The first week of the RAVE (RAVE = Ringing, Atlasing, Virtual-museuming Expedition) was spent at Botuin, Vanrhynsdorp, and the report on the first four days, is here, and the report on the Days 5 to 7 is here. RAVE then moved to Vondeling Wine Farm, and the eastern edge of the Paardeberg. The report for Days 8 to 11 is here. This is the report on Days 12 to 13, Friday and Saturday, 8 and 9 December. This report largely focuses on two aspects of our time at Vondeling Wine Farm, bird ringing and OdonataMAPping.
Ringing
The total number of birds ringed at Vondeling Wine Farm was 209 birds of 28 species.
| Common name | Handled |
| Redbilled Teal | 3 |
| Red-eyed Dove | 1 |
| Ring-necked Dove | 3 |
| Laughing Dove | 4 |
| Speckled Mousebird | 1 |
| Malachite Kingfisher | 1 |
| Greater Striped Swallow | 2 |
| Cape Bulbul | 8 |
| Cape Robin-chat | 2 |
| Lesser Swamp Warbler | 1 |
| African Reed Warbler | 14 |
| Bar-throated Apalis | 2 |
| Levaillant’s Cisticola | 5 |
| Fiscal Flycatcher | 10 |
| Common Starling | 5 |
| Malachite Sunbird | 1 |
| House Sparrow | 16 |
| Cape Sparrow | 8 |
| Cape Weaver | 53 |
| Southern Masked Weaver | 26 |
| Southern Red Bishop | 19 |
| Yellow Bishop | 3 |
| Common Waxbill | 2 |
| Cape Canary | 2 |
| Streaky-headed Canary | 4 |
| Cape White-eye | 4 |
| Karoo Prinia | 7 |
| Southern Grey-headed Sparrow | 2 |
This includes a few rehabilitated birds that were brought to us for ringing; the Red-billed Teals had been raised from the tiny duckling stage, and were almost ready for release. It was interesting to see them in the hand. One of them is in the photo below.
OdonataMAPping
We explored the Vondeling farm and the adjacent Paardeberg as intensively as feasible for dragonflies and damselflies. The objective was to collect records for the OdonataMAP section of the Virtual Museum. There was no flowing water on the top of this range of granite hills. We were looking for a few of the Western Cape endemics, but failed to find them. The total number of species found was 18, which represents about 12% of the total number of species of dragonflies and damselflies in South Africa.
Common Citril (Ceriagrion glabrum)
Masai Sprite (Pseudagrion massaicum)
Tropical Bluetail (Ischnura senegalensis)
Blue Emperor (Anax imperator)
Friendly Hawker (Zosteraeschna minuscula)
Common Thorntail (Ceratogomphus pictus)
Common Hooktail (Paragomphus genei)
Darting Cruiser (Phyllomacromia picta)
Two-striped Skimmer (Orthetrum caffrum)
Cape Skimmer (Orthetrum capicola)
Long Skimmer (Orthetrum trinacria)
Eastern Blacktail (Nesciothemis farinosa)
Black Percher (Diplacodes levebvrii)
Broad Scarlet (Crocothemis erythraea)
Little Scarlet (Crocothemis sanguinolenta)
Nomad (Sympetrum fonscolombi)
Red-veined Dropwing (Trithemis arteriosa)
Ferruginous Glider (Tramea limbata)
Four of these species are illustrated below:
The third leg of the RAVE is at Ouberg Private Nature Reserve.
