2 July – 23 August

Uroplectes chubbi

The near two-month period at Medike in the Sand River Gorge was a long and productive stretch for the SCBC. There were some interesting developments and a good number of new species for the SCBC lists: three new mammals, a new scorpion (a first for the Soutpansberg) a new reptile and two new bird species.

Amblyodipsas microphthalma nigra, Soutpansberg Purple-Glossed Snake

Winter in the Soutpansberg is characterised by warm days and cold nights. It is an extremely dry time of year – and the dryness was exacerbated by the past El Nino event. Deep in the winter months, most animals and plants exhibit some or other form of dormancy, waiting for the warmth and the rains to return. Mammal sightings increase – at night it is very easy to see bush babies and rodents moving about.

Stripe-bellied Sandsnake,  Psammophis subtaeniatus, arguably the most common snake in Limpopo.

Paradoxically winter can be a good time of year to find reptiles – especially fossorial species as they tend to bask under sun-warmed rocks. An afternoon of looking under suitable rocks can often reveal more reptiles than one would commonly encounter on a typical summers day. The reptilian highlights for me this winter were seeing how common Sunduvall’s Writhing Skinks (Mochlus sundevallii sundevallii) and Soutpansberg Worm Lizards (Chirindia langi occidentalis) are on the property. Finally managing to see and photograph the Soutpansberg Purple-Glossed Snake (Amblyodipsas microphthalma nigra) and a very relaxed encounter with an African Rock Python (Python natalensis) made the winter successful for our reptile work.

Southern African Python, Python natalensis

Lifting rocks during this period also provided another surprise – two Uroplectes chubby found in the Sand River. According to scorpion fundi, Ian Engelbrecht, these are good records for the area – the closest records before these are from Northern Kruger National Park to the east and to the west on the Mogolakwena River system.

Since scorpions in Southern Africa are so under samples we have begun to include these fascinating invertebrates in our search for biodiversity. Already we have ten species on the Medike property. This list is bound to grow as we extend our search to surrounding areas.

Dark Opistophthalmus glabrifrons.

In terms of birding the winter was a good and produced two new species for the SCBC lists. A young female Saddle-billed Stork was seen in the Sand River and a Cape Bunting was spotted one afternoon along the railway track.

Our conservational activities during the winter saw a continued opposition to the illegal sand mining that has been going on in the river to the South of Medike. Two representatives from the Department of Minerals and Energy visited the site and we are hoping that with this new development we see a stop to this on-going and intrusive environmental degradation in the area.

Sunduvall's Writhing Skink (Mochlus sundevallii sundevallii,)

Bird List

Freckled Nightjar

Natal Spurfowl; Crested Francolin; Crested Guineafowl; Eqyptian Goose; Lesser Honeyguide; Golden-tailed Woodpecker; Cardinal Woodpecker; Bearded Woodpecker; Black-collared Barbet; Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird; Acacia Pied Barbet; Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill; African Grey Hornbill; African Hoopoe; Malachite Kingfisher; Brown-hooded Kingfisher; Giant Kingfisher; Pied Kingfisher; Little Bee-eater; Red-faced Mousebird; Speckled Mousebird; Burchell's Coucal; Alpine Swift; Little Swift; Purple-crested Turaco; Barn Owl; African Wood Owl; Fiery-necked Nightjar; Freckled Nightjar; Speckled Pigeon; Laughing Dove; Red-eyed Dove; Emerald-spotted Wood-dove; Tambourine Dove; Black Crake; Three-banded Plover; African Fish Eagle; Cape Vulture; Brown Snake Eagle; Little Sparrowhawk; African Goshawk; African Harrier-Hawk; Verreaux's Eagle; African Hawk Eagle; Rock Kestrel; Grey Heron; Green-backed Heron; Hammerkop; Hadeda Ibis; Black Stork; Saddle-billed Stork; Black-headed Oriole; Fork-tailed Drongo; Brown-crowned Tchagra; Black-back Puffback; Southern Boubou; Tropical Boubou; Orange-breasted Bushshrike; Gorgeous Bushshrike; Grey-headed Bushshrike; Retz's Helmet-shrike; Cape Batis; Chinspot Batis; Pied Crow; White-breasted Cuckooshrike; Black Cuckooshrike; Southern Black Tit; Lesser-striped Swallow; Wire-tailed Swallow; Rock Martin; Dark-capped Bulbul; Eastern Nicator; Terrestrial Brownbul; Sombre Greenbul; Yellow-bellied Greenbul; Long-billed Crombec; Cape White-eye; Rattling Cisticola; Tawny-flanked Prinia; Bar-throated Apalis; Yellow-throated Apalis; Grey-backed Cameroptera; Kurrichane Thrush; Ashy Flycatcher; Grey Tit-Flycatcher; White-throated Robin-chat; White-browed Robin-chat; Bearded Scrub-robin; White-browed Scrub-robin;

