Saxony, the farm on which Wakkerstroom Farm Lodge is situated is approximately 1250 hectares in extent and includes at least patches of four of the five habitats associated with Wakkerstroom as identified by Warwick and Michelle Tarboton in their authoritative and informative booklet "Wakkerstroom Bird and Nature Guide", copies of which can be obtained at Wakkerstroom farmer lodge at cost price.
Wetlands Where the Wakkerstroom vlei ends, the water from the vlei converges to re-form the Utaga river. A kilometre downstream it crosses the eastern boundary of Saxony from where it flows into the upper reaches of the Zaaihoek dam. The result is that the whole of the southern and western boundries of the farm constitutes water frontage (approximately ten kilometres of water frontage). Although Saxony has no real vlei habitat, there are patches of marsh areas close to the river and Zaaihoek dam.
Some of the more interesting birds identified in this habitat:
African Black Duck, Goliath Heron & Black Egret
Grasslands Saxony has the distinction of being one of the few farms which falls within both the Highland Sourveld veld type (low lying area around the Zaaihoek dam) and Sandy Higveld veld type (high lying area) – Acocks – "Veld Types of South Africa". Most of the endemic grasslands birds have been spotted on Saxony. These include Bald Ibis, Jackal Buzzard (resident), Grey-winged Francolin, Blue Crane, Blue Korhaan, Groud Woodpecker (on the big boulder to the left of the old road which runs through the farm and end in the Zaaihoek dam), Sentinel Rock Thrushes, Buff-streaked Chat and Pied Starling.
We have still to find Botha's and Rudd's Larks although we think we have seen the latter on the high ridge behind the Lodge. Another "think" is the Cape Eagle Owl in the bushy sandstone outcrop looking south from the Zaaihoek dam where the old road ends in the dam.
Scrub As Tarboton comments, the scrub habitat is poor in birds. The "usuals" are all present: Bokmakierie, Cape Robin and Drakensberg Prinia.
Forest and Man-made Habitats There are no indigenous forests on Saxony. However, due to the current owner's great grand father having started a tradition of planting trees on the Saxony, the area around the farmstead is rich in trees and some of the "forest" species occur here – Olive Woodpecker, Southern Boubou, Olive Thrush and Cape Batis.
Other species that occur in this man-made habitat are Black-headed Oriole, Red-breasted Sparrowhawk, Jackal Buzzard, Fork-tailed Drongo, Cape Weaver, Cape White-eye and Red-throated Wryneck.
