Poor Fella

 

While I was working on our swimming pool this evening I noticed this poor little fella lying on the paving stones. Although it has been extremely hot these last few days, this small chameleon seems dried out. There is no visible marks from either a cat or dog so I don't know what happen. Poor fella.

Chameleon Rescue

I had just driven off for church this morning, when I got a desperate call from my neighbour. My dog River Song was attacking a chameleon in my garden, the neighbour's kitchen overlooks part of my back garden where River Song is. I immediately turned around and head back home.

I rushed to the back to find River Song doing mock attacks on a Flap Neck Chameleon who was trying to cross our garden. The poor thing was all puffed up and hissing with River Song, all excited barking, "Look what I found, daddy!" I scooped the little creature up and carefully moved it to the trees at the edge of the garden much to the dismay of River Song.

And then there was 5

Ernest

Today started much like it did a year ago, rainy and misty but I was not doing the same same mistake as last year and not take any water or be prepared for the late sun on this year's Annual Orchid Count. Ernest joined us this year because last year we nearly stepped onto a Night Jar nest, and Ernest has been keen on getting some Night Jar breeding photographs. You can see he was well prepared to his mid sized lens.

Cherry Spot Moth Caterpillar

About 25 of us counters spread out in a line about 10 paces apart and started walking along the Sugarbush Ridge from the Krugersdorp side towards the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens, then back towards Krugersdorp. We looped back and forth until we cover just about the whole area. We flushed out over 20 Night Jars much to Ernest's delight but never came across any Night Jar nests. Sorry Ernest, they were too well camouflaged. We also saw many other birds and lots of crawling creatures including a young male Mountain Reed buck. Like the orchid that we were seeking, they too endangered. It was good to see them this side of the ridge during the day. 

Albertina Sisulu Orchid

After walking and walking and walking, we finally came upon our first orchid of the day. And soon afterwards in quick succession we found 4 more of these critically endangered orchids. Sadly after walking over 7 km in the veld, we ONLY found 5 Albertina  Sisulu Orchids. With sore feet, sagging shoulders, and my head down, we could only listen to Tony say to us, "it must have been the late rains". Not much is known about these extremely rare orchids so whatever the reason, I can't help myself, and feel down that the last of these are dwindling from 8 last year to a handful today. Only 5, it hurts thinking about it!

Flap Neck Chameleon

Albertina Sisulu Orchid

I joined the annual count for the Albertina Sisulu Orchid along the southern slopes of ridge that runs through Proteadal. This orchid was once thought to be extinct but a few years back a viable population of the orchid was found. Once thought to be extinct, in 2015, just over 100 of these extremely endangered ground orchids were counted. The problem is that developers want to build very close to where the orchids are and with their own environment specialist claimed that there where no endangered plants such as this orchid there. Well every year an annual count is done.

The following year 2016 only 3 were found, and 2017 it was a bumper year with nearly 150 found. So today we spread out about 5 metres apart and walked and walked and walked. What felt like 20km, we only walked just over 10km but over rough terrain. Even with the 5m gap being searcher we could have missed a few plants but this margin of error is the same every year and gives us an indication of how many there actually are. The main issue is that the orchids are there, and it contradicts the environmental specialist hired by the developers, assessment that there are no orchids here. Sadly we only found 8 Albertina Sisulu orchids on our count today and I was finished. Kaput! No more walking for me for a while.

I saw plenty of other orchids, more common ones and also just as beautiful. we saw plenty of the African Red Toads, yet no snakes. 2 Flap Neck Chameleons, a Giant Eagle Owl, a couple of Night Jars, and lots of Francolins. Below are a sample...

Large Flap Neck Chameleon waiting for lunch on some pompom weeds

A much smaller Flap Neck Chameleon, this one was very aggressive and bit me twice as I moved him safely to a tree

I stand corrected with the names, we saw plenty of pink orchids and these white Habenaria epipactidea

A big problem, Protea tree deforesting for firewood

Protea flowers

Now this is my favourite find, also an orchid 

Damage done by 4x4s in the area

I have been told that these repairs to the 4x4 tracks have already cost over R4million

And finally a giant caterpillar on a protea tree 

Black Chameleon

It was late in the afternoon when I saw 2 cats Tiger and Rosy, acting strangely near the pool pump, so I went to investigate. I saw Rosy slap her paw at something and thought it might be a snake in amongst the heap of pool net. Chasing the cats away, I had a closer inspection and I found that it was a big Flap Neck Chameleon that was black as an ace of spades.

A black Chameleon? I have seen one this big before but never one being black. I chased the 2 naughty cats away and rescued this poor creature.

I believe there once was many Flap Neck Chameleons in Johannesburg but they have been decimated by the domestic cat population. It was good to find this big in my garden which means that there is a thriving chameleon populations here, now what can I do with these cats?

Chameleons are very territorial and I was thinking releasing him into the Protea forest but we don’t want the cats finding the chameleon again nor the pilgrims who come into the area for firewood, so I phoned Andrew, the Chief curator of the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens, to ask if I can safely relocate him from the Bot Gardens. He agreed and we went down the hill to the Bot Gardens to release the still Black Chameleon.

It is easy just to keep the chameleon but we take a dim view of keeping indigenous creatures in captivity plus it is illegal. Flap Neck chameleons are often sold on the side of the road near the Tarlton crossroads even on the road to Sun City. Firstly you can be in big trouble because you don’t have a permit secondly once you buy one what is stopping the seller to simply dashes back into the bush and grab another. The sad reality is that these areas where these chameleons are sold are very destitute and the locals would do anything to earn money.

I asked Andrew about why this particular Flap Neck chameleon was black, and he said that it was very stressed and in fear, hence the black colour. As soon as we released it into the low branches of a thorn tree, it started getting grey streaks. By the time we had a cup of coffee the chameleon was gone.

Flap-necked Chameleon

Arriving back home in the head of the mid day sun after a morning of month end shopping, this little fellow was seen crossing my driveway. The Chamaeleo dilepis or Flap-necked Chameleon is known are known to grow about 35cm and this chameleon was close to 25cm. I think this is a male because I found on the internet that the males have a distinct swelling at the base of their tails and this one does although I didn't see any small backward projecting spurs on their hind legs. But I am no herpetologist so please correct me if I am wrong.

While carrying him or her to a safer location it changed colour and lost its dark green spots which reminded me of the traditional Zulu story of why the chameleon manages to change its colour. You can read the story here Four Generations of Sibanyoni and you can find out why the chameleon is very sad for letting God down and has been hiding from Him ever since.

Change of subject, Matthew is still in hospital and has blacked out three times today. They are still waiting for the results from the blood tests and it looks like he will be in hospital till Monday. Please continue to pray for him.