On the spur of the moment Sally and I decided to spend a few days in Cape Town as our Avios points covered most of the cost.
Like the last time when we went to see the Snowy Egret, we found a hotel in the centre of town β the Inn on the Square. The hotel was comfortable and the room and facilities were good. Traffic is more than hectic at peak times. So staying in the town centre meant we were travelling in the opposite direction to the hectic traffic at peak times. After checking in at the hotel we took a drive in our cheapo rental car to Zeekoevlei to scout the area.
It was chilly and windy when we got there at 16h Having not been there it was unclear where the bird had been seen. No luck. Were we looking in the right area or were the conditions unfavourable? A phone call was in order. And we learnt in which general area to look. A large grassy field some by 50 metres β stretching from the car park to the start of a copse of trees. As it started to get dark we decided that was enough for the day and to come back early the next day.
As we were driving out we had several unexpected sightings β Cape Francolins right out in the middle of the road. The other sighting was more curious as there was this huge spread of tail feathers stretching up some 2 metres in length and it seemed to be courting local Helmeted Guineafowl. It was a Peacock with the longest tail we have ever seen. The next morning we headed back to try and find the Rufous-tailed Scrub-Robin. Now day 40 so what were our chances? We met some staff there and they told us that it had gone.
Were we too late? We were the only people there. After about half an hour traipsing around in the field getting soaked by the dewy grass we started to wonder. The day was perfect β sunny and windless. Surely it was there and would pop out to cheer up from the dewy night and to find some food.
