A visit to Bullfrog Pan on the East Rand is a wonderful way to escape the hustle and bustle of the city for a short while.
Over 150 bird species can be found here, including the glossy ibis, African sacred ibis, African spoonbill, great egret, little egret, yellow-billed egret, black-winged stilt, blacksmith stilt, pied avocet, and African snipe.
Keep an eye out for African purple swamp hen, squacco heron, marsh owl and, in winter, large numbers of spur-winged goose on the west side of the grassland area. Close examination of the reeds may produce skulking black-crowned night heron and swamp-warbler foraging just above the level of the water. Southern masked-weaver, southern red bishop and yellow crowned bishop are the most active terrestrial birds in this habitat.
In winter, flamingos may be seen patrolling the open waters, which they share with an abundance of other waterfowl such as red-knobbed coot, white-faced duck, Egyptian goose and fulvous duck.
The sanctuary is almost 10 hectares in size. It has a natural seasonal pan surrounded by grasslands and smallholdings. It is relatively untouched. About 20 percent of the site falls within Ekurhuleni, the neighbouring metro.
It is neither developed nor fenced; hence there are neither opening times nor entrance fees. A gravel service road runs between the embankment and the pan provides an excellent viewing spot.
