It is time for my weekly Trailcam update! I am astonished at the number of animals I found at this weeks camera. The camera, borrowed to me by Liaan Lategan, is still set-up at a Civet midden.
I loved the Spotted Eagle Owl, I haven’t really seen or heard one, since we moved in last year September. I have no idea what it was doing there on the ground?
There are a lot of animals moving past this area and it isn’t always clear whether they are just passing by or also using the midden.
I am ecstatic about the Serval-find. It is only the second Serval my camera have captured in 11 months. Here is the previous time. >> Serval on my camera-trap
Then lastly. I am super happy to have found a Civet with just one eye, because this makes it easy to identify it and to see how regularly it visits the midden.
I hope you enjoy this weeks footage in the video below. Which one is your favourite?
I usually can’t help myself when I go and check my camera. I know it eats battery, but I check the little LCD screen to see if I captured anything interesting. This past weekend I did the same. My camera was at the same spot for almost 2 weeks without me checking it. I scrolled through and saw something that sparked my interest. ‘It can’t be.” I thought, so I checked it again. It is an African Pangolin. An animal that I have never personally seen in my life.
I think I must have watched that little video clip over a hundred times already. I went in the hole, disappeared for a minute or two and then came back out, the camera only caught it’s tail on the way out and you can hear it rustling the leaves as it walked away.
I am so thankful that even though this is one of the most poached animals in the world, my camera could capture one. I hope to see it in real life one day…. And may this one stay safe.
Enjoy this little clip as posted on my Facebook Page.
Alzu Petroport N4, Country and Outdoor shop. (Downstairs overlooking the animals, go and treat yourself to a coffee as well, a perfect stopover with the kids) (Mpumalanga)
I am now already on the second print run of the English version, since this book has been publishe in July 2019.
My childhood memories inspired the story and also all the fellow Kruger lovers who each have their traditions when they visit Kruger.
This is the story of a family visiting Kruger National Park. The story includes the packing and planning, the journey to the park and the Kruger experience.
For many of us, our love for Kruger started at a very young age and also for a new generation, that love for the bush and care for nature is currently being cultivated by their parents.
This book will be enjoyed before going to Kruger, at Kruger and afterwards looking back on the memories. There are plenty of opportunities for thought provoking-conversations with your child in the storyline. This book is perfect for both pre-school and those learning to read.
Both adults and young readers will love the colourful illustrations done by South African illustrator Alex van Houwelingen. Alex, sadly passed away earlier this year (2020) after a battle with cancer.
My post is a day late, because I had trouble uploading the video of trailcam-footage to YouTube. I now rather uploaded the video to my Facebook Page.
I found a hole in the ground and wanted to know if it has permanent residents. I was aware of the hole since last year and when visiting it now, there weren’t any spiderwebs over the entrance and it still in a good shape, but there isn’t a very well defined pathway that leads there. There are also loads of leaves in the entrance, but then, the leaves are currently falling, so it’s difficult to say.
There are millipede remains in the hole which lead me to believe the African Civet regularly use the hole, but even though I saw it, I am still not sure it went inside this time.
I also found footage of a Genet, I think the Genet was just a passerby.
The Giant rats (Cricetomys gambianus) pictured at the end were used in Mozambique to deactivate landmines. They are clever enough to sniff them out, but small enough to not trigger them. Here is a Youtube video I found that explains how they were used.
Do these rats live here in the hole, or were they also just passing by? The one rat is the only animal I saw that physically went in the hole.
Finally the bats? Could it be that they also live in the hole?
It is time for a trailcam update again. This week I am lucky to have footage from 3 trailcameras.
My Bushnell Trophy Cam Aggresor on which I updated software and now it works much better than before, my borrowed cam from Liaan, the Wild Wonders of Southern Africa and a kind neighbour has lent my husband, Gustav, a brand new Moultrie A-20i. Gustav in turn said he will allow me to use the images captured in this camera.
The camera hasn’t been out for long, but look at this awesome image captured of some Crested Guineafowl.
MOULTRIE DIGITAL GAME CAMERA
I also have a few lovely captures on video, published on my YouTube channel, embedded below.
Elke jaar, Julie maand, span miljoene mense saam om ekstra bewustheid te skep oor die massiewe probleem van plastiek wat eenmalig gebruik word.
Ek wil jou uitdaag om die jaar deel te wees van die span en van die bewusmaking. Moenie jou laat afskrik deur die woord plastiek-vry nie. As elke persoon net een ding verander kan die die impak reeds fenominaal wees! Kies een ding wat jy vir die maand van Julie gaan probeer, wie weet, miskien kry jy dit reg om dit ‘n permanente instelling te maak.
