Two days have passed since the storm and the sandy beach where I photographed the galloping zebra has altered in the aftermath. Today it is strewn with huge piles of kelp, dislodged by the powerful waves and borne in on the spring high tide.
The sandy beach
Kelp washed ashore after the storm
The kelp brought with it a bonanza for the baboons, a feast of mussels still attached to the fronds. The baboons living along the coast supplement their diet with this highly nutritious resource which is rich in omega oils. They tucked in with gusto, and I noticed that some of the older females had packed their cheek pouches until they bulged into hanging pouches. There was a lot of ‘chatter’ as they sucked and chewed and a delightful sound of ‘hiccups’ as one greedy adult male gulped down the morsels far too quickly.
A crisis looms here in the Cape as drought grips the city of Cape Town and the surrounds. It is interesting to see these scenes at Olifantsbos beach where a gaggle of Egyptian geese and baboons hang out together, drawn to a fresh water spring very close to the edge of the tidal line.
This is a fairly unusual scene, seeing ostriches so close to the water’s edge. The shot was taken on a hot and still summer’s day, and there they were cooling down on the wet sand. While currently our winter weather is set in and the nor’ westerly storms hammer the coast, oh! we dream of ‘Summer Lovin’ ….. this week’s photo challenge!
Recently during a spell of calm, sunny weather I went kayaking along the calm waters of False Bay towards Boulder’s Beach and came across a seal hunting an octopus in close proximity to swimmers on the beach. A lot of activity ensued with the seal thrashing the octopus on the surface of the water. I wasn’t sure whether the intention was to stun the octopus or use force to dismember the legs. The swimmers were completely unfazed, and there i was imagining the octopus accidentally landing on some onlookers’ head. Any sensible person would have moved away, right?!
The element of surprise is the part i look forward to most when walking on our favourite beach. Yesterday I set off hoping to get some better photographs than the one below of some of the European swallows which like to inhabit an area near the coastal pathway. I admire these hardy little visitors who cover a long distance to spend summers on our shores.
It was a heavenly day, but the wind picked up and the wise little birds were sheltering in a different area. Meanwhile the surfers, fishermen, and kite boarders looked to be revelling in the freshning spindrift.
Surf angling is popular when the yellowtail run.The surf was up with a good curl.A lone baboon passes a family hiking in the dunes.While the baboon family are peacefully moving along a foraging route.
The swallows are forgotten as the antics of the baboons catch my attention. The three juveniles and baby can’t resist sliping and sliding down the dune and in their indulgence of the rough and tumble of everyday play :
Sliding, cartwheeling, with sheer exuberance.
All in a tangle of limbs.
Peeping from behind the reeds.
The little sets the pace.
On their way.
No wait up a while.
Stop for a nibble or two.
Rough and tumble.
Playful moods.
Pa, the Alpha male comes padding by on a mission to get across the sand to the car park.
The family follow, romping along.
Meanwhile one of the sub-adult males is engaging in a reconnaisance of a different kind.
He’s on the prowl for food.
Checks out the door handles.
Looks inside for bags.
Tries a variety of techniques to get in, pressing on the glass windows, levering the gap between glass and window frame with his teeth.
Finally he finds an unlocked door and raids the car.
Fortunately there’s no food, but he still searches the bags.
As soon as the alpha male arrives, he beats it and leaves the scene.
Savvy baboons: they have learned that where there are people and cars, there is a possible source of easy food. Leaving bags on car seats and in sight through the windows will certainly attract their attention. Lay out a picnic or light a barbeque in their domain and they will come to investigate and even make off with food that’s laid out for the taking. We could take better care not to tempt them with human food when we come into the areas which overlap with their homerange.
