30/06/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 07°C
Max temp: 22°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Went to Ladysmith to get AFTW Vehicle’s front right wheel fixed and to get some blades for the grass cutter at AFGRI
12:00 Got back home and changed the wheel of the AFTW Vehicle
12:10 Went up the mountain to check how we are going to place the container for the batteries and repeater of the radios
13:10 Saw 3 Blesbok on top of the mountain while going to the container
13:20 Marked out a position for the container next to the foundation of the mast, now we will put a foundation for the container there then all will be finished
14:00 At the bottom of the mountain coming back I saw 3 Kudu bulls and 3 Zebras next to the road
14:30 Went to ryefield
14:55 At the ryefield I saw 24 Waterbuck, they seem to like it there now and they are
getting pretty used to the vehicle by now
15:00 Saw 3 Sacred Ibis also on the ryefield near the centre pivot
15:30 At the 2 ponds near the main gate I saw 4 Warthog males wallowing in the mud
16:00 Went back to the farm house to check my e-mails and get the reports from the game guards
16:30 Went to switch off the centre pivot and take the game guards home
17:30 Home
01/07/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 05°C
Max temp: 19°C
06:45 Fetched staff
07:30 Got everything ready to go and burn the firebreak at the back of the mountain at N3 Highway
09:00 Started burning the firebreak; started slow for the grass was still a bit wet, but later as it started to get warmer it went well, burned about 200m along border fence
12:30 Finished firebreak
13:30 Went around mountain to check on the prickly pears and cochineal
14:00 The cochineal is spreading nicely and I found some more Prickly Pear Moth
larvae on the prickly pears
15:00 Went back to the place where we burned firebreaks just to double check that
everything is ok there
16:00 Saw 6 Zebras with 4 Oxpeckers on them near the house
16:30 Took staff back
17:15 Home
02/07/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 05°C
Max temp: 20°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Checked on the Prickly Pear Moths I have. They are still in their larvae stage and are burrowing nicely in the prickly pear leaves I gave them
09:00 The fencing material arrived and we offloaded it at the workshop
10:00 Went to Pietermaritzburg with Mike to go and see the people who gives courses in First Aid, got a quote from them for a Level 3 First Aid course, we also went to Protecta Wear to get gloves for the staff
15:45 Stopped at Mooi River on the way back to fetch the new water cart and to check
on the river pump to see what is wrong with it.
17:30 Home
03/07/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 03°C
Max temp: 19°C
06:45 Took AFTW Vehicle in for a service and to get 2 bolts for the tractor
13:30 Got home and I went straight up to mount Sully to check on the Blesbok, could only see 3 up there, one cow and 2 calves.
14:30 Went to the ryefield, I saw 7 Blesbok there, so I think that some of the blesbok
from the top of the mountain have come down to the ryefield
15:30 Went to the back at the N3 side to look for the Hartebeests, only saw the one-
horned animal near the river
16:30 Home
04/07/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 07°C
Max temp: 21°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Went to drop the alien plant team at the R103 to ring bark some Gum Trees
09:30 Went to the back of Geluk Farm to check on the progress the TLB Dozer is
doing fixing the road there so that it is easier to do firebreaks and fencing at the back of Geluk
12:30 Went to check on the Waterbuck on the ryefield, saw 24 animals again today,
I can still only make out 8 calves, but I think there may be more than that
13:30 Went to Geluk farm to check on everything there, went to the dam at the old
bush camp, it has enough water left for the winter
14:30 Went to Vertrek farm to look for the Blue Wildebeests, could not find them and I
checked the water holes, there is enough water for the animals
15:30 Left to go and pick up the alien plant team at the R103 at the back of Vertrek
16:30 Home
Tuesday, 8 July 2008
23rd - 27th June 2008
23/06/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 06°C
Max temp: 20°C
07:30 Report
08:00 Went to Colenso to fetch the Handyman
08:45 Went in to Ladysmith to get a jigsaw and parts for the toilet and bits and pieces
for fixing the house and lodge
12:00 Saw 12 Giraffes on the main road at the stream leading to Tugela river
12:30 Went to the pond at the foot of the mountain, only saw 1 Grey Heron
13:00 Helped the handyman with the toilet to put another valve and float in
13:30 Went up to Mount Sully, saw 5 Zebras on the road leading up the mountain
14:00 Saw 2 Mountain Reedbuck just as I got to the top
15:15 Going down at the back near the N3 highway I saw 5 Kudu cows
15:30 Checked the prickly pears where I found the Prickly Pear Moths; looks like they
are attacking the prickly pears nicely
16:00 Took Handyman home
16:45 Home
24/06/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 04°C
Max temp: 18°C
07:30 Report
08:00 Fetched Handyman
08:45 Went to ryefield to see which animals arrive there first
09:25 At the ryefield, some Impalas were on the field already and the 3 Blesbok were
making their way there, followed by another group of Impala and 24 Waterbuck,
no sign of the warthogs yet
10:00 Went back to the house to help the handyman with the office door that is stuck
10:30 Helped Mandla with his report
11:00 Went to Geluk to see if I could find the Wildebeest
11:30 Could not find them so I went to Vertrek to look for them there
12:30 Still could not find them, but I did see a group of 9 Kudus
13:00 Went to a neighboring farm to pick up a metal detector that I will use to see
what kind of artefacts I may find on the farm
14:30 Got home and went to Geluk to burn firebreaks, the grass is still a bit wet to burn
but we did manage to burn a little bit
16:00 Took handyman home
16:45 Home
25/06/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 05°C
Max temp: 21°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Fetched Handyman in Colenso
09:30 Went to the ryefield to check on all the animals there, the usual were there - Groups of Impala, 3 Blesbok, 2 Warthogs and 24 Waterbuck
10:30 Went up to the lodge with the handyman, fixed the one leaky tap and the door that was stuck
11:30 Went home to check on the Prickly Pear Moths, they are still in their larvae form
and as soon as they turn into moths I will release some in Prickly Pear infested
areas
12:30 Went to the N3 Highway at the back to fetch two guys to help with the container
for the radio
13:30 Container arrived at Geluk farm, we offloaded it onto a trailer and secured it so
that it wont fall off if we transport it, that took a while to do, we will take it up the
mountain tomorrow
15:45 Took the container to Gevonden farm
16:30 Took staff back
17:15 Home
26/06/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 05°C
Max temp: 22°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Got ready to take the Container up the mountain, we double checked everything
and fixed all the stuff that needed fixing
09:30 Started to make our way up the mountain with the container
10:40 At the steep part of the mountain we put the Land Cruiser in front of the tractor
and trailer so that we can have more traction going up, but that did not work
because the cruiser did not have enough traction and the chain got loose and the tractor and trailer slid backwards and jackknifed halfway up the steep section, luckily no one got hurt. Now we had to make a plan to get it all sorted out.
12:00 We borrowed another tractor from a neighbor that was also four wheel drive as
ours and he had to drive all the to the back and up the mountain from the other
side and reverse down the hill to get to the container.
13:15 We connected the two tractors with chains and started the climb to the top, went
very slowly, but we got the container on top
14:15 Took the container to the place where the mast for the radios will be
15:25 Offloaded the container with the help of the TLB Dozer.
