From Beachwood on Robberg you can not only see whales blowing vapour plumes into the air, you can hear them clearly too. And the ‘whish’ of a whale blow, you’ll never forget, nor the sense of wonder with it. These deep-sea denizens visit here from winter to spring, but dolphins are resident year round – along with myriad long-legged water birds in the marshland between the house and the sea. Knysna louries or turacos are by far the most flamboyant locals, in their emerald green plumage with red flashy wings, but twitchers will be quite enamoured with all there is to see on the marsh.