Out Going Flights

I am bringing two suitcases with me to South Africa in a few days. The larger of the two suitcases is  filled with gifts for the children of Africa as well as small gifts for friends. Now I am in the process of fitting all my stuff in the other.

Even though it will be summer in South Africa when I arrive, I will be there for all of their winter. I often find myself cold during this time, and made sure to pack some long underwear! Some items I am looking forward to using in my free time in South Africa: swim suit and rock climbing shoes.

Below are the latest movements from the vultures. X027 did not check in this week. Everything seems to be in order with the transmitter, so I look forward to hearing from it soon. All of the vultures this week touched down at Msikaba Vulture colony (where we captured them). It gives the appearance of a major airport with multiple out going flights.

Some items for the kids. 

Latest vulture movements

Goodbye 2013, Hello 2014

The past two months have been filled with one thing: the thesis! I was spending countless hours in front of computer screens analyzing data, reading, and writing.  My home office was very comfortable, which helped in this tough time. I often birded from my desk adding Golden-crowned Kinglet and a juvenile Cooper's Hawk to my yard list. It was very nice to have the support of my family and friends during this time. This visit  home was filled with weddings, meals, elk, dancing, and birding. I take it all in, because some of these freedoms I will not have when I move back to Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.

Next year, the project has grown to include the southern end of the former Transkei. I will be travelling further to my field sites and will be using different methods. I am excited for the challenge and feel recharged after the thesis. I am eager to learn more and exploring more of South Africa!

Here is to 2014!

Spencer at the home office. 

International Vulture Awareness Day 2013

Tomorrow is an international holiday! It is International Vulture Awareness Day. When you wake up tomorrow, take in a breath of fresh air and notice the absence of rotten meat smell (unless you forgot about that week old chicken in the fridge or you are a stay at home butcher). Life on earth would be very stinky if these obligate scavengers were not around. 

If you're not in the meat industry or drive in areas with lots of road kill, you may forget about vultures and their eating habits. Therefore, I wanted to share the following picture. It was taken this past weekend on my monitoring trip to Msikaba Cape Vulture Colony in Mkambati Nature Reserve in the Eastern Cape Province. To put it in context, this was on a Saturday. This day is reserved for celebrations and ceremonies in the amaXhosa communities. This time of year (September, October) are perfect for large traditional ceremonies in rural communities in South Africa because it is not too warm or cold. These ceremonies normally involve the slaughtering of a cow. Since people in these areas rarely have refrigerators, the animal must be eaten immediately. However, not all parts of the animal will be eaten and the leftovers are 'thrown away'. These leftovers are then cleaned up by dogs and vultures. So check out this photo of  'leftovers' and a group of over 20 Cape Vultures eyeing it up. Too cool! 

Cape Vultures by 'leftover' meat in the former Transkei, South Africa. Photo by A.R. Rakotoarivelo.

Buzzard Babies?

Flash back to 2012, when I got the chance to help Shane McPherson capture a juvenile Crowned Eagle for his MSc project.  I was nervous holding that young bird, but enjoyed the experience. This year, we have been using our free time on the weekends to capture other raptor species.

During the first trip with Esma, an intern from Canada, we captured a Long-Crested Eagle. Then on our last two trips, we caught a juvenile and adult Jackal Buzzard.  However, each capture is just as thrilling as the first!

Aug. 7^th, 2013. Shane and I went out to a property in Richmond, KZN, South Africa. A juvenile Crowned Eagle has been spotted here quite regularly.  There was no Crowned Eagle to greet us, but on the way back to PMB, Shane spotted a Jackal Buzzard. After a short drive through the field and chatting with the farm staff we had permission to trap. Shane drove toward to raptor sitting on a power line and I placed the trap out. As we circled around, it was not long before the bird was caught. When we drove back towards it, I jumped out to secure it.

Once it was safely secured, the processing began. A metal band was placed on the leg to give it a unique ID. Measurement and blood were taken. The information gathered here will be part of a project on Jackal Buzzards conducted by a postdoc student at UKZN.

My favorite part was holding the relatively small buzzard (when compared to a Cape Vulture). The size of the bird, reminded me of the size of a baby.  Strange, I feel more comfortable holding a wild buzzard than an actually baby! Then the release! It is so much fun to see and feel a raptor take off right in front of you. It is nice to hold a baby and then give it back! 

