Dargle Wildlife Sightings – January 2016

Louis Bolton – Robhaven Farm

A new contributor, hopefully Louis will send us pics on a regular basis… the first is an image of some White-throated Swallows sitting on a mailbox – perhaps the newly appointed CEO of The Post Office will make use of them?

White-throated Swallows

White-throated Swallow

White-throated Swallow

The spider was taken at Misty Meadows School up the D17

An Orb Spider

The panorama was from Crab Apple Church bench

Panorama from Crab Apple

Dieter Setz – Wakecroft

Found this “Stinkhorn” Mushroom by pure luck and had my camera. I never saw the early stages of this mushroom, only when it is red and stinks.

Stinkhorn Mushroom

It sure is mushroom season now after the welcome rain, must say it has not stopped since I am back.

Had to catch these buggers, as they were running away, must be from the “speedy” variety.

The Locusts are also out in full force on Wakecroft.

They sure don’t mind what they eat, this one I found on my rosemary bush.

One of our cabbage trees is beginning to bloom.

Cabbage Tree

Two’s a party

Emperor Moth (Aurivillius fuscus) Also paid me a visit.

Emperor Moth (Aurivillius fuscus)

Malvina van Breemen – Old Furth Estate

2016 started off with a lovely experience for me – I had to drop our youngest daughter off in Petrusstroom early on New Year’s Day, so on the return journey I was looking out for the pair of Crowned Cranes who frequent the little dam next door to Colmonel. They had crossed the road and were keeping company with a few Storks and as I slowed down to have a good look, I was treated to the special sight of them doing a delightful courtship dance!

Since the Cranes are by far one of my favourite birds, I was quite delighted to see this.

Grey Crowned Cranes dancing

On the same morning, we also had a mass visitation of Spoonbills at our nearly dry bottom dam – I have never seen so many here! The quality of these pics is really poor but I only had my phone 😦

Spoonbills flying over dry dam

Then one Saturday afternoon, we came in at our gate house and saw what we thought was a plastic bag flapping on the wind, hooked onto our fence. We very quickly realised it was a bird! We found a young Jackal Buzzard had obviously misjudged and had hooked itself on the fence by its upper wing. We wrapped it in a cardigan and got it into a big box for transportation to Free Me. They then sent it on to Raptor Rescue who examined the wing and sadly had to euthanase her as the tendon and flesh were too badly damaged. We were very sad, but hope to be able to do our bit in the future as a raptor release site and with that in mind, we will build a rehabilitation area for future releases.

Young injured Jackal Buzzard

We are also very excited with the new forest trail which our enthusiastic and energetic youngsters have started working on, watch this space and follow us on Facebook to see the progress: https://www.facebook.com/Old-Furth-Estate-507001752673713/

Forest Trail

Kevin Barnsley – Constantia, D17

Obviously rich veld and pasture lands attract these awesome birds.
For me they represent an awesome indicator species due to their insatiable appetite for all the little chaps (rodents, snakes, insects, frogs etc) that should be pursuing life down in the undergrowth of this habitat.

Of course mowing a pristine block of veld is going to expose these poor creatures, especially during the summer months. My suggestion to other hay cutting farmers and contractors is to sacrifice some yield by pitching your mowers up a little, in order to leave a little more foliage behind during the summer months. This not only gives the little chaps I’m referring to, some cover and a better chance, but also leaves some of the plants solar panels behind for them to be able to bounce back a little before winter, or even give you a better second cut of the season.
In late autumn one might be able to cut a bit lower, as the affected parties have mostly headed for deeper cover underground for the winter to escape the cold and ravages of fires etc. Of course a short cut at this time does expose the soil for the long winter, but is probably less harmful than fire, however any fire will be far less intense in such cut lands.

White Stork

Belinda and Pierre Oosthuizen – Hambledon Farm

We have a small bat I found on our veranda floor this morning. I didn’t want my dogs to kill it so we placed it in a box and will release it tonight. Will update u how it goes. We have seen some huge rabbit’s but don’t know what kind and weren’t fast enough with the camera. We have owls too. And spotted 8 deer (Ed: “Reedbuck perhaps?”) on the short drive from the farm to the turn by the Zenex and Everything shop 2 nights ago. Have heard the jackles call the other night as well.

This is the unfortunate adder we couldn’t save the gardener from killing.

Dead Puff Adder

We spotted this snake near our stables, which went into the haystack. It’s about 1.2m long. We thought at first that it may have been a Mamba, however, Pat McKrill (the Snake Man) responded with the following identification: “A beautiful Olive House snake. No venom, no problem, not aggressive.”

Olive House Snake

Sue & Derek Millier – Buxtons Cottage on Beaconfield Farm

This duiker arrives at dusk and dawn most days to eat the acorns which the
vervet monkeys drop while foraging in our large oak tree.

Common (Grey) Duiker

Pat and Sandra Merrick – Albury Farm, Lidgetton

Well our new year started with a bang – we have had 234 ml of rain this month – wonderful.

Waterfall flowing for 1st time this week

After having an empty dam and stream, it is now running well and the dam is filling up, much to the delight of the cows and water fowl.

Storm building

Wed 27th was not a great day as we had 2 huge hail storms with gale force winds, slicing through my garden. No electricity for 7 hours and pressure pump hit and Pat was knocked back while closing the garage door, but he’s fine. Just a slightly burnt finger thank the good Lord. The good news was we got 38 ml of rain as well. What a blessing it has been in these dry months.

A Hamerkop arrived on our swing looking for another frog but unfortunately our stream and dam were empty at this stage.

A hammerkop looking for another frog in the stream

Late one afternoon through the mist, we saw a Woolly-necked Stork sitting on our transformer pole. Once the mist cleared he flew off.

Woolly-necked Stork

Our juvenile White-throated Swallows were still returning to their nest each evening on the verandah a month after flying off. Then one morning the nest lay in a heap on the verandah slipping off the glass lampshade that it had been attached to. The one juvenile did appear on our front verandah one afternoon during a big storm. The 2 of them weren’t crazy about getting wet.

Juvenile White-throated Swallow sheltering from the storm

The Sunbirds have been plentiful this month with lots of shrubs and flowers to feed off. Here the male Amethyst Sunbird:

Amethyst Sunbird (male)

Female Amethyst Sunbird

Amethyst Sunbird (female)

Double-collared Sunbird

Double-collared Sunbird

Female Malachite Sunbird

Female Malachite Sunbird

Male Malachite Sunbird

Malachite Sunbird (male)

The steppe buzzard has been visiting regularly as has the Gymnogene:

African Harrier-Hawk (previously know as a Gymnogene)

Our most exciting sighting was seeing our Blue Crane with a chick about 2 months old. They arrived mid month when the dam was just starting to fill up but as there was little grass for them (being so short from the drought and eaten by 300 animals) to feed off they vanished shortly thereafter. They do reappear about once a week to wade in the dam. Another pair have also arrived on the farm but no chick.

