On my way home from work (on the 16th September 2010) I stopped off at Delta Park (chapter 1 in Birding Gauteng) and decided to explore more of the park than I have done on previous occasions. I discovered two dams further up the stream that I did not know existed. Here are some scenery pics...

This is the dam at the top of Delta Park (point 11):

Here is a little dam area just below that top dam (in between point 11 and 10):

Here is the lowest dam at Delta Park (point 7):

Okay, so I actually went birding - here is what I saw: I began at the dam in front of the educational centre (sorry I did not get a scenery pic of this dam today) and here I saw a Wood Duck (it could be tickable if it was not too beautiful to be included as a Southern African bird), Grey Heron, Sacred Ibis, Red-knobbed Coot, Common Moorhen, Egyptian Goose, Yellow-billed Duck, African Black Duck, Blacksmith Lapwing (just one chap dressed in police clothing keeping the peace on the dam), Helmeted Guineafowl, Tawny-flanked Prinia and Southern Masked Weaver.

I then crossed the stream and headed up past the educational centre, through the gardens to the middle dam. On the way I saw Common Mynah, Cattle Egret, Cape White-eye, Laughing Dove, Hadeda Ibis and Crested Lapwing. At the dam I saw White Duck, Mallard, Egyptian Goose, Pied Crow, Common Moorhen and Green-Wood Hoopoe.

I continued up the stream, further than I have even been before, and was pleasantly surprised to find two more dams. Here I saw Rock Pigeon, Speckled Pigeon, Cape Turtle-Dove, Lourie, African Black Duck, Egyptian Goose, Common Fiscal, Green-Wood Hoopoe, Karoo Thrush, Common Moorhen (a mother would head off to a spot some 100 metres away and bring back what looked like soggy bread to feed her two chicks), Thick-billed Weaver, Cape Sparrow and Cape Robin-Chat.

On my way back to the lowest dam I stopped to ask a worker where the Owl box is that Birding Gauteng mentions. Apparently there is supposed to be a nesting pair of Spotted Eagle-Owl that nest there but the box had been taken over by Egyptian Geese. He pointed me in the right direction (to the back of the education centre and on the highest point of the building). I took some pics just to have a record of the box - and you can imagine my surprise and delight as I zoomed in when I processed my pics...staring at me is a pair of eyes of a Spotted Eagle-Owl! Stunning surprise for my day! You will see the Owl if you click on the small image below.

From here I briefly stopped off at the dam where I had started my time at Delta Park and took some more pics of the duck on the dam, including the Wood Duck, and then I made my way down to the lowest dam - on the way I saw three Swainson's Spurfowl, about 50 Helmeted Guineafowl and then on the dam saw African Black Duck, Reed Cormorant and in the area also spotted Cape Glossy Starling, Southern Masked Weaver, Common Fiscal and Egyptian Goose.

As I walked back to wards the hide at the middle dam I spotted a Golden-tailed Woodpecker high up in a tree. As I approached the bird hide I heard a familiar sound - the Rose-ringed Parakeet that I spotted in Pretoria some time back (near Smuts Koppie). It flew over my head and then went and perched in the middle of the fenced off area - so this record shot is all I have as proof of the sighting!

A Black-Collared Barbet sang joyfully as I made my way back to my car and headed home.