Familiar Chat; Mocking Cliff-chat; Red-winged Starling; Collared Sunbird; Greater Double-collared Sunbird; White-bellied Sunbird; Spectacled Weaver; Red-billed Quelea; Swee Waxbill; Common Waxbill; Blue Waxbill; Jameson's Firefinch; African Pied Wagtail; Cape Wagtail; Striped Pipit; Yellow-fronted Canary; Cinnamon-breasted Bunting; Golden-breasted Bunting; Cape Bunting

Crested Guineafowl

Mammals

Eastern Rock Sengi

Thick-tailed Bushbaby

Lesser Bushbaby

Chacma Baboon

Vervet Monkey

Jameson's Red Rock Rabbit

Cape Porcupine

Tree Squirrel

Tree Mouse

Namaqua Rock Mouse

Bushveld Gerbil

Serval

Caracal

Leopard

Brown Hyeana

Cape Clawless Otter

Slender Mongoose

Dwarf Mongoose

Water Mongoose

Large-spotted Genet

African Civet

Yellow-spotted Hyrax

Rock Hyrax

Bush Pig

Sharpe's Grysbok

Red Duiker

Klipspringer

Bush Buck

Reptiles

Pelusios sinuatus, Serrated Hinged Terrapin

Afroedura pienaari, Pienaar’s Flat Gecko

Chondrodactylus turneri, Turner’s Gecko

Hemidactylus mabouia, Common Tropical House Gecko

Homopholis wahlbergii, Wahlberg’s Velvet Gecko

Lygodactylus capensis capensis, Common Dwarf Gecko

Pachydactylus vansoni,  Van Son’s Gecko

Chirindia langi occidentalis, Soutpansberg Worm Lizard

Vhembelacerta rupicola, Soutpansberg Rock Lizard

Smaug warreni depressus, Flat Dragon Lizard

Platysaurus relictus, Soutpansberg Flat Lizard

Afroablepharus maculicollis, Spotted-Necked Snake-Eyed Skink

Mochlus sundevallii sundevallii, Sundevall’s Writhing Skink

Scelotes limpopoensis limpopoensis, Limpopo Dwarf Burrowing Skink

Trachylepis margaritifer, Rainbow Skink

Trachylepis varia, Variable Skink

Varanus albigularis albigularis, Southern Rock Monitor

Varanus niloticus, Nile Monitor

Agama armata, Northern Ground Agama

Python natalensis , Southern African Python

Aparallactus capensis, Black-headed Centipede-Eater

Amblyodipsas microphthalma nigra, Soutpansberg Purple-Glossed Snake

Psammophis subtaeniatus, Stripe-bellied Sand Snake

Dendroaspis polylepis, Black Mamba

Afrotyphlops bibronii, Bibron’s Blind Snake

Myriopholis longicauda, Long-tailed Thread Snake

Leptotyphlops scutifrons scutifrons,  Peter's Thread Snake

Camera Trap Highlights: New Mammals for SCBC Lists

During the month of June two cameras (one SCBC camera and the other belong to a Medike resident) were left on a tree next to a remote mountain road one camera was low down facing north and the other was higher up facing south. The site was chosen due to the amount of animal spoor on track and we were targeting Brown Hyaena. We have seen the tracks, but never managed to get a shot of the animal. The location paid off. The cameras were left for nearly a month and we were surprised to discover just how busy that road was.

