December 2008:

The weather in December astounded everyone. While the Garden Route was waiting with baited breathe to see if holiday makers would shrug off the economic crunch it seemed that summer did not arrive. Late easterly winds set in with a vengeance and sculptured the beaches. Following on the November floods of 2007 it seemed that once again the Garden Route would not have the help of nature to make it a suitable destination for the festive season. Birding proved to be spectacular with swarms of insects attracting flocks of Barn Swallows to the region, without a doubt the the highest count of these birds in the last 10 years. With all the nesting during summer it was wonderful to find a Dusky Flycatcher nest with 3 fledgelings alongside a busy trail in Wilderness National Park. The lack of rain had an impact on the forests with the undergrowth wilting daily and the canopy dropping leaves in large amounts. The heat normally stimulates fungal growth at this time of the year in the forest, but the dry conditions resulted in an absence of the usual colourful fungii. Sea conditions were rough and often wind swept with swells of over 5m a frequent occurrence. Unfortunately water temperatures were not the usual warm conditions expected for summer time. Sadly the sea storms washed 3 Oyster Catcher nests away in the Goukamma Reserve between Platbank and Oysterbay. Despite the general poor conditions, there were days that were exceptional - sunshine, hot and still. On one day outing on the Goukamma Loop the soles melted off Nicky's shoes while walking across the hot dune sand. We ended up having to strap the soles on with laces but finally ripped them off for easier walking. On a birding outing, a short walk along the access roud along Goukamma River yeailded over 10 lifers for guests from Sweden and a fantastic sighting of a Olive Woodpecker bathing in the overflow of a rain tank near the staff housing.

 

October 2008:

October was a diverse month, especially for myself. I continued with a consultancy on the Land Rover G4 Challenge selection process for South African candidates. For the first three weeks of the month we were involved with scouting and staging the national selections in Lesotho, a diverse, yet exhausting task in a diversity of weather conditions and altitude. In the Garden Route Jim and Judy expertly handled the trails for the month. Weather conditions were varied with the start of the month a mixture of overcast and light rain easing into fine conditions. The second half of the month had some heavy rain in Knysna before clearing up to warm and clear conditions with daily sea breezes picking up mid morning. In all, comfortably warm walking conditions and warm evening during trails. It was refreshing to have two groups of families joining us on the trail. A educational option for teenagers in the process of meeting the requirements of grade 11's and 12's participating in the Presidents Award. One of the criteria is for them to complete a multi-day walk. While this takes teenagers out of their comfort zone of the gizmo's of our modern society, by the third day most express pride in their achievement. Once the restraints of peer group pressure are shed, these budding adolescents rapidly become immersed in the wonders of the environment that they are passing through. As with every time family groups The transformation of the coastline following the battering seas of the past three months was marked and temporarily exposed fossils of pansy shells along the second stage beach walk. Vegetation of the Garden Route has definitely sprouted, heralding the start of summer. Growth flushes in the forest canopy was evident, with both species of Yellowwoods demonstrating the most blatant growth spurt. The arrival of Paradise Flycatchers to the region combined with regular calls of the African Emerald Cuckoo and the Red Chested Cuckoo further marked the arrival of summer. Two of the adolescent Fish Eagles from the previous season appear to have established their territory along the Touw River with a possible nesting site in the forest canopy which we will eagerly monitor. On a personal note, I finally took the plunge and proposed to Amanda on a sunset evening on the 18th. I am please to announce that she eagerly accepted.

June 2008 : Though the first sightings of whales occurred at the end of April, they only showed themselves regularly this month. Tailing and loafing behind the breakers of the between Wilderness and Sedgefield, their presence once again remind us of the vast distances that they travel to our shores to calve and mate. The Awesome Autumn persisted with a single cold front blasting through over the final weekend of the month. There was a brief spell of easterlies for three days which had a dramatic impact on the beach as large amounts of sand were shifted. Despite this the beaches are still wide and packed with sand, though some rock shelves have started to be exposed. Our audit of African Black Oyster Catchers totaled 143 birds between Klienkrans and Brenton on Sea, a incredible increase on our former high total of 121 bird. This is a wonderful indication at how the combined factors of protection efforts in the region and the increased utilization of the exotic Mediterranean mussel have bolstered the species. An incredible event which occurred in lakes system has been the explosion of Mozambican Tilapia in the Touw and Serpentine rivers and in the channel between Rondevlei and Langvlei. In particular, shoals of Tilapia have congregated in incredible numbers in the channel between Rondevlei and Langvlei, attracting flocks of water fowl and wetland birds which have been indulging in a feeding frenzy. It has been spectacular to watch all species of birds from Little Grebes to Spoonbills catching fish. The ornithological highlight of this shoaling event has been a visitation of a Goliath Heron, a rare visitor to the region. For a day walk we conducted an ascent of Craddock and George Peak over the second weekend of June. It is a demanding walk with an ascent of 1450m in 9km, but the views of the Outeniqua Mountains, the Indian Ocean and the Swartberg range were worth the effort. A disturbing find was of a drowned Cape Gannet washed up in the Goukamma Nature Reserve. The tragedy of this find is that the birds, which dive for fish from a height of 30m, often do so behind trawlers and mistakenly dive into the nets, breaking their wings in the process. Unable to fly they drown. Unfortunately not all boats take measures to prevent these deaths. An interesting behavioral discovery was of the neck twisting habit of a Malachite Kingfisher when handled. A species specific habit, the twist their heads 180 degrees to the right when handled. We had one stun itself by flying into a closed window and picked it up to assist reviving it. Concerned that it had suffered some neurological damage, a review of the literature enlightened us to this habit. In response to the current economical pressure we have considered ways of reducing the carbon footprint of the trail and have re routed the itinerary to include a two night stop over in the Goukamma Nature Reserve which is fabulous. We are now able to include the canoe stages on the the Goukamma River and get sightings of the Spotted Eagle Owl, the pair of Fish Eagles as well as complete a new loop in the reserve.