First Jackal Buzzard! A juvenile. 

Tail feather spread. 

Adult Jackal Buzzard. 

The release. 

An Untimely Death

A vulture that died from ingesting poison on a farm in Swartberg, KZN, South Africa. Photo from Ben Hoffman.

           Cape vultures (which are listed as ‘Vulnerable’ under the IUCN Red List of Threatened and Endangered species and are endemic to southern Africa) can consume a carcass in less than an hour. During feeding time, vultures go into a frenzy and can fill their crops in less than five minutes. Even their tongues aid in this eating competition, with have grooves that point backwards to help move meat. After this frenzy, these 9kg birds park off and socialize as their crops hang heavy.

            In Swartberg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa a vulture feeding frenzy occurred, except most of those vultures did not live to digest the meal. Instead, a group of about 50 vultures (48 dead and two rescued) staggered about a sheep carcass. One by one their heads started to droop. Vultures that got the meaty bits of the sheep’s stomach had blue crystals smeared on their feathers.

            Instead of the normal post-feeding behaviors (most of which we humans don’t understand), the vultures started dropping dead. The amount of poison ingested from the sheep carcass and the individual’s sensitivity to the toxin determined how much time it had to live.

            In a matter of hours, the commercial farm was littered with vulture carcasses. All is silent, as vultures typically do not consume the dead of their own kind. It is not quiet back at the vulture breeding colony. Late July is peak hatching time. Some adult vultures have been sitting on a single egg for almost 60 days. Once the chick hatches, the parents have to franticly search for food to nourish the growing chick and themselves. One parent will go search for food, as the other guards the chick. Some of those partners will wait for days, staring at the down-covered chick and the sky. There will come a point when that parent will have to leave and find carcasses. Since their food source is ephemeral and randomly located in the environment, it takes both parents to search for food for the growing chick. With only one parent, the costs are too high for it to feed itself and the growing chick, and the chick will die. A number of the dead birds at Swartberg had brood patches (a patch on the abdomen that is used to help incubate eggs).

            When I heard the news of the poisoning, it was an hour before I presented my project on Cape vultures at the Zoological Society of Southern Africa.  I did not know many details. I did not know if any the vultures I ‘knew’ were involved.  My project in collaboration with another from University of Marburg (Germany), have tagged over 70 Cape vultures. With my 9 transmitters, I have followed their movements. This involved many hours in front of a computer, following their flight patterns and admiring the great distances they travel. I have also been lucky enough to observe tagged vultures at the vulture colony. All I knew before my talk was that vultures have been poisoned in Swartberg, an area in which all nine of the vultures I follow have visited.  I was very emotional.

            I have never named the vultures I follow, in an effort to resist the urge to personify them. But I still knew them. I witnessed where these birds go when humans are not watching. I can tell you the sex of a particular bird and where it resides on the cliff. Some birds have traveled far from the colony, while others are busy parents sitting on eggs. So no, they did not have names but they still lived. These vultures were part of the greater web, performing a favor to the ecosystem by devouring dead animals. Unfortunately, these vultures inhabit a human-transformed landscape that threatens them at every thermal. This incident is just one of the poisonings that we know of, and it is possible that there are other incidences that will never surface. The poison was probably put out to kill Black-backed Jackal, which attack and kill livestock. Along with the dead vultures, a dead jackal, a dead Jackal Buzzard, and two Sacred Ibis were found.

            During my 10 minute presentation I was nervous until I pointed out where the vulture poisoning happened; located inside the foraging ranges of the vultures I monitor. There was silence in the room. I took a deep breath and carried on. Because we have to. We need to acknowledge the incident, let justice run its course, and continue speaking not only on the behalf of the vultures but all components of the web! Let’s keep this web strong!

Overview of the dead vultures. Photo form Ben Hoffman. 

Processing the dead vultures. Photo from Ben Hoffman. 

