Gillooly's Farm... A Birding Paradise On Johannesburg's Doorstep... A Great Bird Watching Experience

About Gillooly's Farm

Gillooly's Farm is a 44 hectare (ha) former farm in the suburb of Bedfordview, on the eastern side of Johannesburg, in the Gauteng province. The farm was sold to the town council in the year of 1944, by the owner, James Gillooly So then it was named Gillooly's farm after the farm's former owner. Gillooly's Farm is now a wonderful bird sanctuary, still 44 hectares in size, with walks, trails and picnic sites. There is also a river on the farm. Luscious vegetation surrounds the dam and rivers. Big trees, shrubs, flowers and reeds are the main type of vegetation here as well as grass (The planted type you find in your garden).

The centre of Gillooly's Farm is a very large man-made lake. In this lake there are the Common Carp, Blue Kurper and Sharptooth Catfish (Barbel) fish species. To my knowledge these are the only species of fish that occur in the Gillooly's lake, but I might be wrong. The only wild mammal species in Gillooly's Farm are rodents, the House Rat is the most prominent. However I still believe there are one or two mongoose in the area... Possibly the Slender Mongoose and the Yellow Mongoose. Wild feral cats also frequent this area.

Gillooly's Farm Bird Sighting's

Over the years at Gillooly's Farm I have seen some really beautiful and unusual birds of the 50 that occur here. I saw a Franklin's Gull on the lake briefly and then flying around before it was on it's way. The Franklin's Gull is a rare vagrant to the South African region. The Rose-Ringed Parakeet's abound in the tree's on the western side of the lake. The Black Heron is also a visitor to Gillooly's Farm, and there are large flocks of African Sacred Ibis. The Common Moorhen's and Grey-Headed Gulls are also always present somewhere on Gillooly's Farm. There are just so many bird species on the 44 hectare Gillooly's Farm.

Click here for a full bird list of Gillooly's Farm.

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