Wild Bird flying
Sing a song that I can’t capture
I’ll make it up to you somehow
Big Bang
In my blogpost about the wild (and the not so wild) animals of Africa, there was unfortunately not enough room for the birds. So I had to create a separate blogpost, not to make them jealous of the lions and the monkeys. And I don’t want to discriminate, do I?

I must admit that most of the birds we saw during our trip was probably not wild at all. And to be honest (I am not a bird expert), I am not even sure that ostriches and penguins qualifies as birds? But does it really matter? This is a blogpost for the bird (and similar creatures) lovers among you. I know you are out there somewhere.

We mainly met wild birds (and not so wild) in the following places:
1. Skeiding Guest Farm
Skeiding Guest Farm is a regular working farm with ostriches and sheep, who also caters for guests (accomodation, breakfast and dinner). In this place you can see a lot of ostriches and eat them afterwards. And if you want to eat ostrich while in South Africa, this is the place to do so. We tasted ostrich steak, ostrich carpaccio and ostrich bacon. And we must say – ostriches taste a lot better than they look. Read more about the wheelchair access in Skeiding Guest Farm in the blogpost ‘The Lion Yawns Today’.
2. Birds of Eden
The park Birds of Eden is situated about 1 hour drive East from Knysna and is a free flight bird sanctuary. The two hectare dome (the World’s largest) mostly consists of boardwalks and a suspension brigde (without steps). But even if the park is wheelchair accessible, the boardwalks are very steep and also contains “stoppers” on the side of the boardwalks. This makes it as good as impossible to wheel yourself through the park. And I don’t think I would bring a heavy motorized wheelchair on the suspension bridge (that you have to cross to see the whole park). At least make inquiries in advance! The park has wheelchair accessible toilets and parking for the disabled.
3. Boulders Penguin Colony
The Boulders Penguin Colony in Simons Town is home to a unique and endangered land-based colony of African Penguins. This colony is one of only a few in the world, and the site has become famous and a popular international tourist destination. The ‘national park’ consists of a penguin viewing area with boardwalks that are all wheelchair accessible (and easy to wheel yourself on). The park has wheelchair accessible toilets, but parking can be an issue.
The penguin dance
Somehow, animals tend to create more action than birds, so I don’t have that many stories to tell about our bird experiences. Except when this green bird crapped on Gry’s head of course. Making Gry very grumpy for the next few hours…

So I guess both Gry and I agree with the Swedish chef, that the best thing to do with a lot of birds is to put the birdy, birdy in the casserole.