Mama Blue Crane with her Juvenile

We have seen reedbuck every day but not in the numbers that we used to see, which is rather sad.

Common Reedbuck (male)

Also just one Duiker this month. Pat saw a male Oribi on 2 consecutive days near our gum trees. He has also seen a black saw winged swallow down the bottom of the farm on a few occasions. A male samango monkey has been running around and on some days I could drive right past him sitting on a pole and he would just stare at me.

For the first time we had a Long-tailed Widowbird on our lawn eating along with the Sparrows.

Long-tailed Widowbird (male)

Female Cape Weaver

Cape Weaver (female)

Olive Thrush and female Malachite Sunbird

Olive Thrush and female Malachite Sunbird

Rose Downard – Oak Tree Cottage

Just two small sightings: A dying locust resting on top of our owl, perhaps it had been injured, or affected by crop spraying in the area.

The recently shed skin of a skink.

Hayley & Neville van Lelyveld – Benn Meadhon Farm

Oribi
Only four of the original 9 animals were seen. A single male Oribi was seen across the road, more or less opposite the normal oribi paddock. The second herd of 5 animals that used to be above the maize field have all but disappeared.

Reedbuck
Only 4 females were seen out of a previous average count of 20 animals. Once again as per our October visit no males were observed.

Other antelope/Jackal
No other antelope species were seen at all. There has been a very steady decline in wildlife on the farm. No Jackals were seen or heard during this visit.

Other mammal species
No porcupine were observed, however I have been informed by Iain that 19 have been trapped and destroyed by Mannie since our visit in October. We were also informed that 2 Jackals were also trapped and destroyed since our October visit.

Bird life
It was very pleasing to see that the geese on the dam have been breeding; both the Egyptian and the Spurwing geese as there are quite a few goslings of both species on the dam.

General
Over the last past few months we have encountered unwanted people on the farm (in August we encountered a dog IPO club using the farm as tracking grounds. When we confronted them as we always do and as per Iain’s request to confront any strangers on the farm to find out why they are there, we were told that Mannie Delgardo, the land owner, had given them permission to use his farm. Once we informed them that Mannie was not the farm owner they were very surprised.

On Monday the 28th December from around 08h00 until around 11h00 we noticed a small white aircraft (sesna size) flying very low over the area across the road over the natural bush near Lemonwood constantly. We thought nothing of it at the time. Later however due to circumstances it became all too clear as to what the low flying air craft was doing as I believe that it was scouting the wildlife within the natural bush area on that side of the farm and the surrounding farms including Graham Freese’s forest as it circled over that area as well.

Later, Iain informed me that Mannie and his new partner, Clint, have insisted that we leave the farm with immediate effect as they have a problem with our presence on the farm. I firmly believe that this objection to us being on the farm was due to our February 2015 report. We immediately packed up and left the farm.
As Hayley and I are no longer permitted to be on Iain’s farm we can no longer monitor the wildlife on the farm and on the surrounding farms. However, the unexplained radical drops in wildlife on Iain’s farm has now become abundantly clear with this development. Unfortunately the actions of this group of people is well known by Ezemvelo, EWT and people like Robin Barnsley, the probable results of which will result in a major threat to the rest of the wildlife in the greater Dargle Valley area if this situation is allowed to continue. Hayley and I, not been allowed on Iain’s farm anymore does not mean that our involvement with the Dargle conservancy has to come to an end, but rather it will just be a little more challenging, however we will still continue to do our very best to support the Dargle Conservancy as much as possible with all their conservation projects and courses that I still intend to do. It does however affect our Oribi project with EWT as I believe that the few animals left now have no chance of survival and this greatly disturbs Hayley and I particularly since “Baby Girl” was due to give birth during November 2015. The success of this will now never be known. This project was in particular very close to our hearts and it is very painful for Hayley and I to see it totally destroyed in this way. It is very painful for us both to just leave behind 9 years of work and have it all destroyed in a matter of days.

Ashley Crookes – Copperleigh Farm

Continuing with my “macro” images that I’ve been capturing the past few months, had some really interesting little critter sightings in January, starting with this beautiful green caterpillar

and again from behind…

I found the carapace of one of these bugs last month, this one was still alive and crawling around the natural bush on the farm

This poor Watsonia densiflora was being chewed to pieces

Whilst this Dragonfly was struggling to fly with a wonky wing

I came home late from Quiz Night at il Postino and had this magnificent Rhino beetle to greet me as I was closing the gate

The locusts were ‘busy’ this month, though not too many seen

Spiders were making works of art in the early hours before the dew came

Had a couple of different types of fungi appearing this month, this white one with some spires on top

and this orange one growing on an old dead Eucalyptus tree

A Giant Kingfisher came to visit us once

and to end off, a pic of the clouds coming over Inhlosane

Jenny Fly – Kildaragh Farm

More snakes . There have been so many this summer. Natal green snake, just off the veranda.

Natal green snake, just off the veranda.

A slug eater on our driveway.

A slug eater on our driveway.

The beautiful little Erythrina humeana, which is very happy in the Midlands if in a protected spot. The sunbirds love it.

Erythrina humeana

Balloon milkweed or Hairy balls – Ghomphocarpus physocarpus. Host to the African Monarch butterfly. The little prinias and apalis ferret around in it. The sunbirds enjoy the freshly opened flowers and the fluff on the seed is used to line nests of many birds (although it is also poisonous).

Balloon milkweed, hairy balls – Ghomphocarpus physocarpus

While weeding I came across what I thought was a type of fungus that looked like goose down. Then these THINGS started WALKING and they JUMPED (about 20 cm high). Response from Dr Jason Londt : “It’s a plant sucking bug (Hemiptera) – I have the name Orthezia insignis – but I’m no expert on these beasts. They are usually considered pests – but I have never seen a lot of damage caused by them (but may not have the necessary experience).”

Orthezia insignis

the bush looks totally dead.

Beatles eating Buddleja salviifolia

Then it slowly comes back to life. It is obviously host to these beetles and they have this incredible symbiotic relationship.

