Tag Archives: nature

Ludwig’s Bustard

Neotis ludwigii

Ludwig’s Bustard occurs only in the southern and western provinces of South Africa, Namibia and a corner of southern Angola. The IUCN considers it to be an endangered species, sadly indicating that, mainly due to in-flight collisions with telephone and power lines and wind turbines, their population has declined by at least 50% in the past 30 years.

The Ludwig’s Bustard inhabits open, arid scrubland in the Karoo, Kalahari and Namib, migrating considerable distances over these areas as it follows the rains and the resultant proliferation of seeds, rodents, insects and other invertebrates (it is an omnivore) that follows. They’re usually seen either singly or in small groups though congregations of up to 80 individuals have been recorded.

Male Ludwig’s Bustards are territorial, defending a small patch in which they try to keep and mate with as many females as possible during the breeding season that spans the spring and summer months, and playing no further role in the rearing of the precocial chicks. The female nests in a shallow scrape in the ground, usually surrounded by vegetation, incubating a clutch of 1-3 eggs. Fully grown they stand approximately 85cm tall, with a wingspan of up to 1.8m and weighing between 2.5kg and 4.5kg, males being considerably larger than females.

Ludwig’s Bustard

Ludwig’s Bustards

Ludwig’s Bustard

Ludwig’s Bustard coming in for a landing

Ludwig’s Bustards

Ludwig’s Bustard

Karoo Toad

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Vandijkophrynus gariepensis

The Karoo Toad is a medium-sized toad found in the dry Karoo, fynbos and moist mountain grassland from the Drakensberg on the border of the Free State and Kwazulu-Natal to the Atlantic coast of the Northern Cape. It is remarkably well adapted to both the extreme winter cold in the mountains and the high temperatures and dry climate of the West Coast. Adults are only about 7-9cm long, the females being larger than the males by a considerable margin. Like most other toads the Karoo Toad feeds mainly on worms and insects.

Karoo Toad

Karoo Toad in the road

Karoo Toad

(Presumed) Karoo Toad

Fairy Flycatcher

10 Replies

Stenostira scita

The tiny Fairy Flycatcher occurs only in South Africa and Lesotho and marginally into neighbouring Namibia and Botswana. Their distribution in our winter months is much wider than in the rest of the year. Fairy Flycatchers live in the more arid and open regions of the country, preferring areas of thorny shrubland and grasslands with pockets of thorn trees, though they have become increasingly numerous in suburban gardens and plantations. Their diet is restricted to invertebrates, including insects and spiders, and they are usually seen singly or in pairs but only very rarely in small groups.

At the start of the nesting period in our spring season the female constructs a cup-shaped nest using very fine materials in a dense shrub. She also takes sole responsibility for incubating the clutch of 2 or 3 eggs which hatch within 3 weeks of being laid, though the male will provide her with food while she is on the nest. Fully grown Fairy Flycatchers weigh only about 6g and measure approximately 11cm in length.

According to the IUCN the Fairy Flycatcher is not at risk of extinction.

Fairy Flycatcher

Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin

14 Replies

Tursiops aduncus

The Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin has a wide distribution in the coastal waters off Australia, Asia and Africa’s eastern seaboard. Locally they’re found as far west as Table Bay, living on a diet of fish and squid.

Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins live in pods numbering between 20 and 2,000 individuals. Females give birth to a single baby at 2-6 year intervals, following a 12-month long gestation. Fully grown, these dolphins measure about 2.6m in length and weigh between 150-230kg, and have a life expectancy of up to 40 years in the wild.

The IUCN considers the Indian Ocean Bottlenose Dolphin to be near-threatened, citing the species’ coastal occurrence which brings them into contact with many negative human-induced factors but also indicating that there’s been insufficient research on their population numbers and trends on a global scale.

Indian Ocean Bottlenose Dolphin

Dolphins in the waves at Cape Vidal

Dolphin tricks

Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin

Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins

Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin

Buff-streaked Chat

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Campicoloides bifasciatus

The Buff-streaked Chat is a bird that is found only in South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), where it occurs mainly on the Drakensberg range and in its foothills (with an apparently isolated population in the Waterberg), being a denizen of grassy, boulder-strewn hillsides and isolated rocky outcrops, though it has also adapted to living near human dwellings on farms and in small towns. They feed primarily on insects and other invertebrates, taking seeds and nectar on occasion.