Die Julie maand gaan ons reis en die een groot ding waarmee ek sukkel as ons is reis is koffie. Koffie en die aaklige weggooibare bekertjies waarin hul kom. Ek onderneem om voorbereid te wees, my beker saam te vat en as ek vergeet, of die koffiedrink te hou vir later, of om in die restaurant te sit en hul eie bekers te gebruik.
Wat gaan jy doen? Laat my weet in die kommentaar?
Ek daag ook spesifiek die volgende bloggers uit om ‘n voorneme te maak!
For this weeks Trailcam-Takes, I found awesome footage of a Greater Galago, at no place other than the Civet midden mentioned in my previous post which you can read here >> What happens at the Civet midden?
This footage is thanks to Liaan Lategan for borrowing me an extra trailcam! Liaan is from the Wild Wonders of Southern Africa, Liaan has a few new cams he is currently testing out. If you haven’t seen his channel, you follow the link here. >> The Wild Wonders of Southern Africa.
To get back to the Galago on the video… Hope you enjoy it!
The Bazaruto Archipelago National Marine Park includes 5 islands, Bangue, Benguera, Margaruque in Vilankulo district and Santa Carolina and Bazaruto in the Inhassoro district. The protected marine area is 1430 km2. The park was proclaimed to protect dugongs, sea turtles and their habitats. It also covers the vegetation of the islands, coral reefs, waterfowl and all the fauna of the park. The park was proclaimed to protect dugongs, sea turtles and their habitats. It also covers the vegetation of the islands, coral reefs, waterfowl and all the fauna of the park. The BANP is an important ecological site because it currently has the largest population of dugongs on the West coast of the Indian Ocean, estimated at more than 250 individuals. (Source: https://www.bazarutopark.org/ )
We woke up on a misty Friday morning. There was a little bit of a chill in the air, but nothing like you would expect of winter.
We once again stayed at Eden Bay Eco Lodge, you can read my review of the lodge here >> Eden Bay Eco Lodge
We agreed on leaving with the boat at 8h30 but ended up just waiting for the mist to lift to start our trip to the Bazaruto Islands.
Misty Morning at Eden Bay Eco Lodge, Vilanculos
10 minutes after our original planned time we took the walk down to the boat, with our picnic bag, swimwear and towels and reef friendly sunblock. (If you don’t know what reef friendly sunblock is, please read my article here>> Reef Friendly sunblock)
When you stand on the Vilanculos beach the islands looks deceivingly near as if you could walk or swim there, but when you get on the boat, you realize they are a bit further than what you expected. On our way to the islands, we got a huge surprise with a school of dolphins swimming around us! It was absolutely breathtaking and also an icebreaker for my 2 ½-year-old daughter who was a bit scared of the boat and the wind and noise. The dolphins captivated her and she forgot that she was actually scared.
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Awesome picture of the dolphins right next to our boat, thanks to our skipper.
Shortly after that, we arrived at our first stop, Bazaruto Island. We got off and climbed a dune to enjoy an almost 360-degree ocean view. It is hard to describe the beauty and the colours and the pictures don’t do it justice. We sat on the dune for a bit and then took a walk to what is called Pansy Island. We took a walk to admire the beautiful pansy shells and the millions of other shells that have washed out on the islands.
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Once we finished our pansy walk we took off to go snorkeling at 2-mile reef. I have done this snorkel in 2013, and I could remember that it was magical, but nothing prepares you for how magical until you put your goggled-face underneath the turquoise waters again. It was and is breathtaking! My pictures cannot possibly do it justice, but I was glad to have a little underwater camera this time around.
This trip around proved to be a bit more challenging with my daughter with me, but one of our skippers never left our side. He looked after my husband when he was with our daughter and then stayed with me when I had her, to make sure we were completely safe. When I started to get a little tired he fetched me a life-jacket and I could float on it for a while longer with the extra support while holding my daughter. Unfortunately, she was a little too small to snorkel or even hang in the water with goggles on, but it is a skill we will practice with her in swimming pools so she can hopefully enjoy the fishes with us next time. I compiled a short video with clips I took underwater. I don’t have the steadiest hand, so please excuse the shakiness.
When we were done snorkeling our skippers took us to a spot on Benguerra island where they set up chairs and a shade-cloth and we had our packed picnic and they also surprised us with a bowl of delicious popcorn.
