Strandfontein Bird Sanctuary
Strandfontein is part of the larger False Bay Nature Reserve. It is situated in the False Bay area and stretches from the False Bay beach area close to Muizenberg towards Grassy Park in the Cape Flats. Strandfontein is part of the sewage works in this area of Cape Town. Like many sewage works the bird sanctuary attracts an amazing array of birds. False Bay area in Cape Town is an excellent area for birding, and Strandfontein will not be a letdown for any serious birder. For birding therefore this area is excellent. If you are not such a serious birder, and would like to combine nature excursions with a bit of light birding on the side, then Strandfontein might not be your first choice simply for the reason that the place is part of sewage works, therefore not the most breathtaking in the beauty department (however not scruffy in the least either). You can walk inside, but it probably is best to drive in your car, since there are many places to see and lots of distances to cover. Strandfontein has a dedicated entrance, but is open on the beach side, therefore safety is not guaranteed (I never once felt unsafe there, since there are many people and cars about). Entrance is free, but there are no facilities there in terms of touristy attractions or shops or restaurants etc. To summarize, Strandfontein is excellent for birding, but average when it comes to beauty, hiking and general facilities, I will give Strandfontein a C for the complete experience.
My list of birds I have personally photographed at Strandfontein Bird Sanctuary is:
Black Necked Grebe, Little Grebe, Great White Pelican, White Breasted Cormorant, African Darter, Grey Heron, Black Headed Heron, Cattle Egret, Sacred Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Hadeda Ibis, Greater Flamingo, Egyptian Goose, Yellow Billed Duck, Cape Teal, Red Billed Teal, Cape Shoveller, Southern Pochard, Spur Winged Goose, Cape Spurfowl, African Purple Swamphen, Common Moorhen, Red Knobbed Coot, African Oystercatcher, Common Ringed Plover, Kittlitz's Plover, Blacksmith Lapwing, Wood Sandpiper, Ruff, Pied Avocet, Black Winged Stilt, Cape Gull, Hartlaub's Gull, Speckled Pigeon, Brown Throated Martin, Cape Crow, Cape Bulbul, Levaillant's Cisticola, Karoo Prinia, Cape Wagtail, African Pipit, Cape Whiteye, Southern Masked Weaver, Cape Canary, Common Peacock.
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| White Breasted Cormorants were gathered in their dozens together at the North Eastern part of the sanctuary. |
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| This Cattle Egret were very interested to see how close I will attempt to approach it. |
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| There are many Greater Flamingos in all the pools and dams in the sanctuary. |
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| Cape Spurfowl can be seen scampering off the road in front of you on occasion as your car approaches. |
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| The African Oystercatcher is always a satisfying bird to photograph. |
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| This Wood Sandpiper is one of many wading birds that could be found on the southern western side of the sanctuary where some dams are silt filled. |
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| Cape Gull are plenty towards the beach side of the sanctuary, with some of them flying really close to you. |
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| Cape wagtail is common in reserves as well as in gardens in Cape Town. |
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| This African Pipit almost melds with the dirt road as its background. |
According to Southern African Birding The Strandfontein Sewage Works is the best waterbird locality close to Cape Town. The sewage plant is surrounded by a vast network of pans, connected by good dirt roads (however, beware of the southern coastal road which is often very sandy).
BirdingA good variety of waterbirds inhabit the pans, among them Black-necked Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Great White Pelican, Greater Flamingo, South African Shelduck and Maccoa Duck (the latter particularly in the central, deeper pans on your right as you approach the plant buildings from the Zeekoeivlei entrance). In summer the usual selection of Palaearctic migrants occur, including Wood Sandpiper and large numbers of Little Stint and White-winged Tern. Most of the ponds are fringed by reedbeds, which are inhabited by African Purple Swamphen, Black Crake and Purple Heron. The coastal pans, adjacent to Baden-Powell Drive, usually have small numbers of African Black Oystercatcher, and there is a vast roost of Cape Cormorant, sometimes numbering in the tens of thousands. The vegetation surrounding the pans consists largely of alien acacia thicket, with an unremarkable bird community. Over the last few years there have been a number of interesting vagrants, including Garganey, American Purple Gallinule, American Golden Plover, Black-tailed Godwit, Red-necked Phalarope, Franklin's Gull and Grey Wagtail.
