On this week’s journey into our #SecretGarden backyard, I joined renowned #BirdingGuide Colin Andrew Wylie on a couple of walks, exploring both the temperate forests and extant fynbos perimeter in search of the multitude of twitch-worthy birds inhabiting this sprawling indigenous ecosystem.

The #dawnchorus starts at 4AM and you do not want to miss out on what is a truly symphonic natural event. Chorister robins, sombre greenbuls, Knysna turacos and paradise flycatchers are just a few of the species contributing raucous squawks, twitters, chirps, whistles and tweets to the morning soundcloud,

Bird biodiversity is off the scale here, with everything from forest specialists to #fynbos, wetland and grassland species, plus off course a constantly changing list of migratory visitors. Currently, the count just for #GardenRoute National Park stands at around 300 species, including icons such as the Knysna Loerie (auraco corythaix) and Narina Trogon (Apaloderma narina).

The habitat diversity means #birders could potentially tick varied species such as buff-spotted flufftail, African fish eagle, malachite kingfisher, Cape sugarbird, orange-breasted sunbird, blue-mantled flycatcher, grey cuckoo shrike – and even martial eagle – while immersing in one of South Africa’s most underrated conservation areas.