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Leopards occasionally come in from benches and sunshades, and there are
the Magaliesberg as do brown hyena lots of clean ablution facilities.
and, I am told, there are buffalo and The reserve has a typical Highveld
cheetah. An adjacent fenced-off area climate – dry, frosty winters with
has lions. absolutely clear skies and an average
The sight we found most captivating of more than 700mm of rain in summer.
were the comical antics of a pair of The temperature when we were there
yellow mongooses at the side of the in October was 30°C, dropping to 9°C at
road. And there were tracks of porcupine night.
and aardvark. The landscape is open grassland
The birdlife is interesting too - even with undulating hills. There’s a typical
for non-birders for there are some really century-old Transvaal farmhouse with
memorable species among the 319 that, its original yellowwood floorboards,
potentially, could be found. The list of shady rooms and deep stoep which is
confirmed species is just over 270. now a café with cheerful staff – and even
We were hoping to see a green a swimming pool.
sandpiper, a very rare bird on the Because it was for many years a
Highveld. It had been seen a week working farm, there are some clumps
before. We hung around with a dozen of exotic trees, especially Australian
other birders on Vlei Bridge where it wattles, though these are gradually
had been spotted but it was obviously being removed and the wood is used
hiding from us for we were told it as fuel. The roads are excellent and the
popped up as soon as we left. We reserve offers lakeside accommodation
identified 50 species of birds – not in one of four self-catering cottages.
bad for two hours – and that included There are also bus tours for big groups.
the ostrich. Several ostriches in fact. The reserve is a 40 minute drive
As these are the world’s biggest birds, from OR Tambo Airport, or from
it’s another reason to take overseas Johannesburg’s northern suburbs, and
visitors. 18km from Pretoria.
There are plenty of hides and some For more information, call: 012 345 2274
excellent, clean picnic spots with tables, or 012 358 1811/12.