Weekly Report 26th - 30th November 2007

26/10/2007

Weather: Sunny

Min temp: 19*C
Max temp: 28*C

07:30 Tried to fix my PC, but it was not working.

08:30 Headed into Ladysmith to go get some prices on certain items. Took my PC in to get fixed.

13:00 Headed back to the reserve.

13:30 We were told by one of the game guards that they have found an Impala ewe dead near the lodge. There was a lamb with her. We headed there to go pick her up to try to establish what she died of. We also tried to catch the lamb and were successful after many attempts. Mike organised some milk for us, just for the time being as it was getting late.

17:00 The lamb is a little male and he took some milk. He looked healthy and seemed to be ok.

27/10/2007

Weather: overcast
Min temp: 18*C
Max temp: 20*C
Rainfall: 4mm

06:00 Fed the lamb. He gave some trouble this morning, but he ended up taking some milk.

08:30 Headed in to Ladysmith to get some milk for the lamb and pick up my PC. It seems to have been the power supply that blew.

11:25 There were 3 x Kudu bulls near the ryefield. They were crossing the road when I went pass.

11:30 Got back on the reserve and mixed some milk for the lamb. There were 6 x Zebras, bachelor Impala group and an Impala group near the house when I got back He did not seem to like it very much, but after some time we got him to take some milk.

13:00 We are feeding the lamb every 4 hours and check up on him regularly.

14:00 We stayed with the lamb through the day. It was drinking much better as the day progressed.


28/10/2007
Weather: overcast
Min temp: 15C
Max temp: 22*C

07:00 Fed the lamb. We tried the new bottle but he did not like it very much so we are sticking with the old one till he is bigger.

07:30 Did the reports.

08:30 We fed the lamb as he did not take much earlier because of the new bottle.

09:00 Headed up to the mountain to check on the Blesbok. Near the Donga we found 2 x Diederik Cuckoo parents feeding a youngster.

09:30 On the top right hand side of the mountain we saw a Black-backed Jackal as we looked for the Blesbok.

09:40 We went to the left side of the mountain and found the Blesbok there, all 7 lambs still there. There was also a group of 13 zebra.

10:00 We headed down the mountain towards the back.

10:10 On the way down we saw a Mountain Reedbuck male running across the road.

10:30 ID - Red Throated Wryneck (Jynx ruficollis) near the 4th dam as well as a Duiker.

10:35 Another Duiker just a bit further on.

10:45 2 x Common Reedbuck at the back of the mountain near the first dam, male and a female.

11:00 Close to the turn off towards the lodge we saw the first Kudu calf of the year along with 8 cows and a bull.

11:15 Near the lodge there were 10 more Kudus. 5 Adult bulls, 2 young bulls, a young cow and 2 adult cows.

11:20 The creche near the house (Impala) had 17 lambs. We think that some might have moved down from the top.

12:00 We fed the little Impala lamb again.

13:40 Headed to the dam at the base of the mountain to check on the Impala ewe carcass.

14:00 The carcass was not touched. There were some redknobbed coots and a Blackheaded Heron at the dam.

14:20 11 x Impala ewes and a ram on the way up to the lodge.

14:30 We just checked on the lodge - no problems. 3 x Impala lambs near the lodge, 1 ram and 4 ewes.

14:35 We headed to the ryefield to check on the other Impalas and the lambs. 7 lambs near the turn off to the ryefield.

14:45 On the other side of the ryefield near the road there was another Impala group and 1 lamb. Total lambs today - 28

15:30 Fed the little lamb again.



29/10/2007
Weather: overcast some rain
Min temp: 16C
Max temp: 27*C
Rainfall: 4mm

07:30 Fed lamb.

08:00 Did yesterday's report

08:30 Headed to Ladysmith to organise the furniture for the house. Most of it is to be delivered tomorrow.

12:30 Back on reserve and fed the Impala lamb again.

14:00 We went to Geluk today to have a look around. Near the turn off to the ryefield, there was an Impala group. We could not see any lambs however. There were also some Kudus near, browsing on the acacia's

14:05 Near the 2 dams by the gate, a slender mongoose ran into the donga.

14:15 Near the 3rd camp on Geluk there was a Warthog female.

14:20 7 x Kudu cows a little further on.

14:30 We saw 2 x Blue wildebeest near the Geluk/Weenen border; they were however on Weenen side. We are not sure if these are the ones that used to be on Gelulk near the lodge.

14:35 We came across a huge group of more than 30 Kudu. Most of them were cows, but we did see some adult bulls and young bulls as well.

15:00 It started raining slightly and we headed back.

15:30 Had some thunder with much heavier rain. It did not last long though.

16:00 Stopped raining.


30/10/2007
Weather: overcast with rain
Min temp: 19C
Max temp: 20*C
Rainfall: 12mm

07:30 Fed lamb

08:00Did yesterday's report. We helped Ed out with some people from the Ladysmith municipality, who came to see UmPhafa. Also received some furniture from town and had some things picked up from here. It started raining heavily with some thunderstorms, but it did not last long.

Weekly Report 19th - 23rd November 2007

19/11/2007
Weather: Sunny

Min temp: 21*C
Max temp: 33*C

07:30 Did reports and e-mails

08:20 Headed to the lodge. There were 11 lambs (Impala) today.

08:30 We headed to the plateau and towards the back of the mountain. We drove along the Tugela.

09:00 We saw 2 x Hartebeest and a Kudu cow and calf along the way.

09:05 Not too far from there in the field we saw a Common Reedbuck male. It looks to be one of released ones.

15:30 We headed up to the mountain to go check on the Blesbok. 6 x Giraffes on the way up. We also saw a group of Zebra and the first Zebra foal of the year. There were some Waterbuck and Kudu nearby as well.

15:55 The 15 Blesbok were on the top right hand side of the mountain and there were now 7 lambs.

16:20 As we headed back we counted a further 4 x Impala lambs in the group near the house.


20/11/2007
Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 22*C
Max temp: 27*C

07:30 Did yesterday's report.

08:30 Headed up to the lodge. We took Dave, Anthony, Rebecca and Mike around the Reserve to have a look at how we will approach security and other aspects.



21/11/2007
Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 19*C
Max temp: 32*C
Rainfall: 17mm

07:30 Did reports and some other paperwork.

08:30 Headed up to the lodge. We took another game drive with Anthony and Rebecca just before they left for the airport. We saw some of the Giraffes and the Waterbuck near the lodge area. Got the lodge cleaned up. It started raining late night.


22/11/2007
Weather: Rain
Min temp: 19*C
Max temp: 22*C
Rainfall: 7,5mm

07:30 Did report.

07:45 Started washing the lodge's bed linen and did some fact file. It was a cloudy, rainy day and since it rained so much last night we could not go on the roads. We ended up doing some paperwork during the day.


23/11/2007
Weather: Overcast
Min temp: 21*C
Max temp: 32*C

07:30 Did the rest of the linen and towels from the lodge.

09:00 It was still overcast but at least it did not rain and became sunny later. Some of the roads were still unusable but was drying out. I started doing backups of my PC through the day and Hannes went to check on the Blesbok and zebras on the mountain. Hannes had terrible hay fever today and was sneezing the whole day.

10:30 Hiked up towards the mountain. All the Blesbok lambs were there and the zebras still had no new foals

12:40 Headed to the dam for a check up. Did not see anything at the dam except for some coots and Egyptian geese.

13:25 Headed to the lodge to check up on the lambs there. All of them seem fine.

14:15 The Ryefield was quiet and nothing was happening there.

14:50 The Giraffe group were split up. One half was near the base of the mountain and the other half near the Ryefield.

15:30 Headed back for some antihistamine.

Weekly Report 12th - 16th November 2007

12/11/2007

Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 20*C
Max temp: 32*C

07:30 Did reports and e-mails

08:45 Headed up to the mountain to check on the Blesbok and the new lambs.

09:00 4 x kudus about halfway up the mountain. 2 Cows and 2 2year old bulls.

09:15 Top left hand side of the mountain. There were 15 x adult Blesbok and 4 lambs.

10:20 Nothing round the back of the mountain. 2 x Kudu cows on the way towards the lodge.

10:30 6 x Kudu Bulls about halfway to the lodge.

10:45 At the plateau near the lodge we saw 6 x Zebras grazing. We also saw a group of Impalas and spotted the first Impala lamb of the season.

10:50 We headed to the Ryefield to check on the other Impala groups. They do not have any lambs yet.

10:55 At the 2 dams near the main gate there were 2 Egyptian Geese.

11:00 1 x Blesbok with a group of Impalas near the Ryefield.

11:05 3 Giraffes near the big stream

12:00 We headed to the school to check on the progress of the repairs to the building. Everything seems to be going well We took measurements of the school floor, as we will be fixing the floor.

13:00 Headed back to UmPhafa.

13:45 Made some cds for AFTW.

16:30 Done


13/11/2007
Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 18*C
Max temp: 32*C

07:30 Did yesterday's report.

08:00 Headed to the lodge to pick up the guys to spray under fence line. There was a group of Impalas nearby. Did not see any lambs

08:30 We went to the top of the mountain.

08:40 9 x Hartebeest and a group of Zebras near the donga on the way to the mountain.

09:00 On the top left hand side of the mountain there were 2 x Hartebeest and a group of Zebras and Blesbok. We could not count them as did not want to disturb them too much.

09:10 There was nothing on the top right hand side of the mountain.

09:40 At the back of the mountain near the 4th dam we saw 4 x Kudu cows.

09:45 Near the 3rd dam there was a Duiker Female licking at the tree gum of an Acacia tree.

10:00 Halfway between the 2nd and first dam we saw another Duiker female.

10:05 Near the turn off towards the lodge we spotted 2 x Steppe Buzzards.

10:20 4 x Kudus near the plateau. 2 cows and 2 2year old bulls. Looks like the same ones from yesterday.

10:30 At the plateau near the lodge there was an Impala group. The new lamb from yesterdays still there.

10:45 Went home to download some photo's from the camera.

11:30 We headed to Vertrek to have a look around there. On the way there we saw another group of Impalas near the house. Near the dam close to the house we saw a year and a half old Kudu bull as well.

11:40 There were 13 x Giraffes near the Ryefield. All 5 calves look good and the new baby seems quite at ease with the vehicle so far.

11:45 2 x Giraffe males near the 2 ponds close to the main gate.

