Jack's Autumn Diary

14 May '07 6:15 am

Mark you wrote "That makes me wonder though whether the lake is enhanced by your dam or completely owing to it" - which makes me more than wonder...

Probably it is a confusion of terminology. In SA English anything man-made is a dam, regardless of size and only natural bodies of water are lakes. All ours are man-made, thus dams. (Having said that, Stanford Lake College where I teach is on a dam, but Stanford Dam College doesn't quite have the right ring to it, now does it?)

South Africa is a water-scarse country, most forestry happens in the mountains at the source of rivers. The 30m law is a way of protecting catchment areas.

14 May '07 6:38 pm

Hi again, Jack;

Thanks for the information. I'd be very interested if you wrote a bit about the native trees in your area. I don't know about others reading this thread, but I, when I think about African trees, think about baobabs, palms, possibly teak, and various flowering trees like Flamboyants and Jacarandas. Oh, yes, mangoes and oranges and bananas too! Maybe I'm all wrong, but you're just the person to set me straight! Very Happy

Your latest set of pictures of Japanese maples were wonderful, but I'll have to look at them in more detail tomorrow, as it's now very late and I have to rise at 5:45 in the morning. I have a friend who has just been bitten by the "Japanese maple bug" and bought her first one. I'll have to show her your pictures and REALLY get her going! Twisted Evil

I thought it was interesting that in S.A. you can have a garden beside a watercourse but not a plantation of trees, while here it's the other way around! Of course, you're not allowed to cut the trees down within a certain distance of the river. The reason for these rules here is that the restrictions were put in place to protect the salmon fish stocks, and they need cool, shady water, so gardens are out and trees are in!

Cheers!

gordonf

15 May '07 7:32 am

Dear Jack!! I am stunned by this colourful parade!

I think your pond/bridge photo, together with the one of your home "looking back", are the best of all, although ALL the rest make me dizy with their vibrant redish colours!

Such a lucky guy, dear friend are you!! Oh, SO blessed! Feeling down a little? Just go and immerse your look under a gorgeous Maple! Feeling tired a little? Just take your dog family to the bridge way and experience the colourful wonder! Nature loves you over there, cause She knows you love Her, too...Thank you, dear Jack, for sharing this undescribable Beauty with us! Yes! I have nowhere else seen SUCH Autumn colours!

15 May '07 11:10 am

That is the only way to describe the vistas you have shown us. I envy you the beautiful reds and scarlets in your trees. Here in the lower southeast of the US we get very few red and scarlet colors in fall. More oranges and golds, which are lovely, just not quite as showy. When I lived in Connecticut at one period, we went up to Vermont to see the fall colors and I still remember the fantastic red and scarlet foliage colors they have there. Thank you for sharing your beautiful fall colors with us. I think I could sit down under one of those trees and spend the whole day just dreaming. How sublime!

18 May '07 3:23 am

Faith, I often wish I too could sit and dream under a tree all day!

I always say that autumn peaks on 15 May and this year it was bang on target, even though there is plenty of colour left, and some of the Japanese maples are unusually late.

Gordon, you asked last week about water birds, and I started to collect info. But first tell me: what are 'loons'? I was going to say any loons around here would be two-legged, but then I realised that could make them birds as well...

We have two sorts of duck: Yellow Billed and African Black - the latter more plentiful. They have never nested, but often visit. In fact yesterday as I was photographing out the window, I heard a swoosh and turned to see them land on the water. I also saw the Purple Heron come in to land at the same moment, but unfortunately I did not capture him in the frame as well. So here are the ducks. I have fuzzy pics of herons. But instead I give you a selection of waterbirds which I see on my dam, taken from a fabulous collection of photos (well worth a visit!) on the following site: http://www.outdoorphoto.co.za/forum/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=18393&cat=500

I also have the Brownhooded Kingfisher - larger, tamer and much more regular than the Malachite, but not nearly as colourful; in fact a pair nest in the bank near the house. And a few others not shown...

19 May '07 6:51 am

...From the colourful Paradise on Earth , you take us up onto the Paradisiac creatures of "your" skies?? What magic is this!! I am sure, you got a new adorable friend, a new camera !! Maybe as big with her lences as my friend's Rainey's??? A talented friend who captures in her exquisite photos beautiful birds - remember?

Well, and NOT only this! You have framed them properly and beautifuly...But I miss your well known size, Jack..Here, I can scarcely admire their magnificent colours and details...Could you, please, send again your awesome birds in a bigger presentation, as usual? Frames do not matter, really.. Thank you in advance!

19 May '07 8:23 am

Dear Liza

I would love to claim those birds as my photos, but they are not. I have borrowed them from the excellent website I mention in my post - do visit it, as there are many, many more exquisite shots of the beauty of South Africa, its creatures and its plants!

19 May '07 8:30 am

Jack! The bird photos are SO exceptional , that I could hardly read anything in the text! I was all eyes for them! Thank you for the site! I will visit ANYWAY!

19 May '07 9:17 am

These three photos answer the question, don't they!

19 May '07 5:19 pm

Hi, Jack;

Thanks so very much for the pictures of your local waterfowl; now I have a much better idea of what's there. And, oddly, we have many of the same species, although different varieties here. For example, we also have a variety of kingfishers as well as Great Blue Herons and, of course, all sorts of ducks and geese, in season. Oh, yes, we also have a variety of cormorants. I've posted some pictures of the loons taken from various websites. They have a call that is thought to resemble the laugh of a crazy person, hence the name. But to most Canadians, their call represents the wilderness and freedom (and also cottage country, holidays and good times!).

By the way, I loved your moody, misty autumn pictures. They were just stunning!!

Cheers!

gordonf

Jack's Autumn Diary

Confused

Pine Trees & Watercourses

What gorgeous feast of colours!

Breathtaking

Autumn mists

Wow, Jack!

Not my birds...

Is autumn late?

Autumn & Loons