Archive for January 30, 2012

Day 6 – Tembe Elephant Reserve

Lacey / January 30, 2012 / No comments

Time to say good bye to Kosi Bay as the boys set out at 6:30 am to head once more to their Hluhluwe accommodation at Umkhumbi Lodge.

But whilst we’re driving past Tembe Elephant Reserve, it would be wrong not to go in… wouldn’t it? :)

Don’t let the name fool you, Tembe Elephant reserve is about much more than just Elephants! There are countless bird species as well as many different game animals. Although saying that, it is also fantastic for elephants, after turning a corner in the park whilst tracking down a bird they came across about 14 elephants just loitering on and to the side of the road.

They certainly had fun as they stayed in the park from gate open to gate close and arrived back at Umkhumbi Lodge just in time for a fantastic 3 course dinner under the stars.

Category: Activities, Extreme Nature Tour, Jason and Adam, New friends / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Day 5 – Kosi Bay Turtle Tour

Lacey / January 29, 2012 / No comments

An early start for Jason and Adam today as they head up to Ndumo Game reserve for a full day of fantastic bird and animal sightings.

Only one thing can top a great day, and that is going on a Turtle tour.
Sea turtles who usually live in the deep deep depths come on land between November and February each year to lay their eggs. Female turtles must climb from the water up the beach (the pure physical exertion as they make their way across the soft sand causes the bodies of these cold blooded creatures to radiate an astounding level of heat) before they dig their nests and lay their clutches of over 100 eggs! After this the turtle must then close the nest and then make her way back to the sea.

Baby sea turtles when they hatch have to break through the egg, dig out of the sand and make their way down to the water. What a lot to do on your first day in the world!

Jason and Adam were lucky enough to see three little hatchlings on their way to the water. One of them looked very weak, and was struggling to make it across the soft sand – law states that you are not permitted to touch them or help them in any way – and this troubled Jason and Adam. Using his torch Adam led them on their perilous journey down to the water, safeguarding them from any beach predators who may want to take advantage of these juicy little morsels.

It was quite an emotional moment for the boys as the last little hatchling dipped into the water, I am sure there was even a tear present in Jasons eye! The boys kept watching the water, looking just in case the little ones washed back to shore again, but no – they were ok and off to start their little life adventures.

Then, around the corner, 10, 20, 30, 40 hatchlings fresh from the eggs and emerging from the nest. It was like a motorway during rush hour as they made their way to the water. 50, 60 and still more were coming even as they walked a little further down the beach.

A little further along they found a female logger head turtle in the process of laying her eggs. Sitting nearby they watched her as she finished, filled the nest and made her way back to the water.

(Turtle tours can also be booked from Umkhumbi Lodge)

Category: Activities, Amangwane Kosi Bay, Extreme Nature Tour, Jason and Adam, New friends, Wetland Park Group / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Day 4 – Kosi Bay Snorkelling

Lacey / January 28, 2012 / No comments

Snorkelling is the plan today! Armed with our goggles, snorkels and flippers we clambered into the Land Cruiser ready for Tommy to drive us down to Kosi Bay mouth estuary. It is possible to walk down, but after a long day snorkelling driving back up the hill is much nicer! when we got down to the water the tide was extremely high, obviously we had over-estimated quite how much time we would need to stop so Jason could take pictures of Cisticolas (only joking Jason, I know they were cormorants really…! ;) )

The best part about getting down to the estuary when it is still high tide is that as the water recedes across the estuary mouth, islands of sand appear littered with the small sea-life that water birdsclass as delicacies. This brings water-birds flocking (pardon the pun) for an easy snack. The sand dunes were teeming with birds such as tern as we walked around the edges of the estuary mouth in search of crabs, snakes, birds, lizards and anything thing else that moved!

As quickly as the tide rises, it drops, so we didnt have to wait for long before we could wade across the estuary mouth to the reef.
At first glance the area of water containing the reef raises a few sceptical looks and raised eyebrows from all who have yet to experience it.

The best way to view the reef is to walk to the top and float down across the reef with the current, it is lazy snorkelling, no effort needed, the best kind of snorkelling!

