Hotazel, 16 Jun 2006
If you have read my ‘About me’ page you will know that one of my maxims is ‘make the most of being where you are as you may never be back’, so since I am now based in the Northern Cape for a while I have already started that ball rolling and spent a weekend in both the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and the Augrabies Falls National Park. I have been to Augrabies before, in 1983, 1996 and 2000, but that was in the days before digital cameras, so in the spirit of my other maxim ‘the best photo is the next one’ I just had to see what I could do with my now well-travelled Canon 20D.
The Augrabies Falls are largely confined to the main Orange River channel in low discharge winter conditions but in summer many of the side channels support impressive waterfalls of their own discharging into the gorge below the main falls. I was visiting in early winter as most of the side channels were drying up.
One of the most prominent ‘trees’ encountered at Augrabies is an ‘aloe tree’, a succulent plant rather than a true tree, the Quiver Tree (Aloidendron dichotomum), Kokerboom in Afrikaans, which is confined in South Africa largely to a broad area flanking the lower Orange River. I was seeing it with its yellow blossoms as it flowers in winter. It is a preferred ‘tree’ for the Sociable Weavers for construction of their massive communal nests.
Some of the birds seen here included Cape Spurfowl, Orange River White-eye, Dusky Sunbird, Karoo Long-billed Lark, Pale-winged Starling, White-backed Mousebird, Lark-like Bunting, Brown-throated Martin, Ashy Tit, Mountain Chat, Cape Robin-Chat, African Pied Wagtail and Malachite Kingfisher.
One mammal that you just can’t miss, as they are everywhere on the granite rocks, is Rock Hyrax. Unbelievable, but true, is that this species is the closest living relative of the elephant! Among others also seen was Common Eland.
On the return trip, still in the spirit of see as much as you can, I did not follow the same route from Kakamas to Olifantshoek but struck south in a wide arc, largely on gravel roads, taking in Kenhardt, Kleinbigin, Groblershoop and Witsand. Nothing too remarkable from a birding perspective, but many of the common species in this semi-desert Northern Cape environment were seen – Pygmy Falcon, Pale Chanting Goshawk, Northern Black Korhaan, Namaqua Sandgrouse, Scaly-feathered Weaver, Sociable Weaver, White-browed Sparrow-Weaver, Karoo Long-billed Lark, Sabota Lark, Familiar Chat, Southern Fiscal, Karoo Thrush, Chat Flycatcher, Ant-eating Chat and Yellow Canary.