The footage we got included two new cats, Caracal and Serval. Some bad footage of another new mammal, the Red Duiker (not included in this post). Two leopards, a big tom and a smaller leopard (possibly a female) and some nice footage of a Jameson’s Red Rock Rabbit (not a new mammal species, but the first time we have managed to get an image).

Brown Hyaena, Hyaena brunnea

The Caracal or Rooi Kat (Caracal caracal)

A large male Leopard (Panthera pardus)

A smaller Leopard, possible female.

 
Unfortunately on of the cameras was removed by hunters. They obviously though the camera was a security device and removed it to eliminate evidence. This is quite a big blow as we only had the one camera. But luckily we have the footage of the new mammals.

Serval (Leptailurus serval subsp. serval)

Another highlight included in this post was captured by Alan Carr in April. The footage clearly shows an African Wild Cat, Felis lybica, this is the ancestor of the domestic cat. This animal is threatened because it freely hybridizes with the house cat, polluting the gene pool.

African Wild Cat, Felis silvestris subsp. cafra

Finally a rather special species for our list was captured one night in May. The camera was set close to a pool of water in the hope of capturing a Water Mongoose. Instead we captured a brief video of the rarely seen Selous’s Mongoose.

Selous's Mongoose, Paracynictis selousi subsp. selousi

11 May – 6 June

A Fish Eagle surveying the gorge.

Moonrise and scorpio - a night scene.

Reticulated Centipede-eater, Aparallactus lunulatus lunulatus, a snake that is not often seen.

This was an interesting period. The weather began to cool drastically and the light in the day is noticeably dimmer than when the sun is closer. Still not bad weather for what is considered winter in South Africa. The drought of the past year has really had a knock-on effect and the veld is taking strain. The fruit trees never fruited properly (this is especially noticeable with the lack of dry Grewia fruits on the trees). Let's see what the next rainy season brings. 

The endemic Soutpansberg Dwarf Gecko, Lygodactylus soutpansbergensis.

Van Son’s Gecko, Pachydactylus vansoni

In terms of sightings this was an interesting period. For me the highlight was seeing two gecko species that have not been seen since March last year (Van Son’s Gecko and Soutpansberg Dwarf Gecko). The dry environment also led to a spike in mammal sightings, because there is less vegetative cover it is easier to see certain species. Lesser Bush Babies, Large-spotted Genets and Porcupines were seen often on night walks and around the accommodation. The dry season also leads to a change in certain animal’s behavior, an example of this is the tendency of the Crested Guinea Fowl to hang around the accommodation. Usually they are very nervous of people, but they become semi-tame this time of year.

A very boldly marked Variable Skink, Trachylepis varia.

The Common Dwarf Gecko, Lygodactylus capensis capensis.

Boophone disticha. These strange plants are common in the dry hot areas of the property.

Large Hadogenes soutpansbergensis. Another species endemic to the Soutpansberg.

Baobab (Adansonia digitata) under cultivation.

With the cool weather reptile and invertebrate work slows down considerably, however there has been some recent success with burrowing reptiles. A new snake was added to the list (Soutpansberg Purple-Glossed Snake) and also another sighting of the Reticulated Centipede-Eater. The snakes warm themselves under sunbaked rocks, over the next few months we will continue with looking for these subterranean species.

A new mammal was added to our list during this period, the Mountain Reedbuck. We have been trying to capture hyaena on a trap camera and I was pleased to see a small herd of these nice looking antelope.

The last few weeks have seen some further developments in the Soutpansberg Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation’s programme. We are continuing our fight against the illegal sand-mining which is destroying a wetland south of the property. Our neighbour is selling rights to outsiders to remove sand by the truck load. You can see from the images the destruction this is causing.

This road was actually a river once before sand mining in the area became so big.

The knock-on effects of this activity are wide reaching and will certainly affect the area for years to come. The immediate problems this is causing is increased pressure on our part of the river from fishermen, they are no longer able to use the area upstream because of the environmental degradation. With all the activity it is much easier for poachers to get into the area, both small scale poachers hunting bush meat and also rhinocerous poachers using the free for all to access our neighbours at Leshiba. As for the future we can only speculate, but I am sure there will be increased problems with Alien Invasive plants and property destruction when the floods come. Watch this space for developments.

