Whilst the bushbabies love to hang out in our sandforest here in Hluhluwe, they tend to run off at the sight of humans.
But now winter is coming and they have suddenly got very confident…
Be prepared for regular updates from these cheeky little monkeys!!
At Umkhumbi lodge we are proud to say that each room has a resident Velvet gecko (they stay outside, don’t worry!) The Velvet gecko is on the IUCN list due to it’s rarity. One species of the Velvet gecko is so rare that it was only recently rediscovered!
They are larger than the non-indigenous Tropical house geckos that are so prominent here in South Africa. They have been known to grow up to 120mm in length (and that is just the body, add the tail on as well and you have a fairly substantial portion of gecko!).
The scales of the Velvet Gecko overlap slightly giving it an almost velvet-like feel
So, I hear you ask, if they are so big; How on Earth do they run up the walls? How do they not fall off the ceiling?
Well, each toe is covered with large, wide pads. These pads are covered with tiny little hairs, shorter than 2 diameters of a human hair(1) and much thinner, it is these hairs that allow geckos to run up even the smoothest surface. Each of these hairs is subject to a weak molecular attraction – Van Der Waals theory – which gives geckos the ability to be able to hang from a wall by just one fingertip. This adhesive effect is very strong and the tiny hairs only become detached by changing their angle (almost like velcro).
The texture of a geckos 'fingerprint' helps them stick to even the smoothest of surfaces.
For more information about the discovery, read this and this from the Lewis & Clark College, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of California at Santa Barbara, and Stanford University.
The worst bit about any trip is the travelling to get there and then once you are there travelling around in-country.
A quick lunch with Meera the birthday girl and then it is off on the next leg
Unexpected lunch guest
Whilst the journey times from our base in Hluhluwe are not too long, we like to mix it up a bit, so the next leg of our journey is by boat.
On the way down everyone is silently thankful that they don't have to walk back up the hill again!
Better than aircon!
Steph makes herself right at home!
Soon sitting back up for the elephants
What a shame it just happens to be on a really good fishing spot too!
Sundowners on the boat with the elephants nearby 
I'm sure Steph is in here somewhere...
Boo!
Armed with our mask and snorkels (no flippers/fins needed at this reef!) We crossed the estuary feeling the alternating hot and cold currents swirling around us.
Because every holiday needs one of these pictures!
The beauty of the snorkelling at Kosi Bay is that you swim across a channel and walk up on to the sand bank that runs parralel to the reef, walk along the sand bank, and lower yourself once more into the balmy waters of Kosi Bay Mouth.
But now is where the hard work comes… Ok, only joking – all you
need to do now is float with the current, cameras at the ready.
There were fish of all sizes and colours hiding on the reef
Swim with the fishes
Oooooh! lion fish!
Steph saw it swim by, but it was in its hole by the time I caught up
The honeycomb eel was playing peek-a-boo with Adrian
Effort free snorkelling gave us plenty of energy for posing under the water and playing with our cameras.
Steph poses for the camera
"taken the picture yet?"
Cheesy grins are hard underwater!
A beach day at Kosi bay!
Stephanie was more than a little happy at this prospect, although in truth we all were. It is hot, and the mere thought of swimming was making us all eager to get to the beach.
Even Tommy was eager to get to the water!
Tommy was all set for his day at the beach
The visit to the fishtraps is first. this sustainable fishing method is as much a part of conserving the area as preserving the traditional Tsonga culture.
Elmon explained how the fish trap worked to us and gave us spear fishing lessons to show us how hard it is, then it was time to walk/splash out to the fishtraps to take a look for ourselves.
Elmon shows us how it's done
Run away!
Elmon leads us into the trap
Adrian shows that leaf who is boss!
We were in luck, one of Elmons fishtraps had bream, grunter, mullet and even kingfish! So we got to test our wits against that of the fish and try our hand at spearing dinner.
Looking for fish at one of Elmons traps
Fighting over who will be first to spear
Stephanie speared her fish on the first try… Sleep with one eye open Adrian…!
Steph shows us all how it is done on the first throw of her spear
Adrian teaches the fish a lesson
We all emerged from the handmade cage triumphant. We would have a feast tonight!
But no time for smugly posing with our catches…
…oh, ok then just a little…
Mr and Mrs Crusoe won't be hungry tonight!
Adrian plays the man card and pretends he caught them all
What now? Snorkelling!
The Vervet Monkeys are running wild today at Umkhumbi Lodge!!
There is always one shy little monkey
Playful as always they are running up and down the branches, munching on monkey apples and mangos and anything else they can find to sink their little teeth into.
*yoink* my fruit
Fruit please!!!?
But then one lazy monkey, stole a baby monkey!!! He wanted the fruit that the mother was eating, so he stole the baby and held it hostage until she gave the fruit to him. Nasty monkey!
She checks that the kidnapper has gone....
... before she cuddles her baby and makes sure it is alright
Narina Trogon factsheet is this weeks factsheet, see below
The bird hunting continues!
A fantastic days sightings at uMkhuze, even whilst loading the car with our cameras, telescope, binoculars, bird books and most importantly breakfast we could hear the birds whistling around us.
No sooner had we pulled out of Umkhumbi Lodge gate than we see 2 Burchells Coucals sitting on a fence post, how could it possibly be a bad day after that!?
The bird list for today is:
- plover
- sandpipers
- swift
- moorhen
- lilac breasted roller
- nesting black-bellied starling pair
- white-faced whistling ducks
- 3 purple gallinule heron
- 2 heron
- bulbul
- barn swallow
- violet-back starling
- barbet
- collared dove
- 3 crested frankolin
- 2 rudds apalis
- mousebird
- crowned hornbill
- cardinal woodpecker
- tawny flanked prinia
- nobbeaked duck female
- jacan (adult and juvenile)
- glossy ibis
- sacred ibis
- emerald spotted dove
- cape dove
- gold-tailed woodpecker
- open billed stork
- red-breasted cuckoo
- broad billed roller !!
- eagle with nesting material
- dusky flycatcher
- golden breasted bunting
- nob-billed ducks
- egyptian goose
- broad billed roller
- black-bellied korhaan
- bustard
- european bee-eater
- bluecheeked bee-eater
- european bee-eater
- blue-cheeked bee eater
- red-backed shrike (again the most common bird of the day!)
- 2 blue waxbill/ cordon bleu
- broad-billed roller
- chinspot batis
- weaver
- black-shouldered kite
- purple-crested turaco/ lourie
- red-breasted swallow
- lesser striped swallow
- pie-tailed swallow
- swallow
- white-tailed swallow
- bulbul
- mystery bird
- cisticola
- red-cheeked mousebird
- stint
- canary
- unidentified bird of prey
- eagle
- cattle egret
- spurwing
- 4 red bishop
- 2 burchells coucal
- 3 trumpeter hornbill
- 5 yellow-billed hornbill
- stuffed buzzard
- woodland kingfisher
- 2 pied kingfisher
- 2 malachite kingfisher
- kingfisher
- masked weaver
- golden weaver
- pells weaver
- crested guinea fowl
- helmeted /crowned guinea fowl
- foamnest frog
- hippo
- dragonfly
- natal hinged tortoise
- forest cobra
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!
