On Monday the 7th September after visiting the Mabusa Nature Reserve 65 kilometers north of Bronkhorstspruit, I decided to check out the Groenfontein Pan, that is described in chapter 66 of Birding Gauteng. I was saddened to hear from the farmer who answered the number in the book that he had sold the far. I decided to pay the farm a visit and see if I could get permission from the new farmer to visit the pan. I found the farmed - a young chap who gave me unconditional permission to spend time on his property and said that any birder is welcome to visit his farm. I don't have his name or number unfortunately, but you can just follow the directions in Birding Gauteng and ask his permission. The dam is behind the farm house. And it is huge!!!

I was blown away by the size of the pan - here is my attempt at creating a panorama pic of the whole pan (in the pic, the farmhouse is to the right corner of the pic along the dirt road):

Here is a pic from the other side of the dam looking back towards the farmstead:

I immediately noticed that there are numerous Grey-headed Gulls breeding on the pan:

Some of the other water birds I managed to photograph include Purple Heron, Glossy Ibis, Common Mynah, White-throated Swallow, African Purple Swamphen, Red-billed Teal and Yellow-billed Duck:

There were also a few waders on the dam - some Ruff, what I believe is Wood Sandpiper and a pair of as yet unidentified birds:

Some of the other birds I was not able to get great pics of include: Maccoa Duck, Red-knobbed Coot, Common Moorhen, Great Egret, Reed Cormorant, White-breasted Cormorant, Grey Heron, Squacco Heron and Cape Shoveler.

On my way off the property I noticed these juvenile Blacksmith Lapwings on the small dam at the entrance to the farm:

I then made my way to the Bronkhorstspruit Dam for an hour of birding before heading back to Johannesburg.