Cape Town

So at long last I organised another trip to Cape Town. I had multiple reasons for going, perhaps the most important being that I had to give my project proposal presentation, ugh! Otherwise, I was attending an ‘introduction to mapping’ course, as well as the Fitztitute AGM, not to mention collecting all sorts of equipment. All in all it was a productive, but incredibly stressful time. I learnt how to use the Jammie shuttles (a free taxi service for UCT students), and managed to follow the crowd and not get lost. The presentation was well received I think, with many helpful suggestions and questions which challenged me, but has made this into a better, more well-rounded project. The mapping course opened my eyes to the gap in the discipline and the troubles I may face, but also showed me the support that is available for me. The AGM was so interesting, hearing all about what other students and lecturers are doing, very inspiring! And I have all sorts of gadgets to play with: GPS loggers, egg temperature loggers, a handheld weather station as well as a variety of not so interesting bits and pieces required for various aspects of the project. I also made some time for shopping, and managed to get 5 cheap golf shirts for the field season, so when they stink of sweat and gull poo and vomit I can happily throw them away! I also found the most amazing tie-dye hoodie, it’s the small things in life.. Leaving the stress of Cape Town was good, but leaving the friends I had spent time with proved most difficult. Varsity life and housemates can add so much to one’s life, and I am finding myself yearning for what I was comfortable to leave behind a year ago.

Egg temperature loggers to measure incubation temperatures.

A GPS logger which gets sealed into tubing before deployed on a bird.