Midmar Dam Trip

          This past Monday was Youth Day, a national South African public holiday. I decided to take a birding trip out to Midmar Dam, about a 20 minute drive from Pietermaritzburg. This is an Important Bird Area, with the dam dominating the landscape. It was a good raptor day with: Black-shouldered Kite, Long-crested Eagle, Jackal Buzzard, African Fish-Eagle, and Lanner Falcon. Early in the day I had good views of two Cape Grassbirds. This is an endemic species that has a really cool song! They also have cute little mustaches. The grassbird is said to monogamous and has a bowl-shaped nest. Their breeding season starts in July, but perhaps the pair I saw was gearing up for the season.

In total, I observed 35 species in 3 hours, and drove around the whole lake. Midmar is so big, it is best to drive around it. There are no good trails for hiking, but there is a paved road that can take you through most of the park. In the game reserve section, one can see zebra, and blesbok. All in all it was a  good day off spent at a beautiful place!

Cape Grassbird in the hand 

Blesbok at Midmar Dam

African Wattled Lapwing at Midmar Dam

Endangered Wildlife Trust Bird of Prey Conference

Last week, I presented at my first conference! It was hosted by Endangered Wildlife Trust at the Sefapane Lodge, near the Phalaborwa gate of Kruger National Park. It was my fist time at Kruger as well! This park is legendary! The lessons learnt from this conference started with the drive up with Ben from the African Bird of Prey Sanctuary. The drive to Pharlaborwa was broken up over two days, and I was astounded by the vastness of South Africa. I have never been that far north, and between Pietermarizburg and Johannesburg, there is empty land according to my perspective!

The first day, I got to drive around Kruger with employees from KZN wildlife. It was so much fun seeing the park through their eyes and learning from them! Then it was on to the Cape Vulture Task Force meeting. People from all over southern Africa  who participate in monitoring the breeding colonies of this species were present. I spoke briefly on the status of the birds in my study area, as the outcomes of my project will aid in management decisions for this species.

That night, at 3:00AM, I heard lions from the research house inside Kruger. I recognized the roar from working at the Pittsburgh Zoo. It was the day of my talk. We were given about 20 minutes to present, and I spoke about both my interview data and some preliminary movement data. I had a good idea of the make up of the audience and geared my talk towards them. My theater background helped me rock the talk!

I got constructive feedback, and asked the fellow scientists to be hard on me. From auditioning for numerous plays and being rejected, I have developed a thick skin. In the show biz world, you are rejected if your style doesn't match the type they are looking for. In science, you are rejected if your work is questionable. But if you take the time and become the 'expert' on your study, you can rock a talk too! Now on to rock this paper for publication!

Pearl Spotted owl, with eye spots! 

Male Steenbuck

Eland with Red-billed oxypeckers attached.

BIG croc!

Buffalo with Yellow-billed oxypeckers attached. 

Statue at Letaba camp

Big male hippo!

Elephant observed on our way to the meeting. 

Sunset in Kruger.

From Ring-necked Pheasant to Zebra

A Burchell's Zebra

While majoring in Wildlife and Fishery Science as an undergraduate at Penn State University, I studied the role of hunting and fishing as wildlife management tools. Coming from a city background, I was not as familiar with these activities. I would secretly read the Pennsylvania hunting seasons and bag limits book and would spend more time in the hunting section than the soccer section of the local sporting goods store. I often thought about the deep connection that hunters had with nature.Their knowledge of the land, orienteering skills, and the ability to be at peace with oneself in the outdoors. And if a kill was made, the appreciation for the animal along with the privilege of obtaining food from an undomesticated animal. Although I was interested in the pursuit, I was not completely certain of my stance.

In 2010, I got my hunter education certificate through The Wildlife Society's student field course in Vermont (TWS Field Course) which was a 2-week course focused on experimental learning of wildlife research techniques including small mammal trapping, hunter education, and vegetation sampling. After this course, I got my hunting licence and was eager to get outside. My friends and mentors in college saw my enthusiasm and took me hunting a few times. I didn't end up getting anything on these trips, but I still enjoyed every minute of it!

It wasn't until the Conservation Leaders For Tomorrow (CLFT) program in 2011 that I was successful with a hunt. This program is for students in natural resource field with little or no hunting experience and helps them understand the role of hunting. Again I had my questions, and seeing the number of firearms supplied for the group of  students was startling. But with careful planning and a mentor by my side,  I shot a Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) Little did I know, that two years down the line I would shoot a Burchell's zebra (Equus quagga burchellii).