13:00 We did not see anything at Vertrek. The giraffes were still in the same spot when we returned. They were cooling down in the shades of the trees.

13:10 We headed to the dam at the base of the mountain.

13:20 The Waterbuck group was there although we could only see 5. There was also 2 x Egyptian Geese and 2 x Red-knobbed coots.

14:25 Headed to Colenso to get some things.

15:00 We were back on the reserve. Worked on the fact file some.

16:00 Done.


14/11/2007
Weather: Sunny and hot
Min temp: 18*C
Max temp: 35*C

07:30 Did yesterday's report.

08:00 Went to drop off the guys for the spraying of the fence line.

08:15 At the field near the house we saw a Black-backed jackal running along the road.

08:20 Headed up towards the mountain to check on the Blesbok lambs.

08:25 Near the donga on the way up there was a group of Impalas, but no lambs

08:40On the top left hand side of the mountain - Blesbok x 15 and the lambs looking fine. There were also 2 x kudu bulls and a group of about 12 Zebra.

09:00 On the way back down we saw a Kudu cow and 5 zebras

09:10 We then headed towards the plateau near the lodge to go check on the impalas there. There was a group of 8 Hartebeest 6 zebras, a group of Impala and a mountain reedbuck male.

09:20 Just along the road a bit further up, we saw 4 x Adult Kudu bulls, 4 cows, 2 young bulls and a group of Waterbuck. There were also some bachelor Impalas near.

10:35 Went to the Ryefield. There was a group of Impalas, but no lambs.

10:50 Headed to the dam at the base of the mountain

11:00 2 x Warthogs, 2 x Egyptian Geese, a Grey heron and a couple of Guinea fowls.

11:15 The Giraffes were near the 2 dams at the house on the side of the hill, browsing on the acacia's Had someone from Natal Agriculture to check some of the game numbers for stock purposes.

12:00 Did some insect identification.

16:00 Headed round the back of the mountain with Anthony, Rebecca, Richard and Keryn to show them the reserve so that Richard and Keryn can determine the potential of the Reserve for Rhino.

17:15 Near the 4th dam round the back of the mountain we saw a group of 15 Adult kudu bulls. Not too far from them, there were 2 more adult Kudu bulls and 4 cows.

17:45 2 x Mountain reedbuck on the way down the mountain and another 3 x Kudu cows and a calf.

18:00 Saw 6 x Zebras near the house and a group of Impala.

18:20 On the way up to the lodge the Impalas had about 4 lambs in the group and we also saw a small group of 6 x Mountain Reedbuck.


15/11/2007
Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 22*C
Max temp: 30*C

07:30 Did yesterday's report

08:00 Met with Anthony, Rebecca and Ed and took Keryn and Richard around Geluk.






16/11/2007
Weather: Overcast
Min temp: 19*C
Max temp: 30*C
Rainfall: 4.5mm Friday
17 Nov Rainfall: 13mm Saturday

07:30 Did yesterday's report. Took the workers to do some spraying under the fence line.

Anthony and Rebecca here.

Weekly Report 5th - 9th November 2007

05/11/2007

Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 18*C
Max temp: 30*C
Rainfall: 2mm over weekend

07:30 Did reports and e-mails

10:00 Meeting with Mike concerning the alien plant species on UmPhafa.

10:45 On the way to the Ryefield and saw a water monitor near the 2 dams close to the house.

11:15 Went to the Ryefield for a check. Did not see anything on the Ryefield, bit close to the road near the Ryefield we saw a group of Impalas and bachelor group of Impalas.

12:30 Headed to the mountain - Gevonden.

12:45 Half way up to the mountain we saw 6 x Zebras and a couple of Impala bachelors.

12:50 Near the zebras on the way up to the mountain we saw the new Giraffe calf. All the Giraffe calves were there (5) and there was also 5 adult Giraffes. We do not however know the sex of the little calf. We stayed with them until they moved out of sight.

13:15 Headed up the mountain again.

13:30 2 x Red Hartebeest on top of the mountain, in the middle area.

13:50 Took some more photos of the flowers. There were a lone Blesbok and a Mountain Reedbuck male on the top right hand side of the mountain.

14:05 Top left hand side of the mountain we saw a group of Zebras, Blesbok and Red Hartebeest. We were unable to count them as they were quite close to each other.

14:30 3 x Kudu cows near the 4th dam at the back of the mountain. There was also a Kudu Bull nearby.

15:30 Zebra group (6) on the plateau near the show lodge.

15:45 Headed back home and sorted some photos of the day.

16:00 done


06/11/2007

Weather: Rain
Min temp: 17*C
Max temp: 19*C
Rainfall: 16mm

07:30 Did reports.

08:00 Headed towards mountain. We wanted to go do some road clearing. On the way there we saw some bachelor Impalas and a group of Zebras.

08:15 Further on we saw the new Giraffe again. It looks to be a little female as well but we are not sure yet. There were 14 Giraffe all together here. It started dripping slightly. There were also a group of zebras near the giraffes

08:35 There were some Impala and a female duiker as well.

09:00 We headed up towards the mountain again, but it started raining too hard and we had to turn back, because of the roads

09:35 We headed towards the main gate to pick up some guys doing spraying under the fence line. There was an Impala group near the Ryefield.

10:00 We got back home and the power was out.

11:30 Power came back on and we worked some more on the fact file.

12:30 Stopped raining for a while and we headed out again in search of some more photos.

13:30 Light rain and we headed back to sort and name photos

14:10 Stopped raining again and we moved some furniture out to be transported.

15:00 Went to Colenso for some things

16:00 Back home.


07/11/2007

Weather: Overcast
Min temp: 15*C
Max temp: 19*C

07:30 Did yesterday's report and some e-mails

08:00 We went looking for a jackal on the Ryefield.

09:00 There were some Red Hartebeest and a group of Impalas near the Ryefield.

09:55 We headed back to get some of the Game guards to help us look for the jackal. On our way to the house we saw 8 x Giraffes near the road.

10:20 We dropped of some of the workers to spray under the fence line.

10:30 Headed back to the Ryefield to search again.

11:00 We still could not fine the jackal. Picked some old fencing near the tugela and took it back to the workshop.

12:00 Near the dam at the base of the mountain we counted 11 Giraffes. They moved away from the Ryefield area towards the mountain and were now near the dam.

12:15 2 x Warthogs (young male and female) near the Ryefield, mountain side of the road.

12:20 Group of Impalas near the 2 ponds near the house.

12:30 We headed out looking for the Blesbok that usually spends it's time with the group of Impalas near the Ryefield. We just wanted to get some good clear photos of it.

13:00 We could not find the Blesbok, but did get some more nice different pictures of wildflowers.

14:30 We headed back home to sort out the pictures and identify some insects.

16:00 Worked on the fact file a little.


08/11/2007

Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 15*C
Max temp: 20*C

07:30 Did yesterday's report

08:15 Dropped the guys off for spraying under fence line. (Part of alien plant control)

08:20 Small group of Impalas near the Ryefield

08:30 We headed up towards the mountain.

08:45 On our way up we saw a Warthog with a porcupine quill in its hind quarter. Warthogs make use of Porcupine holes at night. They enter the hole backwards so that they face forwards. The quill might have got stuck in the warthog as it reversed into the hole and could not get it out again.

08:50 We could not go up the mountain all the way. The road was still too wet from the previous rain.

09:15 We headed to the dam at the base of the mountain

09:25 There were 2 x Yellowbilled ducks, some redknobbed coots and a water monitor sunbathing at the dam.

10:00 We loaded some photos from the camera on the PC and sorted them. We took photo of some wildflowers.

10:20 We headed to Geluk. Some of the Giraffes were near the base of the mountain. There was also a group of Impalas at the dam near the house.

10:30 Another group of Impalas near the main gate. Looks to be the one that was near the Ryefield earlier.

11:00 Went to the lodge at Geluk. On the way there we saw a Steppe Buzzard and a meter long Water Monitor as well as some Egyptian Geese and a Duiker.

11:50 At the lodge near the dam on Geluk there were some more Egyptian Geese and 2 Dabchicks. Also some Hadeda ibis.

12:05 Headed up the mountain on Geluk. Saw a young Kudu bull and a cow on the way.

12:30 We went to the back of Geluk to do a check up. No woodcutting is allowed and the people next door sometimes come over to cut some trees. They keep doing it even if we have warned them so we do check ups to make sure the do not trespass.

13:25 On the way out we saw another 4 x nice Kudu bulls

14:00 Headed back home and worked on the fact file and sorted out some more photos. Also tried to id some insects.

16:15 Went to pick up the guys doing the spraying.



09/11/2007
Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 17*C
Max temp: 25*C

07:30 Did yesterday's report.

08:30 Headed to the top of the mountain to check on the Belsbok.

08:35 6 x Zebras and a group of Impalas near the donga on the way up to the mountain.

08:40 5 x Zebra stallions a bit further along the donga.

09:00 At the top left hand side of the mountain we saw the Blesbok. There were 3 lambs and 17 adults. There was also a Kudu bull nearby. 2 x Mountain reedbuck in the middle of top.

09:20 Small bachelor group of Impala near the house. We searched for the other Impala groups just to check up on them.

09:25 At the dams near the house we saw the same water monitor from Monday in the water.

09:30 The group of Impalas near the Ryefield looks good. No lambs.

09:50 Headed for the lodge in search of some more Impala groups. There were none up there.

10:00 We headed towards the back of the mountain and followed the Tugela back. There were some Zebras on the way.

10:10 We saw a small group of Impalas near the Tuglela but also no lambs.

11:15 Worked on the fact file and some photos

14:00 Hannes went with Mike.

15:00 Took a bicycle ride towards the main gate in search of some more photos. Saw 9 x Giraffes close to the dams near the main gate

15:45 Headed back home.

16:00 Picked up the workers doing the spraying under the fence line.

Weekly Report 29th October - 2nd November

29/10/2007
Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 13*C
Rainfall: 3mm

07:30 Did last week's reports and e-mails.

09:30 Headed to the Ryefield but there was nothing of interest there.

10:00 We headed up the mountain.

10:20 On our way there we came across a group of 5 Zebra stallions. One had only half a right ear. It might have been bitten off in a fight with one of the other stallions.

