Groenkloof Nature Reserve

Groenkloof Nature Reserve
284px
Location on a map of Gauteng
Location	Tshwane, South Africa
Nearest city	Pretoria
Coordinates
Established	1895
Groenkloof NR, City of Tshwane

The Groenkloof Nature Reserve, located adjacent to the Fountains Valley at the southern entrance to Pretoria, was the first game sanctuary in Africa. The reserve of 600 ha is managed by the Department of Nature Conservation. It is flanked by Christina de Wit Avenue and Nelson Mandela Drive, that separate it from the Voortrekker Monument and Klapperkop Nature Reserves. In aggregate these reserves conserve some 1,400 ha of bankenveld vegetation which is threatened in Gauteng. The reserve is open to day visitors from 5:30 to 19:00 in summer, and 7:00 to 18:00 in winter.

History

This valley on the southern outskirts of Pretoria was proclaimed a game sanctuary by President Paul Kruger on 25 February 1895. Its main purpose was to protect the shy and timid oribi, which occurred there, and other game that were being depleted by hunters. For many years however, the reserve was leased for exotic timber plantation, to supply wood and paper. A memorial wall is to be seen beside traces of the homestead of the early pioneer Lucas Bronkhorst, who settled here around 1839.

In April 2015 the head of the reserve, David Boshoff, was suspended and evicted from his council home by the Tshwane metro HR manager. The eviction came in the fifth month of a strike by the majority of the reserve's workers, who reportedly negated their agreement with management to return to work in February.

Wildlife

When the reserve was reproclaimed in 1994, the plantations were removed to allow the natural vegetation to regenerate. Open grassland occurs along the Apies valley and the higher plateau. Native trees occur at varying densities on the hillsides and in the lower valley. These include white stinkwood, hook-thorn, mountain karee, velvet bushwillow, wild pear and puzzle bush.

Since 1999 the reserve was stocked with various game species. These include zebra, blesbok, impala, kudu, blue wildebeest, red hartebeest (since 2002), giraffe (2002), sable (2003) and ostrich. Jackal, duiker and rock hyrax are also resident.

Over 120 bird species have been recorded in the reserve and the adjacent Fountains Valley. Game birds include guineafowl, Swainson's spurfowl and crested francolin. The grassy floodplain of the Apies river and its riparian vegetation provide breeding habitat for a number of weaver, bishop and widow species, while the open woodlands on the lower hill slopes provide breeding territories for bushshrike and tchagra species.