We needed an animal carcass to bait the trap for the Cape vultures (25 Cape vultures and a Fish Eagle!) and  zebra was the chosen bait. Burchell's zebra are considered to be a least concern under the IUCN red list of threatened species and there are about 300 in the area in which we hunted.

Hunting in the grassland. 

March 13th, 2013. By my side was Juan, who built and designed the vulture walk-in trap, is also a certified professional hunter (PHASA) and was to act as my guide. Eva, an intern from Germany, would also accompany us for the chase. Before the hunt could start we checked the rifle which was an old 1976, 30-06 Sako, Finbear. After making sure that the rifle was zeroed, Juan handed me the rifle and instructed me to shoot at the target, which was a cardboard box with a white 4x4 inch sticker, stuck in the centre, at 100 yards. This was actually my first time using a rifle, because all of my previous experience was with a shotgun. I heard stories that a rifle's recoil is harsh, so it is essential to practice  My first shot was true! And I fired a couple more times to get use to the trigger and the surprisingly slight recoil. We then moved the box to about 250 yards with a slightly larger square this time. As the terrain mainly consisted of open grassy plains, a longer shot may be needed. I adjusted the aim a little and the next shot was spot on! 

After practice, we drove until we spotted a herd of zebra mixed with some Red Hartebeest  (Alcelaphus buselaphus caama) in the distance and decided to use a small patch of dense forest to conceal our stalk. Emerging from the forest we found ourselves within fifty yards of the Hartebeest. I was surprised at how close they were! Don't they see us? Luckily the wind was in our favor and it did not reveal our scent to them. Unfortunately no zebras were in sight, just a large Eland bull (Taurotragus oryx) off in the distance his greatness highlighted against the Indian Ocean. We were not to be deterred and set off in search of another herd.

Walking through the grass I have a flash back. These were the same grasslands I helped with ungulate foraging research in 2010 while on the Parks and People program (P&P). We worked hard all day counting the number of bites individual animals from a herd took in relation to how many steps they stepped in the same time period. In the afternoon, we were in need of a nap. We took a little siesta, despite our fears of Black Mambas (which are quite common on the reserve).

About two miles away we could make out a large herd of zebra, walking and grazing at a surprisingly quick pace. We decided to re-position ourselves on a rocky outcrop from which I could possibly get an opportunity to get within shooting distance if the herd maintained their direction. We get there just in time and the herd moves into shooting range. I have the rifle steadied on the rocks and watch each zebra walk by in the cross hairs. I am waiting for a zebra to stop, but they just keep moving, maintaining their pace. By now the zebra have been joined by a group of eland cows which was not helping. We decided to move closer, and this involved crawling in the tall grass (remember the Black Mambas?) We crawled in a straight line and I held my head down, with no idea where we were going. I had to keep myself from laughing at how ridiculous/awesome the situation was.

After crawling through what felt like all of the tunnels of a McDonalds playground, we stop. The zebra are about 180 yards away. They are foraging with the eland in a rocky outcrop. We didn't bring any sticks to shoot from, so Juan instructs me to shoot off his shoulder. You want me to position this rifle on your shoulder??? Okie-dokie! While I was looking through the scope of the rifle, Juan was looking at the zebra with his binoculars. There were so many! Our intention was to pick a young stallion as that will have the least effect on the dynamics on the herd.

After locating a young stallion, the next part took lots of patience. Most of the time the zebra's body was obscured by the tall grass. I was instructed not to take the shot before the belly was visible above the grass. I focus on the zebra, finger ready to squeeze the trigger. But we had to wait until it got into the perfect position. I was to aim at the little triangle formed by the stripes on the shoulder, this would ensure a shot to the heart. The zebra moves and Juan whispers something. He is telling me to take the shot! But this breaks my concentration and I can't pull the trigger. My hopes fall. I had a shot, but couldn't take it. Breathe! We didn't spook the zebra and I regroup. Looking through the scope a second time and I see where I have to shoot... Juan gives me the go ahead. I do not hesitate this time and squeeze the trigger.

The shot rings, but I don't  notice it above my pounding heart. Juan takes the rifle from me, probably to fire a backup shot, but my shot was textbook (located right where I was aiming)! He gives me a hug to congratulate me on the great shot.

