Into Africa: February - April 2024 (part 2)
Aloes and mist in KwaZulu-Natal “midlands”
Cape buffalo cow with radio collar
Water color
Wildebeest. Note his ragged ears.
Burchell’s zebra (Equus quagga burchielli)
African full moon
Greater kudu mother
Impala and hyphaene palm at dawn
Amble with friends to Umgeni River gorge
Vervet monkey on palm fruit
Section #2: KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Map showing eastern central portion of KwaZulu-Natal. Durban is the region’s largest city. Red stars indicate areas where we spent some time.
Sub-tropical KwaZulu-Natal
We took a domestic flight from the Eastern Cape to KwaZulu-Natal, landing at Durban’s King Shaka International Airport. Looking down from the air, the Indian Ocean sparkled and the coastal belt looked verdant.
Our friends, J. and M. C., met us at the airport and we spent a few days at their abode, appreciating their beautiful indigenous garden and catching up on news. M. spearheads an impressive neighborhood habitat restoration program.
Several gatherings of the crew from days of old were organized – great fun! We truly appreciated everyone taking the time to visit.
Dietes grandiflora
Row #1: Left - Plumbago species; Right - Bauhinia galpinii.
Row #2: Left - Barleria species; Right - Plectranthus species.
Row #3: Left - Strelitzia nicolai; Right - Aloe species. There are about 125 species of aloe in South Africa.
Row #4: Left - Barleria species; Right - Dissotis species.
Row #5: Left - Asystasia gangetica; Right - Ipomoea species.
Cumberland Nature Reserve
Over the weekend, we moved inland to Cumberland, a 1,400 acre private Nature Reserve that borders on the spectacular Umgeni River gorge.
Situated in the elegant, undulating foothills that separate the Drakensberg highlands from coastal plains, the region is often festooned in ethereal early-morning mist. Giraffe, antelopes, warthog, cattle and other mammals are present but there are no dangerous species apart from snakes. Hiking is allowed and we wandered through an interesting mix of habitats; including savanna, grassland, wetland and riverine thicket.
Impala bachelor herd at dawn
Greater kudu cow with family.
Row #1: Left - Dawn waterfall; Right - Genus Acacia is reserved for Australian thorn trees. African types are now split into two genera, Vachellia & Senegalia.
Row #2: Left - At the crest of the Umgeni River gorge; Right - Our accommodation at Cumberland.
Row #3: Left - Picturesque Umgeni tributary; Right - Riverine woodland on precipitous cliff faces.
Row #4: Left - Immature Yellow-throated Longclaw. The species lives in moist or dry grassland; Right - Cape Wagtail.
Row #5: Left - Non-native invasive lily; Right - Yellow raintree spittlebug hitchhiking on T-shirt.
Row #6: Left - Umgeni River flowing strongly; Right - Ankole Longhorn cattle, a breed from Uganda.
Red-billed oxpecker on young male greater kudu
Left row: Aloe species, perhaps Aloe marlothii; Right row: Elegant grasshopper.
KwaZulu-Natal: The North Coast
Next, we traveled up KwaZulu-Natal’s north coast. Trevlyn grew up there and her siblings and their families all live in the area. It felt like home. We were warmly welcomed into the fold and had plenty of time to visit with the extended family and childhood friends.
Three areas were visited: the coast near Stanger/KwaDukuza, Richards Bay, and a nature reserve just inland of Lake St. Lucia.
Living with Nature
KwaZulu-Natal’s coastal vegetation (a biome termed the Indian Ocean Coastal Belt) comprises a dominant forest cover, interspersed with many areas of savanna and grassland. It provides food and refuge for many animal species.
KwaZulu-Natal vegetation map. From: https://pza.sanbi.org/vegetation
Monkey business
Although much has been lost to human habitation, wildlife and town-dwellers coexist in certain areas, particularly the forested coastal plains. Insects go about their daily activities; birds enjoy the garden’s bounty and seed feeders. Vervet monkeys make their rounds in the neighborhood, snacking on palm nuts and scanning for an unguarded kitchen. For some reason, arboreal snakes seem to regard open windows as an invitation for exploration.
