Vredenburg to St Helena - South Africa West Coast Hub

The various regions of the S.A. West Coast

THE WEST COAST

Things to See and Do

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Sickle Winged Chat Vredenburg to Paternoster
and St Helena Bay:

The granite outcrops, agricultural lands and scrubby vegetation of the Columbine Peninsula provide access to a suite of species not easily available elsewhere in this region. Vredenburg, the administrative centre of the region, can be conveniently reached from the R27, or from Langebaan.

Take the Paternoster road west of Vredenburg, and scan along the fence posts for Sickle-winged Chat (remarkably common), Anteating Chat and Yellow Canary. Regularly seen roadside raptors include Jackal Buzzard and Lanner Falcon.

Continue westwards to the picturesque fishing village of Paternoster, before heading north towards Stompneusbaai and St Helena Bay. Check the fallow lands 2 km along this road for Cape Long-billed Lark, as well as Thick-billed Lark, Red-capped Lark and Grey-backed Finchlark (the latter especially during late summer).

Small patches of natural vegetation harbour the regular strandveld species in addition to the scarcer Southern Grey Tit, Cape Penduline Tit (p.81) and, rarely, Yellow-bellied Eremomela. Check small patches of water for South African Shelduck, and the occasional drinking Namaqua Sandgrouse. From Stompneusbaai, the road runs along the rocky shoreline of St Helena Bay (look for roosting cormorants and African Black Oystercatcher) before reaching the Berg River estuary at Velddrif.

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