CONFIRMED: SUMMERPLACE IS RICH IN TREE AND BIRD SPECIES

“We spent two days at Summerplace and it was an unexpected surprise!” That’s what Waterberg expert, Warwick Tarboton, said following his first visit to Summerplace Game Reserve during October 2023. He and his group recorded high numbers of tree and bird species, both of which are expected to increase. Here’s what they discovered.

Tarboton is retired, but keeps busy by managing a website called Waterberg Bio-Quest, a veritable treasure in terms of information on the Waterberg Biosphere. The website  is a meticulous record of almost everything natural in the Waterberg Biosphere, including mammals, insects, birds, reptiles, trees, wildflowers and grasses. It also contains every kind of map that’s relevant to the region, including topography, geology, drainage and many more. All content on the Waterberg Bio-Quest is English but most of it has also been translated into Afrikaans.

“We have visited well over 100 properties in the Waterberg and haven’t seen anything quite like Summerplace,” said Tarboton. “Five couples with deep interests and experience in nature and conservation were in my group and we thoroughly enjoyed our first visit.

“When you drive up the Melkrivier Road, everything looks rather homogenous. But driving into the Summerplace property with its hills and valleys delivered some very interesting sightings for us,” he added.

Until mid-2021, Summerplace was a farm, but the conversion to a game reserve has seen the introduction of a range of mammals, all of which occur naturally (or used to) in the Waterberg. Among other species, Roan Antelope, Sable Antelope, Tsessebe, Common Reedbuck, Mountain Reedbuck and Giraffe have all been added to the reserve in the past 26 months.

“I am most encouraged that Summerplace is keeping its species introductions to animals that originally occur there. The Tsessebe and Roan Antelope in particular aren’t found elsewhere in the Waterberg these days, so it was really good to see them at Summerplace,” said Tarboton.

“In our short visit we identified 94 species of trees. I would estimate that there are probably 130-140 in total. That’s a very good list! We spotted 107 different bird species, which is very good for the Waterberg this time of the year because the migrants haven’t returned yet. Combined with others who have recorded bird sightings at Summerplace, the list numbers 140 currently. That is a good score, especially for a place with limited water,” he added.

For Tarboton and his group, the sighting of a baby African Hawk Eagle was a highlight.

“I asked David Baber, who was our guide, about any raptors and he took us to a nest that has been there for years. We identified it as the nest of an African Hawk Eagle because it contained a big chick that’s almost ready to fly. Assuming they feel safe, they keep the same nest for years. This is the 28th African Hawk Eagle nest that we are aware of in the Waterberg.

As one of the authors of the book Wildflowers of the Waterberg (digital sample here), Tarboton obviously has a keen interest in this category of flora.

“We did see some wildflowers, but once the rains have begun, that’s when we’re likely to see a lot more at Summerplace. We are looking forward to returning after some rain,” said Tarboton.

The group was also impressed with the Aloe (Marlothii) at Summerplace.

“David took us to the Aloe forest and that is very unique. He also showed us the giant Aloe on the high ground. It’s very rare for an Aloe to grow that tall. We estimate it to be 12-14 metres tall, which is immense and at least double the size they normally grow,” remarked Tarboton, who will return regularly to continue recording flora, fauna and other data for his website.

SUMMERPLACE CONSERVATION: THE GREAT WILDEBEEST CAPTURE  

As a game reserve with a strong focus on sustainability and responsible conservation, it’s not unusual for there to be game capture and release projects at Summerplace. But we recently held our largest game capture of almost 100 Wildebeest, which was quite spectacular. Here’s why we needed to remove them from Summerplace.

There are more than 40 species of large mammal at Summerplace Game Reserve and Wildebeest was one of the biggest populations of any species on the reserve. However, it was determined that they pose a health risk to our Boran cattle, so the decision was made to remove the Wildebeest.

We have previously written about the essential role of Boran cattle at Summerplace. With a growing Boran herd and our grass-fed beef production plans being fine-tuned, the cattle occupy an important multi-function role. Unfortunately, we lost a few cattle over the past year to Snotsiekte, or Malignant Catarrhal Fever (MCF).

Wildebeest are principal carriers of Snotsiekte primarily the calves between the ages of 4-6 months. With the calving season imminent (October/November), it was important to remove the Wildebeest from Summerplace as soon as possible as the disease is infectious. The capture and removal happened over two days in September and included air (helicopter) and ground activation.