Crested Guinea Fowl, a strange looking bird from any angle.

Bird List

Natal Spurfowl; Crested Francolin; Crested Guineafowl; Eqyptian Goose; Greater Honeyguide; Golden-tailed Woodpecker; Cardinal Woodpecker; Bearded Woodpecker; Black-collared Barbet; Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird; Acacia Pied Barbet; Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill; Red-billed Hornbill; African Grey Hornbill; African Hoopoe; Green Wood-hoopoe; Common Scimitarbill; Malachite Kingfisher; Brown-hooded Kingfisher; Giant Kingfisher; Pied Kingfisher; White-fronted Bee-eater; Red-faced Mousebird; Speckled Mousebird; Burchell's Coucal; Alpine Swift; Little Swift; Purple-crested Turaco; Barn Owl; Pearl-spotted Owlett; Cape Eagle Owl; Fiery-necked Nightjar; Freckled Nightjar; Speckled Pigeon; Laughing Dove; Red-eyed Dove; Emerald-spotted Wood-dove; Tambourine Dove; Three-banded Plover; African Fish Eagle; Cape Vulture; Little Sparrow hawk; Black Sparrow hawk; African Goshawk; African Harrier-Hawk; Verreaux's Eagle; Rock Kestrel; Little Grebe; Grey Heron; Green-backed Heron; Hammerkop; Hadeda Ibis; Black Stork; Black-headed Oriole; Fork-tailed Drongo; Brown-crowned Tchagra; Black-back Puffback; Southern Boubou; Tropical Boubou; Orange-breasted Bush shrike; Gorgeous Bush shrike; Grey-headed Bush shrike; Retz's Helmet-shrike; White-crowned Helmet-shrike; Cape Batis; Chinspot Batis; Pied Crow; Southern Black Tit; Wire-tailed Swallow; Rock Martin; Dark-capped Bulbul; Eastern Nicator; Terrestrial Brownbul; Sombre Greenbul; Yellow-bellied Greenbul; Long-billed Crombec; Cape White-eye; Rattling Cisticola; Tawny-flanked Prinia; Bar-throated Apalis; Yellow-throated Apalis; Grey-backed Cameroptera; Rufous-Naped Lark; Kurrichane Thrush; Ashy Flycatcher; Grey Tit-Flycatcher; White-throated Robin-chat; Red-capped Robin-chat; White-browed Robin-chat; Bearded Scrub-robin; White-browed Scrub-robin; Familiar Chat; Mocking Cliff-chat; Red-winged Starling; Amethyst Sunbird; Collared Sunbird; White-bellied Sunbird; Spectacled Weaver; Red-billed Quelea; Blue Waxbill; Red-billed Firefinch; Southern Grey-headed Sparrow; African Pied Wagtail; Cape Wagtail; Striped Pipit; Yellow-fronted Canary; Cinnamon-breasted Bunting

The White-browed Scrub Robin, an extremely accomplished mimic.

Bibron’s Stilleto Snake, Atractaspis bibronii.

Reptiles

Pelusios sinuatus                                                   Serrated Hinged Terrapin

Kinixys spekii                                                         Speke’s Hinged-back Tortoise

Crocodylus niloticus                                              Nile Crocodile

Afroedura pienaari                                                Pienaar’s Flat Gecko

Chondrodactylus turneri                                       Turner’s Gecko

Hemidactylus mabouia                                          Common Tropical House Gecko

Homopholis wahlbergii                                         Wahlberg’s Velvet Gecko

Lygodactylus capensis capensis                            Common Dwarf Gecko

Lygodactylus ocellatus soutpansbergensis           Soutpansberg Dwarf Gecko

Pachydactylus vansoni                                          Van Son’s Gecko

Smaug warreni depressus                                      Flat Dragon Lizard

Platysaurus relictus                                               Soutpansberg Flat Lizard

Scelotes limpopoensis limpopoensis                      Limpopo Dwarf Burrowing Skink

Afroablepharus maculicollis                                  Spotted-Necked Snake-Eyed Skink

Mochlus sundevallii sundevallii                             Sundevall’s Writhing Skink

Trachylepis margaritifer                                        Rainbow Skink

Trachylepis striata                                                 Striped Skink

