GABARONE AREA
BOTSWANA
LOCALE
| # Species: | 402 |
| # Excl Vagrants: | 402 |
| # Endemics: | 0 |
| # Near Endemics: | 0 |
ABOUT THE BIRDING
The Gabarone area is off the main track for Botswana safaris and hence is little visited. It's remoteness makes air travel the best way to get there. Several birding locales are of interest around the town. A variety of habitats are present including bushveld, grassland, sewage lagoons, rolling hills, and farmland. Some 430 bird species have been recorded in the region. Notable birding sites are the SE Botswana IBA, the Gabarone Game Reserve, Kgale Hill, Mannyelanong Hill, Phakalane Sewage Lagoons, and Bokaa Dam.
The Gabarone Game Reserve is located very close to the town center. The best time to visit is after heavy rains. Numerous migratory birds can be found during Palearctic winter. is located very close to the town center. The best time to visit is after heavy rains. Numerous migratory birds can be found during Palearctic winter. Notable African birds include Little Sparrowhawk, Red-crested Bustard, Marsh Owl, and Crimson-breasted Gonolek.
Kgale Hill is a landmark in the town of Gabarone. One can park at the carpark and spend a couple hours walking the trail up the hill. Many birds are present. Some notable species include Natal Francolin, Red-eyed Bulbul, Bar-throated Apalis, Rock-loving Cisticola, Black-chested Prinia, Gray Tit-Flycatcher, Kalahari Scrub-Robin, Short-toed Rock-Thrush, Cape White-eye, Violet-backed Starling, Striped Pipit.
The Bokaa Dam is located north of Gabarone en route to the Phakalane Sewage Lagoons. It backs up a shallow reservoir about 6 km long that is full of nutrients and attracts birds such as South African Shelduck, Greater Flamingo, Pink-backed Pelican, Black-winged Pratincole, and numerous shorebirds.
The Phakalane Sewage Lagoons are located about 20 km north of Gabarone. These are an excellent spot to see waterbirds of the area. Notable species include White-backed Duck, African Pygmy-Goose, Hottentot Teal, Maccoa Duck, Black Crake, Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, White-crowned Shrike, Sabota Lark, and various migratory shorebirds.
Mannyelanong Hill is located about 50 km south of Gabarone behind the village of Otse. It's main attraction is a colony of about 50 pairs of Cape Griffon, a species with vulnerable IUCN status. This is one of the few places, along with the more difficult to reach Tswapong Hills, where the species can be seen in Botswana.
The SE Botswana Game Reserve is located about 30 km south of Lobatse and 100 km south of Gabarone. It's an extensive site that includes the Pitsane grasslane, mixed savanna, rolling hills, and farmland. The site protects over 50% of the global population of Short-clawed Lark, the only near endemic in Botswana. Other birds of interest include Orange River Francolin, Black Stork, Cape Griffon, Pallid Harrier, Blue Crane, and Long-tailed Widowbird.
LOCATION OF SITE
Gabarone is a town in eastern Botswana. It can be reached by air from Nairobi, Windhoek, Maun, or Johannesburg. From there one can drive to the nearby birding locales.