Pick n Pay

Pick n Pay, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Most of my trips to South Africa have included some down time in Cape Town. My 2013 field season was just too short, and chock full of travel and camping to distant parts of South Africa, so I didn't get to the waterfront until the day before I flew home.

My reason for the visit was to purchase a few gifts, and to buy myself a pair of crocs - wonderful inventions for camping. My friends, Dennis and Gigi, wore crocs around the campsite, after a long day of work. They're great for slipping on and off and for not having to take a few minutes to unlace hiking boots before crawling into a tent.

While we were at the mall, I took a few street photos as we were waiting for Gigi to finish some grocery shopping. I'm still learning the ins and outs of my Fuji XE-1, but it has a nice monochrome conversion setting, which is what I used here.

African darter in flight

African darter in flight, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Sitting on the rim of the vlei at DeHoop Nature Reserve in South Africa, I saw many of the local birds flying by. Our campsite was about 10 meters or so above the vlei, which was a perfect perch for watching darters, herons, cormorants, gulls, terns, ducks, hammerkops, and flamingos in flight.

African darters are rather elusive birds for a photographer - they are usually very aware of one trying to sneak up to make a photo. This was the best view I had of an African darter during my entire three week field season.

Sand pattern

Sand pattern, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Back to South Africa for my photo today. I made this photo of beach grass on a sand dune at DeHoop Nature Reserve. I spend a lot of time in sand dune systems during my field seasons to study a parasitic plant (Hyobanche). I've come to appreciate the stark beauty of this landscape, the wind and rain patterns on the dunes, and the attempts of vegetation to reclaim the space.

Hyobanche

Hyobanche, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

I spent three weeks in South Africa for my field work on Hyobanche. This is a lovely species that I will describe this coming year. Tentative name is Hyobanche laidleri, named after my good friends Dennis, Gigi, Nicholas, and Chris Laidler. This family has been my family away from home while in South Africa since 1999, when we first met. All have been with me in the field, and they all have enthusiasm for my research project.

Two notable field seasons with the Laidlers: 2003 when I had Nick and Chris along for a trip to Lesotho and the Drakensberg highlands, and this year for a three week trip to work in several national parks: West Coast, Namaqua, Richtersveld, and Agulhas. This year was truly the best ever!

Grey heron

Grey heron, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Another beautiful bird spotted at DeHoop Nature Reserve September 13, 2013. This species looks very similar to our North American blue heron.

Black-crowned night heron in flight

Black-crowned night heron in flight, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

South Africa: September 13, 2013.

I was sitting atop the rocks above the vlei at DeHoop Nature Reserve, watching the birds fly by in the early morning sunshine.

DeHoop is a magical place. The campsites are along the vlei, and the place is fantastic for birding - not only aquatic birds, but the typical assemblage one finds in fynbos and dune systems. The added bonus for me was finding a population of Hyobanche, which was the goal for this site.

Cape Weaver

Cape Weaver, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

One of my favorite groups of birds in South Africa are the weavers. There are several species, and each one produces an unique style of nests.

This past field season I learned a bit about the behavior of the weavers. The males make several nests to try to attract a female. She will inspect each nest, and if she rejects them all, the male will start the process again. He's very territorial and will do some interesting display behaviors to announce his territory. I don't think these mating pairs are monogamous, which is not surprising given the colonial nesting behavior. Trees are chock full of nests and, from a distance, look like Christmas ornaments adorning a tree. They don't look quite so tidy from up close.

Weaver colonies are noisy and busy places. I wouldn't spend a lot of time hanging out under the nests, unless you have an umbrella....

Clouds

Clouds, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

During my field season in South Africa, the weather was typical of late winter in the Western Cape. There was plenty of rain, but there were many days of beautiful blue skies. Every time a cold front came up from the south, the skies put on an incredible show.

Bar-throated Apalis

Bar-throated Apalis, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

DeHoop Nature Reserve. Christmas in the southern hemisphere means summer time. Instead of snow, ice, and short days, my friends in South Africa have beautiful weather, many interesting birds to see, and beautiful flowers. I'm not sure which I'd prefer. I'm used to Christmas in the northern hemisphere....