Usually encountered in territorial pairs, Buff-streaked Chats breed in the summer months, when the female builds a large, untidy cup of twigs, fine roots and grass in which she incubates a clutch of 2-4 eggs, usually in a crevice, under an overhanging rock or in a thick tuft of grass. Both parents take care of the nestlings and are often assisted by the young from the previous brood. Fully grown they measure about 16cm in length and weigh approximately 30g.

The IUCN considers the Buff-streaked Chat to be of least concern, and though commonly encountered where they occur their habitat must’ve been severely diminished in recent history with the proliferation on exotic plantations in their preferred distribution range.

Buff-streaked Chat

Male Buff-streaked Chat (photo by Joubert)

Female Buff-streaked Chat (photo by Joubert)

Common Brown Water Snake

9 Replies

Lycodonomorphus rufulus

The Common Brown Water Snake is a small snake that on average grows to about 60cm in length, adult females being considerably larger than males. It is of no danger to anything except the small frogs, tadpoles and fish it feeds on, being as its name suggests closely associated with watery habitats where it is an excellent swimmer. The Common Brown Water Snake is non-venomous and kills its prey by constriction. It is placid by nature and rarely bites when handled. Females lay between 10 and 20 eggs in the summer months, with the babies hatching about 2 months later.

We have Joubert’s sharp eyes to thank for seeing this beautifully camouflaged specimen at a stream in the Mountain Zebra National Park. The sighting was rather unusual as these snakes are usually active at night.

Common Brown Water Snake (photo by Joubert)

Common Brown Water Snake

More snaps from our summer days in the Mountain Zebra National Park

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For the majority of local and international tourists the Mountain Zebra National Park is probably one of the country’s most underestimated protected areas. Conservationists and those visitors who have fell under its spell, however, can’t praise the place highly enough. But don’t give away the secret – we love Mountain Zebra National Park for its untrammeled wilderness feeling far from the madding crowds!

During our visit earlier in January I posted a few photographs on a daily basis to give those following along on our travels a glimpse of what we were experiencing. Let’s start this recap with those.

Kudu bull eating sweet-thorn blossoms

Gemsbok

Black Rhino

Springbok ewe (photo by Joubert)

Blesbok lamb (photo by Joubert)

Mountain Zebra (photo by Joubert)

Young Kudu bull (photo by Joubert)

Black Rhino (photo by Joubert)

Speckled Mousebird

Mountain Zebra National Park: Scenery along the Kranskop Loop

Mountain Zebra family squabble

Black Wildebeest

Black Rhino

Springbok

Black Rhino

Ostrich chick

Yellow Mongoose

Ground Squirrel

Marsh Terrapin

Mountain Zebra

Kudu calf

Scenery in Mountain Zebra National Park

Of course, pride of place goes to the population of Cape Mountain Zebra, as saving these beautiful creatures from extinction was the reason behind the Park’s proclamation almost 90 years ago.

Cape Mountain Zebras

Cape Mountain Zebra

Cape Mountain Zebra foal

Cape Mountain Zebra foal being shy

Cape Mountain Zebra

Cape Mountain Zebra mare and foal

But of course, Mountain Zebra National Park is also home to an amazing variety of other wildlife that also finds a home in this beautiful landscape.

Ludwig’s Bustard

Chat Flycatcher

Blesbok

Warthog (photo by Joubert)

Southern African Ground Squirrel

Yellow Mongoose

Yellow Canary

Ammocharis lily

Brown-hooded Kingfisher

Four-striped Grass Mouse

Blesbok

Springbok herd on the move

Meerkat

Cape Longclaw

Familiar Chat

I suspect this is Cotyledon campanulata

Common River Frogs

Blue Cranes

Southern Ground Agama

Namaqua Sand Lizard

Springbok (photo by Joubert)

Eastern Clapper Lark

Blesbok lamb

Spike-heeled Lark

Black Wildebeest herd

Scaly-feathered Finch

Bar-throated Apalis

Red Hartebeest

Poynton’s River Frog

Southern African Ground Squirrels

Male Ostrich sunbathing

Blesbok Ram standing proud

Malachite Kingfisher (photo by Joubert)

Grey Rhebok

Yellow-throated Bush Sparrow

Nile Monitor

Male Buff-streaked Chat (photo by Joubert)

Common Brown Water Snake

Female Sentinel Rock Thrush

One of the most exciting sightings of our entire trip occurred early morning on our last full day in the Park, when we came across a herd of buffalo anxiously milling on the road at a precarious downhill stretch on the Kranskop Loop, just where it crosses a small stream. Only after some of the herd passed us, nerve-wreckingly due to the steep slope next to us parked off to the side of the very narrow roadway, we could go around the corner and saw the reason for the buffaloes’ distress – they were being stalked by two lionesses! The cats never went into a full blown attack while we were watching but seemed content to keep following the buffaloes and working on their nerves.

