The problem with being tall
Those of us who have grown-up watching Giraffe don't realise it, but they really are weird looking animals. Most of us have been told since childhood that the incredible height of a giraffe (up to 5.5m or 18 feet!) is an adaptation to allow it to reach food material beyond the reach of other browsers. Personally I'm not convinced that this was the driving selective force for that great height. I think that excellent vision combined with great height provide giraffe with their best predator-avoidance mechanism and it is this advantage...
Really bad parking
While on a walking tour recently with a regular group from Russia we came across this scene. Some visitors to Cape Point Nature Reserve were VERY fortunate. Somehow their motor car had left the road and travelled about 35 metres off the road toward the cliffs that drop to Smitswinkel Bay. Miraculously the vehicle did not roll, was barely damaged and somehow stopped just a short distance from the cliffs which drop vertically to the ocean about 200 metres below. ...
Into the Big Blue
I promised not to post any more about Great White Sharks, but I didn't say anything about Mako Sharks. Earlier this week I was privileged to do another ocean trip with my friends Chris & Monique Fallows, and it turned-out to be an absolutely incredible experience. It's impossible to decide what was the highlight of the trip. How does one choose between seeing albatrosses, Shearwaters, Storm Petrels, Common Dolphins or diving with Bottlenose Dolphins, False Killer Whales, Mako Shark or Blue Shark? Since I didn't have my camera with me, Chris kindly provided...
Great Whites
Just the other day I had the good fortune to spend the day with two "great whites" - fellow adventurer Patrick Verbraecken and fellow "great guide" Chris Fallows. [caption id="attachment_2325" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Chris, Steve & Patrick[/caption] Chris was guiding us off Gansbaai taking us to see some other "Great Whites". [caption id="attachment_2328" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Great White Shark[/caption] Great White Sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) are wonderful animals. They are one of the apex predators of the oceans reaching upwards of 6 metres in length and 2,268 kilograms - all accompanied by a mouthful of impressive, replaceable...
A gift of Black Eagles
Yes, I know that they are now officially known as Verreaux's Eagles but I never liked words with too many vowels and anyway I've always known them as Black Eagles. Be that as it may, we were walking along enjoying the beauty of the mountains and I had just commented on how it was ages since I last saw a Black Eagle in the area - when they appeared above us. These magnificent Eagles with their wingspan reaching up to 2.2metres have always been one of my favourites. They occur in...
A heavenly lunch
What a day!!!! What a place!!!!! Perfect weather, perfect place, perfect walk. And then . . . we had a heavenly lunch in heaven - more than half a kilometer above the sea. ...
Back On Top
First I burnt my hand pretty badly, then Kili became very ill and finally I lost someone very very dear to me. Things didn't feel great, but as you can see both Kili & I are back on top (of Table Mountain) - and so is Meru! We had a wonderful day ascending through the mist and descending back below the cloud. We saw three iconic plants - The South African National Flower (Protea cynaroides), the Western Cape Provincial Flower (Disa uniflora) as well as the SA National Tree (Podocarpus latifolius). The...
A log, a dog, a beach (and of course) a flower
Today we enjoyed a leisurely stroll along the beautiful Noordhoek beach. The cool weather was a welcome change from yesterday's heat, and the lack of gradient was equally welcomed. While Pirjo demonstrated "strong women in Finland", Risto watched and encouraged her. Meru was totally unaware of all the effort being exerted in order to elevate him! Just before we ended the hike for the day, we came across this beautiful Haemanthus sanguineus (Blood lily) from the Amaryllis family. The deep red colours of this plant certainly attracted the attention of the taxonomists. The genus...
Anyone for cricket
The Cape Town weather is famously unpredictable & variable. Yesterday was wet & cool and today was HOT HOT HOT but beautiful. There was barely a breath of wind and not a cloud in the sky and the air was clean. We had exquisite views of Hout Bay The walk took us along cliffs and ledges And along the way we came along this handsome cricket sitting on a pincushion Protea. Notice the fine hairs on the leaves of the protea. One theory suggests that these hairs clog the mouthparts of browsing insects...
Out with the Orchids
I'm walking with a group from Finland at the moment. Our first day on Table Mountain was misty but lovely. We came across this very young Dassie out all on its own. For me the highlight was the display of Disas, which are a group of Orchids. I was teased for taking so many photographs but I'm sure that all those who teased me will now appreciate the results! First we saw the Cluster Disa (Disa ferruginea) which looked all the more beautiful for the drops of water that adorned it like jewels...