16:30 Home
27/06/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 04°C
Max temp: 20°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Went up the mountain to check on the Blesbok
09:30 Saw 7 blesbok on top of the mountain
09:40 Went down the back of the mountain
10:00 Saw 3 kudu cows just as I reached the bottom at the other side
10:30 Went to the lodge to check on the dam there, still got some water and I saw 2
warthogs there
11:30 Went to the ryefield to check on all the animals there, saw 7 blesbok, 24
waterbuck and 76 Impala and 4 warthogs
12:30 Went to the back at the N3 Highway where they are burning firebreaks
13:00 They burned about 2 km along the highway
13:40 Went down to the river to get the river pump out so that we can see what is
wrong with it, because it’s not pumping the water to the dams
14:40 Got the pump out of the freezing cold Tugela waters and took it to the house
15:00 Went to Vertrek to look for the blue wildebeest
15:30 Could not find them but saw 7 kudus along the way
16:30 Home
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 06°C
Max temp: 20°C
07:30 Report
08:00 Went to Colenso to fetch the Handyman
08:45 Went in to Ladysmith to get a jigsaw and parts for the toilet and bits and pieces
for fixing the house and lodge
12:00 Saw 12 Giraffes on the main road at the stream leading to Tugela river
12:30 Went to the pond at the foot of the mountain, only saw 1 Grey Heron
13:00 Helped the handyman with the toilet to put another valve and float in
13:30 Went up to Mount Sully, saw 5 Zebras on the road leading up the mountain
14:00 Saw 2 Mountain Reedbuck just as I got to the top
15:15 Going down at the back near the N3 highway I saw 5 Kudu cows
15:30 Checked the prickly pears where I found the Prickly Pear Moths; looks like they
are attacking the prickly pears nicely
16:00 Took Handyman home
16:45 Home
24/06/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 04°C
Max temp: 18°C
07:30 Report
08:00 Fetched Handyman
08:45 Went to ryefield to see which animals arrive there first
09:25 At the ryefield, some Impalas were on the field already and the 3 Blesbok were
making their way there, followed by another group of Impala and 24 Waterbuck,
no sign of the warthogs yet
10:00 Went back to the house to help the handyman with the office door that is stuck
10:30 Helped Mandla with his report
11:00 Went to Geluk to see if I could find the Wildebeest
11:30 Could not find them so I went to Vertrek to look for them there
12:30 Still could not find them, but I did see a group of 9 Kudus
13:00 Went to a neighboring farm to pick up a metal detector that I will use to see
what kind of artefacts I may find on the farm
14:30 Got home and went to Geluk to burn firebreaks, the grass is still a bit wet to burn
but we did manage to burn a little bit
16:00 Took handyman home
16:45 Home
25/06/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 05°C
Max temp: 21°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Fetched Handyman in Colenso
09:30 Went to the ryefield to check on all the animals there, the usual were there - Groups of Impala, 3 Blesbok, 2 Warthogs and 24 Waterbuck
10:30 Went up to the lodge with the handyman, fixed the one leaky tap and the door that was stuck
11:30 Went home to check on the Prickly Pear Moths, they are still in their larvae form
and as soon as they turn into moths I will release some in Prickly Pear infested
areas
12:30 Went to the N3 Highway at the back to fetch two guys to help with the container
for the radio
13:30 Container arrived at Geluk farm, we offloaded it onto a trailer and secured it so
that it wont fall off if we transport it, that took a while to do, we will take it up the
mountain tomorrow
15:45 Took the container to Gevonden farm
16:30 Took staff back
17:15 Home
26/06/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 05°C
Max temp: 22°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Got ready to take the Container up the mountain, we double checked everything
and fixed all the stuff that needed fixing
09:30 Started to make our way up the mountain with the container
10:40 At the steep part of the mountain we put the Land Cruiser in front of the tractor
and trailer so that we can have more traction going up, but that did not work
because the cruiser did not have enough traction and the chain got loose and the tractor and trailer slid backwards and jackknifed halfway up the steep section, luckily no one got hurt. Now we had to make a plan to get it all sorted out.
12:00 We borrowed another tractor from a neighbor that was also four wheel drive as
ours and he had to drive all the to the back and up the mountain from the other
side and reverse down the hill to get to the container.
13:15 We connected the two tractors with chains and started the climb to the top, went
very slowly, but we got the container on top
14:15 Took the container to the place where the mast for the radios will be
15:25 Offloaded the container with the help of the TLB Dozer.
16:30 Home
27/06/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 04°C
Max temp: 20°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Went up the mountain to check on the Blesbok
09:30 Saw 7 blesbok on top of the mountain
09:40 Went down the back of the mountain
10:00 Saw 3 kudu cows just as I reached the bottom at the other side
10:30 Went to the lodge to check on the dam there, still got some water and I saw 2
warthogs there
11:30 Went to the ryefield to check on all the animals there, saw 7 blesbok, 24
waterbuck and 76 Impala and 4 warthogs
12:30 Went to the back at the N3 Highway where they are burning firebreaks
13:00 They burned about 2 km along the highway
13:40 Went down to the river to get the river pump out so that we can see what is
wrong with it, because it’s not pumping the water to the dams
14:40 Got the pump out of the freezing cold Tugela waters and took it to the house
15:00 Went to Vertrek to look for the blue wildebeest
15:30 Could not find them but saw 7 kudus along the way
16:30 Home
Monday, 23 June 2008
Weekly Report 9th - 13th June 2008
09/06/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Cloudy
Min temp: 09°C
Max temp: 12°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Went to Ladysmith to take trailer tyre to get fixed, went to Diesel Electric to get
the tractors starter motor fixed. Took Bibs to Gail to get logos on, but she was
not available at the moment.
12:00 Got home and sent reports through, I still can’t get my mail to go through to the
U.K. Will have to sort that out quickly.
13:00 Went up the mountain to look for Giraffes, saw 12 just as I left the farm house.
13:30 Just as I reached the foot of the mountain I saw a Grey Duiker male
14:00 Got to the top of the mountain and scanned the area below with my binoculars, only saw 2 Kudu cows, it was very cloudy and cold and most of the animals were deep inside the bushes hiding from the chilly wind.
15:00 Got down and found a dead Brown Hooded Kingfisher on the veranda of the farm
house, must have flown into the window. Took some photos of the bird to get a
closer view of the colours of the feathers.
15:30 Went over the stocking density files of the farm to see what we can do to bring in
more animals and what we need to bring in. Me and the Game Guards are going
to spend most of the week counting all the animals we have, to see what we
need to bring in.
