Tag Archives: wildlife

Kosi Raphia Palm

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Raphia australis

The Kosi Raphia Palm is an enormous tree, growing up to 25m tall with leaves up to 18m long – among the largest leaves of any plant on earth. They grow in swamp forests, often forming dense stands. Around the age of 20-30 years the Kosi Palm flowers only once , producing an immense 3m high brown inflorescence at the top of the plant and then, after bearing thousands of fruit that takes two years to mature, dies. The Raphia Palm family is a main food source for the Palmnut Vulture. Humans use the leaves as thatching material and the petioles to construct huts and fences.

Kosi Raphia Palms and Joubert
Kosi Raphia Palm grove
Kosi Raphia Palm grove
Kosi Raphia Palms
Kosi Raphia Palm
Kosi Raphia Palm
Kosi Raphia Palm inflorescence
Kosi Raphia Palm
Kosi Raphia Palm
Kosi Raphia Palm inflorescence
Palm-nut Vulture high in a Kosi Palm

The Kosi Raphia Palm has an extremely limited distribution, occurring only in a few locations in southern Mozambique and around Kosi Bay in the extreme north-eastern corner of Kwazulu-Natal Province in South Africa. The total population of mature individuals number probably around 7,000 only, with the IUCN listing the species as vulnerable, and noting a continuous decline in their numbers due to habitat loss. In 1916 a grove of Kosi Palms were established in the town of Mtunzini, some distance south of their natural range, by the local magistrate. After becoming established and multiplying, Mtunzini’s Raphia Palm Forest was declared a National Monument in 1942. (You may want to click on the image below for an easier read)

Mtunzini’s Raphia Palm Monument

Yellow-bellied Greenbul

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Chlorocichla flaviventris

The Yellow-bellied Greenbul is a species of bird that is most at home in forests, dense woodlands and savanna thickets but also increasingly in well-planted gardens, where this usually shy species can become rather confiding. It is a vocal species and moves about in pairs or small groups of up to six birds. They’re mixed feeders, including invertebrates, berries, fruits, seeds and flowers in their diet.

Yellow-bellied Greenbulls breed in spring and summer, monogamous pairs constructing flimsy cup-shaped nests in dense foliage, with most clutches consisting of 2 eggs (range 1-3) only. The female incubates the eggs for a two week period, with the chicks leaving the nest when they’re around 3 weeks old. Adults grow to about 22cm in length, and weigh around 40g.

In South Africa, the Yellow-bellied Greenbul can be found from southern coastal Kwazulu-Natal and into Mpumalanga and Limpopo, recently expanding its distribution marginally into North West and Gauteng. They also occur widely in central and eastern Africa and is considered to be of least concern by the IUCN.

Yellow-bellied greenbul
Yellow-bellied Greenbul
Yellow-bellied Greenbul
Yellow-bellied Greenbul
Yellow-bellied Greenbul
Yellow-bellied Greenbul
Yellow-bellied Greenbul
Yellow-bellied Greenbul
Yellow-bellied Greenbul
Yellow-bellied Greenbuls
Yellow-bellied Greenbuls
Yellow-bellied Greenbuls
Yellow-bellied Greenbul with a Yellow-fronted Canary in the background
Yellow-bellied Greenbul
Yellow-bellied Greenbul
Yellow-bellied Greenbul
Yellow-bellied Greenbul
Yellow-bellied Greenbul
Yellow-bellied Greenbul
Yellow-bellied Greenbul (photo by Niel de Wet)

CMR Blister Beetle

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Mylabris oculata

The CMR Blister Beetle is a large (4cm long) and colourfully-marked beetle in the family Meloidae, notorious for excreting the toxin cantharidin in defence against predators – this can cause blisters when making contact with skin and can even be fatal if ingested, both to humans and livestock.