GeneralThe most reliable way to enter the sewage works is from the Zeekoeivlei side. From the M5 freeway, turn left into Ottery road at the Ottery turn-off, then turn right into Strandfontein road. Continue along this road then turn right at the Zeekoeivlei sign, just after the Shell petrol station. Continue through the gum plantation and past Zeekoeivlei, after which the road enters the sewage works. It is also possible to enter the works from the False Bay side: an inconspicuous dirt road crosses the dune between Baden-Powell Drive and the pans.
Please visit the Cape Bird Club website for guidelines when visiting Strandfontein.
Conservation Office Tel: +27 21 706 2404
Conservation Officer (Morne Carstens): email: strandfontein@gmail.com
Waste Water Treatment Works - +27 21 396 1060
BirdingA good variety of waterbirds inhabit the pans, among them Black-necked Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Great White Pelican, Greater Flamingo, South African Shelduck and Maccoa Duck (the latter particularly in the central, deeper pans on your right as you approach the plant buildings from the Zeekoeivlei entrance). In summer the usual selection of Palaearctic migrants occur, including Wood Sandpiper and large numbers of Little Stint and White-winged Tern. Most of the ponds are fringed by reedbeds, which are inhabited by African Purple Swamphen, Black Crake and Purple Heron. The coastal pans, adjacent to Baden-Powell Drive, usually have small numbers of African Black Oystercatcher, and there is a vast roost of Cape Cormorant, sometimes numbering in the tens of thousands. The vegetation surrounding the pans consists largely of alien acacia thicket, with an unremarkable bird community. Over the last few years there have been a number of interesting vagrants, including Garganey, American Purple Gallinule, American Golden Plover, Black-tailed Godwit, Red-necked Phalarope, Franklin's Gull and Grey Wagtail.
GeneralThe most reliable way to enter the sewage works is from the Zeekoeivlei side. From the M5 freeway, turn left into Ottery road at the Ottery turn-off, then turn right into Strandfontein road. Continue along this road then turn right at the Zeekoeivlei sign, just after the Shell petrol station. Continue through the gum plantation and past Zeekoeivlei, after which the road enters the sewage works. It is also possible to enter the works from the False Bay side: an inconspicuous dirt road crosses the dune between Baden-Powell Drive and the pans.
Please visit the Cape Bird Club website for guidelines when visiting Strandfontein.
Conservation Office Tel: +27 21 706 2404
Conservation Officer (Morne Carstens): email: strandfontein@gmail.com
Waste Water Treatment Works - +27 21 396 1060
According to Birdlife Centred on the False Bay Waste Water Works (also known as the Strandfontein Sewage Works), the proclaimed False Bay Nature Reserve also includes Zeekoevlei and Rondevlei. It is situated on the Cape Flats between Muizenberg and Mitchell's Plain, 20 km south of Cape Town. Like many wetlands around South Africa's major cities, Strandfontein is almost entirely human-made. Prior to 1922, the only wetland habitats at the site were the small and temporary Maccoavlei and Tamatievlei. A small sewage works was built in 1922 and additional water was channelled into the system from nearby Zeekoevlei. Over the years the complex has been enlarged and by 1976 the small waterbody known as Tamatievlei had been converted into 34 settling ponds covering more than 306 ha.
The system provides a range of semi-natural habitats, including deep and shallow open water, seasonal open ponds, canals with aquatic vegetation, beds of reeds, rushes and sedges, bare and vegetated shorelines and islands. Well-grassed banks separate the ponds. Several distinctive wetland plant communities occur, including perennial wetland, reedbeds, and reed and sedge marsh. The perennial wetland is characterised by sparse aquatic vegetation, while Typha capensis and Phragmites australis dominate the reedbeds. The reed marsh consists of virtually monospecific stands of Phragmites australis, invaded in parts by Typha capensis.
The sewage works now depends largely on chemical treatment and reasonably clean water is released into the ponds. It previously functioned entirely by algal decomposition, a process that requires a large number of shallow vleis. The algae and the numerous copepods associated with them provided a rich food supply for many bird species. The rationale for maintaining the ponds is that should there be a failure of the chemical plant, the previous sedimentation method of sewage treatment could be temporarily utilised. The water levels in the pans can be manipulated. In summer the strong south-easterly wind can cause water levels to drop, resulting in variability in the water condition.
