Tag Archives: nature

Rule of thirds

Joubert and his grandpa heading for the swimming pool at Glen Reenen, in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park

Rule of thirds

“Rule of thirds” is the theme for this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge.

“Basically, the Rule of Thirds asks you to imagine a tic-tac-toe grid over the thing you’re photographing, and suggests that you put your subject at one of the four spots where the lines intersect“

The exuberance of youth

86 Replies

We had plenty of wonderful sightings during our recent three week long holidays in the bush – we already shared much of it with you, and there’s yet more to come in the next few weeks – but this was probably the biggest highlight of the trip!

Late in the afternoon of Christmas Eve, in the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, we encountered a white rhino cow and her small calf just where the road goes into and through a thicket of thorny trees. We followed slowly behind as they ambled along, until eventually there was a clearing in the vegetation, just at the spot where there’s also a broad bend in the road. Mom started grazing on the roadside, while her little one decided it was time for some fun. He started running like crazy, at times flying with all four feet off the ground, running circles around his mother and us, then slamming on the brakes in a cloud of dust. Several times he’d charge directly at our vehicle, stopping a meter or two in front of us, only to spin around again, running away at breakneck speed, likely hoping that our silver-grey Jazz was a playmate he could chase and be chased by. Of course, with mom keeping an eye on his antics from close-by, there was no way we could join him for playtime. But inside the car we were laughing out loud in sheer delight.

Eventually he realised that his mom has disappeared around the corner, and he hightailed it to catch up. As we rounded the bend ourselves, we found him next to mom, totally breathless.

We were in awe of the fantastic Christmas present Hluhluwe-Imfolozi had just gifted us.

(you may click on the photos below to view them all in a carousel gallery)

The picture of a well behaved little rhino, staying close to mom…

Now he’s been set loose!

Getting rid of all this excess energy!

Run!

Catch me mom!

Here I come again!

You’ll never catch me!

You can’t keep up!

Still speeding along

Sharp turn ahead!

Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Christmas Eve

I’m coming for you!

All tired out…

Southern Reedbuck

34 Replies

Redunca arundinum

As its name suggests, the reedbuck is an antelope with very special habitat requirements; occurring in reedbeds and areas of long, often flooded, grasslands, always within easy reach of a permanent water source.

Rams are slightly larger than the ewes, standing approximately 90cm high and weighing as much as 80kg. Only the males carry horns, that normally reach lengths of around 38cm.

Young reedbuck ram

Reedbuck ewe

Adult reedbuck ram

Reedbuck live alone, in pairs or in small family groups within a territory defended by a mature ram, while the ewes dictate where and when the group moves. They graze mostly from dusk to dawn, preferring to hide in shady reedbeds and patches of long grass during daylight hours. They are not very fast nor agile, and rely heavily on camouflage to evade predators (all of Africa’s large meat-eaters prey on reedbuck). Ewes give birth to single lambs, mostly in the rainy season, and hide them away for two to four months before joining up with the family group again.

Reedbuck pair

Reedbuck males squaring of

Reedbuck ewe hiding in the shade

Young reedbuck ram

Reedbuck lamb

Southern Reedbuck

Reedbuck are often encountered along the Nshawu Marsh

Reedbuck female

Reedbuck

Southern Reedbuck in the Nshawu Vlei

Southern Reedbuck pair

Southern Reedbuck ram

Reedbuck ewe

Reedbuck ewes

Southern Reedbuck

Reedbuck ewe

Southern Reedbuck ewe (photo by Joubert)

Southern Reedbuck

Southern Reedbuck (photo by Joubert)

Southern Reedbuck ram

Southern Reedbuck ewe

Common Reedbuck

Southern Reedbuck ram

Common Reedbuck

In South Africa, the reedbuck occurs mostly in the wetter eastern part of the country. While there’s a small population of reedbuck in the Kruger National Park (sightings there are special treats), the country’s (and probably the continent’s) biggest concentrations can be found along the shores of Lake Saint Lucia, in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park in Kwazulu-Natal Province. We’ll share some photos from our December visit to the Western Shores of Lake St. Lucia with you in our regular Friday post this week.

