Bay of Plenty of Marine Wildlife

After a week of too much work and not enough play, it was time to leave the confines of Cape Town and start a slow journey back home to my mountain stronghold. My broad aim was to see how the fynbos was growing along Clarence Drive, that heads from Somerset West towards Betty's Bay. It was a beautiful and sunny start to the day, with just a touch of coastal mist to add an air of atmosphere to the scenery.

My vague plans to conduct some point counts (bird surveys) on the road to the Steenbras Dam were hijacked when from the parking lot at the entrance gate, which has an amazing view of False Bay below, I spotted a dark shape not far off the coast. My first Southern Right Whales! Thoughts of birds were abandoned as I dashed back down the hill to a viewpoint where the whales were frolicking about half a kilometer out. I spent half an hour watching them and listening to their bugle like noises.

Then out of the corner of my eye black shapes flashed out from the blinding background of sun reflected off sea – a pod of Common Dolphins were passing within scores of meters of me! They were moving rapidly down the coast, and I followed, trying to find view points ahead of them to watch them pass. At one stage I thought I'd found them really close to a rocky bay – but it turned out to be a hot-tub of Cape Fur Seals. These seals are only found around southern Africa – but they are plentiful (probably over 1.5 million of them).

Common Dolphin in full leap

A young dolphin pops its head up

Cape Fur Seals pretending to be dolphins

Cape Sugarbird female - few flowers now, so this one was busy gleaning for insects

 

Having lost the pod of dolphins, my next stop was the Stony Point African Penguin Colony, nestled within the holiday town of Betty's Bay. This is one of the two mainland colonies, the other being near Simons Town on the Cape Peninsula. I still think of the 'African Penguin' as the 'Jackass Penguin', the name I grew up with and which provides a good description of what they sound like. During my visit, several females were sitting on eggs, and I managed to get a view of a chick in one of the artificial nesting shelters provided for the penguins. There is no shortage of nesting sites for the penguins – instead the population of these poor birds is declining due to a probable shortage of available food resources (small fish species like anchovies and sardines). A chick needs 25kg of fish before it fledges.

The rest of the afternoon I spent as what appeared to be the sole visitor at the Harold Porter Botanical Gardens. Although a flexible working schedule that allows me to take a day off during the week is nice – it was almost eery having an entire huge restaurant and peaceful gardens to myself after the hustle and bustle of Cape Town. I better get used to it – Baviaanskloof will be quieter yet!

African Penguin - front and back

Proud Penguin mom and chick

The three Penguineers

African Penguin aka Jackass Penguin

I'm Cute! Love me!

Hi ho, hi ho, its off to the burrow we go.

Southern Right Whale waving at admirers on the Clarence Drive, with Table mountain in the background

Juvenile African Harrier-Hawk (Gymnogene) taking off from a roof top in Hermanus

Bontebok vs Blesbok

As Elena and Anja head off to Germany for a long while, we decided to take a short family holiday on the way to point of departure – Cape Town. Anja wanted to see Cape Agulhas and apart from us being busy pre-departure, we didn’t have internet again to do any research for accommodation and activities. As such we picked up our Slingsby Map of the Overberg and decided Swellendam would be a good base – as we knew it, had stayed at Kadis Cottage before, and knew what we were in for. It would be an acceptable base for exploring the Overberg.

Our first excursion was to Bontebok National Park – which has the unique distinction of being South Africa’s smallest national park, protecting one of the largest intact remnants of the endangered ‘Renosterveld’ fynbos habitats– with several endemic plants, and of course, the odd looking Bontebok. The fire that swept the Langeberge also burnt the fynbos near the entrance area between gate and reception, so spotting Bontebok was very easy as they were all attracted to the fresh flush of grass.

The Bontebok  (Damaliscus pygargus) is an antelope endemic to the Fynbos and considered a sub-species of the more widespread Blesbok (which can be seen in many parks, reserves and most game reserves across South Africa – they do not need big game fences to keep them from wandering). The Bontebok is darker than the Blesbok, with a large white rear-end and continuous white blaze down the face. Although classified as Endangered, with a population of c3000, Bontebok are easily seen at both Bontebok National Park and De Hoop Nature Reserve.

