Begin at the main car park off How Avenue and follow the track alongside the Flower House. Here, the delightful Cape Robin-chat is conspicuous while both Swee Waxbill and African Firefinch frequent the damp spots on either side of the track. Flowering trees attract an interesting array of sunbirds including the Amethyst, Grey, Malachite, Collared, Greater Double-collared and Southern Double-collared Sunbirds. The taller trees should be checked for Knysna Turaco – which is extremely conspicuous by voice in the gardens – as well as Cape Bulbul, Back-headed Oriole and Black-bellied Starling. Follow the same path down to the Baakens River where Fiscal, African Dusky, Blue-mantled Crested and African Paradise Flycatchers can all be seen. Southern Tchagra, Southern Boubou, and Olive Bush-shrike all call from the denser parts of the thicket, while Terrestrial Brownbul flit through fallen leaves on the forest floor. The reeded sections of the Baakens River support Half-collared, Giant, Pied and Malachite Kingfishers as well as the skulking Lesser Swamp and Little Rush Warblers. Large numbers of weavers breeding in the reeds in spring including the Thick-billed, Spectacled, Cape and Southern Masked Weavers. Both Red-necked Spurfowl and Helmeted Guineafowl patrol the edges of scrub, running across the patches of open grassland between bushclumps.

Turning right and crossing the river over the steppingstones leads to a wooded path where both Olive and Knysna Woodpecker occur. The latter is best detected by its high-pitched shrill calls. On exiting the wooded section, there is an alternate route to the right which returns to the main car park. This section is blanketed in mixed thornveld, coastal scrub and fynbos. This route is particularly productive for seedeaters including the Brimstone, Cape, Yellow-fronted and White-throated Canaries as well as Streaky-headed Seedeater.

Following the river further along the exit route, the habitat becomes increasingly more lush. Common and Swee Waxbill are both common here. Riverside vegetation supports the sweet-singing Levaillant’s Cisticola, while a number of waterfowl can be seen on open stretches of water. The cliffs further along support a resident pair of Peregrine Falcons. Large trees in this area should also be checked for Olive and Knysna Woodpecker.

Key species:

Knysna Woodpecker, Peregrine Falcon, Olive Woodpecker, Southern Tchagra, Swee Waxbill