From The Flats

Two weeks ago an opportunity came my way to do some camera trapping at the Cape Flats Nature Reserve at the UWC (University of the Western Cape). It is a (very) small reserve about 6 km from my house, in the opposite direction as Tygerberg.


Cape Dwarf Chameleon (Kaapse Dwerg-verkleurmannetjie - Bradypodion pumilum) barely managing to stick around on the slippery bamboo

 All of my cameras are currently occupied at Tygerberg so I decided to bring my Moultrie out of retirement. I bought some fresh batteries and set it up. Unfortunately nothing was photographed the first week. I moved the camera to a new spot, but the batteries where already starting to run low. On day two at the new location I got a Cape Francolin passing by.


Some Cape Francolins (Kaapse Fisant - Pternistes capensis) were the only visitors at the camera before the batteries 'were no longer with us'

 On day three the camera 'left us'. I'm very disappointed with the battery life of the Moultrie these days. This time round it didn't even last 10 days!! In short the Moultrie is back into full time retirement. The only reason it is not in the dumpster right now is because I have a sentimental attachment to it (it was my first trail camera). I'm thinking instead of turning it into a display piece on the wall, a door stop or something along those lines...


A student gives this fellow a helping help back to the bush it came from

 I was fortunate enough to see this Cape Dwarf Chameleon two weeks ago when I went to set up the camera. These little guys are incredibly charming and very pretty. It was my first time seeing one in the wild.

I'm thinking of temporarily moving a Bushnell down to the flats to shoot some Grysbok and Small Grey Mongoose action...