The Reserve

Cape Vulture

The first research trip.

The last time I was in the Mkambati Nature Reserve was in 2010 observing herds of eland, zebra, and hartebeest. I did not see the vulture colony…

I am happy to report that after two years of planning and shopping for a week’s worth of food for me and three guys (the field crew), I SAW THE VULTURES!! 

The first one observed was actually in route to the reserve. We decided to follow road signs and not stick to my written directions and hence took a very long detour. While trying to navigate the almost identical dirt ‘roads’, we saw a Cape Vulture; a good sign! After asking almost everyone in the village for directions a taxi driver asks “Where you want to go?”. “To the vultures please!”

Once at the reserve, our travels were not done.  To observe the cliffs on the reserve, one must view them from outside of the reserve. So the next day we drove 20 minutes to the beach, set afloat two kayaks, and crossed the river. Then a two hour hike in good snake territory was the last leg.

My breath was taken away when I realized this was my study site! A river gorge with hundreds of vultures circling. Although tired after the two hour hike, I made sure to yell to the vultures “I’m not dead yet!”.

After the initial sense of awe, it was time to get down to business. The first day I was overwhelmed with all the data keeping and people management. On the second and third day I was more prepared and, therefore, enjoyed it more.

We observed stacking (kind of mating dance), copulation, nest building, and incubation. Overall there were about 115 active nests. The data collected this time will be cataloged and compared to the subsequent monthly visits as well as historical data.

The group - Notice my badly blistered feet!

I owe a big thanks to my field crew: The “ANES” aka Shane, Shane, and Dane. This being my first trip, none of us knew what to expect. We all went with the flow (and the 4:30 AM mornings).
Since I have been back at the office, I have a hard time not thinking about my next trip down. I can’t wait to see how the pairs progress. Which will succeed and which will fail? And more importantly why do they fail?