# Faerie Glen Nature Reserve

Faerie Glen Nature Reserve is a nature reserve at the western limit of the Bronberg in the east of Pretoria, South Africa. It is adjacent to the suburb of Faerie Glen.

## History

It formerly formed a part of the farm Hartbeespoort 304 which belonged to H. W. Struben. On old aerial photographs it is apparent that the flood plain was utilised for crop fields, while the remainder was used for cattle grazing. The reserve constitutes the western part of the Bronberg conservation area, which was declared in 1980. Its highest point is Renosterkop (1,468 m) in the northern part of the reserve.

## Fauna and flora
### Animal life

Though the smaller mammals like mongooses, hedgehogs, hares, porcupines, Cape clawless otters, bushbabies and small-spotted genets are difficult to observe, one may find signs of their presence. In the winter of 2014 larger game was introduced, namely 16 impala, 9 red hartebeest and 5 Burchell's zebra. During late 2014 one common duiker was released in the reserve, the first spotted eagle-owl house was installed, and a first sighting of caracal was made. The leaf-feeding thrip Liothrips tractabilis, introduced from Argentina, was released in the reserve's flood plain in 2014 to combat the invasive pompom weed.

### Birds

Some 150 bird species have been recorded in the reserve. In terms of breeding habitat the grassy floodplain along the Moreleta spruit is especially important for a number of cisticola and widow species, and the riparian vegetation provides breeding habitat for a number of weaver species. The bushy slopes provide foraging habitat for boubous, tchagras and cuckooshrikes, while nightjars emerge at dusk to forage over the slopes and floodplain.
Bird species of Faerie Glen Nature Reserve :
| Common name | Scientific name | Status | Breeding |
| Reed cormorant | Phalacrocorax africanus | rare | |
| White-breasted cormorant | Phalacrocorax lucidus | vagrant | |
| Black-headed heron | Ardea melanocephala | vagrant | |
| Yellow-billed egret | Egretta intermedia | rare | |
| Cattle egret | Bubulcus ibis | rare | |
| Hamerkop | Scopus umbretta | rare | |
| African sacred ibis | Threskiornis aethiopicus | vagrant | |
| Hadeda ibis | Bostrychia hagedash | abundant | breeder |
| Egyptian goose | Alopochen aegyptiacus | rare | |
| African black duck | Anas sparsa | rare | |
| Maccoa duck | Oxyura maccoa | vagrant | |
| Yellow-billed kite | Milvus aegyptius | rare | |
| Black-winged kite | Elanus caeruleus | rare | |
| Verreaux's eagle | Aquila verreauxii | vagrant | |
| Steppe buzzard | Buteo vulpinus | rare | |
| Black sparrowhawk | Accipiter melanoleucus | rare | |
| Ovambo sparrowhawk | Accipiter ovampensis | rare | |
| Helmeted guineafowl | Numida meleagris | regular | breeder |
| Swainson's spurfowl | Pternistis swainsonii | rare | |
| Crested francolin | Dendroperdix sephaena | rare | |
| Red-chested flufftail | Sarothrura rufa | vagrant | |
| Crowned lapwing | Vanellus coronatus | regular | |
| Blacksmith lapwing | Vanellus armatus | rare | |
| African wattled lapwing | Vanellus senegallus | rare | |
| Spotted thick-knee | Burhinus capensis | rare | breeder |
| Peregrine falcon | Falco peregrinus | vagrant | |
| Rameron pigeon | Columba arquatrix | regular | |
| Speckled pigeon | Columba guinea | regular | |
| Red-eyed dove | Streptopelia semitorquata | abundant | |
| Cape turtle-dove | Streptopelia capicola | common | |
| Laughing dove | Streptopelia senegalensis | abundant | breeder |
| Rock dove | Columba livia | uncommon | |
| Grey go-away-bird | Corythaixoides concolor | abundant | breeder |
| Red-chested cuckoo | Cuculus solitarius | uncommon | breeder |
| Black cuckoo | Cuculus clamosus | rare | breeder |
| Levaillant's cuckoo | Clamator levaillantii | vagrant | breeder |
| Jacobin cuckoo | Clamator jacobinus | vagrant | |
| Klaas's cuckoo | Chrysococcyx klaas | rare | breeder |
| Diderick cuckoo | Chrysococcyx caprius | regular | breeder |
| Burchell's coucal | Centropus burchelli | vagrant | |
| Spotted eagle-owl | Bubo africanus | common | |
| Spotted eagle-owl | Bubo africanus | common | |
| Eurasian nightjar | Caprimulgus europaeus | uncommon | |
| Fiery-necked nightjar | Caprimulgus pectoralis | uncommon | |
| Horus swift | Apus horus | rare | |
| Little swift | Apus affinis | regular | |
| African palm-swift | Cypsiurus parvus | common | |
| Speckled mousebird | Colius striatus | abundant | |
| Red-faced mousebird | Urocolius indicus | regular | |
| Pied kingfisher | Ceryle rudis | rare | |
| Half-collared kingfisher | Alcedo semitorquata | vagrant | |
| Woodland kingfisher | Halcyon senegalensis | rare | |
| Brown-hooded kingfisher | Halcyon albiventris | rare | |
| European bee-eater | Merops apiaster | regular | |
| Blue-cheeked bee-eater | Merops persicus | vagrant | |
| African hoopoe | Upupa africana | regular | |
| Green wood hoopoe | Phoeniculus purpureus | regular | |
| African grey hornbill | Tockus nasutus | rare | |
| Black-collared barbet | Lybius torquatus | abundant | breeder |
| Acacia pied barbet | Tricholaema leucomelas | uncommon | breeder |
| Yellow-fronted tinkerbird | Pogoniulus chrysoconus | rare | |
| Crested barbet | Trachyphonus vaillantii | abundant | breeder |
| Greater honeyguide | Indicator indicator | vagrant | |