Jason and Adam saw (to name a few – there are so many!);
- Terns
- Cormorants
- Black Mangrove seed pod
- Shoals and shoals of un-identified baby fish
- Pink Clawed fiddler crabs
- Ring Cowrie
- Ramshorn shell
- Coneshell
- Honeycomb moray eel
- Occelated snake eel
- Bandtail cardinal
- Ninestripe cardinal
- Striped grunter
- one spot snapper
- Bream
- Mussel cracker (juvenile)
- Big eye stumpnose (juvenile)
- small scale purse mouth
- old woman (juvenile)
- emperor angelfish (juvenile)
- double sash butterfly fish (juvenile)
- Boomerang trigger fish
- Spotted toby

Check out the pictures on our Kosi Bay site!

And most importantly the lesser-spotted reef dwelling snorkel fish (losticus Jasonus).

After hours and hours of floating around in the estuary (it is surprisingly tiring, but well worth it) it was time to retreat back to Amangwane Kosi Bay for a braai (BBQ to us pommies) and bush TV (fire).

Steak and boerewors (sausage), pap n’ sous (local maize meal and sauce – tasty), potato salad (Africa style), coleslaw, fresh bread and salad. Needless to say we all went to bed on exceptionally full stomachs as it was too good to leave any!

Category: Activities, Amangwane Kosi Bay, Birding, Extreme Nature Tour, Jason and Adam, New friends, Wetland Park Group / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Day 3 – Kosi Bay

Lacey / January 27, 2012 / No comments

Amangwane at Kosi Bay is one of my favourite places, so imagine my joy when we were to go to Kosi Bay for three nights looking for more birds to tick off of Jason and Adams substantial birdlist!

Part of the beauty of Kosi Bay is that it is not too far from <a href=”www.umkhumbilodge.co.za”>Hluhluwe</a> where Umkhumbi Lodge is based. This means that you do not have to set out at stupid o’clock in the morning to reach your destination. Taking advantage of this the two boys went for a mornings drive around False Bay where despite the unusual wind (thought to be because of cyclone Funso) they still managed to get some sighting;

- dabchick
- white breasted cormorant
- greater flamingo
- african white backed-vulture
- woolynecked stork
- little egret
- hadeda ibis
- white headed vulture
- black winged stilt
water dikkop
swift (greater crested) tern
brown-hooded kingfisher

 

Then it was time to drive to kosi bay, this provided even more sightings to tick off the list. On the way we spotted;

- pied kingfisher
- yellow billed kite
- palm nut vulture
- brimstone canary

And of course countless Cisticola, sunbirds, swallows (all of which were flying too quickly across the road and into thethick bush for us to ID whilst in a car (this is despite Jasons well practiced braking skills…).

 

We arrived at Kosi Bay early enough to deposit our gear in our en-suite reed chalets and have a drink or two before heading to the viewpoint to see what other creatures we could find (of both the winged and wingless varieties.)

Kosi Bay Viewpoint birding

The boys relax and chat at the viewpoint

Here you go Jason, the moths you wanted a picture of

The viewpoint is spectacular, with beautiful sunsets and even more magnificent sunrises. And we arrive there – after an interpretive walk with Tommy informing us about the different plants and trees and identifying the countless tracks in the sand that we point out to him – to the beginnings of an African sunset. If you have not yet seen one, it is impossible to describe the colours as the sun rays play on the clouds, even long after the sun has hidden behind the mountains and hills.

Kosi Bay viewpoint interpretive walk

Tommy identifies the tracks in the sand.