16:30 Home
10/06/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 13°C
Max temp: 21°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Left to the mountains side to count Impalas
09:30 Found the first group halfway up, there was 5
10:30 I turned around at the foot of the mountain and went to the pond at the foot of the
mountain, on the way I counted 37 Impala
11:30 I went up to the lodge to check for Impala there, did not see any, only 12 Giraffe
12:30 Went home to go over the stocking number on UmPhafa for Impala, if I worked it
I worked it out correctly we can stock up to 333 Impala, but I think we have
Enough for the moment
14:00 Went to the main gate and that surrounding area, counted 6 Zebra and saw a
Sacred Ibis but no Impala
15:00 Got to the ryefield area and counted 11 Waterbuck and 95 Impala, searched around the area but did not find any more
16:30 I counted 137 Impala, but that’s just the animals I could see from the road and I
estimate that their numbers are well above 150
11/06/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 14°C
Max temp: 20°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Went to Ladysmith with Mike to get the AFTW Vehicle’s s tyre fixed and to
take the bibs to Gail to get the logos on
12:30 Went up to Mark Newton’s place to get some shale to fix the roads up that side.
We got the TLB driver up there and showed him where he can dig and get shale
14:30 Got back and changed the tyre on the vehicle
15:00 Went to the back at the N3 side, to look for the Red Hartebeests, they were
nowhere to be found, I drove around through the back valley near the lodge
and still could not see them.
15:50 Just as I went over the hill at the lodge I saw the Hartebeest with one horn
15:55 And not 200m down the road 3 more ran over the road, we are still looking for the
others
16:30 Home
12/06/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 13°C
Max temp: 20°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Left to go up to mountain to see if I could find the Hartebeests
09:00 Saw a group of Impala just at the foot of the mountain
09:55 On top of mount sully I took a look through my binoculars on the valley bellow, I
spotted 11 Giraffes and 4 Mountain Reedbuck
10:40 As I made my way down the mountain, because I could not see the Hartebeests
there, I saw one male Grey Duiker
11:30 I decided to go to the ryefield, because that is where I saw some of the
Hartebeests often through the week, I saw 7 Waterbuck making there way to
the ryefield
11:40 I decided to stay there for a while and see if the Hartebeests show up.
At the ryefield I saw 20 Blue Cranes, 97 Impala and 3 Blesbok
11:55 10 Waterbuck showed up 25 min after first group arrived there, there were now
17 on the field, 6 calves and 11 Adults, 1 of which was the bull. 2 of the calves are male and have already got about 4 inch horns
12:00 9 Blue Cranes showed up and landed with the group of 20
12:05 The first Warthogs came to the field, there was 5
12:10 Another group of 5 Warthogs made there appearance
12:15 And then another group of 3 Warthogs showed up
12:30 No animals were going on or off the field anymore and I decided to go and check
my e-mails and contact the First Aid Course people
13:00 Home, checked e-mails and sent message for the First Aid
13:30 Went to the main gate to check the cochineal I put on the prickly pears all along
the main road
14:30 Went to the pond at the foot of the mountain
14:45 At the pond I only saw 1 Kudu cow
15:00 I looked through the binoculars to the fence running down the mountain to the
main gate, I thought I saw a Hartebeest and went to investigate
15:30 When I went up all along the fence I could not find any Hartebeests I only saw
a Kudu Bull
15:35 I saw 2 Zebras at the foot of the mountain along the fence
15:55 Driving around looking for the Hartebeests in that area I saw another 3 Zebras
16:30 Could not find any Hartebeests there so I head back Home
13/06/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 14°C
Max temp: 20°C
06:45 Fetched staff at farm market
07:30 Report
08:30 Drove to top of mount sully to look for the Blesbok
09:30 Saw 4 Blesbok on top of the mountain, could not see the rest
10:00 Went own the other side of the mountain, saw 2 Kudu cows just as I made my
way down
10:30 On the other side I checked on the cochineal I put on some of the prickly pears,
they are starting to spread nicely over the plants
11:00 Saw 4 Mountain Reedbuck on the hill on the N3 side of the mountain
11:30 Saw 3 Red Hartebeests on the hill near the lodge
12:00 Went home to check e-mails
12:30 Went to the pond at the foot of the mountain
13:00 There was nothing there
13:15 Saw 1 Warthog male on the road to the pond on my way back
13:45 Went to the ryefield, saw a group of 84 Impala, 3 Waterbuck and 3 Blesbok
14:30 Went to check the fence at main gate, all looks good all the way to the river
15:30 On the way back to the farm house I saw 10 Giraffes and 6 Zebras
16:00 Home
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Cloudy
Min temp: 09°C
Max temp: 12°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Went to Ladysmith to take trailer tyre to get fixed, went to Diesel Electric to get
the tractors starter motor fixed. Took Bibs to Gail to get logos on, but she was
not available at the moment.
12:00 Got home and sent reports through, I still can’t get my mail to go through to the
U.K. Will have to sort that out quickly.
13:00 Went up the mountain to look for Giraffes, saw 12 just as I left the farm house.
13:30 Just as I reached the foot of the mountain I saw a Grey Duiker male
14:00 Got to the top of the mountain and scanned the area below with my binoculars, only saw 2 Kudu cows, it was very cloudy and cold and most of the animals were deep inside the bushes hiding from the chilly wind.
15:00 Got down and found a dead Brown Hooded Kingfisher on the veranda of the farm
house, must have flown into the window. Took some photos of the bird to get a
closer view of the colours of the feathers.
15:30 Went over the stocking density files of the farm to see what we can do to bring in
more animals and what we need to bring in. Me and the Game Guards are going
to spend most of the week counting all the animals we have, to see what we
need to bring in.
16:30 Home
10/06/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 13°C
Max temp: 21°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Left to the mountains side to count Impalas
09:30 Found the first group halfway up, there was 5
10:30 I turned around at the foot of the mountain and went to the pond at the foot of the
mountain, on the way I counted 37 Impala
11:30 I went up to the lodge to check for Impala there, did not see any, only 12 Giraffe
12:30 Went home to go over the stocking number on UmPhafa for Impala, if I worked it
I worked it out correctly we can stock up to 333 Impala, but I think we have
Enough for the moment
14:00 Went to the main gate and that surrounding area, counted 6 Zebra and saw a
Sacred Ibis but no Impala
15:00 Got to the ryefield area and counted 11 Waterbuck and 95 Impala, searched around the area but did not find any more
16:30 I counted 137 Impala, but that’s just the animals I could see from the road and I
estimate that their numbers are well above 150
11/06/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 14°C
Max temp: 20°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Went to Ladysmith with Mike to get the AFTW Vehicle’s s tyre fixed and to
take the bibs to Gail to get the logos on
12:30 Went up to Mark Newton’s place to get some shale to fix the roads up that side.
We got the TLB driver up there and showed him where he can dig and get shale
14:30 Got back and changed the tyre on the vehicle
15:00 Went to the back at the N3 side, to look for the Red Hartebeests, they were
nowhere to be found, I drove around through the back valley near the lodge
and still could not see them.
15:50 Just as I went over the hill at the lodge I saw the Hartebeest with one horn
15:55 And not 200m down the road 3 more ran over the road, we are still looking for the
others
16:30 Home
12/06/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 13°C
Max temp: 20°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Left to go up to mountain to see if I could find the Hartebeests
09:00 Saw a group of Impala just at the foot of the mountain
09:55 On top of mount sully I took a look through my binoculars on the valley bellow, I
spotted 11 Giraffes and 4 Mountain Reedbuck
10:40 As I made my way down the mountain, because I could not see the Hartebeests
there, I saw one male Grey Duiker
11:30 I decided to go to the ryefield, because that is where I saw some of the
Hartebeests often through the week, I saw 7 Waterbuck making there way to
the ryefield
11:40 I decided to stay there for a while and see if the Hartebeests show up.
