24/04/2023 by Anne

FOCUS ON IMPALA

As beautiful as they are, impala (Aepyceros melampus), tend to be overlooked by tourists to large game parks, such as the Kruger National Park and others – mainly because they are on the constant lookout for ‘more exciting animals’. This is likely so because impala are the most common antelope of the bushveld regions of South Africa. One sees them everywhere and so it came as no surprise when our guide on a night drive through a section of the Kruger National Park declined to stop after we’d spotted a herd or two, laughingly dismissing them as ‘the MacDonalds of the bush’ because they are preyed upon by most predators. Here is a herd of impala ewes lying in the dry winter grass with a few waterbuck doing the same in the background.

I think they are rather elegant animals which deserve a closer look. You will notice that a narrow black line runs along the middle of the lower back to the tail, and a vertical black stripe appears on the back of each thigh.

Males (rams) and females (ewes) look similar, although only the rams have horns. It is intriguing to see that these animals mostly seem to keep their tail tucked down between their hind legs.

Those dark, brush-like tufts just above the heel on each hind leg cover important scent glands. These apparently release scent trails as the animal runs which enable lost individuals to regroup after the herd has scattered if they have been alarmed. The contrasting black and white markings mentioned earlier make an easy target to focus on while running, allowing for the herd to stay together in flight. Gathering in herds offer protection from predators, such as lions. An alert impala will bark out an alarm that puts the entire herd to flight. We have often seen flocks of Red-billed Oxpeckers alighting on the backs of impala to comb through their fur for ticks and other parasites.

During the rainy season, when food is plentiful, impala may gather in large herds of several hundred animals to browse on grasses and herbs, bushes, shrubs, pods, and shoots. On the other hand, we have seen them more scattered during prolonged drought periods. Even then, impala remain fairly close to a permanent water supply.

The breeding season for impala begins in March and continues during the early winter months. During this time the coat of the males darkens and they acquire a musky odour. Rutting occurs during early winter months. We found the unfamiliar snorting sound of rutting males quite scary one night while we were camping in the Moremi Game Reserve many years ago – we thought some leopards were nearby!

The dominant ram focuses on keeping his harem of ewes together, constantly herding them together by walking around them and even chasing straying females back to the group by emitting loud snorting and roaring sounds.

21/12/2022 by Anne

OUR RICH WILDLIFE

Every time we visit one of our national parks I am reminded of how fortunate we are to enjoy seeing a wide variety of wildlife. The poaching of white rhino is an ongoing concern in South Africa – even in our protected areas – and so I always feel privileged to see one of these creatures in the wild.

We are used to seeing black wildebeest in the Mountain Zebra National Park and so it is fun to see blue wildebeest in places such as the Kruger National Park (where all of these photographs were taken).

Cape buffalo occur in the Addo Elephant National Park too, but this one is covered with Red-billed Oxpeckers.

Of course it is always a pleasure to see elegant giraffe.

Impala have been brought into several private game reserves all over the country.

No trip to the Kruger National Park feels complete unless one comes across a lion or two.

04/07/2021 by Anne

ALONG THE SOUTHWELL ROAD

In search of a change of scenery, we decided to drive down the steep winding Woest Hill Pass which leads to the Southwell road that eventually takes one to the seaside town of Port Alfred. The pass has been cut through the side of the mountain, exposing the layers of rock:

On the opposite side of the road are lovely views of the Rietberg:

Along the way there are still many aloes in bloom:

One passes game farms, pineapple farms, quarries, goats and cattle. On this particular day we were fortunate to see roan antelope:

Thick bush lines much of the Southwell road:

Although the Woest Hill Pass is tarred, the rest of the road is gravel:

I was fortunate to spot a herd of impala ewes through the roadside grass and scrub:

I was still watching them when an impressive impala ram nudged his way into my view:

29/05/2020 by Anne

DIURNAL

What does the word diurnal conjure up for you? For some it may relate to things which occur on a daily basis, such as reading the newspaper (or news online), writing in a diary or keeping a journal of some sort. Its roots are deeply embedded in Latin: dies (day) and diurnus (daily) became diurnalis in Late Latin, from where it moved into Middle English.

I tend to think of ‘diurnal’ in terms of creatures that are active during the day. Among these are:

Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis) colloquially known as a Dassie – they can be seen basking in the sun on large rocks, particularly during mornings and late afternoons.

Springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis), South Africa’s national animal, are most active in the early mornings and late afternoons.

Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) tend to hunt early in the morning and late in the afternoon.

Impala (Aepyceros melampus) are mainly active during the day, except during the hot midday hours, and ruminate at night.

Southern Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri) forage during the day from sunrise until shortly before sunset.

Given my recent interest in butterflies, this quotation from Charles Darwin’s Descent of Man is pertinent:

During the night colours are not visible, and there can be no doubt that the nocturnal moths, taken as a body, are much less gaily decorated than butterflies, all of which are diurnal in their habits.

22/04/2020 by Anne

EARTH DAY 2020

Does one say ‘Happy Earth Day?’ Can it be a happy Earth Day when the planet is mantled by an unseen enemy that has brought the world’s population to its knees, caused hunger, uncertainty, fear, suspicion and concern to the fore on a scale that no climate change warnings, earthquakes, tsunamis or volcanoes have managed to do? The spread of the COVID-19 virus has isolated us, caused us to look inwards, to contemplate where we are, what we do and to question our future.

There is much to celebrate and Earth Day is an opportunity to focus on those good things: biodiversity, water, clean(er) air … life, living, loving, and caring for and about others – these are aspects that the down time the virus has brought to us. Time to think about the food we eat, where it comes from, what we eat, how much food we really need, how to be innovative about making meals from food we already have at home instead making a needless trip to the local supermarket.

The internet abounds with ideas on how to cook / bake with ever fewer ingredients; how versatile other ingredients can be as substitutes for those we have run out of. Are we eating less / more healthy food / snacking less? Those with gardens appear to be appreciating them more – I certainly do – and have greater empathy for those who do not.

Earth Day this year is one of contemplation and appreciation. As we have been housebound for 27 days now I look back with a sense of nostalgia to various trips we have undertaken to game reserves in South Africa – at the time, never doubting that we could return whenever we had both the time and the resources to get there. The virus had other ideas.

We do not have to travel very far to observe Cattle Egrets as flocks of them follow the Urban Herd around all day and many fly over our garden at the end of each day on their way to perch in one of the tall trees near the centre of town.

Ostriches are always a delight to see in the various game reserves we have visited in the country. We used to see a lot more being farmed around here – South Africa provides 60% of the ostrich-meat supply market despite farmers having to battle with problems such as drought and avian influenza – which has made these birds very familiar over time. They are still wondrous to see in the wild.