After mating, the female lays her eggs in the ground. After hatching the larvae of the CMR Blister Beetle feeds on grasshopper eggs (including those of plague-causing locusts), while the adults feed on flowers and, often congregating in large numbers on flowering plants, are considered a pest in gardens and orchards. They are slow-flying insects. Adults are most often seen between late spring and early autumn. CMR Blister Beetles have very few specific habitat requirements and occur in almost every corner of South Africa.

The “CMR” acronym in this blister beetle’s name comes from the Cape Mounted Rifles, a military unit from South Africa’s colonial past whose colours resembled this beetle’s. In turn, the CMR Blister Beetle then became part of the Cape Mounted Rifles’ insignia.

CMR Blister Beetles
CMR Blister Beetle and honeysuckle
CMR Blister Beetles
CMR Blister Beetle
CMR Blister Beetles
CMR Blister Beetle
CMR Blister Beetle
CMR Blister Beetles
CMR Blister Beetle
CMR Blister Beetle

 

Red-capped Robin-Chat

40 Replies

Cossypha natalensis

The Red-capped Robin-Chat is an inhabitant of forests and dense woodlands, in South Africa to be found from the Eastern Cape through Kwazulu-Natal into the Lowveld and escarpment of Mpumalanga and Limpopo, and north of our borders widely through central and east Africa into southern Ethiopia. Insects make up the bulk of their diet and they are usually seen singly or in pairs.

Red-capped Robin-Chats breed in spring and summer. Pairs are monogamous and build cup-shaped nests in dense foliage or inside holes in trees, laying clutches of 2-4 eggs. This species occasionally hybridizes with the Chorister Robin-Chat. They are talented songbirds that can mimic up to 40 other kinds of birds, the whistling of a human and even the barking of a dog! Adults weigh around 32g with a length of about 16cm.

The IUCN classifies the Red-capped Robin-Chat as being of least concern.

Red-capped robin-chat
Red-capped Robin-Chat in Hilltop Camp
Red-capped Robin-Chat
Red-capped Robin-Chat
Red-capped Robin Chat
Red-capped Robin-Chat
Red-capped Robin-Chat
Red-capped Robin-Chat
Red-capped Robin-Chat
Red-capped Robin-Chat
Red-capped Robin-Chat
Red-capped Robin-Chat
Red-capped Robin-Chat
Red-capped Robin-Chat
Red-capped Robin Chats
Red-capped Robin Chats
Red-capped Robin Chat
Red-capped Robin Chat
Red-capped Robin Chat
Red-capped Robin Chat
Red-capped Robin Chat
Red-capped Robin Chat
Red-capped Robin Chat
Red-capped Robin Chat
Red-capped Robin Chat with a bushbuck in the background
Red-capped Robin Chat
Red-capped Robin Chat
Red-capped Robin Chat
Red-capped Robin Chat
Red-capped Robin Chat (photo by Joubert)

Natal Green Snake

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Philothamnus natalensis

The Natal Green Snake occurs only in southern Mozambique, Swaziland and South Africa (from the Garden Route, along the coast through the Eastern Cape into Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Gauteng) with two subspecies – Eastern and Western – being recognized. It inhabits forests and woodland habitats, often near houses, where they feed mainly on frogs, small reptiles, chicks and large insects. This is an alert, active and agile snake that is entirely lacking in venom and thus harmless to humans. They breed in early summer, with females laying small clutches of 3-8 eggs (occasionally as many as 14). Adults grow to a length of about a meter.

The IUCN considers the species to be of least concern.

While visiting Umlalazi Nature Reserve in December 2018, Marilize was first to notice this Eastern Natal Green Snake one afternoon while enjoying the early evening hours on the patio of our accommodation unit. It was remarkably relaxed and unperturbed by our presence, and allowed us a few photographs before sneaking off while we weren’t watching.

