Sundowners in South Valley

A sundowner in South Valley (old site number 26) is popular with all members because of it's beautiful sweeping views. One was pre-arranged on the 23rd December but the rain started coming down just before the event was to take place. This clearly didn't dissuade the folks as there was a good turn out. It certainly was worth it because the rain stopped and the sun emerged from behind the clouds and presented us with a beautiful rainbow. Check it out:

Jimmy's Blog 2016 Festive Season

The festive season is progressing nicely, with everybody is having lots of fun, although not necessarily fun in the sun. Up to and including today, 192mm of rain has fallen on the estate (measured at the central area) this month so far. There was, however, a cloud burst over Mount Anderson on the afternoon of Christmas eve which resulted in the Kliprots river swelling its banks and a flash flood in the Steenkamps system.

The Flooded Kliprots road between K13 and K11

K15 flowing nice and strongly

Unblocking the entrance to Rock Solid after a flash flood

The rain, mostly falling in the afternoons and evenings,has not dampened many members' sense of adventure and walks, hikes, cycle rides and excellent fishing is the order of the day.

Murray Beaumont on the cycle path en route to the Vlakte

A 14 km hike with the Nicholsons and the Mackenzies

A drink of fresh mountain water to rehydrate

The Beaumont's admiring a waterfall above the Steenkamps falls

The Moore's enjoying a gorge walk

Fraser Moore watching a herd of more than 65 Eland at the base of Mount Prospect

So yes, it's all happening at Finsbury Estate this festive season and we're only half way through....

Finsbury Staff Christmas Party 2016

Activities for December 2016

Activities for December

Dear members and visitors.

Welcome to Finsbury for the festive season. We have planned sun downer/drinks, guided hikes and cycling trips for you over this period.

Southern Valley sun downer: To meet up the Southern Valley at 17H00 on Friday 23 December. Please bring snacks, drinks and chairs.

Walks/Hikes: Jimmy will be guiding the following walks/hikes alternatively over the following 20 days starting from Saturday 17 December. Wet walk is a walk with water available on route and dry walk is without water. :

1) Southern Valley to Central via Mount Prospect. 10km, 5hrs, wet walk.

2) Central to Miners via Goud Koppies. 8km, 5hrs, dry walk.

3) Central to Majubane Waterfall via Potato Seed. 12km, 8hrs, dry walk.

4) Central to Miners Parking via Mount Anderson. 15km, 8hrs, wet walk.

5) South Valley to South Valley via Mount Anderson. 10km, 6hrs, dry walk.

Jimmy will be leaving the Central Area at 07H00 on a daily basis for the walks. Please contact him on the radio to arrange for the walk or meet at the office.

Cycle Rides: The plan for the cycle rides is to do two big rides over this period.

1) Central to Pilgrims rest. 5 to 6 hours. Leaving from Central on Tuesday, 20 December at 06H00. Please contact Rob as lifts from Pilgrims back to Finsbury need to be organised.

2) Central back to central via Haartebeestvlackte. 5 to 6 hours. Leaving at 06H00. Date still to be confirmed.

3) Rides from Central to road and back and other rides on the farm. Please contact Rob.

Look forward to seeing you on the farm.

Regards, Rob

Jimmy's blog, December 2016

The silly season has arrived and, thanks goodness, the Estate is not going to be as dry as a funeral drum. We had in excess of 250mm of glorious rain during the month of November and 20mm odd this month so far. The Kliprots is still low and not flowing over the causways yet; Steenkamp's is flowing a little stronger but still rather low; and the Majubane is flowing quite strongly. The rains we have had have been rather soft (which is good for minimising erosion) but enough has fallen to get all things growing!

South Valley from the sundowner-spot yesterday. Beautiful and green!

In my last blog I mentioned how many insects I came across but in the last few days the growth of all things plant has begun. Flowers everywhere! The termites below were outside on the top of their mound one misty morning, swaying their heads to and fro in the mist, apparently anticipating the rain! Within a few days of the rain, mushrooms were pushing out of all the mounds in the area.

Snouted Harvester Termites awaiting the rain on top of the mound.

Flase Ink Cap mushrooms - Podaxis pistillaris

The termites emerge after dark and collect grass and plant debris, carry it back to the mound and place them in a humid chamber where the conditions are just right for a fungus to grow. The termites then eat the fungus (Real farmers!) and when the fungus is ready to produce it's fruiting body (the mushroom) the termites leave it alone so that the fungus can reproduce. The fruiting bodies break through the crust of the mound and are able to release their spores.

