Newsletter March 2014

You can find the March 2014 newsletter here.

Trootkloof Waterfall Valley overnight hike

After the success of the Moore family's overnight hike with Jimmy in the August holidays, Fraser, Helen and I did another during the December holidays.  We set off in unpromising circumstances with low cloud and drizzle.  But the rain didn’t last too long and we were rewarded with some stunning light in the evening.

At the base of some cliffs we found a couple of fantastic spots where Jimmy and Fraser rolled out their sleeping bags under ledges.  Helen and I took a slightly softer option and pitched our tent higher up the mountain.  As you’ll see in the gallery, we all had rooms with a view.  After setting up camp we climbed to the top of Goudkoppie from where we witnessed some magical light as the sun set.  Of course, without sleeping out one would not experience sunset in that location and we were well rewarded for our efforts.  The next morning we climbed up to Goudkoppie again before dropping down to the miner’s cottage road and returning from there.

Visit the gallery here.

Weeping Wall Gorge walk

During the December holidays Jimmy and Fraser Moore did lots of walking and adventuring.  In particular, they explored a number of gorges, climbing up through the indigenous forest to the top of the gorge with various degrees of scrambling involved in the process.  Needless to say, Fraser loved these days out in the mountains with Jimmy and always returned with lots of (tall) tales to tell. 

Visit the gallery here.

Camtrap shots

We have a few camera traps on the estate that we use mainly on the rivers to document the otter and Water Mongoose populations. We have had sparse luck with the target species but we have captured some interesting species.The traps have also produced some fine shots of our more common animals.

This is a great shot. It's so Finsbury. SPK10

We have caught three different leopard individuals on the traps. One big male (but a poor shot), one younger male and a big female. The younger male and I had a close encounter, according to the camtrap, on the path to the Miner's hut where I was staying at the time. Got home late one evening and landed up walking the path in the dark. Check the date/time stamp on these two shots:

Male leopard on his way down..

Male human on his way up...

Below is a selection of camtrap shots that we have on file.

Look how full Mom's mouth is.

A beautiful Bushbuck ram with his hair up.

Bushpigs at K24

Old, scarred male Caracal at K24

Civet is the predator we catch the most.

African Finfoot at SPK10. What a gem!

Big Female Leopard at K24

...and her preferred meal, a Common Duiker 

Spotted Genet heard the flash charging.

The younger Male on Miner's Hut path.

Pumba at K24

Young Serval at SPK10

A rare shot of a Clawless Otter at M14

We got 4 shots of this big Serval in a week. All in the day!

A Robin at K9

October newsletter published

The latest newsletter has been published here.

Four Peaks overnight hike in August

Over the August holidays, Fraser, Helen and Nick Moore did the Four Peaks hike with Jimmy Whatmore.  As a twist on an old favourite walk, we slept out in the mountains mid way on the hike.  To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time this has been done at Finsbury.

Carrying overnight gear - tent, sleeping bag, clothes for mid-winter, food, etc - is a different proposition than a day hike and we all had heavy packs.  While Nick's pack was filled with tent, warm clothes and spare water, Jimmy's was largely made up of lots of delicacies to eat.  At the last minute, Jimmy decided actually to bring a sleeping bag which was a blessing since even with the bag, Jimmy froze solid overnight.

Still, great fun was had by all and our intention is to do a repeat performance at some point over the Christmas holidays (weather dependent of course).

A gallery of images can be seen here.

Nick

Chairman's Report for the AGM

The Chairman's Report for the year end June 2013 can be viewed here.

Keeping up to date with Finsbury news

Just a reminder that there are 3 ways that you can use this blog to keep up to date with current news from Finsbury.

1. Receive emails when the blog has been updated.  You sign up for these emails on the 'Blog Home' tab.  On the lower part of the right hand bar enter your email address in the box entitled 'Follow by email'.  Each day there is a new post you will receive an email.
2. Use a 'feed' reader such as feedly.  If you already use RSS feeds then you can get the details of the feed from the 'Subscribe to Finsbury news' links, again on the lower right hand bar of the 'Blog Home' tab.  
3. Visit the blog from time to time.  We will try to post new material as often as possible, so if you don't want to use either of the methods above, please just check the blog for updates every couple of weeks.

