Step Outside... Look up! Finding Cape Parrots in Magoebaskloof
In a world that continually draws our eyes towards screens, there is something restorative about stepping outside and looking up. Haenertsburg and Magoebaskloof offer many reasons to do just that, including the rare opportunity to see South Africa’s only endemic parrot: the threatened Cape Parrot.
Colourful, charismatic and highly social, Cape Parrots are most often encountered in pairs or small, noisy groups moving between patches of indigenous forest. Their distinctive calls, a lively mixture of screeches, whistles and almost gurgling notes, often announce their presence long before they are seen, giving you a chance to look up and scan the canopy.
You may catch a group flying swiftly overhead, spot birds feeding among the branches or, if you are particularly fortunate, glimpse a parrot perched near one of the natural tree cavities they use for nesting. In Magoebaskloof, simply listening can be as important as looking. Once you learn their unmistakable voices, a call from somewhere beyond the treetops is often the first clue that Cape Parrots are nearby.
Found nowhere else on Earth, the Cape Parrot depends heavily on South Africa’s remaining indigenous Afrotemperate forests. The species faces several threats, including the loss and fragmentation of its forest habitat, disease, poaching and the decline of large indigenous trees that provide food and nesting cavities. With only about 200 Cape Parrots occurring in Limpopo, seeing (or even hearing) one in the forests and skies of Magoebaskloof is a privilege.
So, pick up your binoculars and camera, lace up your walking shoes and step outside to notice what is overhead, underfoot and moving through the trees. You may catch a glimpse of these charismatic green-and-gold birds flying through the canopy or passing high overhead. Here are three locations where you have a good chance of encountering Cape Parrots, and experiencing something unique during your stay.
A good place to begin is the Swartbos Trail near the Magoebaskloof Hotel. Winding through Northern Mistbelt Forest, the Cape Parrot’s natural home, the trail invites you to slow down and listen. Watch the canopy for parrots feeding or moving between the trees, study the light dancing through the branches and keep your camera ready for the details we so often miss. The pleasure lies not only in reaching the end of the trail, but in being fully present along the way.
Another unforgettable outing is a visit to Woodbush Forest, home to the World’s Tallest Planted Trees. Standing beneath these giants gives you an extraordinary sense of scale. Follow their immense trunks upwards and watch their crowns disappear into the sky. Cape Parrots may be seen or heard flying above the trees, particularly as they travel between feeding and roosting areas. Seeing one here is a reminder that Magoebaskloof forms part of one of the last remaining strongholds for this rare and uniquely South African bird.
You do not, however, need to leave Haenertsburg Village to reconnect with nature. Cape Parrots regularly fly over the village during the festive season, so listen for their distinctive calls and look skyward as they pass. Their presence can transform an ordinary stroll into a memorable wildlife encounter.
Walk slowly through the streets and gardens and out into the critically endangered Woodbush Granite Grassland. Notice the other birds around you, the insects among the flowers and Limpopo’s highest peak, the Iron Crown, at 2,126 metres above sea level, as your backdrop. Familiar places become surprisingly rich when explored with curiosity.
Time outdoors offers more than lovely photographs or a longer bird list. Fresh air, gentle movement and a little sunlight can lift our mood, clear a busy mind and help us feel more connected to the landscape around us. Even a short walk can change the rhythm of a day.
So, wherever you choose to wander, make a point of looking up, and down, and all around. Leave the screen behind, take a deep breath and let the Cape Parrots, forests, grasslands, village and trails of Magoebaskloof remind you how fortunate we are to share this landscape with one of South Africa’s rarest and most remarkable birds.
Connect with Daryl van der Merwe, Limpopo Field Officer: The Cape Parrot Project
063 601 0793 | daryl@wildbirdtrust.com
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