| Lesser honeyguide | Indicator minor | uncommon | breeder |
| Brown-backed honeybird | Prodotiscus regulus | uncommon | breeder |
| Bennett's woodpecker | Campethera bennettii | vagrant | |
| Golden-tailed woodpecker | Campethera abingoni | rare | |
| Cardinal woodpecker | Dendropicos fuscescens | uncommon | |
| Red-throated wryneck | Jynx ruficollis | common | breeder |
| Barn swallow | Hirundo rustica | rare | |
| White-throated swallow | Hirundo albigularis | regular | breeder |
| Greater striped swallow | Hirundo cucullata | regular | |
| Lesser striped swallow | Hirundo abyssinica | regular | breeder |
| Rock martin | Hirundo fuligula | uncommon | |
| Brown-throated martin | Riparia paludicola | vagrant | |
| Black cuckooshrike | Campephaga flava | uncommon | breeder |
| Ashy tit | Parus cinerascens | vagrant | |
| Fork-tailed drongo | Dicrurus adsimilis | rare | |
| Black-headed oriole | Oriolus larvatus | rare | |
| Pied crow | Corvus albus | rare | |
| Grey penduline tit | Anthoscopus caroli | vagrant | |
| Arrow-marked babbler | Turdoides jardineii | uncommon | breeder |
| Dark-capped bulbul | Pycnonotus tricolor | abundant | breeder |
| Kurrichane thrush | Turdus libonyanus | vagrant | |
| Karoo thrush | Turdus smithi | uncommon | |
| Mocking cliff chat | Thamnolaea cinnamomeiventris | vagrant | |
| Anteating chat | Myrmecocichla formicivora | vagrant | |
| Cape robin-chat | Cossypha caffra | abundant | breeder |
| White-throated robin-chat | Cossypha humeralis | rare | breeder |
| White-browed scrub robin | Cercotrichas leucophrys | rare | |
| Garden warbler | Sylvia borin | rare | |
| Icterine warbler | Hippolais icterina | vagrant | |
| Willow warbler | Phylloscopus trochilus | rare | |
| Lesser swamp-warbler | Acrocephalus gracilirostris | regular | |
| Common reed warbler | Acrocephalus scirpaceus | rare | |
| Marsh warbler | Acrocephalus palustris | rare | |
| Cape grassbird | Sphenoeacus afer | common | breeder |
| Long-billed crombec | Sylvietta rufescens | regular | breeder |
| Bar-throated apalis | Apalis thoracica | uncommon | |
| Zitting cisticola | Cisticola juncidis | uncommon | breeder |
| Neddicky | Cisticola fulvicapilla | common | breeder |
| Wailing cisticola | Cisticola lais | vagrant | |
| Rattling cisticola | Cisticola chiniana | regular | breeder |
| Levaillant's cisticola | Cisticola tinniens | regular | breeder |
| Tawny-flanked prinia | Prinia subflava | abundant | breeder |
| Black-chested prinia | Prinia flavicans | regular | |
| Spotted flycatcher | Muscicapa striata | uncommon | |
| Chestnut-vented warbler | Sylvia subcoerulea | common | |
| Fiscal flycatcher | Sigelus silens | uncommon | breeder |
| Chinspot batis | Batis molitor | uncommon | |
| African paradise-flycatcher | Terpsiphone viridis | uncommon | breeder |
| Cape wagtail | Motacilla capensis | rare | |
| Striped pipit | Anthus lineiventris | vagrant | |
| Bushveld pipit | Anthus caffer | vagrant | |
| Common fiscal | Lanius collaris | abundant | |
| Southern boubou | Laniarius ferrugineus | abundant | breeder |
| Crimson-breasted shrike | Laniarius atrococcineus | rare | |
| Black-backed puffback | Dryoscopus cubla | rare | |
| Brown-crowned tchagra | Tchagra australis | regular | breeder |
| Black-crowned tchagra | Tchagra senegalus | uncommon | breeder |
| Orange-breasted bushshrike | Telophorus sulfureopectus | uncommon | |
| Bokmakierie | Telophorus zeylonus | regular | |
| Brubru | Nilaus afer | rare | |
| Common myna | Acridotheres tristis | regular | |
| Cape glossy starling | Lamprotornis nitens | regular | |
| Red-winged starling | Onychognathus morio | rare | |
| Violet-backed starling | Cinnyricinclus leucogaster | vagrant | |
| Malachite sunbird | Nectarinia famosa | vagrant | |
| Marico sunbird | Cinnyris mariquensis | rare | |
| White-bellied sunbird | Cinnyris talatala | common | |
| Amethyst sunbird | Chalcomitra amethystina | regular | |
| Cape white-eye | Zosterops virens | uncommon | |
| House sparrow | Passer domesticus | rare | |
| Cape sparrow | Passer melanurus | common | |
| Southern grey-headed sparrow | Passer diffusus | rare | |
| Lesser masked-weaver | Ploceus intermedius | vagrant | breeder |
| Village weaver | Ploceus cucullatus | uncommon | breeder |
| Cape weaver | Ploceus capensis | regular | breeder |
| Southern masked-weaver | Ploceus velatus | abundant | breeder |
| Thick-billed weaver | Amblyospiza albifrons | rare | breeder |
| Red-billed quelea | Quelea quelea | rare | breeder |
| Southern red bishop | Euplectes orix | common | breeder |
| Red-collared widowbird | Euplectes ardens | common | breeder |
| White-winged widowbird | Euplectes albonotatus | regular | breeder |
| Red-headed finch | Amadina erythrocephala | rare | |
| Cut-throat finch | Amadina fasciata | vagrant | breeder |
| Bronze mannikin | Spermestes cucullatus | regular | breeder |
| Jameson's firefinch | Lagonosticta rhodopareia | rare | |
| Green-winged pytilia | Pytilia melba | rare | |
| Common waxbill | Estrilda astrild | rare | |
| Pin-tailed whydah | Vidua macroura | rare | |
| Yellow-fronted canary | Crithagra mozambicus | regular | |
| Black-throated canary | Crithagra atrogularis | uncommon | |
| Streaky-headed seedeater | Crithagra gularis | regular | |
| Cinnamon-breasted bunting | Emberiza tahapisi | rare | |

