Frost in the mornings glistening in the sun
Aloe flowers like tongues of flame lighting up the bush
Sunbirds dashing from one flower to the next like iridescent jewels
Woodsmoke in the evenings from bonfires
And spectacular sunrises that slowly banish the mist from the water
What a fantastic time of year along the Garden Route
The benefits of our rehabilitation are really starting to become apparent and one of the things we have noticed is an increase in insect diversity. When we began this project we saw few insects. We would see the big bumbling Carpenter Bees as they moved around the Keurboom trees, we would see Mosquitoes and we would see the odd Rain Spider.
Each year there has been an increase in diversity that includes plants and insects and I was reminded of this while on a walk a few days ago when I encountered a Garden Orb spider. These beautifully marked spiders should be common but this is the first one we have seen at Reflections. These spiders have always been a favourite of mine and is always a great subject for conversation on my walks.
Garden Orb female
The web they spin can be in excess of 6 feet across and has a beautiful golden sheen to it. It is one of the thickest and strongest of all spider webs. One of the more noticeable features is the zig-zagging white stabilimentum in the centre. This adds elasticity as well as possibly acting as a visual cue for birds so that they can avoid flying into it.
The female spider would have arrived first and the much smaller male would have arrived later after following a scent trail of pheromones. He avoids her by staying in corner out of here way and will only mate with her while she is occupied with feeding.
Garden Orb male
Mercury spider
The large Orb spiders often catch small flying insects that they don’t bother with but these are used by a smaller, parasitic spider that ” borrows” the web. It is called a Mercury spider because it looks just like a small silver dot of Mercury.
We have just had new pictures taken of the houses and the results are fantastic. I think they do far more justice to what we have. More photographs may be viewed on the Accommodation page.
House Interior
At last. We were starting to think this year they weren’t going to nest. It has happened and they are definitely incubating eggs. We don’t know how many but this pair is normally pretty good as raising two or three chicks.
On the Southern Cape’s coast we have spectacular diversity: long sweeping sandy beaches, rocky headlands with intriguing rock pools, boulder strewn cliffs and gorges where rivers and forest meet the sea.
If you were walking along a rocky path on a warm day this scene will repeat itself often. It has all the ingredients of a typical coastal scene; a False Saffron tree (Cassine species) that can withstand salt spray, sun and wind, a Lichen encrusted boulder and a Rock Agamma . The males have a striking breeding display of a magnificent, iridescent blue head which they bob up and down energetically to attract the females.
Another aspect that is typical of our Winter days is be the beautiful clear blue skies.
The Garden Route is fortunately provided with areas of spectacular diversity and beauty. It includes lakes, forests, mountains and within a short drive’s distance a dry country side dominated by succulents. We try and encourage people to get off the main tourist routes and experience the area as we know it. One my favourite areas is Kranshoek.
It is within the Garden Route National Park and provides the spectacular meeting point of Forest and Ocean with the remnant of Gondwanaland’s spectacular break-up. The walk is relatively easy, although sections are steep. Immediately you are struck by the scenery which is dominated by a forested gorge that has been carved out of a cliff face by a small stream.
Except while in the dense Forest, the sound of the ocean is everywhere. It is interspersed with the trilling of the Sunbirds that are attracted to the many flowering Erica species. The plant life is prolific and includes wet forest, fynbos and succulents that grow along the ocean. Another unmissable “plant” is the spectacular orange Lichen on the rocks along the coastal section.
Rondevlei, where I live, is an estuarine lake on the Garden Route. It is part of a series of lakes that are connected to each other and enter the sea at Wilderness.It is a beautiful area and contribute in a large way to the Garden Routes scenery. Two of the lakes are designated Ramsar sites, which identifies them as areas of international importance to migratory birds. It therefore goes without saying that there is amazing bird-life here, and I try to take advantage of this whenever I can. The Rondevlei has a fantastic hide that is very productive, it doesn’t produce rarities very often but does provide regular, rewarding birding in a beautiful environment. Common birds seen are African Rail, African Marsh Harrier, African Fish Eagle, Hottentot Teal, Cape Teal, White Backed Duck and depending on the level of the lake, good waders attracted to the mud flats.
One bird that we see quite often has, of late, been prolific. The African(Ethiopian) Snipe. It is a beautiful bird that is not common in many areas and with the Rondevlei being low at the moment, we can see between 5 and 9 different birds feeding together. I recent highlight was for me a maximum count of 15 birds.
At one stage Snipe were popular Game birds(this is where we get words like “sniper”) and so it is wonderful to see aggregations like this, they have a very distinct breeding display that involves Drumming of the wings. There has been no sign of this as yet so it is possible that they are en route to another breeding site.
At last our houses are finished, and biased as I am, I think they are fantastic! A power system combining Solar, Wind Turbines and Solar Geysers all contribute to making the houses as environmentally friendly as possible while keeping them comfortable and efficient.
Swartvlei Sunrise
We went down to Swartvlei beach for some sunrise photography, a magnificent beach dominated by a rocky penninsular. It was absolutely awesome as the night before was spring high tide and the phosphorescence was still in the sand. Every step we took the sand would light up and glow for a few seconds. My 6 year old son was with us and he just thought this was amazing!
It was always our goal to do a Rehabilitation that is sensitive to existing life and adds to the beauty and diversity of the Southern Cape. In 2007 we moved to Reflections Eco Reserve, a private nature reserve on the Rondevlei lake on the Garden Route in South Africa.
This attractive land was overgrown with dense stands of alien vegetation. Our first priority was the rehabilitation and restoration of the land. In order to do this we decided to clear all the alien pine trees except a line of trees adjacent to the Garden Route National Park. The reason for this was that a pair of African Fish Eagles had been nesting there for many years and great care was taken not to disturb them.
The restoration was successfully in that they bred in August 2008 and two young adults are now being fledged or edged out by their parents. At present we are being treated to marvelous sights and sounds of aerial combat between juveniles and adults including other youngsters from neighboring territories.
Up to eight eagles are seen on any given day making this the prime Garden Route location for Fish Eagle sightings. Other raptors frequently seen here include Martial Eagle, Forest Buzzard, Steppe Buzzard, Black Sparrow Hawk, African Marsh Harrier, Black Shouldered Kite, Peregrine Falcon, Rufous Breasted Sparrow Hawk and Jackal Buzzard. The level of interaction between these raptors provides precious and spectacular viewing.