This is a working relationship with the City of Cape Town and the Zandvlei Trust.
Back at the the same site on a clear, sunny, windless day. The snow is evident on the Helderberg and other ranges left by the cold front on Wednesday. Another good turnout today 16 of us were busy in Management block 21.
Lesley brought 3 boys Phusi, Julian and Brian from the S.A. Childrens Home, Gardens, Cape Town. Her daughter Michelle and Tanyas daughter Lara are doing a school project on the Childrens Home and found that they need to get out, so asked if they could come along as part of a civil society volunteering service / duty.
Thomas Attwood, a scout from Muizenberg came along today to volunteer his service. Lyn Gilbert, a ZVT member came today as well. Hein and Frieda were back again today, and they went to doctor some small Brazilian Peppers they know about before joining us. Barry went off early to find his way into a new area. Thank you to everyone.
Susan demonstrated the identification, cutting and application of the herbicide on a Brazilian Pepper shrub for all the new comers and the group, so they understood how we do the operation and why we do it.
We cut down mainly Brazilian Pepper, Rooikrans, Port Jackson and a first Poplar tree near the railway line. There is still plenty more to do in this area.
There are 2 areas with plenty of junk left by the “bergies”. Junk left in a “bergie nest”, this will probably fill about 50 black bags.
The girls saw a Cape Dwarf Chameleon. We all saw a mud crab along a pathway. There were spoor of Grysbok, Cape Clawless Otter middens, Grey Mongoose foot prints. The ground orchard specie Satyrium careum are soon to flower. Robin supplied the photograph.
The Heuningbos are flowering and giving off the familiar strong honey smell and buzzing with bees, even a Drone Fly with orange pollen on its legs, like the bees was “in on the scene” probably from aloes which have this orange coloured pollen.
They need nectar to do all the work they do in a day. Also this time of the year there is a great shortage of pollen and nectar producing plants available to keep them and the hives alive during the winter months.
Incentive is to please plant these types of plants in your garden, on pavements and any open spaces. The Bitou shrubs are also flowering. The Skilpad Bessie shrubs are in full bloom too.
Few water birds were present all afternoon. A quiet afternoon for birds. Cape Bulbul, Karoo Prinia, Le Vaillants Cisticola, Cape White eye, Egyptian Goose, Hadeda Ibis, Coot, Great crested Grebe. No Whitebacked Ducks present in the bay. No Gulls or Terns present either. A single Grey Heron flew overhead. Cape Weaver males were nest building. No ducks were present all afternoon.