Bontebok National Park has a nice day-visitor area near the Breede River, and although there is a demarcated swimming area, I would not recommend it as both Elena and I were in need of a good supply of toilet paper the next day after dipping our feet in the water. However, with Swellendam and large agricultural areas upriver, that was not too surprising.  Due to the small size of the park, all the roads can be driven and trails walked in a matter of hours, so really a day visit suffices to get the full scope of the park. There is of course camping and accommodation that can be booked via the sanparks website.

Bontebok family - youngster on the right is a bit lighter

Classic horn - form the emblem of the original CapeNature logo

Bontebok doing the doggy thing

A Blesbok - for comparison - noncontinuous blaze and less white on the rump

Hartebeest - from Bontebok National Park - the only other similar looking antelope

Fields of Ericas in the Renosterveld in the shadow of Eenuurkop of the Langeberge

Our next stop was the De Hoop Nature Reserve – which at over 30 000ha is about ten times larger than Bontebok National Park. Although you might be asking why one is a National Park and the other a Nature Reserve – I don’t know the answer as to why some protected areas fall under the supervision of one organisation and others designated under management from provincial bodies.

De Hoop Nature Reserve is very popular for a number of reasons. Not only are there plentiful Bontebok and other antelope that graze right up to and around the Cape Dutch style guest accommodation and restaurant, but there are also whales to be seen from June to October – Southern Right Whales calve just off the coast – and the nature reserve protects the best example of Limestone Fynbos – so it has several plant species (round 30) which are found only in the Nature Reserve.  This reserve is very popular with overseas tourists, but during our visit we saw only two other visiting groups and felt as though we had the rolling Fynbos hills and sand-dunes to ourselves. We were a bit too early for whales, but the weather was superb considering we are knocking on winter’s door right now.

Generally, I’d recommend both in a tour of the Overberg – they are a reminder of what the rolling hills under agriculture once used to look like, and protect a very special area of the Cape Floristic Region.

Black Oystercatcher - restricted to southern African coasts

Cape Crow - or Black Crow - is also restricted to southern Africa, and suffers a contracting range, possibly  due to loosing out to Pied Crow - which is expanding its range across the country

Cape Francolin

Cape Longclaw - formerly Orange-throated Longclaw - a name that makes more since since that throat is not Cape colored.

The Cape Dutch-style accommodation adds to the appeal of De Hoop Nature Reserve

Young Ostriches are not always known for their good manners in public.

Protea obtusifolia - Limestone Protea - a special from De Hoop

A sunbathing Striped Fieldmouse kept an eye on us as we enjoyed our lunch

Big Ears - young baboons are very cute

Baboon troops of the Western Cape are not shy - when you see them coming make sure your windows are shut!

Fin

And so it came to an end. No official date or ceremony, but more a progression. I was missing Anja and Elena a lot, especially since the week after Easter I had had no communication with home at all. Once Chris had picked me up, the speed of the survey undertaken by vehicle made sense to keep it going that way.

Over 2500km had been covered by bicycle, along with many tens of kilometres of hiking where no vehicle could go. Since the vehicle was on hand and needed to go home anyway, Chris decided to prolong his participation on the project as co-driver as we worked our way down the Western part of the Cederberg, The Groot Winterhoek Wilderness Area, before wrapping it all up with a traverse across the Hottentots Holland from Stellenbosch to Nuwerust. This transect, 16km long, was the quietest of any I have done so far, a combination of young fynbos and a stiff south-easterly wind that was gusting at 60km/h as I crested the pass between the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve and Hottentots Holland.

It seems like a long time since those moments of trepidation and nervousness when I headed out on the bicycle from home for the first time, everything I needed on the trailer behind me. Now it is time to reflect on highlights and lessons learnt. The obvious lowlight was the theft of the bicycle in Cape Town and disruption of the planned family time there. Hard parts were the long periods alone, thinking of family and friends, especially when the weather was bitterly cold or wet. I also remember the sadness I felt looking across from the Swartberg to the Kammanassie and watching clouds of smoke rising from where I had been only a few days before, knowing that the beautiful mature fynbos and all its birds were no more.

