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The cache is a magnetised Nano and should be placed carefully. During the summer rainy season, the water flows about 400mm over the bridge.
Soutpan is well-known for its raptors, and these include a breeding pair of African Hawk Eagles, Wahlberg's Eagle (summer), melanistic Gabar Goshawks and Little Sparrowhawks, with unconfirmed sightings of Bat Hawk reported in the early morning. Of the nocturnal raptors, Pearlspotted and Barn Owls are quite common, the later mostly roosting in the dense bush by day. Whitefaced Owl is present in the tall, well-developed thornveld along the river, especially in the South-west.
Starting around the offices and museum, one can expect to find Southern Black Tit, Redbilled Hornbill, Groundscraper Thrush (in the kraals), Whitebrowed Robin and Crested Francolin. From here walk past the crater in the direction of the river. Look for Black Swifts in the sky above.
The dense thickets of Sickle-bush on the slopes and at the base of the crater, hosts relatively few species, but Crimsonbreasted Shrike and Whitethroated Robin are often present. The crater itself has Greater Honeyguide in the broken woodland and Egyptian Goose and Blackwinged Stilt are usually present far below at the disused salt works. An open water tank set along the left of the road in the thickets usually has an assortment of seed-eaters, and this is a good place to rest in the shade and wait for birds in the heat of the day. Cape Penduline Tit, Blackcheeked, Blue, Common and Violeteared Waxbills, Melba Finch, Redbilled and Jameson's Firefinches and Yelloweyed Canary should be looked out for.
At the crater view site turn left and then just after the big Marula tree, right again. You will now enter a much richer birding habitat on the banks of the river. This Acacia-dominated woodland is where a number of very localised and somewhat uncommon species, have been recorded. Some examples of these are Terrestrial Bulbul and European Nightjar, Garden Warbler, Great Reed, Icterine, Olivetree and European Marsh Warblers and Whitethroat (all in summer).
Walking upstream or downstream (towards the marsh), you will encounter a lot more birds if you take it slowly and quietly, concentrating on sounds rather than sight in the dense thickets. Learning the calls of the birds you are looking for, and especially the Warblers, will definitely increase your sightings. Barn and Whitefaced Owls and European Nightjar are often flushed from the trees. The latter usually shows two pale patches at the base of the wings as well as a generally paler, sandy colour. Its large size and habit of roosting lenthwise along horizontal branches is also characteristic.
Bird parties usually have Black Cuckooshrike, Cape Penduline Tit, Arrowmarked Babbler, Willow Warbler, Burntnecked Eremomela, Greybacked Bleating Warbler, Longbilled Crombec and Rattling Cisticola. Others that are present are Redbacked Shrike, Striped Cuckoo and Spotted Flycatcher.
The river supports African Black Duck, Greenbacked Heron and Black Crake with the occasional Dwarf Bittern in very wet years. The marshy area hosts African Rail, Redchested Flufftail, Purple Heron, African Marsh, Cape Reed and African Sedge Warblers, and where the grassland meets the reeds, Burchell's Coucal. Harlequin Quail has also been recorded here.
PLEASE NOTE: There is a small entrance fee of R20.00 per person payable if you enter the Tswaing Meteorite Crater.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
BCBE bar fgrc qbja...