Seasons/Habitat

Ecological Area

Being a sensitive ecological area the extreme heat and a formidable absence of moisture are the most testing odds. The vast southern Kalahari is a region of sandy soil, camel thorn trees and low rainfall (250mm - 300mm per year). Rain is unpredictable in the desert, but if you are fortunate enough to experience a thunderstorm you will be astounded!

A remarkable array of life forms is sustained during the rainy season. Bird and insect life is abundant and diverse. Tortoises and leguaans come out of hibernation and snakes thrive on the plentiful field mice. Scorpions are especially active on warm, windy evenings.

During the rainy season the usually dormant land comes alive with green pastures and an array of flowering ground covers and the yellow flowers of the thorny tribulus terrestris (duwweltjies).

By winters end, browsers such as dykers and steenbok are in poor condition due to a lack of forage, bushes are bare and no new plants have sprouted. Many of the bird species have spent their entire days searching for enough food to sustain them through the bitterly cold winter nights.

After just a little rain, leaf buds sprout and the comatose land turns a splendid green. Once the Drongo “mikstertbyevanger” pipes its two note “rain song” and the Bustard “ Korhaan” mock dive to the ground , thunder crashes and the true rains come at last.

During the rainy season, January through to March, lightning strikes frequently cause fires which burn fiercely in the camel thorn trees. It can take decades for the trees and small animals they harbour to recover. Even a few drops of rain could mean survival to plants and animals alike.

Within days, after the rain, scores of insects appear, most having spent the winter months underground or camouflaged in trees and bushes. Butterflies, moths, beetles, scorpions and many other insects offer an ample food source to birds, mongoose, meerkats, pangolin and bat eared foxes.

The huge nests the sociable weaver are remarkable and can weigh up to 1000Kg (2200 pounds). They provide a comfortable home to up to 300 paired birds. The area is also rich in raptors. More than 50 raptor species, of which 35 are resident, have been recorded. The most common are the pale Chanting Goshawk and Greater Kestrel.

Listen for the ever-present cicada (sonbesie) whose ceaseless, high-pitched call fills the summer air.

For the springbok and Oryx the birthing season begins and within a few weeks the ‘swart haak’ bushes are in flower and the Bushman grasses are green and juicy and offer a generous supply of food. The continuance of the next generation is assured.