Fynbos Animal Tails - Ferals on the Paardeberg and Good Fortune for Smudge

Little Smudge first made her presence known as a tiny kitten when she and her mom were discovered by guests somewhere in the veld near Caracal.  The guests began feeding them, at which point mom disappeared leaving a squealing baby unable to sustain itself.

The mountain has a large population of ferals, who like our Fitzi (AKA Osama), trace their lineage not so distantly back to wild cats, civets and caracals.  Mortality rates are high, which is what controls the population. The other side of this is that survivors are often quite extraordinary, being genetically primed for survival. This married with the nature of their early experience, determines their chances.

Feeding ferals, one can see, interferes with this process, and especially with kittens, disadvantages the individual’s chances. The knowledge of this, is   however all very well. Here is this particular kitten with its small face peeking through the bushes or behind the corrugated iron– dependent on us, not to mention being very dear and beguiling .

So with a somewhat resigned feeling of déjà vous, and knowing that our cats would not countenance a new addition, I contacted a cattery nearby who agreed to take her. I then set about feeding her and teaching her to be sociable with us humans so she would be easily re-homed.

At first I could only leave food and water for her under the scaffolding in the utilities area where she hung out. Then she ventured out squeaking loudly and let me snuffle her neck and stroke her back before darting back to safety. The periods with me playing with her and stroking her increased over the next days and by day 4 she ran to greet me with gusto and settled happily purring (loudly) on my shoulder.  

As the days went by, needless to say, I grew inordinately fond of her feisty presence and her sweet little face with a smudge of colour across her nose.

Then one night after I got back to the farm late, she was nowhere to be found, despite the fact that she would have been starving.   And the next day and the next and the next she didn’t come either. I was mortified and felt sure that in neglecting her she had wondered off away from safety and had been taken by a buzzard or been attacked by other cats.   I lay awake at night.

Then some three weeks later, when I told my visiting son and daughter-in-law how I had caused Smudge’s death, daughter-in-law Andrea pricked up her ears.

`Smudge’ she said. `That that was the name of my first cat’.  What a pity she has disappeared’.

Well as things do sometimes pan out, when the next day they went for a walk, Andrea tall with Liam on her back and Pete hand-in-hand with 3 year old Dani, they were assailed by fierce shouting from behind the rubbish.  None other than Smudge herself - not only quite clearly fit and strong but with a lot to say.  

By 8 o’clock Sunday night Smudge had found her way into her new  Cape Town  home, where she has been, happy as can be, ever since. Dani is particularly taken with her, though she is having to learn she can’t simply bend the kitten to her will.

Fynbos Photos

More pics taken by visitors, volunteers and us on the farm 

A friend at Sonkop (Diana)

Cactus (Unknown)

Farmhouse kitchen (Unknown)

From Dragonridge (Amsa)

From Dragonridge 2 (Amsa)

Honey Badger stoep (Susan)

Jacaranda time 1 (Pete Silver)

Jacaranda time 2  (Diana)

Jacaranda time 3 (Diana)

Magenta 1 (Lise Martins)

Magenta 2 (Lise Martins)

Magenta 3 (Andy)

March across the Swartland (Diana)

Prize bull at Welgemeend (Diana)

Proof we are organic (Lise Martins)

Red wood (Unknown)

Sunset from Dragonridge (Amsa)

Suzie (Cheryl)

The family on the corner (Diana)

This (Lise Martins)

The anual flamingos on Boy Viljoen's dam (Unknown)

Boomslang in the winery

This year a young male Boomslang found his way into the winery, looking to prey upon the numerous frogs that gravitated to the wet conditions of the cellar. Initially many of the team had to be restrained from heading for the hills but after we all became involved a few times in ushering the slithery fellow out, everyone was able to contemplate sharing (with caution) the space with him.

Ushering the Boomslang out of the cellar. Some close-ups and one of the ill-fated toad.

The snake eventually settled in a creeper outside. 

Although Boomslange are very shy with no fatalities recorded in the country for many years, we did want him out. However our attempts at catching him came to nought despite encouraging him into pipes and Diana’s half-hearted attempt to nab him with the braai tongs.

Agatha, our French volunteer took a video of the snake eating a large frog. Impressive

As a result of the boomslang episode and knowing that of course the Western Cape is full of snakes, Diana attended a day long snake awareness and handling course. She reports:

Top left clockwise: 1) Diana at the course. 2) Puffadder. 3) Cobra displaying hood. 4) Handling a Cobra. 

“I discovered that the only snake we need really be careful about on the farm is the cobra with its neurotoxic venom. Puffadders are haemotoxic so you have a lot of time and Boomslange take 48 hours to become lethal.  We now know what to do in the unlikely event of a cobra bite and I am pleased to know that Swartland Hospital nearby has a respirator"

Of the snake handling:

“We had to catch fat puffadders with a crook thing and fast moving cobra’s and boomslange with tongs on a stick. Despite my initial terror, I could really feel (as opposed to being told) that the snakes are terrified of us, and that all they want to do is get away. It was quite fun after that. (Although not so much for them being repeatedly released and caught by anxious participants.)”