But on the whole, highlights dominated these three months on the road. The kindness and support of strangers in remote parts of the country; breath-taking scenery: sunsets on the Swartberg, the colourful kloofs of the Kammanassie,  rugged gorges of the Rooiberg, sandstone statues of the Cederberg; the silence of the dusty back-roads of the Karoo and the din of a hundred Cape Sugarbirds and Orange-breasted Sunbirds feeding on the Proteas of Boosmansbos and Sleeping Beauty. I remember the excitement associated with each Cape Rockjumper and Protea Seedeater encounter. There were many moments of satisfaction after a long days ride, thrills on the downhill sections of the passes and the pleasure of a cool breeze during long uphill rides. There was a moment of great relief as I summited Seweweekspoortberg – the realisation that I can still do this, that I’m not old yet ;)   

I probably also started the survey with some preconceptions, arrived at mostly due my Fynbos experience limited to my backyard in Baviaanskloof; and to an initial analysis I did to compare the six Fynbos endemic bird species with six ecologically and morphologically similar species that occurred over a wider area using SABAP (Southern African Bird Atlas Project) data. Range maps at the quarter degree grid cell level (blocks of about 23x27km) suggested that Cape Sugarbirds, while reported less, are still widespread. I now see that their distribution is so closely tied to a subset of Proteas that their fate is intricately tied up with the fate of Proteas. And unfortunately with increasing fire frequency, the future of Proteas does not look rosy: coming across mature stands of Protea veld – burnt over 10 years ago – was not a common occurrence.

While I was initially a bit more worried about Orange-breasted Sunbirds, these colourful and cheerful fellows of the fynbos are not so tied to one type of Fynbos. While they were without a doubt common with any fynbos featuring Erica species with long, red flowers, they were also very common in certain types of Protea veld. I also recorded them in areas with large numbers of pine trees, albeit in lowernumbers.

I didn’t have many preconceptions about Cape Siskins – I simply knew too little - but these are common in almost any rocky fynbos, and persist in fynbos types that have been burnt up to four years ago and are dominated by restios. Their future seems secure for the time being, as their occasional forays into Karoo habitats suggest they are not as restricted by aridity gradients as perhaps some of the other species are.

Victorin’s Warbler is very common in the southern mountain ranges – Langeberg and Outeniquas and rare in the drier sections of the Cederberg and Swartberg. As such, they like moist and rank fynbos and will probably decline under drier climatic conditions.  

Cape Rockjumper I was initially very worried about as they showed an apparent contracted and fragmented range between SABAP surveys. I think I now understand what drives their occurrence – a combination of topographical and moisture gradients. They are found mainly on scree slopes at the base of eroding rock fronts e.g. cliffs, and probably at a rainfall level higher than 600 to 800mm, as this would explain why over most of the mountain ranges they are only found above 1000m except in the Kogelberg Mountains. On the other end of the spectrum, too much rain eg southern slopes of the Langeberg and the vegetation is too rank for their foraging habits. I suspect there is an element of their dietary habits which is not understood with may restrict their range. This may, for instance have to do with the need for the proximity of productive Protea or other mature Fynbos types that is conducive to insect life.

As for Protea Seedeaters, they are as much of a mystery to me now as when I started. With the exception of the Cederberg and Fynbos elements of the Baviaanskloof, encounters were infrequent, and no pattern of occurrence is apparent to me yet. I observed Protea Seedeater at a stream in the very hot and arid Die Hell valley, on the wet Prince Alfred’s pass in mature Protea veld, foraging on Kiggeleria seeds in Meiringspoort but also on Protea seeds in the Skurweberge, and sightings came from a range of elevation gradients.

I now have the task of entering into my laptop the scores of sheets of data I have taken in the field, and more concrete insights should emerge over the course of the next few months.

There will of course be winter survey – which like most sequels will not see much development in the plot, but should feature more action, new locations, but hopefully no special effects. As sponsorship recently has been thin on the ground, any assistance that can be offered will be most gratefully accepted. Tax deductible sponsorship can still be contributed via Birdlife South Africa – South Africa’s leading bird conservation charity organisation. Details are reproduced here from their website (http://www.birdlife.org.za/support-us/donate):

Account name: BirdLife South Africa

Physical address: 239 Barkston Drive, Blairgowrie 2194, Gauteng, South Arica

Account number: 620 675 062 81

Branch: First National Bank, Randburg

Branch code: 254 005

Swift code: FIRNZAJJ768

Reference: Your initials and surname followed by "Donation Fynbos”

Taking a bow: Thanks for your support and attention!

A Late summer in the Great Winter mountains

The Groot Winterhoek Wilderness Area is a protected water catchment area under management by CapeNature. The mountains range from 1000 to 2077 meters, and it has a high winter rainfall season (1450mm) starting in April. So I was expecting to get wet and cold here, so late into the season.  I was in for a pleasant surprise.