10:25 Not too far from the bachelor group we saw a nice big group of about 17 Zebras. There were also 3 x Kudu cows near them.

11:20 On the top right hand side of the mountain we saw some Black-winged Plovers (Lapwings), but the Blesbok were not in the usual spot.

11:30 As we moved back we spotted the Blesbok on the top left hand side of the mountain. There was a group of 13 Zebras there as well.

11:50 We headed down the mountain towards the back. Near the 4th dam at the back we saw 4 x Kudu cows.

12:00 Near the 3rd dam we saw 5 x Nice big Kudu bulls.

12:45 Near the plateau close to the show lodge there was a group of Impalas grazing on the new growth.

12:50 There were 6 x Zebras on the plateau as well.

13:00 Also a group of Impalas near the lodge. We headed back to the farm house for lunch.

13:30 Sorted out some photo's and worked some more on the fact file on UmPhafa.

16:00 Done


30/10/2007
Weather: Overcast
Min temp: 18*C
Max temp: 30*C

06:00 We headed for Mtontwane for some Giraffe capturing with Game Capture Africa.

07:00 We got there and everything was prepared for the capture. By 10:00 we had capture 4 and by 12:00pm another 3. 14:00 we went out for another 3 and ended up with 10 in total. We headed back to UmPhafa at 16:15 and got back around 17:00. It was a very exciting and interesting day. We just wish to express our thanks to Game Capture Africa for the opportunity to accompany them on this capture.

31/10/2007
Weather: Overcast
Min temp: 19*C
Max temp: 27*C

07:30 Did the last 2 days reports.

08:30 Headed for the Ryefield.

08:40 Did not see anything on the Ryefield except some Hadeda Ibis.

08:55 On the other side of the Ryefield we saw a lone Blesbok and a group of Impalas.

09:00 We headed for Vertrek to see if we could find anything interesting.

09:50 At the Vertrek/Geluk border - We did not see the Blue Wildebeest or any Kudu there today.

10:30 Headed back to the house. Went hiking to find some photos for the fact file.

12:30 Went to Ladysmith for some things.

14:30 Back on UmPhafa and worked some more on the file.

16:00 Done


01/10/2007
Weather: Overcast with some rain.
Min temp: 19*C
Max temp: 27*C
Rainfall: 1mm

07:30 Did yesterday's report.

08:30 Had a meeting with Howard

10:30 Headed towards the mountain via the lodge. Went to drop Hannes and Mike off. They hiked down looking for a suitable place for a road coming down.

10:40 At the plateau near the lodge we saw 9 x Waterbuck and a group of Impalas. One of the Impala rams had what looks to be an abscess on the underside of his jaw. We will keep a close eye on it. The ram did not look underfed. There was also a group of zebras nearby.

11:10 3 x Adult Kudu cows and a calf at the back of the mountain near the N3.

11:40 At the top of the mountain on the left hand side we saw 17 x Blesbok and 13 Zebras.

12:15 On the way back down the mountain there was another group of Impalas grazing on the new growth.

12:25 Picked up the AFTW vehicle and dropped the Cruiser for Mike and Hannes.

12:30 Headed back for lunch.

13:00 Worked on the fact file some and went looking for some photos for it.

14:30 Headed towards the Tugela and followed the river along towards the back of the mountain to the lodge area.

15:00 Near the big dip I tried to ID a tree but was unable to find it in the book.

16:00 There was a lone Warthog sow near the plateau close to the lodge.

16:30 Saw 4 x Mountain Reedbuck on the way from the lodge towards the farm house. There was a juvenile Common Reedbuck amongst a group of Impala near the dams close to the house. Hannes and Mike saw a group of 7 Mountain Reedbuck (5 females, 1 juvenile an a male) on their way down from the mountain, as well as a Red-Chested Cuckoo ( Cuculus solitarius ) We also saw a Spotted Bush snake today near the farm house.


02/10/2007
Weather: Sunny most of the day
Rain during night
Min temp: 19*C
Max temp: 29*C
Rainfall: 3mm on Geluk
5mm on Gevonden

07:30 Did yesterday's report.

08:20 Headed to the lodge in search of the giraffes. Saw them near the 2 ponds close to the main gate.

08:35 Small group of Impalas near the road on the way back from the lodge.

09:00 3 x Giraffe bulls, a cow and calf (Vera) near the 2 ponds. They are the ones we saw from the lodge.

09:05 I stayed with the giraffes for a couple of hours to see if I could maybe get to see the others, but they did not really move from the area.

11:00 I left the Giraffes in search of some more photo's for the fact file.

12:30 Home for lunch.

13:00 We headed out again in search of some photos again.

14:30 Came back home and worked some on the fact file.

16:00 Done

Weekly Report 8th - 11th October

08/10/2007

Weather: Raining
Min temp: 13*C
Max temp: 18*C
Rainfall : 27mm
Weekend rainfall: 38mm

07:30 Did yesterday's report

08:00 headed up to the lodge. There was a mention of a new giraffe calf and we went to see if we could perhaps find it. We are not a 100% sure that there is a new calf.

08:10 There was a small group of Impalas and about 5 mountains Reedbuck on our way up to the lodge.

08:25 We headed towards the back of the mountain but decided against it as the roads were still quite wet and muddy.

09:00 We instead took the road along the Tugela and back towards the farm house. We saw 2 x Warthogs and a Lanner Falcon near the N3 on the way.

09:30 We headed towards the Ryefield. There were about 19 Zebra near the big stream on our way to the Ryefield. There were no animals except a few Hadeda ibis on the Ryefield. We drove towards the gate to see if we could maybe see the Giraffes.

09:45 There were some Giraffes near the 2 ponds close to the main gate. They were more towards the mountain side.

10:00 We were asked to id a snake found by a neighbour. We picked it up in Colenso and as far as we can tell it is an Olive grass snake (Psammophis mossambicus)

10:45 We headed to the school to see if the department of education made a start on the school and it looks like they have actually started fixing up Ethuleni School. We will keep an eye on the progress.

11:30 Took a hike towards the mountain in search of the other giraffes and to see if we could find the new calf. We are staying off the roads as it is too muddy and wet still.

12:50 Near the base of the mountain we saw some more Zebras. Looks to be the group of bachelors.

13:25 It started raining softly and the wind picked up. We headed down the big stream towards the Giraffes we have seen earlier.

14:40 It started raining harder and we headed back towards the house.

15:15 We worked a bit on the new fact sheets.

It rained throughout the night.



09/10/2007
Weather: Raining
Min temp: 13*C
Max temp: 17*C
Rainfall : 14mm

07:30 It rained right through the night and throughout the whole day. We did some paperwork and worked on the UmPhafa facts.

13:00 Did yesterday's report. Raining.

13:45 Worked on some video and some more on the facts. Raining still.

16:00 It was still raining. All and all a very wet day.

10/10/2007
Weather: Sunny, partly cloudy
Min temp: 12*C
Max temp: 20*C

07:30 Did report.

07:45 Took a hike towards the dam at the base of the mountain. Saw some of the Giraffes in the area.

08:30 Found 9 x Giraffes at the dam, including the 3 youngest calves.

08:50 I stayed with the Giraffes at the dam for a while. They moved on after a while. Saw a reed cormorant at the dam.

09:30 I followed the Giraffes around. They moved about a lot but stayed in the area. I was hoping to maybe find the rest of the group.

10:00 I counted 12 Giraffes by this time and saw all 4 calves.

11:25 I walked around in the area in search of the other 2 but could not find them, so I headed back to the big group.

13:00 Headed back home.

13:15 Near the house I saw a small group of Impala (about 22)

13:45 Headed out again. This time towards the main gate. Hannes said he saw a female in the area there.

14:30 There was a group of Zebra with the 12 Giraffes. Still could not find the last Giraffe. Did see the female near the 2 ponds near the main gate.

16:00 Headed back home.

08:00 Hannes went towards the lodge. On the road there saw 5 Impala females.

08:10 The dam near the lodge is about a quarter full. 7 Impalas there.

08:15 On the main road near the Ryefield a warthog male.

08:20 At the 2 ponds near the main gate 2 x Yellow-billed ducks. Both dams have water after the rains.

09:30 The stream leading to the Tugela - Reed cormorant.

10:30 Went with Mike to Geluk.

11:30 Saw 3 x Blue Wildebeest at the lodge on Geluk.

12:00 2 ponds near the main gate a female giraffe on her own.

11/10/2007
Weather: Sunny, partly cloudy
Min temp: 14*C
Max temp: 25*C

07:30 Did yesterday's report

08:15 Hiked up towards lodge. The roads were still a bit wet.

08:30 11 x Impalas on the way up to the lodge

08:45 5 x Mountain Reedbuck and 2 Impala females further up the road.

09:30 At the plateau near the lodge we had a look if we could spot the Giraffes, but we could not see them.

10:00 On the way towards the big dip we saw a slender Mongoose

11:40 Hiked along the side of the mountain towards the road leading up to the mountain.

12:00 We saw a Duiker near the dam on the left side of the road leading to the mountain.

13:30 Headed home.

14:00 We spotted some of the Giraffes nearer the main gate and headed in that direction to see if we could spot the new calf. We were not sure that there was one but the game guards said they might have spotted one.

16:00 We were unable to see the calf and headed back home from the area. It rained a further 2mm on Geluk on Monday the 15th and Thursday the 18th it rained 9mm on Geluk and 8mm on Gevonden.

Weekly Report 25th - 28th September 2007

25/09/2007
Weather: Overcast and cool
Min temp: 10*C Max temp: 19*C

07:30 Did reports and e-mails.

08:45 Went to the Ryefield. 7 x Warthogs, 3 Impala groups, 3 x Blesbok, 2 x Natal Francolin.

09:10 There was a big Kudu bull just opposite the Ryefield on the mountain side.

09:20 We headed up towards the mountain.

10:00 15 Blesbok looking good up there. There was also a Secretary bird nearby.

10:45 Near the 4th dam at the back of the mountain we saw a Duiker female.

12:00 We saw 5 x Waterbuck on their way down to the Ryefield as we headed to Geluk.

12:20 Near the entrance to Geluk we saw 3 x Kudu cows.

12:25 Duiker female a little further down the road.

13:00 5 x Kudu cows near the lodge on Geluk.

13:20 We saw a couple of Oxpeckers on the cattle near the doma at the lodge, but none had rings that we could see.

