Great White Sharks to be culled in Western Australia- not G' mate
Today I received a rather alarming status on my Facebook profile about the plan to begin the culling of Great White Sharks in Western Australia. Not only does this plan (which looks like it is going to be put into action) mean that Western Australia is on the verge of a serious ecological mistake it also makes m...
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Cape Point Peninsula
Does the bus service on Fish Hoek make any sense?
A few days ago I was walking with my family past the traffic circle in Fish Hoek, just before the Memorial Gardens when two battle weary taxis chugged, sputtered, coughed, and rattled their way past us- nose to tail. Both these collections of scrap metal and gaffer tape were chock full with punters heading away from Fish Hoek.
The taxis were closely followed by a very large ...
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Blacksmith Lapwing (Plover)
Do we really take notice of what is around us, or do we just think we do?
This evening I was doing the daily dog walk. I must confess that a lot of the time this consists of the same route around the Fish Hoek playing field. Often this is a good time to think and I have often done the whole walk and not really registered the fact- other times the walk is the event and I am a...
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Baboons in Fish Hoek
A recent incident on Fish Hoek mountainside resulted in a baboon being shot. This indicates that baboons do frequent the mount slopes at the south end of Fish Hoek Valley, however, by no means are they as active in the area as they are in Glencairn and Simons Town.
Lone, wandering, males transverse large distances in search of new troupes- an behaviour that prevents in breed...
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I’ve seen my first southern right whale of the season
It wasn't doing anything exciting, just hanging around on the surface- and it took me a while to identify it, too often in the past I have been fooled by floating debris, such as huge rafts of kelp and it was early evening with the setting sun casting shadows on the water.
Then, after an eye watering stint of staring- poof, a tell-tale v-shaped puff of water- a Southern Right ...
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Cape Clawless Otters- Safari part 1
Recently I was on a beach between Glencairn and Simons Town. It was one of those autumn days that really defines the season on the Cape Point Peninsula, periods of warm sunshine interspersed with sharp, heavy rain showers.
I was mooching along the sand, just above the tide line, looking at a set of dog prints when they intersected a second set. At this point I noticed that t...
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Fish Hoek Beach- Don’t Blame The Sharks!
I am normally upbeat about Fish Hoek, its a nice place to live, and I chose it over a number of other places in the world. Sometimes though a minority of it's citizens can send me over the edge and make me question the thought processes of my fellow residents.
There is a lot of debate on the Cape Point Peninsula, and Fish Hoek in particular about the use of shark nets to m...
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Kalk Bay Fish Fare
It is the annual Kalk Bay Fish Fare on Saturday and for once I am going to make sure that I make it there. This is one of those events in the Cape Point Peninsula that I always seem to be too busy to get to, but this year I am going to really make the effort and go see what it is all about.
The sign promises great entertainment and it comes with an added joy of a trip to Kal...
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Shark Nets At Fish Hoek Beach
I guess that it was inevitable that the negative publicity surrounding a recent shark attack would lead to shark nets at Fish Hoek beach.
Tourism is in a general slump in the area which is inevitably having a knock effect for the rest of the economy. Certainly the portrayal of Fish Hoek beach as being a place that you will get eaten by a great white shark will not have h...
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Cape Point Peninsula Tortoises Under Threat
Poachers Now Targeting the Cape Point Tortoise Population
I have received a most disturbing press release from the Minister of Local Government,Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (in full below). Apparently the humble tortoise is now the target of poachers. Luckily we live in a very busy, built up area so there are a lot more eyes and ears available than in rural...
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