Nestled
on the dry north slopes of the Langeberge, Montagu is a very
picturesque old town popular with tourists on the historical route as
well as rock climbers headed for the hard quartzite cliffs among the
gorges of the mountains.
My
reason for a visit – birds of course. The municipality has a
substantial reserve with several hiking trails, one of which offers a
perfect altitudinal gradient for my survey – starting at the
Joubertpark on the edge of town, just over 200 meters above sea
level, and finishing on 'Bloupunk' at over 1200m. The trail is a
circular 15 kilometer hike through a variety of fynbos habitat types,
with splendid views from the top. Although the hike can be done in
five hours, I took around nine, stopping every kilometer to record
birds. The trail is well maintained, and worth a visit, even if you
only explore the accessible section along the lower ravine, with its
mountain stream and waterfalls.
Although
my visit coincided with the beginning of winter, midday temperatures
were a pleasant 22 degrees celsius, with blue skies in all
directions. As Montagu lies beyond the Riviersonderend mountains,
weather can be better here than in Cape Town at this time of the
year. The start of winter is also when many Fynbos species start to
bloom – and there were many floral distractions along the way.
Gladiolus stephaniae is endemic to the reserve, and although I didn't
see it, there were several other colorful Gladiolus species peeping
out from among the restios along the damper, upper stretches of the
trail.
Cape
Sugarbirds enjoyed the beautiful Protea neriifolia, and
Orange-breasted Sunbirds chased each other around slopes of flowering
Erica. A pair of Verreax's Eagles kept a watchful eye on me while
surfing the mountain breeze, and the occasional squeaky bark
indicated they in turn were under constant surveillance from Dassie
sentinels hidden among their rocky fortresses.
While
I camped at the 'Die Bos' campsite, there is also an overnight hut –
for more information visit www.montagu-ashton.info.
And if you didn't understand the title of this post, Montagu is a
famous brand of dried fruit in South Africa.
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| Malachite Kingfisher at the bird-hide in Montagu |
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| Cape Sugarbird male, blowing in the wind on a Protea neriifolia |
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| Red-faced Mousebird |
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| Spotted Eagle-Owl, on a rooftop in Hermanus the morning I left for Montagu |
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| The Old Mill at the start of the Bloupunt trail |
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| An eagle-eye view of agricultural land around the Langeberge |
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| R62 from Montagu towards Barrydale |
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| Windmill against the misty slopes of the Riviersonderend mountains |
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| A male Cape Weaver showing off his nest to a prospective mate |