Trachylepis varia                                                   Variable Skink

Varanus niloticus                                                   Nile Monitor

Agama armata                                                       Northern Ground Agama

Afrotyphlops bibronii                                             Bibron’s Blind Snake

Python natalensis                                                   Southern African Python

Bitis arietans arietans                                            Puff Adder

Aparallactus lunulatus lunulatus                           Reticulated Centipede-Eater

Atractaspis bibronii                                               Bibron’s Stiletto Snake

Hemirhagerrhis nototaenia                                   Eastern Bark Snake

Psammophis subtaeniatus                                     Stripe-bellied Sand Snake

The Eastern Bark Snake, Hemirhagerrhis nototaenia.

A large Leopard captured on camera trap up on an old mountain road.

Rock Hyrax, one of the most abundant mammals on the property.

It is always nice to see Bush Buck in the day.

Mammal List

Bushveld Elephant Shrew; Chacma Baboon; Vervet Monkey; Thick-tailed Bush baby; Lesser Bush baby; Jameson’s Red Rock Rabbit; Tree Squirrel; Porcupine; Bushveld Gerbil; Namaqua Rock Mouse; Multimammate Mouse; House Rat; Cape Clawless Otter; Selous’s Mongoose; Water Mongoose; Dwarf Mongoose; Large Spotted Genet; African Civet; Brown Hyaena; Leopard; Rock Dassie; Yellow-spotted Dassie; Bush Pig; Bush Buck; Mountain Reedbuck; Klipspringer; Sharpe’s Grysbok

The dry season has really led to a spike in sightings of the Lesser Bushbaby, our smallest primate.

Mountain Reedbuck, a new mammal record for SCBC.

Nile Crocodile

About a month ago I was walking along the river and something in the water caught my eye. I raised my binoculars and I saw a crocodile. The animal immediately disappeared. I was 100% sure of what I had seen and I had a fellow eye-witness.

I spent a lot of time trying to relocate the animal and even began to doubt what I had seen. Last week my crocodile duty paid off and I saw the animal and managed to get some photographs.

This is a good record for the Soutpansberg Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation and also for Limpopo in general. The Nile Crocodile is under immense human pressure and is considered vulnerable. The threats to the species are summerised in the latest red list of South African Reptiles as follows:

The main threat is degradation of aquatic habitat. This includes degradation of lakes, wetlands, dams, rivers, and estuaries, construction of dams in rivers, water contamination, and removal of water for agricultural and industrial uses. Illegal sand mining and urbanisation also result in habitat destruction. Other threats include persecution by humans (killing of adult crocodiles and destruction of nests), negative effects of invasive vegetation, fire, over-fishing with gill nets, crop encroachment, harvesting for the medicine market, and accidental poisoning that may be associated with leaching of fertilisers into water sources. 

(Marais, J. 2014. Crocodylus niloticus (Laurenti, 1768). In M.F. Bates, W.R. Branch, A.M. Bauer, M. Burger, J. Marais, G.J. Alexander & M.S. de Villiers (eds), Atlas and Red List of the Reptiles of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. Suricata 1. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.)

To have a free roaming animal like this in the area is really a privilege and is a good motivation to push for the conservation of the specific area and western Soutpansberg region. With proper protection of the area I am sure in the future a breeding population can be established.

26 May-26 April

As the dry season sets in the 'autumn' colours begin.

 

A busy month at the Soutpansberg Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation. There were some significant sightings and developments for the project.

The period saw the last days of summer and the beginning of the cold nights of winter. This a beautiful time of year, the trees begin to loose their leaves and before they drop them the leaves begin to change colour and the result is a landscape washed in warm autumn colours.

European Bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) preparing to depart.

This time year sees a spike in reptile observatons. As the weather begins to cool, many reptiles are out basking. This month we saw a lot of Mozambique Spitting Cobras.

Mozambique Spitting Cobra (Naja mossambica). One of the most commonly seen snakes in the area.

Spotted Bush Snake (Philothamnus semivariegatus). Beautiful arboreal snakes.

The Stripe-bellied Sand Snake, Psammophis subtaeniatus, this is the snake which is most often seen.

