About Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary & Guided Walks
The reservoir in Walkerspruit, a former clay quarry for brickworks, and its overlooking hide at the Austin Roberts bird sanctuary in Nieuw Muckleneuk, Pretoria. The sanctuary was established in 1955.
The Austin Roberts (Memorial) Bird Sanctuary is a 11.76 ha (29.1 acres) nature reserve located in the Walkerspruit Open Space System, in the Nieuw Muckleneuk suburb of Pretoria, South Africa.
It became the first bird refuge in Pretoria when it was opened by the then mayor of Pretoria, Mr. W. J. Seymore, on 27 October 1956.[1][2] It was officially proclaimed as a nature reserve on 26 February 1958, and it was fenced in June 1970.[3]
The sanctuary is named after South Africa’s well-known ornithologist and mammalogist, J. Austin Roberts. He was born in Pretoria in 1883, but grew up in Potchefstroom as a minister’s son, where the local amateur ornithologist, Thomas Ayres, was his mentor.
Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary was named after J Austin Roberts. The University of Pretoria presented the self-taught Roberts with an honorary doctorate for his many achievements, which include the standard South African reference books on birds and mammals. The bird sanctuary was officially proclaimed as a nature reserve on 26 February 1985.
The sanctuary is located in the Walker Spruit open space system. Two streams, the Walker and the Argo, feed water into wetland basins, of which nine are small perennial dams that attract water birds such as Egyptian geese, white-breasted cormorant and hadeda ibis. Other species include South Africa’s national bird, the blue crane, as well as the crowned crane.
Activities and facilities
A wide variety of birds that can be watched from the bird hide, such as the blacksmith lapwing and white-bellied sunbird.
Guided walks can be arranged, and an exhibition hall is also available.
Visiting hours
Summer (September to April): 06:00 to 18:00
Winter (May to August): 07:00 to 17:00
Fees
Entrance fee to bird hide: No charge
Guided walks: R80 per person; up to 12 people per group
Rietvlei Nature Reserve: 0123580728 – Claudia
Bookings and contact details for reservations to visit the Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary
Tel: 012 358 1757/0473
Email: groenkloofnaturereserve@tshwane.gov.za
Further Enquiries
Tel: 012 358 1753
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Source: Wikipedia