Beatles eating Buddleja salviifolia

Beatles eating Buddleja salviifolia

Nikki Brighton – Old Kilgobbin

 

Senecio

Late afternoon

Kniphofia

Helichrysum setosa

Grewia occidentalis

Gerbera

damp Crocosmia

Aritea

Allophylus dreageanus

Boston Wildlife Sightings – April 2015

Sitamani Sightings – Christeen Grant

This April has seen cool days, more rain than last year and sprinkling of snow on the top of the Drakensberg. The colours are turning gold with a reddish tinge to the grasses.

The loveliest sighting was early one evening just before sunset, literally meters from the house. A Common Reedbuck female lifted her drowsy head as she woke from the tall grass she’d been sleeping in for the day. We watched her for about fifteen minutes as she got up, stretched and grazed before moving off. Although the flies were bothering her she seemed to be in good health.

Female Common Reedbuck

Revealed in the Sand Olive tree in the garden was the beautifully constructed nest of an Olive Thrush. Held in place by slender branches it had withstood the storm winds of summer. I had noticed the parents feeding a young fledgling a couple of months ago, but not noticed the nest.

Olive Thrush nest

Quite a few flowers caught my eye, Alectra sessiliflora which is a parasitic plant on grasses,

Alectra sessiliflora

Chrysanthemoides monilifera with berries, Helichrysum glomeratum, Hibiscus trionum or Bladder Hibiscus,

Chrysanthemoides monilifera

Helichrysum glomeratum

Hibiscus trionum, also known as the bladder flower.

Leonotis leonurus one of my favourites at this time of year and always reminds me of my friend Jayne,

The gorgeous Leonotis leonurus

Otholobuim polystictum a legume shrub,

Otholobuim polystictum

Plectranthus spicatus tall inflorescences abuzz with insects,

Plectranthus spicatus

Polygala hottentotta, Sutera floribunda and then several fruits and remains of seedheads; Agapanths campanulatus, Berkheya setifera, Pachycarpus sp. and Schizoglossum bidens Subsp bidens.

Polygala hottentotta

Sutera floribunda

Agapanthus campanulatus seedhead

Berkheya setifera seedheads

Pachycarpus sp fruit

Schizoglossum bidens Subsp bidens fruit

As the colours become more subdued several ferns, Cheilanthes capensis, Mohria rigida, Pellaea calomelanos var calomelanos and what are known as a fern allies Club Moss Lycopodium clavatum caught my eye.

Cheilanthes capensis – Fern

Mohria rigida – Fern

Pellaea calomelanos var calomelanos

Club Moss – Lycopodium clavatum – Fern allies

I saw a Mottled Veld Antlion out in the tall grass, fluttering in erratic fight.

Mottled Veld Antlion – Palpares caffer

Moths are still about and I loved a dainty, rather crumpled one with splashes of colour on whitish wings.

Moth

Gaudy Commodores and what I think are either Blues or Hairtail butterflies flit around.

Gaudy Commodore butterfly

Butterfly is possibly a a Blue or Hairtail

The caterpillars of the Common or Cabbage Tree Emperor Bunaea alcinoe are munching the leaves of the Tree Fuchsias Halleria lucida.

Common or Cabbage Tree Emperor caterpillar – Bunaea alcinoe

Tiny Museum beetles Anthrenus verbasci no larger than 2mm and Common Dotted Fruit Chafer Cyrtothyrea marginalis were spotted in the flowers.

Museum beetles – Anthrenus verbasci

Common Dotted Fruit Chafer – Cyrtothyrea marginalis

Two new Mushrooms appeared after wet weather, an Amanita sp. and a group growing closely together which might be Sulfur Tuft Hypholoma sp..

Fungi Amanita

Fungi Sulfur Tuft Hypholoma sp.

Snakes are on the move, getting ready for winter hibernation. I spotted this Olive House Snake Lycodonmorphus inorantus, which had a skink shaped bulge in the middle of it’s body, moving across the lawn to longer grass.

Olive House Snake – Lycodonmorphus inorantus

Then while wandering over the rocky hillside found a discarded snakeskin, possibly from a Rhinkhals.

Snake skin – possibly Rinkhals

David Clulow

“Our highlight was the Cape Parrot Count occasion………..not because of our tally of Parrots because we saw NONE – for the first time ever – a sad record of diminishing numbers. But our Pinetown visitors, Hennie Jordaan and his young son, Declan, who has a superb ear for bird calls, joined us for the occasion, and they saw what were for them several lifers. Including the Rufous-chested SparrowHawk, being possibly the most unexpected – that on the same weekend as a Black Sparrow-hawk. Both Hennie and Declan are quick on the draw when it comes to their cameras and they obtained some superb shots.

They staked out the former favourite Parrot yellowwoods, while Barbara Clulow, Crystelle Wilson and I climbed the challenging pathway to the vast spread of indigenous forests, below the southern iNhlosane, where the views are spectacular, despite the rising mist of early morning. Warming tea and rusks in these high hills is something we’ll miss if the Parrot count fades.

We also had a good sighting of a Spotted Eagle-Owl on the way home in the semi-dark the previous evening.

Birding in Boston was as always superb, and Crystelle’s sightings below for the month gives an idea. The Cranes remain a great pleasure, and the known nesting sites are great fun to observe. The parents must be pleased, as are we, that at least one chick has resulted from each nest, which is quite an achievement with the proximity of all the Mongoose, Jackals and other scavengers, which do not have the same wish to see the chicks fly as we do.
The ringed juvenile on ‘The Willows’, in the wetland alongside the Elands river, is flying and spends the day with its parents, feeding, but at night they all return to the nesting site near a pan, tuck it up for the night , then the parents fly to ‘Highland Glen’ nearby to roost for the night, above the chilling temperatures that have been experienced recently – down to minus 2 a few mornings. Each morning the parents fetch the youngster, calling as they do so, and set off again to ‘The Drift’ for breakfast. The floater flock, down to about twenty now, is overnighting on ‘Harmony’ farm, is seen often as they seek out new areas to feed.

The Melrose dam is as rewarding as ever, lots of waterbirds, and other groups on the banks. The Spurwinged Geese are particularly numerous, but Yellow-billed Ducks, Common Moorhen, Red-billed Teal, Little Grebe, Egyptian Geese, Red-knobbed Coot, African Shelduck, both Darters, Cormorant are common; and Blacksmith Plover, Pied Kingfisher, Bokmakierie, Sacred Ibis and oodles of others, plus Vervet Monkeys in numbers that are far too numerous to allow for a balanced breeding programme for birds. Also the usual Buzzards and Long-Crested Eagle, the latter with a youngster on ‘Gramarye’ which they are trying to teach to feed itself – it never stops plaintively pleading for food. The Wattled Cranes, resident on ‘Boston View’ farm , which breed at the Glandrishok pan, are regularly reported by Rob Geldart and the Jordaans saw them flying over with this last season’s juvenile still in tow.

