Ornithologists, or just plain bird lovers for those who don't know the big word, visiting the town of Montagu in the Western Cape gets drawn to the Leidam like a mouse to cheese. For the last two years we spent a week in Montagu during our summer holiday and during both visits I spent some time just watching the birds in the trees around the dam. The Leidam was originally built to supply water to the town via canals with each house having an allocated time in the day during which they could draw water from the canal. This system is still in places today although the town has grown quite a bit since those days and the area covered by the canals are basically in the western part of town. The trees around the dam has become home to 18 species of birds (including Sacred Ibis, Herons, Cormorants, Egrets, Shrikes and Weavers) that use it as their breeding ground with more than 52 visiting species also having been identified. One word of warning though. If you have a very sensitive nose you should rather stay away.
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