Our walk along the Palmiet River in the Kogelberg had to be postponed today following the rioting in Hermanus, so we walked in Fernkloof instead. It was an easy route broken only by refreshments provided by Ann to celebrate her forthcoming birthday! We also had Robin with us who yesterday had a very significant birthday. Well done to both of you!!
The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa at Cape Town’s Waterfront is well worth a visit. Without any art in it, the building (a converted silo complex) is quite incredible to behold and must rank up there with the best structures in the world! Add the art and it becomes a place of huge wonderment, offering a visual and audio experience like no other. We did not understand most of the works, but they impress, nevertheless!
ROUTE DESCRIPTION
Inner circuit from Base Camp via Sea Saddle, Bird’s Eye, Quark Pool and Miracle Kloof
Altitude gain – 455m
Distance – 9375m
Time – 5h15m
WEATHER
Partly cloudy, cool with a WNW wind. Ideal for walking
THE WALK
9 Walkers: 4 Male, 5 Female. (3 Octogenarians)
A great walk through pristine Fynbos and fields of Erica with fine views of the surrounding mountains and the ocean below. The dry season was evident as none of the streams other than the Main Stream was flowing. We really did not see any notable birds except the two Homo Sapiens accompanied by a male of their species who we came across at Quark Pool
It was quite an eventful walk:
Lost – A leader and his wife, Sole off a shoe, Skin off an elbow
Added (later) – 4 stitches
Discovered – Muscles we had forgotten existed and new aches
Confirmed – “The older I get, the younger I was”
A great and memorable walk. Thanks for excellent company
Piet
A drive this afternoon along the Swartrivier Road and past Teslaarsdal in search of birds revealed mostly the usual suspects, however, I was amazed to see no fewer than 19 Denham’s Bustards. I thought there might be a good collective noun for them, but it is just a ‘flock of bustards’. Never mind, they were still pretty spectacular, but I would gladly have swapped a dozen of them for a Secretarybird!
Denham’s Bustard
A drive from Stanford to Gansbaai takes one through some excellent stands of Brunsvigia orientalis growing in a firebreak at the side of the road. It is a rare sight to see so many flowering together.
A quick foray into the area between Caledon and Teslaarsdal this afternoon produced a few birds for my Challenge list. The most exciting one was a Black Stork, something which we only rarely see in the region. Of course, there were all the usual suspects, but with the area becoming ever drier, it is increasingly difficult to add new species. A welcome sight was a flock of no less than 51 White storks.
Yesterday I opened a 1982 magnum of Landskroon Pinot Noir. The cork was soft and soaked, so I was prepared to throw the wine away, but decided to taste it first. It had gone quite brown, but I was amazed to find it quite drinkable, and very smooth, with little acid and no tannins. I decanted it for about 6 hours and then had three glasses. It was amazing that It had lasted so well and I look forward to finishing it over the next few days! It still had the original price tag on it for R13,50!!
We went for our third Parkrun this morning and managed, once again, to improve our PBs. Renee even broke the local record for her age group for the second week running. Well done!! She is a real star – and on her birthday, too!
Before the start – much fresher than after the finish!!
A quick foray into Vogelgat Reserve this afternoon to see the Red Disa was everything we wanted. Never before have I been able to photograph 10 blooms in close proximity to each other. It really was magnificent! Adding to the fun of the afternoon, we had a downpour – not typical Western Cape rain, but more like a monsoon with large drops raining down and absolutely drenching us. Of course this started just as we reached the flowers, so we had to be quick with the camera to avoid any damage!
Disa uniflora
This gallery contains 5 photos.
Originally posted on Hermanus Bird Club:
? There must have been something in the air this morning, when no less than 45 birders turned up to join the outing to Haygrove Farm! This necessitated dividing the group into two, so…
roncorylus 