Derrick’s Bush Buzz September 2011
Dinokeng Game Reserve Oh boy!! Are we in for interesting times in the next few weeks or months or years? The official date for opening the Game Reserve is the 22nd September 2011, when a whole host of dignitaries, some 300 I am told in total, will descend on the Game Reserve for the opening. One can detect that somebody important of the blue light brigade is one the way, the streets are being...
Read MoreDerrick’s Bush Buzz November 2010
Dinokeng Game Reserve My optimism for the Game Reserve only lasted one month and that was until we had our next meeting with govt officials in charge of the development of our game reserve and then everything seems to have fallen flat. Our local community asked for a wall between themselves and the game reserve in 2006. The Govt had long ago approved a budget for the wall and then it eventually...
Read MoreDerrick’s Bush Buzz October 2010
Dinokeng Game Reserve I am once again very hopeful for the Dinokeng Game Reserve. Since my last newsletter, there seems to be a new impetus from Blue IQ’s side to move forward more rapidly with the outstanding issues. At our recent AGM, new Govt people have been seconded to Blue IQ and all of a sudden we have been asked for our opinion and our inputs regarding the way forward, and for me what...
Read MoreDerrick’s Bush Buzz August 2010
Birds at Tamboti Spring has arrived in the bushveld and after a strange year with very late rains and then a devastating black frost, just to see a little greenery around is such a pleasure. With the spring arriving so have the birds arrived in huge numbers and recently an avid birdwatcher commented on seeing the birds at Tamboti, that he had never seen such fat longtailed and crimson ...
Read MoreGolden Orb Spider vs Windbag
At this time of the year our bushveld is full of Golden Orb spiders (Nephila maculata) webs, these magnificent webs glow with their unique golden strands especially in the early morning sunrise. The strands are very strong and particularly sticky and may stretch up to three to four metres between the trees and I often wonder how a buck or an ostrich in particular gets rid of these webs when they...
Read MoreThe Dozy Brown Snake Eagle and the Electric Puffadder
Living in the bush is never boring providing you observe all that is around you and it often gives you the most amazing opportunity to observe different and strange animal behaviour. On a recent game drive I saw a Snake Eagle perched on a tree stump, I approached slowly and started to take photos with my cell phone thinking that the eagle would soon fly away. Much to my surprise I eventually...
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