After a memorable day, we made our way back to the mainland with fresh memories and pictures to take with us.
We went on the island trip with Bazaruto Encounters follow the link for enquiries.
How many of the products you use in your home has large
danger signs on the back of the bottle? These are the products you wash your
dishes with, clean your oven with and throw all over your floors and every
surface in your house. With many of these products, the smell alone is enough to
make you sick.
It doesn’t matter whether you live in the bush or in the city, a bio-degradable, safe cleaning products stays the best option.
We, the people of Southern Africa, love the great outdoors
and nature. We are passionate about conservation and fume at the thought of
rhino poaching, but we sometimes forget that nature conservation starts at
home. It starts with the sustainable use
of our natural resources.
Mrs Martin’s Microbes are responsible, intelligent and safe!
So how does it work? An active indigenous bacteria produce enzymes that can clean dirt. Please note that the bacteria are indigenous to the Southern part of Africa, this means that it will also work in countries neighbouring South Africa, like Mozambique, where I am already using it.
It is biodegradable, environmentally friendly and contains
no harmful chemicals.
My personal favourite is her product, Odour. In a farmhouse, there is always something that could possibly smell. I use it on our cat litter between changes, on my laundry basket with cloth nappies when it has to stand a day or two, where my toddler spills something that could smell, like milk and just about everywhere. This past summer with all the rain made my couches smell mouldy. I sprayed lightly with Odour and the smell was gone. It has a light and subtle fragrance and works really well.
Odour, my personal favourite product of Mrs Martin’s Microbes
These days there are many eco-friendly products on the market. What made Mrs Martins stand out for me is the competitive pricing. Green products are often much more expensive than their mainstream counterparts. This is not the case with Mrs Martin’s Microbes, go and look for yourself!
Hoeveel van die produkte wat jy gebruik in jou huis het
groot gevaartekens op die agterkant? Dit is die middels wat jy oor jou vloere
gooi, jou oond mee skoonmaak en jou skottelgoed was om net ‘n paar te
noem. Baie van hierdie produkte se
chemikalieë is so sterk, dat net die reuk genoeg is om ons siek te maak.
Maak nie saak of jy in die stad of in die bos bly nie, ‘n bio-degradeerbare, veilige skoonmaakmiddel bly maar die beste opsie.
Ons, die mense van Suidelike Afrika, is lief vir die buitelug en die natuur. Ons is kampvegters vir natuurbewaring en sake soos renosterstroping maak ons woedend, maar ons vergeet baie keer, natuurbewaring begin by die huis. Dit begin by die oppas van ons menslike hulpbronne.
Mrs Martin’s Microbes se produkte is verantwoordelik,
intelligent en veilig!
So hoe werk dit? ‘n Aktiewe inheemse gunstige bakterieë
produseer ensieme wat vuil kan skoonmaak. Let wel dat die bakterieë inheems is
aan Suidelike Afrika, dit beteken dat dit ook sal werk in die buurlande van
Suid Afrika, soos Mosambiek, waar ek dit reeds gebruik.
Dit is biodegradeerbaar en omgewingsvriendelik en bevat geen skadelike chemikalieë nie.
Odour, my gunsteling produk van Mrs Martin’s Microbes.
My persoonlike gunsteling is haar produk, ‘Odour’. In ‘n plaashuis is daar altyd iets wat ‘n reukie kan hê. Ek gebruik dit op ons katsand tussen ruile, op my wasgoedmandjie met lapdoeke as dit ‘n dag of wat staan, in die badkamer, as my tweejarige dogtertjie iets mors wat kan sleg ruik, soos melk en sommer oral. Die afgelope somer se baie reën het my banke in my huis ‘n muwwe reuk gegee. Ek het dit liggies gespuit met Odour en die mufreuk is heeltemaal weg. Dit het ‘n baie ligte en subtiele geur en werk regtig goed.
Daar is deesdae ‘n paar beter keuses op die “groen” skoonmaak-mark, Mrs Martin’s Microbes staan vir my uit omdat dit bekostigbaar is. Die pryse kompeteer ook goed met hoofstroom produkte wat nie omgewingsvriendelik is nie. “Groen” produkte is baie keer, baie duurder as die wat ons altyd gebruik het en daarom word mense wat reeds huiwerig is om ‘n nuwe produk te gebruik verhinder om die skuif te maak. Dit is nie die geval met Mrs Martin’s nie, gaan kyk gerus self op haar webblad!