IT’S THE WEST COAST FLOWER TIME AGAIN!!

WALKING ON OUR FYNBOS MOUNTAIN IS A SPECIAL TREAT.

Stop off here as a springboard for a longer West Coast flower tour, or stay over for a weekend. If your time is short, visit us just for the day.  

Call the FLOWER HOTLINE on 072 938 8186 for regular updates or visit the Swartland Tourism Facebook Page for more information on upcoming flower events.

Marie and Roland from Sweden took a walk on the mountain last weekend and sent back these pictures.

FROM THE WILD: OWLETS, TORTOISES AND NEW SIGHTING ON QUIRK ALLEY

Owlets Again

Our owl hosting oak has once again sheltered two delectable owlets, with exquisite Mom and Dad ever present. It’s now reached that tricky stage when the two youngsters can fly down but not yet up – so we hold thumbs, mumble prayers and leave them be on the ground until nightfall when we pop them back in their tree.  Osama ben Kitty and Suzie Creamcheese are the main worry.   What fierce piercing little eyes the owlets have and what marvellous clicking and hissing sounds they make.

Clockwise from top left: 1) First glimpse of the owlets. 2) At risk on the ground. 3) Fierce eyes. 4) Clicking and hissing as it is carried back to the tree.

Clockwise from top left: 1) Dad keeping (half an) eye. 2) Mom watching closely. 3) Safely back in the tree. 4) Putting the second one in the nest.

Tortoise Release

Elizabeth Cridland of Rondebosch has for decades been the 'go to' person with regard to stray tortoises, but they have got to be just too many for her small property. So, having before released her tortoises into a Reserve, she asked if she could release between 10 and 20 Rooipens and Leopard (Mountain) tortoises here. Both species have been seen on Dragonridge.

The release began with two 20 year old Leopards who were let go near the stream behind Fynbos House. The first fellow, called Mr Stripes, quickly disappeared into the underbrush, hopefully to make a happy life in the wild. However the other, Mr Speckles, a few hours later hotfooted it back to the farmhouse. We tried again - this time releasing him higher and further from the road. But no go – after two days he toddled into the werf.  He wouldn’t eat and was clearly traumatized so we sent him home to Rondebosch where he recovered and ate solidly for days.

Clockwise from top left: 1) Liz, husband and friend. 2) Being carried up the mountain. 3) Peeking at the new surroundings.

With the release on hold, we talked to Arnelle Collison and Atherton de Villiers of Cape Nature. Releasing tortoises, they both said, is very problematic. Not only do some not adapt to the wild, but they bring in foreign genes and possibly parasites and viruses.   This is particularly so with Rooipens which will breed with existing tortoises. Mountain tortoises, despite being on the Paardeberg probably through releases, are not actually indigenous further south than Montague.  On the plus side they don’t breed with other species so are safe from the genetic point of view. The experts are going to talk more and come back to us.
We will keep you posted.

This creature, newly sighted on Quirk Alley, is unlikely to contaminate the gene pool, although may perhaps spread Cycle Virus which has reached pandemic proportions worldwide.

SPRING

We are somehow always caught off guard when spring arrives. Just how sumptuous it is. Just how iridescent the new oak leaves are and the profusion of colours and flowers and birds. And now that our creepers are well established the farmhouse and its gardens are redolent with jasmines and honeysuckle. Spring also brings Oom Klippies to the farmyard to shear Lambertus Basson and Baahbara, while the vineyards too get a good pruning. And of course all houses get their annual spring clean.  

FROM THE WILD: BORIS MOVES ON AND MAMA DUCK MOVES IN

 BORIS MOVES ON

In our 17 years on the farm, baboons have never come down to the werf - even though there arequite a few troupes on the mountain.  We were therefore surprised last week to find a very large male baboon hanging about in the garden and on the buildings and helping himself to our guavas. We quickly phoned Tali and Bentley our friends full of baboon wisdom (and university degrees on the subject). They decided he was a male ousted from one of the troupes in search of another group, and they advised us not to panic and to move him along before he got too comfortable. "Get a big man to run at him shouting aggressively" they suggested "or get Johan to shoot in his direction" (missing of course) This we did, and after a few days of repeat shoutings and shootings, Boris, as we named him, moved on - hopefully to baboon friendlier pastures.

MAMA DUCK MOVES IN

After the owl saga last year where the baby owl fell out of the oak hollow, Idecided to plug up the lip of hollow with a stone or two. A few weeks later when I went to check on whether the owl mom had arrived yet, I was met by a very fierce pair of wild duck eyes and a lot of loud squawking.  So much for interference and not even a `thank you for making my nest so safe '. Now we wait to see where the owls will go. W'ell keep you posted.