Parson's Vlei is a wetland on the west side of the suburb of Bridgemead. The habitats consist of water and reedbeds. In drought, the water dries up partially and waders and crakes can be seen on the mud.
The vlei has a huge Barn Swallow roost in summer. Other interesting birds are Baillon's and Black Crake, African Swamphen, African Rail, Little Bittern, African Marsh Harrier, Whiskered Tern and Purple Heron. There is a historical record of Black Heron here.
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Little Bittern - Godfrey Lodge |
Jackal Buzzard - Keith Joubert |
Birds seen on the Bridgemead common include grassland specials such as Secretarybirds, Denham's Bustards, Red-winged Francolin, Common Quail and occasionally Grey-winged Francolin. On the quartzite outcrops you can see Sentinel Rock Thrush (a special in the GQ area), Long-billed Pipit and once, a Ground Woodpecker.
The commonest birds on the flats are African Stonechat, Malachite Sunbird, Cape Longclaw, Grey-backed Cisticola and Cloud Cisticola.
It is great for little brown jobs and raptors. Rufous-naped, Red-capped and Cape Clapper Larks, Plain-backed and African Pipits all occur. Cape Penduline Tits are a regular sighting. Orange-breasted Sunbird has been recorded a few times. Cape Buntings are resident. Capped Wheatear are occasionally seen.
Raptors that breed in the area include Black Harriers, African Marsh Harrier (at the vlei), Lanner Falcon, Jackal Buzzard, Rock Kestrel and Secretarybird.
Unfortunately the numbers and diversity of species on the common are very low. You often see very little despite the good birds potentially found there, especially during the dry cycle.
How to get there:
To get to Bridgemead drive towards Cape Town from Gqeberha on the N2. Take the Baywest Mall turn off and turn right back over the N2. Drive across the Old Cape Road and over the railway bridge on Bishop's Way. Parson's Vlei is immediately on the left after the bridge. Park in the vicinity and walk anti-clockwise round the vlei starting on the right below a tall wall.
To access the common, continue down Bishops' way, park and walk down the old tar road at the end of the suburb on the left which leads to the electrical substation. Then walk out on the jeep track directly under the power lines. At the tee junction turn right onto a gravel road that takes you out into the veld. It is a dodgy area so go in a group. An excellent option if you have a 4x4 vehicle is to drive this route. The further you go the more you will see. Scrub birds such as the Red-winged Francolin and Common Quail are sometimes flushed on this route. Both Marsh and African Grass Owls can also be flushed, but very rarely.