We arrived late Thursday afternoon, a bit too late for me to get underway. Although one is allowed to camp almost anywhere in a Wilderness Area, there are no designated camp facilities. This means that while I was out surveying, Chris would be sitting around. As a compromise we backtracked 15km or so to Beaverlac, a private campsite where at least warm water and toilets could be found.

I set out early Friday morning into the Wilderness area, towards ‘Kliphuis’. It was soon quite warm, with temperatures ticking into the twenties. The reserve map states the distance to Kliphuis is 16km, so I was pleasantly surprised to arrive after completing only 11km. With the name Kliphuis, I had been expecting a mountain cottage, but the name refers to a cave, with some rock art and annoying 20^th century graffiti.

I set up camp near some oak trees, having learnt from my experience at Sandrif that camping under oak trees at this time of year is not a good idea, unless you are a squirrel – in which case lunch will be falling into your lap. In the afternoon I hiked further into the mountains, recording a couple of Cape Rockjumper families, and a surprise – a Sentinel Rock Thrush.

In the evening I watched a couple of satellites glistening their way across the sky like voyaging stars. The sounds of Cape Clapper Larks gave way to a distant Cape Eagle Owl. There is nothing quite like being alone in a wilderness area.

Saturday was Protea Seedeater day, with several groups foraging on the seeds of a yet unidentified weedy looking member of the Aster family. It was yet another warm morning, as I surveyed down a valley to De Tronk, but a cold mist started to roll in over the Swartland in the afternoon, reaching me asI headed north back to the parking area where I was to rendezvous with Chris. It being Saturday, there were several hiking groups heading down to De Hel, which is advertised as South Africa’s largest rock pool. My 15km round trip hike led me through more amazing Table Mountain Sandstone rock formations and restioid dominated veld, with occasional blushes of pink Erica to liven the landscape.

Neddicky

This Protea Seedeater was not enticed by his perch - some old Protea seeds

The birds were generally relaxed, not flushing very far away.

 I can’t wait to get back here for my winter/spring survey – the Fynbos flowers must be amazing (if not covered in snow). This was a taste of what I saw, which included my first Red Disa.

Red Disa - usually flower around January and February, so I got lucky with this late bloomer.

Southern Double Collared Sunbird on Wild Dagga

The case of the Suicidal Cedar

The setting: a hospital type room.  A sickly Clanwilliam cedar, with dead branches and few leaves, lies in large bed.

A human walks into the room: “What’s all this about you not wanting to live anymore? Come, come, things aren’t so bad!”

Cedar: “I’m depressed! You’ve chopped down all my friends and family!”

Human: “It’s not so bad, we’ll grow you some new ones” and starts to harvest some seeds from the Cedar and plant them around the room. On finishing, the human takes a break, lights a cigarette, carelessly discards the match and sets some branches of the Cedar on fire.

Cedar: “AAAARGH!” as the human throws a bucket of water on the Cedar.

Human: “So sorry! It was an accident!”

Awkard silence.

Human: “It’s really cold in here, shall I turn up the heating?”

Cedar: “NOOO!”

Human, fiddling with the thermostat: “Just 2 degrees warmer should about do it”

The Cedar groans as its last few leaves seesaw to the ground.

During my hikes through the Cederberg, the charred skeletal remains of the endangered Clanwilliam Cedar (Widdringtonia cedarbergensis) were a prominent feature of the landscape high in the mountains.  It’s a sad state of affairs for the tree that gave the mountains their name. They have been reduced from a “24x2 mile” swathe to scattered individual trees hiding among the rocks.

Hundreds of young trees have been planted by volunteers over the years, but it appears that devastating fires in 2002 and 2009 have almost wiped out these plantations. The trees need to live about 30 years before they get to reproductive age. Why the natural regeneration process no longer continues is a bit of a mystery – but there are practically no young trees across the landscape.

That they only grow above 1000 meters up in the mountains suggests they prefer cooler climates – and so a warming climate is probably the death knoll for this species. Perhaps like the Willowmore Cedar of Baviaanskloof, which finds itself in a similar state, these are simply relics from a bygone age. To find out more about this species visit: 

http://www.globaltrees.org/tp_clanwilliam.htm

A view from the Cederberg

A female Cape Rockjumper on the twisted remains of a Clanwilliam Cedar

A happy Clanwilliam Cedar