The Cape Bird Club
Atlasing and flower inspecting in the Pearly Beach area.
The Committee decided to combine the October 2011 monthly meeting at Dave and Sue's house. The plot was to do some Atlasing for the SABAP2 project, as a number of pentads in the area are underdone. Felicity swung us all into action and sent us off on Saturday morning in different directions with maps and co ordinates. On Sunday morning a repeat, but in more pentads to cover. We ended the weekend doing 11 pentads between us. Felicity will be completing her 339 pentad on submitting her counts this week.Then we also fitted in some botany and scouting for reptiles on the property.
A Levaillants Cisticola.
A Cape Grassbird.
These lachenalias were flowering next to a road verge.
This Cape Sugarbird was sunning itself and singing away to all present.
Denhams Bustard......
........was not taking any chances with us nearby and kept moving away up the slope.
This curious Ostrich male was the opposite, he came to the fence to see who we were, and he was wearing interesting coloured socks, in his breeding state.
This Grey Rhebok female was in a grass field which we past.
Then on Sunday after we were back from birding,
Sue decided we should go and have a look at the flowers. With the help of
the experts in the group, we went looking for some orchids and other species. The fynbos is
spectacular after a fire, some rain and cooler conditions.
The following is an idea
of what we saw, there was plenty more.
There were masses of these Pseudoselago spuria.
A closeup.
There were plrnty of ground orchids Disa hallackii. Clifford getting close with the macro lens.
Felicity, Dave, Gill, Sue, Suretha and Clifford inspecting ground orchids.
A ground cover leucadendron Leucospermum pedunculatum.
Another special Euphorbia sp.
A flightless female Rain Locust.
Protea Mimetes cucullatus.
Toothbrush fern Schizaea pectinata.
....more ground orchids Disa hallackii in amoungst the toothbrushes.
Lachnaea densiflora. Silverspotted Bladder Grasshopper.
A Pine Emperor caterpillar.
There were a number of these lady birds feasting
on aphids on a particular shrub with Cocktail Ants.
Another orchid Corycium sp. Hawk moth caterpillar.
Painted Lady Gladiolis debilis.
What are Clifford, Gill, Shawn, Isabella, Dave, Sue, Suretha and Felicity inspecting?
An Erica capitata.
More logging for the database and GPSing locations.
Look at this........ beauty Disa Purpurascens.
A Moraea fugax.
See the green locust instar in the centre of the Berzelia abrotanoides.
Cone flower shrub Berzelia abrotanoides with Monkey Beetles helping to pollinate the flowers.
Lobelia chamaepitys cf.
CMR Beetle devouring the flower of Aristea bakeri.
Wow !!! ....Disa cornuta.
Klein Perle.
