penguins and a drive round the Cape Point Nature Reserve. 23rd January 2022

 Naturally, it was an early start, with a cup of tea and leaving by about 6.00am. We decided to go and see the Penguins first, while looking for breakfast, so we drove back to Boulders Beach car park which was almost full by now. 

Still one of my favourite signs.  

We found a gap to squeeze into and parked up. There weren’t the numbers we saw last time and the entrance gate to the penguin sites has been moved forward to the exit from the car park. We found out later that the path along the top was still there and free but it was difficult to see among the people. We spent a bit of time by the wall and a Penguin came out onto the rocks to preen. Around the rocks were a Cape Wagtail and a rock agama.

The local cafe obviously had a vested interest in the penguins with this ‘advertising’ idea. 

We then drove west to the Cape Point Nature Reserve, just before the entrance we stopped for a Rock Kestrel and then entered the reserve, having to pay the International visitor rate. The reserve is part of the Table Mountain National Park and covers the southernmost point, includint the Cape of Good Hope. It's natural vegetation is Fynbos, one of the smallest but richest of the world's six floral kingdoms. 

We drove through to the Cape Point car park where we scanned around, had a baguette and a coke followed by an ice cream.

Around the car park we saw Red-wing Starling, Grey-backed Cisticola, Cape Bunting, Fiscal Shrike, Rock Martin, Cape Sugarbird, Cape Robin among others. There was a small troop of Chacma Baboons which were chased away by a couple of rangers, all of whom were equipped with a catapult to help deter them from attacking visitors. Later on we saw one or two who had braved the rangers to raid the bins. 

We then retracedour steps and drove down to The Cape of Good Hope. On the way we saa a small group of Eland feeding not far from the road. At the point there weren't a lot of birds, apart from Cape Cormorant, Kelp Gull, Black Oystercatcher, Egyptian Geese and Cape Wagtail. After taking the obligatory picture of the sign we made our way back and across to Oliphants Bos. 

On our way across we very pleased to see a Bontebok feeding in the distance, so we stopped at a bridge and scoped it as well as taking a few pictures. In the stream there were a couple of frogs, different sizes but same species. The weather was deteriorating, with a sea fret growing from the coast area but we carried on. We had a small flock of Yellow Bishops in some reeds and the flowers were very colourful.

Arriving at Oliphants Bos we found a sizeable flock of Bontebok with a troup of Baboons feeding across the grass and in the bushes. On the beach there was a wreck of seaweed which had hundreds of Hartlaub's, Kelp Gulls and Black Oystercatchers feeding and across the sand there was Blacksmith, Kitlitz, Ringed Plovers, Greenshank, Egyptian Geese and Sacred Ibis with possible Bank Cormorant among the Cape Cormonrats. There were Swift, Common and Sandwich Terns flying back and forth 

We spent some time scanning the beach and then looked around the bushes and reedy atreas. We found several birds zipping around the reeds which were Cape Grassbirds and some Levailant's Cisticola plus a species of *Prinia. 

As we returned to the car we saw a Malachite Sunbird and a Bokmakieri sitting up in the bushes. The rules state you had to be out by 6.00 pm so we set off back towards the gate and made it by 5.45. We decided against going north to Kommetjie so set off back towards Simonstown, stoping at a couple of areas to scan over the sea. At one of these, a SA birder came up to us and asked if we were looking for BAnk Cormorant, and pointed out they were on the left hand side of the rock below us, amongst the Cape Cormorant. There was also a small colony of Cape Fur Seals hauled out.

We headed back to Boulders and as we entered the car park, we were told it was shut and to go outside into an upper car park. As we turned round we saw a Dassie sitting up on the wall. Not something we had seem before, so we took a couple of minutes to photograph it before parking up.

There were three African Penguins loafing around and a scan found a Water Dikkop among the boulders. We took a few more photos and enjoyed the quiet without the visitors before returning to Froggy on the 

Pond to freshen up before heading back to Simonstown for dinner. Being a Sunday it was even quieter than last night and we ended up having another lovely steak and chips at Bertha’s. Back at the B&B we packed up ready for a early start in the morning.