14:00 4 x Kudu cows on the way out of Geluk. It was the 3 from earlier.

14:10 White throated Robin (Coosypha humeralis) near the entrance to Vertrek.

14:15 2 x African Fish Eagles (Haliaeetus vocifer) in the sky over Vertrek.

14:30 At the top of the Vertrek/Geluk border we saw a Kudu Bull and a single warthog.

14:50 On Vertrek again we saw a Duiker female.

15:35 When we passed the Ryefield again there were 10 x Waterbuck on it and 6 x Zebras.

16:00 Headed Back.


26/09/2007
Weather : Overcast and cool
Min temp : 13*C Max temp: 22*C

07:30 Did yesterday's report.

08:00 Near the house we saw 7 x Giraffes, Vera and Dogtertjie included.

08:05 6 Zebras were on their way to the Ryefield.

08:10 5 x Giraffes near the main gate.

08:15 We headed to Geluk and saw a Duiker female near the entrance.

08:20 5 x Warthogs a little further down the road. ( 4 piglets)

08:30 On the way to the top and back of Geluk we spotted another Duiker.

09:15 On the way to the lodge on Geluk we saw a European Cuckoo (Cuculus canoris)

10:00 On the way out of Geluk we saw another Duiker male.

10:10 At the 2 ponds near the main gate we saw yet another male Duiker.

10:15 The Zebras had moved down onto the Ryefield.

13:20 Ryefield had 3 groups of Impala, 3 x Blesbok and some Warthogs. It was starting to rain softly but only lasted 5 min and did not rain again today.

14:30 At the dam near the base of the mountain we saw a Blackheaded Heron and 2 Egyptian Geese.

15:30 The Waterbuck was also on their way down towards the Ryefield and the Zebras were just leaving.


27/09/2007
Weather : Overcast with rain.
Min temp : 16*C Max temp: 19*C
Rainfall : 11mm

07:30 Did yesterday's report.

08:00 We headed for the Ryefield. It was raining and cold and we saw the 3 usual Impala groups and some Blue Cranes on the field.

08:35 The Giraffes were near the house as we headed towards the dam at the base of the mountain.

09:00 There were 2 x Black-headed Herons at the dam.

09:30 We spent most of the day sorting out some footage and photos. The animals were lying low because of the weather Hannes spent some of the day with Mike, they went to Mooi River to fetch a pump to fill the dams on Gevonden. Even though we had some rain, it was not near enough and the dams are drying up.

28/09/2007
Weather : Overcast and cool
Min temp : 15*C Max temp: 18*C

07:30 Did yesterday's report.

07:45 We filled the vehicle with fuel and helped Mike with the pump for the dams. We then had a problem with the battery and had to jump start the vehicle. It is fine now.

08:30 We headed down to the Ryefield. The usual 3 groups of Impala, some Blue cranes and about 6 Warthogs were on the field.

08:40 We came across some bachelor Impalas moving down towards the Ryefield.

09:00 On the way to the dam at the base of the mountain we saw another small group of bachelor Impalas. We also saw 12 x Giraffes including the 4 calves. There were some Zebras near the dam and 2 x Egyptian Geese

09:30 On our way up to the show lodge we saw 1 Kudu bull and 3 x Mountain Reedbuck.

09:45 Near the lodge there was a small group of Impalas and a group of 7 adult Zebras.

10:30 We headed round the back along the river. Did not see anything.

11:45 The posts for the electric fence are coming along good.

12:00 We spent some time with Mike and tried to sort out the electrical for the pump needed to fill the dams.

12:45 In the clearing on the mountain side we saw the Waterbuck.

13:30 The 7 Zebras had moved down towards the house and was at the 2 ponds near there.

14:00 We headed up towards the mountain but did not want to go up because the roads were wet. We did not see anything on the way.

15:00 We went to Ladysmith. The vehicles mud flap had arrived and we had it fixed.


This weekend it rained 19mm.

Weekly Report 17th - 22nd September 2007

17/09/2007
Weather: Sunny and warm
Min temp: 15*C Max temp: 29*C

07:30 Did report and e-mails

09:00 Took the AFTW vehicle in for its service.

14:00 Got back on Geluk and took a walk down the mountain towards the house. We saw 2 x Zebra's on the road down.

15:00 Got to the house and headed for the Ryefield with Mike to turn the Centre Pivot on. The Giraffes were on the ryegrass at that time. As we headed for the farm house on Gevonden we came across a young Common reedbuck male near the big stream. It was quite at ease with us and when we headed back to go pick up the vehicle it was still there.

16:30 We headed into Ladysmith with Gail to go pick up the vehicle. The Ryefield were full of animals. Most of the Giraffes and about 12 Zebra's were there, as well as the usual 3 Impala groups and 3 Blesbok. Some of the Blue cranes were also there.

18/09/2007
Weather: Sunny and warm
Min temp: 14*C Max temp: 27*C

07:30 Did yesterday's report.

07:50 We left for the Ryefield and saw 3 x groups of Impala, 6 x Warthogs and some Blue cranes.

08:20 We headed for Vertek in search of the Blue Wildebeest but were unable to find them. There were 3 x Kudu's, a cow, a young bull and a calf.

08:40 Geluk/Vertrek border - We did see another group of kudu, all young females.

09:30 We stopped near the river at Geluk to have a look around for the vervet monkeys but could not find any.

11:45 On the way to Geluk we saw the Hartebeest down on the Ryefield.

13:05 We went to the back of Geluk along the fence and were very lucky to see a Steenbok female (Raphicerus campestris). This would be the first sighting of these little antelope we have come across since starting here in February.

15:00 Near the main gate we saw a Slender Mongoose in a tree.

15:30 Went to the dam at the base of the mountain. Some of the Giraffes were there and 2 x Egyptian Geese.

15:40 On the way back I came across Bossie, Stompie and Dogterjie, they were browsing on a Sweet Thorn Acacia. (Giraffe calves)

16:00 Headed back home.


19/09/2007

Weather: Sunny and warm
Min temp: 14*C Max temp: 32*C

07:30 Did yesterday's report.

08:25 Near the 2 ponds at the main gate 3 x Kudu cows, 1 bull

08:40 On Geluk on our way to the top we saw 5 x Warthogs (1 sow and 4 piglets)

09:40 We headed to the back on top of Geluk to see if we could perhaps see any more Steenbok.

10:10 On our way back from Geluk, near the main gate we saw a rock monitor.

10:15 Near the big stream we saw 6 x Zebra's and a waterbuck.

11:00 We went to Ethylene School for a meeting with the headmistress.

11:55 Near the Ryefield near the road we saw 5 x Kudu cows and a bull. It was the same ones as earlier.

13:00 There were 4 x Giraffes near the house.

13:10 Near the Ryefield we saw a Slender Mongoose running across the road.

13:15 The Ryefield had the usual on. 3 x Impala groups, 2 x Egyptian Geese, 32 Blue cranes, 2 x Blesbok.

13:40 Took a hike towards mountain and came across the Giraffes. Speedy, Bossie and Stompie.

14:20 Went halfway up the mountain. Did not see any animals but did see loads of animal tracks (zebra, giraffe, jackal)

14:35 Top of mountain 1 x Kudu cow.

15:25 On the way back near the other giraffes we spotted Dogtertjie, Bossie and her mom.

16:00 Headed back.

20/09/2007
Weather: Sunny and warm
Min temp: 21*C Max temp: 32*C

07:30 Did yesterday's report.

09:00 Headed to the Ryefield. 3 x Impala groups, 2 x Blesbok, 10 x Warthogs and some Blue Cranes.

09:20 Small group of Impala's on the way to the lodge.

09:30 Went to check on the game block near the lodge. It is almost finished. There were some Kudu, Impala and Zebra faeces.

09:45 Kudu cow and calf near the big dip on the way to the back from the lodge.

13:00 Headed up the mountain.

13:15 Saw 2 x Kudu cows browsing on my way up.

13:45 There were 16 Blesbok on the right hand side of the mountain top. One came up from the Ryefield.

14:10 There were also 9 x Zebra's on the top left hand side of the mountain.

14:40 On the way back from the mountain we saw some of the Giraffes in the valley by the lodge.

15:00 Did some Video Footage and sorted some photo's

08:00 Hannes and the Game Guards took a hike round the back of the mountain.

09:45 There were 2 x Kudu's near the lodge.

10:30 They saw some Mountain Reedbuck round the back of the mountain near the N3.

11:30 Spotted a group of Guineafowl near the Tugela.

11:45 Headed back home.

21/09/2007
Weather: Sunny and warm
Min temp: 16*C Max temp: 34*C

07:30 Did yesterday's report.

08:30 Headed to the Ryefield. The Bachelor Impala's were very playful this morning, running around crazily. There were around 27 Blue cranes, the 3 usual groups of Impala and 4 x Warthogs. The 3 Blesbok were also there, one had moved back down from the mountain.

09:00 We headed up the mountain and found 3 x Giraffes on our way up (2 were calves).

09:30 The 15 Blesbok on top were looking good. There was also a Mountain reedbuck near them.

09:50 On our way down the back of the mountain we saw 5 x Kudu bulls and 3 cows browsing on the acacia's

10:35 Near the 2nd dam at the back of the mountain we saw 1 more Kudu bull and cow.

10:40 On the plateau near the show lodge we saw another 3 Giraffes.(1 calf)

11:00 Had a meeting with Charles.

13:00 We headed toward Vertrek/Geluk to check on the Wildebeest.

14:00 We found the 6 of them. They were quite calm and did not run off so we were able to get some photos.

15:00 Headed back home.

22/09/2007
Weather : Sunny and warm
Min temp : 17*C Max temp: 32*C

08:00 Headed to the Ryefield for a check up. Everything seemed fine. The Hartebeest were on the Ryefield this morning.

09:00 There were some Kudu near the house browsing on the acacia's. We spotted 3 x Redbilled Oxpeckers on the Kudu cows. Near the ponds by the house we also saw the Giraffes.






.

Weekly Report 10th - 15th September 2007

10/09/2007
Weather: Sunny and warm
Min temp: 18*C Max temp: 27*C

07:30 Did reports and e-mails

08:30 We put a game block out near the show lodge for the animals

08:40 Headed towards the back of the mountain.

09:00 Near the big dip we saw 5 Giraffe's on the side of the mountain browsing.

