Zonderwater Prison Wetlands

Situated in the mining town of Cullinan, the Zonderwater Prison Wetlands offer excellent birding for both local and visiting birders. A number of endemic and secretive wetland dwellers can be seen here, and the recreational area makes for a great picnic after a morning’s birding. Birders should allow at least 4 hours to explore Zonderwater, which should result in about 80 species.

Specials
Dark-capped Yellow Warbler, Red-chested Flufftail, African Rail, African Grass-Owl, Marsh Owl, Orange-breasted Waxbill, Pied Starling, Ovambo Sparrowhawk, African Reed-Warbler, Little Rush-Warbler, Lesser Swamp-Warbler, Little Bittern, Black Crake and Malachite Kingfisher.

Habitats
Apart from the residential gardens and agricultural fields, the main attraction to birders is the open water expanses, extensive reedbeds, flooded and dry grassland tracts and copses of exotic trees.

Facilities
Because Zonderwater is still home to an active prison (originally an Italian P.O.W. camp) the grounds are very safe to explore. Visitors can drive down to the dams and park at the recreational area to explore further on foot. The trails can sometimes become a little overgrown, but are generally excellent for viewing a myriad of species. The recreational area consists of a large lawn and shady trees where toilet, shower as well as braai facilities are situated.

Birding
Visitors should sign in at the gate, and turn right immediately. The gardens along this road is a good bet for Groundscraper Thrush and Karoo Thrush, while at night Spotted Eagle-Owl are sometimes to be seen. Continue to the T-junction and turn left towards the next T-junction where you should turn left again. From here look for the sand road on the right leading to the dams. The agricultural fields are normally full of Pied Starling, Common Myna, Rock Dove, African Sacred Ibis, Hadeda Ibis and Cattle Egret. At night Marsh Owl are easily sighted.

The main dam opposite the picnic area always has some ducks, usually Yellow-billed Duck and there are also a few Mallard around. Red-knobbed Coot and Common Moorhen can be seen from close quarters. Purple Heron have bred in the big reedbeds on the right, and Little Bittern and Black-crowned Night-Heron are sometimes seen flying over the water, especially in the early morning or late afternoon.

Walk a short distance downstream from the spillway until you find a path flanking off to the right next to the fence. Turn right and continue slowly listening for the songs and calls of the various skulkers. African Rail are usually present in the flooded area on the left, while Red-chested Flufftail hoot from the right. It requires a good deal of luck and/or patience to spot these species. If your visit is in the early morning and you are extremely quiet, one may have the good fortune to see either species crossing the path. Also present in the reedbeds are Dark-capped Yellow Warbler, Lesser Swamp-Warbler, African Reed-Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Little Rush-Warbler, Cape Weaver, Southern Masked-Weaver, Common Waxbill, Orange-breasted Waxbill and Southern Red Bishop.

Continue over the stream and up again on the other side. The grasslands in this area do have African Grass-Owl and Marsh Owl. The latter is far more common than the first, but both species can be seen by watching for birds silently floating over the grasslands in the early morning or late afternoon. Distinguishing the two owls can sometimes be difficult, but look for the African Grass-Owl’s longer wings, heart-shaped face, and plain brown primaries. Other grassland species that are around include Rufous-naped Lark, Cape Longclaw, Swainson's Spurfowl, African Quailfinch, Levaillant's Cisticola and Zitting Cisticola and occasionally Cuckoo Finch.

The lower dams support a good number of waterfowl and smaller numbers of waders. White-winged Tern and African Black Swift sometimes swoop over the water. Raptors can potentially be seen anywhere at Zonderwater, and the exotic copses of trees provide good roosts for them. Steppe Buzzard, Black-shouldered Kite and Yellowbilled kite are the most common species, but African Marsh-Harrier, African Harrier-Hawk, Ovambo Sparrowhawk, Black Sparrowhawk and even Brown Snake-Eagle has been sighted.

General
Zonderwater Prison is becoming stricter with letting people in.  You need to phone Commissioner Dana +27 12 305 7277 for permission before you go.

 Firearms are not allowed to be brought into the grounds. An Italian P.O.W. cemetery is also situated at Zonderwater. Futhermore, the historical town of Cullinan is worth exploring – apart from various interesting historical and mining sights, good restaurants and accommodation is available.

To reach Zonderwater from Pretoria, take the Witbank highway (N4) going east. Travel along this highway to the Cullinan / Rayton turnoff. Take this turnoff and turn left. Go through the town of Rayton and continue for about 10km until the prison is seen on your right. En route, you will see a huge copse of Eucalyptus trees on the left just before Zonderwater. Bat Hawk has been seen here.

Faansie Peacock 2001