Eastern Natal Green Snake
Eastern Natal Green Snake
Eastern Natal Green Snake
Eastern Natal Green Snake
Eastern Natal Green Snake
Eastern Natal Green Snake

African Mudhopper

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Periophthalmus kalolo (P. koelreuteri africanus)

As a kid, the first time I learned about the existence of mudskippers, or mudhoppers, I was flabbergasted. Here was a fish-out-of-water that actually didn’t mind that at all! To this day I still find the idea absolutely fascinating. Mudskippers are amphibious fish that can survive out of water for considerable lengths of time by holding oxygenated water in their gill chambers and “breathing” through their wet skin and throat. Their pelvic fins are fused into suckers, allowing them to attach themselves to rocks and branches. And if that wasn’t astounding enough, they can use their fins and tails as legs and actually walk, run, hop, skip and jump on dry land!

The African Mudhopper is a small fish, growing to a maximum of about 14cm in length. They are carnivorous, feeding mainly on crustaceans, other invertebrates and smaller fish and spending most of their time looking for food on land rather than in water. When resting they usually do so with their tails in the water and bodies on the shore. Mudskippers live in the intertidal zone of river mouths, lagoons and estuaries, where the influence of the river, sea and tides conspire to create a challenging and constantly changing world of varying salinity and water levels. When their preferred mud flats become inundated by the incoming tide they hide from predatory fish in burrows that they dig themselves or they may use those of other creatures, like crabs, for the purpose. Males are territorial and display their colourful fins prominently to intimidate challengers and attract mates. Females lay their eggs inside the male’s nesting tunnels after mating, and the pair then cares for the eggs until they hatch.

The alternative name of “Common Mudskipper” is actually much more appropriate for this species, as they occur widely along the Indian and Pacific Ocean coastlines of Africa, Asia and Australasia. In our experience one of the very best places in our country to see these unique fish is the boardwalk through the mangrove swamp at Umlalazi Nature Reserve on the Kwazulu-Natal north coast.

African Mudhopper
African Mudhopper
African Mudhopper
African Mudhopper
African Mudhopper
African Mudhopper
African Mudhopper
African Mudhopper
African Mudhopper
African Mudhopper
African Mudhopper
African Mudhopper
African Mudhopper
African Mudhopper
African Mudhopper
African Mudhopper

Golden Orb-Web Spider

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Genus Nephila

The Golden Orb-web Spiders are some of the most impressive, and noticeable, arachnids you’ll encounter in South Africa. With a body length of up to 6cm and legspan of 10cm or more, female Golden Orb-Web Spiders are much larger than the males (whose bodies are usually less than a cm long), whom are often found sharing a web with a female. The web from which their name is derived is extremely large; often over a meter wide and straddling the space between adjoining trees, bushes and fenceposts, woven in a wagon-wheel shape with concentric strands and strong enough to entrap even small birds, though insects are their main target. Several such webs are often found in close proximity to one another. These diurnal spiders can deliver a painful bite, but the venom of the Golden Orb-Web Spiders is not harmful to humans.

From his position at the edge of her web, the male will attempt to approach the female and mate with her while she is consuming her prey, for fear of becoming a meal himself (which often happens). Female Golden Orb-Web Spiders produce up to four egg sacs annually, each containing hundreds of eggs that take about two months to hatch.

There is eleven species of this genus in Africa.

Golden Orb Web Spider
Female Golden Orb Web Spider
Golden Orb Web spider
Golden Orb Web Spider – the female is considerably larger than the male
Golden Orb Web spider web
Golden Orb Web Spider female
Golden Orb Web Spider
Golden Orb Web Spider
Golden Orb Web Spider (male)
Golden Orb Web Spider (male)
Golden Orb-web Spider
Golden Orb Web Spider
Golden Orb Web Spider – the female is considerably larger than the male
Golden Orb-web Spider
Orb-web Spider
Golden Orb-web Spider
Golden Orb-web Spider
Golden Orb-web Spider – male top left, female bottom right
Golden Orb-web Spider female with prey
Golden Orb-web Spider webs in the golden light of early morning
Golden Orb-web Spider
Golden Orb-web Spider
Golden Orb-web Spider female (note tiny males by comparison)(photo by Joubert)
Golden Orb-web Spider
Golden Orb-web Spider
Golden Orb-web Spider

The stork was busy at Imfolozi pre-Christmas

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One of the greatest pleasures of visiting our wild places in the summer is seeing the great number of cute new baby mammals that made their recent entrance into the world, and our December visit to Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park certainly had no shortage of cute babies to photograph!

