Forest of them regenerating vigorously in spring after fire.
This is Craterostigma nanum. iNat has yet to catch up with this publication.
Cultivated. It came up naturally in my garden but was relocated to a more suitable spot.
I wish i could upload the video of the owl bathing
Count
Pin & Cluster 8
6
SS for site following census
25 Oct: Long, tidily constructed tube sticking up from a hole in the ground. No inhabitant activity seen.
The tube was removed and left next to the hole.
26 Oct: A new small tube had been started overnight. There had been some fiddling with the original tube.
27 Oct: A portion of the original tube had been cut off and attached to the short new tube.
29 Oct: Three more burrows and grass tunnels found in a 2x2m area around the original burrow.
The tube was removed from burrow 2. On re-inspection 4hrs later the burrow entrance had been concealed by cut grass pieces.
The tube was removed from burrow 4 - on re-inspection the entrance had been sealed with a very strong lattice of transparent threads.
30 Oct: Five more tubes found, total now 9 in an area of 4x4m.
20 Nov: Attempted excavation of larva resulted in the lower half of a larva being recovered.
21 Nov: Larva seen (and photographed) moving bits of vegetation in the early morning (04:53) Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoVSiIsogcs
22 Nov: tubes continue to be repaired or replaced.
23 Nov: larva excavated in the early morning and housed, with its host plant, in a bucket covered with shadecloth.
28 Nov: a thorough search of the thick grass was done and 5 more tubes were discovered in the 4x4m area. Interestingly, one tube is considerably narrower than the regular sized tubes and another was found of an intermediate size.
10 Dec: no signs of the captive larva, found it dead and dry under the host grass.
18 Jan: Larvae still active - two damaged tubes were repaired on 18 and 22 Jan
16 March: live larva collected
5 Apr (approx): pupated. See https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/110835074
19 May Adult eclosed. See https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/117838457
14 Mar 2023: Second site found https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/151118075
Small snake, about the thickness of my small finger. From a distance it looked more like a bunch of caterpillars.
We stopped to watch some holes in the sand, thinking they were being dug by a bee. Instead, faces appeared at the entrances but the creatures never revealed any more of themselves and disappeared if one got too close. The holes were about 3mm in diameter.
I'm not quite sure why I decided to video this bird - I certainly had no idea that it was anting! Sadly it meant that I didn't record the ant species. Video:
https://youtu.be/CjALX2UsONE
Ants being used by an Orange-breasted Sunbird.
. Video:
https://youtu.be/CjALX2UsONE
dis n eerste vir Suider Afrika
I came across the pair apparently shortly after the snake had bitten the toad, around 14:30. In the video the adder can be seen giving the toad a second bite.
The snake started swallowing the toad at 14:38, the toad still struggling strongly. The toad stopped moving at around 14:41.
Initially I started filming on my phone as the snake was blocking the path to my camera and I didn't want to disturb it. An hour in (15:30), it was apparent that the snake was untroubled by the various humans and cats watching it, and I swapped to the camera.
By 16:50 the snake had swallowed the toad up to its hips. At 17:16 it partially regurgitated the prey and started swallowing again.
At 17:36 it again regurgitated a large portion of the toad - its front legs and feet were visible.
At 17:56 only the back legs were still protruding.
The toad was completely swallowed at 18:09, 3.5 hours in all.
The video (3mins 30 sec) is edited and speeded up 2x.
Transition b/n Ruens Silcrete Renosterveld & Eastern Ruens Shale Renosterveld plus some alluvium
This is the Outramps CREW 100,000 obs and we celebrated it with Tilla who is the Head of the Threatened Plants Programme and the CREW Programme. It represents our involvement with plant monitoring from 1992 to 2021. It has been a joyous ride. So thank you all for so many years of fun, laughs and learning. Keep going!
14 Dolphins Surfing a wave, playful during Spring time
Psammobates geometricus - Geometric Tortoise.
https://www.tyroneping.co.za/tortoises/psammobates-geometricus-geometric-tortoise/
I went down to my swimming spot with the aim of removing some branches from a tree which had fallen across the river. As I arrived I disturbed a young Fish Eagle who was sitting on this tree. Rustling in the undergrowth on the opposite bank alerted Dog and me that we were not alone and soon an otter popped up its head, sending the dog into a fit (she probably thought it was a swimming honey badger). Another otter also started popping up and down and doing a sort of long moan-growl. To my surprise the closer otter started making a bee-line for us and was probably only 3m away from the dog when I called her back. After a while they settled down so I entered the water to commence my pruning task, keeping a close eye on the nearest otter. Dog was sensibly sticking to the bank. After a few minutes I noticed the otter had moved closer, was staring at me intently and again moan-growling. Being waist-deep in water with nothing for protection but a swimming costume and a folding saw, I decided to calmly retreat and the otter immediately snaked over and claimed the territory I had just vacated. Video here:
A diademless Trichodiadema. T attonsum or fergusoniae. About 5 plants encountered, <5 cm high and very difficult to spot. Third pic was from a follow-up survey during June 2020 in an attempt to catch it in flower. Note the hairy pedicle.