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'.

Fact: Cape Vultures have sharp bills

The Cape Vulture colony near Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve. 

Since I have landed back in South Africa the beginning of January, I had two non-stop weeks of field work. The first week myself and a few UKZN students helped with the Cape Vulture capture at the colony near Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal. It was an amazing week of collaboration between agencies and organizations. The captures went very well, and the processing of the birds went so smooth!

The students contemplating about vultures!

During this week, I was fortunate enough to gain lots of experience handling the vultures, taking blood from them, as well as fitting the wing tags. I was also very fortunate to be inducted into an exclusive club: the Vulture Chow Club!

I went in to capture a vulture with gloves on and protective sunglasses. By this point, most of the birds were upset from the numerous disturbances of people coming into the cage. I was surprised that while standing in this cage full of about ten 8kg Cape Vultures, that they were all snapping at me! I knew these were wild animals, but I just didn’t think they would be that intense! And I’ve heard stories that White-backed Vultures are even worse!

I picked the vulture I wanted to pin down and aimed for the head. After you secure the head, one should secure the body and the wings. I was not fast enough for that! The vulture got away from me and did not want me to do that again to it. So of course when I went in for the second time, it got away from me and gave me a big CHOMP on my upper left arm. Still completely focused at that point, I did not squeal and continued to try to catch the bird.

It was proving too difficult for me to capture the vulture, so a technician from Ememvelo KZN Wildlife came in to secure the bird. And of course the bird sits still at this point!

Later on, my arm started to get sore. But I had the opportunity to take blood from the vulture that nipped me. My arm was throbbing and my hands shook while taking the blood. But I was able to get 5ml of whole blood and the bird was released.

I will always have a scar where that vulture chomped down on me. It will be there to remind me of all things wild and untamed!

The Gorge

Awesome waterfall to stand under!