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Bird-watching tourism (tourism aimed at experiencing birds in their natural habitat) is internationally regarded as the fastest growing ecotourism segment.
The Overberg district of the Western Cape province of South Africa is internationally renowned as a tourist destination – think of the Cape Floral Kingdom,
spectacular land- and seascapes, acclaimed wines, whale watching, diversified peoples, the list just goes on. One of the Overberg's great secrets is being
marketed through this website: this area hosts a diverse range of sought after endemic bird species, such as the Cape Sugarbird, Orange-breasted Sunbird,
Victorin's Warbler, Blue Crane, Cape Rock-jumper, African Penguin and many more. Further to this, several underutilized and ecologically varied birding
destinations such as De Hoop and De Mond nature reserves, the estuaries and lagoons at Botriver, Kleinriver and Uilenkraalsmond, and Agulhas and Bontebok
National Park Parks and the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve, to mention a few, need to be properly exposed to a rapidly growing bird-watching fraternity. Several
exciting birding products already exist: the vast numbers of Blue Cranes in the area, the renowned Cape Rock-jumper site at Rooiels and the African Penguin
colony at Stony Point in Betty's Bay need no introduction and the migratory waders visiting the various estuaries and lagoons are legendary.
This website aims to give local, regional and international birders up-to-date information on bird-watching in the Overberg. Four areas, largely based on
the boundaries of the four Local Municipalities in the region will be highlighted. These are the Overstrand, Theewaterskloof, Swellendam and Cape Agulhas
regions. Each area will be highlighted, thus enabling visitors to this website to gain information on the specific area that they are interested in. The
routes will be developed in a collaborative and participatory manner, utilizing local and regional knowledge and insight. At least 10 local bird guides will
be trained and mentored on an on-going basis to service visitors to the route. The local and regional Tourism associations will be relied on heavily and
resource material such as websites, brochures, checklists and posters will be developed for the Overberg as a whole. Basic uniform design features will be
applied to the resource material though to facilitate meaningful continuity on Provincial and National levels.
The “News” section of the website describes the latest developments concerning birds and birding in the Overberg and it is attempted to keep the information
updated on a daily basis. Emphasis is placed on top bird-watching destinations and regular trip reports by experienced bird-watchers and tour guides illustrate
how visitors can utilize available information when visiting birding destinations in the area and sometimes even further afield. Sightings of rare, vagrant
and interesting birds are also reported on and this forms a continual historical overview. Photo galleries are updated regularly, thus illustrating the
phenomenal birding potential of the area.
The “Events” section of the website describes upcoming events on local and regional levels in an attempt to keep birders abreast with the latest “happenings”.
The regional focus falls on birding weekends, forthcoming outings and the activities of the BirdLife South Africa branches in the area, namely BirdLife Overberg,
BirdLife Walkerbay (Stanford and environs) and BirdLife Strandveld (Agulhas and environs). On local levels the focus largely falls on bird club activities and
individual bird clubs can now even start their own mini website – refer to the BirdLife Overberg site under the “Clubs” on this website. The “Flight for Birders”
course is being used to get interested individuals and groupings involved in birding efforts in the region and details of these events are given on an ongoing
basis. This service enables birders to meaningfully plan their participation in a variety of exciting and stimulating birding events.
The conservation of birds and their habitats stands paramount in BirdLife South Africa's approach and therefore the “CONSERVATION” section of this website largely
focuses on critical issues within the Overberg. Threats to Important Bird Areas are highlighted on an ongoing basis and here developments such as muggings and
attacks in reserves, the proposed wind farm at Caledon and the proposed nuclear power station at Bantamsklip serve as examples. The progress of environmental
impact assessment studies is regularly updated in view of giving visitors to the website as comprehensive as possible an overview of the latest developments.
Conservation issues facing species or groups of species are also highlighted and recent reporting focused on appeals concerning birds such as Blue Cranes,
Verreaux's Eagle and the African Penguin. Progress on the bird atlasing project, SABAP2, within the region is also reported on regularly.
Some Birder Friendly Establishments, bird guides and tour operators contribute to the website regularly, thus enabling visitors to get an understanding of available
services. A variety of advertising opportunities are available and these include advertorials for larger reserves, guest farms and lodges, destination listings
for smaller establishments and banner adds for organizations wanting to advertise services. The information generated will be reflected on the national birding
routes website at www.birdingroutes.co.za and the provincial website at www.westerncapebirding.co.za The money generated through the advertisements will go
towards the upkeep of the website and the further marketing of birds and birding in the Overberg.
The Overberg section of www.westerncapebirding.co.za has been established to promote the activities of BirdLife South Africa and its international partners in
the Overberg and will continue to market the region as a top birding destination. For further information about advertising opportunities contact Anton Odendal
at birding@overberg.co.za
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