Weekly Report 4th - 8th February 2008

04/02/200
Weather: Overcast
Min temp: 19°C
Max temp: 24°C
WeekendRainfall: 5mm

07:30 Did report and emails.

08:00 Power cut from Eskom. Dropped sprayers at back of mountain for fence.

10:00 Took a hike towards mountain. Turned towards the dam at the base of the mountain, where I made a horrible discovery. I found Squirt in the grass. It seems that the Jackals had gotten to him the previous night.

10:30 Hannes went with Mike to help with the Rhino fence.

13:00 Came back and worked on the fact file and photos.

15:00 Went to pick up the sprayers from the back at the fence.

16:00 Back home.


05/02/2008
Weather: Overcast
Min temp: 20°C
Max temp: 24°C


07:30 Getting everything ready for fencing.

08:00 Drove towards mountain.

09:40 Saw the 4 baby Giraffes on the way to mountain (S28°43.867 – E29°40.684 )

10:00 Saw 1 lone Kudu Bull just as I got to the top of UmPhafa Mountain (S28°43.006 - E29°40.140 )

10:20 Saw only 1 Blesbok male at the top of the mountain near pond 9 (S28°42.487 - E29°40.465 )

11:00 Saw 1 lone Kudu cow on my way back from mountain (S28°43.796 – E 29°40.465 )

13:30 Went to help with the fencing till 15:00

16:00 Released an African Rock Python that we got from a local farmer. He caught the snake in his chicken pen eating his chickens. The snake is about 3m long, a bit bigger than the first one we released. We released it at the same spot as the first one. (S28°44.331 – E29°39.205 )



06/02/2008

Weather: Overcast
Min temp: 20°C
Max temp: 25°C
Rainfall: 3mm

07:30 Did report

10:00 Went to Winterton to pick up Chemicals for the spraying of the fence. Arrived back home at 12:30.

13:30 Went to Geluk to check on all the dams and their water level. Saw nothing on the way, only a European Roller on the power line. The dams looked good and almost full on Geluk.

15:20 Went to the pond at the foot of the mountain, saw 2 Common Reedbuck on the way.

16:00 At the pond I saw 1 Female Waterbuck.

16:30 Back home.


07/02/2008
Weather: Sunny
Min temp: 19°C
Max temp: 28°C

07:30 Got everything ready for sprayers to go and spray at Cloustan’s fence

08:00 Took sprayers away to go and spray at Cloustan’s fence line.

10:20 Went to dam at foot of mountain, saw the same Waterbuck female as the previous day (S28°43.721 – E29°41.024)

11:00 Drove to ryefield, saw 18 Impala males, ± 40 Impala females with lambs, 15 Zebras and 1 Warthog male on the ryefield (S28°44.555 – E29°41.808 )

11:20 Just as I made my way to the main road from the ryefield 8 Kudus ran across the field, 7 females and 1 young male.

11:45 Went to check on the lodge, everything is fine there. On my way back I heard 2 Black-eyed Bulbuls making a big noise, when I stopped to investigate the problem, I saw one of their new born chicks fell out of the nest. Went back home to fetch a ladder, to put the little bird back nest.

12:10 Put the little bird back in his nest.

13:10 Went to Ladysmith to get washing machine part.


15:45 Went to pick up sprayers at Cloustan’s fence line.

16:30 Back home




07/02/2008
Weather: Overcast
Min temp: 20°C
Max temp: 31°C

07:30 Report

08:00 Took sprayers to Cloustan’s fence line.

09:00 Welding Rhino fence.

11:00 Pick up staff, started to rain.

12:40 Took staff back to N3, to continue fencing.

13:55 Went with Mike to test electric fence to see if there is any fault on the line along the Tugela river. Saw a Pygmy Kingfisher sitting on fence.

15:30 Went to pick up sprayers at Cloustan’s fence.

15:45 On the way saw 2 White-Faced Ducks with 5 ducklings at the 2 ponds at the main gate.

16:30 Back home