The natural terrestrial strandveld surrounding the wetland consists of a scattered perennial overstorey of spinescent species, succulents and moderately tall evergreen thickets. Annuals are conspicuous in the open areas in spring. Two vegetation types occur in the IBA, both of which are endemic to within the City of Cape Town boundaries. The dominant type is Cape Flats Dune Strandveld, which is Endangered, and the other is Cape Flats Sand Fynbos, which is Critically Endangered. This vegetation is heavily invaded in many areas by a woody overstorey of alien species, mainly Acacia cyclops and A. saligna. The area is now largely surrounded by suburban development.
The natural waterbodies of Zeekoevlei and Rondevlei were historically fed by ground water infiltrating from the north and west. Recent urbanisation has resulted in these two vleis now being fed primarily by urban storm-water run-off. This has resulted in eutrophication of the waterbodies and extensive reed growth. Measures taken to improve water quality in Zeekoevlei and Rondevlei have included a cut-off drain, limited dredging and annual draw-downs of the waterbodies, all of which have shown some degree of success. In the past, Zeekoevlei was infested with water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes, which has subsequently been exterminated.
Apart from the large natural waterbodies, numerous smaller seasonal wetlands exist in the dune troughs in the False Bay Nature Reserve. These temporary wetlands often support interesting communities of plants and amphibians.
Although the wetlands act as a network, most of the birds are concentrated at Strandfontein Sewage Works, where a total of 168 species has been recorded. Of these, 76 are freshwater wetland species and a further 18 are coastal species that visit the area to roost or breed. Breeding has been confirmed for 45 waterbird species. This high diversity of waterbirds is due to the wide range of wetland habitats present and the proximity of Strandfontein to the ocean, which permits both freshwater and coastal species to exploit the system.
The abundance of waterbirds supported by Strandfontein has increased progressively since the 1950s, reaching an average of more than 23 200 individuals during the period 1980–1990. In extreme years, numbers are boosted above 30 000. Threatened and near-threatened species found at the sewage works are Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus, Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor, Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus, African Marsh Harrier Circus ranivorus, African Black Oystercatcher Haematopus moquini, Cape Cormorant Phalacrocorax capensis, Caspian Tern Sterna caspia and Chestnut-banded Plover Charadrius pallidus. Strandfontein occasionally holds globally significant numbers of Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis, Southern Pochard Netta erythrophthalma, Cape Shoveler Anas smithii, Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta, Hartlaub's Gull Chroicocephalus hartlaubii and Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus. White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus historically occurred in very high numbers, but these have declined dramatically over the past few decades.
Recent data analysis has shown that certain of these key species are in decline and may no longer meet the IBA threshold for a significant congregatory population. This trend is possibly in response to changes in water level and quality at the sewage works, as many of the settling ponds have been decommissioned. A further possible local reason for the decline is the invasive water hyacinth, which is not susceptible to biological control due to the cold winds. This has resulted in certain ponds no longer being suitable for birds that require open water. Cormorant species have also experienced a decline at this site, as they have in other areas, and declining fish stocks may be responsible for this decrease.
The site holds a regular tern roost of some 3 000 birds when the water is low enough for islands to form in the shallow pans, including fairly large numbers of Common Tern Sterna hirundo, Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis and Swift Tern T. bergii. Strandfontein also occasionally holds regionally uncommon species such as Yellow-billed Egret Egretta intermedia. The surrounding alien Acacia vegetation and the remaining strandveld hold Cape Spurfowl Pternistis capensis and Cape Bulbul Pycnonotus capensis.
The system provides a range of semi-natural habitats, including deep and shallow open water, seasonal open ponds, canals with aquatic vegetation, beds of reeds, rushes and sedges, bare and vegetated shorelines and islands. Well-grassed banks separate the ponds. Several distinctive wetland plant communities occur, including perennial wetland, reedbeds, and reed and sedge marsh. The perennial wetland is characterised by sparse aquatic vegetation, while Typha capensis and Phragmites australis dominate the reedbeds. The reed marsh consists of virtually monospecific stands of Phragmites australis, invaded in parts by Typha capensis.
