Cape Penduline Tit

Measuring 9 cm and only weighing 6,2 grams the cape penduline tit is one of the smaller animals to be seen at Aquila. Due to its small size it is often overlooked. Its nest is build from tightly-felted plant fibers with a tubular entrance at the top, This entrance can be closed which reveals a false entrance keeping its occupants safe from predators such as snake.

Haemanthus coccineus April Lilly, Maartblom

This bulb is a member of the amaryllidaceae family and flowers March to April. The leaves plant have been used as an antiseptic in the treatment of ulcers and wounds. Sliced leaves covered in vinegar and honey were used as a treatment for asthma. The plants often grows in the shade of other shrubs growing on Aquila making it quite difficult to spot.

The Blue Wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) or sometimes called the Brindled Gnu, weighs about 250 kg for bulls and 180kg for cows. There preferred habitat is open grassland and woodland savannah. Blue Wildebeest move around in small heards but congregate in heards of over a million for their annual migration across the Serrengetti plains in East Africa. A couple of small heards can be found on Aquila where it is quite easy to take photos of these comical animals. There gestation period is 250 days and the calf weighs in at about 22kg at birth. Calves in the heard are born over a short period of time saturating the predators with food and hence ensuring the survival of most of the youngsters.

Ornithogalum maculatum (Chinkerinchee or Rooi-dirkie)

Commonly seen on Aquila Private Game Reserve this time of the year.

White-Breasted Cormorant/ Witborsduiker (Phalacrocorax lucidus)
These large fishermen birds have a distinct white chest an under parts with black wings and a long, sharp bill used for fishing. Their habitats are marine and inland waters, usually seen in large dams and pans. These cormorants are usually silent except for when they are in breeding colonies when they will grunt and squeal. They are a locally common resident in the area. These birds mainly feed on fish, but also frogs, crustaceans and molluscs.

Leopard/ Luiperd (Panthera pardus)
This strong, muscular cat is a true master of disguise. Its coat is covered in spots forming rosettes, which camouflages it well in numerous habitat types. An adult Cape leopard weighs around 30 - 40 kg, half that of its northern cousins. It is the apex predator in the Western Cape Its diet includes a wide range of prey, from fish and mice to large antelope. Leopards are very adaptable animals and can be found in a wide range of habitats. Cape Leopards are found in the Mountainous regions of the province These secretive, nocturnal cats are very rarely seen, and having the opportunity to spot one in the wild is a rare privilege.

Bird of the month: Little Grebe/ Kleindobbertjie (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
This bird is also known as a dabchick. These grebes are slightly smaller than the black necked grebe and have a light rufous colour on the under parts, with black upper parts and a dark rufous coloured neck with black on top of the head. Their habitat is slightly more diverse than the rest of the grebes, ranging from dams, lakes, slowly flowing streams and rarely on the marine coast. They are very noisy birds, with a distinctive whinnying trill. Little grebes are a common resident in the area. Their main food source is small aquatic animals, mainly frogs, tadpoles and anthropods.

Animal of the month: African Elephant (Loxodonta africana)
The African elephant is enormous and unmistakable. Its nose and upper lip is elongated into a fantastically muscular and mobile trunk. Most adults have two large tusks, which are very large modified incisor teeth. The large, flat ears are coincidently roughly the shape of the African continent and act as radiators cooling the elephant on hot days. They have a gestation period of 22 months. Historically, elephants roamed a wide range of habitats. Today, however, their habitats are severely constrained by human encroachment. None the less, their populations are very secure and the number of elephants on the African continent is constantly on the increase. Elephant populations in fenced areas increase on average by 6,7% per year. These animals move surprisingly silently for their size. The sight of an elephant noiselessly moving through the early morning mist can be described as nothing more than ghostly.

Do horns regrow?
Answer: No. Horns that have broken off will not regrow. However, if the horns are merely damaged, they may continue to grow in an irregular, deformed manner.

Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps Cristatus)
These graceful water birds are unmistakable, having a dark double crest and a rufous ruff around the sides of the head. They mostly occur in large openings of fresh water and rarely in sheltered coastal- embayments. Their calls vary from growling and snarling to a barking “rah-rah-rah”. These birds are a locally common resident. Their diet includes fish, molluscs, insects and water plants.