Blue wildebeest cousins
Baby elephant
Baby elephant friends
Impala lamb suckling
Impala lamb
Impala lambs
Nyala calf
Plains Zebra mare and foal (with a photo-bombing cattle egret)
Playful Vervet Monkey baby
Vervet baby suckling (photo by Joubert)
Warthog piglets suckling
White Rhino cow and calf

Things that go “bump” in the night…

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Mpila Camp in the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park is not fenced, and any animals, dangerous kinds included, can and do roam between the accommodation units at night (and often during the day too!). I have a basic little camera-trap that I sometimes set up overnight when we visit South Africa’s wild places to see what happens when we’re soundly sleeping, and here’s a few images it captured of Spotted Hyenas roaming outside our cottage at Mpila when we visited in December 2018.

Spotted Hyenas roaming outside Mpila Cottage 16 in December 2018
Spotted Hyenas roaming outside Mpila Cottage 16 in December 2018
Spotted Hyenas roaming outside Mpila Cottage 16 in December 2018
Spotted Hyenas roaming outside Mpila Cottage 16 in December 2018
Spotted Hyenas roaming outside Mpila Cottage 16 in December 2018

A familiar favourite: Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park in December

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Our December 2019 bush breakaway concluded at the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, one of the oldest game reserves in Africa and a place that is very dear to our hearts. We spent five nights there, accommodated in Chalet #16 at wonderfully wild Mpila Camp.

Welcome to Mpila
You should take this warning seriously!
Chalet 16 at Mpila in the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, December 2018

Hluhluwe-Imfolozi is looking as green and lush as we’ve ever seen it, with the rivers flowing strongly, and that is a heartening sight to behold considering that not so long ago the Park was in the grips of a terrible and prolonged drought that tested the metal of plant and animal life alike. Compare the images in the gallery below with those we took during a visit in 2015, at the height of the drought.

Waterhole at Mphafa Hide
Imfolozi Sunrise
Sunrise over the Black Mfolozi River
A wide bend in the Black Mfolozi
Marula fruit
Sickle Bush bloom
Sweet Thorn blossoms
A view over the White Umfolozi River with a herd of buffalo on the banks
View from Siwasamikhosikazi picnic site
Having fun at Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park
View over the valley of the Nzimane River

A place as magnificent as Hluhluwe-Imfolozi is home to a countless variety of wildlife. Depicted in the following gallery is just a smidgen of the array of invertebrate life that crossed our path during our visit – we enjoyed them all of course, except those pesky mosquitoes… Regular spells of rain resulted in eruptions of termite and ant alates taking to the wing to establish new nests, providing a glut of food for a wide variety of insectivorous fauna.

Bagworm – larval stage of a moth in the family Psychidae
Black-striped Hairtail
Caterpillar on an aloe branch
Giant African Land Snail
Grasshopper of the family Pamphagidae – probably a female as they are wingless
Matabele Ants
Termite alates taking flight
Tick

The warm, wet weather and ample insect buffet meant that amphibians and reptiles were quite regularly seen, especially in the camp and at other places where you are allowed to exit your vehicle. These ranged in size and danger from frogs and geckos to monitor lizards and nile crocodiles and even a snake or two.

Foam Nest Frog nest
Raucous Toad
Common Dwarf Gecko
Giant Legless Skink
Striped Skink
Spotted Bush Snake inside our chalet at Mpila
Rock Monitor
Nile crocodiles on a sandbank in the Black Umfolozi River

Hluhluwe-Imfolozi is a bird paradise at any time of year, and even more so during the warm summer months when their numbers swell with migrants from northern latitudes. These are just a few of the over 100 species we recorded during this visit.

