Cape Vultures of Potberg Mountains - saved from the brink of extinction
What can I say about the Cape Vulture, I guess majestic, breathtaking, resilient and graceful are a few words that immediately pop into my mind. Over the years we have been following the progress of the incredible conservation effort in the Potberg area of the Overberg aimed at saving the Cape Vulture from extinction! We have visited the area many times, sometimes to climb the mountains to view these magnificent birds in their roosting area or to simply take leisurely drives along the dirt/gravel roads in the hope of spotting them as they descend to feed. On our recent visit we had the most AMAZING 3 days which included breathtaking interactions - come on, let’s go!
History
In late 1980’s there were fewer than 50 individuals left - something HAD to be done to prevent this magnificent bird from becoming extinct! This is where the farmers in the area really play a major part of the conservation effort - the collective power of nature loving farmers is incredible. Their sheep and dairy farms surrounding Potberg ensures abundant food, and when speaking to the farmers they refer to the vultures as “their” vultures, as they have “adopted” the vultures allowing them to feed in peace. In fact without the help of these farmers the vultures would probably have died out ages ago.
Potteberg Guest Farm
If you are looking for great accommodation in the area, we would highly recommend Potteberg Guest Farm. Their farm is incredible and the guest cottage is very comfortable and has all the creature comforts including DSTV. The owners, Neil and Saartjie, are wonderful hosts and their passion for conservation is intoxicating. They have a vulture “restaurant” on their farm where they place all the dead animals that have passed away from natural causes for the vultures to feed on. It is just a short walk from the cottage and along the way you will encounter many bird species, including the sought-after Agulhas Lark.
We did not stay with them this time around and as luck would have it we spotted the vultures at their restaurant all three days, but thankfully they granted us access and to say that we were speechless is an understatement.
My wife posted a blog post on one of visits to Potteberg Guest Farm - if you would like to read it here is the link.
Please find the official link to Neil and Saartjie here should you wish to book a stay, I promise you will not regret it.
Sightings
The first morning whilst driving along the gravel roads we decided to drive past Potteberg Guest Farm to see if any vultures were actively feeding. As we approached the area we quickly spotted a few soaring on the thermals which immediately increased our heart rates in anticipation for what we might find around the next bend. We were shocked to find around 40+ vultures on the ground around the “restaurant” - most birds had a very full crop thanks to a great feast.
After getting permission to enter the farm from the owners, we slowly approached the birds whilst being very careful not to impose and scare them off - they are the big story and no photograph is worth upsetting them in any way. They quickly settled down and accepted us, and after about 1 hour of sitting there in awe we quietly backed away and exited the farm. The next few mornings were basically a repeat of the first day except for the fact that I managed to take a few photos as the birds were totally at ease with our presence
Some images taken over the few days
What a privilege to spend time with these amazing birds - their gracefulness for such HUGE birds is truly something to behold.
Till next time…