Squirrels!

 While in Cape Town working on my thesis I had my birthday, and I decided what I really wanted to do was go and feed the squirrels. So off we went on Saturday to Company Gardens with a picnic basket packed to find some squirrels. It turned out to be a most beautiful day, although a little on the hot side! We arrived around 1pm and as soon as we walked in the gate we bought some peanuts to feed and squirrels and the pigeons. The search for squirrels began, nevermind about the pigeons! We found a few and our bags of peanuts became a little lighter but they were not present in the large numbers I had envisioned, all tucked up in trees for an afternoon siesta. We decided to give squirrel hunting a break and have our lunch. Finding a shady spot was a challenge as the Gardens were rather busy and everyone was wanting to escape the heat of the sun.

Streeetch!

  

Time for a snooze.

With full stomachs we lazed about on the picnic blankets, all the while keeping an eye out for the furry tailed critters. Unfortunately, the idea to 'leave only footprints' is one not supported by all who visit the Gardens resulting in squirrels and feral pigeons not being the only creatures living there. A deceptive squirrel looking rat or two scrounged around picnic sites and bins, enjoying the anthropogenic smorgasbord left by picnickers.

After lunch and relaxation the hunt for squirrels continued. In a shaded avenue with only a bookworm to share it with we found a number of squirrels hungry for peanuts! The braver few even climbed onto our laps, and went digging through the packet of nuts, stuffing their cheeks full! It was really interesting to see how two particular individuals had a hidden stash of nuts nearby which they would dig open, add the nuts they had just received, before covering them up with soil and brushing natural fallen vegetation to hide their digging activities. Very cool! All in all a really spectacular afternoon!

Squirrel selfie!

Juluiene and Lisa feeding Koos the squirrel.

And the birds also needed a snack!

Caspian Terns

After returning from Blue Hill Escape, Mark, Selena and I made a quick trip to Keurbooms Peninsula to hopefully ring an especially exciting bird. On a previous trip with Felix searching for entangled gulls, we came across the Caspian Terns fiercely defending.. something. I was hesitant to disturb them anymore than our presence already had but managed to take some photos from afar. Once home and the photos were downloaded and magnified, what appeared to be two fluffy bundles were the objects of the tern's protection. So, more than a week later found us on the peninsula to ring Caspian Tern chicks.

Mark went to the nest to assess the contents. There was no certainty about the status of the nest, if there were in fact chicks or whether the chicks (or chick) was of ringable age. Selena and I got the wave and we headed over eagerly! There were two chicks! Perfect size for ringing!

Mark and I each ringed a chick, and after a quick photo shoot we vacated the area. I feel so privileged to have been able to ring one of these amazing birds! Hopefully these two cuties will fledge and soon join the breeding population of this threatened species!

Kelp Gulls unhappy with the intrusion of a human!

What a cutie!

They do appear to blend in very well with the nest bowl.

Mark and I, very chuffed with the days ringing!

My, what a large mouth you have!

You're so cute when you're angry!

Blue Hill Escape

More recently I had the privilege of staying at Blue Hill Escape in order to assist Alan Lee with his Cape Rockjumper project. The aim of the weekend was to capture these spectacular fynbos-endemic birds to ring, take blood samples and potentially attach GPS transmitters. Our team arrived at Alan's Friday afternoon for a brief orientation slide show and run down on our weekend plans. After orientation we headed out on Friday afternoon to 'set the line' for Saturday morning's trapping attempt.

Catching Rockjumpers is not an easy feat. Using mistnets won't work, you can't use walk-in traps as with the gulls, instead you use springtraps. This is made more difficult by the territorial nature of Rockjumpers, which live in family groups. Thankfully, Alan has prior knowledge of the family groups at Blue Hill and knew where territories were, and where best to set the traps. Blue Hill is a collection of valleys and ridges; the wrinkles on a wise man's face. 'Setting the line' involves hiking up a ridge and setting up the springtraps along the ridge contour line, where each trap is on a collection of large rocks.

