Starting with the waterbirds, a number of species are regular on the dam, and while they do move around, you should be able to find Grey, Goliath, Black-headed and Squacco Herons, Great and Little Egrets, African Spoonbill, Yellow-billed Stork, African Fish Eagle, African Jacana, White-faced Whistling Duck, Yellow-billed Duck, Red-billed Teal, Cape Shoveler, Southern Pochard, Knob-billed Duck and Spur-winged Goose. Scarcer species to watch out for are Fulvous Whistling Duck, Western Osprey, Greater Flamingo and Great Crested Grebe. In summer, when water levels drop exposing patches of shoreline, watch out for the likes of Ruff, Common Greenshank, Wood and Marsh Sandpipers and Little Stint. Grey-headed Gull and Whiskered Tern are resident on the dam, and White-winged Tern visit during the summer months. Caspian Tern are a scarce visitor. Numbers of Pied Kingfishers work the dam, as do smaller numbers of Malachite and Giant Kingfishers. Rare water birds have been recorded over the years, such as Pectoral Sandpiper, Allen’s Gallinule and African Skimmer, and it is worth keeping an eye out for any odd birds.

The thornveld surrounding the dam is especially productive, and common species usually include Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill, Brubru, Chinspot Batis, White-browed Scrub Robin, Marico Flycatcher, Long-billed Crombec, Burnt-necked Eremomela, Blue Waxbill and Golden-breasted Bunting, amongst others. Some of the specials to keep an eye out for include Crimson-breasted Shrike, Ashy Tit, Cape Penduline-tit, Southern Pied Babbler, Purple Indigobird and a variety of colourful seedeaters such as Violet-eared and Black-faced Waxbills. In summer, many migrants move into these areas, and arguably the most common is Woodland Kingfisher – which become dime-a-dozen, while various warblers such as Marsh, Icterine and Olive-tree Warblers and Common Whitethroat are all present as well, although knowledge of their calls helps immensely in tracking them down. Other common migrants include Spotted Flycatcher, Willow Warbler, Red-backed Shrike, and a variety of cuckoos – Red-chested, Diederik, Jacobin, Levaillant’s and Black all regularly occurring. Kurrichane and Groundscraper Thrushes often work the shaded portions of the picnic site, along with Arrow-marked Babbler, Black-headed Oriole and Black-backed Puffback. With some searching, Pearl-spotted Owlet can also be readily found as well.

Emanzini Fishing & Camping:
While this resort covers a much smaller section of the dam, almost all of the same waterbirds as mentioned above for the Roodekoppies Hengeloord can be found here as well, although this portion of the dam is usually less conducive for waders. Nonetheless, the waterbirds do still stream in thick and fast from this location. Exciting woodland birding can be had here – especially on the entrance road from the gate to the offices, you pass through productive dry acacia thornveld, and a denser patch of woodland. The acacia thornveld birds do not differ much from those mentioned above for the Roodekoppies Hengeloord mentioned above (as the two sites are in very close proximity to one another), however this denser woodland adds various species such as Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird, Bearded and Golden-tailed Woodpeckers, White-throated Robin Chat, Southern Boubou, Grey Tit-flycatcher and Southern Black Flycatcher, amongst others. This is also a good area to search for migrant warblers in the summer (such as Icterine and Marsh Warblers). It is recommended to park at the offices, near the dam’s shoreline, and explore the area on foot.

Roodekoppies Dennekruin:
Situated on the opposite shoreline to the Emanzini Fishing & Camping Resort, the Dennekruin resort covers a relatively small area, and can easily be covered in a short space of time. You can park at the offices, or alternatively closer to the dam, and cover this area easily on foot. This area is more sparsely populated with acacia trees, allowing for more open country birds to move in. Keep an eye out for the likes of Namaqua Dove, Swainson’s Spurfowl, Sabota Lark, Desert Cisticola, African Pipit, African Quail-finch, Scaly-feathered Finch (Weaver), Black-throated Canary, and if you’re lucky Great Sparrow. It is always worth searching for scarcer species such as Temminck’s Courser and Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark – the latter two especially after fires during the winter. Many of the same waterbirds, as mentioned for the Roodekoppies Hengeloord can be seen here as well, and this is another productive patch of shoreline, especially with waders – and additional species to search for include Black-winged Stilt, Common Greenshank, Kittlitz’s, Common Ringed and Three-banded Plovers and Water Thick-knee. White-fronted Bee-eaters nest nearby and are often in evidence near the water’s edge here. Despite the small size of the Dennekruin resort, this is a very productive spot and a high list of birds can easily be seen here alone.

Key species:

Fulvous Whistling Duck, Knob-billed Duck, Purple Heron, Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird, Crimson-breasted Shrike, Ashy Tit, Scaly-feathered Finch (Weaver), Purple Indigobird, Orange-breasted Waxbill, Black-faced Waxbill