At the ryefield I saw 20 Blue Cranes, 97 Impala and 3 Blesbok
11:55 10 Waterbuck showed up 25 min after first group arrived there, there were now
17 on the field, 6 calves and 11 Adults, 1 of which was the bull. 2 of the calves are male and have already got about 4 inch horns
12:00 9 Blue Cranes showed up and landed with the group of 20
12:05 The first Warthogs came to the field, there was 5
12:10 Another group of 5 Warthogs made there appearance
12:15 And then another group of 3 Warthogs showed up
12:30 No animals were going on or off the field anymore and I decided to go and check
my e-mails and contact the First Aid Course people
13:00 Home, checked e-mails and sent message for the First Aid
13:30 Went to the main gate to check the cochineal I put on the prickly pears all along
the main road
14:30 Went to the pond at the foot of the mountain
14:45 At the pond I only saw 1 Kudu cow
15:00 I looked through the binoculars to the fence running down the mountain to the
main gate, I thought I saw a Hartebeest and went to investigate
15:30 When I went up all along the fence I could not find any Hartebeests I only saw
a Kudu Bull
15:35 I saw 2 Zebras at the foot of the mountain along the fence
15:55 Driving around looking for the Hartebeests in that area I saw another 3 Zebras
16:30 Could not find any Hartebeests there so I head back Home
13/06/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 14°C
Max temp: 20°C
06:45 Fetched staff at farm market
07:30 Report
08:30 Drove to top of mount sully to look for the Blesbok
09:30 Saw 4 Blesbok on top of the mountain, could not see the rest
10:00 Went own the other side of the mountain, saw 2 Kudu cows just as I made my
way down
10:30 On the other side I checked on the cochineal I put on some of the prickly pears,
they are starting to spread nicely over the plants
11:00 Saw 4 Mountain Reedbuck on the hill on the N3 side of the mountain
11:30 Saw 3 Red Hartebeests on the hill near the lodge
12:00 Went home to check e-mails
12:30 Went to the pond at the foot of the mountain
13:00 There was nothing there
13:15 Saw 1 Warthog male on the road to the pond on my way back
13:45 Went to the ryefield, saw a group of 84 Impala, 3 Waterbuck and 3 Blesbok
14:30 Went to check the fence at main gate, all looks good all the way to the river
15:30 On the way back to the farm house I saw 10 Giraffes and 6 Zebras
16:00 Home
Tuesday, 10 June 2008
26th - 30th May 2008
26/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 09°C
Max temp: 20°C
Rainfal: ½ mm
07:30 Report
08:30 Me and Michael went to the rye grass field to fix a pipe on the centre pivot
09:45 Helped Michael with his report
10:45 Went to spend some time with the Wildebeests on Vertrek
11:30 Got to Vertrek and started to search for the animals, could not find them there
12:30 Got back home and worked on the fact file and e-mails
13:30 Went to the pond at the foot of the mountain, did not see anything, sat there for
a while to see if any animals come to drink, nothing
14:30 Went to the back valley near the lodge, drove all the way to the N3, only saw
2 Kudu cows. At the N3 I drove back al along the fence to look for faults on the
fence, found one along the tugela river about 500m from the power box. Fixed it.
16:30 Home
27/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 13°C
Max temp: 22°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Went to Ladysmith to Waltons to get envelopes and staples and to get post
12:00 Went to the fence to check if there is any faults on the line, non faults
13:30 Home trying to sort out the internet and e-mails, e-mails don’t want to go through
15:00 Worked on the fact files and sorted photo’s out to put on a cd.
16:30 Helped Mandla with his report to the Zoo
16:30 Home
28/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 10°C
Max temp: 22°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Got quotes for first aid courses in Pietermaritzburg
10:00 Went to Ladysmith to see if I can get a place to put the logo’s on the bibs, found
nothing so far
12:00 Took Dee to the bus station at Tugela Toll Plaza
13:15 Waited for the bus for 2 hours, it was late, she left 15:15 to Bloemfontein
16:15 Arrived home, went over the game guard reports with the game guards
16:30 Finished
29/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 11°C
Max temp: 25°C
07:30 Report
08:00 Went to the ryefield, watched and photographed 3 young Impala rams play fighting. Also saw a big male with something under his eye, not sure what it
is, but it looks like a piece of horn or piece of skin he injured during a fight.
09:00 Left to go look for the Wildebeests
09:30 Got to Vertrek and started looking for them, I’ve looked all over, could not find them, only saw 4 warthogs
11:30 Got home after failing to find Wildebeest, tried to send my e-mails through
12:45 Went in to Ladysmith to get a splicing kit for the river pump and went to the bank to sort out my online banking
15:20 Got home and went to check on the road that they are fixing going up the mountain, it looks very good
16:30 Home
30/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 11°C
Max temp: 25°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Took the Game Viewer to Colenso to get petrol
09:30 Drove around the mountain to the N3 side
09:45 On the way to the mountain, saw 6 Zebras and a group of Impalas
10:30 Halfway up the mountain saw 2 Kudu cows
11:00 Reached the top of the mountain
12:00 At the back valley going down on the other side of the mountain I only saw
3 Kudus, could not find the Blesbok on top of the mountain
12:10 I drove all along the fence to check for faults, did not find any
13:00 Got home and did my e-mails and sort out photo’s I took going around the
mountain
14:00 The staff had a barbeque, so I helped them get started and organized
15:30 After their barbeque I took them home
16:30 Home
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 09°C
Max temp: 20°C
Rainfal: ½ mm
07:30 Report
08:30 Me and Michael went to the rye grass field to fix a pipe on the centre pivot
09:45 Helped Michael with his report
10:45 Went to spend some time with the Wildebeests on Vertrek
11:30 Got to Vertrek and started to search for the animals, could not find them there
12:30 Got back home and worked on the fact file and e-mails
13:30 Went to the pond at the foot of the mountain, did not see anything, sat there for
a while to see if any animals come to drink, nothing
14:30 Went to the back valley near the lodge, drove all the way to the N3, only saw
2 Kudu cows. At the N3 I drove back al along the fence to look for faults on the
fence, found one along the tugela river about 500m from the power box. Fixed it.
16:30 Home
27/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 13°C
Max temp: 22°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Went to Ladysmith to Waltons to get envelopes and staples and to get post
12:00 Went to the fence to check if there is any faults on the line, non faults
13:30 Home trying to sort out the internet and e-mails, e-mails don’t want to go through
15:00 Worked on the fact files and sorted photo’s out to put on a cd.
