First published 25 Nov 2022 3 PM; revised 26 Nov 2022 after the whale washed up at The Strand.
At 8.30 AM on 25 Nov 2022 I photographed from shore a dead Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) floating about 2-3 km offshore from Steenbras River Mouth (on Clarence Drive south of Gordon’s Bay). I later heard that it had washed up in front of the Indoor Swimming Pool at The Strand at around 3 PM the same day, so over about 6 hours it seems to have moved 9 to 10 km. On 26 Nov at 7 AM I went to The Strand and photographed it before its removal by city officials.
In Jan 2021 I drove up to Shelley Point in the St Helena Bay area (2 hours drive north of Cape Town) to look for Dusky Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obscurus). On the morning of 29 Jan 2021 I saw about 200 Dusky Dolphins.
PostedFeb 2021; revised 5 Mar 2021 (additional sightings) On recent visits to Wilderness (2019 to 2021) I photographed the following small mammals: 1. Brants’ Climbing Mouse (Dendromus mesomelas) @ Fairy Knowe Backpackers. 2. Woodland Thicket Rat (Grammomys dolichurus) @ Fairy Knowe Backpackers. These two sightings (6 weeks apart) are at the western extreme of its range in South Africa (field guides do not show it west of Port Elizabeth; but Monadjem et al (2015) show it as far west as the Knysna area). 3. Southern Africa Vlei Rat (Otomys irroratus) @ The Wallow Guesthouse. 4. African Mole-rat (Cryptomys hottentotus) @ The Wallow Guesthouse. 5. Cape Dune Mole-rat (Bathyergus suillus) @ Wilderness Ferry Waterside Jetty. Images and site information on these sightings are given by location below.
Strandfontein is a small coastal town about 300 km (four hours drive) north of Cape Town (and not to be confused with Strandfontein of False Bay). When visiting friends there (2018 Feb; 2020 Feb+Dec) I found it to be a good place to see Haviside’s Dolphin (Cephalorhynchus heavisidii) and Brants’ Whistling Rat (Parotomys brantsii); my mammal list below is followed by images.
Original post dated 13 April 2019; updated Oct 2021. Last sighting added 20 Feb 2021. Contact: paulcarter @ pacapix.com
In April 2019 I posted a mammal-watching report on searching from land for Bryde’s Whale (Balaenoptera brydei) in False Bay; from along the 20 km long stretch of the R44 coastal road between Gordon’s Bay and Rooiels. That report was based on 2 sightings in Feb 2019. This update (Jan 2021) is is based on over 15 sightings from the R44. The section on the taxonomy of Bryde’s Whale in Southern Africa (Balaenoptera edeni vs Balaenoptera brydei) is also revised. Appendix 1 is a summary of my records. Appendix 2 is an account of the dead Bryde’s Whales found annually; at least in part related to the long-line octopus fishing industry. In Nov 2019 The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries lifted the suspension of exploratory octopus fishing in False Bay and stated that “Should there be at least one mortality of any of these whales, the fishery will be terminated”. The most recent record of dead Bryde’s Whale in False Bay is that in Sep 2020 at Pringle Bay; the reported cause of death was from entanglement. Continue reading →
I worked in Barberton from 1989 to 1992 and still regularly visit the Western Cape. Recent trip and species notes include:
Western Cape Province
De Hoop Nature Reserve (2020)
Dunedin Farm (updated site guide – 2016, 2018 and 2021 data): Riverine Rabbit, Karoo Elephant-shrew, Spectacled Dormouse and other small mammals. First visited March 2016.
Edited (2021): I revisited the site in 2018 (again with Clide Carter) and in 2021 and a post summarizing all 2016-2021 data replaces this 2016 post. Species lists and other site information have therefore been removed from this 2016 post. Records in 2016 of Round-eared Sengi and Long-tailed Serotine are retracted in the new post.
Summary: Dunedin Farm offers excellent potential to see the rare, endemic Riverine Rabbit. After a visit to the nearby Karoo National Park, my father (Clide Carter) and I booked a night at the Riverine Rabbit Retreat on Dunedin Farm (Western Cape, South Africa). We had low expectations of seeing the Riverine Rabbit but after some pointers from Johan Moolman (the farm owner) we had great views of one before sunset; and saw another two with Johan the next morning. We extended our stay for another two nights once we realized the potential for other smaller mammals and reptiles. Our trip total of 17 mammals included Aardwolf, Bat-eared Fox, Cape Sengi and Hewitt’s Red Rock Hare. This trip report morphed into a site guide as there is nothing else published and I believe it is most likely the best place to look for Riverine Rabbit.
Riverine Rabbit
Riverine Rabbit
Dunedin Farm and Riverine Rabbit Retreat Dunedin Farm is a working farm owned by Johan and Marietha Moolman. They and their two sons are very keen on the local wildlife and were extremely helpful in giving us a detailed rundown on all the species and locations that they knew of. Manus (13) is especially keen and a local authority on the resident birds which include some Karoo specialties. Continue reading →
