Drought ...... again Bob !! Some less obvious impact.
Collateral damage of the drought which we are firmly in the grip of at this time became quite evident to me this morning whilst walking my dog. We are all aware of the fact that gardens will suffer, households will pay more for tap water and the fact that there are water restrictions. Nature outside of humanity also has to deal with the change in climate and the lack of water.
Where I walk my dog daily … this is how it looked in August
There are a variety of bird species in the area such as
Yellow Rumped Bishop
Image source
Cape Prinia
And these birds are now in their breeding season… the same as every year. Some more of the local residents are
Red Bishop
image credit
image credit
Fiscal Flycatcher… and they are usually in seventh heaven as there is a water treatment facility alongside this open field. Many flies… food on ‘tap’ so to say.
Last but not least of the feathered variety there are Francolin living in the brush…
Now every year there is a cycle, the birds build their nests, they raise their offspring and the offspring leave the nest…. by mid- January or so.
So what has this got to do with drought you are no doubt asking yourself…. OR for that matter walking the dog?
At the end of January and into February the area dries out and the temperatures are high…. And veld (brush) fires occur. It is now just past mid-November and unfortunately the field looks like this…
And this ..
We have had more than 4 brush fires which have destroyed the vegetation and disrupted the breeding season for the birds. The dryness and fires is unheard of so early in the season. A Cape Grey Mongoose was run over trying to escape one of the fires….
Another comparison between August and today
Another negative about this is that every time there is a fire the fire emergency services respond using thousands of litres of drinking water to quell the fire…. A resource which is precious and in short supply at this point in time.
I did ask them if a controlled burn was not the answer….. the reply “We may not do that, this is private property!
A controlled burn at this stage would not help the fauna and flora, but at least it would save tens of thousands of litres of water.
This is going to be a long summer!!
Thanks for reading what is basically a little bit of venting.