16:30 Helped Mandla with his report to the Zoo
16:30 Home
28/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 10°C
Max temp: 22°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Got quotes for first aid courses in Pietermaritzburg
10:00 Went to Ladysmith to see if I can get a place to put the logo’s on the bibs, found
nothing so far
12:00 Took Dee to the bus station at Tugela Toll Plaza
13:15 Waited for the bus for 2 hours, it was late, she left 15:15 to Bloemfontein
16:15 Arrived home, went over the game guard reports with the game guards
16:30 Finished
29/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 11°C
Max temp: 25°C
07:30 Report
08:00 Went to the ryefield, watched and photographed 3 young Impala rams play fighting. Also saw a big male with something under his eye, not sure what it
is, but it looks like a piece of horn or piece of skin he injured during a fight.
09:00 Left to go look for the Wildebeests
09:30 Got to Vertrek and started looking for them, I’ve looked all over, could not find them, only saw 4 warthogs
11:30 Got home after failing to find Wildebeest, tried to send my e-mails through
12:45 Went in to Ladysmith to get a splicing kit for the river pump and went to the bank to sort out my online banking
15:20 Got home and went to check on the road that they are fixing going up the mountain, it looks very good
16:30 Home
30/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 11°C
Max temp: 25°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Took the Game Viewer to Colenso to get petrol
09:30 Drove around the mountain to the N3 side
09:45 On the way to the mountain, saw 6 Zebras and a group of Impalas
10:30 Halfway up the mountain saw 2 Kudu cows
11:00 Reached the top of the mountain
12:00 At the back valley going down on the other side of the mountain I only saw
3 Kudus, could not find the Blesbok on top of the mountain
12:10 I drove all along the fence to check for faults, did not find any
13:00 Got home and did my e-mails and sort out photo’s I took going around the
mountain
14:00 The staff had a barbeque, so I helped them get started and organized
15:30 After their barbeque I took them home
16:30 Home
19th - 23rd May 2008
19/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 11°C
Max temp: 25°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Helped Michael with his report
09:30 Went up to the lodge to get everything cleaned and sorted up there, took the
rubbish away and helped clean the house till 13:30
14:00 Saw all 12 Giraffes up near the lodge with 9 Zebras
14:30 On the way back from the giraffes I saw 2 Blesbok on the road to the lodge
14:40 Got down to the ryegrass field and I counted 67 Impalas, 7 Warthogs and 1
Blesbok
15:00 Went to the pond at the foot of the mountain, on the way I saw 1 Impala ram
15:20 At the pond there was another Impala ram drinking water, and the bones of
Speedy the giraffe were nearby, I asked the game guards to collect them and put them there
15:45 Went to the lodge to pick up Dumisan one of the staff that helped me clean up
the lodge, on the way I saw 3 Red Hartebeest on the hill
15:55 Saw Michael and Vukani on the road heading to the farm house, I told them
about the Hartebeest and they said they saw them
16:10 Picked up Dumisan and on the way back we saw 3 Zebras with a group of 24
Impalas.
16:30 Home
20/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 10°C
Max temp: 20°C
07:30 Report
09:10 Saw 6 Giraffes on the road that goes to the top of Mount Sully
09:25 Saw 3 Zebras not far from the giraffes
09:45 Got home and loaded the cement for the school
10:20 Dropped cement at school
11:00 Got home and did my e-mails
12:30 Went up the mountain to look for the blesbok
13:00 Did not see them up there
13:10 Found Michael and Vukani, we went to Vertrek farm to look for the
Blue Wildebeest
13:50 Arrived at Geluk and started to look for the animals
14:30 We spotted one Blue Wildebeest on a hill, we could only see him through the
binoculars, he was very far away. We did not find any other animals so we
decided to head back
15:30 We got back to Gevonden and started to test the electric fence all along the
Tugela river all the way to the N3.
16:30 Home
21/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 10°C
Max temp: 20°C
07:30 Report
08:00 Went to Vertrek with Michael and Vukani to look for the Blue Wildebeest
09:00 We found 8 animals; 1 male, 4 females and 3 calves. We stayed with them for a
while observing them. They seem to get use to the vehicle; got a few photos, but
it’s still a bit far, will go every day to get them use to us
10:00 Got back home and went to Ladysmith to get a few things
11:45 Worked on the animal fact file and sorted out photos
12:30 Went to look for the giraffes, found them on the road leading to Mount Sully, saw
12 animals
13:45 Got back home and updated the virus program on the computers, took me
2 hours to get it downloaded, in that time I went over the game guards report
cards
15:45 Went down to the rye grass field, saw a group of Impala bachelors
16:15 On my way home I saw 11 Zebras and the Hartebeest with one horn
16:30 Took the staff back to the Farm Market
17:20 Home.
22/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 10°C
Max temp: 21°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Went to Vertrek to look for the Blue Wildebeests
09:30 Found them in the valley with a herd of cows. I get closer to them everyday
and today I got within 50m of them, they are getting pretty much used to the
vehicle now. I stayed with them until 12:30
13:30 Went to the rye grass field, I saw ± 70 Impala and one of the ewes had a
1 to 2 day old lamb with her. I also saw 17 Warthogs and 3 Blesbok
14:00 Got home and did some office work and e-mails
15:00 I went back to the ryefield to take a photo of the lamb, when I got there the
Waterbuck was there, 7 of them, 4 adult females and 3 juveniles, 2 of the young
ones is males.
15:45 Went to the pond at the foot of the mountain, on the way I saw 1 Giraffe
16:00 At the pond was nothing except a Grey Heron so I turned back
16:30 Home.
22/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 15°C
Max temp: 20°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Went to the pond at the foot of the mountain, saw 3 Kudus on the way
11:30 Went to Ladysmith to get Dee a bus ticket to Bloemfontein
14:00 Arrived at the house and went to the Rye grass field to see if that baby Impala is
still there; he is and is looking good.
14:10 There also was 75 Impalas, 3 Blesbok and 8 Waterbuck.
14:55 At the 2 ponds near the house I saw a big kudu Bull and he looked magnificent
15:00 As he ran off I noticed the Giraffes behind him, all 12 was there
15:30 Went down to the power box for the electric fence to check on everything, all is
good
16:00 Went to check on the dam near the lodge, its looking good, got water in
16:30 Home
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 11°C
Max temp: 25°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Helped Michael with his report
09:30 Went up to the lodge to get everything cleaned and sorted up there, took the
rubbish away and helped clean the house till 13:30
14:00 Saw all 12 Giraffes up near the lodge with 9 Zebras
14:30 On the way back from the giraffes I saw 2 Blesbok on the road to the lodge
14:40 Got down to the ryegrass field and I counted 67 Impalas, 7 Warthogs and 1
Blesbok
15:00 Went to the pond at the foot of the mountain, on the way I saw 1 Impala ram
15:20 At the pond there was another Impala ram drinking water, and the bones of
Speedy the giraffe were nearby, I asked the game guards to collect them and put them there
15:45 Went to the lodge to pick up Dumisan one of the staff that helped me clean up
the lodge, on the way I saw 3 Red Hartebeest on the hill
15:55 Saw Michael and Vukani on the road heading to the farm house, I told them
about the Hartebeest and they said they saw them
16:10 Picked up Dumisan and on the way back we saw 3 Zebras with a group of 24
Impalas.
