Birds and Flowers

To the casual observer it may seem that the Uniondale and Klein Karoo birdlife consists of boring LBJ’s – Little Brown Jobs - and not much else. Open your eyes – there are interesting and colourful birds everywhere!

The different varieties of aloes, which flower throughout the year, attract many gorgeous sunbirds, like the Malachite and Lesser Collared. The rarer Orange Breasted Sunbird is to be found where Proteas grow on the hills.

In the town, Klaas’s Cuckoo and the Brown Hooded Kingfisher can be seen. Red Bishops, Waxbills , Cape Weavers, Bokmakierie, Shrikes, Cape Robin-Chats, Hoopoe’s and many other birds abound in the lovely gardens scattered throughout the town. There are raptors and owls too and out in the farmlands pairs of Blue Cranes congregate in quite large groups.

In years of good winter rains, the hillsides and road verges are covered with orange, yellow and white daisies in springtime. Hikes in the surrounding hills will reveal fascinating succulents and ‘bossies’, as the locals call them, plus strange parasites like ‘Cat’s Claw’. Look out for the distinctive Cancer Bush.

In higher altitudes, like the Kammanassie Nature Reserve, ‘fynbos’ thrives in the misty, cool weather that often occurs. Spring time and early summer are glorious up there with colourful flowers and bushes such as Watsonias, Proteas .

Day hikes can be authorised through Cape Nature in Uniondale , but there is no accommodation available. Phone Cape Nature 044 752 1110 or after hours 082 772 8070.

Aloes and Honeybush occur naturally in the area, and are farmed.