Beach Patrol 12 April 2015

On Sunday the 12th of April 2015, the Amatigulu Honorary Officers along with Ezemvelo Staff conducted a Beach Patrol in front of the Amatigulu Nature Reserve. In attendance was Calvin Harris, Paul and Marilyn Johnson, Peter Coulon and Selvan Pillay along with 3 staff members. Our aim for the day was to firstly become a regular presence along the coast line in front of the reserve, accompany an Ezemvelo staff member in checking fishing licenses and to do a spot beach bird count. For those who wanted to focus their attention on the reserve, there was an opportunity to inspect the Whale Tower's state and any other areas of maintenance would could assist with.


At 7:00am our convoy departed from the main gate of ANR with a bit of haste as we were in a race against time to conduct the beach patrol before High Tide which was at approximately 9:00am. We took the turn off at the number 12 bridge just North of the reserve, which quickly turned into some light 4x4ing given the rutted tracks and sand dunes (this route should only be tackled by 4x4 vehicles).

Upon arrival at the beach we were please to see no vehicle tracks from civilian vehicles on the beach sand, as driving along the beach in restricted areas is prohibited. Selvan lead the way onto the actual beach whereby we soon came across a group of approximately 15 recreational fisherman. The group had clearly been at this spot overnight as there was a small fire burning with some of the fisherman still sleeping. Selvan along with his staff members proceeded to request fishing licenses from all who were fishing at the time of our arrival. All but two of the group had valid fishing licenses which was pleasing to see. Unfortunately an under sized Salmon had been found in their possession so fines were issued for invalid fishing licenses and the under-sized fish.There was another small group of fisherman further South on the beach too, the group's licenses were also checked with all having valid permits.

Unfortunately the birding was not successful with only a solitary Wooly-necked Stork observed on the beach.

Amatigulu HOs embracing Citizen Science

A collection of the Amatigulu Honorary Officers got together on Saturday morning to share ideas about how we could make Citizen Science central to our contribution towards meaningful conservation.

The HOs were shown how to use functional smart phone applications such as Tracking the Wild and African Raptor Observations. Both applications allow you to record sightings such as mammals and birds of prey respectively. After a few initial explanations, the group was engaged in this new form of animal tracking. Links to both websites are displayed below should you wish to learn more.

www.trackingthewild.com

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fluidfacades.habitatinfo.rapterobs&hl=en

(Please note that the African Raptors Observation App is currently only available on Android)

The group wrapped up with a session focusing on the Animal Demography Unit (ADU) which allows birders, froggers and butterfly enthusiasts to log their sightings on a scientific database. With most of the group being keen birders, we feel that we as a group can contribute greatly to this initiative. This data bank allows for long-term species tracking and monitoring which is vital for conservation efforts throughout the Southern African Region. A partnership with the University of Cape Town has lead to citizen science projects such as CWAC counts (Coordinated Water Bird Counts) and MyBirdPatch which are accessible to all throughout the country. The link to the main website can be found below:

www.adu.org.za

test post 2 amatigulu ho

test post saturday

February in Amatigulu Nature Reserve

The reserve had some rain in the last week of February causing some damage to the roads and breathing some life into the veld, which is now lush and green. The veld is full of flowers at the moment.

Looking North on the 4 x 4 trail

The grassland is in excellent condition

The roads on the 4 x 4 trail have deteriorated considerably

Digitaria spp

Aloe humanea or the Dwarf Aloe, is flowering in the grassland in various places in the reserve

An unidentified small herb in the grassland

Wild dagga plants are currently in flower

Last year's crop of young giraffe are looking quite adult now

Despite the recent rain the pan on the 4 x 4 trail has not retained any water.