This afternoon as we were out walking, we came across a Southern Fiscal killing a Cape Sparrow. The rest of the Sparrow flock were all around and very upset about their friend’s demise, but they could only flap their wings and chirp in a distressed manner. The Fiscal made short work of its prey and I managed to snap a few pictures of it with my mobile phone, before it made off.
This morning’s drive to Danger Point was intended as a birding outing, but we were once again side-tracked by the abundance of Spring flowers along the roads. We were about a week too early for what is going to be a spectacular display of Satyrium carneum, but there was plenty more to see, and the very low tide had exposed the litoral zone for a long way out.
Living in Prestwick Village on the Hermanus golf course is a real pleasure, and never more so than in the early morning as the sun breaks over the mountain and we see the springbok grazing just a short distance away.
An outing this morning to Rooisand and then along the Swartrivier road produced a fair number of birds, but nothing like as many as had been anticipated. What was impressive was to see how beautifully green the farmlands are and also to see the Spring flowers looking so good! Needless to say, I could not resist photographing some of them.
Having walked the Red Route, we decided, today, to try our luck along the contour path above Hermanus Heights. We tried to identify all the flowers along this route which were not seen on the Red Route (which we walked a couple of days ago) and we came up with quite a few. Of course, there were many that are the same, such as the magnificent stands of Geissorhiza ovata which were out in their thousands!
Unfortunately many of the species seen were very small and difficult to identify, so I am hoping that some reader may be able to assist me with a name or two. Suffice it to say, we had a great walk and the weather was spectacular.
One of the popular walks in Fernkloof is called the Red Route. On a cold morning such as we had today, it is always pleasant to start on the Klipspringer Trail and get the benefit of the warm sunny slopes. Today we decided it was time to once again try to get to know the Spring flowers along this route, as we have not walked on the mountain for ages and one tends to forget. Armed with my camera, I decided to photograph all the flower species that I could find, and they are presented below. I tried to name them, but made quite a few errors! Liz was a star and helped me out with the difficult ones!
We only managed to see around 70 species, a low number, we felt, considering the Spring Flower show would normally have been held next week and the number of species at that show is always very high.
A quick walk around the garden today revealed just how many plants are in bloom. We always complain that a fynbos garden has little in it, but obviously, if one looks closely, there is something. What we lack are massed flowerings, but there is plenty in the detail.
Once again, I have succumbed to the opportunity to mould my images, thereby creating a bit of art. Not necessarily everyone’s choice, but it is something that I enjoy.
Apart from the myriads of Namaqualand daisies that cover the fields at Papkuilsfontein in Spring, there are many other species of flowering plants. Of course, the area is also noted for its spectacular displays of Brunsvigias, but that would require an Autumn visit.
I am no botanist, so please bear with me if there are some errors in the naming of the images below! For those who don’t know, a papkuil is a bulrush (Typha capensis) but I have no picture of it!
For those of you who don’t know it, Papkuilsfontein is a farm 25km south of Nieuwoudtville, and it is endowed with more of the most wonderful spring flowers anyone could ever wish to see. We have visited there on many occasions, but none were better then our two day stay last week, when we were housed in the beautiful De Hoop cottage, in the midst of the most magnificent fields of flowering Bulbine.
We had driven up the R364 from the Biedouw Valley on Thursday and were impressed with some of the flowers along the route (these appear in my Biedouw Valley post) and by the time we reached Papkuilsfontein, things did not look that great, however, a change was in store! Alri greeted us with her usual enthusiasm, albeit tempered by the Covid regulations, and we set of on a drive to the north of the main house, where various species of geophytes predominate.
It was quite amazing, and the pictures speak for themselves. Of course, the whole area was fantastic, with different species occupying their respective habitats. Sadly, photographs cannot do justice to what one experiences; suffice it to say, we had two wonderful days there, before driving home in rain on Saturday morning. We has timed our visit to perfection!
Our trip was mainly about flowers, but we made a bird list as well and managed to identify 81 species. Our best sighting was of three Grey-winged Francolins sitting on their nests, each with a chick or two, as per the photograph below.
roncorylus 