A wonderful visit to the Norwood forest followed to show Hennie and Declan our other forest birds and it was most rewarding – Woodpeckers, Sunbirds, Canaries, Apalis, Batis, Bulbuls, Greenbuls, Orioles, Robin-Chats – endless opportunities to test your hearing skills.”

An adjusted version, altering the Spotted Eagle-Owl to a Spotted one ———- too many Speckled pigeons in the Ambers.

Gramarye – Crystelle Wilson

The annual Cape Parrot count took place on the weekend of 18-19 April. We were stationed on Nhlosane Ridge and enjoyed looking at the forest and views over the valley.

View during the Cape Parrot count

Sadly no parrots were seen in the Boston area and all the outing did was to confirm that autumn has arrived with its colder temperatures. As did the Leonotus leonorus blazing in full colour across the hillsides.

Leonotus leonorus

Autumn means that migrants have left and while looking through my pictures for the month I was struck by the colour scheme of the birds: very autumnal as well with browns, oranges and black and white dominating. None better to illustrate this than the African Stonechat.

African Stonechat

The lists of birds are also becoming shorter. These were the birds seen in the Boston area: Cape White-eye,

Cape White-eye

Amur Falcon, Bokmakierie, White-breasted Cormorant, Reed Cormorant, Banded Martin, Cape Longclaw, Barn Owl, African Darter, African Firefinch, Sombre Greenbul, Red-winged Starling, Pied Starling, Dark-capped Yellow Warbler, White-throated Swallow, Malachite Sunbird, Jackal Buzzard, Little Grebe, Three-banded Plover, Speckled Pigeon, Pied Crow, African Quailfinch, Cape Canary, Spotted Eagle-Owl, African Sacred Ibis,

African Sacred Ibis

Cape Glossy Starling, Barn Swallow, Red-knobbed Coot, Common Moorhen, Yellow-billed Duck, Common Waxbill, Village Weaver, Cape Weaver, Red-collared Widowbird, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Levaillant’s Cisticola,

Levaillant’s Cisticola

Little Rush-Warbler, Red-billed Quelea, Drakensberg Prinia, Cape Grassbird, Red-necked Spurfowl, Southern Red Bishop, Yellow-fronted Canary, Red-throated Wryneck, Black-headed Oriole, African Hoopoe,

African Hoopoe

Green Wood-Hoopoe, Southern Boubou,

Southern Boubou

Southern Grey-headed Sparrow, House Sparrow, Cape Sparrow, Speckled Mousebird, Dark-capped Bulbul, Greater Striped Swallow,

Greater Striped Swallow

Spur-winged Goose, African Dusky Flycatcher, Amethyst Sunbird, Fork-tailed Drongo, Cape Robin-Chat, South African Shelduck,

South African Shelduck

Black-winged Lapwing (their distinctive calls reveal the presence of the flock while flying high overhead)

Black-winged Lapwing

Egyptian Goose, Black-headed Heron, Cape Crow, Cape Wagtail, Pin-tailed Whydah, Hadeda Ibis, Cape Turtle-Dove, Red-eyed Dove, Olive Thrush, Grey Crowned Crane, African Paradise-Flycatcher.

African Black Duck is notoriously shy and it was great to at least get a lens on a pair swimming near the bridge across the Elands River

African Black Duck on the Elands River

I was very pleased to find another Grey Crowned Crane chick at the dam on The Drift, seen in the early morning mist with its parents.

Grey Crowned Crane chick with parents

But the sad news is that by early May there was no further sightings of this chick and we assume it must have been predated. But the one at The Willows and Gramarye ringed earlier this year is doing well and beginning to fly strongly with the parents.

Grey Crowned Crane chick learnt to fly

It was also good to see a number of young Helmeted Guineafowls amongst adult birds.

Helmeted Guineafowl

Boston Wildlife Sightings – March 2015

Crystelle Wilson: Gramarye

ONE morning a reedbuck spent several minutes running backwards and forwards on a hillside with what can only be described as pure joy of life.

A joyful Common Reedbuck

On the birding front, an exciting lifer for me was a Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk. The way to tell this bird apart from juvenile Black Sparrowhawks, which can also show rufous colouration on the chest, is that they have yellow eyes and not red like the Black Sparrowhawk.

Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk in flight

Notice the diagnostic yellow eyes of the Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk which sets it apart from it’s close relative the Black Sparrowhawk which has red eyes.

At the end of the breeding season there are many juvenile birds around. The plumage of these birds, especially raptors, can be very different from those of the adults. The trick is to look at the shape of the bird, rather than the colour of its feathers. One such individual flying overhead had me very puzzled, and it was only by looking at my photographs that I could identify it as an African Harrier-Hawk, messily dressed like the gawky teenager it was.

African Harrier-Hawk in flight.

The juveniles of common birds such Common Fiscal can also be confusing.

Juvenile Common Fiscal

Another exciting sighting was a pair of Wattled Cranes opposite the Mount Park Guestfarm near the Everglades Hotel. Tanya Smith of EWT’s crane project tells me that that was a traditional breeding site for the birds and she was very pleased to hear that they have been spotted again in the area.

Tanya Smith of the Endangered Wildlife Trust searching for a crane chick

Tanya managed to successfully ring the surviving Grey Crowned Crane chick that was hatched at The Willows/Gramarye this season.

Grey Crowned Crane chick trying to keep a low profile to avoid potential danger.

The SABAB2 atlas list for the Elandshoek pentad 2935_3000: Red-winged Starling, African Olive-Pigeon, Speckled Pigeon, African Harrier-Hawk, Amur Falcon, Jackal Buzzard, Steppe Buzzard, Malachite Sunbird, Malachite Kingfisher, Red-collared Widowbird, Sombre Greenbul, Banded Martin, (with its tell-tale white eyebrows and long wings)

A gorgeous Banded Martin shows off its white eyebrow

Blacksmith Lapwing, Cape Grassbird, South African Shelduck, Yellow-billed Duck, Neddicky, Wing-snapping Cisticola, Brown-throated Martin, Common Waxbill, Black-headed Heron, Long-crested Eagle,

The Long-crested Eagle is a KZN Midlands favourite!