Fight for dominance

42 Replies

We were fortunate to witness these two plains zebras settling a dispute at Ithala Game Reserve, during our recent summer visit there. They were so close to our vehicle we almost felt every bite and kick they dealt one another…

Ithala fight for dominance

The Oribi

43 Replies

Ourebia ourebi

The long-legged oribi (oorbietjie in Afrikaans) is a small antelope, and one of the most special wildlife sightings you could hope for in South Africa.

They stand only between 50 and 65cm high at the shoulder, and weigh around 14kg. Only the males carry the sharp little horns that average between 10 and 13cm long.

These dainty antelope have very specific habitat requirements, preferring grasslands and floodplains with just the correct mix of short (for grazing) and long (for hiding) patches of grass. They also have very specific preferences as to the type of short grasses they feed on and, while they often occur near water, do not appear to drink very regularly, if at all.

Oribis are the most social of the smaller antelope species; the most commonly encountered grouping being a single territorial ram with up to four adult ewes and their lambs.

Oribi grazing next to the Kamberg Road

Oribi rams are territorial, and the family groups are extremely reluctant to leave their home ranges, even when being pursued (they prefer sprinting short distances to hide in long grass). For this reason, they suffer more than most dwarf antelope from predation and poaching. In South Africa, most lambs are born in the summer months of November and December and remain hidden for up to 4 months before they join their mother’s family group. They have a natural lifespan of 8 to 13 years.

Today, the oribi is one of South Africa’s most endangered mammals, although in many other parts of Africa they are still quite numerous. Their favoured grassland habitat is prime for farming and thus getting ever scarcer and more fragmented, while illegal hunting with dogs is a further risk to their continued survival. Nevertheless, a substantial portion of the population still occurs on private land, and the Oribi Working Group’s annual census is an important tool to establish population sizes and trends.

South Africa’s biggest single population of oribi occurs in the Chelmsford Nature Reserve in Kwazulu-Natal Province. Chelmsford was the first destination on our recent summer holidays in the bush, and we’ll soon share more about our latest visit there with you.

Magnificence embodied

53 Replies

This must surely rank as one of the most special wildlife encounters we’ve ever had.

We came across this beautiful black rhino cow and her two younger companions (at least one, maybe both, her calves) in December in one of the game reserves we visited on our summer trip to the bush. It was an overcast evening, with the little available light fading fast and perfectly accentuating the cow’s aggressive temperament, so characteristic of the species.

Long may she reign over her piece of African wilderness.

(click on any of the images to view them in a bigger format gallery)

The embodiment of magnificence

Yellow

6 Replies

The grasslands of the Golden Gate Highlands National Park are a tapestry of wild flowers and seeding grasses in summer. Among these are some brilliant yellow varieties.

Golden Gate floral splendour

We’re catching up on the WordPress Photo Challenges we missed while on our extended summer holidays in the bush. “Yellow” was the theme for the challenge of 19/12/2014

Twinkle

6 Replies

The sun reflecting from a rapid in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park’s Little Caledon River

Twinkle

We’re catching up on the WordPress Photo Challenges we missed while on our extended summer holidays in the bush. “Twinkle” was the theme for the challenge of 12/12/2014

A garden where the eagles soar

18 Replies

Jumping up from a picnic, while celebrating a special friends birthday, to take pictures of large eagles flying over a major metropolis is not a familiar scenario for the de Wets. And yet that seems to be par for the course at the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens!

Opened to the public in 1987 as the Witwatersrand National Botanical Garden on land donated five years earlier by the town councils in Johannesburg’s western suburbs, the gardens were renamed after the ANC leader Walter Sisulu in 2004. The focal point of the garden is undoubtedly the Witpoortjie Waterfall, the source of the Crocodile River which flows through much of the garden. Apart from beautifully tended and themed plant displays, the grounds include large tracts of natural vegetation and ample lawns under shady trees, very popular for picnics. Several pathways and tracks provide access to various parts of the gardens, and the most challenging of these lead to the top of the cliff above the waterfall, a favourite spot for many photographers hoping for a special shot of the eagles soaring past.

Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden

The path to the top of the Waterfall

Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden

Witpoortjie Falls

Crocodile River

The gardens are open daily from 08:00 to 17:00 and facilities include a restaurant, kiosk, several function venues, a concert stage, an environmental education centre, a curio shop and a nursery selling indigenous garden plants. Guided tours of the gardens can be arranged in advance. We like the garden’s policy of “picnic in, litter out” encouraging visitors to take all their garbage with them when they leave.

