Mission accomplished minus the one that just had to get away

Olivier & Michelle collecting plants

The target for the Toyota Enviro Outreach’s contribution this year was set at 1 500.  Two days ago we were standing on 1099. Since then the guys collected 405 species. That’s a total of  1 504. Mission accomplished! Finish and klaar.  Oh no, say the scientists. Oh no, say the rest of us, were only beginning. The interesting thing is that the total could have missed the magical 1 500. Or could have been one over it. Let me explain.

It all started this morning when we arrived at Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve. The scientists were aghast, looking at these endless mountains packed to the brim with Fynbos. To put it in perspective: The total area of the Cape Floral Kingdom is 90 000 km². Kogelberg alone offers   1 000 km² of that total. But listen to this: The Floral Kingdom boasts 9 600 species and Kogelberg Reserve has 1 650 of those. And our 17 scientists had free rein to do their thing. They were like school kids when the final bell goes announcing the summer holidays. Marsha our resident Russian was plucking her hair out again with excitement.   

The Palmiet River in Kogelberg

Gerhard our leader sent the fish guys down to the Palmiet River. Good choice. The insect team disappeared into the mountains. For once somebody was glad about the fire that burnt about 5 000 ha of the reserve down. It offered lots of easy rocks to turn for Snakeman. Or Geckoman, depending on what he gets. The birding crowd went onto Twitter... no, they found a birding spot on the banks of the river. 

After they dispersed, Gerhard took the plant people all the way back to the entrance of the reserve. The gang got out and started toy-toying. They didn’t know which Christmas present to open first. Then Michelle got a system going and they were pulling them in. Species after species. The only sad thing was that they knew there were not enough hours in the day to get them all. 

Fishing for compliments

A breather at Kogelberg

Catching a snake without Snakeman

Meanwhile Gerhard decided to look under the rocks in the burnt patch close to where the plant people were operating. Armed only with a few empty bottles, he started turning rocks, putting every one exactly back in its place. After rock number three he found it. A big bad looking black baboon spider. Lid unscrewed from his capture bottle in his right hand, he approached the monster, quickly whipping it in with the other hand, at the same time doing Rocky Horror’s Time Warp: It’s just a jump to the left... Thereafter the scorpion and skaapsteker snake was easy. Not to mention the two different species of earthworm. Five species in total. Without them, the total would have been one less than mission accomplished. 

A Southern Rock Agama

Cape Crag Lizard

Later on in the afternoon, we drove to the house – still in the Reserve – of our hosts Mark and Amida Johns. Amida said that there was one special species – a Grubbia tomentosa – behind the house they just had to get.  We waited and waited and waited... apparently these plant people can’t count to one. Suddenly a Cape white-eye (Zosterop Virens) came to visit. First it perched on the fence next to us. Then it casually bounced off the fence and onto Gerhard’s chest. (Look at the pic if you don’t believe me).  Gerhard’s hand was six centimetres away. 

Gerhard and his Cape White-eye

“Shall I grab it for a DNA sample?” he asked.

Nobody said a word; the bird was just too beautiful. 

“No, just let it go,” Gerhard spoke all our minds. It flew away as our plant people came back. 

“Mark and Amida are so wonderful,” remarked Michelle in the car on our way back. “They even raised a small little orphaned Cape White-eye. It’s now their pet bird.”

Sometimes it’s good to talk about the one that got away.

We’ll talk again tomorrow...

To see the route we travelled to day, visit: http://gpsed.com/track/5061178321969011876