Purple Heron, African Reed-Warbler, Little Rush-Warbler, Dark-capped Yellow Warbler, African Snipe, Zitting Cisticola, Black-headed Oriole, Red-throated Wryneck, African Paradise-Flycatcher, White-throated Swallow, African Rail, Black Sparrowhawk, Pied Kingfisher, Green Wood-Hoopoe, Cape Longclaw, Pin-tailed Whydah, Black Saw-wing, Cape Wagtail, Three-banded Plover,

A Three-banded Plover on the waters edge

Speckled Mousebird, Barn Owl, Greater Striped Swallow, Amethyst Sunbird, Olive Thrush, Southern Grey-headed Sparrow, House Sparrow, Cape Sparrow, African Dusky Flycatcher, Fork-tailed Drongo, Cape White-eye, Yellow-fronted Canary, Spur-winged Goose, Drakensberg Prinia, African Stonechat, Egyptian Goose, Levaillant’s Cisticola, Black Crake, Common Moorhen, Little Grebe, Red-knobbed Coot, Cape Crow, Bokmakierie, African Darter, White-breasted Cormorant, Reed Cormorant, African Sacred Ibis, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Diderick Cuckoo, Village Weaver, Southern Red Bishop, Common Fiscal, Cape Robin-Chat, Southern Boubou, Cape Turtle-Dove, Red-eyed Dove, Hadeda Ibis, Grey Crowned Crane, Barn Swallow, Lanner Falcon.

Lanner Falcon

Derek Hurlstone-Jones: The Rockeries

The iconic African Fish-Eagle was seen overhead while driving along R617 at the Elands river.

Bruce and Bev Astrup: Highland Glen
A pair of Greater Striped Swallow nested under the eaves where they successfully raised their young.

Glyn Bullock: Harmony
Floater flock of approximately 40 Grey Crowned Cranes were seen regularly on “Harmony”. Highest number noted being 51.

David Clulow visiting on 11 March:
Long-tailed Widowbird at “Seven Streams” T-junction; White Stork on 29 March; Mousebirds at Elands river.

Piet Nel and his son, Willem: Twin Rowan:
Besides seeing the parents of the surviving chick from the pan on The Willows, while they were feeding on “Gramarye”, we saw three Grey Crowned Cranes near the upper fence line on The Willows, with five chicks running and hiding in the tall grass.

Grey Crowned Crane chick on “The Willows”:
An unsuccessful attempt to ring the surviving chick being reared on The Willows on 11 March – because the chick, after being clearly spotted, did its belly crawl into the long grass, after which it lay ‘doggo’ and could not be found; but on 16 March, Tanya Smith of the African Crane Conservation Trust was successful, and the chick was suitably caught, ringed and then set free again.

Caroline McKerrow: Stormy Hill
March was a quiet month, but the highlight was a sighting of two Bushbuck.

David and Wizz Lawrence: The Willows
Three Grey Crowned Cranes flying overhead.

An unusual incident occurred when soot from the fireplace was being irritatingly released. The reason became apparent, when a Barn Owl flew out from the hearth, and into the kitchen, where Wizz caught it and set it free whereupon it flew immediately towards “Gramarye”. The Owl appeared thin, hungry and thirsty – apparently having been in the chimney for some while before it eventually managed to get past the draft release lever.

Rob Geldart: Boston View and Watershed
The usual pair of Wattled Cranes from the pan on “Myrtle Grove” together with their chick, now well grown. African Fish-Eagles are seen fairly often.

Christeen Grant: Sitamani
March is the month when a touch of autumn creeps in, the grass is starting to turn gold, a crispness in the air, but still storm clouds on the horizon. March is also the month of Moths and Mushrooms and there have been many!

A delightful Striped Stream Frog Strongylopus fasciatus sprang across the grass this morning outside the kitchen door, then obligingly waited for me to fetch my camera for a photo shoot! The house is about 150m from the nearest stream, so perhaps it is looking for a winter hibernation spot.

Striped Stream Frog – Strongylopus fasciatus

The Speckled Pigeons were most indignant when the planks that supported their nest were moved after their fledgling had flown. Happily they approve of the new arrangement and have already almost reared their youngest juvenile.

Speckled Pigeon juvenile

Three flowers caught my eye, a first identification of Berkheya echinacea, also seen Helichrysum cooperi and the delicately elegant Hesperantha baurii.

Berkheya echinacea

Helichrysum cooperi

Hesperantha baurii

Some interesting insects in and around the house, the Mottled Veld Antlion flew in one evening,

Mottled Veld Antlion

I know where their larvae pits are in dry sandy soil.

Mottled Veld Antlion larvae pits

The excerpt from Q&A Insects and Spiders of southern Africa (pub Struik 1993 S. Matthews, illustr. C. Grant) describes the larvae feeding habits.

The excerpt from Q&A Insects and Spiders of southern Africa (pub Struik 1993 S. Matthews, illustr. C. Grant)

Cockroaches of the Hostilia sp.

Cockroach: Hostilia sp.

Cockroach: Hostilia sp

and this lovely Preying Mantis were also seen.

Common Mantid sp.

Many varied size, colour and shaped moths have settled for daytime rest. Some I haven’t been able to identify, if anyone can help I would be most grateful! Clouds of small dark moths flutter beneath the trees during the day, I think they are the daytime Handmaiden Amata sp..

Handmaiden Amata sp.

Others include Plated Footman Sozusa scutellata, Pretoria Red Lines Cyana pretoriea and six more moths.

Plated Footman – Sozusa scutellata

Pretoria Red Lines – Cyana pretoriea

Unidentified moth (1)

Unidentified moth (2)

Unidentified moth (3)

Unidentified moth (4)

Unidentified moth (5)

Unidentified moth (6)

After each showery day multitudes of fungi appear, (I haven’t managed to identify all of them); Bolete or Cep, Blusher Amanita rubescens, Earth-star, Fly Agaric Amanita muscaria, Cinnabar Bracket Pycnoporus sanguineus and two more.

Bolete or Cep

Blusher – Amanita rubescens

Earth-star

Fly Agaric – Amanita muscaria

Tropical Cinnabar Bracket – Pycnoporus sanguineus

Unidentified Fungi (1)

Unidentified Fungi (2)

Cape Serotine bats Pipistrellus capensis flit at dusk and dawn. Common Reedbuck come to the greener grass near the house to graze at night. Duiker pick their way through the long grass and almost every evening the Black-backed Jackal call.

Dargle Wildlife Sightings – January 2015

Helen Booysen – Crab Apple Cottages

Nests in Kev’s vlei – look at the workmanship of the Thick Billed Weaver.

Brunsvigia have just begun to flower.

Barend holding a very ‘live’ Boomslang.

A very beautiful moth.

David Crookes – Copperleigh Farm

Crasulla alba

Rose and Barry Downard – Oak Tree Cottage

Birds: Black widowfinches (males and females) seen for the first time in our garden. Redbilled Woodhoopoes, Sunbirds – amethyst and double-collared, Paradise Flycatchers, Wagtails, Sparrows, crested Eagle, Kites, Guineafowls, Storks, African Black Duck. A pair of Herons were regular visitors to our property for some time, but unfortunately the skeletal remains of one of the Herons has been found.