Black Cuckoo-shrike (female)
Black-bellied Bustard
Black-winged Kites
Blue Waxbill
Brown Snake Eagle
Brown-hooded Kingfisher
Burchell’s Coucal
Cape Turtle Dove
Cape White-eye
Chinspot Batis (female)
Crested Barbet
Crowned Hornbill
Dark-capped Bulbul
Egyptian Goose
Emerald-spotted Wood Dove
Familiar Chat
Golden-breasted Bunting
Grey-headed Sparrow
Hadeda Ibis nest at Mphafa hide (photo by Joubert)
Hamerkop silhouette
Hamerkop (photo by Joubert)
Helmeted Guineafowl
African Hoopoe
Lappet-faced Vulture
Lesser Spotted Eagle
Lesser Striped Swallow
Long-tailed Paradise Whydah (male in transitional plumage)
Mocking Cliff Chat
Namaqua Dove
Female Red-backed Shrike
Red-billed Oxpecker
Red-billed Quelea pair
Red-billed Teals
Red-breasted Swallow
Red-chested Cuckoo (photo by Joubert)
Red-winged Starlings raiding Village Weaver nests, presumably for nesting material
Rufous-naped Lark
Sabota Lark (photo by Joubert)
Scarlet-chested Sunbird
Secretary Bird (photo by Joubert)
Southern Masked Weaver (female)
Spotted Eagle-owl
Ashy Flycatcher
Steppe Buzzard
Steppe Buzzard (photo by Joubert)
Steppe Eagle (photo by Joubert)
Tawny Eagle (photo by Joubert)
Tawny (front) and Wahlberg’s (back) Eagles sharing a tree
Three-banded Plover
Trumpeter Hornbills
Village Weaver (male)
Violet-backed Starling (female)
Water Thick-knees at Bhejane Hide
Wattled Lapwing
White-backed Vultures near Mpila
White-browed Scrub Robin
White-crested Helmetshrike
Woolly-necked Stork
Yellow-billed Kite (photo by Joubert)
Yellow-fronted Canary
Yellow-throated Longclaw
Yellow-throated Bush Sparrow

What would an African game reserve be without charismatic big mammals? Hluhluwe-Imfolozi certainly delivers on that score, but the occasional and usually unexpected glimpses of small or lesser seen furry creatures – mice, hares, bats and the like – can be just as pleasing!

Baboon male
African buffalo
African buffalo (photo by Joubert)
Elephant herd on the move
Big elephant bull in musth
Elephant drinking at Bhejane
Giraffe bull
Grey Duiker
Proud Impala Ram
Fighting Impala Rams (photo by Joubert)
Mauritian Tomb Bats
Nyala ewe
Scrub Hare
Single-striped Grass Mouse
Spotted Hyena
Spotted Hyena
I did it my way…
Thieving Vervet Monkey with a stolen bounty (photo by Marilize)
Playful warthog piglets at Mpila (photos of Joubert)
Warthog enjoying a scratch after a mudbath
White Rhinos
White Rhino
White Rhino

Even the magnificent King of Beasts provided us a few memorable encounters, and the lions at Hluhluwe-Imfolozi definitely are as regal as any elsewhere on the continent.

Beautiful male lion
Beautiful male lion (photo by Joubert)
The King and Prime Minister of Imfolozi
Young male lion on the move
Young male lion on the move
Young male lion on the move
Young male lion on the move
Young male lion on the move

A visit to Hluhluwe-Imfolozi is just never long enough, no matter how long we stay. We exited the Park at Memorial Gate as we headed back to Pretoria to spend Christmas with our family, which of course is always a great treat, but truth be told it would have been so much nicer if the rest of the family could’ve joined us in HIP to spend Christmas in paradise…

The route from Pretoria to Memorial Gate
(drawn with Google Maps)