Crested Guineafowls grow rather tame in the dry season.

It is always exiting to add a new species to one of our growing lists and this month saw two new mammals, a new bird and a new reptile. For me the highlight of the month was seeing a Nile Crocodile, Crocodylus nilotica, for the first time in the area. The animal was spotted in a large pool to the North of the property. Unfortuanately I was not fast enough to get a picture. As soon as I manage to photograph the animal it will be a good record for the Soutpansberg and Greater Vhembe Biosphere Reserve. Another new species was the White-breasted Cuckoo-Shrike, a good record for our bird list. In terms of mammals we were lucky enough to get two new records this month. The first was an African Wild Cat caught on Alan Carr’s camera trap. The second new mammal, something that has been under our noses this whole time, was a Yellow-spotted Hyrax. Every time I had seen this species in the past, and they are common, I assumed that they were Rock Hyrax. That was foolish as they are quite different looking.

South African Rock Python (Python natalensis).

There were also some amazing sightings/encounters with animals. Namely a porcupine sighting that was very unusual. These animals usually leave the area at the slightest disturbance, but we had one that allowed close approach before slowly moving off.

Damon variegatus, these arachnids are perfectly harmless and common in the area.

As far as infrastructure at the Soutpansberg Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation is concerned, we finally managed to get our solar power system up and running. At the moment we are able to charge a computer for data entry and also batteries. The system is modular, so as our needs grow, we can grow the system to accommodate the needs.

As for conservation activities, there were some developments in our nursery – finally I have managed to germinate Baobab seeds. All horticultural activities are for conservation, be it selling trees for fund-raising or planting trees out into the veld. The next month will see path clearing for ecotourism taking place and also alien invasive clearing. The illegal sand mining operation has begun its activities again and the fight to stop them will have to continue, hopefully there will be some developments soon.

Boaedon capensis, known as the Brown House Snake. This juvenile was consuming a gecko.

Participant Report

Recent participant Melissa Petford from London recently visited the SCBC. The following is an account of her impressions of the programme. 

"I was at the SCBC for three amazing weeks over March and April 2015. The SCBC is located in a stunning area of the Soutpansberg next to the sand river. The scenery is breathtakingly beautiful and never ceases to amaze; whether it be the picturesque mountains reflecting in the river with the everlasting sunlight, or the Milky Way stretching between the mountain ranges in the night-time sky.

The fauna and flora in the area are extremely diverse. You are guaranteed every day to see amazing things from the typical vibrant flat lizards basking in the sun, to the shiny dung beetles battling over the latest excrement. One of the most notable sightings of the three weeks was an amazing porcupine sighting at night; we were able to get to within 5m of the animal without disturbing it and it was a very rare and exciting view.
  

The day-to-day activities included biodiversity hikes and setting up camera traps. Often we went on croc duty; one day we saw a crocodile in the sand river but were unable to capture a photograph, therefore we frequently went back to look for it. Croc duty involves walking along the train track adjacent to the river, which often feels like a scene out of “The Railway Children”, and hope that you catch a glimpse of a dark shadow under the water.

To sum up the SCBC offers a great opportunity to actively learn about South African wildlife in a remote and picturesque area whilst also allowing you to take part in the conservation efforts in the area which are extremely important in the Soutpansberg region.

The trip has definitely been an amazing experience and I hope to return soon.  "

Namaqua Doves (Oena capensis) can occasionally be spotted in the dry area south of Medike.

The familiar chat, Cercomela familiaris. Delightful little birds.

