Page 3 - 24 January 2025

THE REPORTER 24 JANUARY 2025 · PAGE 3
Funnystone has been average rainfall year and
recording rainfall for the
department of transport above the 1900 meter level
since the beginning of 1927
thus has had sufficient data
to create fairly accurate
averages.
temperatures to verify this I
Last year 2024 was a below feel that it was probably
warmer than average and
since the start of the festive
season with the heatwave it is
now definitely hotter than
average.
As nature lovers, we are
Yet for farming conditions deeply concerned about the
over the last couple of years plight of South African
this was an above average Vultures. We realise how
year as the weather vulnerable the South African
conditions seem to be Vulture populations are. It
reverting to the expected was with great sadness that
weather patterns at the we read the following on
expected time with the Kate Webster’s Facebook
70mm in a single day in page on 15 January 2025.
October being the only Thank you to all concerned
abnormality.. in rescuing the Vulture in
although the mountains Herewith are my recordings Lady Grey.
for the year, compared to the Thank you to Kate for the
did have snow the station averages over 98 years use of her story and the
itself had none. which however are at least photographs.
As we do not record 30 years less than those of
“It had been a devastating
the Barkly East weather
station. week in the vulture world for
VulPro with 3 of our tracked
birds lost to powerlines,
together with 4 others. The young CS Vet, Jacques de Chermont, who was able
Amidst this, a call came to rehydrate the vulture and keep it safe until Kate Webster
through from a young CS and her team could collect it.
vet, Jacques de Chermont,
who has been contacted by
landowners in the Lady Grey
area about a Cape Vulture
that could not fly. Jacques
collected the female vulture
and the only means of
transport he had was a round
drum carefully lined with
towels. He then rehydrated
her for us and kept her
quietly in a dog crate to be
collected.
As travel time to Lady Grey is
at least 3 hours away, I
arranged to fetch her today
(15 January). My journey
north to the big mountains
of the Southern Drakens-
berg started off with a slightly
overcast morning but soon The female Cape Vulture that was injured when she
on the open road the blue collided with Powerlines in the Lady Grey area. Thank
skies appeared. As Jacques you to Jacques and the landowners who cared enough to
had to go to work in save her.
Sterkspruit, he arranged that
a local resident would open
up for me to collect the
vulture.
So this feisty (and sore)
young lady was transferred
into the vulture crate and we
then left the mountainous
countryside behind in bright
sunshine. Approaching the
mountain pass of Penhoek,
the weather had done an
about swing with thick mist,
strong winds and rain
showers for the last final
stretch of 100km.
Prognosis on this girl
guarded . . . . .yes another
powerline victim but she The beautiful Lady Grey mountains.
survived. Time will tell if she
gets to fly free again.
However a huge thank you to
Jacques for taking the
initiative and collecting her
and rehydrating her. You are
my vulture hero this week.”
On the return journey to Queenstown, Kate Webster
encountered thick mist, rain and wind. We are grateful
that Kate arrived safely at her home.