09:15 Near the turn off to the back of the mountain we saw 2 x Kudu's, a cow and calf. They were quite relaxed when we drove past.

09:40 Near the 3rd dam at the back of the mountain we saw a Duiker.

10:20 On the side of the mountain top on the right hand side there as 1 Kudu.

10:25 The 15 Blesbok on top of the right hand side of the mountain are looking well. We also saw 2 x Mountain reedbuck ran across the road.

12:25 We headed to the Ryefield to have a look there. The 3 usual groups of Impala, some Blue Cranes, the 3 Blesbok and 9 x Hartebeest were on the field. We spent some time near the Hartebeest and were surprised at how close we got. Usually they would take off if you drove too near them.

13:00 We went to check on the nest on Geluk. The Geese were not there and it turned out to be a Pied Crow's nest. It might have been an old Goose nest.

13:30 We went to the old lodge on Geluk but there was nothing there. On our way to the lodge near the Ryefield near the road we saw Bossie and her mum and Stompie and Speedy.

13:45 We did spot 2 Martial Eagles on Geluk near the Lodge.

14:20 Saw 2 x Zebras and 6 Impalas on our drive on Geluk.

15:20 We went back to the Game block near the show lodge to see if any animals had discovered it yet, but did not look so. On our way there we saw 9 x Giraffes in the area. Which brings the number of Giraffes seen today to 13. The 5 from earlier were in the group of 9.

15:45 We headed to the dam at the base of the mountain. There were 2 x Egyptian Geese, 2 x Spurwinged Geese and a Blackheaded Heron.

16:00 We went to check on the second game block near the house and there was almost nothing left of it. We have seen some Kudu cows and Impala enjoying the blocks.


11/09/2007
Weather: Sunny and warm
Min temp: 16*C Max temp: 33*C

07:30 Did yesterday's report.

08:15 Went to the Ryefield for a quick check. 17 x Blue Cranes, 3 usual Impala groups and the 3 Blesbok. Also 4 Warthogs.

08:35 On our way to the mountain, near the road we saw 8 x Waterbuck including the male. They are looking more relaxed now as well.

09:10 On the mountain top right hand side we saw 3 x mountain Reedbuck.

09:15 The 15 Blesbok up there looks good

09:25 On our way down the back of the mountain we saw a Kudu bull browsing.

09:30 The group of Zebra's that usually spent their time in this area was near the Kudu. They are a bit jumpy and headed away when we got closer.

10:05 Round the back, halfway between the 2nd and 3rd dam we saw a duiker and a mountain reedbuck.

10:30 Not too far from the turn off to the show lodge at the back we saw the Kudu cow and calf we saw yesterday.

10:40 3 more Kudu's near the big dip.

11:00 We went and checked the game block near the show lodge. It had not been touched yet, but we will keep and eye on it. We did though see 11 of the Giraffes, the 3 youngest calves amongst them and looking good. They were browsing on the Acacia's. Most of the trees are starting to show some green again.

12:00 I went looking for the Giraffes again to see if I could maybe spot the other 3.

12:20 I found them again near the lodge and had a look around the area but could not see the other 3.

13:00 At the lodge I saw the group of 6 Zebra's. They have not however discovered the game block.

15:30 We took the vehicle again in search of the other 3 Giraffes in the area. Stopped at the plateau near the lodge but only saw 2 more small groups of Zebra and the Waterbuck from earlier.

16:00 We had a quick check on the Ryefield to see if the hartebeest were there but we were unlucky. Hannes went to Vertrek to see if he could spot the Blue Wildebeest up there. There was a reporting of them on Friday.

11:50 Spotted Bushsnake in the Garden

12:40 Vertrek - 16 x Kudu's (cows and their calves)

13:20 Vertrek/Geluk border 3 x Kudu cows. Unfortunately he was unable to locate the Blue Wildebeest.


13/09/2007
Weather : Sunny and warm
Min temp : 17*C Max temp: 34*C

07:30 Did yesterday's report

08:30 Headed for the mountain. We saw 2 Giraffes on our way there, Stompie and Speedy.

08:50 There was a Kudu Bull eating aloe at the top of the mountain in the middle area.

08:55 We then saw another young Kudu bull near the dam on the way to the right hand side of the mountain as well as 6 x Mountain Reedbuck

09:05 The 15 Blesbok on the right looks good and we also saw a Secretary Bird in the area.

09:20 As we came back we saw 11 x Zebra's on the left hand side of the mountain.

09:35 Fixed a patch of fence just as you head down towards the back of the mountain.

10:25 2 x Duiker's and a mountain reedbuck near the second dam at the back of the mountain.

10:40 Near the turn off towards the back of the mountain we saw that kudu cow and calf we saw yesterday.

10:50 Near the big dip we saw another 3 Kudu Bulls. An adult, a 26 month and a 18month old more or less.

10:55 Another Kudu bull just on the other side of the big dip.

11:00 Saw 6 Giraffes at the plateau near the show lodge browsing on the acacia's. 4 Males, 2 Females and a male Mountain Reedbuck.

11:05 The Impala's are starting to form little crèche groups again slowly. We saw a small one near the lodge. There were 31 Impala. The game block was half finished.

12:30 On the Ryefield we saw 24 Blue Cranes, Bachelor Impala's and a breeding Impala group, 3 Blesbok and 5 x Warthogs.

12:55 We headed to Vertrek to see if we would be lucky enough to spot the Blue Wildebeest today.

13:35 Top of the Vertrek/Geluk border we did see 2 x Warthogs digging for roots.

13:40 On Geluk at the top we saw 7 x Kudu, couple of them were calves.

14:20 We headed back down. Unfortunately not seeing the Blue Wildebeest we headed to the lodge on Geluk.

14:40 At the dam by the lodge on Geluk we saw 4 x Red-billed Oxpeckers on the cattle there. One of them had a yellow ring on its left foot, we could not get a clear view of the others. This is a very good sign, as it means the released species are settling in nicely.

15:00 Near the 3rd camp on Geluk there was a small group of 6 x Impala's.

15:30 We headed to the dam at the base of the mountain, but there were no animals except birds

15:50 We had a quick look at the game block up at the lodge again and headed back. There were 3 x Impala rams near, one had a broken horn.



14/09/2007
Weather : Overcast
Min temp : 16*C Max temp: 23*C

07:30 Did yesterday's report

08:20 We saw a small group of Impala and a warthog in the field near the Tugela on our way up to the lodge.

08:25 Checked on the game block up top, almost finished.

08:30 We headed toward the back of the mountain from the lodge

09:00 We did not see anything round the back today.

09:30 We went up the mountain and saw a group of 6 Kudu near the dam in the middle, 2 of them young bulls.

09:35 The 15 Blesbok on the right are fine.

09:40 12 x Zebra on the left side of the mountain top, including the 4 foals.

10:00 On the road down from the mountain we saw Bossie and Dogtertjie browsing on some Sweet thorn Acacia.

10:15 We had a look around for the other Giraffes and found 9 on the side of the mountain.

11:00 14 x Impala and a Blackheaded Heron at the dam near the farm house.

12:30 One of the Impala groups were having a drink at the 2 ponds near the main gate.

13:00 We headed to the Ryefield for a check up. 6 x Warthogs, 3 x Impala groups (the one at the ponds had moved back to the Ryefield) 3 x Blesbok, 3 x Spurwinged Geese and 2 Egyptian Geese.

14:00 Near the big stream on the mountain side there were 4 x Waterbuck and 2 Zebra's. The zebra were chasing each other and seemed to be fighting.

14:05 On our way to Vertrek as we passed the Ryefield we saw the 6 Zebra's had moved to the Ryefield and we spotted a secretary bird.

14:15 At the turn off towards Vertrek we saw a whole group of Dassies (Hyrax) on the rocks.

14:30 We headed to the Vertrek/Geluk border to see if we could find the Blue Wildebeest. We were very fortunate to see 6. We followed a short while, but did not want to upset them.

15:30 We headed to the dam at the base of the mountain.

15:40 Only saw 2 x Egyptian Geese there.

16:00 Headed back.


15/09/2007
Weather : Sunny
Min temp : 14*C Max temp: 33*C

04:00 Did a early morning drive and headed for the mountain on Gevonden.

04:15 There was an Impala group on our way up.

05:00 We saw the 15 Blesbok, mostly sleeping.

05:20 3 x Kudu males on our way down the back of the mountain.

05:35 2 x Kudu females at the back of the mountain near the 4th dam.

06:00 Spotted the Kudu cow and calf we usually see near the turn off to the lodge.

06:45 Checked the game blocks, the one near the lodge is almost gone now.

07:00 We went to the Ryefield and some of the impala were on there, mostly lying down. We saw some warthogs as well. We stayed on the Ryefield for about 30 min.

07:30 Had a look at the ponds near gate and around, but did not see any animals

08:00 Headed back home.


08:30 Did yesterday's report.

09:30 We took a hike towards the base of the mountain in search of the Giraffes.

10:25 We found them on our way up, and we were very lucky to have counted all 14 today. We followed them around for a while.

11:00 We then headed down the big stream towards the river and went to look for the Hartebeest. We did find some Waterbuck, but it is very difficult to get close as they just run off, so we just tried to watch them from a distance.

12:30 Headed back home.

Weekly Reports 3rd - 7th September 2007

03/09/2007
Weather: Sunny and warm
Min temp: 11*C Max temp: 28*C

07:30 We filled up the AFTW vehicle with diesel. While doing this we spotted 6x Waterbuck on their way to the dam at the base of the mountain
08:00 Did yesterday's report.

09:00 We went to Ladysmith to get the PC fixed as it was giving too much trouble. We also found out then that the wrong doors for the school had to be reordered. It will probably be here next week then.

13:30 Got back from Ladysmith and set up the PC, it looks to be ok now.

14:30 We headed to the Ryefield - 2 Breeding groups of Impala's and a bachelor group, some Blue Cranes, 2 x Egyptian Geese, Hadeda and Sacred Ibis and some 8 Warthogs. We also saw 2 x Long-crested Eagles in a tree just across the river.

14:50 On the other side of the Ryefield we saw a Black-shouldered Kite in a tree.

15:10 Headed to the dam at the base of the mountain

15:20 There was only an Impala ewe having a drink.

15:30 We headed up the mountain to have a look around. There were some zebra's but they ran off and we were unable to count them

16:00 The 15 Blesbok on the right hand side seem to be enjoying the new growth from the field fire.

16:30 We headed back home.

04/09/2007

Weather : Sunny and windy
Min temp : 12*C Max temp: 31*C

07:30 Did yesterday's report

08:30 Headed for the mountain.

09:00 On the right hand side top of the mountain the 15 Blesbok are looking good.

09:15 Just as we were starting to go down the back of the mountain we saw 2 x Female Mountain reedbuck.

09:55 At the back of the mountain near the N3 close to the 2nd dam we saw 4 x Kudu cows and a 2 year old bull.

10:05 Further down the road we saw another 3 x Mountain Reedbuck and another Kudu Bull.

10:25 On the side of the hill on the road towards the show lodge a duiker female was lying in the grass.

10:30 Near the big dip on the way to the lodge 4 x Giraffes. Vera and 3 adults.

10:40 We saw 4 more giraffes by the show lodge. Stompie and her mom, Speedy and Bossie and her mom.

11:15 There was an Impala group near the pond at the house.

12:00 We went to Geluk to go clear some roads. Summer is starting now and everything grows with new enthusiasm, so we just did a few touch ups. We will probably do it more often now.

12:10 There was a rock Monitor sunbathing in the road on Geluk. It ran off as we got closer.

12:20 Geluk - Martial Eagle in the sky.

13:45 We were done with the road and headed back to Gevonden.

14:00 Hannes took a hike down the big stream but did not see anything interesting.

14:00 I headed to the dam at the base of the mountain.

14:15 There was a lone Impala ewe, 2 x Egyptian Geese, a Warthog, a Reed Cormorant and a Long-crested Eagle at the dam. I spent some time there to see if anything else turns up, but was unlucky.

15:00 Left the dam and headed for the Ryefield.

15:20 There were the 3 usual Impala groups, 3 Blesbok, and some Warthogs and Hadeda Ibis. Also some Blue cranes.

15:30 The Hartebeest turned up on the Ryefield and started grazing as soon as they were on it.

15:40 On the other side of the Ryefield there was 2 x Egyptian Geese.

16:00 Left the Ryefield. All the animals on the Ryefield were relaxed and just grazing.


05/09/2007
Weather : Sunny
Min temp : 16*C Max temp: 32*C

07:30 Did yesterday's report.

08:00 Headed for the mountain.

08:30 Saw a Kudu Bull and 4 x Mountain Reedbuck near the dam on the top of the mountain.

08:40 15 Blesbok on top right hand side of the mountain looking good.

08:50 Another Kudu Bull on the side of the mountain as we headed down towards the back of the mountain.

09:00 We headed down the mountain to the back to do some cleaning up. There is always some rubbish blowing from the N3 onto UmPhafa.

09:50 8 x Kudu bulls near the 2nd dam at the back.

10:05 Near the first dam round the back we saw another 3 x Kudu's. A young bull, a calf and a cow.

10:25 Just at the turn off towards the lodge a Kudu cow and 4 x Mountain Reedbuck.

10:35 In the valley near the road to the lodge we saw 2 x Kudu cows and a calf.

10:40 Near the big dip 2 x Giraffes browsing.

10:50 On the plateau near the show lodge we spotted Stompie and Bossie near the road by themselves. They were quite relaxed and did not seem bothered by us driving so close by them.

11:30 We headed to the dam at the base of the mountain.

11:40 We saw the 9 Hartebeest on our way there.

12:10 At the dam we saw at least 4 x Waterbuck. We are sure the rest were close but we were unable to see them in the thick bush. We did see the large male, the rest were female.

12:40 Headed to the Ryefield. There we saw the usual. About 40 Blue cranes, the 3 usual Impala groups, 3 x Blesbok, 6 x Zebras and loads of Warthog enjoying the mud.

13:30 Did some work on the footage of the last couple of weeks.

16:00 Will work on it again tomorrow to try and finish it.


06/09/2007

Weather : Sunny
Min temp : 17*C Max temp: 31*C

07:30 Did yesterday's report

08:30 Went to the Ryefield. The usual 3 x groups of Impala, 2 x Egyptian Geese, 3 x Blesbok and about 40 Blue cranes.

08:55 Near the Tugela by the Ryefield we saw a Brownhooded Kingfisher.

09:25 We headed to the dam at the base of the mountain and saw 2 x Egyptian Geese, a male and female Impala, Duiker and a Secretary bird. There was also a Giant Kingfisher in the tree.

10:00 We left the dam and went to start the pump for the centre pivot.

10:50 We went to Geluk with Mike. He wanted to show us a possible Egyptian Geese nesting site. We will keep and eye on it. We did not see the Geese but saw the nest.

12:15 We went to the dam at the base of the mountain again and stayed there to see if anything turned up.

13:30 7 Zebra's turned up at the dam. They stayed in the trees, they were a little unsure of the vehicle.

13:40 2 Warthogs joined in and did not seem too bothered by the vehicle as they had a great time in the mud. The Zebras then came down for a drink.

14:00 Eventually both the Zebra's and the Warthogs left. We headed back.

14:10 Worked on the footage some more.

15:50 We headed up towards the lodge and saw 4 x nice big Kudu bulls. Biltong was one of them.

16:00 Headed back home.


07/09/2007
Weather : Cloudy morning
Min temp : 17*C Max temp: 30*C

07:30 Did yesterday's report

08:00 We went to the Ryefield to fix the sprayer head that came off the centre pivot. The 3 usual Impala groups were there. Also the 3 Blesbok and 9 Hartebeest

08:50 We put a Game Block out for the animals. There were 6 x Zebra, a small group of Impala and some Waterbuck in the clearing near the donga halfway to the mountain.

08:55 As we headed back to the Ryefield with the sprayer head we came across 2 x Warthogs (male and female).

09:30 We went to check on the Egyptian Geese on Geluk. The pair was there but there was no indication that the nest was theirs.

10:00 After getting all we needed to fix the sprayer head we went back to the Ryefield.

10:45 The Blue Cranes arrived on the field.

11:15 We headed up the mountain.

11:35 3 x Mountain Reedbuck in the middle on top of mountain.

11:40 On the top right hand side of the mountain all 15 Blesbok look well.

11:50 Not too far down the back of the mountain we saw 2 x Kudu bulls browsing on the acacia's

12:40 Near the 2nd dam at the back of the mountain we saw a Duiker female and 4 x Mountain Reedbuck.

13:20 3 x Kudu's near the big dip on the way to the show lodge.

13:40 We headed to the dam at the base of the mountain and saw Bossie and Stompie on our way there. There were 6 x Zebra's at the dam and 2 x Egyptian Geese.

14:20 We took a hike back to the dam to see if any more animals went there for a drink. Without the vehicle scaring them off. We were there for about and hour and nothing came back for a drink. We had a look around to see if we could see the Giraffes, but we could not find them.

16:00 Came back to the farm house.

Weekly Report 20th - 24th August 2007

20/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 26*C Min Temp : 07*C

On Sunday morning we saw 9 x Hartebeest on the Ryefield

07:30 Did the reports

08:30 We went into Ladysmith to get the quotes for the radios and some quotes for glass for the windows.

08:35 At the pond near the house we saw a Kudu bull

12:00 We went to the dam near the base of the mountain. We saw a Grey headed Heron and some Egyptian Geese. There was also a female duiker that came down for a drink

12:45 We went round the back and came back over the road by the lodge. Near the big dip we saw a lone Giraffe.

12:55 On our way from the lodge we came across a group of Impala's. About 24 + a ram on the right hand side of the road.

13:00 Near the big stream we saw a secretary bird. Just past the Ryefield we saw 2 x Warthogs in the grass

13:05 Near the Weenen Geluk border we saw 3 x Warthogs and 3 more near the entrance to Geluk

13:10 Near the Geluk Vertrek border we saw a female Duiker

14:00 The new road on Vertrek to Geluk on the mountain we went to get some Photos of the Blue wildebeest tracks and dung

14:05 We went to Vertrek and checked on the fence. The workers were packing rocks at the bottom of the fence for the animals not to underneath the fence

14:30 Ryefield, about 50 guinea fowls and 2 x Grey winged Francolin. 3 groups of Impala's, 6 Zebra's and 4 x Warthogs

14:45 There was a warthog digging for roots just next to the road on the Ryefield.

14:55 At the ponds near the house we saw 2 x Kudu cows enjoying aloe flowers.

15:45 We headed up towards the mountain to see if we could spot the rest of the Giraffes but we could not see them. On our way up though we did see a tree Agama and it is a sign that the weather is warming up.

16:15 We headed back home.


21/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 27*C Min Temp : 09*C

02:30 In the early hours of the morning I was awaken by a strange noise. At first I thought the Impala's were in the garden again but when I had a look I saw instead a porcupine outside my bedroom window.

07:30 Did yesterday's report

08:00 We headed to the Ryefield to pump the tyre of the centre pivot and started the pump. There were 6 x Warthogs, about 40 blue cranes, some hadeda ibis and 2 groups of Impala's

08:40 There was a small group of Impala's having a drink at the ponds near the house.

08:55 There was also a group of Impala's and the 3 Blesbok heading towards the Ryefield

09:00 We headed up the mountain to check on the rest of the blesbok up top.

09:30 They were on the right hand side of the mountain enjoying the new growth after the fire burnt a little corner at the top.

09:45 Just heading down the mountain at the back we saw 3 Kudu cows near the fence

09:55 A little further down a duiker

10:15 At the back of the mountain we saw a Red-faced Mousebird (Urocolius indicus)

10:25 At the back of the mountain we saw 7 x Kudu bulls enjoying the aloe flowers. There were also 6 x Mountain Reedbuck near them.

10:35 Near the rocky valley where we always see the dassies we saw a year old Kudu bull eating aloe flowers

10:45 On our way to the lodge from the back we saw another group of Kudu cows (4) with a year old calf.

10:55 Near the big dip towards the lodge we spotted Vera and Bossie and 2 more adult Giraffes.

11:00 At the plateau near the lodge we saw another female Giraffe

12:10 On the Ryefield the Zebra's had moved down to graze.

12:35 There were 6 x Zebras on Geluk as well near the lodge

12:55 3 x Duikers on Geluk near lodge

13:00 Saw some Shelley's francolin on the mountain

13:20 On the koppie near the lodge on Geluk a Rock monitor

13:25 On the same koppie near the lodge on Geluk we found some more pottery. It looks the same as the previous ones we found

13:30 Same koppie we saw some Hyrax as well

14:15 In the stream we saw a Slender Mongoose

15:00 3 Banded Plover


12:00 I took a hike towards the giraffes to see if I could see the rest.

12:30 On the plateau near the lodge I saw the same female as earlier and also spotted Dogtertjie lying in the grass. Looking over the field towards the mountain from the plateau I saw 4 x Zebra's.

12:45 While looking for the rest of the giraffes I came across a black-backed Jackal in the road. It ran off when it saw me.

13:45 I spotted Vera and Bossie again near the big dip

15:30 Got back home and sorted out some Photo's




22/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 24*C Min Temp : 10*C

07:30 Did yesterday's report

08:25 We headed up to the mountain and near the base saw a duiker female in the grass

08:35 Just on top of the mountain saw 2 x Kudu cows eating aloe

08:45 On the right hand side of the mountain top we saw 3 x Mountain Reedbuck

08:50 Right hand side mountain top the 15 usual blesbok looking good

09:15 Back of the mountain near base a duiker

09:25 Back of mountain near the 4th dam another duiker

09:30 Back of mountain near the N3 2 x Duikers, 1 male and 1 female

09:40 Near 1st dam by the rocky valley another Duiker

10:05 At the big dip towards the show lodge we saw Dogtertjie and Stompie with their moms

10:25 On the main road from the lodge we saw 8 x Mountain Reedbuck

11:45 Close to the pond near the house we saw the 6 Zebras (3 foal, 2 mares, 1 stallion)

11:50 Ryefield - 2 families of warthogs (3 and 5), 3 x Blesbok, the usual 3 groups of Impala's and some Hadeda Ibis

12:00 Geluk Vertrek border near the fence by the main road we saw 8 x Kudu's (1 bull, 3 x calves and 4 cows)

14:00 We took a hike towards the mountain and came down the big stream from the top. We did not see anything of interest.

16:20 While walking down the dry bed we did come across 2 x Duikers and a Scrub hare

15:00 Hannes headed up to Geluk to have a look around but did not find anything of interest. He took a new road that needs some clearing up before we take the vehicle on it. We will do that tomorrow.

17:00 We headed back home.



23/08/2007
Weather : Sunny, little windy
Max Temp : 28*C Min Temp : 09*C

07:30 Did yesterday's report

08:15 On the left hand side of the main road near the Ryefield we saw a group of Impala's still lying in the long grass

08:25 We headed to Geluk to clear the road and near the entrance saw 4 x Kudu's, 2 cows and two 2 year old bulls

08:30 A little further down the road we spotted a duiker

10:00 We were done clearing the road and headed back. We then saw a small group of Impala's, 5 x ewe's, 1 ram and a year old ram

10:30 Near the entrance to Geluk we saw a small bachelor group of Impala's

10:40 There was a lone warthog at the 2 ponds near the main gate

10:45 Near the road opposite the Ryefield we saw a another warthog

12:00 -14:00 We fixed the fence near the N3 at the back of the mountain

14:20 We saw a Kudu cow and her calf near the big dip towards the show lodge

14:50 We went to Geluk and up the mountain to get a photo of an old rock that has been written on in the boer war.

15:30 There were a big group guinea fowl near the entrance to Geluk

16:00 We headed to the Ryefield and saw 9 x Hartebeest, 3 Blesbok, the usual 3 groups of Impala's, about 6 Warthogs and a group of Blue cranes

16:30 Got back home.



24/08/2007
Weather : Cloudy
Max Temp : 20*C Min Temp : 11*C

07:30 Filled the bakkie with diesel and pumped the wheels. Did yesterday's report

08:00 Saw a Waterbuck cow in the plains near the donga at the base of the mountain

08:30 We headed up the mountain

09:00 We spotted 4 x Giraffes on top of the mountain in the middle area. They were browsing on the Acacia. We saw their tracks when we headed up the mountain

09:10 We saw a some Common quail, orange throated long claws and some Natal francolin

09:20 On the right hand side of the mountain we saw the 15 Blesbok and 3 Crowned Plovers on the burned area.

10:30 Just at the base of the mountain we saw 4 x young Kudu Bulls.

10:50 At the back of the mountain 1 x Blackheaded Heron. We are seeing much more frequently now.

12:10 We headed to the dam at the base of the mountain. We saw a Duiker there having a drink

12:30 At the ponds near the house there was a group of Impala's having a drink

13:00 We headed up to Cloustons to check on the progress of the road.

13:50 From the Vertrek/Geluk border they have done 1.2 km

14:30 We headed to the Ryefield. There were 9 Hartebeest, 3 Blesbok and 2 groups of Impala on the Ryefield

15:30 We headed to the show lodge to see if we could spot the rest of the Giraffes. They were up near the Plateau. We could not however see them all. We did see Bossie and Stompie.

16:00 Headed back home

Weekly Report 13th - 17th August 2007

13/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 27*C Min Temp : 09*C

07:30 Did the reports and emails

08:00 We headed up the mountain to go check if everything was still fine up there. Blesbok were relaxed and fine (15)

10:10 We saw 2 x Giraffes on the way back down from the mountain (mum and calf).

10:15 We saw another 7 x Giraffes not far from the cow and calf and we were lucky enough to see the newborn calf and its mom. It looks to be female which brings the number of calves born on UmPhafa to 4 and all female.

11:00 We went to Ladysmith to fix a puncture on the left back wheel of the AFTW vehicle. A drill bit was stuck in the tyre and went straight through

13:00 On our way back from Ladysmith at the 2 ponds near the main gate we were very fortunate to see 2 x Grey Herons on the pond

14:30 We headed to Vertrek to check on the progress of the new road. There is about 100m left to go.

15:20 We also went to Geluk to check up on things there after the fires.

15:45 We did see 2 x Grey Duikers on Geluk

16:45 There was a group of 20 Impalas on Geluk as well

16:20 We saw 3 x Kudu cows and 2 of them are pregnant on Geluk

16:45 On the Ryefield we saw 95 Impalas and it looked as if most of them are pregnant. We also saw 3 x Blesbok Rams

17:00 We headed home


14/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 26*C Min Temp : 12*C


07:30 Did the report and got things ready to head to Ladysmith and then the school to start with the repairs

08:30 Headed off into Ladysmith for the building material.

10:50 We saw 7 x Waterbuck near the donga in a clearing near the base of the mountain.

11:30 We went looking for the Giraffes and found some of them on the way to the mountain.

12:00 We spotted 5 x Giraffes, 3 calves and the youngest calf's mother (one without horns) and another adult. It was the 1st, 3rd and 4th born calves we saw here

12:05 Near base of the mountain we saw 2 x Kudu cows

12:10 We found the 2nd oldest calf a little further up. She was on her own and we could not see any adults around She looked healthy as well

12:35 About halfway down the back of the mountain we saw our first Duiker of the day.

12:40 Near the base of the mountain round the back we saw 5 x Kudu cows, a 2 year old bull, a 3 year bull and a calf

13:30 Near the plateau at the show lodge we saw 4 more Giraffes. 3 Bulls and one cow that looks to be pregnant

15:00 We headed to the Ryefield to check up on things. The usual Impalas were there, 3 Blesbok and 4 x Warthogs.

15:30 We headed to Ethuleni School to go pick up the builder and bring him back. All the windows in the classroom were fixed for the new frames to be put in. We have ordered some frames and doors and it will be put in as soon as they arrive.

16:00 We headed home and saw 5 x Warthogs at the 2 ponds near the main gate.

16:15 Near the house at the ponds we saw the 6 Zebras and a small group of Impalas



15/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 24*C Min Temp : 11*C

07:30 We saw a black stork on an electricity pole just outside the house early morning. Did the report

08:30 Went to have a look at the Ryefield.

08:40 The usual Impalas, 3 x Blesbok, a warthog and about 20+ Spurwinged Geese (Plectropterus gambensis)

09:00 Headed over the mountain to the back to get a tree out of the road that was blown over because of the wind.

09:15 On the right hand side of the mountain top we saw the 15 Blesbok that is usually there. They look good and some of the females look pregnant

10:00 We got the tree out of the road

10:15 At the back of the mountain near the N3 border fence 1 x Duiker

10:35 Back of the mountain we saw another Duiker

10:40 We saw a slender mongoose, red in the face from the aloe flowers running across the road and falling asleep on a rock in the sun. We spent about 30 min trying to get a photo off it, but it was too far and when we went closer it took off

12:00 Headed back home

13:00 Organised with Gail for the practice bibs for Ethuleni School

13:45 2 x Warthogs near the road as well as the 6 Zebra's, close to big stream

13:50 We went to Geluk for a look around and near the entrance saw 3 x Kudu's. 1 x young bull, a cow and a calf

14:15 Geluk - Weenen border - 2 Kudu cows and a calf, on the other side of the fence we saw 3 more cows and a bull. It was mostly burned down in this area

15:00 We headed up the mountain at Geluk for a look.

15:50 On our way back from the mountain near the entrance we saw 2 more Kudu bulls and 6 cows

16:00 At the entrance to Geluk there were 3 x Warthogs. 2 piglets and a sow

16:30 Headed back home


16/08/2007
Weather : Sunny + windy
Max Temp : 20*C
Min Temp : 09*C

08:30 Did yesterday's report

09:20 Went round to the back of the mountain to fix the fence. It was damaged by some Kudu trying to get through.

09:40 At the back of the mountain near the border fence at the N3 we saw a Duiker female

09:50 Not too far from the first Duiker at the back we saw 2 more. Too far to identify sexes

10:40 We were done with fixing the fence

10:50 We saw a single mountain Reedbuck running across the road

10:55 At the back by the rocky valley we saw 2 x Dassies

11:05 Open Field by the Tugela near the house there was a small group of Impala's

11:30 At the pond near the house a Hammerkop

11:35 On the road towards the main gate 6 x Zebra's

11:55 On Geluk a Gymnogene in a tree. We were trying a new road there. We will have to go back and clean it up a bit, and make sure it is good for the AFTW vehicle to go through

12:30 At the dam at the foot of the mountain a group of Impala's (6 female, 1 male)

13:00 Washed the AFTW vehicle

14:25 Ryefield had 114 Impala's on today. 3 Groups (39), (40), and bachelors (35). There were also 3 x Blesbok and 8 Warthogs.

13:00 I took a walk up towards the mountain in search of the Giraffes

13:30 Found 5 of them. 3 Adults and 2 calves. It was the first and 3rd calf. I could not see the rest of the Giraffes. They might be split up because they were not together the last time we saw them.

14:00 Took a walk down the big stream towards the main road but did not unfortunately see anything. I did identify some serval tracks

15:00 Headed home

16:00 We went to Vetrek to check the progress on the road. They have finished it to the border of Geluk/Vertrek.

17:00 Headed back home

17/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 24*C Min Temp : 08*C

07:30 Did yesterday's report. Also filled up the vehicle and saw a Grey Heron in the tree by the house. Almost at the same spot we saw the black Stork

08:15 On the Ryefield the usual groups of Impala. The bachelors and another group. The third group was on their way down to the field

08:55 We went to the dam near the base of the mountain to pick up some rolled wire the game guards collected and took it back to the workshop.

09:00 We took a drive towards the mountain to check on the giraffes. We were unable to find them though

09:15 6 x Zebras on our way to the top of the mountain

09:25 On top of the mountain in the middle we saw 5 x Kudu's

09:35 Right hand side on mountain top the 15 Blesbok. All were looking good.

09:45 Left hand side on mountain top we spotted 3 x nice big Kudu bulls enjoying the sun

09:55 On our way back down the mountain near the base of the mountain on the right hand side we saw the same 6 zebra's from earlier (1 x foal) and on the left hand side we saw 6 more zebra's (1 x foal).

10:00 We headed up to the show lodge to go look for the giraffes again but we could not see them. On our way there we saw a small group of Impala (24 + ram)

10:20 We had a meeting with Charles.

11:30 We went to Geluk to clear a new road for the vehicle. We could not go up all the way, the road needs some fixing and will be seen to in the future

14:00 We were done with the road and saw a Duiker on our way back as well as a small group of Impalas near the entrance to Geluk. When we drove back to Elworthy, on the burned side on Geluk we saw more than 50 Guineafowl


14:30 Went home and did some paperwork

15:00 We went to Vertrek to have a look around.

16:15 We had a look around there and found Blue Wildebeest tracks and a latrine site. We could see it clearly because of the fire. Mike also said he had seen them in the area before (9 of them) Charles and Mike also saw 4 x Kudu cows.

17:00 We headed back home.

Weekly Report 13th - 17th August 2007

13/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 27*C Min Temp : 09*C

07:30 Did the reports and emails

08:00 We headed up the mountain to go check if everything was still fine up there. Blesbok were relaxed and fine (15)

10:10 We saw 2 x Giraffes on the way back down from the mountain (mum and calf).

10:15 We saw another 7 x Giraffes not far from the cow and calf and we were lucky enough to see the newborn calf and its mom. It looks to be female which brings the number of calves born on UmPhafa to 4 and all female.

11:00 We went to Ladysmith to fix a puncture on the left back wheel of the AFTW vehicle. A drill bit was stuck in the tyre and went straight through

13:00 On our way back from Ladysmith at the 2 ponds near the main gate we were very fortunate to see 2 x Grey Herons on the pond

14:30 We headed to Vertrek to check on the progress of the new road. There is about 100m left to go.

15:20 We also went to Geluk to check up on things there after the fires.

15:45 We did see 2 x Grey Duikers on Geluk

16:45 There was a group of 20 Impalas on Geluk as well

16:20 We saw 3 x Kudu cows and 2 of them are pregnant on Geluk

16:45 On the Ryefield we saw 95 Impalas and it looked as if most of them are pregnant. We also saw 3 x Blesbok Rams

17:00 We headed home


14/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 26*C Min Temp : 12*C


07:30 Did the report and got things ready to head to Ladysmith and then the school to start with the repairs

08:30 Headed off into Ladysmith for the building material.

10:50 We saw 7 x Waterbuck near the donga in a clearing near the base of the mountain.

11:30 We went looking for the Giraffes and found some of them on the way to the mountain.

12:00 We spotted 5 x Giraffes, 3 calves and the youngest calf's mother (one without horns) and another adult. It was the 1st, 3rd and 4th born calves we saw here

12:05 Near base of the mountain we saw 2 x Kudu cows

12:10 We found the 2nd oldest calf a little further up. She was on her own and we could not see any adults around She looked healthy as well

12:35 About halfway down the back of the mountain we saw our first Duiker of the day.

12:40 Near the base of the mountain round the back we saw 5 x Kudu cows, a 2 year old bull, a 3 year bull and a calf

13:30 Near the plateau at the show lodge we saw 4 more Giraffes. 3 Bulls and one cow that looks to be pregnant

15:00 We headed to the Ryefield to check up on things. The usual Impalas were there, 3 Blesbok and 4 x Warthogs.

15:30 We headed to Ethuleni School to go pick up the builder and bring him back. All the windows in the classroom were fixed for the new frames to be put in. We have ordered some frames and doors and it will be put in as soon as they arrive.

16:00 We headed home and saw 5 x Warthogs at the 2 ponds near the main gate.

16:15 Near the house at the ponds we saw the 6 Zebras and a small group of Impalas



15/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 24*C Min Temp : 11*C

07:30 We saw a black stork on an electricity pole just outside the house early morning. Did the report

08:30 Went to have a look at the Ryefield.

08:40 The usual Impalas, 3 x Blesbok, a warthog and about 20+ Spurwinged Geese (Plectropterus gambensis)

09:00 Headed over the mountain to the back to get a tree out of the road that was blown over because of the wind.

09:15 On the right hand side of the mountain top we saw the 15 Blesbok that is usually there. They look good and some of the females look pregnant

10:00 We got the tree out of the road

10:15 At the back of the mountain near the N3 border fence 1 x Duiker

10:35 Back of the mountain we saw another Duiker

10:40 We saw a slender mongoose, red in the face from the aloe flowers running across the road and falling asleep on a rock in the sun. We spent about 30 min trying to get a photo off it, but it was too far and when we went closer it took off

12:00 Headed back home

13:00 Organised with Gail for the practice bibs for Ethuleni School

13:45 2 x Warthogs near the road as well as the 6 Zebra's, close to big stream

13:50 We went to Geluk for a look around and near the entrance saw 3 x Kudu's. 1 x young bull, a cow and a calf

14:15 Geluk - Weenen border - 2 Kudu cows and a calf, on the other side of the fence we saw 3 more cows and a bull. It was mostly burned down in this area

15:00 We headed up the mountain at Geluk for a look.

15:50 On our way back from the mountain near the entrance we saw 2 more Kudu bulls and 6 cows

16:00 At the entrance to Geluk there were 3 x Warthogs. 2 piglets and a sow

16:30 Headed back home


16/08/2007
Weather : Sunny + windy
Max Temp : 20*C
Min Temp : 09*C

08:30 Did yesterday's report

09:20 Went round to the back of the mountain to fix the fence. It was damaged by some Kudu trying to get through.

09:40 At the back of the mountain near the border fence at the N3 we saw a Duiker female

09:50 Not too far from the first Duiker at the back we saw 2 more. Too far to identify sexes

10:40 We were done with fixing the fence

10:50 We saw a single mountain Reedbuck running across the road

10:55 At the back by the rocky valley we saw 2 x Dassies

11:05 Open Field by the Tugela near the house there was a small group of Impala's

11:30 At the pond near the house a Hammerkop

11:35 On the road towards the main gate 6 x Zebra's

11:55 On Geluk a Gymnogene in a tree. We were trying a new road there. We will have to go back and clean it up a bit, and make sure it is good for the AFTW vehicle to go through

12:30 At the dam at the foot of the mountain a group of Impala's (6 female, 1 male)

13:00 Washed the AFTW vehicle

14:25 Ryefield had 114 Impala's on today. 3 Groups (39), (40), and bachelors (35). There were also 3 x Blesbok and 8 Warthogs.

13:00 I took a walk up towards the mountain in search of the Giraffes

13:30 Found 5 of them. 3 Adults and 2 calves. It was the first and 3rd calf. I could not see the rest of the Giraffes. They might be split up because they were not together the last time we saw them.

14:00 Took a walk down the big stream towards the main road but did not unfortunately see anything. I did identify some serval tracks

15:00 Headed home

16:00 We went to Vetrek to check the progress on the road. They have finished it to the border of Geluk/Vertrek.

17:00 Headed back home

17/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 24*C Min Temp : 08*C

07:30 Did yesterday's report. Also filled up the vehicle and saw a Grey Heron in the tree by the house. Almost at the same spot we saw the black Stork

08:15 On the Ryefield the usual groups of Impala. The bachelors and another group. The third group was on their way down to the field

08:55 We went to the dam near the base of the mountain to pick up some rolled wire the game guards collected and took it back to the workshop.

09:00 We took a drive towards the mountain to check on the giraffes. We were unable to find them though

09:15 6 x Zebras on our way to the top of the mountain

09:25 On top of the mountain in the middle we saw 5 x Kudu's

09:35 Right hand side on mountain top the 15 Blesbok. All were looking good.

09:45 Left hand side on mountain top we spotted 3 x nice big Kudu bulls enjoying the sun

09:55 On our way back down the mountain near the base of the mountain on the right hand side we saw the same 6 zebra's from earlier (1 x foal) and on the left hand side we saw 6 more zebra's (1 x foal).

10:00 We headed up to the show lodge to go look for the giraffes again but we could not see them. On our way there we saw a small group of Impala (24 + ram)

10:20 We had a meeting with Charles.

11:30 We went to Geluk to clear a new road for the vehicle. We could not go up all the way, the road needs some fixing and will be seen to in the future

14:00 We were done with the road and saw a Duiker on our way back as well as a small group of Impalas near the entrance to Geluk. When we drove back to Elworthy, on the burned side on Geluk we saw more than 50 Guineafowl


14:30 Went home and did some paperwork

15:00 We went to Vertrek to have a look around.

16:15 We had a look around there and found Blue Wildebeest tracks and a latrine site. We could see it clearly because of the fire. Mike also said he had seen them in the area before (9 of them) Charles and Mike also saw 4 x Kudu cows.

17:00 We headed back home.