Cape Peninsula - Robben Island World Heritage Site

Cape Peninsula – Robben Island World Heritage Site

About the Birding

The boat trip across in summer will provide an opportunity to see the tern-like Sabine’s Gull, often associated with feeding flocks of Common Tern. Checking all the feeding terns may expose Sabine’s Gull as well as Parasitic Jaeger. African Penguin, Cape Gannet, Greater Crested Tern, Cape and Bank Cormorant can also be seen on the passage across. Winter trips across provide opportunities to see Cape Gannet, African Penguin, Brown Skua, Black-browed and Shy Albatross, White-chinned Petrel and Sooty Shearwater. Mornings are better than afternoons for seeing seabirds on the voyage across to the island.

Check the short left-hand side breakwater for breeding Bank Cormorant and breeding Cape Cormorant on the long arm in summer. Crowned Cormorant roost in the harbour, so do scan carefully when arriving and it may prove rewarding. There is usually a bold pair of White-throated Swallow breeding under the floating landing jetty in summer. The open ground beyond the bus parking area is worth carefully scanning for Chukar Partridge as is the cropped ground in front of the prison. Large numbers of Hartlaub’s Gull and Greater Crested Tern have for several years bred in the proximity of the area marked Irish Town.

Check both sides of the road whilst driving from the harbour southward towards and in the town area, all the way through to Alpha 1 as Chukar Partridge can be seen anywhere here in small coveys. There are probably not much more than 100 of these birds on the island, and when breeding (Sept- Oct) are frustratingly inconspicuous. Summer trips are less rewarding for Chukar Partridge as the birds head for the shady thickets by 10am. African Black Oystercatcher is common along the shoreline, whilst White fronted and Kittlitz’s Plover, Spotted Thick-knee and Blacksmith Lapwing are regularly seen along parts of the coast. There are a number of visiting shorebirds to be seen along the coast in summer, e.g. Turnstone, Whimbrel and Common Ringed Plover being the most regularly seen species. Malachite Sunbird, Cape Weaver and Fiscal are breeding residents in the plantation and offer an alternative distraction from the seabirds. African Penguin are best seen at Alpha 1 – moulting there in summer and breeding inland in the thickets in winter where they are reliably seen coming ashore in the late afternoon.

Unfortunately, Common Peafowl at the island are now very scarce and their future on the island is therefore uncertain.

Key species:

Chukar Partridge, Common Peafowl, African Penguin, Bank Cormorant, Crowned Cormorant, Cape Cormorant, Hartlaub’s, Grey-headed and Sabine’s Gull, Swift (Great Crested) Tern and African Black Oystercatcher

About the Birding Site

Robben Island lies 9.4 km off Cape Town. It is the largest island off South Africa being about 570 hectares in area. The island is generally flat but rises to 60 metres in the south. The ground is sandy with underlying limestone and scattered with low rocky ridges. The original habitat was West Coast Strandveld. Remnants of it still exist mostly on the western side of the island, but much of it elsewhere has been altered by introduced alien gumtrees, pines, manatoka, rooikrans and canola as well as being overtaken by extensive infrastructure.

The coastline is rocky but for one sandy beach on the eastern shoreline. There are no special tours yet available to cater for birders, apart from what can be seen as part of the 2 hour prison tour. 170 bird species have been recorded ashore since records were kept, and 40 species is usually a good haul for the casual visitor.

Target birds here are usually the introduced Chukar Partridge and the increasingly scarce Indian Peafowl.

Key species:

Other Related Information

Ferries leave from the Nelson Mandela Gateway in the V&A Waterfront.
Please note: Bookings must be made through the Robben Island Museum website. It is not advised to try to book on the day wishing to go to the Mandela Gateway Building. Boats are sometimes full for extended periods so it is advised to make a booking and go when they can fit you in …

Other related information:

Bear in mind that certain weather conditions may result in trips to/from the island being cancelled at the last minute. Movement on the island is restricted, you may have to rely on the tour guide aboard your bus to assist in seeing the bird.

Operating hours:
Monday to Sunday – 08:00 to 17:00
Public Holidays – 08:00 to 17:00
Workers’ Day (01 May) – Closed
Christmas Day (25 December) – Closed
Family Day (26 December) – 08:00 to 12:00
New Year’s Day (01 January) – 08:00 to 12:00

Admission costs:
Adults (South Africa): R400; non-SA: R600
Children (South Africa): R210; Non-SA: R310
WildCard applicable: no
Disabled access: tour buses are disabled-friendly

Public maps:
Bookings must be made through the Robben Island Museum website. It is not advised to try to book on the day wishing to go to the Mandela Gateway Building. Boats are sometimes full for extended periods so it is advised to make a booking and go when they can fit you in. Bear in mind too that certain weather conditions may result in trips to/from the island being cancelled at the last minute. Movement on the island is restricted, you may have to rely on the tour guide aboard your boat to assist in seeing the birds.

Local guide information:
No formal birding tours are possible at present. Local birding companies may be able to offer their services in future.
Absolute Birding: https://www.birdlife.org.za/go-birding/bird-friendly-tour-operators/#1527800486296-4d544ea0-b3b6
Birding Africa: https://www.birdlife.org.za/go-birding/bird-friendly-tour-operators/#1527800843201-e0dd8be5-1491
Birding Eco-tours: https://www.birdlife.org.za/go-birding/bird-friendly-tour-operators/#1527837069054-d73b5915-e2a1
Cape Eco-tours: https://www.birdlife.org.za/go-birding/bird-friendly-tour-operators/#1527837703508-e06f57e0-d098
Lawson’s Birding, Wildlife and custom Safaris: https://www.birdlife.org.za/go-birding/bird-friendly-tour-operators/#1527838131789-84d3b3f2-444d
Rockjumper Worldwide Birding Adventures: https://www.birdlife.org.za/go-birding/bird-friendly-tour-operators/#1527838131789-84d3b3f2-444d

Text prepared by:
Bruce M. Dyer