16:30 Home
20/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 10°C
Max temp: 20°C
07:30 Report
09:10 Saw 6 Giraffes on the road that goes to the top of Mount Sully
09:25 Saw 3 Zebras not far from the giraffes
09:45 Got home and loaded the cement for the school
10:20 Dropped cement at school
11:00 Got home and did my e-mails
12:30 Went up the mountain to look for the blesbok
13:00 Did not see them up there
13:10 Found Michael and Vukani, we went to Vertrek farm to look for the
Blue Wildebeest
13:50 Arrived at Geluk and started to look for the animals
14:30 We spotted one Blue Wildebeest on a hill, we could only see him through the
binoculars, he was very far away. We did not find any other animals so we
decided to head back
15:30 We got back to Gevonden and started to test the electric fence all along the
Tugela river all the way to the N3.
16:30 Home
21/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 10°C
Max temp: 20°C
07:30 Report
08:00 Went to Vertrek with Michael and Vukani to look for the Blue Wildebeest
09:00 We found 8 animals; 1 male, 4 females and 3 calves. We stayed with them for a
while observing them. They seem to get use to the vehicle; got a few photos, but
it’s still a bit far, will go every day to get them use to us
10:00 Got back home and went to Ladysmith to get a few things
11:45 Worked on the animal fact file and sorted out photos
12:30 Went to look for the giraffes, found them on the road leading to Mount Sully, saw
12 animals
13:45 Got back home and updated the virus program on the computers, took me
2 hours to get it downloaded, in that time I went over the game guards report
cards
15:45 Went down to the rye grass field, saw a group of Impala bachelors
16:15 On my way home I saw 11 Zebras and the Hartebeest with one horn
16:30 Took the staff back to the Farm Market
17:20 Home.
22/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 10°C
Max temp: 21°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Went to Vertrek to look for the Blue Wildebeests
09:30 Found them in the valley with a herd of cows. I get closer to them everyday
and today I got within 50m of them, they are getting pretty much used to the
vehicle now. I stayed with them until 12:30
13:30 Went to the rye grass field, I saw ± 70 Impala and one of the ewes had a
1 to 2 day old lamb with her. I also saw 17 Warthogs and 3 Blesbok
14:00 Got home and did some office work and e-mails
15:00 I went back to the ryefield to take a photo of the lamb, when I got there the
Waterbuck was there, 7 of them, 4 adult females and 3 juveniles, 2 of the young
ones is males.
15:45 Went to the pond at the foot of the mountain, on the way I saw 1 Giraffe
16:00 At the pond was nothing except a Grey Heron so I turned back
16:30 Home.
22/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 15°C
Max temp: 20°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Went to the pond at the foot of the mountain, saw 3 Kudus on the way
11:30 Went to Ladysmith to get Dee a bus ticket to Bloemfontein
14:00 Arrived at the house and went to the Rye grass field to see if that baby Impala is
still there; he is and is looking good.
14:10 There also was 75 Impalas, 3 Blesbok and 8 Waterbuck.
14:55 At the 2 ponds near the house I saw a big kudu Bull and he looked magnificent
15:00 As he ran off I noticed the Giraffes behind him, all 12 was there
15:30 Went down to the power box for the electric fence to check on everything, all is
good
16:00 Went to check on the dam near the lodge, its looking good, got water in
16:30 Home
Tuesday, 20 May 2008
Weekly Report 5th - 9th May 2008
05/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 20°C
Max temp: 26°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Helped Michael with his report
09:30 Went to Ladysmith to get wire clamps for the rhino fence cable
12:00 Got back and took clamps to fence
13:00 Did e-mails
13:30 Went to fence with Mike to pull cable on the last section of rhino fence
14:40 Went to house to fetch generator and grinder to cut cable
15:00 Went to the donga to pull cable with TLB, because the tractor could not get to a
place where the cable was tied to the fence
15:55 Found a dead porcupine not 10m from where we were working, cause of death
unknown
16:30 Home - Michael came to me to tell me of the day and what they saw. He said that
they found 10 Blesbok and 2 young ones, tomorrow I will go with Michael to see if we can find the rest.
06/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 18°C
Max temp: 25°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Went to the top of the mountain to look for the blesbok and their babies with
Michael and the 2 game guards
08:50 On the way saw the waterbuck, could not count them, they were standing in
very thick bush
09:00 Just further from the waterbuck, saw 4 Giraffe bulls
09:30 On top we saw 15 adult blesbok and 6 babies, one baby is missing, we assume
that it must have been caught by a jackal or caracal
09:40 Took the game guards to Vertrek
10:25 Dropped the guards at Vertrek
12:00 Went to Ladysmith to get the satellite TV working for the lodge
12:45 Got a puncture on the way to Ladysmith
13:00 Got to Ladysmith and fixed tire and sort DSTV out
16:30 Home
07/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 15°C
Max temp: 24°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Went up to the lodge to get the DSTV signal sorted out
08:40 On the way I saw the 6 Zebras that are always around the area, the 3 foals are getting big now and sooner or later the little stallion foal is going to be kicked out
of the group by the dominant stallion
09:00 Got to the lodge and turned the DSTV on, it showed a couple of errors, so I
called the service provider and they refreshed the signal
09:30 Got a call from Mike asking me if I can go and fetch him at the gate after he was
looking for faults on the electric fence, so that I can take him back to his vehicle
on top of the mountain.
10:00 Got to the gate and picked him and one of the staff up and left for the top of the
mountain
11:30 Got to his vehicle and dropped them there
12:45 Got home and helped Mandla with his reports
13:30 Went back up to the lodge to double check if the DSTV is still working, it was
14:10 Got back home and picked up Vukani, one of the game guards and we went to
the pond at the foot of the mountain to pick up the giraffe bones of one of the
giraffes that died there
15:00 Took the bones back home and offloaded them at the workshop
15:10 Saw a Green Spotted Bushsnake near the house that have just finished eating
an Agama
15:20 Took a drive down to the rye grass field to check on the grass and pivot
15:30 Saw 3 big Kudu bulls on the way crossing the road near the big donga
15:40 At the rye grass field there was 3 warthogs and some Impala, the pivot looks fine
and the grass is starting to grow
16:30 Got home and took the staff back to Colenso
17:30 Home
08/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 15°C
Max temp: 24°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Drove to the gate to check on the cochineal that I put on some prickly pears there. It looks like the cochineal is growing nicely on them
09:00 Went to the back of the mountain on the N3 side to check on the cochineal there,
- the cochineal there is growing nicely as well. I saw on one of the prickly pears
that some kind of worm is attacking it and killing it, I will try and find out what kind
of worm it is
11:00 Reached the top of the mountain from the back, saw one kudu female just as I
reached the top
11:30 On the way down I saw that some prickly pears already have cochineal on them
and that it is spreading nicely all over the plant
12:30 Reached the house and did some e-mails and office work
13:30 Went to the fence at the main gate to check on the cable along the rhino fence,
everything looks fine
14:00 Went to the rye grass field, saw a group of Impalas that are already grazing on the grass that is coming up, and just on the other side a male warthog with three little males are enjoying the rye grass as well
15:00 Went to the pond near the foot of the mountain and saw one waterbuck female
and 2 kudus with 3 Red Billed Oxpeckers on them
15:30 There was nothing at the dam, so I turned back
16:00 Went to the lodge to check on the dam there, water is still good
16:30 Home
09/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 10°C
Max temp: 24°C
07:30 Did report
08:30 Saw that the AFTW vehicle had a flat tire, changed it
10:00 Went to Ladysmith to get the tyre fixed and take Mike’s vehicle to get the railings
modified for a canvas top at Crab Engineering. Spend the rest of the day in
Ladysmith waiting for the railings
16:30 Home
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 20°C
Max temp: 26°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Helped Michael with his report
09:30 Went to Ladysmith to get wire clamps for the rhino fence cable
12:00 Got back and took clamps to fence
13:00 Did e-mails
13:30 Went to fence with Mike to pull cable on the last section of rhino fence
14:40 Went to house to fetch generator and grinder to cut cable
15:00 Went to the donga to pull cable with TLB, because the tractor could not get to a
place where the cable was tied to the fence
15:55 Found a dead porcupine not 10m from where we were working, cause of death
unknown
16:30 Home - Michael came to me to tell me of the day and what they saw. He said that
they found 10 Blesbok and 2 young ones, tomorrow I will go with Michael to see if we can find the rest.
