June sightings, wildlife monitoring and interesting research projects.`
Sightings of the month
Thank you to all who recorded their sightings in the book this month!
Here is the number of recorded sightings of a few species during the month of June:
Highlights:
- With 160 recorded sightings in the book, there was an average of five sightings per day. Within this total, Lions were the most recorded species, with twenty-two recorded sightings. Following on from this, Buffaloes were the next most common species recorded, with plenty of large herds observed. One herd was estimated to be at least 1,500 animals!
- Leopards were less frequently seen than during May, with eighteen recorded sightings for the month. However, there were two Cheetah sightings at the beginning of the month - one of which had an Impala kill on Buffelsbed, opposite the entrance gate.
- Other mammalian highlights: An Aardvark was seen on Bird Hide Link, a Caracal with two kittens was seen on Manzimvula Cutline and a Hippo was seen at Sibon Camp. Large dazzles of Zebras and journeys of Giraffes were frequent sightings throughout the month.
- A Hippo also visited the causeway over the Nhlaralumi River on Argyle Road.
- Mammalian species recorded: Caracal, Aardvark, Cheetah, Leopard, Lion, Wild Dog, Spotted Hyena, Honey Badger, Black-backed Jackal, Side-striped Jackal, African Wild Cat, Porcupine, White-tailed Mongoose, Elephant, Buffalo, Rhino, Impala, Kudu, Blue Wildebeest, Giraffe, Zebra, Waterbuck, Warthog, Hippo, Nyala, Bushbuck, Klipspringer, Sharpe’s Grysbok, Duiker, Steenbok, Warthog, Chacma Baboon, Vervet Monkey, Scrub Hare, Tree Squirrel, Springhare, Dwarf Mongoose, Banded Mongoose, and Slender Mongoose.
- Reptilian highlights: A Common Night Adder was safely relocated from the entrance gate, while a Rufous Beaked Snake was also safely relocated from the Workshop. A large Southern African Python was seen on Buffelsbed.
- Birding highlights included a fight witnessed between a Lilac-breasted Roller and a Purple Roller, an African Openbill sighting and a Tawny Eagle in a nest close to Aloe Ridge on Buffelsbed. A family of Kurrichane Buttonquails was witnessed crossing the road.
- Reptilian species recorded in June: Rock Monitor, Water Monitor, Nile Crocodile, Flap-necked Chameleon, Leopard Tortoise, Giant Plated Lizard, Marsh Terrapin, Black Mamba, Southern African Python, Rufous Beaked Snake, Common Night Adder, Rainbow Skink and Serrated Hinged Terrapin.
- Bird species recorded during June were: Arrow-marked Babbler, Crested Barbet, Bateleur, Chinspot Batis, Little Bee-eater, Grey Go-Away Bird, Dark-capped Bulbul, Cinnamon-breasted Bunting, Golden-breasted Bunting, Kurrichane Buttonquail, Grey-headed Bush-shrike, Kori Bustard, Burchell’s Coucal, Bronze-winged Courser, Black Crake, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Laughing Dove, Namaqua Dove, Ring-necked Dove, Fork-tailed Drongo, African Fish Eagle, Brown Snake Eagle, Martial Eagle, Tawny Eagle, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, African Firefinch, Jameson’s Firefinch, Grey-Tit Flycatcher, Crested Francolin, Egyptian Goose, Helmeted Guineafowl, Hamerkop, African Harrier-Hawk, African Hawk-eagle, Retz’s Helmet-shrike, White-crested Helmet-shrike, Green-backed Heron, Grey Heron, Goliath Heron, African Grey Hornbill, Southern Ground Hornbill, Southern Red-billed Hornbill, Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill , Hadeda Ibis, Brown-hooded Kingfisher, Giant Kingfisher, Half-collared Kingfisher, Malachite Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Red-crested Korhaan, Blacksmith Lapwing, Crowned Lapwing, Sabota Lark, Red-faced Mousebird, African Openbill, Black-headed Oriole, African Scops Owl, African Barred Owlet, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Red-billed Oxpecker, Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Brown-headed Parrot, Three-banded Plover, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Black-backed Puffback, Green-winged Pytillia, Lilac-breasted Roller, Purple Roller, Double-banded Sandgrouse, Common Scimitarbill, White-browed Scrub-robin, Shikra, Magpie Shrike, Southern White-crowned Shrike, Natal Spurfowl, Swainson’s Spurfowl, Burchell’s Starling, Cape Starling, Greater Blue-eared Starling, Black Stork, Saddle-billed Stork, Woolly-necked Stork, White-bellied Sunbird, Black-crowned Tchagra, Brown-crowned Tchagra, Water Thick-knee, Groundscraper Thrush, Kurrichane Thrush, Southern Black Tit, Cape Vulture, Hooded Vulture, Lappet-faced Vulture, White-backed Vulture, White-headed Vulture, Blue Waxbill, Cape Weaver, Lesser Masked Weaver, Red-headed Weaver, Red-billed Buffalo Weaver, Long-tailed Paradise Whydah, Green Wood-hoopoe, Golden-tailed Woodpecker, and Stierling’s Wren-Warbler.
Below are images of some smaller sightings and other observations during the month, including some flowering plants, amphibians, fungi, rock formations, and insects:
*Although this is most likely a caterpillar from the Acraea family of butterflies, caterpillars are notoriously poorly documented, and identifications can easily be confused.
Words by Tess Woollgar, images courtesy of Erica Tyler, Caroline Culbert, Delwin Eggers and Tessa Woollgar