May sightings, wildlife monitoring and interesting research projects.`
Sightings of the month
Thank you to all who recorded their sightings in the book this month! Here is the number of recorded sightings per species:
Highlights
The overall number of sightings was more than in the previous 2 months, and the accuracy of the reporting was really impressive:
- Lion and Leopard sightings made up 20% of the total species recorded, at a total of 10 lion sightings and 7 leopard sightings of 85 recorded sightings in the book.
- Mammalian highlights were 2 African Wildcat sightings, a Cheetah sighting and 2 Side-striped Jackal sightings.
- The Klipspringer family of 4 was seen at bungalow #200.
- Recorded Southern Ground Hornbill sightings have dropped substantially, but this is expected as they move further afield in-between breeding seasons.
- An active Tawny Eagle nest with chick(s) has been seen on Buffelsbed.
- Bird species recorded: Little Sparrowhawk, White-fronted Bee-eater, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Tawny Eagle, African Hawk-Eagle, Brown Snake Eagle, Saddle-billed Stork, Woolly-necked Stork, Brown-headed Parrot, African Fish Eagle, Blue Waxbill, Southern White-crowned Shrike, Green Wood-Hoopoe, White-crested Helmet-shrike, Golden-breasted Bunting, Southern Ground Hornbill, Red-billed Buffalo Weaver, Jameson’s Firefinch, Red-billed Firefinch, White-backed Vulture, Hooded Vulture and Bearded Woodpecker.
- Reptilian highlights: Rock Monitor, Nile Crocodile, Leopard Tortoise, Yellow-bellied Sand Snake, Black Mamba, Flap-necked Chameleon, Giant Plated Lizard, Serrated Hinged Terrapin and Snouted Cobra.
- Other general species recorded through the month: Buffalo, Impala, Kudu, Wildebeest, Giraffe, Zebra, Waterbuck, Hippo, Nyala, Bushbuck, Klipspringer, Spotted Hyena, Black-backed Jackal, Honey Badger, Duiker, Steenbok, Warthog, Chacma Baboon, Vervet Monkey, Scrub Hare, Tree Squirrel, Springhare, Dwarf Mongoose, Banded Mongoose, Slender Mongoose and Small-spotted Genet.
Sightings Loggings - EarthRanger
As usual, we have continued monitoring efforts using the online platform EarthRanger. This has been an immense help in terms of monitoring species movements and keeping track of specific groups of animals, and has also allowed us to monitor tree wrapping and invasive plant control progress. The sightings book is incredibly valuable in this process, and we once again thank everyone for taking the time to write the sightings down for us.
Below are two of the distribution maps we have created from monitoring leopard and grysbok sightings using EarthRanger, and mapping that across onto Google Earth Pro:
Leopard and grysbok “hotspots” recorded on Ingwelala over the last 3 months
Words by Tess Woollgar, images courtesy of Maureen Kirk, Nico Smit & Neil Bowman (via Canva.com). Tess Woollgar & Google Earth Pro.