As I reflect on what Christmas means to me, I admit to myself that I don't like what it's become in the USA. The commercial season starts in October. By the time Christmas arrives, I'm sick of all the corporate displays of "buy now, get a 50% discount on this-or-that, free shipping", etc. There has been so much media coverage on the alleged 'war on Christmas' that I think people have lost sight that the real war on Christmas is our emphasis on catering to corporate profits, and a loss of the spirit of helping those in need. When corporations such as Walmart and McDonalds have to coach their employees on how to manage their budgets in order to buy food and gifts, there's a message we're missing in this country. Income inequality and the lack of a living wages for the working poor are issues we really need to address. If we're going to return to the class system of the 1920's, then why can't we return to the way Christmas was celebrated in the last century - sans commercialism.

Christmas should be about celebrating a spirit of giving and kindness to others, a celebration of family and friends, and, for people who are still engaged in organized religion (i.e., Christianity), a time to celebrate the birth of Christ. It's not about making corporations' profit margins as wide as possible...

Don't get me wrong here, I enjoy shopping for gifts to give to loved ones. However, I do resent being bombarded with advertisements for 2+ months, and with piped-in Christmas music from Halloween to New Years. I'd like to return to my childhood years when the Christmas season started after Thanksgiving. The anticipation for those short weeks made Christmas a very special holiday, rather than an extended buying season.

OK, rant off for now. I hope all my readers enjoy the holidays, whatever the season means to you, and that you find peace and joy in the new year.

Flickr members are very angry about the changes...

Flickr members are very angry about the changes..., a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Bar-throated apalis. I do believe that "Angry Birds" was designed from this little guy.

Given the "black sunday" protests for today, there are obviously a lot of Flickr members who do not want to see the beta version implemented. Some of the concerns are that features we like to use are not yet available. From what I've read, it's just a matter of time for some, or all, of those to be added back into the mix. The bigger concern is the change in layout. There was quite a negative response when the current version was rolled out. I actually like the current version better than the old one, but I'm not crazy about what I've seen for the beta version that is being developed. I hope all my Flickr friends who are posting the black images are also contacting Flickr to let them know what features the want to make sure are rolled out with the new version, and to be specific in their feedback about what is not desirable...

Bar-throated Apalis

Bar-throated Apalis, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

DeHoop Nature Reserve, South Africa.

I'm wondering if the Angry Birds characters were modeled after this diminutive bird. The eyes and beak configuration sure reminds me of the angry birds logo....

I enjoyed photographing this bird - it was so active and fun to watch.

Sand pattern

Sand pattern, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Sand dunes at DeHoop Nature Reserve in South Africa are swept by winds, which leave lovely patterns in the sand.

I've been going to South Africa to study parasitic plants endemic to the region since 1996 - about 14 months after the end of apartheid. I've watched the country blossom from a fear-laden paranoia (the whites were scared about the future) to a country where young people are not too concerned about the color of one's skin. Yes, there are still challenges to address in South Africa, and the future is not entirely secure. However, I have great hope that South Africa will continue to prosper and become a leading icon for the rest of the continent on how to overcome the legacy of colonialism, white minority rule, and corruption.

The pattern for prosperity and success is the legacy of Nelson Mandela, who served as such a strong leader, setting in place a new paradigm of peace, forgiveness, and unity. He will be sorely missed, but I hope his example will continue to give the rest of the world great hope for the future.

Hyobanche

Hyobanche, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Hyobanche is a small genus of holoparasitic plants (plants that can't make their own food and depend on another plant for all their nutrition), native to southern Africa. I've been studying this interesting genus for quite a long time, and it is the motivation for my field seasons in South Africa.

After working on the biology and systematics of this genus for so long, I've come to appreciate it more each field season. This collection site was at DeHoop Nature Reserve, along the southern coast of South Africa. It's nestled in with some restios, but the host is most likely to be Metalasia.