Kosi bay viewpoint birding

The boys try and identify the birds sitting on the fishtraps

 

Category: Amangwane Kosi Bay, Birding, Extreme Nature Tour, Jason and Adam, New friends, Wetland Park Group / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Day 2 – Hluhluwe Imfolozi

Lacey / January 26, 2012 / No comments

Day 2 – Hluhluwe-Imfolozi
Thankfully it was not a baking hot day in the park today! The sun was out, there was no chill on the breeze (except at 5 o’clock in the morning maybe) and the bird sightings were fantastic!

hamerkop
woolynecked stork
hadeda ibis
african white backed-vulture
lappet faced vulture
white headed vulture
yellow billed kite
wahlbergs eagle
african hawk eagle
martial eagle

brown snake eagle
steppe buzzard
forest buzzard
natal francolin
three-banded plover
blacksmith plover
wattled plover
wood sandpiper
water dikkop
bronze-winged courser

cape turtle (ring necked) dove
laughing dove
green (emerald) spotted dove
*purplecrested turaco
burchells coucal
mozambique nightjar
horus swift
speckled mouse bird
redfaced mousebird
malachite kingfisher

little bee-eater
african woodhoopoe
red-billed woodhoopoe
trumpeter hornbill
cardinal woodpecker
bearded woodpecker
rufous naped lark
sabota lark
eurasian swallow
greater striped swallow

lesser striped swallow
fork-tailed drongo
black-eyed bulbbul (common)
fantailed (zitting) cisticola
cloud cisticola
levaillants cisticola
lazy cisticola
neddicky
spotted flycatcher
african dusky fly catcher

african paradise fly catcher
yellow-throated longclaw
fiscal shrike
red-backed shrike – this rare bird turned out to be the most common bird in the park today!
southern boubou
brubru
southern tchagra
(three-streaked) brown crowned tchagra
wattled starling
(cape) glossy starling

red-winged starling
red-billed oxpecker
white bellied sunbird
scarlet chested sunbird
house sparrow
southern-grey headed sparrow
spotted backed (village) weaver
redcollared widow
blue waxbill (blue-breasted cordon-bleu)
pintailed whydah

long-tailed (eastern) paradise whydah
dusky indigobird (black widowfinch)
yellow fronted canary
streaky headed seedeater
golden breasted bunting
(cinnamon-breasted) rock bunting

There may also be one or two that have been forgotten on the list, Jason will find out when he goes through the pictures.

And then of course, as a sidenote they also spotted some non-avian species too, such;

chacma baboon
vervet monkey
african elephant
white rhino
warthog
burchells zebra
giraffe
blue wildebeest
impala
buffalo
nyala
leopard tortoise
bells hinged tortoise

All in all, not a bad days game viewing!
As with all the best days, no day would be complete without the telling of stories over a beer in the lappa before dinner.

Hluhluwe accommodation, south africa

Stories and bragging rights exchanged at the bar :)

Category: Activities, Birding, Extreme Nature Tour, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi, Jason and Adam, New friends / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

FC01 – Day 33

Lacey / January 26, 2012 / No comments

26/01/2012

10:00 – 26.4c

FC01 was still in the same patch of bush as the previous couple of days. Great we thought, it has found another place to chill.

18:40 – 25.6c

But no.

Due to its positioning near the gate, for the last couple of days we have been checking position as we drive past. As we returned from town we checked, fully expecting it to be once more still in the bush – but it was gone.

We checked once more outside the fence line, just in case it had decided to move on once more, but not there either. Ok, we thought, must have gone the other way into our neighbours property. So we checked all along the perimeter line of our property, and then all of a sudden, there it was -bip- -bip- then it started to get louder -beep- -beep- -beep-.

FC01 was heading our way.

Slinking through the bush towards us was FC01 (it was actually quite strange to see it on the floor)!

Forest Cobra South Africa

Slinking towards us was FC01

Constantly looking around and tasting the air, we knew it was hunting, or at least looking for prey. FC01 then started making its way into a tree (this is what we are familiar with) when it suddenly paused, raised its head, tasted the air, turned and made its way slowly, silently back to the ground where it hid.

Forest Cobra in bush

FC01 can smell lunch....

We initially thought that it had been spooked by us but we were still hidden, still and quiet.

Then we heard a little ‘wuarck’ — ‘wuarck’ — ‘wuarck’ .

Elephant Shrew!

We held our breath, too scared to move a muscle lest we disturb either FC01 or Elephant Shrew and interfere with nature – not to mention of course the selfish desire to see it catch wild prey (or for that matter, see how the Elephant Shrew would escape).