The gardens are a haven for a multitude of birds and small animals, many of which are quite tame and obviously used to the human presence.

Red Bishop

Southern Masked Weaver

Juvenile Red-Chested Cuckoo

Dark-capped Bulbul

Leopard tortoise

Weevil

It’s been more than thirty years since a pair of Verreaux’s Eagles (formerly known as Black Eagles) first took up residence at a nesting site next to the Witpoortjie Waterfall. The current pair had successfully raised a chick to sub-adulthood and at the time of our visit was just starting to let the youngster know that it has to start looking for lodgings of its own. This made for spectacular flying displays over the gardens and against the backdrop of the Roodekrans cliffs.

Signage encouraging responsible enjoyment of the magnificent eagles

Their nesting site

Verreaux’s Eagles at Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens

On the other side of the garden, a dam with a bird-viewing hide at its edge was just one more delightful feature to add to our reasons to return to the gardens (soon!). Here we found an extremely irritable Egyptian Goose laying claim to the body of water and intent on ridding it of anything else that seemed remotely like waterfowl! It probably had a nest or goslings hidden somewhere near.

Sasol Dam from the Bird Hide

Egyptian Goose on the attack

Yellow-billed Duck fleeing the area

Egyptian Goose on the attack

Very pleased Egyptian Goose

African Black Duck

This was our first visit to these beautiful gardens, and we were wonderfully surprised and delighted by what we found. We spent the entire day at the garden, from when the gates opened until they closed, and yet feel like we haven’t seen most of it. Couple that with a jolly time spent with good friends, we’re sure it won’t be long before we return.

—————————————————–

Please vote for de Wets Wild in the 2014 SA Blog Awards

If you enjoy de Wets Wild as much as we enjoy sharing our love for South Africa’s wild places with you, please vote for us in the 2014 SA Blog Awards by clicking on this badge. We’ve entered both the Travel and Environment categories, and you may vote for us in both.

Thank you for your support!

A quick sojourn to Skukuza

26 Replies

Roughly two weeks ago I was invited to Skukuza Rest Camp, in the Kruger National Park, and of course this was the perfect opportunity to mix business and pleasure again. Unfortunately Marilize and Joubert couldn’t join me on this trip, but instead I enjoyed the company of a colleague as passionate about the Park as I am.

We drove to Kruger on the Sunday afternoon and could enjoy the scenery and wildlife along the way from Phabeni Gate to Skukuza. It had been raining all day, and some more in the weeks prior to our arrival, and fresh, green growth was sprouting all over.

Despite heavily overcast skies, Monday afforded us more opportunity to experience the Park, before and after our important meeting of course. The rains heralded the start of the impala lambing season, and many other kinds of animals were getting into the birthing action too.

Alert impala

Hadeda Ibis

Buffalo remains on Skukuza’s promenade

Ample opportunity to enjoy the antics of Skukuza’s vervet monkeys

Purple-crested Turaco

Bearded Scrub-Robin

Bushbuck

Lazy lioness

Threatening clouds over the Sabie River

Impala lambing season

Hyenas are commonly encountered at Skukuza

Fruit bats under the thatch of Skukuza's shop

Epauletted Fruit Bat under the thatch of Skukuza’s shop

And then Tuesday dawned, with bright and sunny skies, but for us it was time to head back to Pretoria, via Lower Sabie and exiting the Park at Crocodile Bridge.

Baboons abound along the Sabie

Yes, they’re fast asleep!

Laughing dove in Lower Sabie

Glossy starling in Lower Sabie

Expertly camouflaged tree agama

Signs of spring all around

Arrow-marked babbler in Lower Sabie

Glossy starling after taking a bath

Warthogs drinking from the Sabie

Life and death in the Sabie

Leopard Tortoise enjoying freshly sprouted grass

Newborn warthogs

Common Emperor Moth at Crocodile Bridge

Nothing like an unexpected bush visit to rejuvenate mind and body! This last gallery sums it up so well for me; even such a short visit to the Kruger Park can deliver unexpected and very memorable sightings. While doing our walkabout at Lower Sabie Rest Camp, I came across this tree agama being irritated by a large ant…