The sewage works now depends largely on chemical treatment and reasonably clean water is released into the ponds. It previously functioned entirely by algal decomposition, a process that requires a large number of shallow vleis. The algae and the numerous copepods associated with them provided a rich food supply for many bird species. The rationale for maintaining the ponds is that should there be a failure of the chemical plant, the previous sedimentation method of sewage treatment could be temporarily utilised. The water levels in the pans can be manipulated. In summer the strong south-easterly wind can cause water levels to drop, resulting in variability in the water condition.
The natural terrestrial strandveld surrounding the wetland consists of a scattered perennial overstorey of spinescent species, succulents and moderately tall evergreen thickets. Annuals are conspicuous in the open areas in spring. Two vegetation types occur in the IBA, both of which are endemic to within the City of Cape Town boundaries. The dominant type is Cape Flats Dune Strandveld, which is Endangered, and the other is Cape Flats Sand Fynbos, which is Critically Endangered. This vegetation is heavily invaded in many areas by a woody overstorey of alien species, mainly Acacia cyclops and A. saligna. The area is now largely surrounded by suburban development.
The natural waterbodies of Zeekoevlei and Rondevlei were historically fed by ground water infiltrating from the north and west. Recent urbanisation has resulted in these two vleis now being fed primarily by urban storm-water run-off. This has resulted in eutrophication of the waterbodies and extensive reed growth. Measures taken to improve water quality in Zeekoevlei and Rondevlei have included a cut-off drain, limited dredging and annual draw-downs of the waterbodies, all of which have shown some degree of success. In the past, Zeekoevlei was infested with water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes, which has subsequently been exterminated.
Apart from the large natural waterbodies, numerous smaller seasonal wetlands exist in the dune troughs in the False Bay Nature Reserve. These temporary wetlands often support interesting communities of plants and amphibians.
Although the wetlands act as a network, most of the birds are concentrated at Strandfontein Sewage Works, where a total of 168 species has been recorded. Of these, 76 are freshwater wetland species and a further 18 are coastal species that visit the area to roost or breed. Breeding has been confirmed for 45 waterbird species. This high diversity of waterbirds is due to the wide range of wetland habitats present and the proximity of Strandfontein to the ocean, which permits both freshwater and coastal species to exploit the system.
The abundance of waterbirds supported by Strandfontein has increased progressively since the 1950s, reaching an average of more than 23 200 individuals during the period 1980–1990. In extreme years, numbers are boosted above 30 000. Threatened and near-threatened species found at the sewage works are Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus, Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor, Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus, African Marsh Harrier Circus ranivorus, African Black Oystercatcher Haematopus moquini, Cape Cormorant Phalacrocorax capensis, Caspian Tern Sterna caspia and Chestnut-banded Plover Charadrius pallidus. Strandfontein occasionally holds globally significant numbers of Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis, Southern Pochard Netta erythrophthalma, Cape Shoveler Anas smithii, Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta, Hartlaub's Gull Chroicocephalus hartlaubii and Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus. White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus historically occurred in very high numbers, but these have declined dramatically over the past few decades.
Recent data analysis has shown that certain of these key species are in decline and may no longer meet the IBA threshold for a significant congregatory population. This trend is possibly in response to changes in water level and quality at the sewage works, as many of the settling ponds have been decommissioned. A further possible local reason for the decline is the invasive water hyacinth, which is not susceptible to biological control due to the cold winds. This has resulted in certain ponds no longer being suitable for birds that require open water. Cormorant species have also experienced a decline at this site, as they have in other areas, and declining fish stocks may be responsible for this decrease.
The site holds a regular tern roost of some 3 000 birds when the water is low enough for islands to form in the shallow pans, including fairly large numbers of Common Tern Sterna hirundo, Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis and Swift Tern T. bergii. Strandfontein also occasionally holds regionally uncommon species such as Yellow-billed Egret Egretta intermedia. The surrounding alien Acacia vegetation and the remaining strandveld hold Cape Spurfowl Pternistis capensis and Cape Bulbul Pycnonotus capensis.
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