Heidelberg, Gauteng

[Dimitri]

An hour away from Sandton, in the rocky hills beyond Heidelberg is a little gem of a farm that I have access to. It's a 1,000ha cattle farm about 25km from Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve.

I take my sons there on day trips to shoot, hunt and have a braai. Where we braai there are no houses or roads visible - just bush and mountains.

On this open farm I have now seen the following species:
Duiker
Steenbuck
Kudu
Jackal (see at least one every time I go. Saw 2 on Saturday)
Mountain Reedbuck (saw a ram and a ewe on Saturday. First time I have seen them there. Female was pregnant. Ram had long but narrow horns)
Zebra
Blesbuck
Scrub hare
Yellow mongoose

The farmer shot a bushpig on the farm earlier in the year. And I have seen baboon droppings on occasion but never seen the baboons themselves yet.

As far as gamebirds are concerned I have seen the following:
Swainson's Spurfowl
Crowned Guinea-Fowl
Orange River Francolin
Common Quail
Kurrichane Buttonquail
Egyptian Goose
Spurwinged Goose
Yellow-billed Duck
Red-Billed Teal
Red-eyed Dove
Cape Turtle Dove
Laughing Dove
Speckled Pigeon

About 40 years ago my late date used to hunt a lot in the Heidelberg area and he often used to shoot Coqui Francolin. I haven't heard of one being shot/seen in the area for decades. What a pity. They are lovely little birds.

[Bigfoot]

That is a lovely area, hope it stays like it is for many more years.

[Dimitri]

That is a lovely area, hope it stays like it is for many more years.

It certainly is lovely. And to a little bit of "wilderness" and those animals free ranging right on the doorstep of one of Africa's biggest cities is amazing.

Each province and each area has it's own particular beauty but all wild places are beautiful to me. Like you, I also hope they stay that way for many more years.

I neglected to add porcupines to the above farm's species list. I haven't seen them yet but I see their sign.

[Dimitri]

On Saturday I took my kids to the farm for an outing. We had a great day and left at around 5.30pm. Less than 1km from the farm boundary, on a neighbouring farm, we were super super excited to see a common reedbuck ram!!! Free range, no game fencing nearby.