False Bay Nature Reserve’s annual Birdathon takes off with family fun walk and festival

1 April 2016

Residents are encouraged to come and enjoy a family day spent outdoors celebrating some of Cape Town’s best wetlands and the diverse birdlife they support.

The False Bay Nature Reserve (FBNR) is regarded as the most significant natural asset in the Cape Flats District and in 2015 was declared a Ramsar Site, which is a wetland of international importance.

‘The False Bay Nature Reserve is an important multi-purpose open space. Through this event, we hope to encourage greater use of the area and create awareness about the importance of this park and the birds, animals and plants that it supports. Protecting our natural resources is a team effort.

'The City, working together with partners such as BirdLife South Africa and the Cape Bird Club, actively conserves these important areas as part of our commitment to being a caring city, but we ask communities to support our conservation efforts in return,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Environmental and Spatial Planning, Councillor Johannes van der Merwe.

Festival activities

The FBNR Birdathon Fun Walk and Festival aims to bring together people of all ages to introduce them to the area and its incredible natural resources by letting them experience it in a fun way, while learning about why this is such an important project for the City of Cape Town.

Residents can participate in a 4 km, 5 km or 6 km walk through the Strandfontein Birding Area section of the False Bay Nature Reserve, and do a fun environmental quiz relating to the area. There will also be a lucky draw with prizes on offer at the end of the walk.

The first 950 participants who register early and complete the routes will receive a free lunch courtesy of John Dory’s which they can enjoy after the walk while picnicking on the banks of the eastern shore of Zeekoevlei.

Other interactive activities include a live bird display by the Eagle Encounters Raptor Rehabilitation Centre, a reptile show and display, a fire safety demonstration, and other exhibitions.

Melomed, a key sponsor of the event, will also be providing a facility for basic health screening and information for adults.

Entry for the event is R5 per person (a maximum of R20 per family). All profits will go towards conservation activities at the site.

Event registration

Registration will take place on Saturday 16 April 2016 from 07:30 to 09:30 at the picnic area on the eastern shore of Zeekoevlei.

Participants of the fun walk will be able to walk anytime from 08:00 to 09:30. The festival component will commence from 09:00 at the Zeekoevlei eastern shore picnic area. The venue will be signposted from the access point off Strandfontein Road.

Directions:

From the south: Strandfontein Road can be reached via Baden Powell Drive (R310)
From the north: Strandfontein Road can be reached via Jan Smuts Drive or Lansdowne Road
To get to the False Bay Nature Reserve, turn into Zeekoevlei Road from Strandfontein Road (M17)

A map to the event location is available here: https://tinyurl.com/MapFBNR

For further information on the City's nature reserves, visit the Environmental Resource Management website.

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