06/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 18°C
Max temp: 25°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Went to the top of the mountain to look for the blesbok and their babies with
Michael and the 2 game guards
08:50 On the way saw the waterbuck, could not count them, they were standing in
very thick bush
09:00 Just further from the waterbuck, saw 4 Giraffe bulls
09:30 On top we saw 15 adult blesbok and 6 babies, one baby is missing, we assume
that it must have been caught by a jackal or caracal
09:40 Took the game guards to Vertrek
10:25 Dropped the guards at Vertrek
12:00 Went to Ladysmith to get the satellite TV working for the lodge
12:45 Got a puncture on the way to Ladysmith
13:00 Got to Ladysmith and fixed tire and sort DSTV out
16:30 Home
07/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 15°C
Max temp: 24°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Went up to the lodge to get the DSTV signal sorted out
08:40 On the way I saw the 6 Zebras that are always around the area, the 3 foals are getting big now and sooner or later the little stallion foal is going to be kicked out
of the group by the dominant stallion
09:00 Got to the lodge and turned the DSTV on, it showed a couple of errors, so I
called the service provider and they refreshed the signal
09:30 Got a call from Mike asking me if I can go and fetch him at the gate after he was
looking for faults on the electric fence, so that I can take him back to his vehicle
on top of the mountain.
10:00 Got to the gate and picked him and one of the staff up and left for the top of the
mountain
11:30 Got to his vehicle and dropped them there
12:45 Got home and helped Mandla with his reports
13:30 Went back up to the lodge to double check if the DSTV is still working, it was
14:10 Got back home and picked up Vukani, one of the game guards and we went to
the pond at the foot of the mountain to pick up the giraffe bones of one of the
giraffes that died there
15:00 Took the bones back home and offloaded them at the workshop
15:10 Saw a Green Spotted Bushsnake near the house that have just finished eating
an Agama
15:20 Took a drive down to the rye grass field to check on the grass and pivot
15:30 Saw 3 big Kudu bulls on the way crossing the road near the big donga
15:40 At the rye grass field there was 3 warthogs and some Impala, the pivot looks fine
and the grass is starting to grow
16:30 Got home and took the staff back to Colenso
17:30 Home
08/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 15°C
Max temp: 24°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Drove to the gate to check on the cochineal that I put on some prickly pears there. It looks like the cochineal is growing nicely on them
09:00 Went to the back of the mountain on the N3 side to check on the cochineal there,
- the cochineal there is growing nicely as well. I saw on one of the prickly pears
that some kind of worm is attacking it and killing it, I will try and find out what kind
of worm it is
11:00 Reached the top of the mountain from the back, saw one kudu female just as I
reached the top
11:30 On the way down I saw that some prickly pears already have cochineal on them
and that it is spreading nicely all over the plant
12:30 Reached the house and did some e-mails and office work
13:30 Went to the fence at the main gate to check on the cable along the rhino fence,
everything looks fine
14:00 Went to the rye grass field, saw a group of Impalas that are already grazing on the grass that is coming up, and just on the other side a male warthog with three little males are enjoying the rye grass as well
15:00 Went to the pond near the foot of the mountain and saw one waterbuck female
and 2 kudus with 3 Red Billed Oxpeckers on them
15:30 There was nothing at the dam, so I turned back
16:00 Went to the lodge to check on the dam there, water is still good
16:30 Home
09/05/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 10°C
Max temp: 24°C
07:30 Did report
08:30 Saw that the AFTW vehicle had a flat tire, changed it
10:00 Went to Ladysmith to get the tyre fixed and take Mike’s vehicle to get the railings
modified for a canvas top at Crab Engineering. Spend the rest of the day in
Ladysmith waiting for the railings
16:30 Home
Wednesday, 30 April 2008
Weekly Report 21st - 25th April 2008
21/03/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 07°C
Max temp: 23°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Went to the last bit of rhino fencing to weld some angle iron and reinforcement onto the
fence, finished there at 12:30
12:30 Took the welder back
13:00 Went to the lodge to check if everything was alright after the weekends rain. We had
about 20mm of rain on the weekend. Everything is in order at the lodge
13:45 Went to the rye grass field to check on the progress of planting. We could not plant today, because of all the rain, the field was too wet and the tractor will get stuck.
14:15 Went to the fence to look for faults. Some of the corner post have been pulled out of the ground by the cable. The ground was wet so it made it easy for the high strung cable to pull it out, we’re going to have to put more reinforcing on.
15:45 Went to pick up the staff
16:30 Took staff back
17:30 Home.
22/03/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 08°C
Max temp: 26°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Took sprayers with me to spray the rhino fence at the N3. We only sprayed about 100m, because that little section was not done properly.
10:30 When we finished there I took them to another part of the rhino fence near where the big stream meets the Tugela, we sprayed about 200m there.
12:30 After that we went to the rye grass field and sprayed all along the fence, until the fence at the border of Gevonden and Weenan Safaris.
15:55 We finished the spraying and went back.
16:15 Went to pick up the staff at the pecan nut trees along the Tugela river
16:35 Home
23/03/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 08°C
Max temp: 15°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Saw 20 Impalas near the workshop going up the mountain
08:50 Saw 1 Impala ewe on her own in the bushes at the foot of the mountain
09:00 I turned back and as I got to the place where the ewe was I saw 2 Impala rams sizing each other up for a fight.
09:20 Went to the lodge and on the way I came across a group of 24 Impalas
09:25 Not 500m from them I saw 3 Blesbok, I presume it was Bes, Les and Shaun
Rounding the corner on the way to the lodge I saw 5 Giraffes on the little hill near the road
09:40 Just as I turned back from the lodge a Impala ram was chasing a female across the road, he had a fresh cut under his eye and it was starting to swell, no doubt he got that from fighting for the female he was chasing
10:00 Going back the way I came I saw the 5 Giraffes again, 3 of them was chewing on old bones lying in the veld.
10:25 I went down to fetch the camera, when I got back, there was now 11 Giraffes, 5 babies and 6 adults.
