Novembers creatures

Orange Ground-thrush   Zoothera gurneyi

Hoopoe

a beautifully onomatopoeic name   Upupa  epops (africana)

Hottentot golden mole   Amblysomus hottentotus

In the last month the spring season has been a wet and unpredictable one.  Many of the long-time residents here have remarked that it wetter than usual.  We have been hit by the occasional spectacular thunderstorm, but more generally rain fronts have come in frequently and randomly. The Thousand Hills area has been shrouded in low cloud and soppy mist often and for days on end.

When he sun comes out and all that moisture becomes airbourne the 33 degrees of humid heat is an entomological paradise.  This year, the 10 November marked the first mass emergence of termite alates in the Scottburgh neighbourhood.  They gathered in a swarm of hundreds on our back yard wall against the security light. And while the geckos gorged, I enjoyed snacking on this nutritious and neglected food.  Down the street, countless swarms gathered at street lights, and soon the roads became snowed in shedded wings.

another great name, this time in Zulu:  Shongololo  =  millipede

shongololo...

SHONGOLOLO !