## Geography
### Moreleta Spruit

A December 2014 assessment of the aquatic life in Moreleta Spruit indicated that it was in a critically modified state, and in poor condition with low biodiversity. The spruit now receives larger inflows than in the past, and greywater is diverted to the river from storm water systems, besides runoff from road surfaces and paved areas. The water quality has been negatively affected by oily road surfaces, lawn fertilisers, litter, constant sewage spills and illegal dumping of hazardous substances.

### Geology

Andesitic basalt of the Hekpoort formation is found along the Moreleta Spruit. It was formed in the early Proterozoic, more than 2 billion years ago. Open or filled vesicles, caused by dissolved magma gasses that effervesced from the lava, are evident on the surface of these rocks. Repeated mud flows were deposited over the andesite to form mudstone, which was folded by subsequent earth shocks. An intrusive diabase formation is visible half way up the hillside, interbedded in shale and quartzite along the Struben and Daspoort formations' contact zone. The prominent crest of the ridge consists of quartzite of the Daspoort formation. The formation is undisturbed since its formation, some 2.1 billion years ago, and traces left by water flowing over an ancient river bed are still to be seen. The quartzite layer is tilted to the north, towards a very large, ancient magma chamber to the north of the reserve.

## Recreation
### Facilities and activities

The reserve has three trails, namely the Hadeda route of 2,3 km, the Acacia route of 3,2 km and the Kiepersol/Cussonia route of 4,2 km. Dogs are allowed only if kept on a leash, and if a dog permit is completed.

### Admission fees and times

Visitors of 13 and older pay an entrance fee of R15 each, and persons 60 years and older pay R6 each. Season tickets valid for 6 months are available at R165 to R200. Visiting hours are from 06:00 to 18:00 throughout the year.

## Community

The Friends of the Faerie Glen Nature Reserve is an organisation that coordinates activities that promote the well-being of the reserve. They meet at regular intervals to eradicate some of the invasive plant species, or to remove litter from the reserve.