“While it’s nice to have Wildebeest on the reserve, they’re not essential to the ecosystem. One of our priority species is Tsessebe, which is a short-grass grazer and because Wildebeest are quite selective short-grass grazers, they compete with the Tsessebe. And since Wildebeest are tough and hardy, they usually win the grazing battle,” said John Mackie, Summerplace Game Reserve Conservationist.

“Normally this wouldn’t be a concern, but with large populations of both Roan Antelope and Sable Antelope and with late rains and high temperatures being forecast over the next couple of months, it helps reduce the overall grazing pressure on the reserve. But primarily, it was in the best interests of the cattle to mass capture and remove the Wildebeest, which should remove the Snotsiekte risk completely,” added Mackie.

“The capture was actually very efficient. The capture team is experienced and they just needed two mornings,” said David Baber, Summerplace Game Reserve co-owner.

“They set up a boma which has a wide entry and then gradually narrows to funnel the animals towards the trucks. The chopper pilot finds them and then chases them towards the boma. As the animals move through the boma, the capture crew members close curtains behind them to ensure none try to run back. Once they have moved up the ramp into the truck, they get given a very mild tranquiliser to help them stay calm for the trip to their new home.

“Because there were quite a lot of Wildebeest and the chopper can’t chase them for too long, they did one capture on the East side of the reserve on the first morning, relocated the boma to the West side that afternoon; and did the second capture the next morning. They rounded up most of the Wildebeest with a really slick operation. There are a handful still here which we will move ourselves, in time,” added Baber.

BACHENGU’S ARRIVAL

Summerplace Game Reserve recently welcomed Bachengu, a Roan Antelope breeding bull who will ensure the continued success of the re-introduction of Roan Antelope into the Waterberg. The name Bachengu comes from Ba (Northern Sotho for ‘they’) and Chengu (Shona for Roan Antelope). He is nine-and-a-half years old and he comes from a free-range system at Nondo, a partner game reserve to Summerplace.

“We unfortunately lost a Roan Antelope breeding bull last year to a maggot infestation in his ear. We wanted to bring in some new genes and the timing was right to bring Bachengu from Nondo where he has successfully fathered three years’ worth of calves,” said John Mackie, Head of Conservation at Summerplace Game Reserve.

“Another bull was ready to take over the herd at Nondo and we also ran the risk of Bachengu breeding with his own daughters. Bachengu is a very large, strong bull with horns measuring 31 inches each. He should  be able to breed for another two to three years at Summerplace,” added Mackie.

The goal is to diversify the gene pool further to ensure the continued success of the Roan Antelope project at Summerplace, which you can read about here. https://summerplacegamereserve.com/complex-project-adds-mountain-reedbuck-to-summerplace-game-reserve-2-2-2-6/

Watch the video of Bachengu’s arrival and release here.

RESEARCH CAMERA TRAPS INSTALLED AT SUMMERPLACE GAME RESERVE

In case you aren’t familiar with them, camera traps are robust cameras placed in selected locations in the bush to capture images of animals (or humans). Camera-trapping is a key method by researchers to capture information without having to be physically present. The absence of human interference is essential in that it records animals, reptiles and birds going about their natural routine.

Camera traps operate continually and silently, using a motion sensor and infra-red light beam. They provide proof of species present in an area, can reveal what prints and scats belong to which species, provide evidence for management and policy decisions, and are a cost-effective monitoring tool. They can also detect human activity, both legal and illegal.

According to Marilise Greyling, Project Manager of the FBIP Waterberg Biodiversity Project and the Executive Director of Waterberg Research Support Centre, camera traps at Summerplace Game Reserve will deliver important information.

“With its variety of habitat types, Summerplace is a very interesting area and we anticipate the diversity here is going to be quite amazing,” said Greyling. “Summerplace falls within a priority grid, which is currently under-sampled. So we have placed cameras to cover all habitat types on the reserve.”

The camera traps are checked every three months and data is then downloaded and examined. We look forward to seeing what the images reveal and should be able to share some of those in December 2023. We currently know over more than 40 large mammals resident at Summerplace Game Reserve and would love to be able to add to that list…

Check out the video below for more information and to see how the camera traps are installed. Also in the video are examples of images captured by camera traps at other wilderness locations.

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