As we start to walk towards the zebra, I had a range of emotions. I was sad that I ended this animal's life, but it was for a good purpose (we did catch vultures with this carcass for my project). I felt so privileged to go on this hunt and to accomplish what I set out to do.

It was quite a leap from a small Ring-necked Pheasant to a big Zebra. I am thankful to all my mentors and friends for their support. And I'm already looking forward to the next hunt!

The zebra and I. 

After the successful hunt with Juan. 

25 Cape Vultures and a Fish Eagle!

Pure Joy!

That is what we caught this past week during the second Mkambati vulture capture. Long story short, one of the GPS transmitters was not working correctly on our previous trapping trip. We decided not to put that unit on a bird. Therefore, I needed to organize another trapping trip to deploy a replacement unit as well as three units from Avi-Track.

After months of planning, the week of the capture was upon us. My team stayed at Riverside Lodge, which is located on the ocean at Mkambati Nature Reserve. It is large enough to hold 20 people; however it is about a 30-45 minute drive to the vulture trap. We needed to be in the hide at the vulture trap before 5:45AM. Talk about a morning commute!

We did that morning commute three days in a row with no success. Two team members and I sat in the hide, quiet and patient. The hide is in the shape of a triangle and is covered with multiple layers of green shade cloth. I was quite tired of triangles and the color green after three days.

The vultures were not playing our game those first three days. First of all, the wind was gusting up to 12 kph or 7mph. The birds would circle over the trap with the freshly dead zebra (which was procured by yours truly – stayed tuned for that adventure!) Some even landed on the ground! On the ground, on the complete opposite side of the entrance to the walk in trap. And the peak of frustration was when the vultures were perching on top of the trap for hours looking down at the free meal! We were having luck attracting a Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer). While feeding on the carcass, it would chase the Cape Vultures away! 

Vultures on the trap, while we sit in the triangle hide to the right. 

One the fourth day, which was Sunday March 17^th, the celebration of St. Patrick, we caught the birds! We had placed another dead zebra inside of the trap, while the previous zebra was placed in front of the trap door. The vultures were on the zebra outside of the trap by 6:20AM making their guttural noises as they gorged themselves and put the Fish Eagle in his place. The eagle saw the dead zebra inside of the trap and went to feed on it. The vultures finished off the zebra outside, and the mob began to inch over to the trap where the fish eagle was eating.  At this moment, I was so nervous. At any moment the vultures could be scared off and not come back for another day. On top of that, members of my team had to leave that day. So the pressure was on!

The vultures’ instinct took over and a group of 20 birds were feeding happily in the trap, while more were waiting to get in. That is when we pulled the curtain closed and successfully caught 25 Cape Vultures and that pesky Fish Eagle!

On closer expectation, we re-trapped one of the birds from the November trapping trip. This was great because I had already collected the measurements from this bird. That bird was then fitted with a GPS transmitter.

In total we wing-tagged 24 Cape Vultures and deployed four GPS transmitters. I have a total sample size of nine adult vultures with transmitters and 34 wing-tagged birds. The following day at the vulture colony, we re-sighted 16 of the birds! I look forward to following the movements of the birds as well as their journey through the breeding season.

I would like to say thank you to the team that helped with this capture.  It was truly a magical week!

The men making a plan!

One of the vultures being fitted with a transmitter.

Taking measurements of the dangerous part!

A vulture with a transmitter  being released.

The group with the trap, ocean, and a vulture in the background.

Parks and People 2013: Full Circle

Part of the 2013 Parks and People group in the field. Photo credit Jan Venter.

Flashback to March 2010, I was 20 years old and about to return to the States after a life-changing experience. Me and 12 other Penn State students traveled to South Africa on a study abroad program called Parks and People. We focused on the interactions between the local communities and the nature reserves. By traveling through South Africa, we had numerous case studies to sink our teeth into. However, the majority of our trip was based at Dwesa/Cwebe in the Eastern Cape Province, in the region know as the former Transkei.

