By Diana Studer
- gardening for biodiversity
in Cape Town, South Africa
The years slip busily by. In 2010 we went to the West Coast National Park on
a hiking trail thru the spring
flowers. 2014 before we did return
to the flowers!
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| Removing invasive alien trees in Berg River Municipality September 2010 |
When we tried to cross the Berg River in 2007 this whole
swathe was under water. Good for both employment and the environment that they
are working at removing invasive alien trees.
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| Chersina angulata Bowsprit tortoise |
We stop for tortoises. The recently graded sandy road left a
sharp sheer wall, trapping tortoises. We rescued two. With traffic flying
along, the tortoise’s defence is to duck down and pray for travelling mercies.
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| Rhombic egg eater snake |
Almost perfect, except for a small damp patch at the snake's
head … where someone had stamped on it. A rhombic egg eater. Harmless to
people. They eat bird's eggs, which they swallow whole. Toothless
and defenceless, they will hiss and 'strike'.
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| Puff adder Cape cobra |
Within the National Park we saw less road kill. The fat
stripy one is a puff adder Bitis arietans, with the Ungardener’s
hip so you can see how close we were. Being heavy-bodied and sluggish it relies
on immobility and cryptic camouflage. Another reason why we are warned to LOOK,
before stepping over a rock or fallen log. They will hiss in warning. This
common snake, basking in the sun – is the cause of most serious snake bites in
Africa. That bite is not fatal, but nasty.
The slender elegant one is a Cape cobra Naja nivea (with
a hood). Usually nocturnal so we were glad to see it. This one is dangerous;
you need prompt treatment if bitten. The prey of the mongoose. And the snake in
turn hunts gerbils and three striped mice. While we walked along, we saw a mole
snake Pseudapsis cana. A powerful constrictor, which will hiss and
bite if cornered. Because it is useful to farmers, it was one of the first
snakes to be protected in the Cape.
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| West Coast National Park in September 2010 |
We walked down the sandy path, thru dense vegetation to one
of the bird hides. Remember the dung beetles at Addo?
Here we could get a better picture, since we were not leaning out of the car
window, dodging elephants!
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| Dung beetle |
The West Coast Park is on the Langebaan lagoon.
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| Boardwalk in the West Coast National Park |
Salt marsh, sand dune, lagoon, sand bar. Postberg peninsula
and the Atlantic Ocean in the distance. Postberg is military land, but it is
open in August and September for the flowers. This quieter section we had
almost to ourselves.
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| Marsh and Langebaan Lagoon in the West Coast National Park |
On the sand bar, one good tern deserves another. A pair of
Caspian terns sits a little apart from the other birds. In the breeding season
he wears a black cap. The largest of the terns has a red beak. Despite the
name, they are resident on our coast.
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| Caspian terns |
He captured the flamingoes, just as a flock of gulls flew
past. Probably Greater flamingoes, since the wings were scarlet, when they in
turn flew.
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| Greater flamingoes |
of Elephant's Eye on False Bay
(If you mouse over teal blue text, it turns seaweed red
Those are my links.
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