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Judith Stopforth visited the seals on Roman Rocks with her Canon on one of the few windless afternoons during the Christmas holidays - and they counted 140 seals.
Thanks for sharing these great photos In the distance much whale activity that was different from that of Bryde's and Southern Right for the last few weeks of May and then early June much closer - caught on camera. Unfortunately only a cell phone photo but clear enough to determine that this was the Orca (Orcinus orca). Known as a killer whale it is actually a toothed whale that belongs to the oceanic dolphin family. There are three distinct forms and it is likely that O. orca will be split into a number of different species or at least subspecies (IUCN). They are the most widely distributed mammal on earth apart from humans. They are carnivorous and had a devastating effect on great white sharks in False Bay and Gansbaai in 2017. The scientists found that the white shark livers‚ nutritious and weighing as much as a human being‚ had been removed with almost surgical precision by the orcas. Some of the great whites returned and shark diving operators even welcomed some individual sharks they recognised (Keeton, April 2018).
It would be interesting to know if the two seen here recently have had a similar impact on the sharks - or perhaps our seal colony. Does anyone have any updated information to share? Leeann Becker had her camera with her as she took it in turns with Ivan and Gavin to paddle in amongst a pod of playful dolphins very close to the Rooiels Nature Reserve. It gives all of us a thrill to share in the joy of that day with them. Thanks for the photos!
Photos of the flowers and the pools on the Rooiels River in a lunar landscape Thanks Robert Baigrie for photos and Dirk Muller for identifications -- in order as shown above
Barleria obtusa, Chironia baccifera, Diastella thymelaedoides (Hangklip silkypuff, endemic here) Erica fascicularis, Erica gysbertii, Erica placentiflora Lanaria lanata - Cape edelweiss, Maurocenia frangularia (Hottentots cherry), Saltera sarcocolla Syncarpha canescens (Pienksewejaartjie), Tritoniopsis lata, Rooiels Bay Wolfgang is on a mission to scale Klein Hangklip along a different path every week - and he is joined by Jill and other adventurers on some of those trips. They share some of their photos
Some lovely photos of the Kogelberg looking down on the river on hikes taken both before and after the fire - thanks to Jill Lockley
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Photos and anecdotes from RooielsersPlease share the beauty Archives
May 2024
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