On our way back from Buffelsdrif Conservancy north of Pretoria we decided to visit the Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary in Pretoria (this spot is chapter 23 in Birding Gauteng). We visited the Sasol Bird Hide which is one of the best constructed hides I have ever seen, the Blue Crane Restaurant which gives a great view of the dam and we also walked around the bird sanctuary which is fenced off as well as the trim park next door to the sanctuary. It was a worthwhile experience for about an hour or two of birding and would probably be even more productive to visit in Summer. Here is a list of birds that we recorded: Rock Dove, Laughing Dove, Dark-capped Bulbul, Red-knobbed Coot, Fulvous Duck, Egyptian Geese, White-faced Duck, Cape Teal, Southern Pochard, White-breasted Cormorant, Hadeda Ibis, Sacred Ibis, Common Moorhen, Black Crake, Helmeted Guineafowl, Spotted Thick-Knee, Blacksmith Lapwing, Crowned Lapwing, White-bellied Sunbird, Bronze Mannikin, Southern Masked Weaver, Common Mynah, Common Fiscal, Karoo Thrush and Lourie. In total around 25 birds.

Here are some pics we shot, including some scenery pics for those who have not visited the spot before: