Tag Archives: wildlife

Klipspringer

Oreotragus oreotragus

The Klipspringer is another of South Africa’s smaller, and cuter, antelope, between 49 and 65cm high at the shoulder and weighing between 9 and 19kg. Adult ewes are slightly heavier than the horn-carrying rams.

Klipspringer ram

Klipspringer ewe

Klipspringer

Klipspringer pair

Klipspringer ewe

Klipspringer

Uniquely among antelope, the Klipspringer walks on the tips of its hooves, allowing it to balance like a ballerina on exceptionally small areas. This is a handy adaptation to the rugged and rocky mountains, hills and outcrops they inhabit. Their very apt Afrikaans name literally means “Rockjumper”. More than 90% of their diet consists of browse; leaves, twigs, flowers, fruit and seeds, preferring young growth. They are independent of drinking water.

Klipspringer in typical habitat

Standing seninel on a rocky outcrop

Klipspringer in typical habitat

Klipspringer ewe enjoying the drizzle

Klipspringer ram on Nkumbe

Klipspringer peeking

Klipspringers are plentiful up at Lenong

Klipspringer ewe on Nkumbe Mountain

Klipspringer pair

Klipspringers

Klipspringer pair on Klipspringer Pass

Klipspringer

Klipspringer on the ledge! (photo by Joubert)

Klipspringer (photo by Joubert)

Klipspringer

Klipspringer pairs mark and defend small territories, in which they stay together for long periods, often for life. Small groups normally comprise the territorial pair accompanied by one or more of their lambs. Klipspringers are well camouflaged, and usually only observed when they stand sentinel on a conspicuous vantage point. They move around their rocky abodes with amazing agility, and are most active in the early mornings and late afternoons. Single lambs are born at any time of the year and have a life expectancy of between 7 and 15 years.

Klipspringer ram

Klipspringer unusually caught moving between more rocky areas

Klipspringer ewe

Klipspringer pair

Curious Klipspringer ewe

Klipspringer ewe

Klipspringer

The IUCN considers the Klipspringer’s conservation status as “least concern”, with a stable population of at least 42,000 on the African continent. Good places to search for Klipspringer in South Africa is the Karoo, Kruger, Mapungubwe, Marakele and Pilanesberg National Parks. Some authorities believe that three different species of Klipspringer occur in South Africa; the Angolan or Tyler’s Klipspringer (O. tyleri) in the extreme north-west corner of the Northern Cape Province, the Cape Klipspringer (O. oreotragus) in the south-west of the country and the Transvaal Klipspringer (O. transvaalensis) in the north-east, though these may well only be different subspecies based on slight variances in colouration, horn length and body size.

Klipspringer ewe at Mlondozi Picnic Site

Klipspringer ram at Mlondozi Picnic Site

Klipspringer

Klipspringer on top of the Waterberg

Klipspringer Ram (photo by Joubert)

Klipspringer

Klipspringers

Klipspringer

Klipspringer pair

Klipspringer

Happy Place

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A selection of photos from Shingwedzi Rest Camp, in the Kruger National Park. As near as you can get to heaven on earth.

Shingwedzi Rest Camp

Elephant herd in the Shingwedzi

Almost there!

Shingwedzi entrance

Shingwedzi River

Heaven feels so close at Shingwedzi

Sunrise next to the Mphongolo River

Shingwedzi Rest Camp

Impala Lilies

Mopane leaves

Shingwedzi River

Drinking at Shingwedzi

Dusty buffaloes of the Mphongolo

Shingwedzi sunrise

Tree tunnel along the Shingwedzi

Shingwedzi sunset

“Happy Place” is the theme for this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge

The joys of spring at Ithala

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We’ve been singing Ithala Game Reserve‘s praises on this blog for a long time and our recent Heritage Day long weekend visit to this South African treasure further cemented our belief that Ithala is one of our country’s prime conservation areas.

Colourful spring flower displays were in evidence all over the reserve, despite not receiving much rainfall yet. With over 900 plant species at Ithala, including some extreme rarities like the pepper-bark tree and Lebombo cycad, Ithala is a botanist’s delight. Unfortunately we don’t know the names of most, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t enjoy the show just the same!

Ithala in full bloom

Ithala in full bloom (Hypoxis flower)

Ithala in full bloom

The giraffe is Ithala’s emblem, and we were lucky to enjoy several encounters with these curious animals.

The giraffe is Ithala’s emblem

Most large game species were eradicated from the area before the reserve was proclaimed in 1972, and Ithala therefore had to be restocked. Today it is home to all the species that occurred here historically, with the exception of lion, and all-in-all provides sanctuary to 83 mammal species.

Impala sprint

Mountain reedbuck

Plains zebra

White rhinos dwarfed by Ithala’s grandeur

Impala ewes

Impala ram portrait

White rhinos in long grass

Kudu cow and calves

Well-hidden kudu bull

Curious Kudu

Plains zebra profile

Plains zebras are so photogenic!

Vervet monkey

Warthog

Dusty zebra

Blue wildebeest

Warthogs on the run

Nah nah nah nah nah!

“Lean on me”

Black rhino sunset

Ithala’s a bird-watcher’s paradise, with a list of 318 species recorded in the reserve. While we didn’t tick quite that many species during our visit – most of the summer migrants have not yet arrived – we were very thrilled with our close-up sighting of a pair of blue cranes shortly after arriving. Being South Africa’s national bird, it seemed a particularly special treat for Heritage Day!

Golden-breasted Bunting

Blue Cranes

African Pipit

Rufous-naped Lark

Black-winged Kite

Red-billed Oxpecker climbing into a zebra’s ear

Bar-throated Apalis

Southern Black Flycatcher

Martial Eagle

Cape Rock-Thrush (female)

Cape Batis (female)

Golden-tailed Woodpecker

Ant-eating Chat

Little Bee-eater

Secretary Bird

Ithala’s not only about the big and obvious birds and animals, and closer inspection will reveal a multitude of insects, arachnids, amphibians and reptiles. We even encountered three of the reserve’s 41 snake species while walking around Ntshondwe Camp; they pose no danger as long as you don’t threaten them and true to form all three moved away very quickly and quietly.

African Monarch – With so many flowers in bloom, the abundance of butterflies is no surprise

Barberton Girdled Lizard

Natal Flat Lizard female

Solifuge a.k.a. Sun Spider

Talking about Ntshondwe, we just have to mention again how beautifully the accommodation units are placed into the natural vegetation, offering privacy and a really intimate nature experience.

Ntshondwe Unit 15, Ithala Game Reserve, September 2015

Its faunal and floral diversity aside, Ithala is richly blessed with amazingly diverse scenery. The reserve extends over 30,000 hectares, its area ranging in altitude between the 1,450m peak of Ngotshe Mountain to 400m above sea level along the Pongola River. The reserve’s vegetation ranges from grasslands to woodlands to dense riverine forest.

Ithala sunrise

Impala sunrise

Ntshondwe mountains

View over Ntshondwe

Ngubhu Loop snaking its way through Ithala’s hills

Pongola River

Dense vegetation along the Dakaneni Loop

Ithala sunset

Suspension Bridge at the Pongolo Picnic Site

Stream crossing

Pongola River

Ithala scenery

Where else but Africa?

We’re already making plans for our next visit to Ithala in early 2016, and you can probably see why!

Ithala Game Reserve is managed by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, and lies a 500km drive to the South-East of Pretoria.

Pretoria to Ithala
(drawn with Google Maps)

World Rhino Day 2015

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How long do we have left to appreciate our rhinos in their natural environment?

Will Joubert be able to take his children to a South African game reserve and show them what a real, live rhino looks like?

Would the citizens of the countries driving the slaughter of our rhinos to satisfy their fallacious beliefs even care about what they stole from Africa’s children?

How long do we have left?

World Rhino Day is upon us again, and as every year before for almost the last decade the future for these spectacular creatures seem even more bleak.

Figures published by South Africa’s Department of Environmental Affairs at the end of August 2015 indicated a minimum of 749 rhinos lost to poaching in South Africa for the year to date, 544 of which in the flagship Kruger National Park. A recent poaching incident in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park pushed the total lost in Kwazulu-Natal Province this year to 75. This follows on the loss of a staggering 3,900+ rhinos in this country alone to the end of 2014, since the poaching scourge started escalating in 2007 .

Still, there are many individuals and organisations investing enormous effort and resources into ensuring these charismatic animals are protected for future generations, and they deserve our respect and support. According to DEA at the time of their release, 138 poachers have been arrested in the Kruger Park this year, many of them heavily armed and only apprehended after exchanging fire with rangers and military personnel. The costly process of translocating rhinos out of high-danger zones to areas where they are thought to be more secure, is continuing. South African National Parks invested large sums donated by the Howard G Buffet Foundation, Peace Parks Foundation, and private donors into the purchasing of helicopters, all-terrain vehicles and other equipment to ensure that the Kruger Park’s rangers have the resources they need to face this onslaught on the wildlife in a Park bigger than many sovereign countries. Involving the communities living around reserves where rhino occur is pivotal to success, exemplified by SANParks’ liaison with Christian churches and iSimangaliso Wetland Park and their partners’ “Rhino Walk” taking place between 7 September and 2 October, during which they’ll visit 75 schools with thousands of learners. Fighting rhino poaching requires a multi-faceted approach, which is why iSimangaliso have also recently de-horned the entire rhino population on the Western Shores of Lake Saint Lucia, and publicised this widely.

Had it not been for these, and many more, dedicated people, and their tireless efforts, the situation undoubtedly would have been far worse still.

The war has not yet been lost.

Springbok

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Antidorcas marsupialis

The Springbok is the only gazelle occurring in South Africa. They are medium-sized antelope, with a shoulder height of 70 – 85cm and a weight of 26 – 50kg, rams being more strongly built with thicker, longer horns than the ewes.

Springbok ram

Springbok ewe

Black Springbok

Copper Springbok

Springbok Ram

Springbok Lamb

Springbok showing off

Springbok herd in the Auob valley

Springbok Ram

Springbok Rams

Black Springbok (photo by Joubert)

Black Springbok

Black Springbok (photo by Joubert)

Black and “normal” Springbok (photo by Joubert)

Female Black Springbok

Black Springbok

“Standard” Springbok

White Springbok

The Springbok prefers open country, occurring from deserts and semi-deserts to dry shrubby plains and grasslands. They are mixed feeders, including a wide variety of grass and browse in their diet. They will drink regularly if surface water is available, but can live for indefinite periods without drinking.

Springbok herd at Mountain Zebra National Park

Young springbokin Pilanesberg National Park

Springbok ram at Chelmsford Nature Reserve

Springbok herd in Golden Gate Highlands National Park

Springbok in the Moreletakloof Nature Reserve

Springbok herd in Golden Gate Highlands National Park

Springbok ram at Rietvlei Nature Reserve

Springbok ram

Springbok herd

Herd of Springbok

Springbok

Black Springbok

Springbok

Springbok are herding animals, sometimes congregating in their thousands. In the 1800’s, explorers and settlers recorded springbok treks numbering millions of animals, often taking days to pass through a particular area. Most groups however are much smaller, consisting of about 30 individuals. During the rutting season, adult rams establish small territories in the best grazing areas to which the breeding herds are most attracted. They are most active during early morning and late afternoon, resting during the heat of the day, often out in the open.

Springbok

Young Springbok

Springbok ewe

Springbok lamb

Springbok

Springbok (photo by Joubert)

Springbok

Springbok in the rain (photo by Joubert)

Springbok

Springbok (photo by Joubert)

Springbok

Gemsbok and Springbok

Springbok at sunset in Mokala (photo by Joubert)

Springbok

Springbok youngsters

Springbok

Springbok ewe (photo by Joubert)

Black and normal coloured Springbok

Springbok herd on the move

Springbok (photo by Joubert)

The Springbok is well known for their agility and stiff-legged jumping displays, known as “pronking”. They can jump as high as 3.5m, and can reach speeds in excess of 80km/h. It is thought that their “pronking” is an energy-efficient way of displaying to predators that it would not be worth their effort to attempt chasing the springbok. Despite being so fleet of foot, springbok, especially solitary rams, are a staple in the diet of cheetahs and other large predators, and lambs are easy prey for anything the size of an eagle, jackal or one of the small cat species and upwards. Their life expectancy in the wild is estimated at only 10 to 12 years.

Pronking Springbok

Springbok lambs

Springbok

Springbok lambs

Pronking Springbok

Springbok ram

Pronking Springbok lamb

Pronking Springbok lamb (photo by Joubert)

Pronking Springbok (photo by Joubert)

Single lambs are born at anytime of the year, though most births coincide with the rainy season. The lambs remain hidden for the first couple of days of their lives, before joining their maternal herds and associating with other lambs in “nurseries” in the herd. Lambs start grazing by two weeks of age and by a month old they can run as fast as the adults. Lambs are weaned by 4 months of age and ewes can start reproducing at 6 months old. In years of good rainfall, adult ewes can lamb every 8 to 14 months. This exceptional fecundity ensures that springbok numbers can rebound quickly when better times return after droughts or disease epidemics.

Springbok at speed

Territorial springbok ram

Springbok lamb

Springbok ewe

Springbok ram

Springbok ram and youngster

“Pronking”

Springbok ram at Golden Gate Highlands National Park

“Pronking”

Springbok at speed

Springbok ewe

Springbok Ram

Springbok on the run through wet grass

Springbok ewe and lamb

Territorial springbok ram

Springbok herd

The Springbok is one of the most common and widespread antelope in South Africa. Their numbers were severely depleted by hunting in the 1800’s and the migrations of herds, millions strong, must have been a sight to behold. They have however been widely reintroduced to their former range, being popular game farm animals, and have also been introduced to areas which they didn’t naturally occupy. Today, the IUCN considers the springbok’s future to be secure, and estimates the population in South Africa at a minimum of 1,25-million animals, with a similar number occurring in Namibia, Botswana and Angola.

Springbok lambs

Springbok on the wide open plains of the Mountain Zebra National Park

Young Springbok rams testing their strength (photo by Joubert)

Young Springbok

Springbok dot the Rooiplaat Plateau

Springbok in the golden light of a Golden Gate sunrise

Springbok in the Golden Gate landscape (photo by Joubert)

Springbok at sunrise

Springbok lambs

The Springbok is South Africa’s national animal, and mascot of the country’s national rugby team (participating in the Rugby World Cup that starts today).

Monochromatic

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Zebras reflecting in the water of the Kumasinga Pan, on a hot December day at uMkhuze Game Reserve.

Monochromatic

“Monochromatic” is the theme for this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge.

Common Duiker

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Sylvicapra grimmia

The Common, or Grey, Duiker is the largest and most widespread of the three duiker species occurring in South Africa. These small antelope stand between 45cm and 70cm high at the shoulder, and only the rams carry short horns, though on average the ewes, at between 16 and 25kg in weight, are about 2kg heavier.

Common Duiker ram

Common Duiker ewe

Common Duiker lamb

Grey Duiker

Grey Duiker and Vervet Monkey

Grey Duiker (photograph by Niel de Wet)

Common Duiker

Common Duiker ewe and lamb

Common duikers occur in all of South Africa’s natural habitats, and can even hold their own in intensively farmed area, and in and near towns and city suburbs. They are independent of water, and drink seldomly even where surface water is readily available. These duikers are mixed feeders, subsisting on leaves predominantly but also taking grass, bark, seeds, fruits, flowers, twigs, pods, fungus, roots and tubers. Unusually for antelope, they have been seen eating insects, small vertebrates like chicks and geckos, and carrion.

Common Duiker ram at rest

Common Duiker feeding

Common Duiker in typical habitat

Common Duiker ewe

Grey duiker

Grey (Common) Duiker

Grey Duiker

Common Duiker

Grey duikers are mostly solitary, occurring in pairs when mating or when a ewe is accompanied by her lamb. Both sexes are territorial and mark their areas with dung-middens and secretions from facial scent glands, ram’s territories usually being larger and overlapping those of one or more ewes. These antelope are mostly nocturnal, active from dusk to dawn and sometimes all day under overcast conditions. By day, they seek cover in long grass or dense thickets. When threatened, they will first attempt to hide before fleeing with sidestepping moves along well defined pathways – thus giving rise to their name (“duiker” being Afrikaans for “diver”).

Grey Duiker

Common Duiker

Grey Duiker

Common, or Grey, Duiker

Grey Duiker

Common Duiker

Grey Duiker

Common, or Grey, Duiker

Common Duiker

Single lambs, weighing less than 2kg, are born at any time of year (mostly in the rainy season) after a gestation of 190 days. Newborn lambs are hidden in dense vegetation. All Africa’s larger predators, from lions to owls, eagles and even baboons, will prey on common duikers, explaining why their life expectancy in the wild is only 8 to 12 years. Shine, a well-known and much loved resident at Kruger National Park’s Shimuwini Bushveld Camp lived to the ripe old age of 22 before falling prey to a leopard.

Common Duiker ewe

Common Duiker ram

Common Duiker

Common Duiker at night

Common Duiker

Grey Duiker

Common Duiker

The common duiker is one of Africa’s most numerous antelope, and it is estimated that as many as 10-million occur across the continent. Some populations however are under considerable pressure from subsistence and commercial hunting. They are regularly seen in most of South Africa’s wild places and are a frequent nighttime sighting along country roads.

South African Vultures

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“Probably there is no other bird whose appearance on the wing and on the ground offers more vivid contrast. Sailing majestically far up in the blue, without perceptible movement of its great pinions, it seems to cleave the air free of all conscious effort, and conveys to the earth dweller far below, the ideal of poetic motion. When seen on mother earth, it is hard to realise that this ungainly, clumsily hopping, and repellent-looking bird is the same that so delighted our senses when on the wing, nor is the picture in any sense restored as, distributed at its feast, it flaps heavily away to some adjacent tree.” – James Stevenson-Hamilton, Wildlife in South Africa, 1947.

If ever there’s a bird suffering from bad press, it must be the vulture. Their unflattering appearance perfectly suits their vital ecological function. If they look like undertakers, it is because they are: clearing away the dead and the rotting, minimising disease and recycling nutrients through the system. Vultures spend most of their time gliding effortlessly on the thermals, using their incredible eyesight to find carrion on the ground far below, each species supremely adapted to consuming particular portions of the carcass.

Nine species of vulture has been recorded in South Africa.

Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus)

With a weight of around 2kg and wingspan of 1.6m, the Hooded Vulture is one of the smaller vulture species occurring in South Africa. They prefer savannah and woodland, and often scavenge around refuse dumps and abattoirs. Their thin bills allow Hooded Vultures access to scraps of meat other vultures can’t reach. Locally, these birds breed in the dry season raising a single chick in a treetop nest after an incubation period of around 50 days. Chicks fledge between 80 and 130 days after hatching and are then cared for by their parents for another 3-4 months.

Hooded vultures are quite common in Africa north of our borders, but in South Africa they are rare and occur only in the Lowveld of Mpumalanga and Limpopo Provinces, where they can be seen in the Kruger National Park. Despite estimating their African population at just below 200,000, the IUCN classifies them as endangered due to a declining population.

EDIT: In 2017 the IUCN reclassified the Hooded Vulture as “Critically Endangered” due to a rapid decline in their population.

Hooded Vulture

Hooded Vulture silhouette

Hooded Vulture (photo by Joubert)

Hooded Vulture

Hooded Vulture (photo by Joubert)

White-headed Vulture (Trigonoceps occipitalis)

White-headed Vultures are medium-sized vultures, with a wingspan of up to 2.3m and up to 4.7kg in weight. They occur in savannah and dry woodlands, and nest and roost on treetops, especially baobabs. Pairs are thought to probably be territorial, incubating a single egg and raising the chick during the dry season, when carcasses are more abundant.

White-headed vulture populations are declining across their range and they are largely restricted to conservation areas. With a total population of between 10,000 and 20,000, the IUCN considers them vulnerable. In South Africa they occur in Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the Northern Cape – we’ve encountered them at Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park and the Kruger National Park before.

EDIT: In 2017 the IUCN reclassified the White-headed Vulture to “Critically Endangered“.

White-headed Vulture

White-Headed Vulture

White-headed Vulture

White-headed Vulture (photo by Joubert)

White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus)

White-backed vultures are closely related to the Cape Vulture, but much smaller, with a wingspan of 2.2m and a weight of between 4 and 7kg. They feed predominantly on carrion, preferring the softer pieces of the carcass. White-backed Vultures breed in small colonies, making their nests in the tops of trees, where they raise a single chick. They range widely, covering enormous areas daily in their search for food. White-backed vultures can congregate in huge numbers at large carcasses and waterholes.

The White-backed vulture is the most numerous vulture in South Africa’s savannah areas, occurring in the provinces of Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North-West, the western Free State and the Northern Cape. Their population has however decreased drastically, prompting the IUCN to classify them as endangered with a total estimated population of 270,000 of which 40,000 occur in Southern Africa. Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, uMkhuze Game Reserve, Kruger National Park and Ithala Game Reserve are good places to search for White-backed Vultures.

EDIT: In 2017 the IUCN reclassified the White-backed Vulture to “Critically Endangered“.

White-backed Vulture

White-backed and Lappet-faced Vultures

White-backed Vulture

White-backed Vultures in a tree near a carcass

White-backed Vultures

White-backed Vulture in flight

White-backed Vultures near Mpila

White-backed Vultures

White-backed Vulture on nest

White-backed Vulture at its nest

White-backed Vultures

Vultures in a tree

White-backed Vulture

White-backed Vultures in a Leadwood stump

White-backed Vulture in flight

White-backed vulture trying to dry off

White-backed Vulture

White-backed Vultures

White-backed Vultures (photo by Joubert)

White-backed Vulture

White-backed Vulture (photo by Joubert)

White-backed Vulture

White-backed Vulture soaring over Senyati

White-backed vulture in flight

White-backed Vulture

Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus)

The Bearded Vulture, or Lammergeier, is a specialised vulture occurring in high mountains (normally above 2000m) and feeding especially on marrow and bone fragments rather than meat. They carry large bones to a considerable height before dropping them on rocks below so that it splinters into pieces it can swallow and exposes the marrow inside. It also employs this practice when preying on tortoises! These vultures have also been observed hunting prey of considerable size by forcing them off cliffs. Pairs forage over enormous areas, covering hundreds of kilometres on the wing in a single day. These vultures breed in large nests built on inaccessible cliffs and raise 1 or 2 chicks; eggs hatch within 60 days of laying and the chicks fledge 100-130 days later. Young remain dependant on their parents for up to two years. Adults’ wingspan stretches to 2.8m and African specimens average 5.7kg in weight.

In South Africa, the Lammergeier is threatened with extinction and occurs only in the Drakensberg Range and surrounds, where the population is estimated at about 100 breeding pairs. We’ve been fortunate to encounter them at Golden Gate Highlands National Park and in the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park, especially at Giant’s Castle Game Reserve. They also have a localised distribution across the highlands of East Africa and a wide distribution in Europe and Asia, although they can’t be considered numerous anywhere.

The IUCN considers the Bearded Vulture as being “Near Threatened” on a global scale.

Bearded Vulture

Bearded Vulture (juvenile)

Lucky visitors may spot a Bearded Vulture soaring above

Juvenile Lammergeier (or Bearded Vulture)

Bearded Vulture in flight over Giant’s Castle

A juvenile Bearded Vulture

Lappet-faced Vulture (Torgos tracheliotos)

The Lappet-faced Vulture is the most powerful of the African vultures and dominates all other species at a carcass. It has a wing-span of up to 2.9m, weighs up to 9.4kg and has one of the largest and most powerful beaks of any bird of prey, useful to break through the tough skins of large mammal carcasses. Carrion is their main food source, preferring the skin, tendons and ligaments that other vultures can’t cope with, but they are known to hunt small prey up to the size of flamingoes. These vultures inhabit dry savannah and deserts and are less social than many other species – any congregations are likely to be at or near a large carcass or waterhole. Their enormous nests are placed in the forks of large trees, and here both parents incubate (mostly) a single egg for about 55 days.

The IUCN considers them vulnerable, with a total population of about 8,000 remaining in Africa. In South Africa they are seldom found outside of the big game reserves in Kwazulu-Natal (Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park), Mpumalanga and Limpopo (Kruger National Park) and the Northern Cape.

EDIT: In 2017 the IUCN reclassified the Lappet-faced Vulture to “Endangered“.

Lappet-faced Vulture

Lappet-faced Vulture (photo by Joubert)

Cape Vulture (Gyps coprotheres)

Endemic to Southern Africa, the Cape Vulture, or Cape Griffon, inhabits mountains, grasslands, savannah and semi-desert, nesting in colonies on high cliffs and rocky ledges. At 11kg in weight with a wingspan of 2.6m they are the biggest vulture in Africa, much bigger than the closely related White-backed Vulture, yet are dominated by the Lappet-faced Vulture at carcasses. They cover immense distances in search of large mammal carcasses, the staple of its diet being the softer tissues like meat and organs.

In 2006 the IUCN estimated their population at between 8,000 and 10,000 birds and classifies them as vulnerable. They occur in all South Africa’s provinces and we’ve seen them at Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, Kruger National Park, Marakele National Park (one of the country’s biggest breeding colonies), Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve and the reserves comprising the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park, where they are the most numerous kind of vulture.

EDIT: In 2017 the IUCN reclassified the Cape Vulture to “Endangered“.

Cape Vulture

Cape Vultures in flight over Marakele – the Park is home to the world’s biggest colony of these birds.

Soaring Cape Vulture

Cape Vulture (photo by Joubert)

Cape Vulture in flight

Cape Vultures and White-necked Ravens near Potberg

Three other vulture species have been recorded in South Africa. A small population of Palm-nut Vulture (Gypohierax angolensis) occurs patchily along the north coast of Kwazulu Natal Province and can be seen at Umlalazi Nature Reserve, where we hope to visit in 2016. The Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) appears to have become extinct as a resident species in South Africa and is now only seen very rarely, probably as a vagrant from elsewhere on the continent. There has similarly been only a handful of South African observations of Ruppell’s Vulture (Gyps ruepelli), a species common further north in Africa.

Palm Nut Vulture being harried by a gull at sunrise over the beach

Palm-nut vulture close-up

Palm-Nut Vulture, Umlalazi Nature Reserve, March 2016

The first Saturday of September is recognised annually as International Vulture Awareness Day; a day to highlight the plight of these enigmatic birds that perform such an important ecological function and yet face so many threats to their continued existence. South Africa’s vulture populations are declining due to poisoning (accidental and deliberate), habitat loss, diminished food availability, electrocution by powerlines, drowning in small reservoirs and poaching for use in traditional medicine and other cultural practices. Several vulture restaurants operate throughout the country, where carcasses are made available to vultures to supplement their diets, especially when raising chicks, and reduce the risk of poisoning and poaching.

A Lazy Sunday At Rietvlei

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Rietvlei Nature Reserve is the largest of the natural areas within the Pretoria city limits, protecting 3800 hectares of endangered bankenveld grasslands and reedbeds around the Rietvlei Dam. Rietvlei offers sanctuary to an astounding variety of indigenous game and birdlife just minutes away from our home, and was the perfect destination for a picnic with a good friend on the last Sunday of August. The gallery that follows comprises some photos we took on the day, and is a perfect introduction to what this special reserve has to offer – in the few hours we spent there we ticked 13 kinds of mammals (including plains zebra, eland, waterbuck, reedbuck, buffalo and white rhino) and 53 different birdspecies.

Blesbok

Yellow-billed Duck

Rietvlei sunrise

Eland

Helmeted Guineafowl

White rhino

Red hartebeest

Red hartebeest (juvenile)

Pied starling

Waterbuck

African Wattled Lapwing

Eland

White rhino

Crimson-breasted Shrike

Waterbuck

Zebra

Well hidden Reedbuck

Zebra

Ostrich male

Anteating Chat

Springbok ram at Rietvlei Nature Reserve

Capped Wheatear

Baby white rhino

Baby white rhino and mom

Buffalo

Wet Cape Robin-Chat

Red-knobbed Coots

African Stonechat

The Rietvlei Nature Reserve, on the southern outskirts of Pretoria, is owned and managed by the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality and is very popular, especially over weekends and on public holidays. The reserve offers chalet accommodation and camping, self-drive game- and birdviewing , photographic hides, picnic sites, a coffee shop, lion camp (guided tours only), guided night drives, fishing, sailing, rowing, hiking, mountain biking and horse trails.

Rietvlei lies roughly 19km south of the Pretoria City Centre (drawn with Google Maps)

Winter, or not, at Royal Natal

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Early August is still considered winter in South Africa. In preparing for our latest trip to Royal Natal National Park, in the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park and World Heritage Site, we had therefore anticipated snow, at least on the high peaks, and severely cold temperatures. Watching the weather forecasts in the days before our visit was a confusing affair. One private weather site was predicting extreme cold and gloomy weather, while the national weather service predicted glorious sunshine with temperatures in the mid 20’s. Not knowing what to expect, we packed for any eventuality.

The Women’s Day long weekend was only three days long, and so we decided to get an early start out of Pretoria. Through the Free State, the outside temperature remained around freezing. Imagine therefore our excitement seeing the temperature reading on the dashboard rise as we descended the Drakensberg Range into Kwazulu-Natal Province, with not a flake of snow to be seen anywhere! By the time we arrived at Rugged Glen, just to the east of the Royal Natal National Park‘s entrance, it was warm enough to start taking off some layers of clothing and soak in the sunshine. The South African Weather Service got it right this time!

Despite it being a long weekend, the campsite at Rugged Glen was devoid of people; perhaps the predictions of poor weather dissuaded many campers from venturing to “The ‘Berg” for a break. Whatever the case may have been, we didn’t complain about having only Rugged Glen’s diverse birdlife and a few nervous reedbuck to share our first mountain picnic with.

Turnoff to Rugged Glen

Rugged Glen scenery

Bald Ibis and Cattle Egret

Red-knobbed cot

Little Grebe

Cape Batis (female)

Olive thrush

From Rugged Glen, which is also the base for the popular guided bridle trails that traverse these scenic hills, we headed to the Park’s gate, supported the crafters selling their wares and then drove the short distance to the Mahai Visitor Centre. Time for another picnic at one of the tables along the Mahai stream before making our way along, and a little beyond, the pretty and easy Cascades boardwalk, passing several dainty bushbuck ewes along the way while a herd of eland grazed high above us on the slope of Dooley Mountain (named after an Irish logger given a concession to cut wood here in the late 1800’s).

Grey Duiker

Welcome to Royal Natal

Royal Natal entrance

Bushbuck ewe

Red-throated Wryneck

Groundscraper Thrush

Eland on the slope of Dooley Mountain

The murmering waters of the Mahai

The Cascades

The de Wet family looming over the Mahai stream

Bushbuck

Tiny beauty

Bushbuck irritation

With our hiking boots now introduced to Royal Natal’s network of walking trails it was time to head to Thendele Camp and our accommodation for the two nights we’d be spending at the foot of the magnificent Amphitheatre formation, a basalt cliff-face almost 1000m high and 5000m wide. To the left of the Ampitheatre is the Eastern Buttress, 3011m above sea level, and to the right Sentinel peak soars to 3165m ASL. These majestic natural features absolutely dominates the scenery at Royal Natal, which together with Rugged Glen covers over 8000 hectares, and was the main reason for the Park’s proclamation in 1916. The “Royal” moniker was added to the reserve’s name after a visit by the British Royal family in 1947. The vegetation in the Park, more than 900 species strong, is mostly open grassland dotted with a few hardier trees and shrubs, with heathland on the summit and mountain forests in the sheltered valleys.

We found Thendele alive with bird song, and just below the huts a small group of mountain reedbuck were right at home. Despite the camp’s 29 units (offering between 2 and 6 beds each) being fully booked, it was a haven of peace and tranquility – just the way we like it. At 1580m above sea level, Thendele lies a lot lower than the peaks that tower above it.

Baboon scratching for grass roots

Welcome to Thendele

The Amphitheatre from Thendele

Thendele

Policeman’s Helmet formation dwarfed by the Amphitheatre

Thendele Lower Camp

Hiking from Thendele

Helmeted Guineafowl

Hiking from Thendele

Chorister Robin-Chat

Cape Robin-Chat

Mountain Reedbcuk

Southern Boubou

Evening temperatures were admittedly a lot cooler, and our chalet’s lounge with its cosy fireplace was just the place to enjoy dark chocolate and a cup of coffee at the end of a wonderful day spent outdoors.

The early morning sun on Sunday bathed Thendele and the Amphitheatre in a glorious gold, inviting Joubert and I to walk around camp while Marilize prepared a hearty breakfast.

Early morning in Thendele

Early morning from Thendele

Thendele Chalet 23

Highveld Cabbage Tree

Huge tree clinging to a rock face

Curious Helmeted Guineafowl

Our first destination this morning was the trout dam at Mahai, where the windstill conditions made for splendid reflections on the water’s surface and we found out just how easy it is to loose complete track of time while marveling at the spectacular scenery around us.

Reflections at Mahai

Reflections at Mahai, Royal Natal National Park

Little Grebe

Olive Woodpecker

Reflections at Mahai

Royal Natal’s biggest attraction is the selection of well demarcated hiking trails traversing the area and excellent pocket guides and maps are available at the shops at Thendele and the Visitor Centre. One of the easier trails is Otto’s Walk, which starts at the Visitor Centre’s parking area and named after one of the reserve’s early Superintendents, Otto Zunckel. It follows the course of the Mahai stream through dense mountain forest for most of the way before returning along the main access road, a total distance of 3km. The pair of rare Mountain Wagtail we encountered at a pleasant spot next to the stream was a real highlight. Another particularly interesting walk is to the San Rock Art site in the Sigubudu Valley, accessible at a small fee and accompanied by a local guide.

Getting closer with the locals

Bushbuck

Jennifer Sutton Memorial Wall

Otto’s Walk route marker

Alert bushbuck ewes

Otto’s Walk passes through mature mountain forest

Mountain Wagtail

Mountain reedbuck on the run

Wildlife have right of way!

Smiling dassie

Cape Grey Mongoose

Along the main access road from the gate to the Visitor Centre there’s a viewpoint offering an absolutely unobscured view of the Amphitheatre and the wider Drakensberg range. With winter being the dry season, the Thukela River was barely flowing, with only a trickle evident among the rocks and pebbles in the river bed. There was also no sign of the Thukela Falls, which with a combined drop of almost 950m is the 2nd highest waterfall on the planet. One of the Park’s most popular trails follows the impressive gorge cut by the Thukela through the Drakensberg’s sandstone.

We spent the afternoon relaxing around Thendele, enjoying an ice cream on the lawns outside the reception office and exploring the short forest walk behind the camp.

Common Tree Ferns

Male Greater Double-Collared Sunbird

On our final morning, before heading back to Pretoria, we awoke to a Thendele cloaked in thick mist. And cold. Neither the Amphitheatre above nor the Thukela Valley below was to be seen. The wintry weather we had been dreading seemed to have set in just as we were about to depart. After spending two lovely days walking and picnicking in these beautiful mountains, we were immensely grateful for the blessing of good weather! And as we drove out the park that morning, we were already going through our diaries to see where we’d be fitting in our next visit to this magnificent mountain landscape.

Misty Thendele

Sun trying to break through

Goodbye, till next time, Royal Natal!

The previous time we visited Royal Natal (April 2012), we traveled to the Park via the Oliviershoek Pass and found it such a pothole-ridden affair that we took a 100km detour to return via Van Rheenens Pass instead. This time we decided to give Oliviershoek (the R74) another try for the last 70km from Harrismith to the Park. The road is being rebuilt and by the time it is finished this should again be one of the country’s most enjoyable drives. For the moment, there’s a 6km stretch of one way traffic on which Stop / Go controls are operating, and a further 15km portion on a wide, smooth gravel detour, perfectly safe to travel in a sedan as long as you don’t try to drive too fast.

Pretoria to Royal Natal (drawn with Google Maps)

The Royal Natal National Park, Thendele Resort and Mahai and Rugged Glen Campsites are managed by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife.

DeWetsWild

Disappearing into South Africa's wild places… Again!

Tag Archives: wildlife

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Oreotragus oreotragus

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World Rhino Day 2015

Springbok

Antidorcas marsupialis

Monochromatic

Common Duiker

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South African Vultures

Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus)

White-headed Vulture (Trigonoceps occipitalis)

White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus)

Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus)

Lappet-faced Vulture (Torgos tracheliotos)

Cape Vulture (Gyps coprotheres)

A Lazy Sunday At Rietvlei

Winter, or not, at Royal Natal

Oreotragus oreotragus

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Antidorcas marsupialis

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Sylvicapra grimmia

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Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus)

White-headed Vulture (Trigonoceps occipitalis)

White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus)

Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus)

Lappet-faced Vulture (Torgos tracheliotos)

Cape Vulture (Gyps coprotheres)

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