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| Acacia Pied Barbet stops to smell the Cosmos in our garden |
After the Fitz AGM at
the beginning of the month (where Peter Ryan said I gave the best
talk, yay!) it was back to Blue Hill with Campbell Fleming.
Campbell is just
starting his MSc on the topic of the genetics of Cape Sugarbirds.
Basically, we've been
interested for a long time on the connectivity of the populations of
sugarbirds and other endemics across the biome. The fynbos is a fire
driven ecosystem and the birds are very niche specific in what they
like: sugarbirds can be abundant in old fynbos, but are absent from
young fynbos where the proteas have not yet had a chance to flower.
How do the birds deal with this and what are the consequences on
their genetics? Are the birds on isolated fynbos mountains e.g.
Kammanassie, different from other populations? Are populations being
influenced by things we cannot see: e.g. parasites or genetic
depression?
In order to answer
these questions, we need DNA samples from all over the fynbos biome.
Ideally, from several individuals from several sites. I've been
collecting samples on an ad-hoc basis over the last year, but with
rockjumper and buttonquail demanding a lot of attention, I've never
had time to focus on this dynamic set of questions. I'd initially
included this study direction in my last research proposal after
conversations with Jaqui Bishop, a senior lecturer at UCT, in 2014.
Luckily for me, Phoebe
Barnard secured some money to undertake this project at the masters
level, and Jaqui Bishop found Campbell to do it. All of this is being
supervised by Peter Ryan at the Fitz.
This kind-of relegates
me to the role of bird catcher – but I'm fine with that! As you'll
see, these 2 weeks took me to some pretty cool places, and I don't
have to worry about lab work!
Our week started on the
first Sunday of the month, 3 April, and although it was Elena's
birthday she agreed to come out with us in the afternoon to help us
set up nets. Campbell was after all pretty new at this and needed
some help from someone who'd just turned 5! We got off to a good
start, with our first birds netted. And so it went...
Monday morning saw a
big haul in the Protea repens stands of a range of nectarivores
dominated by young Malachite Sunbirds. But we could not stay... we
were planning on joining Mark Brown for one of his regular sessions
at Nature's Valley. So off we set to Wildspirit Backpackers! Here
also we rendezvoused with Carolynne Geary who'd kindly agreed to help
us with the setting up of nets, taking down of nets, entering data
etc that all goes with the job.
Little did we know that
due to an inclemental weather report Mark Brown's session had been
cancelled! We found that out on arriving at the rather damp hippy
resort that would be home for the next two nights.
Nevertheless, Tuesday
morning we decided to get at it anyway, and were rewarded with an
acceptable array of birds, this time dominated by Southern
Double-Collared Sunbirds. But sugarbirds were few. Daniel Cloete,
PhD student looking at pollination affiliations here, had given us
some pointers as to where we might find more, and we went to scout
out the locations that afternoon: only to be drenched in the process.
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| Female Olive Bush-shrike |
On Wednesday Campbell
and I decided to lure some sugarbirds from a patch of fynbos near the
backpackers, joined by one of the least hippy backpacker lodgers –
an accountant from Germany. Meanwhile, Carolynne had volunteered to
mission out to van Staden's where Ben Smit and Jerry Mokgatla were
ringing. But again we were low on samples! I think Mark Brown has
been training them to be illusive around here :) and so he kindly
offered to assist sampling for the rest of the year.
Campbell's team had to
move on: I'd over optimistically arranged a ringing session on the
Montagu Pass for the Thursday. At least we'd be staying at some
up-market accommodation, which was sorely needed as the outdoor
shower in the rain had not attracted many users at WildSpirit. Not
only that, but Over-The-Mountain also has a cute little restaurant
which allowed Carolynne to top up on chocolate cake.
But Thursday was a bit
of a black day. The start was late, skies were clear and wind started
early. By the time the CapeNature rangers joined us we were ready to
close the nets. However, they would let us into a little secret: the
wonders of Camferskloof – a paradise of fynbos hidden beyond the
hops farms off the Montagu Pass. But... it would have to wait,
because again Campbell and I had a scheduled visit: this time
Gamkaberg, to see if there were Proteas in bloom and sugarbirds
present.
So that afternoon we
negotiated the 4x4 trail up the mountain, to find that the Protea
repens were in bloom near Oukraal overnight hut, plus sugarbirds and
other sunbirds were evident. However, our accommodation was at the
base of the mountain, so after setting up some net locations we had
to negotiate the rough 4x4 track back down! The researcher
accommodation at Gamkaberg is pretty cool – but we'd only be able
to catch a few hours sleep before yet again ascending the mountain.
Shew. Exhausting. And it would turn out that all that for just 1
sugarbird!
Time to head back to
Blue Hill! Although I'd envisaged a day of rest.... Campbell and
Carolynne had other plans, and Sunday morning we were netting again!
But again clear skies and a stiff breeze so now only 2 sugarbirds!
We'd been planning on camping in Welbedacht over the next couple of
days, but on the drive back from Gamkaberg we noticed the mountain
was on fire. A later inspection would reveal no ancient fynbos left
:(. We had to make alternative plans so...
Monday and we were
trying our luck on our neighbours farm, but again low capture rates
were the theme of the day. At this rate it would take Campbell 100
days of capture just to get his sample of sugarbirds!
Monday saw the arrival
of ringers Gert and Koetie Opperman, and with them, a change in luck.
They had come to Blue Hill to add the fynbos endemic species to their
life lists. Two more mornings with them at locations on Blue Hill saw
us reach our goals on Orange-breasted Sunbird. And then we were off
to Camferskloof, again.
OT, Outeniqua
CapeNature manager, had allowed us to stay at the hikers hut, which
is in a state of reconstruction. But it was close to our netting
site: and Thursday morning saw us inundated with birds: we had to
release many more birds than we would be able to process, and
certainly cracked our target for birds for this neck of the woods.
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| Cape Sugarbird with leucistic (white) feather |
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| CapeNature ranger and interns getting to grips with birds |
And as before, then it
was Gamkaberg, where this time Tom Barry had helped us organise
accommodation at Oukraal, so we would not have to drive the 4x4 route
up and down. At Oukraal Tom had also organised for his interns to
help out, and so we had company of Nelly and Kirsty in taking data
and checking the nets. While our first morning was somewhat subdued
as we had set up around the hikers hut, Saturday morning saw us again
easily reach our targets with some well placed nets in Protea
nerifolia.
But the week was not
finished. Saturday night we spent at the Takkieskloof campsite in
Riversdal, with a productive Sunday morning, called short by rain.
And a shortage of equipment. Sunday afternoon we begged a few extra
sample bottles from the Riversdal hospital, and filled those on the
Monday morning, with the help of Zoe Woodgate for data entry (and
Campbell's lift to Cape Town).
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| Susprise bird of the day on Garcia Pass: Half-collared Kingfisher |
It's taken me most of
the week to recover from that expedition: but all in all, we'll call
it a success.