Others: Chameleon (female). Lots of skinks – adults and juveniles. Surprisingly no snakes have been seen although they must be around.

A creepy finding – hundreds of baby spiders just emerging from their nest. Within a few minutes all the spiders had completely disappeared in amongst the foliage.

A huge number of mushrooms came up in our garden in December and have since shrivelled up in the hot weather this month.

Our dogs were fascinated by the mushrooms but thankfully they didn’t eat any, and neither did we, as we’re not sure which mushrooms are poisonous.

Ashley Crookes – Copperleigh Farm

We had some strong storms this past month.

Garden and driveway getting flooded.

A few trees were blown over or snapped in half. We also had quite a bit of rain fall which was welcome as it’s been so dry.

Pine tree blown over on the farm.

Tree down, Inhlosane behind.

Brave Crab that was on the lawn.

Cabbage Tree and Aloe at Barrett’s.

Natal Green Snake slithering between the pot plants

Dandelions with Inhlosane watching over.

Bullfrog that was making a racket outside our dining room one evening. I think he got stage fright, as I took this picture he froze in this position and didn’t make another.

Dragon Fly

Resident Swallows

Red and black locust

Nikki Brighton – Old Kilgobbin Farm

So many wonderful summer flowers in the less disturbed areas. A first for me on Old Kilgobbin is Miroglossa verticillare

An old favourite, Eulophia clavicornis – but flowering months later than usual.

Lots of wild Agapanthus campanulatus

Exceptionally cheerful Berkheya setifera attended by beetles

Buchnera simplex (used as a love charm in traditional medicine)

Senecio – not sure of the species, possibly isatideus.

Aloe boylei near the famous old Dargle oak tree.

Think this must be Cephalaria, but I am not certain. There are masses of white heads of Cephalaria pungens bobbing in the grassland with Vernonia natalensis right now.

Hermannia depressa hides in the tall grass.

Ajuga orphrydis

Ajuga orphydis

Silene burchellii – the Gunpowder plant

The beautiful indigenous bramble, Rubus ludwigii seems to be particularly visible this year.

Rare Brunsvigia undulata – dark red flowers can be seen from quite a distance in the grassland.

Zaluzianskya natalensis opens at dusk, so I was lucky to be up early enough to enjoy it before it closed again.

Pink splashes across the grassland right now are Watsonia densiflora.

Often see this pair of Blue Cranes who pay no attention to the arguments amongst the young bulls!

Gorgeous flash of the Yellow Bishop.

Reedbuck doe in a wetland, and many more in the hills.

Had two Barn Owls around for a while, screeching at night and flying low at dusk. A real treat. Need to get some owl boxes up soon! Plenty of tiny bats swooping about. A couple of times one came into my house and couldn’t get out.
Love all the Hadedas.

While I was away, Jethro took this photo of this snake in my house. I reckon an Olive House Snake. I’m delighted as it has obviously come to eat all the rats!

At the beginning of January, Dias cotonifolia were in full bloom, but they are all faded now.

Rowan Lancaster

Some very large hail stones which came down in a storm last month…

Marashene Lewis – Glengyle Farm

We have set up the Dargle Conservancy camera in our part of the forest near
a water stream.

It has been up for one week, and these are the best night photographs.

During the day there has been no movement past the camera.

We have rented the camera for 2 months and hope to capture a lot more of our forest dwellers.

Watsonia

Pelargonium luridum

Kniphofia

Invasive verbena

Cephalaria pungens

Crassula alba

Eulophia clavicornis

Helichrysum

Helichysum

Brunsvegia possibly undulata

Berkheya setifera

Asclepias macropus

Aloe cooperi

Agapanthus

Pap and Sandra Merrick – Albury Farm Lidgetton

What a surprise to find on our return from holiday a 2 week old (not sure, just going by last years photos) baby blue crane.

They had nested on a neighbouring farm as our dam had had very little water but they always faithfully return to us each year. I am not sure why, but am truly blessed by their continued presence on our farm.

We have had a number of birds nesting and hatching this month. Firstly the sparrows hatched out in the eaves under the roof next to our formal garden. Then the wagtails hatched out a 2nd set of babies (3) in the same jasmine creeper. The cape robin, whose picture I put in last months newsletter with nest material in her beak had made her nest in our large pot in the formal garden. She hatched out 3 babies.

We watched them on a daily basis. At 16 days old one disappeared and the other 2 had moved out of nest and sat in the shade of the shrub in pot. The next day they disappeared. The mother was totally traumatised and her distress calls were awful to hear. She searched in the flower beds and shrubs in the formal garden with myself on hands and knees checking as well, but to no avail. No sign of them at all and haven’t seen them since.

The wagtails disappeared same day and they are busily hopping around the garden. Our swallows hatched out 2 youngsters who kept flying into the house and veranda doors for 2 days. Then one morning I heard the mom twittering loudly next to our bedroom window. She was hopping around the youngster, trying to encourage the baby to fly. She eventually just sat and watched it and after a few minutes it flew off. On the 3rd day we found the one baby dead outside the bedroom window. He was soaking wet from the heavy dew during the cold night. The other swallow had broken its wing and I took it to Free Me. It died a few days later.The parents are back in the nest, so probably laying once more. The sparrows have taken over the other swallows nest under the eaves.

On the 7 January Pat saw a Serval at 7am at the end of our driveway and also a Duiker with her youngster. The Black-headed Heron has been in the garden on and off and have taken photos of him capturing a lizard and locust.

The female Amethyst Sunbird hatched out one baby beginning January. I only took photo on the 15th when he sat looking out of nest. He disappeared on the 19th January.

Female amethyst sunbird sitting on egg

our amethyst sunbird hatchling

Male Amethyst Sunbird

 

We have seen a lot of jackal hunting during the day. Our dogs attacked one and he tore my dogs ear. I saw one chasing a female reedbuck early one evening along the dam wall. He gave up after awhile and turned his attention to the Blue Crane who come to the dam each evening. They craaked loudly and he ran off thank goodness.

Pat saw a pair of Coucals and a Knysna Lourie near the natural bush opposite our farm next to Lythwood lodge. On another day we saw 2 male Reedbuck chasing 6 females across the dam and hills. This went on for some hours, so presumably some of them were on heat. We had a male Reedbuck sleeping and grazing in our garden for a week. I got quite close to him for a photo and noticed he had a lot of bumps on his face. On checking the photo, it looks like it could be warts or ticks. Would anyone know?