If you have any suggestions or requests, please comment below.

Nick

Cool reptiles on Finsbury Estate

I've been a reptile fan for some time and have the gumption to say I've caught and picked up very many of our reptiles, including Anchietes Dwarf Python and Angola File Snake. In the short time I've been at Finsbury I've added some power sightings to my list. These photos include two very different colour forms of a Berg Adder (hopefully updates will be forthcoming) and a very fortuitous sighting of a Beyer's Long-tailed Seps with the Moore family on a 4 peaks hike. The last is a photo of a Large-scaled Grass Lizard encountered on a recent hike with Rob to the Haartebees Vlakte. The latter two are legless (or almost at least) lizards. None of them common sightings, according to the limited research I have conducted. Exciting stuff! Finsbury keeps on delivering!

Natural art worth seeing from SPK12

While the AIPE team were busy on the Spekboom River, I spotted something worth seeing. Rob cleaned up the area and cut back a lot of reeds and exposed this magnificent specimen of a Red-leaved Rock Fig (Ficus ingens) that seems to occur on all north facing cliffs on the estate. I struggled to identify it simply because the specific name, "ingens", means "enormous" and none of them are here. They do get rather big in the Lowveld. Take a walk in the morning (good sun angle) to the SPK12 sign at the weir and look to the cliff wall opposite you. It is a work of art. It is not a Tree Mural, it's a Mural Tree. Imagine having one of these on your lounge wall! Sublime, what?

Brewery Walk - 16 June 2013

It was a great day after a very chilly start, with about 18 walkers following a route skirting Mount Anderson.

 

 

Photo's by Alistair Starker

 

Alien Invasive Plant Eradication Update

 

During the coldest months our activities, as the AIPE Team, have been limited as the target species have been dormant, so the use of herbicide has not been possible. We, therefore, concentrated on mechanically removing as much wattle as possible from the riparian areas of the Estate. We are happy to report that we removed close on 200 000 wattles during this time from seedlings to trees up to 3,5m in height

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About 2 weeks ago I noticed the leaves on some of the wattle trees beginning to open, indicating that they are becoming active again. I immediately moved the team to our boundary with Whiskey Creek in the Majubane gorge. Those of you familiar with the Majubane gorge will know that the last 2 kilometres before the waterfall are cluttered with massive (up to 20m tall), felled wattles. These trees grow in height too quickly searching for enough light. This growth is so rapid that their roots do not establish themselves quickly enough and the tree simply topples over, cluttering up the gorge.

This is not only aesthetically unpleasing but also a hazard to infrastructure during floods. We have thus decided to remove the timber which is a massive undertaking since it will have to be accomplished by hand.

Anyway, we have started at this point and will move downstream eradicating all alien species in our path. I have, and will continue to demarcate the areas we are busy in with danger tape. If you encounter this barrier please feel welcome to see how we are doing or feel free to pass through. Just remember to be aware of falling trees and remember we are using herbicide in these areas.

May newsletter published

Rob has published an update on the projects underway at Finsbury in the latest newsletter here.

Alien Invasive Plant eradication program is under way

After a few months of Jimmy Whatmore walking Finsbury flat assessing the problem, work has now commenced on the removal of alien plants.  Rob and Jimmy brought a small team on board to start with pulling wattle.  Unfortunately the first crew only lasted a couple of days before concluding that this was too much like hard work.  As you'll see from the photos below, it certainly involves some back-breaking work pulling the saplings as well as scrambling on hands and knees through dense bush.  To help with the problem, Jimmy enlisted some child labour from U22...!

I am sure Rob will have lots more to report over time.  This will be long and hard process - indeed an ongoing process over many years.  But it is great news that the process of removal has begun again in a concerted and systematic way.

Management house renovations under way!

Work commenced on the management house last week and it already appears as if there is not much left of the house...!