Author Archives: kleinkaroobiosphere

The deal is that Dr. Constable drives and keeps her eyes on the road, and I look out the window to find the birds. But her sharp eyes were quicker than mine, and located this flock of 16 Lesser Flamingo, … Continue reading →

It was unexpected and surprising to see a large male ostrich running through the Koedoeshek reserve, and an even stranger sight to see that same male five years later with a brood of gangly ostrich chicks. Years earlier, he likely … Continue reading →

The seven-year drought ended in dramatic fashion. A year ago late in the evening I started receiving pings on my phone. Posted were videos of the local rivers spilling their banks, quickly followed by more videos of more severe local … Continue reading →

The KKBR has been mapping the biodiversity within the reserves using iNaturalist, and you can also document the biodiversity of the Klein Karoo (or anywhere in the world) by using a simple app you can download to your smart phone. … Continue reading →

The gift of free time during the enforced isolation to evade COVID-19 has produced a fully-revised checklist of the birds from the Klein Karoo. This checklist can be downloaded, printed, and carried with you during your next safari, birding foray, or … Continue reading →

Southern Africa is the world’s tortoise biodiversity hotspot, including many rare species found nowhere else on earth, but lately even the common species are becoming rare.  The usual suspects of habitat loss, frequent brushfires, and illegal collecting for the pet … Continue reading →

Last year the KKBR expanded by 263.5 hectares (651 acres) with acquisition of an adjacent parcel containing Gifkop, perhaps the tallest peak along the R323 between the Klein Swartberg mountains to the north, and the coastal Langberg mountains to the … Continue reading →

About a month after the expensive disappointment of drilling a dry well – in a drought no less – I got a message from Philipp.  “Good News! Water! We tested three times, meticulously, you have water at…wait for it…22 meters.” … Continue reading →

The deep earth-shaking rumble sounded like an old World War II Sherman tank coming, but it was the massive borehole drilling rig, maneuvering the narrow, bumpy dirt road on its double-wide tires with the agility of a Klipspringer. Tagging behind … Continue reading →

It’s simplistic to say the Klein Karoo’s lingering drought has made life hard for the wildlife, because these dry times affect all organisms in complex ways.  Plants stressed by dehydration slow their growth, reduce flowering, and may not reproduce at … Continue reading →