Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary
(Brooklyn)
Overview of the Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary
Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary was named after South Africa's greatest
ornithologist-mammologist, J Austin Roberts.
This 11,8 ha site was opened by the then Mayor of Pretoria, Mr WJ Seymore, on 27
October 1956, and officially proclaimed as a nature reserve on 26 February 1958.
The sanctuary is located in the Walkerspruit Open Space System, and a multitude
of water birds can be seen. Two streams, the Walker and the Argo, feed water into
the wetland basins of which nine are small perennial dams attracting a multitude
of water birds.
The Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary was fenced in June 1970, and
became a valuable civic amenity with recreational and educational value. The Sasol
Bird Hide gives bird lovers the opportunity to experience a great variety of birds,
including the crowned crane and the blue crane, South Africa's National Bird.
Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary Review
We visited the Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary on a lazy Sunday afternoon,
with the intention of having a picnic on the lawns, and then taking a stroll through
the sanctuary. Much to our surprise and disappointment, it seems that you need to
make a booking at least 4 weeks in advance, should you wish to walk through the
sanctuary.
As a consolation prize however, a viewing deck with a stunning view over the small
lake is available, and several water bird species where busy doing their bird-thing
in the water, splashing, bathing, and playing around..
The Blue Crane restaurant is situated on the banks of the lake, and although we
didn't have lunch there, it seems that the restaurant also provides excellent views
of the lake and surrounding area.