The Elephant Shrew seemed oblivious to both us and the Forest Cobra as he scuttled around munching on the different bugs and insects it came across as it fussed in the leaf litter.

Still unable to see FC01 (but knowing where he us) we watched the Elephant Shrew as he wandered off in the direction of FC01, then we heard a scuffle and the Elephant Shrew came shooting past us. We could still hear it as it went into the bush a few minutes later ‘waurcking’ and shuffling the leaves. So we presume that FC01 missed and the Elephant Shrew got away. It was at this point that we decided to leave FC01 to his hunting.

Category: FC01, Forest Cobra Project, Phase 2 / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

FC01 – Day 32

Lacey / January 25, 2012 / No comments

25/01/2012
8:00

FC01 was still inside the termite mound (Day 10, 29-32) this morning. But lots of rain today and we want to see if it was the rain that caused FC01 to leave the termite mound last time so we will check again later.

 

NB:
25/01/2012
18:30

It would appear our suspicions are correct as despite the rain (and relatively cold temperatures) FC01 has journeyed approx 400m to a new location within the property.

Category: FC01, Forest Cobra Project, Phase 2 / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Day 1 – Arrival – Nature Tour

Lacey / January 25, 2012 / No comments

We have another nature tour on the go at the moment, but this time the focus is on birds (everything else as well – but mostly bird).
It is off to a great start though! Tired and weary having just landed in South Africa, Jason and Adam made their way to Umkhumbi Lodge, pulling in the gate they saw a Cattle egret, hadeda ibis and a long crested eagle.
Jason and Adam then made the mistake of just having a ‘quick’ lie down, no one can just lie down here – the beds draw you into deep deep sleep as soon as your head hits the pillow usually! But they both woke up in time for dinner, steak was on the menu – no one wants to miss the tender beef steak!
But an early night for the boys as they have an early morning tomorrow with a full day game drive at Hluhluwe-Imfolozi game reserve which is only a 35 minute drive away from Umkhumbi Lodge.

Category: Birding, Extreme Nature Tour, Jason and Adam, New friends / Tags: , , , , , ,

FC01 – Day 30

Lacey / January 23, 2012 / No comments

23/01/2012
8:00am

Well, good news, FC01 – Forest Cobra #1 – is still here. It was sunning itself in the trees but we couldn’t see it, so we moved closer into the bush and the signal stopped, holding our breaths we waited. It could have been above us, to the left of us or to the right but without the signal we were unable to be sure. Then it was back – bip – bip – bip….

Behind us!

The crafty little thing managed to snake (no pun intended) its way down from the trees and circle around us before entering its hole!!

So we again have no visual of the Forest Cobra but it does seem to have taken up (possibly temporary) residence on the property once more.

Tracking the South African Forest Cobra in our telemetry project

In the bush, FC01 is somewhere nearby but we can't see it - then the signal disappeared!

Forest Cobra residence, Day 30 - termite mound

Using a different door, FC01 has moved back into the same termite mound he moved into on day 10


…………………………………………………

Category: FC01, Forest Cobra Project, Phase 2 / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

FC01 – Day 29 – The Wanderer Returns

Lacey / January 22, 2012 / No comments

Hi everbody,
Things have been quite quiet regarding FC01; but never fear I am about to tell you why.

Day 26 – FC01 has made the most of the cooler weather and has ventured into the Pineapple fields.

Day 27 – As the hot weather approaches FC01 has crossed over the road and entered a nearby property seeking cooler areas.

Day 28 – FC01 did not appear to be comfortable in his location yesterday and has ventured further into the property, but is again skirting along the fence line.

Day 29 – FC01 has decided to return to Umkhumbi Lodge!! We tracked the Forest Cobra around a neighbouring property for 4 hours before it returned to Umkhumbi Lodge. See below for its route, click on the points for the times. Total distance moved 962m during the day!


View FC01 Day 29 in a larger map

Category: FC01, Forest Cobra Project, Phase 2 / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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