We have been woken by the Natal Spurfowl at 5.30am on a number of mornings in our garden, but the minute I open the curtain to take a photo, they run into the shrubbery. Pat saw a Sparrowhawk attack a swallow midair and as it flew off clutching the bird, the other swallows frantically chased it.

Red-billed Teal

 

Until a few days ago, our dam was very low with few water fowl, but since the wonderful rains over the past few days (77mls) our dam has risen considerably and the Shelduck are back. They have been seen down at the lions river about a kilometre from us, so that’s wonderful news as they have nested here for the past 3 or 4 years.

African Spoonbills

 

We are just so grateful for the rain as our stream had dried up and there were problems with our borehole.

Cape Longclaw

 

Thanks Dr Jason Londt for the identification: “The beast goes by the name Precis octavia  – commonly called the Gaudy Commodore. This is the red summer form of the butterfly – which has a darker blue winter form. One usually sees them sunning themselves with wings outstretched on a rock or on the ground. They are pretty common and widely distributed in the eastern parts of SA – certainly common over the entire province of KZN”

Gaudy Commodore with summer red

 

 

Other sightings include:

Toadstool

Thunbergia natalansis

Satyrium longicauda

Male malachite sunbird

Female malachite sunbird

 

 

Indigofera spicata

 

Gem-studded puff-ball

 

Brunsvigia natalansis

 

Aloe boylei

 

Dargle Wildlife Sightings – October 2014

Rob Mackintosh – Carlisle Farm

We had a mature bushbuck doe killed on the farm early this morning by a big cat, I have a feeling due to signs of the struggle it may have been a cape leopard. We have positively identified leopard spoor on the forest roads.

The bite marks on the neck, show the strangulation trait of a leopard suffocating prey. The carcass is still fresh and will be gone by the morning, due to the jackals.

The results of the autopsy on the carcass of the bushbuck “the bite marks and meat consumption, are very indicative of a leopard kill – but because the bites on the skull were not examined in detail, there is no proof that the bushbuck was killed by leopard”  We have quite regular kills here, every 2 – 4 weeks up on the forest margins, even adult reedbuck, (Redunca arundinum) although similar in size and mass to bushbuck.

Amanda Jones of African Small Cat Research commented: This is a fully grown adult bushbuck so not sure if a caracal would take one down but you never know. I have found a reference that says caracal can take up to adult bushbuck ewes, so we can’t rule out caracal.  If anyone has a trail camera nearby next time a kill is found, great idea to put it near the carcass, as the cat may come back at night.

I can’t see on the pics the teeth marks too clearly.  There should be two sets of bite marks from the upper and lower canines either on the windpipe or on the spine. For Caracal average width between the teeth marks is 29mm between the upper set and 23mm between the lower set and for Leopard 45mm / 35mm.

Simon and Debbie Hayes – Hambledon

I found this snake on our lawn which the dogs had unfortunately killed. I couldn’t identify it.

(Ashley: A search on the internet turned up this webpage so I believe it is a Herald snake or Red-lipped snake: http://academic.sun.ac.za/capeherp/cederberg/snakesherald.htm)

This fallen lemon attracted a swarm of bees.

Rose and Barry Downard – Oak Tree Cottage

The hot dry weather last month attracted much bird activity around our bird bath, with sparrows, weavers, cape robins, mousebirds, white-eyes, orioles, bulbuls, drongos and lots of olive thrushes all trying to claim the bath for themselves. Due to the demand for the bird bath, we set up a couple more baths around the garden which needed topping up regularly due to water evaporation and splashing birds.

There was a great commotion one day with much hadeda squawking, and on investigation, we saw at least 16 hadedas flying overhead and circling our jacaranda tree where a gymnogene was perched. A pair of crows joined in but were more intent on chasing everyone away from their nest in a tree nearby. Eventually the gymnogene flew off with a squadron of hadedas in hot pursuit behind him!

After the heavy rain and hail recently, we discovered two dead female blackheaded orioles. They did not appear to be injured, so the extreme weather may have been too much for them. A couple of male orioles have since been heard calling loudly.

Other birds seen: Black sparrowhawk (melanistic form), herons, egrets, Fish Eagles, yellowbilled kite, guineafowls, amethyst and doublecollared sunbirds, wagtails, prinias, southern boubou, rameron pigeons, doves, fiscal shrike, swifts and swallows. A pair of Paradise Flycatchers have also been flying about the garden and are our favourite birds to watch. Heard: Redchested Cuckoo, Burchell’s Coucal.  Also seen: Butterflies and moths – including Silver-striped Hawk Moth (Hippotion celerio)

Ashley Crookes – Copperleigh Farm

The Spurwing Geese were feeling very brave one morning, they were all right next to the house, checking the reflections of themselves out in the veranda glass doors. I captured a few shots before they all took off onto the dam.

Earlier in the month I was taking some salt lick out for the cows, and I was about to dump a bag of it into one of their tyres when I saw this little guy perched on the inside. He’d managed to get in alright, there was a bramble growing next to the tyre but then he couldn’t get out so I took his mugshot and then gave a helping hand. Not sure if it’s a shrew or mouse?

The porcupine is obviously out and about as well – left his calling card…

This is what the farm looked like after the massive hail storm, sadly we lost two sheep from the cold and wet.

Our driveway with all the hail. Inhlosane is in the background, can’t see it hidden behind the mist and rain clouds.

Patrick and Sandra Merrick – Albury farm

This has not been a great month for photography due to howling winds, grey and misty days. Pat saw a pair of Natal red rock rabbits in garden one night. The large grey mongoose is back swimming in the ponds and my rottie had another fight with it and came off second best. The mongoose bit through the nail and top of his paw. He is a warrior in the water and our rottie hates water.

We have seen the secretary bird on numerous occasions.

For 3 days he arrived every evening and landed on a Halleria lucida tree about 200 metres down the valley. He would jump up and down flapping his wings for about a minute and then disappear into the tree. We found this behaviour very strange and went down the next morning to see if there was a nest inside the tree but could find nothing.

A pair of gymnogene flew over the house and I got a pic of one flying off the dead tree.

The wagtails hatched out one egg in our jasmine creeper but youngster died, probably the heavy rain last week and cold. They are now building another nest in the other jasmine creeper.

The red throated wry neck is still calling for a mate standing next to the hollow gate post. I said last month that the seed eaters eating on the lawn were red shouldered widows, but now that their wings have grown, their colouring has changed, so they are actually redcollared widows.