10:47 Followed them around for a while and just when I was about to go down the road to get in front of them the 12th giraffe showed up.
11:00 I looked to my left and saw that the Waterbuck male was on his own near the Tugela river
11:15 Got a call from Mandla to go and help him with his report
13:10 Went to the rye grass field
13:20 On the way there was 2 groups of 3 Impalas each fighting in the road, two will tackle each other and the third will wait to see who loses and then jump in and attack that one
13:30 On the side of the rye grass field I saw a group of 40 Impala, 1 male and 39 ewes and lambs
13:55 Went to the pond at the foot of the mountain
14:25 Saw nothing there except for a Grey Heron looking for food in the water grass
14:35 When I came back there was 6 Zebras with the group of 20 Impalas from this morning
14:45 Went to he office to download photos onto the computer- photos I took during the day
15:45 Left to pick up staff at the Tugela river
16:30 Home
24/03/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 09°C
Max temp: 20°C
06:45 Went to pick up staff at farm market
07:30 Took staff to Tugela river, to harvest pecan nuts
09:00 Took sprayers up the mountain to spray last leg of fence to the main gate
10:30 Went to Ladysmith to get 7 bags of cement for the school floor
12:45 Dropped the cement at the school
13:30 Got home and phoned Cindy the headmistress that I have delivered the cement and they can start fixing the floor
14:00 Went to the rye grass field to observe 3 Blesbok with a herd of Impala. The Blesbok seem to mingle quite well with the Impala and the Impalas don’t mind having them around. Only the ram seems to be a bit cautious around them, butI think it’s because of the rutting season and all the rams are a bit high strung
15:30 On the way back to the house I saw 7 of the Waterbuck in the big stream that connects with he Tugela river
16:00 Picked up Michael and Vukani and went with them to pick up the sprayers. On the way we saw 2 more Waterbuck and a sounder of 8 Warthogs, 1 male, 1 female and 6 babies
16:15 Picked up the sprayers at the base of the mountain
16:30 Home
17:00 Report
25/03/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 08°C
Max temp: 23°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Went to the rye grass field, to look at the centre pivot pump
09:00 The pump started but would not pump water, so we fixed it
11:30 Dug holes to put in more reinforcement for he post, because of the rain, the post pulled out of the ground
13:30 Had to dig three holes, two at the rye grass field fence and one at the pecan nut trees
15:55 Dug the last hole and went to fetch sprayers at the main gate
16:30 Home
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 07°C
Max temp: 23°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Went to the last bit of rhino fencing to weld some angle iron and reinforcement onto the
fence, finished there at 12:30
12:30 Took the welder back
13:00 Went to the lodge to check if everything was alright after the weekends rain. We had
about 20mm of rain on the weekend. Everything is in order at the lodge
13:45 Went to the rye grass field to check on the progress of planting. We could not plant today, because of all the rain, the field was too wet and the tractor will get stuck.
14:15 Went to the fence to look for faults. Some of the corner post have been pulled out of the ground by the cable. The ground was wet so it made it easy for the high strung cable to pull it out, we’re going to have to put more reinforcing on.
15:45 Went to pick up the staff
16:30 Took staff back
17:30 Home.
22/03/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 08°C
Max temp: 26°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Took sprayers with me to spray the rhino fence at the N3. We only sprayed about 100m, because that little section was not done properly.
10:30 When we finished there I took them to another part of the rhino fence near where the big stream meets the Tugela, we sprayed about 200m there.
12:30 After that we went to the rye grass field and sprayed all along the fence, until the fence at the border of Gevonden and Weenan Safaris.
15:55 We finished the spraying and went back.
16:15 Went to pick up the staff at the pecan nut trees along the Tugela river
16:35 Home
23/03/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 08°C
Max temp: 15°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Saw 20 Impalas near the workshop going up the mountain
08:50 Saw 1 Impala ewe on her own in the bushes at the foot of the mountain
09:00 I turned back and as I got to the place where the ewe was I saw 2 Impala rams sizing each other up for a fight.
09:20 Went to the lodge and on the way I came across a group of 24 Impalas
09:25 Not 500m from them I saw 3 Blesbok, I presume it was Bes, Les and Shaun
Rounding the corner on the way to the lodge I saw 5 Giraffes on the little hill near the road
09:40 Just as I turned back from the lodge a Impala ram was chasing a female across the road, he had a fresh cut under his eye and it was starting to swell, no doubt he got that from fighting for the female he was chasing
10:00 Going back the way I came I saw the 5 Giraffes again, 3 of them was chewing on old bones lying in the veld.
10:25 I went down to fetch the camera, when I got back, there was now 11 Giraffes, 5 babies and 6 adults.
10:47 Followed them around for a while and just when I was about to go down the road to get in front of them the 12th giraffe showed up.
11:00 I looked to my left and saw that the Waterbuck male was on his own near the Tugela river
11:15 Got a call from Mandla to go and help him with his report
13:10 Went to the rye grass field
13:20 On the way there was 2 groups of 3 Impalas each fighting in the road, two will tackle each other and the third will wait to see who loses and then jump in and attack that one
13:30 On the side of the rye grass field I saw a group of 40 Impala, 1 male and 39 ewes and lambs
13:55 Went to the pond at the foot of the mountain
14:25 Saw nothing there except for a Grey Heron looking for food in the water grass
14:35 When I came back there was 6 Zebras with the group of 20 Impalas from this morning
14:45 Went to he office to download photos onto the computer- photos I took during the day
15:45 Left to pick up staff at the Tugela river
16:30 Home
24/03/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 09°C
Max temp: 20°C
06:45 Went to pick up staff at farm market
07:30 Took staff to Tugela river, to harvest pecan nuts
09:00 Took sprayers up the mountain to spray last leg of fence to the main gate
10:30 Went to Ladysmith to get 7 bags of cement for the school floor
12:45 Dropped the cement at the school
13:30 Got home and phoned Cindy the headmistress that I have delivered the cement and they can start fixing the floor
14:00 Went to the rye grass field to observe 3 Blesbok with a herd of Impala. The Blesbok seem to mingle quite well with the Impala and the Impalas don’t mind having them around. Only the ram seems to be a bit cautious around them, butI think it’s because of the rutting season and all the rams are a bit high strung
15:30 On the way back to the house I saw 7 of the Waterbuck in the big stream that connects with he Tugela river
16:00 Picked up Michael and Vukani and went with them to pick up the sprayers. On the way we saw 2 more Waterbuck and a sounder of 8 Warthogs, 1 male, 1 female and 6 babies
16:15 Picked up the sprayers at the base of the mountain
16:30 Home
17:00 Report
25/03/2008
Time Area and details of animal Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 08°C
Max temp: 23°C
07:30 Report
08:30 Went to the rye grass field, to look at the centre pivot pump
09:00 The pump started but would not pump water, so we fixed it
11:30 Dug holes to put in more reinforcement for he post, because of the rain, the post pulled out of the ground
13:30 Had to dig three holes, two at the rye grass field fence and one at the pecan nut trees
15:55 Dug the last hole and went to fetch sprayers at the main gate
16:30 Home
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)