Sand pattern

Sand pattern, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

DeHoop Nature Reserve, South Africa - 12 September 2013.

The sand dunes at DeHoop are subject to wind and rain sculpturing, making lovely abstract patterns. This dune was at Koppie Alleen - a wonderful whale watching spot in the reserve.

Gigi

Gigi, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

DeHoop Nature Reserve in South Africa: September 12, 2013. Camping at this reserve is a real treat for botanical exploration, birding, and for lovely scenery. The headquarters area has a restaurant and gift shop - both are welcome respites from roughing it.

This photo is of the lawn area in front of HQ. There's a Morton Bay Fig there. Near sunset, the gate was in a golden glow, and the air was calm, the birds were active, and it was a magical moment.

Vervet Monkey

Vervet Monkey, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends....

This little critter is not invited to dinner. However, vervet monkeys make themselves quite at home at campsites in the Richtersveld, and this one was no exception. The previous campers had left some corn trash - a boon for hungry monkeys.

Euphorbia virosa

Euphorbia virosa, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

The Richtersveld is an arid region in the extreme northwest corner of South Africa and southwest corner of Namibia. There is a transnational park flanking the Orange River.

I visited in September, 2013, while doing my field work in South Africa to search for species of Hyobanche. There were a couple of sightings of Hyobanche from the Richtersveld, so this was a prospecting trip for the area.

The side benefit for me was the opportunity to experience this amazing landscape. The aridity of the region is mind-boggling. The geology is laid bare to the eye since there is such a sparse covering of plants that can survive here. One of those that does well is Euphorbia virosa. Superficially, this resembles a North American cactus, but, cut a slice from a stem and you'll find a very sticky white sap.

I made this photo while doing a climb up into a kloof (ravine) that had a bit of moisture. I was hoping to find Hyobanche glabrata. No luck with that, but I did end up with a souvenir which still shows a scar today. I had a run-in with gravity and collided with a dead branch of a gnarled shrub. Huge contusion, huge abrasion and slice in my thigh. Not a pretty image to think about, but it's one of the things I will remember about the Richtersveld. Of course, I remember so many other wonderful things about this area - the night sky, the birds, the geology, the plants, etc. I would love to visit again....

Bar-throated Apalis

Bar-throated Apalis, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

This is a bird with attitude. As Jessica Rabbit (Who framed Roger Rabbit) would say, "I can't help it, I was made this way...." The markings and intense stare of this bird really give it a huge personality - especially for such a diminutive bird.

Photographed 13 Sep 2013 - DeHoop Nature Reserve, South Africa.

Bokmakierie

Bokmakierie, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

I love the diversity of birds in South Africa, and I'm very lucky to be able to combine my interest in birding with my field seasons focused on Hyobanche.

The first time I was introduced to this species was in 2004 - a solo field season where I had traveled to the Eastern Cape to work with Hyobanche robusta. On the way back to Cape Town, I stopped at Andrew's Field, near Cape Agulhas. At the time, there was guest accommodation at Tsaba-Tsaba - small self-catering cottages.

The first morning I was there I heard a lovely song just outside the window, just after dawn. I saw a bokmakierie, but didn't know what it was. I bought a bird book in Cape Town and figured it out. Its markings are so striking. I didn't expect this to be in amongst the shrikes and butcher birds based on that lovely song.

This photo is from September 13, 2013 - DeHoop Nature Reserve, the last bit of camping from the 2013 field season. DeHoop is a magical place for plant and animal diversity, and I really enjoyed the early morning birding opportunities.

Cape Shovelers in flight

Cape Shovelers in flight, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

DeHoop Nature Reserve, just east of Cape Agulhas in South Africa, is a wonderful place to camp and to see a wide variety of birds. The place is magical for animal and plant diversity, in general, but especially great for birders.

You can camp right along the vlei, which is sometimes very calm in the early morning. This pair of Cape Shovelers flew low across the water, right below our campsite. The calm water made a mirror reflection, allowing all of the details of the wings to be seen.