Bird List

Natal Spurfowl; Crested Francolin; Crested Guineafowl; Eqyptian Goose; African Black Duck; Golden-tailed Woodpecker; Bearded Woodpecker; Black-collared Barbet; Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird; African Grey Hornbill; African Hoopoe; Green Wood-hoopoe; Common Scimitarbill; Malachite Kingfisher; Brown-hooded Kingfisher; Giant Kingfisher; Pied Kingfisher; White-fronted Bee-eater; European Bee-eater; Red-faced Mousebird; Speckled Mousebird; Red-chested Cuckoo; Burchell's Coucal; Alpine Swift; African Black Swift; Little Swift; Purple-crested Turaco; Barn Owl; Cape Eagle Owl; African Wood Owl; Fiery-necked Nightjar; Freckled Nightjar; Speckled Pigeon; Laughing Dove; Red-eyed Dove; Emerald-spotted Wood-dove; Tambourine Dove; African Fish Eagle; Cape Vulture; Brown Snake Eagle; Little Sparrowhawk; Black Sparrowhawk; African Goshawk; African Harrier-Hawk; Verreaux's Eagle; African Hawk Eagle; Rock Kestrel; Lanner Falcon; Goliath Heron; Grey Heron; Green-backed Heron; Hammerkop; Hadeda Ibis; Black-headed Oriole; African Paradise Flycatcher; Fork-tailed Drongo; Black-back Puffback; Southern Boubou; Tropical Boubou; Orange-breasted Bushshrike; Gorgeous Bushshrike; Grey-headed Bushshrike; Retz's Helmet-shrike; White-crowned Helmet-shrike; Cape Batis; Chinspot Batis; Pied Crow; White-breasted Cuckooshrike; Southern Black Tit; Wire-tailed Swallow; Barn Swallow; Rock Martin; Dark-capped Bulbul; Sombre Greenbul; Yellow-bellied Greenbul; Long-billed Crombec; Cape White-eye; Rattling Cisticola; Tawny-flanked Prinia; Bar-throated Apalis; Yellow-throated Apalis; Grey-backed Cameroptera; Kurrichane Thrush; Ashy Flycatcher; Grey Tit-Flycatcher; White-throated Robin-chat; Red-capped Robin-chat; White-browed Robin-chat; White-browed Scrub-robin; Familiar Chat; Mocking Cliff-chat; Red-winged Starling; Collared Sunbird; White-bellied Sunbird; Spectacled Weaver; Red-billed Quelea; Swee Waxbill; Blue Waxbill; Red-billed Firefinch; SouthernGrey-headed Sparrow; African Pied Wagtail; Yellow-fronted Canary; Cinnamon-breasted Bunting

African Pied Wagtail (Motacilla aguimp). Nice little birds.

The huge Goliath Heron, Ardea goliath.

Reptile List

Crocodylus niloticus                               Nile Crocodile

Afroedura broadleyi                              Flat Gecko

Chondrodactylus turneri                      Turner’s Gecko

Hemidactylus mabouia                         Common Tropical House Gecko

Homopholis wahlbergii                         Wahlberg’s Velvet Gecko

Lygodactylus capensis capensis          Common Dwarf Gecko

Smaug warreni depressus                    Flat Dragon Lizard

Platysaurus relictus                               Soutpansberg Flat Lizard

Gerrhosaurus flavigularis                    Yellow-throated Plated Lizard

Afroablepharus maculicollis                Spotted-Necked Snake-Eyed Skink

Mochlus sundevallii sundevallii          Sundevall’s Writhing Skink

Trachylepis margaritifer                      Rainbow Skink

Trachylepis striata                                 Striped Skink

Trachylepis varia                                   Variable Skink

Scelotes l. limpopoensis                        Limpopo Dwarf Burrowing-Skink

Varanus niloticus                                   Nile Monitor

Agama armata                                       Northern Ground Agama

Python natalensis                                  Southern African Python

Boaedon capensis                                  Common House Snake

Psammophis subtaeniatus                  Stripe-bellied Sand Snake

Naja mossambica                                  Mozambique Spitting Cobra

Philothamnus semivariegatus           Spotted Bush Snake

Leptotyphlops species                          Thread Snake

Myriopholis longicauda                       Long-tailed Thread Snake

The Cape Porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis). Massive rodents.

Mammal List

Bushveld Senghi

Lesser Bushbaby

Thick-tailed Bushbaby

Chacma Baboon

Vervet Monkey

Cape Porcupine

Tree Squirrel

Denderomus

Spiny mouse

African Wild Cat

Leopard

Cape Clawless Otter

Large Spotted Genet

African Civet

Banded Mongoose

Dwarf Mongoose

Water Mongoose

Yellow-spotted Hyrax

Rock Hyrax

Bushpig

Bush Buck

Kudu

Sharpe’s Grysbok

Camera Trap in remote Ochna woodland.