The dominate land use of the former Transkei is substance agriculture and the majority ethic group are the AmaXhosa. How they interact with the protected land is quite complicated. As a undergrad in Wildlife and Fishery Science, I was of the ecology perspective. In real life conservation, one must attempt to balance the biology with the social side. In South Africa, this includes the complex system of land ownership, race dynamics, and the underlying political agenda! So can you can see how Parks and People is still attracting interested students from a variety of majors, three years later!

This year, the students spent two weeks at Mazeppa Bay in the Eastern Cape. One of their case studies was the Manubi Forest. This is a patch of old growth forest with large Yellow wood trees (Podocarpus latifolius). These patches can be compared to islands, as the surrounding matrix is grassland. There are plans in the works to make this forest a nature reserve, and bring in African Buffalo (Syncerus caffer). Some of these animals will be owned by the community, and they would be able to sell the buffalo. One buffalo was recently sold for over 1 million US dollars!

I was brought in with a group of biologists to conduct surveys in the purposed area. We were tasked to do a complete inventory of the frog, dragonfly, snake, skink, mammal, fish, and birds in the area. The information gathered will be used as a baseline data. Three years down the line, these surveys can be repeated and changes can be detected.

Needless to say I had so much fun birding all day for 9 days straight! I did six point counts a day on different transects. I was up at the crack of dawn and soon learned all of the forest robin calls by heart! That Olive Woodpecker call did mix me up at first! I had my bird calls in hand, and my new portable speaker. After the 10 minutes of uninterrupted listening, I would play the bird calls to make sure I had the ID right.

Each trip, I had one or two Penn State students with me, along with two rangers. Everyone was very enthusiastic! One trip we did get lost, but that is what happens when you go bundu bashing through the thick bush with a crappy GPS!

Some highlights from the trip: my first Mangrove Kingfisher, Sanderlings, and the endangered Kloof Frog. This is the furthest south record for this endangered frog, so as a team we witnessed the range expansion of a species! And guess who caught the adult specimens? Yep that was me!

Sanderlings running in and out of the surf.

I also got to literally hang onto a boat during a surf launch. As I sat upfront of this 'rubber duck' holding on to the bars behind my back, I felt like I was being sacrificed to the ocean that was raging before me. I did not fall off, and have gained a great appreciation for ocean vessels!

It was quite sad to leave the group, as I really enjoyed my time with them! I hope that the students soak up this experience and keep that gusto for learning! And who knows, you may find your way back to this amazing place called South Africa!

Cape Longclaw

Sandwich Tern

Kloof Frog. Photo credit Werner Conradie.

Mangrove Kingfisher

A Drakensberg Weekend

Bathtub with a view.

A few weekends ago, I had the opportunity to visit the Mclean farm in the Drakensberg Mountains. The Drakensburg is a World Heritage Site, and their name means Dragon Mountain. It is only about an hour and a half away from Pietermaritzburg!

A section of the mountain covered in mist. 

Besides getting away for the weekend, I wanted to investigate were Cape Vulture X033 had been roosting for the past two weeks. Yes a vulture from the Eastern Cape was roosting in the Drakensburg! Quite a far distance for this bird to move! Granted it is the vulture non-breeding season and there are no hungry chicks to feed at the colony in the Eastern Cape.

However, when we went to investigate the bird’s location on Sunday, we checked the website, and it had already begun to move back down to Mkambati! Of course the time I wanted to check on it, it decides to move! But that’s females for you!

Despite not seeing the vulture, I had a great time exploring the farm and hanging out with the Mclean family. One of the highlights was seeing my first rock art, or cave paintings. These were done by the San people, a pastoral group of people that inhabited the Drakensburg. One of the main reasons this is a world heritage site is because of the number of rock art one can see and its accessibility. In order to preserve the paints, you have to go with a registered guide. Glen was my guide, and I was so thankful! He didn't tell me exactly where the paintings were on the cliff face. He just said “from this point on don’t touch anything!’

Below is the cliff face from far away. You can barely even see anything!

Can you spot the rock art?

 But looking closer, you find human figures and two elands.

I stood back in awe of these paintings and that I was sharing space with this beautiful piece of human history. I can’t wait to see some more!

Some of the figures.

Up close shot.

Figure walking

Part of the eland, its neck is on the left. 

Special flowers adapted to Sugarbirds and Sunbirds. 

We stayed in 'Stoneage'.