This cache has been placed to encourage geocachers to visit a location where Cape Town's Greater Flamingo population can often be observed 10 to 30 meters away. It is an excellent location from which to photograph the birds on calm sunny afternoons.
Greater Flamingoes at GZ
There are two types of flamingo. The Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is a large, very slender, pale pink or white bird with long legs and a long neck. The Lesser Flamingo (Phoenicopterus minor) is markedly pink and is smaller. The Greater Flamingo is about 125 cm tall as opposed to 90 cm for the Lesser Flamingo. In Cape Town the Greater is very much more common. They breed exclusively in salt pans further north in Africa so we do not see young birds in Cape Town. Apart from the size and colour difference the Greater Flamingo can be identified by its bright pink wings with black tips, and their black-tipped beak. The Lesser Flamingo has an almost completely black beak. As a final distinguishing feature, the greater flamingo has yellow eyes and the lesser flamingo red eyes. Both species are known to live for 60 or more years.
The City of Cape Town’s clean-up of the Black River has led to the return of the Greater Flamingo to this location. The Black River is a prominent feature of the city’s landscape. The City cleaned up the Black River in partnership with the National Natural Resource Management Programme (Working for Water) as part of the Kader Asmal integrated catchment management programme. (This inter-departmental programme was established in honour of the late Professor Kader Asmal, under whose leadership the national Working for Water programme was founded). The return of flamingos to the Black River shows the success of this project, which is being used to address water issues throughout the metropolitian area.
Flock of Greater Flamingoes at GZ
Please remember to bring along a pen or pencil to log your visit
The cache takes its name from my two year old grandson's exclamation whenever he saw the birds present in the river.