On the day of the big hail storm our 2 blue crane landed close to the house and I got some nice pics. Now that there is a puddle in the dam they come almost every evening to wade. When I and the dogs walked past them one evening, they came towards us with wings held up halfway, crawked loudly for awhile and then proceeded to hop, skip and jump around with wings held high. They were only 10metres from us and I like to think they were greeting us and saying “here we are again waiting for the dam to fill so that we can lay our eggs once again”.

Have seen male and female duiker together and separately and still a lot of reed buck.

One morning while I was in the bedroom I spied the Southern bou bou racing across the lawn. The next second she had a snake in her beak. (It was the day of the big storm) About 30cm long and 1.5cm thick. It was in a tight coil and thrashing about, so could not see the head which she had in her beak. Silver belly and grey on top.  The black flycatcher tried to get in on the action but she was having none of it. I suddenly realised that I was supposed to be photographing this but camera in kitchen and by the time I got back she had hopped into the shrubs and was busy pecking at it. As I had to go out I did not venture into the bushes to have a look but when I got back home, went and checked, but nothing left.

Heart breaking day for us. On 19th October we found a dead male oribi. He had stumpy horns and 2 lower teeth, so presumably a youngster. The ngunis were standing over his body and I thought that they had attacked him, but on investigation found that there was a large hole in the back side, and that was all that had been eaten making us wonder if the ngunis had chased the animal away. Our immediate thought was jackal but was told that they usually eat the stomach first, so we now think it may have been a caracal. We went to check the body again on Monday morning, there was nothing left! I must say we were stunned. What could have taken or eaten an entire buck including the skeleton?

Neville van Leyleveld comments: “This Oribi kill is definitely by Caracal. The feeding pattern is the tell-tale as they always only eat about a kg of the meat from the rump or from the soft inner of the rear legs. As far as the rest of the carcass that was eaten is concerned – that would have been jackal and probably bush pig.”

We still see our female oribi every few days thank goodness. We had never seen this male oribi before.

Cape Robin

Black Sunbird

Drakensberg Prinia

Lesser double collared Sunbird

Guerneys Sugarbird

Malachite Sunbird

Red faced Mousebird

Yellow eyed Canary

This Cape White eye was chased into the window. I retrieved it and put it on the windowsill in the sun to warm up and recover. It flew off after ten minutes thankfully.

Veronia oligocephala

Eriosema distinctum

Pentanisia prunelloides

Brandon Powell – Bukamanzi Cottage

The swallows are back and fixing up their nest in the cottage’s eaves.

They love to take it in turns to fly into the sitting room and preen in front of the spotty old mirror there (does anyone know why they do this?) although they’ve yet to perch on the bedposts again like they sometimes did last year, which was a real Brothers Grimm moment.

We had a magnificent fire-break evening on the D17 – the flames sometimes two storeys high and reflected wonderfully in the dam.

Thankfully the rains followed and things are greening up again.

Isn’t this the most beautiful time of year? Look at these photos taken this month only two weeks apart, each week getting greener.

I’m keeping a lookout for the resident genet (I haven’t seen him in a while) and for the Paradise Flycatcher that swooped over my head last weekend – the first one I’ve seen on this side of the Dargle.

Dieter Setz – Wakecroft

Did not see many animals on Wakecroft the past month but mushrooms are a welcome sight. Here we have the Pamaeolus Papilionaceus

Found these Coprinus plicatilis or Japanese Umbrella

This Field Mushroom is on the menu almost every day now.

Some of the invading plants are in full bloom like the American Bramble

The Wattle is also in full bloom

The Crow talks to me every morning

The Fly catcher is enjoying the abundance of flies and rests in between on my fence outside my window.

The Locusts are everywhere. This one did not make it across the road.

Helen Booysen – Kilgobbin Cottage

Lovely wildflowers spotted on my drives across the hills, including Raphionacme hirstua

Graderia scabra

Helichrysum ecklonis

More summer flowers in the Asclepias Family

These photos below were taken by one of our guests, Marzena Banasiak, at Crab Apple Cottages.

Rafiki the Samango and junior eating blossoms

Kat Herrington – Aloe Ridge Huge hailstorm in the valley

Jethro Bronner spotted these Dassies on Inhlosane during the Dargle Conservancy Spring Hike.

Nikki Brighton – Old Kilgobbin Farm

So much activity this month – porcupines eating my arum lily and sorrel roots, rabbits running around (love the early light glowing through their pink ears), samango monkeys with babies clinging to their tummies

seriously noisy tree dassies at night, two Oribi bounding across the hills, Bushbuck, plenty of Duiker and Reedbuck.

My garden is awash with White Eyes. Other busy birds include swee waxbills, drongos, mousebirds, Drakensberg Prinia, Thrushes, Choristor and Cape Robins, Southern Boubous and Spurfowl. Heard the first African Black Cuckoo of 24 October, joining the chorus of the Red Chested and Klaas’s cukoos. Stone Chats follow me on my walks.

Saw 2 Blue Cranes flying overhead a couple of times, African Harrier Hawk, Jackal Buzzards, YB Kites,  Crowned Eagle and a raptor I couldn’t identify. Hear Burchells Coucal early mornings and Wood Owls at night. Watched this little wagtail splash in a puddle for ages.

Grasslands coming alive with flowers. Natal Crocus, Nemesia, Watsonia, Helichrysum, Cyrtanthus (fire lilies), Kohautia, Monopsis, Clerodendrum hirsutum, Tulbaghia

Ledebouria, Raphionacme, Acalypha, Limosella, Pentanisia, Hypoxis, Hermizygia, Lots and lots of beautiful mushrooms (feasting on the field ones, but treat others with respect) Frogs are active now, quite deafening at night.  This little Night Adder didn’t make it through the fires.

Remember: The public is invited to continue to submit roadkill data and photographs. Participants should specify the location of the roadkill (preferably GPS co-ordinates), try to identify the species seen and record the date on which it was seen.    Recorded roadkill sightings and photographs can be sent to roads@ewt.org.za and via the EWT’s Road Watch South Africa smartphone app which can be downloaded on http://www.prismsw.com/roadwatch/android/RoadWatchSouthAfrica.apk. The South African iTunes store also offers a facility to download the EWT’s Road Watch app for iPhone users. Additional information is available on www.ewt.org.za.      Three members of the public who accurately record and submit the most roadkill sightings between 1 November 2014 and 31 January 2015 will win prizes.    Prizes up for grabs include:

• Two Desert Fox 5L fuel cells, two Halogen spot light sets, and a set of off-road tyres, (Courtesy of Bike Gear);
• Two Zeus zs2100B helmets, five P1 lubes and five tyre repair kits, (Courtesy of FG Enterprises)