Buffalo roadblock

Buffalo herd on the move – photo by Joubert

Buffalo herd almost forcing their way past our vehicle on a narrow, steep road!

Buffalo close-up (photo by Joubert)

Buffalo

Very nervous buffalo cow – photo by Joubert

Nervous buffalo cow

Buffalo herd continuing over the stream and up the hill to get distance between them and the lions

Lioness

Lioness eyeing us and the buffaloes from the grass (photo by Joubert)

Lioness

Seen high from the Kranskop Loop Road the buffaloes are still trying to put distance between them and the lions

But the lionesses are following patiently behind

We ended our visit to Mountain Zebra National Park with a night drive. The Park is renowned for the quality sightings of otherwise rarely seen nocturnal creatures and our drive certainly did not disappoint!

Scrub Hare (photo by Joubert)

Bat-eared Fox (photo by Joubert)

Aardwolf (photo by Joubert)

DeWetsWild is proud to be a contracted reservations agent for the Mountain Zebra National Park, so whether you’d like us to assist you with a reservation to visit on your own or would like us to include the Park in a guided tour arranged specifically for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

More snaps from our summer days in the Addo Elephant National Park

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The Addo Elephant National Park is one of South Africa’s most visited wild places, and not without reason. The Park has a wealth of habitats and a wonderful array of wildlife, not least of which is the elephants that were the original reason for Addo’s proclamation. Furthermore it is such an easy destination to visit, with an excellent network of roads, conveniences like a shop and restaurant, and comfortable accommodation options for visitors.

Baby Elephant walking away with mom

Spekboom blossoms

Lots of activity at Rooidam

Bokmakierie

Elephant Bull

How’s the weather up there?

Warthog

Plains Zebra stallion

Black-backed Jackal

Cape Sparrows

Hyenas occupying a stretch of mud at Hapoor Dam

Buffaloes drinking at Hapoor

Black-backed Jackal

Red Hartebeest

Warthog

Elephant Bull

Elephant Bulls

Elephant Cows begging for a chance at the waterhole

Elephants enjoying the water and mud

Elephant youngster

Elephant rough-and-tumble

Zuurkop viewpoint

Spotted Hyena portrait

Plains Zebras

Elephant herd in a rush to water

Scrub Hare

Ndlovu Valley view

Juvenile Pale Chanting Goshawk

Elephant Bull at Hapoor Dam

Cattle Egrets

Buffaloes

Three little warthogs and an Elephant

Spotted Hyena

Ludwig’s Bustard

Black-backed Jackal

Warthog

Yellow Mongoose

The tip of an elephant’s trunk

Meerkats

Kudu bull

Common Duiker

Bushbuck

There’s no denying that Addo’s Elephants are the stars of the show – rightly so, considering how close the population were to being wiped out when the Park was proclaimed – but national parks like Addo conserve so much more than just the big, charismatic African fauna. Addo is richly endowed with various kinds of smaller, often less noticeable, plants and wildlife, and visitors who take care to look for them will find their visits endless enriched.

Wild Asparagus in bloom

Spekboom blooming

Bush Karoo Rat

Addo Flightless Dung Beetle

Brown-veined White butterflies congregating on wet dung

Bush Karoo Rat female with young

Tasman’s Girdled Lizard

Buquet’s Vagrant

Karoo Boer-bean

Crassula perforata

Snake Plant blooming

Robber Fly

Angulate Tortoise

Addo is also a haven for a wide variety of birds – we managed to identify 81 species during our four day visit.