Polystachya transvaalensis - A new Orchid for me

My team and I are currently clearing Pine in South Valley and, just the other day, I chanced upon a new Orchid species for my list in a steep side gorge close to Mount Anderson! Graeme Naylor you are a star, thanks again for the superb Orchid book! Another thing I've got to thank you for is pointing out where you saw the Bobbejaan Stert plants flowering, on a cliff right above K34, on your last visit. These are one of the only few species that share this habitat and that of the Kruger Park and so was well known to me when I arrived here. They were also amongst my favourites as the flowers are so showy. They are not rare in the Estate at all but in the almost four years I have been here I have kept an eye on them and I have not once seen them flower! Spectacular!

Bobbejaan Stert (Baboon's tail) - Xerophyta retinervis - in full flower

The animals are also rather jolly that some rain has come. Late last week I bumped a breeding herd of Blesbok consisting of one big ram with nine ewes. Seven of the ewes had brand new little calves with them. Little white things still unsure of their footing, or so I thought until they got wind of me because, gee, they can run! I also got a glimpse recently of a teenie little Eland calf with her Mom and I flushed a small Mountain Reedbuck lamb hiding from me in the grass.

Talking of baby animals, we got a few pics of one of the cubs belonging to the leopard princess that I mentioned  a few blogs ago. The cub was caught by the Cam-trap situated at M13. An Eland bull, on the previous evening, uprooted the wooden bridge and tilted it onto its side. This provided some entertainment for the happily stuffed little male cub (the pics are a little blurry because of morning dew on the lens).....

Well, you can come see all this for yourselves soon. I see that the Estate will be well visited over this festive season and we look so forward to seeing y'all. I will be offering walks and hikes every day from the 17th right through till the 10th of January.

Below is a little gallery of other things I have seen in the last week:

Amietophrynus rangeri - Raucous Toad

Yellow Nutsedge (Cyperus obtusifolia ssp.flavissimus)

Cyperus rupestris in full flower

Dwarf St. John's Wort (Hypericum lalandii)

The spectacular Brunsvigia radulosa flowering rather early right up on Mount Anderson.

Monopsis decipiens - Wild Lobelia

A snake I still need to identify - any ides?

Crimson Flag - Hesperantha coccinea

A Hover Fly inspecting a Verbena rigida

For those who will not be visiting Finsbury this month:

HAPPY FESTIVE SEASON, MAY ALL YOUR WISHES COME TRUE!!!

More good rain!

Rain up-date.

We received another 69 mm of rain in the last two days. All rivers besides Kliprots are flowing strongly.

Regards,
Rob

Eventually the rain has come!

Dear Finsbury members

We received a solid 40 mm of rain last night. This brings the total for the month to 65 mm and total for the season to 89 mm which is still well below the average seasonal rainfall to date. The Majubane, Steenkamps, Whisky and Spekboom Rivers are up substantially for now, The Kliprots remains dry. The weather forecast is for more rain this week so hopefully that is the case.

Have a good day.

Regards,
Rob

Coming to life.

Got so close to these Eland that I got a shot of them with my cellphone

It's been so dry here that wildlife has been rather subdued. Last week we had a little rain (around 20mm), so on Saturday I decided to take a walk from my place, up and around Mount Prospect, to the Central area, looking for life!

I was not disappointed! In the five hours the excursion lasted, I saw Eland, Klipspringer, Mountain Reedbuck (twice), Grey Rhebok (twice) and a big bull Red Haartebeest! A rather good antelope count but not abnormal for up there, so no great surprise.

What was exciting, though, were the insects. I saw a whole bunch of flowers beginning to bloom and on almost every one them were numerous insects feeding and pollinating. Following is a little photo record of some of them:

An Ant on an Everlasting.

A Butterfly on a Wild Rasberry.

A Carpenter Bee on a Berkheya

A Crab Spider on her way to the flower of a Mikweed.

A Dung Beetle on Porcupine droppings.

Five different insect species on this Umbrella Everlasting.

A Fly and an Oil Beetle on a Xysmalobium.

Handmaidens on a Xysmalobium.

A Jumping Spider looking for some of these insects I claim are so plentiful.

This mating pair of Robber Flies actually flew up, attached together, and tried to capture another Robberfly to eat. The other Robberfly, after escaping, was extremely peeved and buzzed the pair over and over as if swearing at them! I now know that they will hunt even while mating!

Oil Beetle on an Everlasting

Beetle on a Rhynchosia

So even after such a meagre rainfall, life wants to happen. Come on drought! End already and let the life happen!

AGM INFO 2016

Jimmy's Blog 005

Mount Anderson Hike August 2016

MOUNT ANDERSON HIKE

Seven of us took a hike up to the summit of Mount Anderson from Bulldozer Creek on Sunday 14th August. It was a nice fit group, so the hike was incident free regarding problems. It was not incident free regarding game sightings though, because we managed to see plenty, including Eland (pictured), Mtn Reedbuck, Grey Rhebok, Blesbok, Red Haartebeest, Zebra and Jameson's Red Rock Rabbit!

GO GIRLS!!!