Who, me? Are you yelling at me?
Row #1: Left - Surfer lifestyle; Right - Palm frond.
Row #2: Left - Bronze Mannekin; Right - Hilton to identify please.
Row #3: Left - Male Red-billed Firefinch; Right - Female Red-billed Firefinch.
Row #4: Left - Hilton to identify please; Right - Dragonfly.
Row #5: Left - African Woolly-necked Stork; Right - Vervet monkey.
Row #6: Left - Paper wasps at nest; Right - Eastern Natal green snake making itself at home.
Bees
G. is a hobbyist bee-keeper. Of course, these are African bees and should be treated with respect. Out of concern for his neighbors’ safety, G. situates the hives some distance away in a forest. The boxes are well-hidden because, in the past, he has lost hives to honey thieves.
What’s in the box?
If, like us, you don’t have a clue about bee boxes, here is an illustration explaining the different parts.
Richards Bay
Richards Bay is an important South African seaport that handles coal and other bulk for export. We learnt that the north-flowing inshore counter-current deposits sediments within the harbor’s channel at the southern groyne. Dredging is required to maintain adequate depths for commercial shipping. Dredgers unload their sediment at a harbor station, and the sand is then pumped via pipes to augment a recreational beach north of the port that is subject to erosion. There is concern that dredging is less often performed in recent years.
Looking westward into Richards Bay harbor.
Heading for open sea.
Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin
Walking out along the north groyne, we encountered Dave Savides, who has for years monitored Indian Ocean humpback dolphins (Sousa. plumbea). The species is found in the relatively shallow nearshore waters of the Indian Ocean from the southwestern tip of South Africa eastward to Myanmar.
Biology
Humpback dolphins eat prey associated with estuarine waters, including fish, crustaceans, squids, and octopus. In Mozambique, the dolphins have been observed herding fish into shallow waters and beaching themselves on sand banks to capture their prey. Aerial behavior is infrequent, but humpback dolphins can be seen doing vertical leaps, side leaps and somersaults. They are shy of boats and do not bow-ride.
The animals usually occur in small groups of 2-6 individuals and may interact with other dolphin species such as bottlenose dolphins. Females reach sexual maturity at 9-10 years and calves are predominantly born in the spring and summer. Youngsters are hunted by great white, tiger, and bull sharks. The lifespan of humpback dolphins may exceed 30 years.
Research and conservation
Individual humpback dolphins can be recognized from the unique patterns of scarring and pigmentation on their dorsal fins and researchers have developed photographic catalogues of the animals and track individuals over time. Because humpback dolphins have fairly stable nearshore home ranges, they are excellent subjects for long-term monitoring, including studies of social structure, reproductive parameters, residency and range.
The Indian Ocean Humpback dolphin is considered “endangered” by the IUCN Red List. The cetaceans often live in close proximity to densely populated urban areas and their habitat is continually affected by coastal construction and high volumes of vessel traffic. In developing countries, their distribution often overlaps with areas where fishing effort is exponentially increasing. Accidental entanglement in fishing gear (and shark nets in South Africa), coastal development, pollution, and direct hunting also pose serious threats.
Cape buffalo seek out forests and valley bottoms where possible but can stay in the open and resist overheating and desiccation by becoming immobile or by lying in wallows. Their need for water and dense cover, as well as grass for food, makes them favor savannas with patches of thicket, reeds or forest. Cape buffalo are primarily grazers. The breaking and trampling of grass promotes rapid grass regrowth, which encourages intense and repeated foraging. Preferred grasses are Cynodon, Sporobolus, Digitaria, Panicum, Heteropogon and Cenchrus species, but a wide choice of swamp vegetation is eaten.