May 2008: Known to Locals as the Awesome Autumn, May proved to be a spectacular month to visit the Garden Route.While Cape Town and surrounds were buffeted by wet and cold conditions, the Garden Route had calm clear sunny days with no rain. Birding at the Rondevlei Bird Hide was spectacular providing wonderful hours spent watching wetland birds. In the region the five juvenile African Fish Eagles made their presence known as they migrated between the 5 lakes scouting prospective nesting sites. Conditions on the trail were spectacular with the new board walk on the Giant Kingfisher Trail in Wilderness National Park close to completion. Walking on it offers a new vista of this popular forest walk as you are raised 1.5m above ground level. The combination of clearing the reeds in the Serpentine River and the closing of the Touws River mouth have made this canoe stage a world class canoe and Birding activity. In our endeavor to personalize the trail as best possible, at the request of our 'Kindergarten Group' for a G&T break, we arranged a stop along the remote stretch of beach between Wilderness and Gerikes Point which made for a most rewarding stop to the accompaniment of Bottle Nosed Dolphins surfing in the waves. The success of each trail is dependent in a large part on the interaction of the members of the group, and in the last week of May, the groups singing and lyrics became legend every night. Sea temperatures have increased since the upwelling in March making it ideal to swim in Kingfisher Creek and on the Buffalo Bay beach. In the forests, the impact of no rain for more than a month is definitely noticeable by the lack of fungii and the wilted state of some of the undergrowth. Most spectacular of May was the clarity of the air and the night skies. During the day with the still conditions, colour saturation for photography was superb. In the evening, the night sky was vivid with the brightness of the stars and the altering phases of the moon. So, when planning your second quarter break in 2009, consider the month of May. For this year, our Awesome Autumn continues to the end of July.

March 2008 : March was a month of rapture Birding and a honeymoon couples relaxed getaway in the Garden Route. Birding in the lakes region provided superb displays of no less than 5 juvenile African Fish Eagles. The established resident pairs in the area constantly chased the juvenile's out of their territories forcing at least one female to seek a territory up the Wolve River. On the section between Kleinkrans and Gerikes Point there were three pairs of African Black Oyster Catchers nesting or with chicks, all late breeding. In the Wilderness National Park, work finally started on upgrading the path to the waterfall on the Touw River. Kathryn and Seth enjoyed their honeymoon, making the lunch stop at the Touw River a moment to explore the rocks. Unfortunately the heat of summer and the moisture of the November 2007 floods stimulated the growth of both terrestrial and aquatic vegetation making it impossible to complete the rowing stage on the Serpentine River which is now choked with algae. For the first time in the history of the trail James and Valerie managed to capsize a canoe, this after briefing them that it was almost impossible to do so. To complement the season growth, the Golden Orb Spiders found along the path in Goukamma Nature Reserve increased with between 15 and 20 setting their webs across the path. Where possible we made every effort to bypass them with out damaging their webs. Crossing the Goukamma River was easy and refreshing at the end of a hot day with both the mouth and the section where the pont is shallow enough to wade across. Sightings of dolphins were scarce with only three sighting in the month. Towards the end of the month the prevailing winds settled in as easterlies, though none of the beach stages were affected by them. However the impact of the wind was noticeable on the build up of the sand, with sections of beach now 1.5m higher than the end of 2007 covering vast sections of formerly exposed rock. This allowed the Ghost Crabs to settle on the beach and larger burrow holes were recorded. The water in rock pools was wonderfully clear and the pools were filled with plenty small octopus. A special find had to be the encounter with a Sand Rain Frog, a small frog that appears to be blown up. Located in the middle of a path on the dunes in Goukamma, we were astounded as it rapidly burrowed into the sand with a series of backward wriggles. The species of this family of frogs are strictly endemic to regions and are often over looked due to their small size, not more than 40mm. The fruit and berries on the trees are exceptional, with larger fruit and greater quantities than normal providing an excellent supply of food for birds. The lakes in the region are also flourishing with life and the receding water levels have exposed formerly flooded areas making more food available for the waders and waterfowl. The western side of Rondevlei and the eastern side of Langvlei offer some spectacular Birding.

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