The Cape Bird Club

Outing to Cloeteskraal and Berg River Mudflats by  Frank Hallet 

The day dawned a beautiful Spring morning 20 September after threatening to rain the previous few days and 15 of us met at 10.00 am outside the gate to Cloeteskraal farm near Veldrift on the West Coast.
Heather Howell had previously met the farmer Quartus Laubscher when she had taken her group of Juniors there, having heard about the interesting farmer who uses biological control instead of pesticides and insecticides on his farm.

After being introduced to Quartus he took us into a barn where he showed us the construction of an owl box which he had made to put on a pole in his wheat fields. He told us that Barn Owls are used in many countries to control rodents and he had adapted the design of an owl box used in England. He said the box had to be the right size for it not to get too hot inside and had to have a small opening for the owl to get in.

We then set off to the wheat fields, most us having managed to get onto the back of Quartus’s Toyota Land Cruiser. Driving along a fence, in the distance we could see our first owl box on the top of a pole. As we approached, the adult bird flew out of the box and went and sat on a fencepost in the distance, keeping a watchful eye on proceedings.

photo by Frank and Janet Hallet

As we approached, the adult bird flew out of the box and went and sat on a fencepost in the distance, keeping a watchful eye on proceedings.

photo by Frank and Janet Hallet                                                  photo by Frank and Janet Hallet

Quartus parked the Land Cruiser next to the pole so that we could have a look inside.

photo by Frank and Janet Hallet                                              photo by Frank and Janet Hallet

What did we see?

photo by Frank and Janet Hallet                                         photo by Frank and Janet Hallet

Quartus explained that the main pest in the wheat fields is the Gerbil (Tatera afra), a nocturnal rodent which lives in burrows during the day and only comes out at night to do its damage, but the owls also being nocturnal are able to catch and feed on the rodents.

He now has over 20 owl boxes on his farm, all occupied by Barn Owls. This form of biological control has obviated the use of pesticides such as strychnine, which is used by many other farmers.

photo by Frank and Janet Hallet

What the farmer didn’t tell us was that there was another pest in the fields,
in the form of biting flies by the hundreds, which left us itching for days.

On return to the farm buildings Quartus told us that it costs R900 to make an owl box and he has started producing them for sale to encourage other farmers in the area to also start using this form of biological control of rodents.

photo by Frank and Janet Hallet

Rows of owl boxes.

He then explained that he uses bats to control Codling Moth which is a pest in the Olive groves. There are two species of insectivorous bats on the farm, one of which is the Egyptian free-tailed bat, which roost in specially constructed boxes on the side of the farm buildings.

photo by Frank and Janet Hallet

Bat boxes mounted on the barn wall.

Other farmers in the vicinity spray their olive groves to get rid of Codling Moths, but with the help of bats he doesn’t have this pest problem.

photo by Frank and Janet Hallet

Quartus Laubscher explaining the methods of biological control on his farm.

Quartus’s son and daughter-in-law then treated us to a very lavish tea, and we all thanked them for being such generous hosts and treating us to a most educational and entertaining morning on their farm.

We then left to go to the Berg River Mudflats where the biting flies and wind took their toll and we all agreed that lunch was a far better option. We sat and had lunch on the veranda of a cottage and counted up that we had just on 60 species for the day.

A most sincere thanks to Heather Howell for organising the trip which was most appreciated by all.