Bird species of Groenkloof Nature Reserve
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Breeding
Common ostrich	Struthio camelus	uncommon
Reed cormorant	Phalacrocorax africanus	vagrant
Grey heron	Ardea cinerea	rare
Cattle egret	Bubulcus ibis	uncommon
Hamerkop	Scopus umbretta	rare
Hadeda ibis	Bostrychia hagedash	abundant
Egyptian goose	Alopochen aegyptiacus	uncommon
Yellow-billed kite	Milvus aegyptius	rare
Verreaux's eagle	Aquila verreauxii	uncommon
Steppe buzzard	Buteo vulpinus	rare
Little sparrowhawk	Accipiter minullus	rare
Coqui francolin	Peliperdix coqui	rare
Crested francolin	Dendroperdix sephaena	rare
Swainson's spurfowl	Pternistis swainsonii	regular
Helmeted guineafowl	Numida meleagris	abundant	breeder
Crowned lapwing	Vanellus coronatus	regular
Blacksmith lapwing	Vanellus armatus	rare
African wattled lapwing	Vanellus senegallus	rare
Speckled pigeon	Columba guinea	rare
African olive pigeon	Columba arquatrix	rare	breeder
Red-eyed dove	Streptopelia semitorquata	regular	breeder
Cape turtle-dove	Streptopelia capicola	abundant
Laughing dove	Streptopelia senegalensis	abundant
Rock dove	Columba livia	rare
Grey go-away-bird	Corythaixoides concolor	abundant
Red-chested cuckoo	Cuculus solitarius	uncommon	breeder
Black cuckoo	Cuculus clamosus	uncommon	breeder
Levaillant's cuckoo	Clamator levaillantii	rare	breeder
Klaas's cuckoo	Chrysococcyx klaas	rare	breeder
Diderick cuckoo	Chrysococcyx caprius	regular	breeder
White-rumped swift	Apus caffer	uncommon
Little swift	Apus affinis	uncommon
African palm-swift	Cypsiurus parvus	uncommon
Speckled mousebird	Colius striatus	regular
Red-faced mousebird	Urocolius indicus	regular
Woodland kingfisher	Halcyon senegalensis	rare	breeder
Brown-hooded kingfisher	Halcyon albiventris	rare
European bee-eater	Merops apiaster	uncommon
African hoopoe	Upupa africana	regular
Green wood-hoopoe	Phoeniculus purpureus	regular	breeder
Black-collared barbet	Lybius torquatus	common
Yellow-fronted tinkerbird	Pogoniulus chrysoconus	rare
Crested barbet	Trachyphonus vaillantii	abundant
Lesser honeyguide	Indicator minor	uncommon
Brown-backed honeybird	Prodotiscus regulus	rare
Golden-tailed woodpecker	Campethera abingoni	rare
Cardinal woodpecker	Dendropicos fuscescens	uncommon
Red-throated wryneck	Jynx ruficollis	rare
Rufous-naped lark	Mirafra africana	rare	breeder
Barn swallow	Hirundo rustica	rare
White-throated swallow	Hirundo albigularis	rare
Greater striped swallow	Hirundo cucullata	regular
Lesser striped swallow	Hirundo abyssinica	rare
South African cliff-swallow	Hirundo spilodera	rare
Rock martin	Hirundo fuligula	uncommon
Common house-martin	Delichon urbicum	rare
Black cuckooshrike	Campephaga flava	rare
White-breasted cuckooshrike	Coracina pectoralis	vagrant
Fork-tailed drongo	Dicrurus adsimilis	common
Black-headed oriole	Oriolus larvatus	regular
Pied crow	Corvus albus	uncommon
Arrow-marked babbler	Turdoides jardineii	common
Dark-capped bulbul	Pycnonotus tricolor	abundant	breeder
Kurrichane thrush	Turdus libonyanus		regular
Groundscraper thrush	Psophocichla litsipsirupa	uncommon
Karoo thrush	Turdus smithi	rare
Mocking cliff-chat	Thamnolaea cinnamomeiventris	rare
African stonechat	Saxicola torquatus	rare
Cape robin-chat	Cossypha caffra	common
White-browed scrub-robin	Cercotrichas leucophrys	rare
Willow warbler	Phylloscopus trochilus	rare
Marsh warbler	Acrocephalus palustris	rare
Cape grassbird	Sphenoeacus afer	rare
Bar-throated apalis	Apalis thoracica	rare
Zitting cisticola	Cisticola juncidis	rare	breeder
Neddicky	Cisticola fulvicapilla	regular
Rattling cisticola	Cisticola chiniana	uncommon	breeder
Lazy cisticola	Cisticola aberrans	rare
Tawny-flanked prinia	Prinia subflava	abundant
Black-chested prinia	Prinia flavicans	uncommon	breeder
Spotted flycatcher	Muscicapa striata	uncommon
Southern black flycatcher	Melaenornis pammelaina	rare
Fiscal flycatcher	Sigelus silens	regular
Chinspot batis	Batis molitor	rare
Fairy flycatcher	Stenostira scita	rare
African paradise-flycatcher	Terpsiphone viridis	uncommon	breeder
Striped pipit	Anthus lineiventris	rare
Common fiscal	Lanius collaris	abundant
Southern boubou	Laniarius ferrugineus	abundant
Black-backed puffback	Dryoscopus cubla	regular
Brown-crowned tchagra	Tchagra australis	rare	breeder
Black-crowned tchagra	Tchagra senegalus	regular	breeder
Bokmakierie	Telophorus zeylonus	common	breeder
Grey-headed bush-shrike	Malaconotus blanchoti	rare	breeder
White-crested helmet-shrike	Prionops plumatus	rare
Brubru	Nilaus afer	rare
Common myna	Acridotheres tristis	common	breeder
Cape glossy starling	Lamprotornis nitens	regular
Red-winged starling	Onychognathus morio	rare
White-bellied sunbird	Cinnyris talatala	regular
Amethyst sunbird	Chalcomitra amethystina	regular
Cape white-eye	Zosterops virens	rare
House sparrow	Passer domesticus	rare
Cape sparrow	Passer melanurus	common	breeder
Southern masked-weaver	Ploceus velatus	abundant	breeder
Southern red bishop	Euplectes orix	regular	breeder
Red-collared widowbird	Euplectes ardens	uncommon	breeder
White-winged widowbird	Euplectes albonotatus	regular	breeder
Long-tailed widowbird	Euplectes progne	rare	breeder
Bronze mannikin	Spermestes cucullatus	uncommon
African firefinch	Lagonosticta rubricata	rare
Jameson's firefinch	Lagonosticta rhodopareia	rare
Blue waxbill	Uraeginthus angolensis	rare
Black-faced waxbill	Estrilda erythronotos	rare
Common waxbill	Estrilda astrild	uncommon
Purple indigobird	Vidua purpurascens	rare	breeder
Yellow-fronted canary	Crithagra mozambicus	common	breeder
Black-throated canary	Crithagra atrogularis	regular
Streaky-headed seedeater	Crithagra gularis	regular
Cinnamon-breasted bunting	Emberiza tahapisi	rare

Special invertebrates of the reserve include Gunning's rock scorpion, golden-starburst baboon spider, the violin spider L. speluncarum which is endemic to caves of the Pretoria area, and the purse-web spider, Calommata transvaalica, which is severely threatened by urbanization in Gauteng.

Facilities and activities

Entrance fees differ depending on the intended activity, and the number of persons partaking. The reserve is popular with cyclists, and mountain bikers can follow a 20 km route. The three hiking trails are designated as the red (1.3/3.5 km), white (3.7 km) and yellow (10.5 km) trails. Hikers can reserve an overnight hut. Off-road enthusiasts can explore 14 km of 4x4 tracks, while game viewing is possible from a 5 km motor car route. Guided horse rides and pony rides for kids are also offered. There are two picnic areas, named Meriting and Mashupeng, and a lapa may be rented for evening get-togethers.

Apies River Apies River   Meriting picnic area Meriting picnic area   Giraffe beside viewing route Giraffe beside viewing route

References

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons