Wednesday 26 August 2015

For the Birds!

Sunset at Andante Game Farm - one of the views that all South Africans treasure!
Photo credit: Justin van Doorene
In order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence.”
Robert Lynd

"Be as a bird perched on a frail branch that she feels bending beneath her, still she sings away all the same, knowing she has wings."
Victor Hugo


This morning, Trevor Hardaker posted a question on the Facebook page of BirdLife South Africa.

Trevor is a well-known personality in birding circles. In 2007, he became only the second person ever to pass the magical 900 mark on his Southern African list, sharing this milestone with the legendary Ian Sinclair. He currently serves as the chairman of the South African Rarities Committee.

Together with John Graham he also runs Zest for Birds, a pelagic trip and
bird guiding company.
Source: http://www.hardaker.co.za/about.htm
Throughout the day, this has received (and no doubt will continue to receive) a flurry of comments and 'likes' and replies from across the birding fraternity all over South Africa.

As we begin to tangibly feel the onset of spring in Gauteng, Africa Nature Training is getting ready for a busy period of peak bird-watching...summer is coming!

We think that Trevor's question and the responses people have provided show two important things that are worth noting and writing about:

1. South Africans are interested in birds!
2. This interest takes various forms.

The first point (which is also mentioned in one of the responses), is that South Africans are blessed to have such an abundance and variety of our feathered friends!

Where else can you go to such an array of habitats and encounter hundreds of birds during the course of one day?!

This is a highly rewarding hobby for anyone who takes an interest, no matter what the form. It could be that you feed the birds that visit your garden.

Perhaps some of them are even nesting in your garden and you simply observe the process. It could be that you notice every bird you see as you take your dog for a walk around the park.

It could be that you take binoculars and watch birds wherever you go on holiday. It could be that you spend every spare bit of time looking for more new species to add to your 'life list'. It could be that you participate in citizen science by regularly 'atlassing' and providing data for SABAP2.

Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill
It could be that you actively support NGO's in their efforts to save bird species. It could even be that you hear about a rare vagrant and spend vast amounts of time and money dashing across local, regional or international boundaries to look for it.

Orange-breasted Bush-Shrike - Photo credit Catherine Earnshaw
Whatever the form, we would like to encourage you to take an interest in birds! As well as being beautiful creatures in their own right, they have really interesting biology...if only people would take the time to notice.

What better way to spend your time than to focus on something good and pure...rather than on the 'not so positive' things that bombard us every day in the media.

If you would like to step into this wonderful world of birds but have no idea where to start, we are offering a part-time Savanna Bird Course to Gauteng residents that starts with an evening lecture on 4th November and ends with a weekend away to Nylsvley Nature Reserve on 29th November. Please contact our office for further details or to book your place: 012 667 5440 or info@AfricaNatureTraining.co.za.

The ANT Blog

Wednesday 5 August 2015

All good things...

...must come to an end...eventually!

Another successful day in the lowveld as we enjoy a 'game drive selfie'!
Our 2015 part-time Nature Enthusiast Course is drawing to a close with the assessment weekend coming up in two days' time. This is always the toughest challenge but, as we reflect back on what has been an incredible year, we are grateful for the things we've learned and the lifelong friendships that have been made!

Each year at graduation we have students who tell us that they wish they could capture and 'bottle' the essence of the course so that they can somehow explain to and share with others how wonderful and how life-changing this course has been for them.

Perhaps you are one of our graduANTs, nodding in agreement as you read this!

The best we can do, for those who are yet to experience the magic, is to take you on a visual stroll through time as we present our 'Nature Enthusiast Course class of 2015' in pictures - enjoy!

The ANT Blog

The year starts off in our lecture venue - Henley Business School - with an orientation
evening - here Nicky is talking about why and what we recycle

Andre shows Mariana what to look for when examining a leaf at our introductory tree practical

Chris and Sara look closely at features like the leaf margin and venation

Arlene makes expert use of her loupe to see if there are any secretory cavities

Even the smallest students are treated with care - here Lorraine shows them a special leaf


Annie shows Dave an infloresence - the key to identifying grasses

Salim uses his loupe to great effect as he admires the Red Grass spikelet


Dave and Jenny make use of the outdoor classroom to teach a few grass id basics

Meet some of our mentors - Carla is the rose between the thorns here
- sorry Stephan and Dave junior!

Camping is completely new to some of our students, but they soon grow to love it!


The pool is an attractive feature during summer...but this year has been
an unusually rainy one, so it's been somewhat under-utilised!

The most effective way to learn how to identify grasses is by using display samples

One of the field work groups has a practical session with our resident expert, Lorraine

Rod oversees Deepak as he works out which grass is which

Andrew Hankey - the tree expert -  is one of our favourite lecturers who liberally
shares his knowledge with us on weekend practicals



Deepak holds his leaf up to the light to see if there are any bacterial nodules

Chris enjoys putting his newfound skills to use
What bushveld experience is complete without a good old South African braai?!

Welcome to our piece of paradise in the lowveld - your home-away-from-home ...
...Nkombe Camp! We trust that your week here will leave you with many happy memories!

Our friendly photographer, Justin van Doorene,
goes to great lengths to capture that perfect image!

...and here you have a bird's eye view of our social centre



Rowan gave Justin a run for his money whilst trying to capture
a dragonfly in flight over this pond


One of our favourite drainage line crossings onto an open area


During summer, we have the added challenge of water crossings!

One of the groups after their bush interpretation weekend


It's such a treat to walk in the bush! Here Freddy discusses the finer points of tracking

The first group were fortunate enough to have seen Wild Dogs on foot - what a triumph!

One of our favourite parts of the day involves reading the 'bushveld newspaper'

Chanyn explains to Lee and Mariana how you can tell which direction the elephant is going

Everyone cranes their necks to see the three rhinos
that are just on the other side of that bush...exciting!

Before each walk, the students get a chance to give the pre-trail brief

Our trails guides explain the rapid digestion of elephants


Conrad watches Keegan and Lee as they dig in a dry riverbed for water






















































































































































































































After just having watched a crash of rhinos coming down to drink at the waterhole,
we had an opportunity to look at their tracks and signs


This occasion was very special - we heard a female kudu making regular, loud, alarm calls and we noticed the group all staring in the same direction...but as much as we looked, we could not see what she was warning them about...until a yellow blur dashed across the road in front of us and into the riverbed - it was a leopard - what an amazing sighting and all the more special to see the textbook come alive!













































The following animal pictures have been captured by one of our students - Mariana Arnoldi - thank you very much for sharing them with us all - enjoy!


Is this a male or female warthog...and how can you tell?



Knowing the scarcity of these animals makes it
even more of a thrill to see them!

Not much water around, yet this Green-backed Heron!


Fork-tailed Drongo - look out for that wine-red eye!

Female buffalo just chewing the cud


We thought this was a funny place for the oxpecker to sit!


This hornbill waited for our crumbs to drop at the coffee stop
 
This guy's stomach was so distended we think he may well have eaten an entire buffalo by himself!


We end off with a cute shot of this mother and baby Waterbuck - what an amazing experience!