From: Jonathan Kingdon: Guide to African mammals.
Bonamanzi
Bonamanzi is a 10,000 acre privately-owned game reserve with sand forest, savanna and wetland areas, and borders on the Hluhluwe River. We spent a few days there with Trevlyn’s family, lodging in rustic “tree houses”. Antelope would quietly wander by, nibbling selectively on the fresh vegetation.
Nyala (Tragelaphus angasi)
Nyala are almost entirely confined to Africa’s lowveld of the southern savanna. They are found in low-lying densely wooded habitat near water and are often seen in the Hluhluwe area. Their habitat preferences overlap with those of the greater kudu, common and red duiker, bushbuck and bush pig.
Nyala mainly browse the leaves, fruits and pods of trees in the dry season, but will expand their diet to include grass and herbs during the rains.
Nyala male in morning light.
Males only compete when an estrous female is present. They very seldom fight, dominance is decided by a lateral presentation display. This involved raising the hair fringe to increase the animal’s apparent size by as much as 40%. The tail is fluffed and draped over the rump and the bull presents himself broadside to his opponent. The biggest male wins; the loser lowers his crest, turns his head away and retreats.
From: Richard Estes: Behavior guide to African mammals.
Nyala show considerable sexual dimorphism - female (left) and male (right).
Game viewing
Some of Bonamanzi’s dirt roads are best tackled in a 4x4 high-clearance vehicle. H. enjoyed putting his Discovery Landrover through its paces.
The bird-watching is excellent and the reserve has four of the “Big 5” - elephant, leopard, rhino and cape buffalo. Unguided walking is permitted in certain areas.
Row #1: Left - Black-bellied Starling; Right - Blue-cheeked Bee-eater.
Row #2: Left - Impala; Right - Common warthog. The “warts” are thickened skin and connective tissue protecting the jaws, eyes and muzzle.
Row #3: Left - Unknown species of butterfly. There were lots of them; Right - Nest of a Thick-billed Weaver / Grosbeak Weaver.
Ticks
Many private game reserves were originally farms carrying domestic livestock. It appeared to us that the tick load carried by antelope was noticeably higher than expected. Perhaps the previous presence of numerous cattle raises the parasite population. Additionally, some game farms do not have any oxpeckers. Maybe that is a factor.
At Bonamanzi, we observed impala nibbling each others ears. The picture shows a youngster attending to an adult female’s ears. Is this behavior perhaps to eliminate ticks? I searched for information and found this paper: B. Hart, L. Hart: Reciprocal allogrooming in impala, Aepyceros melampus. Animal Behaviour 44 (6); 1992 pp1073-1083
Abstract: Adult female and male impala engage in a type of allogrooming in which partners alternately deliver bouts of oral grooming to the head and neck. These grooming encounters comprise typically 6 to 12 tit-for-tat-like exchanges of bouts and are highly reciprocal among adult females, adult bachelor males and subadult males. Although allogrooming among females could be between related individuals, that occurring among adult males would appear to be between unrelated individuals. Unlike allogrooming reported for some primate species and other ungulates, the dominant impala received no more grooming than the subordinate. It is proposed that one function of impala allogrooming is to reduce the ectoparasite load on body areas an animal cannot reach with its own mouth. The impala reciprocal allogrooming system is unique among free-ranging antelope and other ungulates and may be a candidate for the tit-for-tat strategy of evolved cooperation.
Ain’t she beautiful!
Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea is an aquatic plant of freshwater lakes, pools and rivers, naturally found throughout most of the eastern half of Africa. It is associated with a snail species that is one of the main hosts of the pathogen causing human schistosomiasis (bilharzia).
Born to run.
Nymphaea lotus, the white Egyptian lotus with damselfly on petal.
Sundowner
Bird count
By the end of our KwaZulu-Natal visit, the total number of bird species that we had identified increased to 180 - an addition of 50 species since the Cape.