South Africa 2024: Day 4

5 December 2024: Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

Our team spent the morning removing famine weed (Parthenium hysterophorus) at Mkulu Dam. Native to South America, famine weed was introduced to South Africa and has since become highly invasive. Because it has little nutritional value and is toxic, wildlife that consume it can develop lesions, ulcers, and gastrointestinal distress, often with fatal outcomes. The plant also outcompetes native species for nutrients and spreads aggressively.

After weeding, we collected sickle bush (Dichrostachys cinerea) branches to make tracking sticks. These are used to measure track size, which helps identify both species and sex.

The afternoon was spent learning to identify species through dung and scat. Dung refers to the fecal matter of herbivores, while scat is used for omnivorous or carnivorous species. Without diving into a full lesson, I am now comfortable identifying close to two handfuls of species. Dung and scat identification matters because it tells you who has passed through an area and when, which is essential for research, safaris, and safety. As our volunteer manager, who was taught by a bushman, reminded us, “It’s nature’s daily newspaper.”

The most remarkable moment of the day came while we were on foot examining tracks and dung, when two curious giraffes approached to observe us. I cannot fully describe what it felt like to stand beneath them, suddenly aware of how small I was in comparison. I hope I never forget that moment. It easily ranks among my top three experiences of the year so far.

That evening brought one final surprise: a scorpion (Cheloctonus) in our washroom. Fortunately, this species is not poisonous.

What I recorded today…

Birds: Yellow-billed storks, African Open bill, Yellow-billed kite, European roller, White-backed vulture, Barn swallow, Helmeted Guinea fowl, African Woolly-necked stork, Weavers.

Mammals: Black-back jackal, something in the middle of the night (maybe Mongoose or Hare), male Waterbuck, Hippps, Warthogs using an abandoned hyaena den (which btw warthogs have tusks made of ivory but are not hunted because they are viscous little nuggets that will slice you open), white rhinos (Mona and Lisa).

Misc.: Monarch butterfly. And it goes without saying that everyday I see those bright caterpillars.

Tracks: Egyptian goose, Warthog, Stork (likely),

Ibis, Plover

Bird Calls ID: Hadada Ibis