North West – Rockwall Dam
About the Birding
Rockwall Dam:
Lying adjacent to the village of Ga-Luka, north of Phokeng, lies the small Rockwall Dam. The ‘main entrance’ is located precisely here: 25°30’32.1″S 27°12’18.0″E, or -25.508921, 27.205011 (but note that there are a number of small tracks leading down to the dam – if you’re unfamiliar with them, stick to this main track).
About the Birding Site
Situated just north of the Magaliesberg Mountain range, the large town of Rustenburg is a perfect base to cover a number of sites that lie just to its north. A wide variety of excellent birds and birding is possible in this area, with extremely productive dry acacia thornveld dominating the region, however mixed woodland, open grasslands, agricultural fields and rich dams all add further diversity and boost the birdlife.
Other Related Information
Access and facilities:
The routes described above are all off public gravel/tar roads. The roads are regularly maintained and a small sedan vehicle is sufficient to cover the area. Most of the land, away from the roads is private, and please seek permission before venturing off the road.
This is a very birdy area, and a high daily total can be expected. This area is regularly incorporated into routes for various teams in their Birding Big Day attempts.