While the news of a pre-7am wake up the following morning was not exactly what I was looking for, in the end I was glad I did it. We helped Daniel with his study of habitat fragmentation in the fynbos- counting birds and sampling flowers (Erica discolor and Proteas).
Me, Megan, Daniel, and Madeleine |
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View up the valley on my first morning |
The next few days were spent on other studies around the valley. Brittany’s mosquitofish study was particularly memorable. Mosquitofish are an invasive species which was discovered to have made it’s way into the Groot River system. The study involves visiting a number of sites along the river, recording statistics on the water, and finally swiping a fishing net along for five meters at a time. Madeleine and Megan were first to try their hand at fishing, and were successful in both catching mosquitofish and getting covered in mud. We then measured and sexed the fish, a task which took some time, as we caught hundreds of fish. Later in the week, I had the opportunity to try my hand at fishing, surveying the remaining sites. Much to the laughter of Brittany, Megan, and Madeleine, I quickly became soaked, my boots filled with mud.
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Trying (and failing) to catch fish |
When I wasn’t helping with studies, I spent much of the time hiking and birding. Nature’s Valley and the Plett are great hiking destinations and the whole area was full of new birds. From the house, I could walk to the beach, the Salt River, Pig’s Head, Nature’s Valley lookout, Kalanderkloof, and the forest walk, among others. The Salt River mouth is a beautiful and peaceful spot which can be reached either by the coast, or over the lookout trail. Pig’s Head gives a spectacular 360 view of the valley, and is only a short walk from the beach.
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Female Narina Trogon over the forest walk |
While I didn’t walk to the top of Kalanderkloof until my final week in the valley, it immediately became one of my favourite walks. The trail takes you up a stream bed, past some massive Yellowwood
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Looking back down at the valley from Kalanderkloof |
My first weekend, Megan, Madeleine, and I drove down to the Robberg Nature Reserve, a picturesque spit of land jutting out into the Indian Ocean. We set out hiking the rugged coast, seeing (and hearing- they make some weird sheep-like noises) the many Cape Fur Seals at the colony, as well as a couple of Humpback Whales. The scenery was just spectacular, with cliffs, fynbos, sand dunes, and the sea.
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Path hugging the landscape of Robberg |
Another exciting outing was my first game drive, at Plettenberg Bay Game Reserve. While tiny in comparison to places such as Addo and Kruger, it offered a first taste of South
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Rhino |
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Yawn |
Finally, over the three weeks I had several opportunities to help with bird ringing. I along with the rest of the NVT team, would wake up before dawn to [try] to help set up mist nets.
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Malachite Kingfisher |
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Southern Double-collared Sunbird |
Now I’m back at home, starting this blog, waiting for the next adventure. Everything about my experience with Nature’s Valley Trust was wonderful, and it has been one of the best experiences of my life. I enjoyed the opportunity to work with Brittany, Kellyn,
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Picturesque Nature's Valley |