| Mammals
& Birds in the Magaliesberg
Mammals
The abundance of wildlife, which
once occurred in the Magaliesberg, was well described
by early explorers. It is therefore with some certainty
that we can assess how much it has declined both in
terms of variety of species and in sizes of populations.
At least twenty species of large mammals have been
eradicated from the mountains during the last 150
years. Recently some of these have been reintroduced
into nature reserves but there is still a complete,
and presumably permanent, absence of elephants, lions,
black and white rhinoceros, buffaloes and hippopotamus.
However, for all those mammalian
species, which were exterminated, there are many more
which still roam wild over the whole Magaliesberg
range. Surviving without any contrivance of man, they
are an integral part of the nature of the mountains
today.
Open Woodland
A wide variety of mammal species inhabits the slopes
of the mountain and most of this range freely from
the north to the south side.
Two similar-sized antelope occur
on open slopes, grey rhebok, Pelea capreolus, and
mountain reedbuck, Redunca fulvorufula. In both species
it is only males which carry horns and by these they
are easily distinguished. Horns of the grey rhebok
are thin, straight and almost parallel with each other,
while those of mountain reedbuck are splayed outwards
and curved forwards over the head. Kudu, Tragelaphus
strepsiceros, while no longer common in the Magaliesberg
except in reserves, are more frequently seen on northern
slopes. Warthogs, Phacochoerus aethiopicus, are also
occasionally to be seen on flatter regions near the
foot of the slopes.
Cliffs
Probably the most conspicuous mammal in the Magaliesberg
is the chacma baboon, Papiio ursinus. They forage
over the entire range, often venturing onto farmland
in valleys but invariably retreating to cliffs at
night when threatened. Here their predators cannot
compete with their agility on the rock face, and innumerable
fractures and ledges provide secure roosts for sleeping.
The teeming mammalian life, which
attracted the nineteenth century hunters to the Magaliesberg,
has now all but disappeared, with only limited examples
represented in nature reserves. Nevertheless, a great
variety of secretive and fascinating creatures still
abound to reward patient observation.
Birds
Every weekend growing numbers of people visit the
Magaliesberg to watch birds. More than 400 species
have been recorded in the area, and they comprise
birds from both the bushveld and the highveld as well
as those which are particularly associated with montane
country. In addition, there are large numbers of waterfowl
and waders, which have been drawn to the area by the
irrigation projects and the many smaller farm dams.
Open
Woodland
The slopes of the mountain provide a range of different
micro-habitats and it is not surprising that the birdlife
there is rich and varied. In general the variety is
greater on the lower slopes, where more of the grassland
species congregate, although birdwatching higher on
the mountain is rewarded by views of the magnificent
cliff-dwelling species.
Largest of all birds is, of course,
the ostrich, Struthio camelus, which once occurred
in great numbers in the area. In summer flocks of
migratory storks can be seen in fields at the foot
of the range or circling in thermals above.
Many raptors hunt in the Magaliesberg
slopes and they are not always easy to identify. One,
which is particularly distinctive, however, is the
African hawk eagle, Hieraaetus fasciatus, which is
black above and white with bold black streaks like
ermine on the undersurface.
Forests and
Kloofs
No precise boundary delimits the birdlife in the dense
woodland from that found on the more openly wooded
parts of the mountain.
Cliffs
Birdlife on the cliffs is particularly interesting
and has been the subject of considerable conservation
endeavour. Probably the most intensively studied of
the cliff-nesting species is the Cape Vulture, Gyps
coprotheres, whose numbers have declined dangerously
in recent decades.
Rivers and Dams
Artificial though the dams of the Magaliesberg may
be, they have greatly enhanced the birdlife of the
area. There are few places more rewarding for the
birdwatcher than their quiet shores or the banks of
streams that feed them.
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