So Friday afternoon we set out, firstly for a bumpy 4x4 drive to the site and then a hike up to the ridge. Here we split into two teams, Kellyn and myself went left to a lookout spot on a higher ridge, while Daniël, Chrissie and Alan went to the opposite ridge to set the traps. Each trap needed to be visible from the lookout spot so a bird that was could could be easily seen and extracted, to assist in identification of trap locations a bright pink ribbon was tied to an available piece of fynbos a few meters away. The traps were merely placed, baiting them with super worms was Saturday mornings first order of business.

Saturday morning 3:30am came all too soon! We had a 4:00am meet time and breakfast needed to be had and lunch packed for a long hot day in the field. Unsurprisingly, everything looked different in the early morning so Kellyn and I had trouble finding our lookout spot, and finding the traps was even more challenging despite their identifying pink ribbons for Daniël and Chrissie. While we were busy with the trap line set up on Friday, Alan and Jessey set up another line of traps on a neighbouring ridge. We ended up with two teams, and each trap line needed to be actively checked every hour, and it took roughly an hour to walk the line and back to the lookout spot (depending who walked the line of course!). Chrissie and I took the first check of our line and were rewarded with two birds and an Armadillo Lizard, which we really struggled to get out of the netting with all its spikes! That, unfortunately, was our catch for the day! The guys fared slightly better with four birds and two lizards. By 1pm it was hot and quiet, and time to call it a day. We collected the traps and hiked to the bakkie for the bumpy trip back. After a refreshing shower, a nap was in order! As the site Alan wanted to trap at on Sunday was a full hour drive away we were going to set the line on Sunday morning and ended Saturday with a braai.

Sunday morning saw a bleary-eyed team meeting at 4am again for a bumpy ride to our trapping site. This time we broke into three teams, and Chrissie and I had the most successful morning catching four birds, while the others caught nothing.

Although we were unsuccessful in our attempt to trap Rockjumpers I ringed 5 lifers in two mornings, not bad! And the area is spectacular, truly. To sit up on a ridge overlooking fynbos covered valleys and peaks as far as the eye can see, feel a cool breeze upon sun warmed skin and breath crisp mountain air, life couldn't be better in that moment. Hiking up is another story, especially in my current horrendously unfit state, but once there, every drop of sweat and muscle complaint is totally worth it!

Sentinel Rock Thrush.

Cape Clapper Lark.

Familiar Chat.

Cape Bunting.

Long-billed Pipit.

Armadillo Lizard by-catch.

View from the lookout rock onto the ridge where the trap line was set. Spot any pink ribbons?!

Chutney the Meerkat, a furry friend to come home to.

Knysna Elephant Park

Things have been relatively quiet down my end of the world, I have been trying to focus on my writing, sometimes more successfully than others. Yesterday I went with Kelly and the kids, and Kellyn to Knysna Elephant Park for a free 'touch tour' in celebration of their 20th birthday. Knysna Elephant Park has received some bad press of late regarding allegations of maltreatment of the elephants so I imagine this was a well timed open day. Thankfully we arrived early and although the tour was free (usually R250 for adults) we were encouraged to buy vege buckets (R40 each times two kids) to feed the elephants, needless to say I imagine they made a tidy sum judging by the number of tours they were doing and the number of people walking around with vege buckets.

During an introductory talk it was stressed that the animals are all rescued in some way, and were not abused in the training process at the elephant park. Unfortunately the whole experience was otherwise minimally educational, with the focus on getting groups out to feed the elephants (a group of about 6 animals) and then you could have a brief touch and photo with one of the younger males.

It was a fascinating experience, and one I enjoyed, to be able to see these majestic large animals up close and personal, and feel the strength of an elephants trunk as it deftly scooped up an offering of carrot, orange, apple, gem squash, or sweet potato. The elephants are well trained and used to the rigmarole, they all walk to stand behind a metal barrier, jostling for position as the eager group and their vege buckets descend. If you are not careful your bucket may be ripped from your hands by an over eager trunk and so there is a tentative meeting of stretching trunks greedy for food, and nervous hands quickly retracted once the offering is taken.

Unfortunately there will always be a market for tours and activities such as those offered by the Knysna Elephant Park, but I do feel that the tour could be more educational. I, for one, will continue to prefer to see elephant herds in large national parks roaming free and wild!