Immature Fiscal Flycatcher

Red-necked Spurfowl

Malachite Sunbird

Black-headed Heron

Cattle Egret

Karoo Scrub-Robin

Black-crowned Night Heron

Black-crowned Night Heron chick

African Spoonbill

Southern Boubou

Speckled Mousebird

Red-faced Mousebird

Forest Buzzard

Fiscal Shrike

Ant-eating Chat

Cape Crow

Pied Crow

Pale Chanting Goshawk

Southern Black Korhaan male

Helmeted Guineafowl

Bokmakierie

Red-billed Oxpeckers

Male Ostrich

Streaky-headed Seed-eater

Ludwig’s Bustard

Red-knobbed Coot chicks at the nest

Brimstone Canary

Female Southern Double-collared Sunbird

Cardinal Woodpecker (photo by Joubert)

Common Buzzard

Common Buzzard (photo by Joubert)

Red-capped Lark (photo by Joubert)

Of course a national park on this continent will never grow famous if it isn’t home to a wide variety of charismatic mammals, and here Addo certainly ranks among the best of the best. Lions, hyenas, jackals, zebras, antelope, buffaloes and warthogs can pop out around any corner and are usually quite comfortable around humans in their vehicles, making for great photographic opportunities.

Plains Zebra

Plains Zebra smile

Plains Zebras

Warthog

Kudu bull in thick bush

Spotted Hyena

Black-backed Jackals

Plains Zebra foal

Buffaloes

Plains Zebra stallion

This warthog family almost ran straight into the jackal!

Warthog babies

Spotted Hyena

Black-backed Jackal

Lions on a distant hillside

And then, of course, there’s the elephants. Addo’s elephants are more relaxed than most other populations in the country and, if you are as enthralled with these beautiful animals as we are, you will enjoy the many up-close encounters Addo delivers with the giant pachyderms.

Elephants playing in the water

Elephant calf

Tiny Elephant calf

Elephant bull taking a drink of water

Two elephant bulls greeting each other

Elephant cows in Addo seldom have well developed tusks

Elephant cow and calf

Elephant herd in a rush to the waterhole

Close-up detail of an elephant’s tail

Elephant feeding on a Plumbago

DeWetsWild is proud to be a contracted reservations agent for the Addo Elephant National Park, so whether you’d like us to assist you with a reservation to visit on your own or would like us to include the Park in a guided tour arranged specifically for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

DeWetsWild adds CapeNature to our portfolio!

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DeWetsWild is proud to announce that we can now assist with reservations at CapeNature reserves in the Western Cape, and also use these as bases on our bespoke guided tours!

The new reserves in our fold are:

Anysberg Nature Reserve in the Little Karoo
Cederberg Wilderness Reserve
Gamkaberg Nature Reserve in the Little Karoo
Goukamma Nature Reserve on the Garden Route
Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve in the Overberg
Keurbooms (Whiskey Creek) Nature Reserve on the Garden Route
Kogelberg Nature Reserve in the Overberg
Limietberg Nature Reserve in the Winelands
Marloth Nature Reserve in the Overberg
Robberg Nature Reserve on the Garden Route
Rocherpan Nature Reserve on the West Coast
Vrolijkheid Natue Reserve in the Winelands

You are welcome to email us on dries@dewetswild.com with your request or alternatively complete the following form if you would like DeWetsWild to take care of your next holiday reservation in one of the CapeNature Reserves listed here (the more detail you provide us, the better service we can provide to you):

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Please tell us which destinations you'd want to stay at?

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Please tell us how many adults and children the required reservation is for (and please provide the ages of the children at the time of the visit)

Please tell us the dates of your intended visit, and please be as specific as possible about your first night, last night and number of nights you're hoping for at the destination, etc.

Any other information you'd want us to be aware of? Give us as much information as possible so that we can provide you with the best possible service.

Cango Caves

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Located in the southern foothills of the Swartberg mountain range just 29km from the town of Oudtshoorn, the Cango Caves is considered to be South Africa’s oldest tourist attraction, with increasing visitor numbers and resultant damage to the formations requiring special regulations to be gazetted as early as 1820 to protect the caves from damage by indiscriminate collection of souvenirs. The caves, formed about 20 million years ago as a result of a geological fault, were rediscovered in 1780, but evidence suggests that parts of the cave system was inhabited by humans since the middle stone age. The caves have been explored to a distance of 4km underground, of which about a quarter is accessible to visitors on guided tours (the adventure tour takes in some challenging, narrow tunnels requiring visitors to crawl, climb and slide and takes longer than the standard tour, which is much easier going)

Facilities at the caves are rounded off with an interesting interpretive centre, curio shop and restaurant. The Cango Caves is a national monument and administered by the municipality of Oudtshoorn. DeWetsWild will be glad to include the Cango Caves on a bespoke guided tour of the South Africa arranged specifically to your requirements.