Johannesburg - As I swish through the stagnant, knee-deep water which covers the road, I look around at the dense forest of reeds and mats of water-sodden grass and I understand why some of the world’s last remaining wildlife refuges are in wetlands.
This terrain – at the Marievale Bird Sanctuary outside Nigel, east of Joburg – cannot be used for much that is man-made. It would soon get waterlogged and flooded. Even now, at the height of one of the worst droughts in a decade in Gauteng, the water life is abundant around the lakes and some of the roads in the reserve are inundated.
That’s why I am wading through the water: I am travelling in a two-wheel drive SUV and, early on, had a bit of a hairy experience driving through soggy grass and mud. That was the route most visitors (in four-wheel-drives, for the most part) had chosen instead of following the main road. That, though, meant they had churned through the grass and into the mud quite quickly because there is nothing underneath. I had got through the ever-widening maze of tyre tracks and had slithered around.
On the way back, it occurred to me that the main road, although covered in places by water, had a solid, stone and rock foundation. So I applied Rule No 1 of offroading: Get out and walk the obstacle. I found the water wasn’t high enough to cause a problem and that the going underfoot was solid. So we made it back without much drama – apart from the fact I stank up the car because the water was, to be kind, dank.
Websites which carry information about Marievale warn that, after heavy rains, there are areas which are impassable – even to full-on 4x4s. So if you are going, check with the gate first and, if you are in a two-wheel-drive vehicle, err on the side of caution.
Once you are in the middle of the 100-hectare site, which is internationally recognised and Ramsar listed, you feel somehow isolated from the rest of the bustling province. Sometimes, sitting in one of the numerous bird hides, or parked beside the road looking at waders or ducks, the only sound is the wind or birdsong.
Yet, at other times, you are aware that you are in a small pocket of peace in a place built on mining and farming. On a few sides, the sanctuary is ringed by large mine dumps, or huge tips of stone, and you can see the odd piece of mining machinery here and there.
Business is alive and well in this part of Nigel.
The area is a natural wetland but much of the volume of water comes from that pumped out of the mines. That is good and bad. Mine water is often acidic and not good for the environment (one of the biggest management challenges for the wetland is ameliorating the impact of water pollution); but it is good because the large bodies of water attract one of the most diverse bird populations in Gauteng.
Marievale is a twitcher's paradise and those who know it return again and again.
There are also occasions when there are rare sightings and the word gets around quickly, meaning there will be plenty of people there. The Gauteng Tourism Authority says more than 240 bird species have been recorded at the site.
“There are over 65 species of waterbirds, including large populations of reed cormorant, red-knobbed coot and yellow-billed duck. Goliath, black, squacco and purple herons are usually present and African marsh harrier is found quite frequently.
“If you are an experienced birder, with a bit of luck you may even find marsh owl, African grass owl, red-chested flufftail, curlew sandpiper, sand martin, Caspian tern, Baillon’s crake, black-winged pratincole or even black-tailed godwit. Other recent specials include slaty egret, yellow wagtail, as well as Baird’s, Pectoral and buff-breasted sandpipers.”
The day we go, we are accompanied by family who are more enthusiastic birders than we are – but we always love an opportunity to get out into nature… and Marievale doesn’t disappoint. Apart from the hides, there is a decent enough picnic spot (with its own hide) and other places you can put out your own camp chairs and have lunch (although braaiing is not permitted other than at the picnic spots.
It’s not far away either: Less that an hour from Joburg. You get there by taking the N17 toll road and turning off on to the R42, proceeding along that for a further 10km or so. Best of all, entrance is free. You can’t say that about many places these days.
Brendan Seery, Saturday Star
l For more information, see:
www.gauteng.net; www.nigel.co.za or
www.birdlife.org.za