Birding Gauteng describes three spots in the Rust de Winter area (about 70 kilometers north of Pretoria). We first explored the Dinokeng Roadside Route and then the Rust de Winter Dam (covered in chapter 60 of Birding Gauteng).

The dirt road towards the dam yielded very little to get us excited and as enquired at the pay point whether we could access the river below the dam wall we were told that strengthening of the wall was in operation so access was not allowed – and access to the inlet on the other side of the dam? “Eh, no we do not allow that anymore!” This should have been the cue for Little Birdman and I to turn around and bird try our luck birding elsewhere, but we paid (just R35 for the two of us - oh, they did not have a speed point so we drove 4kilometers to a little cash store to draw money - not funny - where were we that credit cards can't be used??? So much for 2010 international visitor readiness) and entered the dam area. On the limited part of the dam that we could access we saw African Jacana, Black Crake, White-throated Robin-Chat, Levaillant’s Cisticola, Bronze Mannikin, Common Waxbill, Black-chested Prinia, Yellow-fronted Canary, There was one special bird that flew away from us, Starling sized, and it’s bright yellow breast, darker green wings got us all excited about a possible Lifer – but no matter how much we tried to follow it, first by car and then on foot, we came away with nothing – not even a sight of it’s bill! Sad!!! There was not a single duck on the dam – not one! Then again, the high speed boats flying up and down to position anglers in the right spot for the big catch, did not seem conducive to a nature reserve and peaceful bird life!!! We took very few pics and only these two close to being keepers: